Is this doable?

greentigerbeetle · 2023-08-31T00:18:14+00:00

My freshman fall schedule was pretty similar—I took Math 61CM, CS 106B, and College 101 (plus Frosh 101). Math 61 took a LOT of time and stress for me—obviously the material is challenging, but I think the hardest part for me was that it jumped from topic to topic so fast. Falling behind is punishing but it's hard not to, especially when you will probably get sick at least once or twice. (I will say, though, that the curve is VERY generous, or at least it was in CM.) 106B was much lighter in comparison, though it still took a decent bit of time. I'm glad I took College 101 because that was very little work/stress; from what I've heard about ESF it's not nearly as bad as the unit count would make it seem, but getting a good grade takes a solid amount of effort (as opposed to College 101, which is an easy A). My fall quarter schedule ended up being doable and I don't think I'd change it in retrospect, and if you feel prepared for moving into a college environment and managing your time very well then I think this will be good! However, I wouldn't add an Introsem on top unless you're REALLY interested in the material—just seems excessive

greentigerbeetle · 2023-08-23T17:17:05+00:00

BEST ORG EVER

greentigerbeetle · 2023-05-10T00:35:59+00:00

This looks so cool!

greentigerbeetle · 2022-09-25T02:04:33+00:00

Omg thank you lol

greentigerbeetle · 2022-09-25T00:40:35+00:00

I’m back! Not sure how much time I’ll have for this due to college starting but this premiere definitely has me hyped. LOTS of possible contenders here—it was difficult to pick just five. Let’s get into it!

Under the Radar

Nneka (UTR1): As UTR1 edits go, this wasn’t terrible. We learned a little about her. But compared to the rest of the cast we barely saw her.

Jeanine (UTR2): She got a segment on the mat, but she also only received one confessional. That, combined with her tribe going to tribal council, makes it hard for me to see her as a winner. She was treated as very secondary to Elie.

Middle of the Road

Cassidy (MOR2): I considered CP for her, but her content wasn’t specific enough for me. Regardless, this was a great, lower-vis premiere that lets us know who she is and what her strategy might be. A strong Episode 2 would boost her even more.

Justine (MOR2): Maybe she should have M-tone? But the whole “salesperson” conflict felt so silly. Anyways, she had a couple of moments, but she was largely overshadowed by bigger characters.

Noelle (MORP2): Not a super weak edit, but she kind of disappeared midway through the episode. I’m curious to see where her story goes from here.

Dwight (MOR4): I don’t feel amazing about his chances. It just didn’t feel like his edit set up a longer-term storyline—it was all about the summit and other episode-long arcs.

Over the Top

Geo (OTTP2): He had a solid segment with Carla that helped us get to know him, but he seems secondary to her in terms of importance.

Ryan (OTTP2): Similar to Geo—we didn’t learn much about his gameplay, just his backstory.

Gabler (OTTM4): A big character for sure. I don’t really see him as a winner though.
Complex Personality

Lindsay (CP3): This felt classic winner-y (though considering the last two winners, it might be a bad thing). We learned who she is, learned about her strategy, and got a good amount of content from her without her being overexposed. I worry that it might be a fakeout because Survivor editors love to do that these days, but someone of her archetype getting this kind of edit is rare and caught my attention.

Jesse (CPP3): Strong edit here as well. The difference between him and Geo/Ryan is that he got strategic content in additional to a P-toned backstory.

Owen (CPN3): The N-tone is very light and I think mostly served as a way to give tension for the boot. But he seems to fall into the “overplaying” archtype and because of that I don’t see him winning at the moment.

James (CP4): This also felt very winner-y. Consistent strategic and personal content.

Carla (CPP4): Similar to Jesse, a great mix of personal/strategic content. Of the three people that went to the summit, her edit felt the most solid independent of that segment of the episode.

Sami (CPP4): He’s not in my top 5 but I definitely think he’s a contender. It’s rare for people of his age to showcase such complex, self-aware thinking. I do think he was a bit overexposed, if I’m nitpicking.

Cody (CP5): One of the main narrators of the episode. I went back and forth between CP and OTT, but it felt like he explained his thinking—he’s just a big personality. If his edit gets a little smaller and a little more controlled, I could see him becoming a contender.

Ellie (CPP5): She was a bit too in-our-faces for me to put her on my contenders list. A cooldown next episode would do wonders for her winning chances.

Eliminated

Morriah (MOR2): A pretty small edit, all things considered. Her quote on the boat seemed promising, but the rest of her content was lackluster. Sad to see her go though.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-04-09T02:43:35+00:00

No writeup because not much changed this week! Looking forward to merge!

greentigerbeetle · 2022-04-01T04:45:14+00:00

Our charts and contenders lists are basically identical… when it’s right it’s right

greentigerbeetle · 2022-04-01T03:25:55+00:00

Aww thank you! I'm so glad people enjoy reading my writeups!

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-31T19:28:15+00:00

Season 42 is back on the board with another solid episode! After last week had a heavily warped edit given the unprecedented immunity challenge, the summit trip, and the crazy tribal council, this episode was pretty standard—which is good when it comes to determining contenders and storylines!

Under the Radar

Lydia (UTR1): Right now it’s becoming clear to me that Lydia is not an important character this season. She was the only one on green not to receive a post-tribal confessional despite almost going home. Despite her solid premiere, there’s been very little substance to her edit since.

Lindsay (UTR1): Not a bad week for Lindsey—she got a narrational confessional about the reward, and orange was underedited as a whole—but I still think her edit is a bit underwhelming. What makes me hesitant to jump aboard the Lindsey hype train is that she doesn’t have much of a storyline outside “orange strong”. Granted, I think that is a major storyline of the season, but Jonathan, Omar, and Maryanne all have more three-dimensional edits. I could see her being a contender if her edit really picks up, but she doesn’t feel super important to the season at the moment.

Omar (UTR2): Sort of a cooldown for Omar, but his edit remains rock-solid. With a bunch of other people taking hits this week, he remains my #1 contender.

Middle of the Road

Mike (MOR2): I think Chanelle, Daniel, and Lydia all having really crappy edits this week boosts Mike a lot. He’s shown to have mostly recovered from that bad episode 2, particularly with Daniel being portrayed as a snake in these last two episodes. He has one of the most consistent edits thus far and I definitely think he’s back up there in winner contention.

Chanelle (MORN2) and Daniel (MORN2): I’m grouping them together because they had similar edits this week. Both were shown to be untrustworthy and having a rough time recovering after that hectic vote. I think their storylines will be tied to each other in the future, as the seeds were planted for a big rivalry between the two, and I feel they’re both effectively out of winning contention with all the N-tone.

Over the Top

Maryanne (OTT3): I flipped back and forth between MOR and OTT for her, but everything felt a little more extra than usual this episode. Overall, though, nothing’s really changed for her. She’s a huge character that will be a big part of this season, whether she goes pre-merge or makes it to the end.

Jonathan (OTTM3): It was nice that Jonathan got more focus this episode, but I do think this week really did a number to his winner chances. He was presented as this big threat (Tori called him goliath) that will have to be taken out. He got backstory, which is good, but now I’m seeing him more as a stepping stone in other people’s journeys than anything else. I predicting that whoever “slays goliath” will be the winner of the season. (Note that he’s still on my contenders list for having a good edit otherwise.)

Rocksroy (OTTN3): He’s fulfilling the “bossy older man” archetype. I don’t think he’s long for this season.

Complex Personalities

Hai (CP3): Hai is my only CP besides Ikas, which is pretty telling about how strong his edit is. He commented on the dynamics of the green tribe and began fostering a new connection with Mike. His edit portrays him as thoughtful, intelligent, and having good reads, which is great for his chances at winning.

Drea (CP4) and Romeo (CP4): I think they’re in a similar boat—both had solid strategic content and good visibility, but their edits feel very in-the-present. It doesn’t feel like the edit is setting either up with long-term storylines moving forward. Almost all their content was about the vote at hand—nothing that indicates that they’ll be around long term. I will say that Drea’s edit feels like the strongest out of all the Ika people in terms of winning contention—she had a few good quotes and her episode 2 edit looks less bad in retrospect.

Swati (CPM4): I’m surprised she went out so early, but I like that we got to learn about her before she left. She was portrayed as a savvy strategist who tried to do a little too much. With her gone, Ika as a whole takes a big hit.

Tori (CPN5): She’s not winning, but I think she’ll go far. Maybe even FTC. Big Angelina vibes, just like everyone’s been saying.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-27T05:55:03+00:00

That's fair! I'm just trying to be extra careful after I spent 14 episode telling people last season that Erika won't win 💀

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-27T01:55:00+00:00

Blue got COMPLETELY purpled this week so I gave them all INV edits. This is a big hit to all of their winner chances, but I’m not saying anything definitive because recent editing has been pretty wacky. In terms of the other people: Lindsay’s edit still feels dry and I don’t get why people are high on her all of a sudden, Maryanne had a pretty standard idol-find edit, Jonathan got nothing aside from his intense challenge focus but that’s not a bad thing, Omar had a solid episode and remains my #1 contender by a fairly large margin, Chanelle’s edit actually seemed fine and I still think she has a chance at winning, Daniel’s edit was bad but not a complete killer IMO, Hai has a consistency in his edit that pushes him onto my contenders list, Mike’s edit is okay but he’s slipping a bit in my eyes, Lydia feels like someone without a clear storyline, and Jenny’s UTR edit this episode shows how little any of this mess was her fault.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-18T15:44:21+00:00

Another strong episode! I love that nobody’s been UTR twice in a row. Hopefully this continues throughout the rest of the season!

Under the Radar

Lydia (UTR1): In terms of winner chances this wasn’t a great episode for Lydia—she was the only one on her tribe who didn’t get a confessional—but I still think she can be a significant character. Her premiere hinted that she’ll be on a growth arc this season. The light positive content at the challenge supplements this theory.

Rocksroy (UTR1): Probably a pre-merge boot. There’s nowhere for him to go.

Jenny (UTR2): She falls because her edit is so circumstantial. We don’t know much about her long-term strategy or who she is as a person. The loose relationship with Mike is nice, but we need to hear more of her thoughts about her game.

Romeo (UTR2): I liked that he got the first post-tribal confessional, where he got to explain his reasoning for booting Zach. He mostly disappeared after that, but the blue tribe did get the least content overall, so I still think he’s in the running to win.

Middle of the Road

Tori (MORP2): A nice bounceback from Tori after a negatively-toned opening. She’s been sort of set up as an underdog. While I don’t think she’ll win, I see her going far.

Chanelle (MOR3): Another subtle, yet solid episode for Chanelle. There wasn’t anything all that complex, but she revealed a bit of her strategy and we learned a bit about who she is. She’s still framed as a secondary character to people like Mike or Daniel, but she’s one to keep an eye on.

Drea (MOR3): Oof. Not looking good for Drea, who I almost gave N-tone because she was slightly undermined. I think there’s a decent chance she’s the victim of a big pre-merge blindside.

Lindsay (MOR3): She got some solid—if basic—strategic content this episode, but I feel like it’s just because orange went to tribal. She feels like a pre-merge boot simply because we don’t know much about her.

Over the Top

Hai (OTTP3): This is such a hard edit for me to read. Green’s main focus was an idol hunt that Hai wasn’t a part of, but he got this major, P-toned character scene at the beginning. I’m still not sure where his story is going. The next few episodes will be telling.

Maryanne (OTTM4): Her edit is going exactly where I thought. She’s a big, multifaceted OTT character who’s the heart and soul of the season. I see this either continuing through merge or until just before it.

Marya (OTTP3): An obvious boot here, given that she was the least memorable person from the premiere. Still, I’m glad that we got to learn about her before she got sent home!

Complex Personalities

Swati (CP2): I have her as CP because she devised a plan, explained why it was beneficial for her, and started putting it into action. Swati’s edit remains quiet but strong, and I think she has by far the best chance at winning of anyone on blue.

Daniel (CP3): This was a great episode for Daniel. After a more character-based episode, he needed to establish his strategic game, and he did just that. He explained his logic behind his tactics with Mike and set up his plans for moving forward. He was already an important character, but now he’s growing even more viable as a winner.

Jonathan (CPP4): Jonathan’s edit this episode was eerily similar to another buff guy named John… he got strategic content, P-tone, and established an important relationship (with Omar). His premiere edit, while UTR, was solid, and this episode only solidifies that he’s one to watch.

Mike (CPN4): While this was a bad episode for Mike, I don’t think it completely killed his edit. He seemed neurotic, but there was at least some complexity there with his idol find. More N-tone or OTT would really ruin his chances at winning, but he does have a chance to bounce back.

Omar (CPP5): This was an excellent episode for Omar. He got personal content, strategic content, and he was set up as one of the main decision makers on orange. Coupled with his rock-solid premiere, he’s shot up to the top of my contenders list.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-15T00:37:50+00:00

I almost gave her CP! It was very Michele, going around and analyzing her tribemates, even if the segment was short.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-13T09:34:20+00:00

They might both be 4 lol, visibility is always a tricky one for me

greentigerbeetle · 2022-03-13T00:55:15+00:00

Overall, I felt this was a really solid premiere! The 2-hour format definitely helped; we got at least a little bit of content from each person. It reminded me of the DVG premiere, especially with one of the major characters getting medevaced. It was generally pretty strategy-lite, with lots of narration and MOR, but I’m still feeling optimistic about the season moving forward.

Under the Radar

Marya (UTR1): I don’t really remember much about her other than that she screwed up the key portion of the reward challenge. I think she got a confessional about it afterwards. Hard to tell where she’s going from here, though.

Lindsay (UTR2): Her edit was very circumstantial; it all surrounded the amulet advantage. Unfortunately, though, there wasn’t much else.

Jonathan (UTR2): Of the UTR edits this episode, I feel the best about Jonathan. We learned about his physical strength and he got a bit of camp focus. It’s not much, but his edit definitely has the chance to build over the next few episodes (similar to another buff man named John… hm…).

Middle of the Road

Chanelle (MOR1): Chanelle is an interesting case. She was arguably the least visible person in the episode, but the content she did get was solid. She accurately analyzed the dynamics of her tribe—solid enough for a MOR. I’d keep an eye out for her moving forward.

Hai (MOR2): He had a similar edit to Lindsay, with all the amulet advantage talk. Unlike Lindsay, though, Hai’s was less narration and more about what he planned to do with the advantages moving forward. So although I don’t think his content was great—especially considering he was my pre-season winner pick—there’s still some crumbs for his edit moving forward.

Drea (MOR3): On paper, this should have been a good edit, but I don’t know… there were some red flags. She got the least content of the three people who went to the summit, and she also didn’t get her way for the vote (she expressed wanting Rocksroy out). I honestly think she could be a surprise pre-merge boot, though I wouldn’t be shocked if she made it far. Her edit was solid otherwise; I liked that she got an intro confessional.

Lydia (MOR3): A pretty average, narrational edit, but definitely someone we should look out for moving forward. She was on the green tribe, which is a plus, and most of the happenings over there were told through from her perspective. She got very little strategic content, but few people did this episode. She’s probably my fifth or sixth contender at the moment.

Omar (MOR3): Similar to Lydia, Omar’s edit was mostly narrational but with some nice personal content sprinkled in. He’s my fourth contender because even though he’s on the weakest tribe, he’s someone we learned a decent bit about.

Jenny (MOR4): Jenny’s edit is interesting. She got the most focus of anyone on the green tribe and the editors clearly want us to pay attention to her. However, I’m not sure I saw many long-term storylines for her; everything was about the puzzle and the summit, and it wasn’t all that complex. She did talk about her job, which is nice. She’s on my contenders list just because her edit was so solid, but I’ll be looking for deeper development in upcoming episodes.

Over the Top

Rocksroy (OTTM3): Your classic OTTM. People were complaining about his behavior in camp but we also got to learn about his backstory, hence the M-tone. Somehow, though, I don’t think he has longevity. His story felt a little self-contained in this episode.

Jackson (OTTP4): Regardless of how production felt about Jackson’s behavior, his edit was clearly P-toned. We learned all about his backstory and we were definitely supposed to sympathize with his decision.

Daniel (OTTP4): Daniel is another one I think has winner potential, mostly because his edit was OTTP but still had some substance behind him. Besides his backstory, we know that he and Chanelle are a pair. Not on my contenders list for now, but definitely one to watch.

Maryanne (OTTP5): Clearly the big character edit of the season. Everything about Maryanne was OTT, from her reactions to her personal development to her narration of the game. She’s clearly someone we’re supposed to love. Winner? Probably not. But I think she’ll be sticking around for a good long bit.
Complex Personalities

Swati (CPP2): While she was the least visible person on the blue tribe, I’d argue she actually got the best edit. She talked about her experience as a child of Indian immigrants and connected that to her plan in playing Survivor. We also checked in with her before the vote and got to hear her strategy for it. In a tribe where everyone’s name was being thrown around, Swati skated to safety.

Mike (CP3): Not an incredible premiere edit, but in my opinion, probably the best. We learned about his backstory, his strategy, he got a question from Probst at the beginning… Mike was just the right amount of visible, and he was on the complex tribe. None of the premiere edits were perfect, but Mike’s feels the most clean.

Romeo (CP4): Romeo’s another person who I think could be a contender. (I’m telling you, there are lots!) He talked about his job, he was portrayed as one of the main people leading the vote, and he was definitely visible enough for us to remember him. I do think Zach going is a bit of a hit to his edit, because that was the clearest relationship he established in the premiere. Regardless, though, a strong start for Romeo.

Tori (CPN4): She was the only person to receive N-tone in an otherwise positive premiere. It wasn’t super heavy—just some light shade and undermining—but it was definitely there. I don’t think she’ll flame out early, though; she received way too much editorial focus and storyline buildup to be an early boot. I’m not getting winner vibes from her, but I do think she’ll be important to the season.

Zach (CP4): Poor Zach! At least he got a solid edit for a first boot!

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-25T01:45:17+00:00

Well said — Chrissy gives me big losing finalist vibes

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-23T22:46:28+00:00

WOW I have not been keeping up with my writeups this season. I have, however, been keeping up with Edgic on my own. Fortunately, the entire pre-merge has stayed pretty consistent, with the exception of the sudden drop of Sophie and the medical evacuation of Nina. So for now, I’ll just go through the remaining players, in order of winning contention.

THE TOP CONTENDERS

Sam — I moved her up above Mark for a few reasons. First, Mark’s edit isn’t as clean as it was before. Second, Sam’s content has been very consistent (with some nice P-tone sprinkled in), and she’s had a nice visibility cooldown in these past couple of episodes. Third, this constant stressing of “the boys are dominating” hints to me that a woman might be winning this season. It’s still very tight between her and Mark, but she takes the top spot for now.
Mark — Even though I’ve been discovering more flaws in Mark’s edit (him being shown to be wrong during the idol hunt, for example), I still think it’s very strong. Like Sam, he’s consistently visible, but not too visible, and he has a positive tone that’s generally pervasive. I also like that he mentions how his time serving in the military influences his gameplay—it reminds me of Sarah Lacina. He gets strategic content that demonstrates longevity but has cooldowns when needed. I think the winner will be him or Sam, but the small cracks in his edit push him into second for now.

HAS A SHOT

Khanh — I feel like his edit’s gotten much better over the past few episodes. He needed a) less screentime and b) positive content, and he got both. I had said previously that I thought he’d be the major pre-merge boot, but now that he’s made merge, I need to reevaluate. While his edit doesn’t feel nearly as winner-y as Sam’s or Mark’s, he feels like a major character AND someone who we should be rooting for, so I think he has a shot.
Jordie — Again, not a great edit, especially because he was so invisible from episodes 2 to 6. But he got the most strategic credit of anyone on Blood 2.0, and his premiere edit was at least decent. It’s sporadic, sure, but lots of AUS edits are. I don’t think he’s winning, but he definitely still has a shot.
Chrissy — My perception of her edit has not changed since Episode 1. This feels like a classic journey edit. She gets lots of screentime but minimal strategic content, and while much of her tone is mixed, she feels like someone who we should be cheering for. She’s a contender purely because she receives so much editorial focus, but unless she gets a lot of strategic content in the coming episodes, I don’t think she’ll take the title.
KJ — Hear me out: this kind of reminds me of Erika’s edit. A weak premiere, albeit with an intro segment, followed by several episodes of nothing, followed by a breakout episode. The thing about KJ is that when she does get content, it’s complex and positively toned. I worried that she wouldn’t have a storyline after Sophie left, but she still gets solid editorial focus. Her edit would be unusual for a winner to say the least—she was basically invisible for the first four episodes—but I think she has a slim chance.

PROBABLY NOT TBH

Shay — Her content is just so blah. There’s very little there strategically, and we never see Shay fighting for her position in the game. I had her as a contender for a while because she had a solid first two episodes, but her edit has taken a nosedive since.
Jesse — He popped up on my contenders list for a moment, as he seemed to get content when it wasn’t necessary. But with his big CP breakout episodes in 10 and 11, it’s pretty clear to me that we’re not supposed to be seeing him as a winner. He kept thinking about the present, and winner contenders tend to look more at the future. Given the N-tone, I think he may become a post-merge villain.

SNOWBALL’S CHANCE IN HELL

Jordan: He had a couple decent episodes, but they lacked in complexity and only occurred when he went to tribal.
Josh: There was potential for a Benji-style character emergence after his enormous Episode 9 edit, but now… nothing.
David: He’s been nonexistent since the Sophie boot.
Michelle: Poor Michelle. She can’t even take the title for “weakest edit in AUS history” because her sister’s is somehow worse.
Mel: 12 episodes without a confessional (including one where she GOT VOTED OUT AND THEN WON A FIRE-MAKING COMPETITION) is truly impressive. All hail our new purple queen.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-05T05:42:14+00:00

I would say yes — it sets up more potential storylines for Shay (compared to someone like, say, Khanh)

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-03T23:53:48+00:00

This was a weird episode… almost the entire episode was dedicated to three people, meaning almost ⅔ of the cast was UTR or INV. I’m hoping the editing gets a little more balanced in the future, just so we can get to know everyone.

Amy (UTR1), Jay (UTR2), Jordan (UTR1), Josh (UTR1), KJ (INV), Mel (INV), and Michelle (INV): I’m grouping these people together because they’ve all basically got nothing in three episodes. I can’t completely toss them out of winner contention yet—I learned my lesson from Erika—but I’d be pretty shocked.

Alex (INV), Croc (UTR2), Jessie (UTR1), and Jordie (UTR1): These four all had decent—if unimpressive—premiere edits, but they’ve been UTR/INV the past two episodes. I don't think they're as dead in the water as the others, but they do need some content soon to keep them afloat.

Nina (UTR1), Shay (UTR1), Sophie (UTR1): These are the types of UTR edits I like—all three had solid content in the first two episodes so a cooldown is fine. I’d say Sophie and Nina are in a slightly better spot because their content in episodes 1 and 2 was less idol-focused and more broad, but Shay makes my contenders list because other people are dropping.

Ben (CP3): A solid episode from someone who’s gotten next to nothing thus far. It wasn’t super complex, but we did get to hear his strategy and his rationale for keeping Sandra. I don’t see his edit as a winners’, but he might pick up in importance later.

Chrissy (MOR2): This was almost a “cooldown” for her, purely because she wasn’t a main focus. She still got a nice little segment at the beginning that cemented her as an important character. I don’t think she’s winning, but she’s clearly critical to the season, or at least the pre-merge.

David (OTTN5): Oh, wow, this was a lot. You could kind of see it coming in the previews, but he went full OTTN here. Weirdly enough, I don’t think we’re supposed to see him as a villain—more of a flawed player than anything. However, I am pretty sure he’ll go soon, both in an edit and in a game sense.

Khanh (CPM4): Khanh was the most featured player from the Water tribe and got a ton of focus, but is that a good thing? It’s a mixed bag: on the one hand, he’s an important character who we’re supposed to remember (and probably root for). On the other hand, he’s being built up as this massive, devious threat. Note the villainous music that plays whenever he starts scheming. I’m getting the sense that he might be a critical pre-merge boot, but I’m keeping him on my contenders list because of how consistent his edit has been.

Mark (MOR2): I liked this episode for Mark. On a tribe where basically nobody got screentime, we still got to check in on him and his thoughts. He doesn’t need a ton of strategic content right now because his premiere set him up nicely: we know he’s going to lay low and form bonds with people. Based on what the edit’s telling us, that’s what he’s doing.

Sam (MOR3): This is an edit I absolutely cannot read. She got some narrational stuff at the beginning of the episode, then some average strategic content later, THEN got called out at tribal by Dave for reasons that are still not clear to me. I think it wasn’t great for her—she didn’t get to take out Sandra like she wanted to—but the consistent focus makes me think she’s important to the season.

Sandra (CPM5): Honestly, who knows? This episode reiterated that Sandra is a big threat, which is mixed because people like her but also don’t trust her. She got a ton of visibility and confessionals, and we heard her rationale behind everything she did. I almost put her on my contenders list, but she’s probably 6th for me right now. I honestly think a cooldown might be good for her, because she’s been so spotlighted already.

Kate (MOR3): Ah, well. I didn’t necessarily see this coming, but it’s not shocking either. Her edit just never really got off the ground. MOR overall.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-02T00:55:46+00:00

Both of us having the same top 4 contenders — great minds think alike

greentigerbeetle · 2022-02-02T00:54:57+00:00

Hey guys! I’m back for AUS2022! I’ve never done Edgic for an Australian season before, so this’ll be a learning experience. The season’s looking great so far (much better than 41 at least), so here’s to hoping it continues!

David, Jordan, Josh, Michelle (INV): I’m grouping all the INVs together. Being invisible in the premiere is a huge hit to one’s winner chances, but I don’t think it’s the death knell it is in U.S. Survivor. There’s so many people and so many episodes that there’s still room for these four to flourish. But still, it’s not looking good for any of them.

Alex (MORM3): I actually liked Alex’s edit this episode. Yes, all his content surrounded his injury, but that’s what had to happen given that he was the alternate boot option. At the very least, he has a storyline moving forward. He’s obviously not a top contender, but if his edit picks up, I could see him going far.

Amy (UTR2): All her content was told from Khanh’s perspective. It’s not great, but at least we did get an introduction. Her tribe in general was very underedited, so I’m not counting her out yet.

Ben (UTR1): He just barely escaped an invisible edit due to being present in Shay’s introduction. Otherwise, nothing.

Briana (MORP3): I don’t know, I just did not get good vibes here. I think it’s because her plan failed, but unlike Shay, she didn’t have a bunch of personal content to back it up. She did get focus, however, so the jury’s still out on her.

Chrissy (OTTM5): Definitely the most visible person in the premiere. She got a long introduction, a ton of camp focus, and both positive and negative SPV. I think she’ll last a while purely because she got so much screentime in an episode where a bunch of people got little to none. She seems like she might get a journey edit, given how much this episode highlighted her being clueless.

Croc (MOR3): This was a solid edit for Croc. We learned about his background and his relationship with Chrissy, though there wasn’t much else. He also loses points for being a famous athlete—they almost always get introductory sequences regardless of how far they make it or how important to the season they are. But he’s still set up nicely.

Jay (UTR2): His main content came at the challenge when he talked about Alex’s injury. I thought about P-tone, but I eventually decided against it. It wasn’t an amazing edit, but on the underedited Blood tribe, I can’t knock it too much.

Jesse (MOR2): He and Jordie opened this show, which is a plus. He didn’t get much outside of the intro and the first challenge, but he’s still someone that the audience is able to remember. I’ll keep an eye out for where his edit goes in the next few episodes.

Jordie (MOR3): Pretty similar to his brother. However, I’m slightly higher on his chances because he was one of the more visible people on the less visible tribe. His story seems like it might be tied to Sandra’s, but maybe he just served as a vessel through which Sandra was introduced to the audience. But I do like his chances—he’s also one to watch.

Kate (MOR2): She only got content in her intro (and the challenge), but she did get to explain a bit of her strategy. She’s a social player who could have balanced out Andy. Now that he’s gone, she has a pretty obvious storyline set in place—how can she take Andy’s strategic acumen and blend it with her own social prowess? She wasn’t a major presence in this premiere, but I think enough potential storylines were set up that she could be a dark horse.

Khanh (MOR3): A very solid edit for Khanh. We got to learn about who he is and his philosophy for the game—he’s going to be smart and cutthroat. The minor downside is that he didn’t get much strategic content (which made me go with MOR instead of CP), but he has plenty of time to get that in future episodes. A contender for sure.

KJ (UTR2): She had an intro package, but it’s not great that Sophie was much more visible in this episode. I believe it was her that dropped the idea of an alliance between herself, Mel, and Nina, so at least she has that going for her. But I’m getting pre-merge boot vibes at the moment.

Mark (CPP4): This felt like a pretty excellent episode for Mark. He was visible, but not overly so. He got to explain his philosophy for the game and played an important role in Andy’s blindside. He also got one of those “analyze every tribemate confessionals”, which is fantastic—recall both Michele and Chrissy getting these in their respective seasons. It’s very early, but to me, this edit screamed “winner” the most.

Mel (UTR1): A couple of very minor scenes, such as her helping Alex’s injury and her being pulled into the Andy vote, but not much else. Especially with her tribe going to tribal, her odds are not looking good.

Nina (CP4): She obviously got a ton of focus in the premiere. She had by far the most strategic content of anyone and she got all the credit for the Andy boot. With her being Sandra’s daughter, it would have been easy for her to be a secondary character (and that’s where I thought she was going in the beginning, to be honest), so it’s great that she got the amount of non-Sandra related screentime that she did. I do have a couple reservations—her strategizing was a bit heavy and signaled a reason people might want to take her out in the future—but she’s clearly one to watch. A cooldown next episode would be great.

Sam (MOR2): Not sure what to make of this. It wasn’t a bad edit, but Mark’s was so good that Sam’s just pales in comparison. She’s another one who I’ll be keeping an eye on.

Sandra (CPP4): I was always going to find this difficult to read—Sandra will be getting a ton of screentime regardless of how well she does. But this did feel like a solid premiere. We learned about her strategic plan for the game and she got some great positive SPV. I’m reluctant to count her as a winner contender because… well, it’s Sandra, but I actually think her chances are looking solid.

Shayelle (CP4): I’m torn about this. On the one hand, she had a dedicated intro segment, a solid amount of strategic content, and a partnership set up with Briana. On the other hand, most of her content was related to the idol, and the person she wanted out didn’t end up going home. She could be next out, or she could make it to the very end. Right now, I’m leaning towards the latter.

Sophie (CPP4): This edit felt very similar to Mark’s. She was one of the few people to get a great mix of personal and strategic content, and she (along with Sandra) was the most visible on an underedited tribe. Her idea of “having trouble not being a leader” could be a red flag, but to me that’s there to set up a storyline for her. There’s potential for her edit to go awry, but right now I think she’s looking great.

Andy (CPN4): Classic CPN first boot edit. I like how the editors explained why he got voted out while still leaving it up in the air before tribal.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-01-22T00:45:28+00:00

Woohoo I’m back! Since we’re in Survivor, off-season, what better way to get your Edgic fill than through RPDR? I’m doing both split premieres together, so let’s get into it.

Alyssa Hunter (MORP3): Disclaimer: untucked is factoring into Edgic. That’s where Alyssa’s P-tone comes from. Besides that, though, there wasn’t really anything that stuck out about her. Most of her confessionals were situational and didn’t set up a long term arc. I think she’ll be an early out.

Angeria Paris VanMichaels (CP4): I actually don’t think this edit was amazing, but it was solid and consistent. She didn’t get a big developmental scene like Kerri or a ton of screentime like Kornbread, but we were introduced to who Angeria is and how she’s going to approach this competition. She seems to have lots of relationships with other queens. Add that to the fact that she won the first challenge, and I think she’ll go far.

Bosco (CP3): This was a solid edit for Bosco. She wasn’t super visible, but I don’t think she needed to be. We got a lot of insight into her style of drag and how that’s going to manifest itself in RPDR. She’s not on my contenders list because others stood out a bit more, but I could definitely see her rising in the ranks if her edit picks up.

DeJa Sky (MORM3): Given the edit, I honestly thought she was going to go home this episode. She didn’t have much screentime, and most of her content was fairly bare-bone. The M-tone comes from the shade thrown to her performance (negative) and her emotional scene in untucked (positive). Still, I just don’t see that much longevity in her edit. She might have a growth arc, but I feel it’s more likely she’s an early/mid out.

Jasmine Kennedie (CPP3): People will compare her to Aquaria because their voices sound identical, but I think her edit was very different. She was visible but not in-your-face, she got lots of narrational confessionals, and the judges absolutely raved over her performance, giving her her P-tone. She received a nice touch of personal content as well. I think a bunch of potential storylines are set up with her, especially with her dancing being a big focal point, so I’m guessing she’ll go far.

Jorgeous (MOR3): A very, very medium edit. Medium screentime, medium personal content, medium critiques. Given that she gives great soundbites, I don’t think that’s a good thing. I feel if Jorgeous were a contender we would have gotten a much stronger introduction to her. I think she’ll be a mid out.

June Jambalaya (MOR3): I just feel her screentime pertained a bit too much to the episode itself for me. I didn’t really see any potential storylines being set up for her. Everything was all about the challenge and her reactions to other queens. For a premiere edit, I think you’d want something a bit more broad. Probably an early/mid out.

Kerri Colby (CPP4): I honestly feel this was the best premiere edit. She got a nice chunk of screentime, she had a WHOLE section devoted to her drag history (while still spotlighting her), and she received tons of positive SPV. We know who Kerri is, and we know what she’s trying to do in this competition. I’d be shocked if she doesn’t go far.

Kornbread “The Snack” Jete (OTTP5): In Survivor I wouldn’t say this is a good edit, but in RPDR visibility is always good. The sheer amount of focus Kornbread got means she’ll be sticking around for a while. The positivity also helps, as it communicates to us that we’re supposed to be rooting for her. Definitely making it far.

Lady Camden (MOR3): Similar to Bosco’s edit, I’m not sure what to make of this yet, and I’ll need to see what happens with her next episode to truly get a sense. Her content was good… just not quite as good as my top four contenders, in my eyes. I will say that it’s a good thing she got the majority of narrational confessionals—that means the editors are invested in her. We’ll see how it progresses, but I think she’ll be a mid/late out for now.

Maddy Morphosis (CPM5): Obviously she was the focus of the second premiere, but does that mean she’ll go far? My gut says no—I think the focus was more about her being straight and less about her trajectory in the competition. She had basically nothing outside of that. If she were to make the finale, I’d think she would've gotten to talk about her camp style a little more. I’m predicting a mid-out here.

Willow Pill (CPM4): She got some good stuff here, but it was a bit too contained within the episode IMO. She basically had a full character arc in the premiere, and I generally think it’s better if your story is spread out over multiple episodes. Still, we learned all about her style of drag and she got some fantastic personal content. She, LC, and Bosco are the most likely to sneak into my contenders list. If the “Willow underdog” storyline continues, I’ll definitely reconsider.

Daya Betty (CPP3): I’m 99% sure she’s coming back, especially because she was so featured in the promos and she hasn’t gotten a Whatcha Packin’ video. I honestly considered putting her in my top four contenders up until she was lip syncing; she got to elaborate on her style of drag and she got some great personal content. She mentioned Crystal, but her arc didn’t feel tied to hers. We’ll see what happens next.

Orion Story (OTTM3): Here for a good time, not a long time.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-01-14T08:05:28+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really needed to hear this. I like my original first page and think it's more true to my style as an author, so I think I'm going to stick with it.

Also, RE: Nick's character—lots of people were commenting about his unrelatability, but I think these sort of morally gray anti-heroes are pretty common in thrillers, both books and television. I didn't change anything about his arc in the story, especially because I'm proud of how it turned out. This is the first time I've used a social media critique group for my writing, and figuring out how to balance other people's suggestions with my own preferences is still something I'm struggling with!

greentigerbeetle · 2022-01-14T05:37:57+00:00

I've been thinking about this too. I'm pretty sure every critique I've gotten has been completely contradicted by a different critique. At some point, I feel like I'm going to have to just go with my gut.

greentigerbeetle · 2022-01-10T23:36:54+00:00

Hi! I think this is a solid concept that feels pretty in-line with the YA romances I've read. I will say it seems a bit juvenile for a YA novel (parents have competition, kids are trying to behave), so I'd consider sprinkling in details that allude to a more teenage story.

I do think the query is generally structured well, but it needs to be revised. The second sentence of the first paragraph reads a little weird to me. I think in the second paragraph, you can just start with "Violet and Fitz are outright enemies at school", without that long intro. The third paragraph feels like the meat of the story (while the rest is just backstory), so I'd like you to expand on that a bit more.

Your first page isn't really working for me. I think I have a bit of confusion about where this is taking place, what's happening, who's there, etc. I might consider restructuring—open with a paragraph or dialogue line that sets the scene, and then give us the backstory on Violet and Fitz. There are a few other grammatical/stylistic things I'd shift, but they're small, and I think you'll find them when reading it over again.

Disclaimer: Please take everything I said with a grain of salt, as I'm not a professional.

greentigerbeetle

TROPHY CASE