A bit of time has passed and I haven’t ranted about anything in far too long. In fact, that may not be healthy. How will it be expected I don’t go nuts? Well again, there is another problem located in that question, but I won’t delve too far into it. Instead, I will tackle a few recent phenomena that seemingly need a cynical eye to help clarify them…..oh…and Merry Christmas.
The bane that is linking roleplays….
Linking roleplays can be wonderful. It’s far more colourful. It adds music to your words. It just creates a secondary artform for your work. The problem is that it’s really easy to screw up in the posting of said work. And to be honest, I could care less if there is any fancy music or cool colours. I care about the work presented.
But many people do post roleplays that are linked. All the power to them. The problem is that sometimes the link doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s copied wrong. Sometimes it just fails to get uploaded. Should this happen prior to the deadline, it causes a few problems.
For example, say that you post a roleplay on the second last day before deadline. But the link doesn’t work on your site. You forget a letter or something. Well, by the time you catch it, it may be later into the second day. Some many consider this to be a roleplay posted on the last day and thus, meaning your second roleplay you’re working on, is no longer valid.
There is a problem here. Obviously, if I count the roleplay, your opponent may feel it is unfair as the roleplay wasn’t available to him or her until the final day. If I don’t count the roleplay, it’s possibly unfair as the roleplay was technically posted prior to the final 24 hours. Quite the quagmire. However, there is a bigger question here. Does it matter? Yes. Does it matter? Remember, I judge quality over quantity. Just because one person has two roleplays doesn’t mean they win. That’s why I often am vague on the issue if it ever comes up. Quite simply, if the “controversial” roleplay fails to have a significant impact on the result, it doesn’t matter whether it is counted or not. If it does make a difference, I often write the results in such a way it leaves it open for a rematch given the possibility of the sentiments mentioned above being echoed.
But simply put, I couldn’t care less whether the roleplay works or not. It seems cold, but it is your responsibility. I may mention it to you, but I often PM you. I say this because it’s the easiest for me. I will often give you a secondary deadline if your roleplay fails to be linked properly and if it isn’t posted by then, I just ignore its existence altogether. But in the end, when I decide I need to complete the judging of the roleplays, if a roleplay fails to work, then it just won’t be counted.
My wrestling can do…..I will add this later….
I understand that some people can’t post their entire bio in one sitting. Most people do this with their background and that’s fine….but can you at the very least include two things without fail.
1) Your Movelist
2) Your Entrance
These just make my life easier. It also avoids me getting nasty PMs and e-mails later too. And that makes me happy.
Some people tend to give less than ample details about their character. That’s fine….Some people want to think up their movelist for a few days or make sure they have the perfect theme song. However, please give us SOMETHING to work with. Because if not…you probably won’t enjoy your match.
I say that for this reason: My default stance if someone fails to appropriately give either of those two things is that the match writer has complete freedom to write the character’s movelist as best fits the match they want to write. If that means all the guy does is throw punches or hit snap mares then, so be it. Furthermore, my default entrance to people who don’t write their own is the most basic entrance possible:
“Insert Song Here” plays and Wrestler A walks out from the back. He walks down to the ring and walks up the steps. He enters the ring as the music fades out.
Either that or I just have them waiting in the ring when the show returns to the ring. Two entrances that CLEARLY mark the arrival of a future big star in the company. Do yourself a favour…just spend five minutes and give that info with the rest of your bio as early as possible. It just makes everyone’s life easier.
Character Development….You suck because of it!
This is a VERY touchy matter in e-fedding. Can one’s character development be used in one’s promo as fodder?
No….usually.
I say that for one reason. I don’t suggest it. Generally speaking, it just shows that you can’t think of much better and also opens up cans of worms that just don’t make sense. It doesn’t mean that your roleplay is voided though, as quite simply, it depends how much you use it. Should it be a few minor points, it hardly will matter. If it’s the entire premise for your roleplay, you’ll have some questions of realism left, right and centre.
However, some people welcome the use of character development into their opponent’s roleplay, especially if they are hoping they get some additional catharsis for their character. This is a matter of knowing the roleplayer, but sometimes it can open new concepts for one in their promos.
Generally speaking though, character development should remain as that…character development…something that adds to the character, not something that adds to their opponent’s promo. They should have enough fodder for you just from the shows and previous roleplays and their bio to let you crucify them accordingly.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to me…..EVERYTHING! MORE! MORE! I NEED MORE!
I’ll admit, this is going to be a touchy subject. But…well…I’ve never shied away from those so here we go.
Respect is an interesting thing. Everyone wants it. No one gets it. Everyone assumes they deserve it. Largely, most people do. Most people in SCW do deserve respect. Whether it is because of their reliability, their ability to bring forth a challenge, their match writing or their ability just be the funniest guy on the roster. All of these reasons are legitimate and most people deserve some respect as I honestly believe that while I may do the results and I may update the site, everyone here, as a whole, makes SCW what it is and that’s one of the best feds in existence.
With that said, I have a number of people who hail that I am a creative genius while others suggest I’m so-so. Personally, I believe I deserve a lot of respect just for how much I have to put up with continuing to keep this fed going and I’ll admit, I don’t always feel like I get it. But with that said, that’s humanity.
Just note, some people aren’t going to like you. Some people are going to be your best friend. Some people are going to say you’re the best thing going in SCW and others are going to think you’re overrated. And the more people that post on the boards, the larger each of those categories will become. An interesting fact is that there are some people out there who think I am one of the worst fed owners on the planet. Some people here have told me that I have reignited their passion for fedding.
My point….is simple. You’re not alone. Just note that if you’ve done something here in SCW (not limited to those things listed above), you deserve some respect and you probably have it from me….and as a corollary…even if people don’t care for your personality, many can’t deny your ability or at least what you’ve done (even if they think you’re overrated now).
I WANT FEEDBACK! FEEDBACK! FEEDBACK!
I seem to enjoy touchy subjects in this one….
What do you think would happen if on the show feedback board I simply posted a thread asking: “What did you think of Breakdown?”
That’s it. No little sub-categories. Just that very question. I bet you that very few people will give me more than a rating (ie. 8/10 or whatever) and maybe one sentence. The problem is….how is that helpful?
My point with this is very simple. I have about five or six people who as soon as the results go up, they immediately ask for feedback. They go to the results, find their match, find out whether they won or lost and then ask for feedback. It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction. Part of me wants to time it and see if literally after about ten minutes, I get a message on the boards or an instant message asking for feedback.
But my point here isn’t about not asking for feedback. Please, do not think that. I am more than happy to give you feedback. But more so if you actually ask me something specific. I have a number of people who just ask me “Can I have feedback on my roleplay?” or “How was my roleplay?” Well, both questions can simply be answered by me directing them to the results. If they won, obviously, I liked their work. If they lost, I didn’t like it enough. And to be honest, the question is rather foolish as it really doesn’t help you out. It just will mean I’ll likely give you the same answer I gave you the week before unless you do something radically different.
Personally, I believe this is done for one reason. Lack of confidence in one’s own work. It’s a self-preserving mechanism. No matter what, it then gives them something that feels good about them. They know they’ll likely get something good about their roleplays no matter whether they won or lost. It’s a way for them to know that their spot is safe.
Oops…I think I just threw that out there. But honestly, I do believe that. The people who always ask me every week rarely have a significant change in their work and more importantly, tend to come off as desperate, as if they are worried that if they lose, it’s the end of the world and they go to jobbing to the new guys.
First off, that won’t happen. I believe that one roleplay hardly determines that. HOWEVER, my point in mentioning all of this is simple. If you’re going to ask for feedback, then actually direct me to what you want to know. If you want just general feedback, to be honest, read the results. That will answer that question. Feedback should be a way for people to know that a new style of roleplay or a character change is coming off well and helping them out or maybe to ask for a few suggestions. It shouldn’t be a crutch for you to make sure that you can still go. Because honestly, I usually tell these people the exact same thing each week. My main point is…how helpful is that? If people told me that Breakdown was always solid instead telling me any weaknesses (What the “What the hell moment” part of my feedback form entails), I’m not going to change anything. I’m just going to keep writing the same way with the same focuses over and over again.
The phraseology of yours truly!
I often use certain phrases when answering questions. There is a reason I answer questions as I do. Because I intend for that answer. Also, more pragmatically, I answer them in the way I do to avoid my being tied to something I’ve said.
I use phrases like “I’ll think about it.” Or “We’ll see.” This is not done to piss you off or to humour you. I actually do think about it and you and I will see whether it happens on the shows. The reason I answer that way is because I change my mind often. The main plus about running an e-fed over running an actual wrestling company is that I literally can make decisions right at the last minute. I don’t have to have everything solidified a couple of hours before the show. Thus, I take advantage of it. Sometimes I do come up with a better idea right as I’m writing it. Sometimes I literally don’t have a planned end and just run with whatever I’m thinking at the time.
I also say this because in the end, I decide what goes on the shows. I won’t force an angle on the shows just for the hell of it because someone wants it. In the end, I have the mentality that if something big is going to be overshadowed, why do it? I want angles to stand on their own and for something big to actually come off as that. I want angles done with the maximum amount of effectiveness. So sometimes you have to wait for a bit. It doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten (sometimes it does, but that’s why I write things down). It doesn’t mean I don’t care either. The same goes for matches. Sometimes I think of something new for it or something else and I’ll run with that. It’s unfortunately how I do things. I try to do things to work best for everyone with the most effectiveness and impact overall for you, the storyline and most importantly, it works within the context of the show too.
Oh….and one more thing while I’m on this subject….
ME WANT TITLE MATCH!
I will simply turn around and say no. I have had a number of people ask for a title match. I don’t know if it’s because it’s near Christmas and people are hoping I’m in the giving mood. Either way, I hate when people come to me and tell me they deserve something. It’s one thing to ask to be considered. Coming to me and saying, “I think I’m doing well lately. Do you think I can get involved with chasing a title or something?” That is at least respectful to what I have to consider when determining who faces who….and it’s a hell of a lot better than going “Can I have a title shot?” One allows for me to come up with a storyline. The other flat out says…screw what you want to do, I just want an imaginary title.
For those wondering, I generally work with storylines first and matches second. Matches are done with the storylines in mind and allowing me to project my storylines on those matches in some way, shape or form. I do also try to slot in times where I can have a title match unlinked with any other storylines to either give a deserving participant a shot or to give someone a boost, who deserves it. Personally, I believe that the storylines help make the titles mean more so that way when people challenge for them, the title isn’t just some random trinket. Think about the Underground Championship….if it’s just random matches with anyone getting a shot, it’s then a low-level title. But if the storylines around it are strong and the matches are memorable, the title has value.
When someone assumes they are deserving of a shot and asks me “Can I get a title shot?”, they often follow this with “I deserve it.” I will simply just give a little view into what being deserving entails, at least inherently. If you deserve something, traditionally, someone else should know or at least agree. The person who matters at least in the booking end, is me…and if I agree with you…one, you don’t need to tell me you deserve it and two, I’m probably already one working on getting you into a title match in some way. So essentially, you’re wasting your time, but also, you’re pissing me off.
The reason I’m stating this (and I realize some people will not agree with the logic in the previous paragraph) is because as I said, I work with storylines first. If you ask if you can be involved with chasing a title, it allows me to then see what priority you want (some people don’t care for hardcore, but like high-flying. I sometimes can’t tell this just from a bio, so you get to let what direction you want known), but it also let’s me know that you want the storyline to. So at the very least, it opens up a lot of options all that lead to something that you can easily earn your way to.
For example, you want to be involved with the Underground Championship…but I may be a bit leery or just want to give you some extra build-up before you go for the title. I can have a secondary feud that hints at you challenging for the title while feuding with someone else. A solid showing here leads you to at least impressing me and even getting the title shot and thus:
1) You earned it, storyline wise.
2) You earned it, OOC wise with no doubts from anyone
3) You have momentum from a storyline
And in my opinion, 3 is the most important as a roleplayer. The other two can be argued, but the third, should you have no momentum, it makes roleplaying difficult as you struggle to get the story going within your work (one reason I suggest to people to create backstories to give them something to build off of each week).
But it also helps you out all around. This is how I essentially booked the Women’s Championship the last few months. With Katie Steward leaving the division to focus on the US Championship and Lenne Perez retiring from SCW, the division opened wide up. Rachel Foxx had won the title and had a plethora of challengers. I planned to give all a shot and essentially provided a storyline for each of them to earn shots, but always chase for the title. It’s made Rachel Foxx, Elizabeth Fortune, Gigi Steward and Ashley Cherry all have momentum to some extent and all have a storyline to pull for any roleplays when dealing with matters involving the title. No one questions whether they deserve it as they all have at least done something to earn the shot.
Basically, if you deserve a shot, you’re likely going to get one. I read everyone’s roleplay and I know where people stand. I however, especially if it is something that would really help the character (aka, a big title win), I want to make it something special for each character, while also, should you be unable to win, it still helps the character.
Storylines are how I book because they allow for me to keep the best interests of the shows and the characters at the forefront and do what the shows should do…give every material to roleplay, but also develop the characters positively.
There is a laundry list of things in this and all of them are from things I’ve seen repeatedly over the last few months. I mean no disrespect from this (no pun intended either). Also, this isn’t directed to any one specific person as all of these issues are things that a number of people are doing and this is more of a method of ensuring that matters like these are at the very least not misconstrued.
Until next time that I feel the need to go on a rant….the Cynical View of E-fedding signs off….oh….and Merry Christmas again.