My…my…my….This has been a while. I don’t think I even remember how to do this. Alright…well first I should see what I last wrote about.
Burnout? BURNOUT?!
Don’t people know that this isn’t a game or a hobby, but a job!
Oh wait…no…that was a good topic. But I wonder how many people would take the above statement at face value. Allow me to check something.
*looks outside*
[insert massive amount of people with pitchforks and torches]
Well how about that.
*returns inside*
If they don’t see me, then they don’t exist.
Wait a minute…I’ve been using that excuse a lot. There seems to be a lot of underlying tension. The last few months have been rather interesting, both from an in-character and an out-of-character level. A lot of people are looking to make an impact. Great. A lot of people also however are reading into a lot of things. Not so good. Furthermore, a lot of people can’t make up their mind. This makes me want to throw myself out of a tall window and land into a pile of snakes that are on fire, and perhaps in a vat of acid. I haven’t decided on that last part yet.
So!
I suppose it is time to do one of these things to remind a people, IN GENERAL, of a couple of points about e-fedding and to a lesser extent, specific things in SCW. But first!
DISCLAIMER: For the love of everything good and holy, please do not read into these things too much. I wouldn’t point them out in this format if these represented isolated incidents. That’s not constructive. These are TRENDS I’ve noticed, usually over a longer period of time. This is usually clearer in other columns I’ll be writing (ZOMG! SPOILERZ!). But these ones where I talk about people’s attitudes tend to cause people to immediately see themselves or even start worrying they’re doing it. The point of this is to alleviate tensions and more importantly, if you think you’re starting to show these qualities, to simply relax and enjoy the game. I’ll also note that I don’t give names, nor do I plan to. You ask me if it’s you, I’ll reply “No comment” regardless.
Now that that’s out of the way!
Wait?! What do you mean I can’t be in every segment? I sent you fourteen of them to use! And you didn’t use one!
I’m going to point out two things here. One NEEDS to be restated only because there are a LOT of new people in SCW.
I am the primary writer for every show. I may not physically write everything on the show, but I am the final editor of each show and in the case of Friday Night Ammo, I provide them with a runsheet to write the show off of. I also plan to start doing this for Aggression in order to provide a further place for some lower-card feuds or smaller segments to build up, making each show stand out.
At the end of the day, if I don’t like something, I won’t include it. I also PLAN OUT EVERY SHOW. EVERY SEGMENT. This is the part of the game I enjoy the most. I like coming up with storylines and angles and matches that entertain! But I also believe in the position that much like I cannot know everything going on in your roleplay until you post, it creates a more natural response if you can’t plan out every angle. Shows should challenge writers to respond accordingly and through that, develops the character. This is not to say I’m against ideas or segments being put forward. But I reserve the right to ignore them and do as I like. As the rules page says, you are trusting the writing staff with your character by agreeing to roleplay in SCW. If you want a fed where you have immense creative control or generally promote your own storylines or have a lot of say of your character on each show, this is probably not the place for you.
That said, this all gets me to reasons why segments aren’t used and why the hell I do things this way. Because some of you may be going “Wait a damn minute. You’re busy as hell. We write segments. That should save you work.”
Ahh….if only it was that simple. Too bad most people come up with ideas that put themselves over and rarely others!
This was an approach I took on for two reasons. 1) I like coming up with angles and storylines and this gives me a chance to do something I enjoy. 2) People rarely gave me useable segments that didn’t cause me grief.
Most of the time people come up with an idea. That’s great. I love ideas. But rarely do people think about things long term. They’ll think about the immediate stuff. The idea lets them come off as superman. They idea lets them get laid in a roleplay. The idea shows them winning the Superbowl with the Cleveland Browns and breaking the space-time continuum. The idea gets them working with someone they want to (I’ll come to this later!) Great. Now, fast forward two weeks. Look at the bigger picture.
If someone pitches me an idea that has them beating the hell out of someone because of one tweet they sent…what’s the follow-up? I naturally have to have some resolution. If I went after EVERY tweet (more on this later too!), the shows would be self-serving chaos.
Also, most people give me an idea that makes them look good. Great. I understand angles are give and take. But do you? The main reason I stopped using a lot of segments was I would get four or five attack segments a show just because people wanted to look good. I started to get segments that literally would be them engaging in self-masturbation for a whole in-ring segment. I would get segments that had NOTHING to do with storylines or worse, it would focus on them ALWAYS looking good.
On top of that, most people don’t have a one track mind (I’ll have more on THIS too…Damn…I have a lot of things to talk about). They’ll want to have segments that cover every base. They may have a segment that works for the storyline. Great. But then, they’ll piss someone else off. They’ll take a crap in someone’s Camaro. Whatever. They’ll make fun of Jake Starr and we know that means he’ll need to face them! Come on people! Think! Jake Starr cannot take on the world!
Let’s be clear. I’m not against segments being sent to me. I’m not against ideas. Just realize that I may not use them. I may reinterpret them. I may edit them so that it looks nothing like it did before. I may use the segment verbatim. But based on how I run things, this decision is on my end. The shows are NOT your forum to do what you wish. There are other feds that do that.
So now…what was first on my list…ah screw it…this is a better follow up!
Do any of you own a clock? A calendar? You know that most computers tell you the time and date in the bottom corner!
This one is one that just plain ticks me off. You don’t want to know how many people send me segments for a show THE DAY THE SHOW IS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. First off, I make it no secret I plan the shows in advance. So immediately, you’re an idiot for waiting until the last minute. Secondly, I GET SEGMENTS FOR SHOWS THAT ARE LATE! Yes…people will send me a segment idea the day after a show is supposed to be up, assuming that since it’s late, I can squeeze it in. All you do is cause me to delete the PM. Seriously. You’re an idiot, so I’m assuming, much like you did, that your idea is idiotic. That’s a bit rough, but I want you to feel bad. For Under Attack alone, I was given five different ideas by five different people. In many cases, I was able to go over them and maybe retool the idea into something else, or appropriate it, or in most cases, I had to ignore it altogether as stuff had been already written and I saw no good reason to change it.
Finally, if you’ve got a damn idea or a segment, just write it and send it to me over the PM system. I don’t know how many people try to talk to me on MSN or Yahoo or whatever and hope to God I’m on to discuss something. Contrary to popular belief, I am not sitting in front of my computer 24/7. In fact, I’m going to make the bold declaration that I am not NEAR my computer 24/7. Furthermore, I’ll point this out. I usually keep my browser open and one of my tabs is ALWAYS set to SCW’s forums. So it may say I’m around…I’m probably not. I’m actually curing cancer, running for office and being an all-around hell of a nice guy. Okay, I’m not, but you get the point.
I can’t tell you how frustrating it is for people to say “hi” and then I’m trying to do something else and they expect me to give them an instant answer about their idea. Yes, I know I’m sometimes ridiculously lucky to manage to come up with a whole storyline/angle idea in 5 seconds flat, but the fact is, I’d rather take some time to think about it. Sometimes it’s also to avoid me just calling you stupid for a bad idea. But that’s the risk you take. If you have an idea or a segment, just send it. I’ll consider it and we go from there. If it involves discussion, I’ll reply in kind on the PM system. The best part…you and I can BOTH save things a lot easier and for easy finding later if we go through with any of it…or you have a nice explanation of my concerns. And you can go back to it easily enough! Shocking! But do it when you have it or have thought it out. Don’t wait to the last minute. And give me a chance to read it. Your chances are probably better.
Wrestler X…I choose you! We’re going to be an awesome team…but I don’t know why.
I love and hate the idea of twitter for e-fed characters. It’s great as it allows us to have some fun with the characters in an unorthodox setting. It allows feuds to be followed up in new ways. But honestly, I’ve stopped working with it myself in storylines unless it’s something minor. Too many things change and add that no one bothers considering that it’s problematic to be friendly with EVERYONE in the realm of a fake game where storylines and angles are predicated on revenge, hatred, championships, etc. it’s tiring. But time and time again, people get cozy on twitter, want to work together and that’s about it. I get messages saying “The three of us (or four, twenty-eight, 112, whatever) want to work together. Make it happen.” Great…any reason you want to work together? For kicks. Alright….you do realize you don’t all share the same alignment…and you’re in feuds with each other…and one of you stabbed their kid in your roleplay….Oh…forgive and forget….nice….alright……Excuse me a moment.
*walks off, locks self in room, bangs head against wall*
Listen, I’m all for people wanting to work with others. I’m all for people enjoying the game. But let’s point something out. Too many people make a big deal about having alliances in e-fedding. I always laugh when people propose stables for a wide variety of reasons. I always laugh when people propose alliances. I always laugh when people tend to always want to work with the same people. It’s always interesting at first and at some point, people get bored or people get too comfortable and it loses its lustre.
Sometimes I can make it work. Sure! But not always. And nothing stops you from say…having a good feud with someone you enjoy working with. Or nothing stops you from say…talking to them OOC and cultivating a e-friendship. Great. I’d rather see people happier and not at each other’s throats over a game or a fake title. But just because you enjoy tweeting each other or you’ve shared a couple of conversations over instant messaging doesn’t mean a stable or alliance is going to prove helpful to you or their characters. In some cases, it hurts them (as it cuts off potential ideas). Add that also from a storyline point of you, it’s exhausting trying to work in every ally.
Also, add that few people want to take a tag team as their primary focus and always like having a foot in a singles title run…but I’ll digress.
Well I covered Twitter there…I’ll add another…
I want to do th-HEY! LOOK! It’s a rabbit riding an ostrich! HOT DAMN! That looks like fu-A screw it, Let’s watch tv.
This is among one of the most annoying things for a fed owner, myself included. Nothing is more frustrating than getting a PM, considering it, realizing what’s being asked isn’t too out there and working it into the shows and what not…only for someone two days after the show to completely change their mind. I’m big on continuity. I’m big on logic. I can’t just have things change without reason!
This also rears its head with people who can’t make a decision. They’ll want to go after EVERY title…AT THE SAME TIME! That’s all well and good and I admire the motivation and the desire, but that’s hard to convey in storylines and angles. That’s hard to get across without horrible writing that really just leaves doors open. At some point, your character has to make a choice. At some point, you need to have that character react to the choice. And furthermore, I’ll add this…if you tell me you want to go after one title and want to “elevate it” (Don’t get me started on this gem), don’t all of a sudden go “You know what. I want that title too.” I understand wanting to win fictional titles and some people take it as a challenge. And sometimes, people legitimately hold one title and earn a shot at the other (I have frequently shown this with the World Title). But it’s frustrating having to completely change your character’s tone on shows because you can commit to an idea.
I could go into some specifics, but then people would see themselves. Just trust me on this one. If you really want to do something, make sure you do. I may not enact it immediately, but I will do my best to try and work things into a longer term thing at least. It’s the same reason I’m more receptive to general ideas that I could use in a wider variety of situations. They are more likely to be used and they are more likely to be kept for later purposes. But at the same time, I need to feel I can use the ideas and go forward with them, without necessitating an out in the angle if someone changes their mind.
They clearly wrote that…look! They had three more punches than me!
Okay…this one I’m going to bring out because it needs to be said. It hasn’t happened in the last couple of months, but it happened often beforehand. It also happens when people read matches they know I didn’t write.
I’m going to admit something: I do not believe that matches should inherently be even. Got that? That does not mean I have to make people look EQUAL.
I should be telling stories with the matches. I should be allowing the characters to come out. If you’re facing a monster, chances are the monster will get more offense, only for the reality of it all. If you’re an underdog, you’ll probably take a beating, but have some great moments. If you’re a weasel heel, you’re going to probably cheat a lot. It’s not rocket-science. And yet, it happens, people read it, look at the writer and immediately call bias.
This has two problems. The first, it immediately gets people on edge. No one likes being called out for that. The second, to me, is more damaging. You cause people to second guess helping out. What’s the point if you’re criticized for everything you write?
Honestly, get that thought out of your head. The matches will not be even. I don’t spend my time going through and counting out how many strikes each person had and equalizing it. I don’t even TRY to make matches even. I write them as I feel I should write them. If they come out “equal,” great. If they could out a bit one-sided, just as well if there’s a good story and it’s not someone just burying the character. Sadly this does happen and that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about people being too sensitive about match writing and this incessant need to look even to everyone else. If they hit a kick, your character needs to hit a kick. If they kick out of a finisher, you should too. Sorry, I don’t write that way, nor do I expect anyone else to. I expect people to write entertaining matches and get the characters right.
Damn…this was long. I probably should write these more often or something. Regardless, this touches on some things that I think people in general need to be reminded of. In every case, I have had at least five people I could use as an example in SCW alone. I’m not calling you out. I’m not trying to embarrass you. I’m instead trying to help you see it from my point of you and then allow you to realize that there are certain philosophies I employ and finally, that there are simple solutions. I value ideas, I value your enjoyment, I value your input and feedback. However, I don’t value things that unnecessarily cause me headaches in this game. And I’m pretty sure we all can agree on that point.