Re: Some Questions
Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:38 am
I wanna start off by saying that I think this thread has turned into a pretty nifty and helpful sorta questionnaire. I think it'll serve as a great resource to get so many people weighing in on these things. And to that end, I'm going to sticky this thread in the hopes that more folks see it and find it helpful
How do you feel about formatting?
A long time ago, when I first started getting into rp, I really didn't care much about formatting in general. Over time, I've come to realize that readability is very important. And to that end, I've tried where I can to format character profiles, replies, and so on in a better fashion so that I at least think they're pretty readable before posting them. It could be as simple as putting an important line by itself between paragraphs or making a character profile that doesn't take forever to scroll through, but I think trying to format things such that it's digestible and easy to understand or get the gist of in one read/scroll is more important than putting down a ton of information.
Admittedly, I don't always do a good job, especially with announcement posts.
How do you handle heels and faces?
I feel that the concept is very straightforward, even in a setting like LAW where there's no real kayfabe and matches/action are carried out as if they are real.
I always imagine the concept of heels and faces on a spectrum. Faces have a moral compass or some sort of honor code and generally strive towards their goals without being malicious towards folks that haven't earned it. Heels are much more antagonizing and/or unsavory, especially towards the crowd. Of course, there are many flavors and varieties of both heels and faces, hence the spectrum. Some heels cheat, some heels don't. Some faces would never try to injure anyone. Some will when driven to that point. And so on. Tweeners can take on even more direction based on the character and their background.
Despite the spectrum and creative license writers and IRL bookers have with faces and heels, I feel that there are very basic things about both alignments that should always hold true. I personally think that a heel stops being a heel when they take stock in and care about fans. And that's not to say that heels can't play to the crowd in some instances. Usually, they do so with an ulterior motive for their own benefit, like getting the crowd to cheer or laugh at someone they're humiliating. But the moment they start doing things to show they care about the fans in any meaningful capacity, that character isn't a heel in my mind.
Similarly, some faces will fight dirty if provoked into doing so or out of desperation. But by definition, a face is in good graces with fans, or at least tries to be. The moment a face denounces the fans, I can't call that character a face.
I'm all for getting creative, but without rigid definitions somewhere, I don't really see the point in labels like heel and face. And I feel like characters who push the envelope on these things should use something else to define their alignments, like dnd alignments or something.
How much detail do you put in your profile?
These days I just go with whatever seems like a good idea at the time. A long time ago, I used to not be big on formatting. I'm only slightly better at it now but I do see the merit in it. I'm trying very slowly to revamp/streamline all my character's profiles. And I've made neat little character cards with stats and facts on my wrestlers that you can see on my roster page.
How many (active) characters do you have?
Probably too many. Especially with how busy I normally am. I keep trying to make it work, though. And I'm really driven to stay active on characters I enjoy and characters I get good feedback on!
How do you set up matches?
These days discord is most popular for setting up matches. For me, it's most common through DM's. But I do set up matches on the site via PM's pretty regularly. I'm a huge proponent of keeping the site accessible to our few active members that either aren't on discord or aren't active on discord.
A very long time ago, when I first started RP'ing, I had a hard time finding matches anywhere. About five years ago, I guess I got a bit uppity about a few things and it was said that I would never find anyone to rp with ever again. These days, if I had a ballpark it, I'd say maybe 80 percent of the threads I find myself in were born from people approaching me and not the other way around, so I think I'm doing pretty okay.
How much do you plan out?
It depends on how meaningful the thread is to both characters and both rp'ers. So it varies greatly. Typically, when I get approached for a match-up, or sometimes out of nowhere, I'll think of a super detailed idea and pitch it. And usually, it's received pretty okay and I tweak it with my partner. These days, if it's a one-off match or encounter where maybe someone needs a win, I'll wing it and that'll usually go pretty okay. But for longer stories that require multiple threads, I'll put care into thinking about why each thread should happen and what the overall goal of the story is, and how we're going to get there. I really find myself enjoying long-form storylines and threads these days. Stuff like spots that call back to previous matches and encounters, and wrestlers learning and adapting to one another, is pretty neat to me personally.
How much communication happens throughout the match?
Very much depends on the match but generally, like in real pro wrestling, planning out specifics spots and a finish works out well for me, and sorta winging it till we get to those points goes well. Sometimes things get ad-libbed that work out pretty well, as well. And I try to stay flexible and pitch ideas as we go along if things come to me.
How much do you write in your replies/threads?
Varies based on what's going on in the thread at the time. Like others have said, at least 2 paragraphs for me. I really like small details and little things in pro wrestling that tend to get glossed over in forum rp. Like the crowd clapping or chanting to will a face out of a submission hold, and stuff like selling the wear and tear that the match takes on characters (shaking out a limb the get feeling back into it after a move that targets it, characters adjusting clothes or accessories after a high impact move displaces it), I think are pretty neat. I try to avoid writing filler. But generally, the longer and more descriptive a reply I get is, the more inspired I am to work off the details given to me and make a longer, more detail-oriented reply.
Favorite characters to use?
That's a tough one. It's hard for me to name a single favorite. It's been fun using various characters and seeing some of them hit a stride. I've been told that I do a pretty okay job with face wrestlers and I think that's held up pretty well over the years. Most of the characters I enjoy using and most of my characters that people seem to take to are various types of faces. In no particular order, each of the SWAT Cats, my e-girl Jem Holland, and Sienna Smith, have all been super fun to use pretty much every time I've used them since joining LAW.
Favorite character that isn't yours?
This is another tough one. I told myself that I wasn't going to attempt this because I feel like almost every character that gets used actively at LAW brings something fun and interesting to the table and leaves an impression that helps them stand out in my mind. I couldn't even begin to make a comprehensive list that gives a shout out to everyone that deserves it. But I think people very much enjoy seeing their characters receive praise and I genuinely think that there's a multitude of characters that deserve it.
So in no particular order: Avalie Reza, Astrid Ostberg, The Heartbreakers, Hitomi Akari, Momo Kazan, Bella King, Karen Starring, Diana Accera, Rose Gold, GASTER, The Wings of Wrestling, Alaina Sanders, The Baroness, The Ashfords, Trisha Andrews, Jessica Wright, Cyber Widow, Erin Quinn, Holly Matheson, Camie Young, Wicke Sykes
Honorable Mentions to: Katsumi Oshiro, DeMONIQUE, The Imperial Russian Empire, Kyoko Akan, Ayame Akan, Misty Sims, Gemma and Victoria Faraday, The Booty Princesses, Golden Liger, Rei Tachibana, The Pom Pom Punchers, Ossi Shamar, The Rosette Sisters, Daisuke Takeuchi, Ryori Bleck, The Carnival Girls, Húxiān Li, Ichika Rei
I'm sure there are a ton I couldn't recall off the top of my head. If you feel I forgot you, I genuinely apologize!
How do you feel about formatting?
A long time ago, when I first started getting into rp, I really didn't care much about formatting in general. Over time, I've come to realize that readability is very important. And to that end, I've tried where I can to format character profiles, replies, and so on in a better fashion so that I at least think they're pretty readable before posting them. It could be as simple as putting an important line by itself between paragraphs or making a character profile that doesn't take forever to scroll through, but I think trying to format things such that it's digestible and easy to understand or get the gist of in one read/scroll is more important than putting down a ton of information.
Admittedly, I don't always do a good job, especially with announcement posts.
How do you handle heels and faces?
I feel that the concept is very straightforward, even in a setting like LAW where there's no real kayfabe and matches/action are carried out as if they are real.
I always imagine the concept of heels and faces on a spectrum. Faces have a moral compass or some sort of honor code and generally strive towards their goals without being malicious towards folks that haven't earned it. Heels are much more antagonizing and/or unsavory, especially towards the crowd. Of course, there are many flavors and varieties of both heels and faces, hence the spectrum. Some heels cheat, some heels don't. Some faces would never try to injure anyone. Some will when driven to that point. And so on. Tweeners can take on even more direction based on the character and their background.
Despite the spectrum and creative license writers and IRL bookers have with faces and heels, I feel that there are very basic things about both alignments that should always hold true. I personally think that a heel stops being a heel when they take stock in and care about fans. And that's not to say that heels can't play to the crowd in some instances. Usually, they do so with an ulterior motive for their own benefit, like getting the crowd to cheer or laugh at someone they're humiliating. But the moment they start doing things to show they care about the fans in any meaningful capacity, that character isn't a heel in my mind.
Similarly, some faces will fight dirty if provoked into doing so or out of desperation. But by definition, a face is in good graces with fans, or at least tries to be. The moment a face denounces the fans, I can't call that character a face.
I'm all for getting creative, but without rigid definitions somewhere, I don't really see the point in labels like heel and face. And I feel like characters who push the envelope on these things should use something else to define their alignments, like dnd alignments or something.
How much detail do you put in your profile?
These days I just go with whatever seems like a good idea at the time. A long time ago, I used to not be big on formatting. I'm only slightly better at it now but I do see the merit in it. I'm trying very slowly to revamp/streamline all my character's profiles. And I've made neat little character cards with stats and facts on my wrestlers that you can see on my roster page.
How many (active) characters do you have?
Probably too many. Especially with how busy I normally am. I keep trying to make it work, though. And I'm really driven to stay active on characters I enjoy and characters I get good feedback on!
How do you set up matches?
These days discord is most popular for setting up matches. For me, it's most common through DM's. But I do set up matches on the site via PM's pretty regularly. I'm a huge proponent of keeping the site accessible to our few active members that either aren't on discord or aren't active on discord.
A very long time ago, when I first started RP'ing, I had a hard time finding matches anywhere. About five years ago, I guess I got a bit uppity about a few things and it was said that I would never find anyone to rp with ever again. These days, if I had a ballpark it, I'd say maybe 80 percent of the threads I find myself in were born from people approaching me and not the other way around, so I think I'm doing pretty okay.
How much do you plan out?
It depends on how meaningful the thread is to both characters and both rp'ers. So it varies greatly. Typically, when I get approached for a match-up, or sometimes out of nowhere, I'll think of a super detailed idea and pitch it. And usually, it's received pretty okay and I tweak it with my partner. These days, if it's a one-off match or encounter where maybe someone needs a win, I'll wing it and that'll usually go pretty okay. But for longer stories that require multiple threads, I'll put care into thinking about why each thread should happen and what the overall goal of the story is, and how we're going to get there. I really find myself enjoying long-form storylines and threads these days. Stuff like spots that call back to previous matches and encounters, and wrestlers learning and adapting to one another, is pretty neat to me personally.
How much communication happens throughout the match?
Very much depends on the match but generally, like in real pro wrestling, planning out specifics spots and a finish works out well for me, and sorta winging it till we get to those points goes well. Sometimes things get ad-libbed that work out pretty well, as well. And I try to stay flexible and pitch ideas as we go along if things come to me.
How much do you write in your replies/threads?
Varies based on what's going on in the thread at the time. Like others have said, at least 2 paragraphs for me. I really like small details and little things in pro wrestling that tend to get glossed over in forum rp. Like the crowd clapping or chanting to will a face out of a submission hold, and stuff like selling the wear and tear that the match takes on characters (shaking out a limb the get feeling back into it after a move that targets it, characters adjusting clothes or accessories after a high impact move displaces it), I think are pretty neat. I try to avoid writing filler. But generally, the longer and more descriptive a reply I get is, the more inspired I am to work off the details given to me and make a longer, more detail-oriented reply.
Favorite characters to use?
That's a tough one. It's hard for me to name a single favorite. It's been fun using various characters and seeing some of them hit a stride. I've been told that I do a pretty okay job with face wrestlers and I think that's held up pretty well over the years. Most of the characters I enjoy using and most of my characters that people seem to take to are various types of faces. In no particular order, each of the SWAT Cats, my e-girl Jem Holland, and Sienna Smith, have all been super fun to use pretty much every time I've used them since joining LAW.
Favorite character that isn't yours?
This is another tough one. I told myself that I wasn't going to attempt this because I feel like almost every character that gets used actively at LAW brings something fun and interesting to the table and leaves an impression that helps them stand out in my mind. I couldn't even begin to make a comprehensive list that gives a shout out to everyone that deserves it. But I think people very much enjoy seeing their characters receive praise and I genuinely think that there's a multitude of characters that deserve it.
So in no particular order: Avalie Reza, Astrid Ostberg, The Heartbreakers, Hitomi Akari, Momo Kazan, Bella King, Karen Starring, Diana Accera, Rose Gold, GASTER, The Wings of Wrestling, Alaina Sanders, The Baroness, The Ashfords, Trisha Andrews, Jessica Wright, Cyber Widow, Erin Quinn, Holly Matheson, Camie Young, Wicke Sykes
Honorable Mentions to: Katsumi Oshiro, DeMONIQUE, The Imperial Russian Empire, Kyoko Akan, Ayame Akan, Misty Sims, Gemma and Victoria Faraday, The Booty Princesses, Golden Liger, Rei Tachibana, The Pom Pom Punchers, Ossi Shamar, The Rosette Sisters, Daisuke Takeuchi, Ryori Bleck, The Carnival Girls, Húxiān Li, Ichika Rei
I'm sure there are a ton I couldn't recall off the top of my head. If you feel I forgot you, I genuinely apologize!