ULTRATITLE Rd. 1 Br. 1 Unofficial Post-RP Predictions Thread!

[jediPREZ]

The best thing about e-feds is that they don't have to be realistic at all. The medium is infinite. Why limit ourselves?

(raises hand)

 

[Dan]

This may be the angle fedhead in me talking but I can tell you one thing when it came to Zero's RPs, I am not done reading about what's going on with his inner struggle returning to the ring. I'm not taking anything away from Blaine Hollywood either, those were incredibly solid RPs in their own right, but I have definitely bought in on Zero since his hype piece and want to see where it all takes him. I hope this isn't it for Andy because he's telling one hell of a good story here.

 

[LQJT86C]

The best thing about e-feds is that they don't have to be realistic at all. The medium is infinite. Why limit ourselves?

Because creativity works better within parameters. That's like asking, "Why color inside the lines? I have this giant piece of paper and a big red crayon!" Because scribbling all over the page creates a bunch of nonsensical crap, and we can't tell what it's supposed to be when red, green, and blue are everywhere. "But I don't feel I should be limited by an outline of a dog!" That's great, so choose a different outline next time or go with a blank f*cking page.

Without going into how obscure or odd this hobby is (we all crossed that river long ago), e-wrestling is a creative outlet with a very clear outline: PRO-WRESTLING. Pretty much all of us are smart to how pro-wrestling works, and the necessary parameters that exist around character development, storylines, match psychology, and booking. Those are pretty wide parameters, right? They allow for a ton of creativity.

But we're still going to get people who can't color inside the lines. They insist on defying logic and the laws of physics by having their character commit murders, jobbing 300 pound men to 125 pound cheerleaders with sparkles on their face, and cutting non-promos in the confines of their private lives that are lived out in-character 24/7 unbeknownst to the "audience", i.e. the oft-ignored character that every e-fed has in common. Hey, that's cool. There's no law on the books that says your color book has to be any good. But when you submit it amongst your peers, many of whom were able to color their dog just fine without making it look like Crayola took an explosive sh*t on paper, don't become indignant when someone points out, "Hey, I think this guy forgot that we were supposed to be COLORING A G*DDAMN DOG."

Creative Writing 101: Obey the laws of the universe you create. FW is the universe, and you chose to live here. If the "pro-wrestling" setting is too restrictive on your creative impulses, find one that isn't or create your own.

This isn't a subjective argument over "narrative vs. script", or "angle versus roleplay". Logic is not subjective. Physics...NOT SUBJECTIVE. Style is one thing, but when your sh*t is downright illogical, there's no argument that can save it. Like it or not, your character is two people: a kayfabe gimmick, and a person. The gimmick exists for the sake of the audience. If you choose to write narrative or script passages that take place away from view of the audience, you must logically break your character's kayfabe at some point. The exceptions: character-actors and mentally unstable people. This is not my opinion - it's the implied logic of the hobby you choose to participate in.

TH is right that e-feds don't have to be realistic at all, in the way that no one is forcing you to write something that's any good. That is, you can be as bad as you want, your dog coloring can be as sh*tty as your heart's content, and the only person who has to like any of it is your mom. Nobody is going to grab the crayon out of your hand. Feel free to suck - if you're facing me, I want you to suck. In fact, I wish all my opponents would no-show like Jaguar did so I can float my way to Ultratitle, and when your character decides to show up and say, "Well you didn't really beat me, I didn't show up", I can say "Yes you did DUMMY, Chad Merritt wrote your little wrestler's legs all the way up to the imaginary ring where my wrestler beat him, and now I can brag about it all I want in roleplay and there's nothing you can do about it because LOGIC HAS MADE IT SO."

Or put another way: if logic and physics were in the Ultratitle, they would make it to the finals and fight to a DRAW because nobody can defeat either of them. Not even Zero.

 

[Justin]

It's refreshing to not be the one on a high horse...

For once.

 

[User Poets]

It's refreshing to not be the one on a high horse...

For once.

You still have to be Angry Justin.

 

[TH]

It's refreshing to not be the one on a high horse...

For once.

Katz's horses are always high, btw.

As for that whole mess of words, I don't necessarily agree or disagree with it, but I will say that great writing almost always has constraints, but the point of my statement wasn't to say "DO WHATEVER THE SHIT YOU WANT" but to say that if the story is good, then who cares if the protagonist is a guy who trains and bangs his girlfriend or an undead former Mexican umpire, and who cares if the promos air on YouTube or some mythical TV channel that shows nothing but wrestling promos however implausible that might be?

 

[DBrunkGXW]

The only reason Billy isn't Angry Billy is because there isn't another Billy around here right now. Give it time.

 

[Showtime]

Quite frankly, we're people pretending to be performers of a staged athletic presentation.

SOME SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF IS REQUIRED.

 

[Justin]

So, it's okay if I write about Dinosaurs, so long as the story is good.

Got it.

Dinosaurs.

 

[BigPimpin]

So, it's okay if I write about Dinosaurs, so long as the story is good.

Got it.

Dinosaurs.

Sure, that's fine, but GODHELPYOUIFTHERAPTORSARENTSMARTGAWD~!

 

[Dan]

See? Completely plausible.

 

[blackshire]

I'd somehow forgotten how this hobby can bring the douche out of you.

And how.

 

[EZieba]

I'd somehow forgotten how this hobby can bring the douche out of you.

And how.

LOL - Douchebaggery in the House!

 

[fugginVOSS]

TNA push dinosaurs all the time.

Amirite?

 

[Ernie]

So, it's okay if I write about Dinosaurs, so long as the story is good.

Got it.

Dinosaurs.

Please link me to said Dinosaur RP. Thank you.

 

[Steve]

First and foremost we're here to have fun. We all use this as a creative outlet. I don't remember seeing too many sets of rules posted on prodigy a million years ago about how all of this was to happen. If your fed head says, "hey we're the NFW and this is how we look/write/feel roleplays and segments written for cards", then you have a choice to follow those rules or find another fed.

I'll keep my comments centered on Zero/Blaine because that seems to be the hot bed of conversation, and probably will be whichever way the result goes.

I am not a judge.

I will have no say on any match in this tournament. Chad has refused to tell me anything other than I need to buy tickets to see Avengers Friday.

IMO if you start basing what we do in this hobby on being centered by professional wrestling, you're screwed. It's a different animal. It just is. You like to write script form, and imagine everything is seen by a fake audience? Then I'll give you a fake golf clap. Bravo. It's a good way to run things, but its not the only way.

We can't be based in professional wrestling then have roleplay battles. They don't happen. Not in the sense we do them here, and have done them for years. Everything airs on one show. To simply say, "well its aired on blah blah network from 9-11" is a cop out. I'd buy the youtube argument to some degree, except that well we've been doing this since some of us were old enough to program a VCR.

You can write these promos for a fake audience, but there's no good answer for how and where they're aired. We write for each other, always have, always will.

I've written narrative style as well for years. Pete and I were probably two of the first in the FWC circles to try them. I've always thought they belonged in the general rp thread. Just something to be enjoyed by the writer and those who wish to read them.

But when you're having a RP tournament and inviting handlers from all parts of the FW globe, well its like Bloodsport. You're gonna see some styles you don't understand.

To my knowledge, the judges made no mention of having to write in script form or that every rp should be written as aired sandwiched between reruns of Hot In Cleveland. I'm not even sure we heard from all the judges, which is a problem but those who spoke up said they wanted realism and the focus of the rp should be around the UT.

Jamar is held in high regard here, and I imagine that has something to do with the "we're all a happy family" bubble being burst. But to me, as I said before there's beauty in both styles.

Those who know Zero's character but little of Jamar's will lean Zero's way. And the same holds the other way around. This is the challenge for the judges. And will be until Chad hands out the cash money.

Jamar's style popped more for me, but I know little of Zero. I thought the writing was solid, and he's setting up a larger story. However, the one knock on my end was Zero didn't address why he's back, or his opponent enough for my tastes, if at all. The two rps felt like hype pieces, more than tournament pieces.

If he wins, I don't think the world ends, but I just hope in round two he makes the needed distinction between hype and tournament rps.

If Jamar loses, he's almost certain to be given a lucky loser slot and should return with a chip on his shoulder. I think Pete said on a podcast he thought Gregg's style woudln't play well with a rp limit. We'll see if Pete's prophetic on that front.

But, I think its silly to get worked up over whether or not these rps are 'seen.' How can they be?

This is a writing duel between two handlers. The winner is decided by a judge who likes one of the two pieces of writing better. I think its great to have someone like Gregg believe everything he does is on air, and also Pete who lets you know his characters in a deeper way.

There's no right and wrong unless stipulated by the men in lab coats.

If you want realism and to be boxed in by the pro wrestling lines, then never write another rp. Turn to an angle fed where everything is booked behind the scenes, and cards are produced as tv shows, etc. etc.

 

[jediPREZ]

I've had my character teabagged in Mexico, wrote Scott Riktor in a bear suit and had my character wrestle Eli Flair on a horse.

Well said, Steve. Well said.

 

[Steve]

Well said, Steve. Well said.

You forgot the lasso of truth.

Hell, we've had a giant vat of poop dropped from the ceiling on a show before.

Guess I shouldn't be trusted with crayons, huh.

 

[jediPREZ]

You forgot the lasso of truth.

Hell, we've had a giant vat of poop dropped from the ceiling on a show before.

Guess I shouldn't be trusted with crayons, huh.

I figured if I mentioned the Mike Randalls part, I'd be considered self-shilling.

 

[jediPREZ]

See? Completely plausible.

I prefer dragons.