I am gutted. :( :( :( I don't know what to say, either. You guys are both so unbelievably talented, competent, and skilled writers and creators, the idea that you will not be in the poll next week leaves me... mostly shell shocked, to be honest.

And THIS, boys and girls, is why you don't make a self-indulgent bullshit meta post in the Top 10. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE, KIDDIES! :p

Seriously, thank you guys for keeping my candy ass in this long! I was about to drop out months ago, but the Avocado Squad captured me and encouraged me to prolong my shameful stint of bad behavior in this fine community, so many thanks to them as well.

Live long and prosper, y'all. I'm sorry I kind of sucked at actually playing the game this time! So that's my goal for next round - be less of a failboat community member. But until then - here's Team Rocket, blasting off again!

I will miss whipchick in every capacity she fills for Idol. Writer, reader, commenter, sage. Reading your weekly offerings, A, has been a decadent treat. Your writing is simply phenomenal. Utterly astonishing. Your subject matter brave and bold. Your skill so finely honed as to be a razor blade fashioned from words. You are the slice of tiramisu after an endless night of coke and rave dancing.

Really really sad and sorry to see this result.

This is devastating. :(

You know what I love about porn_this_way? She is all-in, let's-do-this, audacious, bodacious, and wicked clever. And as much as she enjoys graphic-laden posts, the girl can write. When I read something from PTW, I'm going to feel something. I'm probably also going to shake my head a little. :)

And Allison? As previously mentioned, she's already proven she can win this thing - in a full season - without taking a bye, while traveling all over the world. She's an amazing writer, incredibly generous with her time, her assistance, and her support.

I'm sad to see them "going home" tonight.

It's not easy being green. :(

You two were awesome, and I'm so sad to see you go. :(

whipchick I have loved so many of your entries this season. I will miss reading your work every week. So many of them touched me deeply. I hope this isn't the last I see of your writing. <3

porn_this_way you have made me laugh so many times. Thank you.

Edited at 2016-05-17 02:03 am (UTC)

Two of the best writers I have been privileged to know.

I responded directly to ptw above, but wanted to pay tribute to whipchick. Her Poll #2 entry this week is an example of why I love LJI and her work in it. The piece was intelligent, opinionated (but genuinely balanced), funny when it needed to be (and angry when it needed to be) and concisely written. One of her best and also a fine example of the kind of excellent non-fiction work she's brought to LJI over the season.

Writing primarily non-fiction this season has been a new frontier for me and I've found a great deal of inspiration in her fearlessness, her language choices and her ability to find structure in her entries - be they stories or thought pieces.

Congratulations on writing so many excellent pieces, whipchick. I feel obligated to try to raise my game for the rest of my time in LJI so that when I get voted out it can be on as high a note as you struck in that piece.

My husband is really into Formula One racing. I kind of don't get it - 9 times out of 10 the winner is the guy with the best car, and the tenth time there's a crash. Hamilton, Rothberg, Hamilton, Hamilton, Rothberg. Most of the races are more or less decided before anyone shows up at the starting line.

Right now Mercedes is killing it. They have the best engines, and they have the best crew. And I have to admire that - that the win doesn't belong to one dude, it belongs to the people who spent all year building a better car and reacting to rules changes and improving their math skills and learning to change a tire 1 second faster. There's a lot of pit crew behind the guy who crosses the finish line.

I wouldn't have played this time around if it wasn't a team season, and I wouldn't have stayed in without staying committed to my team. And I'm glad I did both because I am very happy with some of what I wrote, and can't wait to start working on getting it published. So thanks, Gary, for making it teams, and thanks Avocados for being amazing!

I've been part of an incredible team this season, and I still am. I'm not in the race, but I'm still in the game.

Thanks for all the wonderful words and support, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

I knew this week was going to be rough. At this point, they all are. I'm still sad to see whipchick and porn_this_way out of the running, though - sometimes knowing a thing doesn't make it any easier. You two are both awesome, amazing writers. You also happen to be awesome, amazing human beings.

porn_this_way, I know you see yourself as a class clown. You're also the star of the show, up front in the spotlight. And you're great at it. Your post this week breaking down humor and how you do the wacky shit you do was great. (And hey, yes I do have a soft spot for meta. :P )

whipchick, You've got an amazing range - fiction, non fiction, humor, poetry, and everything in between. You are phenomenal at giving insightful, great, feedback. And you're phenomenal at taking it, too - seeing your drafts evolve has been really awesome, and I've loved working with you. Here's to doing even more of that in the future!

This whole wild ride was made so much more fun with both of you there. Thank you for joining in on the goopy green goodness! Avocados 5 ever!

This week was really difficult for a reader as well..All the entries were superlative and great reads..which made it difficult to choose. Voting everyone wouldn't have helped either..:P (Though I so wanted to do that)
And yet I didn't expect the results. Two of my favourite writers going home..:/
I start my reading with porn_this_way's entry when I am not feeling like reading and that usually perks me up..:) Gonna miss your writing for sure..till next time.
And I may have said this earlier, but I seriously don't mind repeating that I am in Awe of whipchick She balances the fic/non-fic thing really well and you always get something to relate to in whatever she writes.
*Hugs* Thanks for all the great reads..:) <3
Also I may add Great Job as a team 'Avocados' You'll rocked \m/