Tournament: ATRL's Next Top Member | Fin. Thanks ya'll. - Page 419

Subomie

I never got that 3rd testimony

I tried sending out some PMs again but I think it was too late notice, so I guess I'll have to try my luck with two.

Achilles.

I got three testimonials after all!

Later I will expose the mod who never replied to my request for a testimonial (#rude), and tell you the reasoning behind who I asked and who else I considered.

Subomie

Editing my entry to say two instead of three testimonies makes it read a lot less impressive.

Matty

I'll give until 9, so like 47 minutes to resubmit if needed. Then I'll post ya'lls entries.

Subomie

Anyway I'm really happy with and proud of my trials section.

It was really hammy so I hope no one takes it personal.

Superpower

Quote:

Originally posted by JakeKills

I got three testimonials after all!

Later I will expose the mod who never replied to my request for a testimonial (#rude), and tell you the reasoning behind who I asked and who else I considered.

My guesses: you asked Retro, Marq, Vespertine and lovesong.

I know one of Sub and Bomb

A Bomb

I know one of yours too Super.

Superpower

Quote:

Originally posted by A Bomb

I know one of yours too Super.

That heaux betrayed me

but I got someone better. It worked out for the best

minho

Only one person asked me for a testimonial #forgotten

Achilles.

Quote:

Originally posted by lovesong

Only one person asked me for a testimonial #forgotten

I didn't want to ask eliminated players. Otherwise you and Era would've been on my list for sure.

Superpower

Quote:

Originally posted by JakeKills

I didn't want to ask eliminated players. Otherwise you and Era would've been on my list for sure.

I asked members who know this game very well but I don't think who we asked really matters as long as their testimonies are flawless.

minho

Quote:

Originally posted by JakeKills

I didn't want to ask eliminated players. Otherwise you and Era would've been on my list for sure.

nn that's fine.

Although I have to say I had a lot of fun writing up my testimonial. I can't wait to see what other entries we have this round!

Citrus

I am very excited to see the entries this round. This is such a great twist on the most/least potential thing. Clap for Cupid, y'all.

Buddy!

Asking eliminated players would have been smart imo. They played the game and know how it works, they played with you, and most importantly they payed attention to the game for a period of time so they at least have a knowledge of the challenges.

Anyone can vouch for you, it would just makes sense asking people who know the game.

Citrus

The REAL question is if anyone got Kitt or Edge.

Superpower

Quote:

Originally posted by Citrus

The REAL question is if anyone got Kitt or Edge.

One of us did it but I'm not saying who

Citrus

Whoever managed to snag that endorsement, slay in advance. Two of the best winners of this game.

Matty

EPISODE 11: TRIALS & TESTIMONIES

WHAT TO DO WITH THE ENTRIES:

Answer the Question:
WHO HAD THE BEST & WORST ENTRY?
Anyone can answer and you cannot say yourself!

DEADLINE
Saturday October 3, 2015
@ 10 PM US Central Time
(48 hours and 47 minutes from the time this was posted)
(I will still be at work so there is wiggle room)

Announcement!
I didn't want to to tell you this at the beginning of the challenge, but, SURPRISE, we can and will use the members you chose as your testimonies against you. A few of you already kind of saw and got a hint about choosing the members carefully.

THE ENTRIES

Quote:

Originally posted by Superpower

ATeaRL Volume 3 Issue 11

Quote:

Originally posted by Subomie

ATRL's Next Top Member 13

Episode #11: Trials & Testimonies

Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished members of the judging panel...

I stand before you with one sole purpose: to stake my claim to the Top Member Crown. I need not even speak a word on myself, but by looking at the measly competition that remains and the words that I inspire my devoted fans to spread you too shall see that I am the rightful heir. But who to start with? ...Ah!

Superpower! He comes first (and too quickly) as normal. Now it should be obvious why I've put him up first. Looking at the statistics here and his placings in the competition he's a huge threat and his ability to get people to adopt an avatar for Zara was just fantastic. He would be fine competition as my runner-up. However! Superpower lacks the persona of a Top Member. Think about him... how much do you know him? How well have you got to know his personality over the game? For the user with the third most posts in here I would say surprisingly little. He can ace a challenge but does he really have the spirit required to be a Top Member? No, Superpower is merely a mini-iHype without the personality.

Who's next? Aw, it's little (citation needed) JakeKills. Jake is truly the nicest of the Top 4 and the one least likely to get into conflict. He's generally well-known and well-liked around the forum too! He's just a nice dude that won't cause any trouble, but emphasis on "just". That's all he is. I see a nice, respectable member when I look at him, but I don't see a Top Member. His ATRL persona is so deeply ingrained in Taylor Swift that it's hard to see him as a full person rather than a Taylor stan. Who is Jake when you take Taylor away? There's just a blank space where there should be colour. I think he could be a real contender on All Stars or a future cycle, but right now I'm not seeing it. He needs time to simmer after this game.

And last, but certainly not youngest, is A Bomb! Now, before I go in I want to recognise that Bomb earned her position this far in the competition. Even though I put her last, I admire that she stands her ground, speaks her mind and isn't afraid to go against the crowd no matter what. However, I also feel that she has the least Top Member potential out of this group. I feel that Bomb is too extreme a member to get the crown. All those positive attributes can also have negative connotations and you've all seen such in the thread. She's very divisive and she also has the least presence on the forum, especially next to the other two and I see her struggling to gain substantial support from the userbase for her title.

But enough about those losers, let's move on to the winner: me! I've gathered not one...

But two testimonies! Both from known and respected members of the forum and I shall let them do the talking.

Quote:

Originally posted by C/H/A/N/E/L

Why Subomie Should Win

First of all, we should all know who Subomie is, whether you're in this game or not. If you know him-- which you should, otherwise you've likely been living under a rock in a cell on Mars-- then you should realize he's one of the most iconic members on the site. From his viciously fantastic words to the iconic innuendos made off of his "submissive" name, Subomie is a well-known and clearly respectable member on this site who has everything you may look for-- and more-- in ATRL's Next Top Member.

Why he hasn't been named so before (clock me if he has, in which case it all the more proves that he should win the title yet again), I have no idea. A win like this is more than well-deserved by now.

Aside from describing the fact that Subomie has both the iconic reputation and popularity in this site that ATRL's Next Top Member may have, let's take a look at his track record throughout this competition so far:

Subomie has spent FIVE out of TEN applicable weeks in the top five.

He had the BEST entry in TWO of those FIVE out of TEN times.

In ONE of those FIVE out of TEN times, he was the SECOND BEST entry.

If that aspect of his run, which already proves his impact and slayage of all fellow competitors (no shade towards them), doesn't show you how much he deserves this, I don't know what else to tell you.

As for the times he didn't do so well... All I can say is, the fact that he hasn't been let go, even during weeks which he may have been off of his game, shows how much he's wanted in this game. He's too good to go. And there's certainly no way you can let him go now.

Subomie has it all. He's distinguished. He's intelligent. He's polished. He's known. He's ATRL's Next Top Member.

And, no offense, but you're kind of stupid if you disagree.

Quote:

Originally posted by lovesong

Both inside and outside this competition, Subomie has demonstrated time and time again just how capable he is as a Top Member. For me, a Top Member encompasses much more than just a few challenge wins. Rather, they are someone who exudes an influence throughout the forum and represents a greater part of the community. A member who makes the most of their time here and gets to know the most people is someone who through their actions, creates an impact that is felt beyond their friends.

Subomie is that person. Whether he's participating in (often intense!) rates or playing or judging a Tournament, or even through his prominence in various bases such as the Kylie base or the Pokéthread, part of Subomie's appeal is that very presence. His carefree attitude and enthusiasm in discussions is what makes it so easy to connect with him. Subomie is definitely a representative of "underrated", but once you get to know him, his opinions and his clever wit certainly make him stand out from the (rather formulaic) crowd!

There you have it, I've stated my case for your judgement and I hope you and everyone else enjoyed reading it because I certainly enjoyed making it.

Yours sincerely,

ATRL's Next Top Member

Quote:

Originally posted by A Bomb

Quote:

I resonate with Bomb and his feistiness (despite the cute appearance), his quick wit, and being the less known member at the time of signing up for such a competition while making it this far. Bomb and I were friends of friends that eventually were thrown together via an iMessage group chat, so with my offline exchanges with him and loose eye on his run throughout this competition, I've come to eye some quality in him.

If there's one thing you have to give A Bomb, it's credit for his personal consistency. I've always admired that within his entries' cute aesthetic and his drive behind the scenes working on and during the challenges.

I feel, probably, the best entries of his that exemplify who he is and justify why he's deserving were from the ATRL Do's and Don't's and Presentation round. His presentation was this complete yin and yang with what his avatar and username represented through the sentimental and coming of age stories that backboned them. I know many share the same synchronous contrasting duality that either balance you out or throw you out of wack and it's been demonstrated through several occurrences throughout his run. But that's all what Top Member is about, ironically; finding yourself through presentation and trial and error. With his character and track record with four top three placements out of nine rounds, you can see the journey.

Bomb has immense potential and his body of work thus far is pretty solid, imo. Not to take away from his bouts of impressive cohesion and I'll always admire someone who's not afraid to speak their mind and value honesty, but I believe if he learned to hone his duality and get into the habit of applying that intensity into ideas, he could really make some movement if not a bigger name. And for all this, I'm more than happy to back him as a deserving contender into the top three, if not a champion to the title.

Quote:

A Bomb is my pick for the winner. He has caught my attention on multiple occasions outside of the games section with his unique avatar and when I saw him signing up for ATRL’s Next Top Member and actually get picked I knew he would make it far and my feelings have not let me down.

Bomb came into the game with a bang, being the first member to get a first call-out and has since then delivered great entries from week to week. He puts in a lot of work in what he does and it shows. So it’s not surprising for him to be defensive and passionate about his entries. And when it got too much he wanted to quit - thank God he didn’t. We’ve all been there. In fact, two winners of the game have attempted to quit and still won. This just gets to show how invested he is. What matters is that he is here and wants it.

When you enter this competition you certainly don’t enter it as a Top Member, because if you were one before you wouldn’t need to play. It’s more about taking those who are little diamonds in the rough and making them grow into one. It’s all about the evolution within the competition. A Bomb needed a boost to get those qualities that were within him out and I think it has worked.

Quote:

Top Member isn’t just a title. It is an irreplicable journey that only participants have the opportunity to venture on. An opportunity to learn, adapt and evolve your presence here on ATRL and that is exactly what A Bomb accomplished.

With the very first challenge, he assessed his competition and recognized his need to step further outside his comfort zone. He decided to open up and revealed a portion of his personal history in hopes of elevating his Presentation entry, which ended up garnering him his first victory. From 14th place during the application process to being the first #1. Off to a tremendous start.

The challenges continued on as the weeks went by. A Bomb struggled as he tried to adjust to the grueling standards of Top Member, sometimes shooting blanks, sometimes doing some damage. The relentless slew of middle-of-the-road placements really does a number on one’s ego, but as hard as A Bomb tried to follow what the judges were looking for in a Top member, the Bottom 2 Monster was ultimately victorious. Mercifully, he was spared and that’s when A Bomb realized that he needed to stop being what was asked of him and start finding his own way. With that kick-in-the-pants wake-up call, A Bomb charged full ahead, perfecting his “feisty” brand while ensuring to add his personal touches of his softer Disney past. And without a doubt, A Bomb came punching back with Top 3 call outs in the last three challenges. And with that, you can taste his drive, his desire to further push himself to see just how much more personality he can bring to the competition to help convince the judges that he indeed deserves the Top Member crown.

“But he quit.”

And? Top Members often stumble. We are not without our faults and “sometimes falling flat on your face” is what being an ATRL member is all about. Everyday, every situation is a learning experience and that’s exactly what A Bomb took away from his mishap. He unabashedly owned up to his mistake because he made a rash decision in the heat of the moment. He briefly lost sight of what he had to offer, clouded by what felt like personal attacks and not constructive criticism, but he apologetically recanted his outburst and ultimately re-joined the competition. The same competition where the host himself couldn’t let A Bomb walk out because he recognized A Bomb’s potential. Something you don’t see happening very often.

And with that, with all the ups and downs, the learning and growing experiences that he rollercoasted through…I believe A Bomb is the next Top Member. Despite being irrelevant for the better part of his membership, A Bomb revamped his activity and joined one of ATRL’s biggest games in hopes of being a Top Member. He brazenly rose to each challenge and showcased his multi-faceted personality, ranging from sensitive to “feisty” and blunt.

Also, A Bomb taught us the value of civilly speaking up, whether it is in a thread clocking ignorant posters on immigration law or when faced with an uncomfortable situation: never be afraid to respectfully challenge without arrogance. Humility goes a long way and in A Bomb’s own words from his Music Taste challenge, “[T]he mistakes we make, in life, shape who we are.” The Top Member game not only chooses a Top Member but also imparts an wisdom with everyone who comes along for the ride. Many experiences are shared and if that ends up being a catalyst to some hard-hitting realizations when away from the game/forum? So be it. The game can get as personal as you allow it to be. Good or bad? That’s for you, and only you, to gaze off into the distance and decide.

Fierce and Love
- Matty

Matty

EPISODE 11: TRIALS & TESTIMONIES

WHAT TO DO WITH THE ENTRIES:

Answer the Question:
WHO HAD THE BEST & WORST ENTRY?
Anyone can answer and you cannot say yourself!

DEADLINE
Saturday October 3, 2015
@ 10 PM US Central Time
(48 hours and 46 minutes from the time this was posted)
(I will still be at work so there is wiggle room)

Announcement!
I didn't want to to tell you this at the beginning of the challenge, but, SURPRISE, we can and will use the members you chose as your testimonies against you. A few of you already kind of saw and got a hint about choosing the members carefully.

THE ENTRIES

Quote:

Originally posted by JakeKills

Quote:

Superpower was one of those members who was already pretty well-known before ATRL's Next Top Member began, and the highlight of my experience in this game has definitely been the friendship that I've developed with him over the past few months. Statistically, he is far and away the man to beat in this game, with more Top Call Outs and more placements in both the top 2 and top 3 than anyone else in the game. But Superpower is more than his stats... He is the embodiment of what I think it means to be a top member. He is approachable, intelligent, kind, entertaining, and basically everything that you could hope for in a boy. Moreover, you could name him the winner right now, and he would deserve it. I think that's something that most, if not all, of us would agree upon because we can all see that Super possesses the quality content, personality, and the name required to be one of ATRL's standout members.

Quote:

The first player in this season of ATRL's Next Top Member to garner two Top Call Outs, Subomie has spent more time in the top 5 than anyone else left in the game. This proves that Sub is both consistent and capable of distinguishing himself from the crowd. Despite his notable performance throughout the course of the game, though, he still doesn't feel like a frontrunner. Perhaps this is because he's the only one of the four to have more than one placement in the bottom two, or perhaps it's because there's always been another member to be the Clinton to his Sanders, the Jolie to his Aniston, the Swift to his Underwood or Perry. It wouldn't be upsetting in the least to see Subomie pull an upset, but I can't help but feel that of the four remaining players, he is the one with the most growing left to do. He's proven beyond a doubt to be a quality poster and an all-around great guy, but he's one of those participants who seems to need to 'expand his profile' before he can truly claim to be a top member.

Quote:

Of the remaining players in ATRL's Next Top Member, I feel that A Bomb's performance has been the least impressive. Although he was the first person to receive a Top Call Out (for Episode 1), he has spent fewer weeks in the top 2 than anyone else in the final four. Branding himself as "feisty" didn't go over particularly well with the judges, but it's a title that he certainly lived up to during the course of the game... I'll let you decide for yourself whether or not that's a good thing. Most damning, in my opinion, was #BombGate. His attempt to quit the game suggested that he lacked conviction... both the conviction to follow through on his commitment to the game, and the conviction to stick to his word and quit. This hot-headed and ill-advised move has led me to seriously question whether or not he deserves his place in the final four. There's no denying that Bomb has made a big impact with his 4,500 posts, but ultimately, he's the weakest link remaining in the game.

Quote:

substance over style

I have been following ANTM Cycle 13 for some time and all I can say is that Jake deserves to win this cycle. His entries have always been a wonderful read for me because they never fail to stand out from the crowd.

In order to be a ATRL Top Member, I believe that one should be well-liked by members of the site. Of course, everyone loves Jake. The Swifties worship him as the head disciple, but that's not all. As a fan of many other artists, Jake can easily involve himself in many music discussions on ATRL regarding his other faves. After all, ATRL is a music forum and he is a member who is very involved in the music side of the forum. I'm not here for a member who traps himself in only one thread of ATRL!

Jake is also very active across various sections of the forum, including the forgotten Your Top Ten. Like I've previously mentioned, Jake is very involved in the music side of ATRL. I can honestly see his genuine interest in music, considering he has hosted countless of music rates of ATRL (and not those PQS-kinda rates, rates with substance).

I also would like to mention the fact that Jake is a really humble and down-to-earth member. Despite his popularity across the forum, he does not appear intimidating (Yes, many popular members appear intimidating to me, not sure if y'all get what I mean). From what I've seen, Jake often lends a helping hand to new members whenever they're in need of help. He does not regard himself above the others and that's something we should respect..

Quote:

Hello. For those of you who don't know me (...??????), I'm Vespertine. When Jake asked if I might be interested in writing this, I thought, "Oh My Björk, what a perfect opportunity to talk about myself. Of course I'll do it." If you followed ANTM last season, then you know I was the runner up, so I (apparently almost) know what it takes to be the next top member. I'm also known for my utterly charming personality, my sharp fashion sense, my love for Louis Tomlinson, and idk lots of other things. I'm ridiculously busy at the moment, as I'm currently working on my thesis and essentially living in my studio. Why do you need to know all of this? Because I'm AMAZING and for me to take the time to write this, it obviously means Jake is more than worth my time. I don't support mediocrity (sorry Katy).

Jake is one ATRL's preeminent Taylor Swift/our Lord and savior stans; since the Swifties are ATRL's largest and scariest fanbase at the moment, this immediately puts him ahead of all the other contestants. Sorry bitches, don't stan for losers next time around. The Swifties can be a very homogenous and obnoxious mass of users, but Jake manages to stick out from the crowd with individuality, aplomb, and gracefulness that most Swifties (and ATRLers in general) lack.

He's a very visible and recognizable user on the site -- the other contestants at this point are A Bomb, Subomie, and Superpower, right? Like I've never even heard of this A Bomb chick until just now. Sorry. Jake's username and avi are very memorable, and I think it really speaks to what a great user Jake is that no one even realizes his username is a tragically misguided Natalia Kills reference unless he tells them. He doesn't have some stupid generic #SassyWhiteGay personality, which makes him stick out from the crowd. Jake is generally a pretty funny user, but he does it without resorting to low-blows or personal attacks; I've definitely never seen him say anything ~problematic. He also has great taste in music, which most of ATRL lacks; he listens to queens like Taylor, Shania, and JONI

(#BuyHejiraOniTunes), and I think I've seen him stan for Louis' body in the past. Users with good taste (sorry Superpower) and class always rise above the rest!

Hm I've taken shots at A Bomb and Superpower now. It's only fair that I say something mean about Subomie, too. Subomie is a nice user but she already got booted from this game fairly early last season. Do y'all really want a loser as your "next top member?" I doubt it. Or did she quit? I can't even remember, but being a quitter is even worse.

Omg so back to Jake. If you guys don't make Jake your next top member, you're dumb. End of story. Speaking of stories, here's a story: I briefly met Jake this summer at the 1989 Semi-World Tour! He was very nice and he told me that he was able to identify me on the floor (from the stands) by my hair. Like what kind of eagle vision????? Do you guys want someone with super powers or some loser with regular human vision to be your next top member ???????????????

Also no shade but the last few winners of ANTM have been users who I frankly don't see around the site much (before or after the competition). Like what happened to MMMMMMMMinaj? I don't see Citrus (yes I know you're judging this Citrus) around the site much outside of the Games section. Domino is MIA too, no? Meanwhile Jake is ACTIVE and VISIBLE and an all-around fantastic user. The winner of ATRL's Next Top Member should be well on their way to becoming a prominent user of the site, and it is clear that Jake fits the bill!

Good day to you all. Thank you for reading this. Preorder 1D's last album on iTunes, check out this upcoming cover song from Fiona Apple, watch Gwen on #TheVoiceNBC, and most importantly...

Quote:

JakeKills definitely deserves to win ATRL's Next Top Member: Cycle 13.

In terms of his gameplay: Jake has consistently produced well-done entries throughout this whole tournament while sticking to all the rules and putting quality over quantity. His entries have always focused more on his words rather than his layout, and what he says has always held up. All of this has been proven by how he has yet to land in the bottom 2, which is a great feat to achieve after fighting through 10 rounds and over a dozen contestants. Jake has really proven himself time and time again, and his sufficient work as well as his overall dedication and cooperation should be rewarded with the top title.

In terms of his ATRL position: Jake is truly a grade-A member on this forum. I feel like, to be a Top Member, you have to have plenty of significant qualities that make you stand out and have others gravitate to you, your posts and your overall presence. Here are a few that really represent Jake as a poster:

LIKED
Overall, Jake has a very favorable reputation on ATRL. Not just from the Swifties, but a large portion of the site. This is shown by his #33 debut at this year's Power 100 list, which had many participants and open voting.

ACTIVE
If you're not posting at least a few times a week on here, it's gonna be hard for you to get noticed. Jake has a total of 37,678 posts so far and a peak of #2 on ATRL's Most Addicted Members chart. It may not be the most important factor, but it still shows that he is a member that is willing to stick around.

OPINIONATED
Speaking of those 37,678 posts, many of those are quality ones that fit the rules and provide some type of value to a conversation. He's also not afraid to stand his ground, as exhibited when he gave his view on Matty's comment for another player.

FRIENDLY
If you want to be a Top Member, it's best to be down-to-earth and approachable. He's shown that he is both of these by having a list of 169 friends and a wall with 1,547 posts. That's a lot of people that can rely on him for a conversation, helpful advice and/or participation in their thread. It also helps that he is very unbiased, as he enjoys hundreds of mainstream artists, including pairs that are often involved in stan wars (Madonna and Gaga, Selena and Miley, etc.)

DEDICATED
For my final point, Jake is really devoted to this board and also cares for the fellow members that are on it. He's not just someone that posts in one section, either. He's hosted several rates in Base and an award show in The Lounge, he's constantly updated a countdown for over 3.5 years in Your Top Ten (aka the place you all pay dust,) and has been in Games for about just as long.

So those are just some of the reasons why JakeKills deserves to take the title as ATRL's Next Top Member.
Need I say more?

Fierce and Love
- Matty

Buddy!

Kitt, DOM, and Edge

SLAY Bomb