LJ Idol Presents:

 I've been doing a "preview of things to come" post for the last couple of seasons/mini-seasons/events so I figured now was a good time to do that!

Obviously, before you check this post out - make sure you are commenting on the Winner thread therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1216843.html     and the Runners Up therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1217245.html

Give them the love they deserve!!

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I've been seeing a lot more "Your Friend has updated their Livejournal" notification emails, to the point that I was starting to think everyone was headed back there.  A friend of mine who used to be on LJ forwarded this to me (Unless you speak Russian you'll need to use a translator. Your browser probably has one.  https://ru-news.livejournal.com/80899.html   )  Just FYI for those still using the site that changes are coming. 

The fact that the official news updates, and the currency you pay for Paid Accounts, is all in Russian is definitely a pretty big downside to going back.  Although I'll admit, with the 20th anniversary coming up, that really would have been nice to go home again. 

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Speaking of.... the next season is going to be our 20th anniversary!!  I'm going to have some posts between now and then,  I've been thinking of some ideas. Planning on announcing them on the Patreon first.  So if you've been thinking of signing up, now would be a good time.  :)    www.patreon.com/c/u70027


Our winner also reminded me to put out the Tip Jar information.  If you've enjoyed yourself, and want to throw in a little something to help keep this going, here's the link:   therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1206401.html

In the comments,inkstainedfingertips  posted an older link, which included the old Amazon Storefront we used to have. Which made me wish that was still a thing. We never made much from it, but man that was truly satisfying to continuously update that list of books written by Idol contestants!!  If anyone knows of a site that works similar to that, were you get paid for people using your links, let me know! I'd love to set up another store.  If not, maybe I'll just put together a list.  Heck, maybe I'll do that on Patreon.  That might be a good place to host something like that!  (Totally thinking out loud here. I *just* came up with that idea as I'm writing it!  :D) 

Idol's anniversary is in May. 

My current goal is to be in a new place by March.  Well, it's not a "goal" but it's a plan forward.  So I'm hoping by May I'll be settled in with an idea of what my life is going to be like.  I don't want to hurry this anniversary celebration or start it before I know I'm ready to actually be present more than I have been.  Because you deserve that. Idol deserves that. 

At very least the 20th will be taking place between now and the 21st anniversary.  ;)  The closer to May though, the better.  

I'll check in now and then, so make sure to have your notifications on (and check the site because as a couple people found out during the last poll, the notifications don't always work!!! You need to manually check now and then, especially if you're expecting an update) 

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Thank you to everyone who indulged this crazy idea of The Wheel of Chaos, and played along with it.  I hope you enjoyed yourself. And thank you to everyone who still keep LJ Idol close to their hearts. It means the world to me. 

There are some stories that are forged in chaos, and some that are forged in fire.

inkstainedfingertips was forged in both.

Once upon a time, in a different universe, he showed up and was one of the first people to be eliminated.   I'm not sure he even remembers that.  :) 

Years later, he comes back with a new life and even more talent, and finds a way to get to the end of the biggest "WTF" mini event of them all!  

Some luck. Some social game. Some strategy. But ultimately a LOT of really amazing writing led him to this place, at long last, becoming the 3rd make winner in Idol history!! 

Stop and think about THAT for a moment. 19 years. 3 male winners. (counting a co-winner) 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 

 I'll be posting the poll in a bit, but it occurred to me that the time when the most people might be paying attention is when they are expecting a poll.  :D 

So this was as good of a time as any to add more on things from MY perspective.  Because that's what we all need right, more of *me* talking about me!  ;) 

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I *really* liked the Wheel concept but I think there were areas where I would do it differently. 

-Having essentially a free pass on that first week instead of an "OMG" moment - due to one of the "everyone's back in the game' twists I think took away from the fear aspect.  Granted, it might have been good because it made people a little less tense about what was coming, because they knew there were more chances to return to the game if one of them took them out.   But it still would have been nice to have more of the "What did I just sign on for???" moment right from the jump. It gets people excited and talking. Even if they are complaining, they are still talking!

- Having too many "No Twists" on that first wheel - definitely a mistake.  I wouldn't have even had the first wheel at all in retrospect.  Again, it dulled the early stages when some of the more outlandish twists could have really made an impact. Maybe add a couple more "no twists" to the main wheel and just scrap that first stage one. The Wheel is the attraction here of this mini season and I think that would have highlighted the danger.  I think things picked up once I got rid of some of the "No Twists" from the board... but I also had to ask the Wheel first if I could do that. If it had said "No", we would have had it for the entire time. 

- Some of my favorite twists never saw the light of day, including ones that can not fit into a regular season.  Unless people *really* want a Shrapnel vote. (that takes out people around the middle of the pack) or a Gary-only voting!!  :D  Those are just a couple examples. Ultimately, I think more of my favorite twists ended up not showing up than not.   I WAS quite happy that Chekov's Gun made an appearance, even though it really only scratched the surface of what the potential for that twist could have been.  I was sincere when I said it couldn't be used against ME, or Idol.... because someone could have legitimately ended Idol entirely if I hadn't said that. That's how much power you had to throw around, if I hadn''t limited it beforehand!!! The only boundaries were your imaginations. It was used to save someone from elimination, which was a decent use of it. But I was hoping for some bigger swings when it made another appearance. But of course, that's one of those powers that can NOT show up in a regular Idol season. Much too "Calvinball" even in my world.  Wow though, there is so much more fun that could be had with it!

- Killers. Overall I thought the concept was fun in this limited space.  There are some people who thought the Killers had too much power. In retrospect, I don't think I gave them enough.  I would LOVE to have given them one "fake antidote" for the season. They could decide when to employ it. Someone thinks they are being saved - but WHAM, it was actually the poison, double damage!  I can hear your horrified shrieks already!!!  :D 

- Giving the antidote to the person with the most votes was a mistake. I wanted it to force them to make tough decisions. But the reality is that they didn't end up spreading it around much... because they usually felt like *they* were the biggest potential targets, and they weren't wrong! When I made it so that everyone had a vote, that upped the potential for chaos... it also gave people incentive to try to find the Killers... and the Killers more of a chance to disrupt that vote away from themselves. 

- Speaking of, I was entertaining the idea of a "smokescreen". Again, maybe you could only use it once... but when the Killers thought someone was onto them, even if it was an accurate guess, if the smokescreen was deployed, I wouldn't confirm or deny the identity of a Killer.  So they stayed alive, but there was doubt.  

- One of my favorite moments of this entire season was getting to seelegalpad819  navigate the early stages of the game as a Killer.  Honestly, if I could have handpicked someone, it would have been her.  She maneuvered the path so well.... between recruiting and poisoning... and staying one step ahead of the pack the entire time right up until the end stages of the game.  Honestly, my only major regret is the reaction to her reveal. No one signed up to be a Killer. It was literally "play this hand you are dealt" or be poisoned.  Fortunately the Wheel gave me someone who was a HUGE fan of reality TV, who wasn't one of the people most people think of if they are asked to name an Idol contestant who is a fan of reality TV. 
 
She didn't get a single comment about her incredible entries this season in her goodbye post. Or even about what a great job she had done as a Killer.  She was given an impossible task and performed it better than I could have ever imagined someone doing with it.  (Even if there was a point that due to Recruits, she lost control of the vote because she was outnumbered, so had to navigate that for awhile)  I won't lie, that's a regret because I felt like by being chosen by the Wheel for that task, she got shafted out of the love and respect she deserves as a long-standing member of the community and an incredible writer.  None of the other Killers got that treatment, but I think because everyone realized she was Alpha, that she caught the backlash that wasn't deserved.  Which feels horrible knowing that I caused that to happen,and hope that it doesn't carry over from this.  

- Would I do another Wheel season?  Maybe.  I think there is a lot of potential that was left on the table. I do agree that it works better with more people. So maybe that opportunity has passed and we will never get another shot to see what it *could have been*... I do think that it also works better with a more interactive and active host. Which I was not this year.  I haven't been in a bit due to being depressed. I'm sorry about that. I NEED to be in a better place mentally to do justice to the 20th anniversary. I want that to be a celebration and you can't really celebrate if the voice of the whole project is feeling hopeless. Kind of doesn't work!  :D 

- I don't know how this is going to end. But I really like our Final 3.  I've read 2/3 of the entries (as of this moment) and looking forward to the 3rd. I'm hoping that it will be an epic showdown between 3 worthy opponents! 

 Here we are at the finale. 

The last 3 standing. Seems familiar to me, but I can't quite place it.   ;) 

All that is left is to tell us all 

"Why I deserve to win the Wheel of Chaos/Why My Opponents Deserve to Win"  (make sure to cover both parts of that) 

The deadline to link your entry back to this post is Monday, December 29th at 8pm ET.  


Have fun, and congratulations!

 I was on my FB yesterday and saw a long-time "internet friend" of mine talking about a friend of theirs who had just passed away. 

The name sounded VERY familiar... so I did what I do every time I see a name that I think I know, I checked my email.  Sure enough, it was fire sign10 who played in Season 5. 

I didn't know her well - but I'd always hoped she would come back. She seemed really sweet. 

I know there are still a few people from here who are on her FB friends list. (another sign that I probably know someone from Idol.  :D) 

My deepest condolences to those of you lucky enough to have known her over the years! 

A few words from clauderainsrm:

The Portfolio may be my favorite Idol challenge. It’s just this perfect reminder of the road people have been on to get to this point, and preparation for what is to come, presented in a really nice package. If it’s done right, there might even be a bow on it!

So everyone has some reading to do, because it’s not just 5 entries, it’s multiple entries within those links!! Please take the time to actually pause and consider what everyone has presented. They took the time for you, take the time for them to read and comment!!

The poll is closing Tuesday December 23rd at 8pm. So you can’t say you didn’t have the time! ;)

We will be losing the 2 writers with the fewest votes, so the stakes are really high on this!
Good luck to everyone!

My flight to Little Rock is at 7 am so I need to be asleep before now.  But I wanted to make sure I posted the new prompt therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1214127.html and gave you a space (this one) to ask questions if you had them.  Or complain.  :) 

While you are doing that though, make sure you are also going over the results post and saying goodbye to the two writers leaving us this week: therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1213884.html


Hope you have a great weekend!  I'll be checking in from Little Rock and/or the airport and answering your questions as I can. 

Do you have any plans? 

 Losing two contestants at this point is just brutal, but unfortunately that is where we are at as the Wheel of Chaos slows down and comes to a complete stop. 

We are losing two people that I'm not only a fan of them as writers, I'm a fan of them as human beings. Which *looks around at the rest of you complete and utter scoundrels* No comment.  ;)   

Goodbye to hafnia  and to flipflop_diva  I kept waiting for either of you to burst out of the shadows as the dark horse contender of the season.  But I'll take just getting to read some great stories from both of you.

Thank you so much for coming out for this crazy thing!!!

A few words from clauderainsrm:

Two polls. One writer leaving us from each of them. (ladder system of course, whoever is eliminated in Poll 1 is out before Poll 2 is processed… in other words, before anyone asks I’m making sure it’s understood there are definitely two people leaving.)

Two very different prompts that showcase different sides of each writer, which just makes this all that more interesting as we head toward the finale!

So please make sure to read, comment and vote for your favorites!! Then tell your friends to do the same! Spread the word about what is happening here!! You are the only way they are going to advance.

Unfortunately Ro was exposed as the last of the Killers and was eliminated. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be checking out her entries. They’re really good. You’re just hurting yourself by not reading and commenting on them!!

https://roina-arwen.dreamwidth.org/20371.html
https://roina-arwen.dreamwidth.org/20701.html

The polls close Thursday December 4th at 8pm ET.

Good luck to everyone!

 Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours.  My house being the castle filled with Killers and your house being I dunno, wherever it is that you live.  Notice I'm not wishing it to YOU, just to your house!! 

I hope your house is doing well.   

For you, I have some blankets!! Come and get your Thanksgiving blankets!!! 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVKyMc22mmU&t=1565s&fbclid=IwY2xjawOV21JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeBXo6Ht4tvidZkThCXQ-y89xu5qB6SJwCN4jE5r6H5fWSpgvqU_wEtoB0Vxs_aem_ZBd8oGl6WoASYoLX1JrR9g 





The Big Damn Band performing Thanksgiving at the Waffle House. 

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Oh, and here are the prompts the Wheel gave you this week, because it's not an Idol post unless there was something to take you out of the holiday spirit, and if Killers and smallpox didn't do it, maybe prompts will!  therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1212053.html