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The Waiting Room of Chaos - 1

While we are waiting for things to start, I spun the wheel for the first time to determine how many byes there would be for this "special event".

For those new to the concept, a "bye" is a skip week. Maybe you're sick, or busy or whatever. Maybe you just don't feel like writing that week. You can use a "bye" (that's B-Y-E for those listening to this.) and survive another week without being eliminated.

I put the options 0-3 (3 being the most byes we've ever had in a season. Pretty sure that was when we had over 300 contestants. Pretty sure this isn't going to get anywhere close to that, especially since I've been pretty clear that if you don't like the craziness and random, this time around might not be your thing!)

The wheel landed on 2.

So there you go - you have 2 byes to use between Week 1 and whenever we have 5 contestants left in the competition, Granted, right now there aren't a lot of people anyway, so that might not take very long! But I'm hoping that once the word starts spreading more people will show up!

The link to sign up is: therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1182845.html

***

So, how are you doing?

What are you watching? Reading?

I'm currently not reading anything. But I did just pick up The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, so hopefully I will be starting that soon.

I'm catching up on some shows - Shogun, Squid Games and Vice Principals.

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The Wheel of Chaos Introduction

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here!"

In Dante's inferno, that was the inscription on the gates of Hell. It's fitting to have it inscribed here, on these massive gates in front of you today, these gates that lead you into the realm that is

I am Gary, your host, and in some ways, fellow captive here in the realm of Wheel of Chaos. Because this is like no other season of LJ Idol. It is like no other event.

Yes. There will be writing and I'd say focusing on your writing and making the deadlines is probably the smart way to go. Because the rest is being left up to a wheel filled with all of the most insane twists Idol has to offer. I won't even know what is coming week to week, until a few minutes before you do!

The FAQ is here: https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1182638.html
The Sign up Sheet is here: https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1182845.html

Maybe it will be fun. Maybe it will be exciting. Maybe it will be the worst train wreck anyone has ever experienced, Maybe it will be all of these things. If you think you have what it takes to navigate these waters, and just want an excuse to write, welcome!

Comment below to say Hi. If you're an Idol veteran - let people know what you've been up to since we last crossed paths. If you're a newbie, do the same, only we've never crossed paths so you've obviously got more to let people know about! :)

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The Wheel of Chaos Sign Up

We, the undersigned, hereby give ourselves up to the mercy of the Idol Gods and the realm of sheer chaos.

We enter, being of questionable mind and bodies that probably don't see a lot of sunlight, into this place of our own free will and will exit when we can take no more or those Idol Gods see fit to eliminate us.

We will keep our whining to be a minimum but our screaming in agony to the maximum to better please those horrible forces.

Mostly we will write and have a good time knowing that at the end of the day, it's only the single most important and meaningful thing that will ever happen, including our family and friends. Especially that one. You know which one I'm talking about. ;)

We will follow instructions - such as the ones here:

- Post a statement on your own DW/LJ/other Open ID blog stating that you will be participating in LJ Idol: Wheel of Chaos.
- Copy the link and post it into the comments below, which will officially sign you up for this "special event".
- Sit back and wait for further instructions for when the first Topic is posted and interact the Introduction post comment section and/or any "Green Rooms" that might be posted between now and then.
- Tell your friends and especially your enemies that their time of peace is now over and they should dive into this as well - if they can handle it!!! :)

I'll leave you to signing up, and will see you on the other side.

The deadline to sign up is Saturday June 21st at noon ET. (but the first topic will be hitting before that)

Entry tags:

faq,
wheel of chaos

LJ IDOL: THE WHEEL OF CHAOS FAQ

What is an FAQ? It stands for “Frequently Asked Questions”

Are these questions people have actually asked you on a frequent basis? No. It should probably be called, “things I think you would want to know, but even if I post them someone is going to ask me anyway. But at least when they do other people can point and laugh and say “It was in the FAQ, didn’t you read it?”

Will there be pointing and laughing? Probably. At very least one of those things.

What is LJ Idol? LJ Idol is a writing competition that I started back in 2006 combining my love of writing with my love of reality competition shows. It’s a game. It’s a community. It’s a way of life.

2006? Seriously? Yes. Seriously. Next year will be our 20th anniversary.

It’s called LJ Idol but it’s on Dreamwidth. Why? It started on Livejournal, but like a lot of people, it moved over here during the last big exodus. At this point LJ Idol is an established name, the brand would stay regardless of where we moved.

How does this work? You want to know how regular Idol works? I post a topic and give writers a deadline. They write and post it. I add all of those links to a poll and then people vote. Whoever has the least amount of votes is eliminated.

“Regular Idol”? Is this not regular Idol? Oh no. Not even close to “regular Idol” This is a “special event” . It's absolute chaos. It’s Idol on steroids mated with Calvinball and their kid shot out of a confetti cannon right at your head. This is THE WHEEL OF CHAOS!

Is there an actual wheel? Yes. Well, OK, it’s an online “random picker generation”. I am loading a bunch of topics into one and twists into another. Every week I will spin both. Whatever it tells me is what is happening that week.

Is it an actual 7 day week? No. It’s an Idol week. Which is from the moment I post the new topic to the moment the poll closes and someone is eliminated.

What sort of twists? Veteran players answer - it’s all of your favorites, and least favorites. Some new stuff. Newbies answer - Anywhere from how the poll is set up, how many people are eliminated to literal “game changing” options that will make you want to rage quit if you don’t decide to just go with it.

Will there be a “Second Chance Idol” for people previously eliminated to get back into the game *chuckles* Kind of.

How long will it last? Until there are fewer than 4 contestants OR until I decide to pull executive privilege and pull the ripcord to end things. It could last 1 week, we could be still playing this thing until the 30th anniversary. I have no idea. I do WANT to give people time to rest and recover before the big 20th anniversary season next year. So hopefully before that.

“Am I going to hate it?” Yes. You definitely will hate it. But hopefully you will love it more. I’m telling you at the onset that it’s not going to be regular Idol and that it’s going to be crazy. Take a box of Captain Crunch “Oops All Berries” and replace it with LJ Idol “Oops, All Twists” and that’s what you are getting yourself into.

“When is the Sign Up?” This weekend. Unless I roll a dice and the fates decide it’s sooner!!

Until then, ask me more questions then I can add “Questions That Were Actually Asked Once”!!

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Mary Oliver: "Red Bird", "Invitation"

2 poems from Mary Oliver's Red Bird collection.

Red Bird

Red bird came all winter
firing up the landscape
as nothing else could.

Of course I love the sparrows,
those dun-colored darlings,
so hungry and so many.

I am a God-fearing feeder of birds.
I know He has many children,
not all of them bold in spirit.

Still, for whatever reason—
perhaps, because the winter is so long
and the sky so black-blue

or perhaps because the heart narrows
as often as it opens—
I am grateful

that red bird comes all winter
firing up the landscape
as nothing can do.

Invitation

Oh do you have time
to linger
    for just a little while
       out of your busy

and very important day
for the goldfinches
    that have gathered
       in a field of thistle

for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
    the highest note,
       or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
    Their strong, blunt beaks
       drink the air

as they strive
melodiously
    not for your sake
       and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning
but for the sheer delight and gratitude—
    believe us, they say,
       it is a serious thing

just to be alive
on this fresh morning
    in this broken world.
       I beg of you,

do not walk by
without pausing
    to attend to this
       rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
    It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
       You must change your life.