Otaku Idol 2: Who Wants to Become an Event Master?

                                                              

“Otaku Idol 2: Who wants to become an Event Master?” otherwise known as simply “Otaku Idol 2,” is the 2006 follow-up to 2003’s writing competition, Otaku Idol, won by Lady Asphyxia.  Shortly after winning the first Otaku Idol, Lady Asphyxia went on to become the moderator for Otaku Anthology.  Therefore, it was only appropriate that Otaku Idol 2 would continue the trend of being a launch pad for a deserving member of the community.

Billed as the first ever ‘audition’ for a staff role on OtakuBoards, the winner of Otaku Idol 2 would become the next Event Master, taking the reigns from long-time moderator and Event Master Shy, who was retiring from the position at the conclusion of the event.

The contest, located in Community Events forum, formerly known as the Event Arena began October 30, 2006.  The event allowed any member of the community, staff or non-staff, to pitch and run their own community event, to prove they have what it took to be a successful Event Master.  The event was initially met with indifference from the community.  Only five members decided to audition up through the deadline date (November 10).  Of those who additioned, three were chosen as finalists.

The Events chosen for contention in Otaku Idol 2 were:

All three events were criticized for not being community-inclusive and too closely resembling RPGs.  Regardless,  White and Sandy have both launched their RPGs successfully, while Gavin’s Kumite languished in the signup stage, requiring more interest and signups to get under way. In an effort to spur interest for his event, Gavin redesigned Kumite to be simpler and more concise.  However, only DeathKnight signed up and eventually Shy dropped Gavin out of the competition altogether.

White and Sandy, now the sole remaining contestants, both faced further criticism from the community.  Non-participating members found Labyrinth difficult to follow.  Meanwhile, members felt that Sandy’s event was “more of the same” in the context of his usual offerings. It was common knowledge that Sandy could put together a successful RPG and that was what Labyrinth resembled.  The general populace wanted to see something new from Sandy.  While White took his criticism in stride, Sandy had a difficult time dealing with criticism, resulting in several heated arguments between himself and various members throughout the competition.

As the competition progressed, White and Sandy had to answer interviews posed by Shy and complete various assignments (Gavin only managed to complete the first interview).  The first interview was related to member interest; the competitors were asked a series of questions pertaining to why their events received the reactions they did, both positive and negative.  After the thread became dominated by arguments between Sandy and numerous members, the next interview was naturally themed “Dealing with Members.”  Both Sandy and White were also asked to do an Otakupedia entry on a member who criticized their events. 

 On December 12, 2006, Shy turned the competition upside-down by having Sandy and White switch events.  White would now run Labyrinth and Sandy would run Mafia.  Furthermore, both competitors were restricted from communicating with one another for help in running each other’s events.  Both Sandy and White were allowed to seek their participants’ support, however.  The third interview, conducted on 12/20/06 asked Sandy and White how they felt about the complexities and challenges of running someone else’s event.  At this stage in Otaku Idol 2, the momentum began to swing back toward Sandy, as White began to falter in the face of running Labyrinth.  After failing to notify participants that someone had dropped out of the game, and being responsible for stalling the story, it seemed as if things were going Sandy’s way.

The fourth interview was posted December 28, 2006 and it was fittingly composed of questions from the community.  One of the questions asked both contestants to identify which staff member they felt was the weakest in their position.  Sandy’s answer to the question sparked another argument and put him under further scrutiny for his attitude.  The conclusion of the argument saw Sandy apologize for his actions and the contest continued with the final interview.

The final interview was introspective; Sandy and White reflected on what they had learned over the course of the competition.  Furthermore, both Event Master hopefuls were given two assignments: write an open letter to the community explaining why their opponent would make a better Event Master, and pitch another event to the community.  Both Sandy and White were only “limited by their imagination.”  There were no restrictions placed upon their pitches so they were able to be as creative as they liked.

Sandy quickly responded the next day, excelling by writing a quality cover letter and answering the interview questions successfully.  However, his event pitch turned out to be disasterous.  Instead of pitching an all-new concept, Sandy pitched a new OtakuBoards Survivor.  OtakuBoards Survivor had been a series that Sandy had been well-known for running in Adventure Square.  Although his new Survivor had some new twists, members balked at the proposal.  Immediately members began to voice their concerns, suggesting that Sandy should propose something more original. Sandy was criticized for being unoriginal earlier in the competition, so his pitch baffled members.  Sandy was implored to edit his post and replace his pitch with a new one.  However, Sandy felt that his new Survivor was original enough to stand on its own; he refused to change his event but demonstrated that he could be original by showing another event he was working on called “Sandy’s Thread of OtakuBoards Records.”  Sandy’s new proposal was well-received, but he decided not to make it his official pitch. 

 White pitched an event called “Otaku 101” in which older members would take newer members under their wings and teach them the ways of OtakuBoards. 

 Shy liked neither Sandy nor White’s proposals, calling them both “failures in every regard.”  Shy claimed that although White’s idea was original, it was “terribly lame” and “unworkable.”  Shy went on to say that Sandy’s “OtakuBoards Records” pitch was the strongest pitch made in the competition, but he could not recognize it since it was not an official pitch. 

Shy also took into account the numerous outbursts between Sandy and the community and awarded the competition to White.

Otaku Idol 2, which began with very little community interest, finished as one of the most dramatic spectacles in OtakuBoards history.

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