LJ Idol Presents:

Alycewilson - Take me through the decision to write poetry this round.  Obviously, it’s something you’ve done before (You’re Shantipoet after all. It’s implied in the name itself) , but, as you’ve said, it hasn’t come out in the last few regular seasons of Idol.  What was it about this particular challenge that brought that out?  Has your poetry been reborn in the salt waters surrounding this island? 

Flipflop_diva -  At what point did you decide on how to handle the “reveal” in your story?  All the pieces were there, but like a lot of people, for me, it was a realization that built slowly.  What was it about everyday “tortures” of being a kid that clicked in your head to connect to the prompt?    Do you think Luzon has the hope of morning after facing today’s cruel, cold reality? 

Swirlofpurple - You also decided to write a poem.  Is there something about being stranded on an island that inspires poetry?  The Horror genre has always done well within Idol proper, but “horror poetry” is fairly rare, despite a long tradition in literature.  Are there particular challenges within the genre that make it difficult to pull off?  What “sickness” is within Luzon and can it be exorcised with this vote? 

Murielle -  If telling stories are the language of relationships, what story do you think Luzon is telling? What is the story that they need to hear right now?  Do you think that the HMS Spector could be the same ship as swirlofpurple’s tale, sold, repainted and repurposed?   What do you feel the story of Elizabeth reveals about the nature of the men in the narrator’s life? 

Uselesstinrelic  -  You are the only one in Luzon to produce two entries this week.  Did you deliberately tie them together with supernatural rules or was that coincidence? How important was it that one character was punished for thinking outside the box and the other spared? What fate do you think was actually worse - the torture of Malphas or what Micah does to survive?  You’re in a similar situation. You can be voted out, or you will be sacrificing someone else to save yourself. It’s not dismemberment or an eternity of positive affirmation while listening to “It’s a Small World,” but it’s still a sacrifice.  How do you weigh that, and once made, what can you do to convince others to replicate your vote? 

Bittyjane  - What was it about the diary approach that you felt suited the story you wanted to tell? What came first - the idea or the format?  There’s a dark humor that melds well with the sense of place and time - how important is it to you to convey that tone shift?  There is someone sitting with you right now, here at tribal council, who you are having a  “lovely chat” with, and they have no idea what’s coming.   Or do you think that you are more likely to be Coral, trying to scratch and claw onto your life in this game? 

N3m3sis43  -  Your entry captured the emotional keelhauling people around the world have taken at the hands of COVID. What was it about this particular prompt that brought the experience to mind, or is it more of a case of “what else is there to think about right now?”   You capture that slow dawning dread of the moments where “everything is fine” as things slip into the cold realities of the situation.  Which again, is a lot like where you are sitting right now.  Everyone is talking about how everything is fine - but for one of you, it’s not going to be.   What precautions are you taking to make sure that you don’t become that statistic? 

Adoptedwriter -  The secret of a good magic trick is to distract people with what your other hand is doing.  The cards were all out on the table, but you still managed the misdirection.  That’s a skill that translates well to tribal council.  What do you have palmed, waiting for the reveal?   How important to you was it to add the inspiration, and commentary, about the real life event? Do you think that adds to the piece by opening up discussion and reminding people of just how real this is?  How much consideration was the visual spacing of this piece - with the spaced out sections of the actual story being followed by the densely packed commentary at the end? 

Bleodswean - You’re known for being about to capture beauty amidst brutality, and this entry is certainly no exception.  It was already pointed out in the comments about the connection between human mother and the cow. But there is also a line going between the fate of the three children (human, calf and bird) at the hands of the true beast.   Did you feel that giving the Captain a history in the navy was needed to justify the use of keelhauling by mules or do you think that it may have worked just as well to allow the death to not have that connection?  As the tribe Captain, what  experience are you personally going to lean on to decide who is going to be dragged in the wake of Luzon? Will it be crushing someone’s fragile eggshell dreams, or the mercy killing of a calf unable to keep up?

Bleodswean  - Following that up, is there a certain beauty to the brutal process of elimination?  Where is the silver lining for Luzon? 

Adoptedwriter -  You’ve talked about keeping perspective.  What perspective can you offer this group when it comes to making this decision? 

N3m3sis43  - It’s been brought up that there were others who stepped forward to be the Champion, but that it was decided that uselesstinrelic would be the one to step into that role.  Who were those people?  Did you agree with the decision, and who ended up leading the charge of convincing everyone that it was the right choice?  

Murielle  -  There’s been a lot of talk about “friendship and support”.  to me, that sounds like there’s one person who is about to get blindsided.  In a lot of ways, Asaga had it easy, there was someone who had personal reasons and needed to step away from the game.  I haven’t heard any talk of that here.   What are you basing your decision on? 

Bittyjane  - You’ve mentioned how you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone to participate in group conversations.  How important do you think that is - for someone to be willing to step outside of what they might not normally do - for the good of the team?  

Flipflop_diva - You said that Luzon had to  “believe we have the right people left to claim victory the next time”  Do you think you know the right combination of people to claim that victory?  How much conversation has been happening around camp on that subject? 

Alycewilson -  Is there anything someone could say right now to guarantee that they were going to walk out of here tonight with their torch still lit?  Or do you think it’s already a done deal - that most people already know who they are voting for, and just don’t want to say it out loud? 

Swirlsofpurple  -  When you vote someone out in this game, they go to the Edge of Extinction, where they have a shot at coming back. The ones who don’t re-enter the game, become a part of the Jury.  Given your theme this week, do you think that this vote tonight has the potential to come back to haunt you? 

Uselesstinrelic  - You were the Champion, so I’m giving you the last word.  Any advice you’d like to give your tribe before they go vote?