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The Library of Chaos - 2

Hello Dear Friends!!

and the rest of you.

I just wanted to say hello to dear friends in case any of them ever read this. I doubt they will. It's mostly you scoundrels and hippies, and hippy scoundrels. ;)

Sign Ups are still happening and I've seen some familiar faces. https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1182845.html So welcome back! Just checking - you know this isn't the 20th anniversary event right? That's next time. That's going to be a joyful celebration. This is going to be me torturing you... which, to be fair, to me, those two things are the same!!! <3

***

So, what's new with you? Set fire to anything or anyone? Or is that what you have planned for this weekend? The wheel might have a few things to say about that... I've heard a rumor that it might spin soon.

(Full disclosure, I've actually been softening my stance and a second wheel might be introduced to even further add to the fun!)

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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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fannish 50

Fannish 50: is this weird?

Yeah, so I dropped the ball on Fannish 50 ramble after getting into a bit of a funk back in the spring (but having had some holiday since and plans to see family again - think most of you know this but my family is largely scattered across the UK - have got me out of it a bit). But having just finished my latest drabble for

drabble_zone made me think of something to ramble about.

Is it weird that I have this one particular pairing who I find give me lots of material to work with when it comes to fic (even for graphics at the old

lands_of_magic community, and yet even as I write them as a pairing, I have to admit that I don't ship them in the slightest and if anything find them toxic as a couple? But much as I never rooted for this pairing I can't help but write them (it probably accounts for about a fifth of my Dark writing, but if you've known me a long time you will know that I try to write a variety of characters rather than concentrate on anyone specific).

(For context: it's Hannah and Ulrich from Dark. The whole history is very complex to explain, including lots of time travel and people being related in ways they have no idea about - this is a show you can't watch and piss about on your phone at the same time if you want to know what's going on, you do need to pay attention. It's one of my ultimate top five fandoms, but I can see why others might find it a lot. In a spoiler-lite version, Hannah's obsession with Ulrich from her schooldays and realisation that he's not going to end his marriage to her best friend to be with her leads her to do a lot of shitty things, she's not well liked among fans. We only get about five minutes glimpse of Hannah in a timeline where Ulrich was never in her life, so it's hard to judge what she's like without any of that history).

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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)

Current Mood: delighted

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dimash,
music

The three tenors & Hauser

Here is something for a Friday night:

My Way - Domingo x Carreras x Dimash x HAUSER | Virtuosos 2025

Watch on YouTube

Someone in a comment on youtube said that Carreras and Domingo have never performed with another tenor since Pavarotti died. I have no idea if this is correct, however when trying to verify it I came across this article from 2017: CARRERAS AND DOMINGO VIRTUALLY RECREATED THE THREE TENORS' ATMOSPHERE WITH "MY WAY" AT THE ARENA DI VERONA. And to then use that specific song that with Dimash is clearly a huge honour. <3

I should probably also mention that to sing with them is literally Dimash's childhood dream, he had a VHS with The Three Tenors that he would watch, and that helped inspire him to become a singer.

Also, I doubt they had much time to rehearse - this performance was during The Virtuosos ('a classical music talent show with a unique format, focusing on discovering young classical talent and then giving the talented youngsters a chance to develop and progress in a way that few others have'), they'll all have been v busy. ^_^

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petition

(no subject)

Petition to decriminalise abortion in the UK.

May book bingo

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(no subject)

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has advised should be viewed with discretion. )

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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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(no subject)

1. I absolutely adore my ridiculous children. Fiona is reading War and Peace. It's the book with the most AR points, and we kept telling her that she was probably not going to like it or understand it well, which just fueled her desire to read it more. Joke's on us, I guess, because she's moving through it a pretty fair clip, and while I'm certain that a significant amount of it is going over her head, she seems to be understanding the plot well enough (we debrief what everyone is reading over dinner every evening).

2.

A Century of Poems - TLS 100 (from the pages of the TLS, 1902-2002)

A Century of Poems - TLS 100 by The Times Literary Supplement

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well, this makes clear that I do not share taste in poetry with the editors of the Times Lierary Supplement, all however many of them served for the 20th century. Lol

So many war poems, which I get given the time period, but I am not a fan of most war poetry. Also so much rhyming, way more than I'd anticipated.

I did like some of the poems, but on the whole not for me.

View all my reviews

3.

( Scholomance by Naomi Novik--major spoilers )

4.

The Best Cook in the World by Rick Bragg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I kept finding myself in the pages of this book as I read it. My people are not mountain Southern, but some things about being Southern are universal. The backstory of poverty and wringing a living out of the land with backbreaking work in Bragg's memoir could easily describe many aspects of the backstory on both side of my family. Most especially, though, reflected here is that truth that no matter how poor my grandparents were or how stingy my parents were when I was growing up to avoid poverty we still ate well. Like Bragg, my family was almost self-sustaining in eating what we grew, caught, and raised, and we ate like kings. Still do.

View all my reviews

5.

The Man Who Thought Himself a Woman and Other Queer Nineteenth-Century Short Stories by Christopher Looby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This collection of short stories is divided into four sections: queer places, queer genders, queer attachments, and queer things. Most of the stories in the queer things section don't seem to be queer to me (especially the Melville one where the protagonist is obsessed with his chimney and the Hartman story where a little waif girl drowns herself in the sea). Many of these stories are sad and/or violent, but a few of them are happy and hopeful--notably the Walt Whitman and the Mary Wilkins Freeman. The titular story of the book is incredibly fascinating.

View all my reviews

I have a PDF copy of this book, so if you'd like to read me, PM me and I'll email it to you.

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140 in 1400

140 in 1400 List

Finished This Month

Comply with PT exercises
Go out to photograph 12 times in 2025
Read 50 books 2025
Watch 200 educational videos 2025

Progress This Month

( Progress )

Current Mood: accomplished

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New Who so far

Some of you may remember, but almost 6 years ago Promethia created a wonderful spreadsheet of Classic Who, giving an overview of the showrunners and descriptions of the different eras.

Recently I became inspired to do one for New Who. It's a bit more comprehensive than the one for Classic Who, and very much my own take on everything. Also it's a little tongue-in-cheek.

Spoilers for everything aired so far.

( Here be spoilers for Doctor Who 2005-2025 )

Please note that I will (at some point) probably write up some actual thoughts about Disney Who so far. However I have all the time in the world for that, so just be aware that this is not the post for yelling about last night's episode. I mean - you may yell, but I'm very zen about it all. 🫶

(no subject)

Is DW being annoying for anyone else, keeps giving me error messages?