*Cetus Media Awards - S51

[lemonoppy]

Hello everyone, welcome to the S51 Cetus Media Awards! This article is like 3 weeks late, which is coincidentally how much time I was travelling and then sick because I was travelling. Now that I’m home and situated, I can actually spend my time on stuff, including the Cetus Awards!

I’ve got a better process for these now that it’s the second season, and S52 awards should come out on time (during the offseason week following the Ultimus)

The Cetus Awards is a series of media awards meant to showcase and highlight the amazing work that we’ve seen and read in the ISFL each season, and to give recognition to the authors that make it happen.

Format and Rules

• The Cetus season encompasses the length of time between the end of the S50 Ultimus to the end of the S51 Ultimus
  
• There are 5 categories for awards: Best Article, Best Series, Whale’s Choice (Comedy), Best Author, and Best New Author
  
• Articles are only eligible for a single category, even if the series started in an earlier season and there was only one eligible piece in the current media season.
  
• Nominees in each category are ordered by author name alphabetically but sometimes I move sections around so it’s not consistent, don’t read into the ordering
  

Categories

The Whale’s Choice is my personal award and I think that there are definitely articles that could be a best article but is instead nominated for the comedy section because that’s how I interpreted them.

Best New Author Award

The Best New Author Award is available for new users who have created within three seasons of the current draft class. For the S51 awards, this includes players from S52, S51, and S50.

Winners of a previous Best New Author or Best Author award are ineligible for this award, and new authors who might win Best Author for the year will be considered for that award before Best New Author.

Current ineligible authors are: Megsychan and KDR

Baron1898 Award for Best Author

In order to recognize the amazing work and dedication of Baron around the league and especially for league media, the Best Author award will be named the Baron1898 Award for Best Author. From her work on her own amazing media to the media award series she’s created, I can’t thank her enough for the work and time she’s put into this. Congratulations on your Ultimus and coming back to a more reasonable time zone.

Disclaimer: This is not some objective measure of quality of writing, it’s a reflection of my taste and what I enjoyed during the season. I have read every piece and while it was a lot, I enjoyed every last one.

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Best Article
The Best Article category covers exceptional standalone articles that stand out for their insightful analysis, original perspectives, and clear, compelling narratives.

Nominees

@18situaseans, The S40’s - A Decade of Dot Football in Retrospect

With S50 ending, we got a lot of retrospective pieces and it was really cool to read them all and go through the history of the league. We’re about to come up on the end of 10 seasons that I’ve been in the league so it’s fascinating reading about what happened in the past. For some reason, this article specifically stuck with me and it was great seeing what another person took away, and what they remember. Great article was a ton of fun to read.

@AustinP0027, s50 Fantasy Experts Accuracy Rankings

Austin has been a standout member of the ISFL since he’s joined, and I feel like we’re often on the same wavelength when it comes to media and we both had some stats on fantasy analyst analysis this season! Austin does a great job figuring out the strengths, hit rates, and overall performance of fantasy media authors this past season in a very digestible manner.

@ItsFrenchie, Up Close and Personal - Blo Cage

It’s true, I’m nominating a work about a Quebecois player! Frenchie does a great job creating a narrative piece about Blo Cage, and the work and story of their path into the DSFL and beyond into the ISFL. It’s too bad they’re a Tight End, but this was a great read and I love the RP focused pieces in this league.

@jayamshah99, DSFL Team Dinners

Something you might figure out about me is that I love DSFL focused media, and this was a super interesting piece by jayamshah99 about what the signature meal of each DSFL team would be! Am I super hungry right now? You bet I am. I think it was a really interesting take on the meals too, it wasn’t just “Grey Ducks so eat ducks” or “Lions = steak”, each aspect of the team was added into a dish, and accompanying drink! I’m actually so hungry right now and I would love to chow down on a Minnesota Grey Duck special, a tater tot hotdish piled high with a seed forward winter salad and spice apple cider. I’m going to go get lunch, brb.

@jayamshah99, DSFL WR Horserace

We’ve got another great piece by jayamshah99 here about the DSFL WR race that we had, it was a pretty wild season with a few different WRs really popping off, and even more when we include some line-up alignment errors and stuff. I love when I can read a media piece that’s well written and has cool info based on stats and races happening in the DSFL. I’m pretty in-tune with ISFL stuff so it’s always great to get perspective on the other half.

@midknight, A really long mock draft (and team breakdown, and comparison to real draft)

Midknight goes above and beyond here with their mock. Not only is it a fantastic mock overall, it also happened a bit earlier in the cycle so Midknight predicts some draft positioning, and goes through each team’s roster in order to figure out what they might need, and what he would do in the scenario. Love the in-depth roster examinations even though he called my team stinky! (He called a lot of teams stinky tbf).

@omg, S51 Pokemon Themed Mock Draft

Omg has a history of Pokemon themed article, and according to them this is a 100% scientific mock. Draftees are given random pokemon and then they battle in a bracket in order to find the order of our S51 draft! Of course, this is also done in Pokemon GO for some reason but I love it. Congrats to @”murtsi” for rolling Dragonite and going 1OA in the S51 mock! @”
JBLAZE_THE_BOSS” with one of the best pokemon of all time, Kingdra as well!

@parky, From a Single Stone, a Mighty Tower

I loved this positive parky article about the state of the OCO roster, and the rebuild that has been going on! As parky says, this isn’t a rebuild, it’s a reno and I absolutely adore the OCO team spirit and togetherness during a hard time in the franchise’s history. I’m part of the OCO fan gang and that rebrand to the OG logo is :100:

@SonOfCar, Hodges-Allen Showcases Talent in Prospect Bowl

We’ve got another great new in-character media piece about the journey and life of a DSFL player who’s been making waves in SonOfCar’s Shakir Hodges-Allen. We’ve got stats, we’ve got fun writing, and we’ve even got photos? This article has it all, and it was great to read.

@wetwilleh, Linebacker - What is the Importance of Positioning

Willeh has an absolutely astounding and in-depth article on the linebacker position in the ISFL, and how the place you line up at has differing outcomes on your stats, accolades, and how you’ll be remembered. It’s so cool to see how he measures the kind of “value” the LB brings to a team, based on the place you line up. You’re not measured across all LBs, it’s a higher fidelity examination. It also helps that Thomas Sutha looked pretty good in the stats! Really fantastic read for all the stat heads in this league!

And the Cetus for Best Article goes to… @wetwilleh for Linebacker - What is the Importance of Positioning!

I recognized as soon as I read this how much work and quality was packed into this article. I love the in-depth look, the comparisons between lineups within the same position, and the stats were so cool. I wish I had more time to analyze them!

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Best Series
The Best Series category covers collections of articles that together form a cohesive and compelling narrative. This award series considers the quality and consistency of each article in the body of work.

Nominees

@dannuic, I Choose to Win

I wasn’t sure whether or not to put this into the series category but here it is! Dannuic went above and beyond with a litany of character driven articles, most with a song pastiche at the end as well. All fantastically written and the world building was great

@g2019, DSFL Records Watch

Sconnie, aka g2019, did a pretty fun article pair to follow up on through the season about some stats and records that might, and did get broken during the S51 DSFL season! I was rooting for the Dalinar Summers rushing TDs record but VERY POG for Benny the Jet for breaking the career receiving touchdowns record! So great to celebrate our players’ accomplishments!

@kdr, S52 Draft Board

I love the kdr draft boards series. It takes a look at prospects through the season, following them and their activity levels to really try and figure out who might rise to the top, and who are some sleeper hits. I love how it takes into account stuff the whole season and so we get to know these prospects more and more as we get closer to draft day.

@Pelochyta, S51 - DSFL WAG Ratings

We get even more DSFL content this time around with the Pelochyta WAG ratings! The Weighted Activity Grade scores give players points based on the plays their players make, and big time players get more! Love seeing this stuff through the season and being able to follow some more performance stuff without just looking up something like “number of tackles”.

@ztarwarz, Franchises Ranked

Of course, with the end of S50, we got a ztarwarz history retrospective on the league during that half century! Ztarwarz goes through each decade in a companion piece and then follows up with ranking each team and talking about their history, their highs, and their lows during the entirety of the league.

And the Cetus for Best Series goes to… @g2019 for DSFL Records Watch!

Concise, sweet, and positive, I really enjoyed reading these articles and being able to pick some players to root for and to follow along as they reached some truly astounding career high points. Loved the articles, love the positivity, and wish there was more!

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Whale’s Choice (Comedy)

Honourable Mention

I don't know where to put this but there was an incredible series of posts by Zayn, Wizard_Literal, Waldo, and UptownCord about Zayn Feet Lover Sr (formerly known as Warren Peace) about his upcoming FA period and negotiations started happening live with TMZ updates and Head Office condemnations. I've got the list of articles here and I love them but don't know what to do with them so Honourable Mention is what's happening.

ZFL on NYS contract future: 'More out than in'l
Head Office actively working against NYS's ability to negotiate with the feet lover
Orange County Starts Negotiations with Dominant Wide Receiver
ZFL Spotted in Anaheim
Zack Vega Jr. Publically condemns the ISFL Head Office
ZFL seen talking with OCO QB Zach Vega after the game
Reports of Controversy from within the Silverbacks Locker Room
ISFL Weekly Mirror Special Report — ZFL Spotted at John Wayne Airport
ZFL Hits Free Agency


Nominees
The Whale’s Choice (comedy) selects from comedic, interesting articles about the league and users that are in good taste, knowing jest, and amusing meta-connections.

@Hepha, Assigning every team a flag

I don’t know if this is a “funny” media but it really is a hilarious one. ISFL has a kind of surprising amount of flag nerds and it comes up in general pretty often. Hepha being able to Sporcle every flag in less than 7 minutes uses their great talents to… assign flags? This one is kinda surreal, completely amazing, and also utterly befuddling.

@Pelochyta, S51 ISFL Draft Grades

If you like scrabble, acronyms, and a grading criteria that wanders around at the author’s will, you’re in for a treat as Pelochyta grades the S51 ISFL draft.

@SabaDonutMan, The Official S51 Mock Draft

Saba came back into the league with a vengeance and created a mock draft featuring pick stealing, GM stealing, selecting a user but not their player, and an intra-league trade! Can’t say enough about how funny this article is and how it’s just twist after twist.

@YetiTaz, How To Finish Sixth In ISFL Fantasy Football

I’ve got some experience with finishing last in ISFL fantasy, but YetiTaz really helps me out with the strats I used this go around. Truly astounding that Yeti isn’t part of the fantasy media group because this will guarantee you first (in reverse order standings).

And the Cetus for Whale’s Choice (Comedy) goes to… @SabaDonutMan for The Official S51 Mock Draft!

Saba comes back with a roar and this one is really an article for the ages. Thank you Saba and everyone else for the laughs!

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Baron1898 Award for Best Author
The Baron1898 Award for Best Author celebrates a writer whose work consistently demonstrates exceptional writing, creativity, and voice.

Nominees

@AustinP0027
Austin’s got a pair of great articles this season focusing on ISFL fantasy, and they’re both fantastic reads that make me very jealous.

@dannuic
Dannuic roars onto the scene with loads of fantastic articles about their character and they are all very good.

@Froste39
Froste has some great range, from character pieces, to mocks, to some pokemon stuff. Great work from Froste and excited for more!

@g2019
Sconnie writes in a way that I love, and all of their articles hit in such a fun, genuinely happy way and I enjoyed reading them all.

@jayamshah99
I didn’t realize who jayamshah99 was until I realized their discord username, a fellow casino employee! I loved the work, there was real thought put into them and read very very well.

@kdr
Kdr has been posting regularly and with great series and follow-ups on all their targets. Always am interested to learn more about the users that make up our league with I see a kdr article!

@omg
Really committed to being into pokemon and I also like pokemon (but only in a “use attack moves only” kind of way.) Loved the articles, they made me happy, and I could kinda follow along since I knew most of the words.

@Pelochyta
The measure of consistency, Pelochyta comes out with articles that hit, are fun, and let me rank players!

@SabaDonutMan
Didn’t know that Saba was such a funny media head but everything he posted was great for at least a few laughs and I loved the small touches of effort like titling, making images, and consistency.

@YetiTaz
Yeti has had great output throughout the season and their voice is super strong and consistent. Truly he is the guy who named his character Holden Affart (congratulatory).

And the Baron1898 Award for Best Author goes to… @g2019!

I tried my best here and didn't include ties in every calculation, but this should at least give a somewhat simple guide to follow along with for tomorrow's Week 13 action and (for the South at least) beyond. Thanks for reading!

Guys, I can’t tell you how much I just enjoyed Sconnie’s articles. They were timely, fun, well-written, and always written in such an enjoyable way. I think this was a really tight year, but when I was reading during S51, Sconnie stood out to me as just the person who I wanted to see pop in the media channel.

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Best New Author
The Best New Author recognizes an emerging writer who has quickly made an impact with the quality and impact that they have created with their fresh voice.

@AustinP0027
I didn’t realize that Austin is actually still up for this. Love Austin and all his work, in media and around the league.

@dannuic
Narrative and league RP heads, this is one of your new champions. Would love to see some cross-character stuff from them as well!

@Froste39
Froste has range, has great effort in their work, and is a great read during the season.

@jayamshah99
I was blown away by the consideration in their work and loved the presentation of their work!

@YetiTaz
A Yeti piece is a Yeti piece, undoubtedly, and is also always going to be a fun read. Love to see the silliness and fun, and also the positivity and recaps!

And the Award for Best New Author goes to… @jayamshah99!

All of this is a fun little thought experiment by me. I haven’t been to like 7 of these places. If you’re from any of them, I’m SO sorry for what’s about to happen.

Similar to the Baron award for Best Author, it really was just the tone and consideration in theses pieces that I connected with from jayamshah99. I really enjoyed them, I think the ability to convey so much in such a clear and fantastic manner blew me away and can’t wait for more for jay!

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Conclusion

Thank you everyone for reading the second edition of the Cetus Awards, Sorry it was so late, next time it will not be late I PROMISE.

Congrats to @wetwilleh, @SabaDonutMan, @g2019, and @jayamshah99 on your awards! HO has graciously sponsored 3m each for winning an award!

Thank you to all the authors this season, looking forward to S52 and beyond!

[g2019]

HOLY

[CROney3]

Hey I had cetus the other day, I should get an award too!

(great stuff dude!)

[Hepha]

I am honored to have been nominated for such a prestigious award

[wetwilleh]

Wetus

[lemonoppy]

I am honored to have been nominated for such a prestigious award

What higher honour is there in the ISFL????

[jreed12]

@lock180 We have been robbed

[SabaDonutMan]

Can’t say enough about how funny this article is and how it’s just twist after twist.

I'm confused as to why you would find the article funny, it's very clearly a statistically based-factual mock draft

[kdr]

This is becoming the must read media.

Unfortunately, might have noticed not much time for media this season so didn't have a Draft Board a the begning.  But might try to catch up next week.

[lemonoppy]

This is becoming the must read media.

Unfortunately, might have noticed not much time for media this season so didn't have a Draft Board a the begning.  But might try to catch up next week.

Sometimes life gets in the way! Excited to read your stuff whenever you have the time and capacity for it!