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Post by Ryan Omega on Jul 29, 2016 10:43:18 GMT -6
Dear Visionaries,
Visionaries of Wrestling has always been a lax fed. It was intended for this fed to nurture any handler with any character whom may have wandered or crashed into the forums. We pride ourselves an efed of the members, by the members, and for the members.
However there has been a growing concern that tight knit groups are getting too tight knit, and may be refusing or consistently avoiding working with members outside their circle. This is rather unfortunate. VoW stands by the commitment to each and every member having fun. I would like to take this opportunity to urge members to work with those they do not normally work with and make their time feel worth while. When a member gets refused pitched angles to other members on a regular basis, it kinda stomps on morale.
With that said, making your own programs, feuds, and angles. VoW is very pro DIY when it comes to the meat and potatoes of our game. It is always easier when you know who you want to work with. Easier yet when you contact them. Still easier when they agree. It is hell of a lot easier than sitting back and relying on someone or staff to come to you. However the booking staff is finding some discrepancies when trying to formulate challengers and championship feuds as members are really going balls to the walls on our DIY model. One thing we would like to suggest is when you come up with an angle, run it by Owen or Slater our booking gurus. Get some insight from them. More often than not they will bless it, but if not, there may be a worthwhile discussion. Not a one way dictation, but a two way conversation. Keep Owen and Slater in the loop. They book cards plenty in advance and make tweaks based on storylines in development. If there is a key moment in your angle, and it comes up last minute; it may put a kink in an already decided card. Keep Owen and Slater in the loop with any details as soon as possible. I promise it would smooth out any lumps.
What if you cant reach Owen or Slater for booking concerns? Contact me. I am more than willing to help communicate as the talent relations guy. It is what I do. I am here for you guys. And on that note. Lets say I am unavailable for talent relations type issues. Who to go next? Owen. He is great at addressing concerns. He can fill in for me as my back up if I am unavailable. So remember Owen and Slater, then me as a back up for booking. Myself then Owen as a back up for talent relations. We will help the best we can as long as you give us the opportunity to do so.
Twitter and social media is a great way to engage our audience and potential new members. Show them what makes VoW great. Remember by being on this roster and interacting with other roster members that you reperesent the VoW brand. One image that we want to uphold on Twitter is that VoW is a wrestling promotion. Unfortuanately it is not seeming as such at the moment. VoW was built on the foundation of an ROHesque platform. Athletic competition and high energy. Right now VoW is appearing to be more of a reality show and it is becoming an unpopular trend. What is asked to remedy this situation is not to change or drop your gimmicks. Your characters are supposed to be your characters. What we prefer is that the CD be dialed down a tad and an increase in hyping what's relevant to VoW programming. Hell if you are a multifed character hype what your character is doing or did over there. This game is about wrestling. We are not looking for it to be force fed, but the wrestling aspect seems swept under the rug. This is not just one handler, it is across the board. You guys are VoW. Please take pride in that fact.
With that said competition and angles are progressing quite nicely and I personally want to thank you for your work. If you have any questions or concerns, hit my inbox or private message me on Skype.
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Post by Matt Slater on Jul 30, 2016 19:20:38 GMT -6
Just understand that if anyone feels they are being isolated from the community and seems unable to work with anybody, primarily discuss your problems with Ryan. As Ryan addressed, if he is unavailable, Owen and myself will do our best to help your concerns. We want everyone here to have fun with everyone else, not create a high school mentality of only working with those they know best. It doesn't help the staff or the members if you routinely work with a set group of people, and morale gets crushed in the process.
I know I'm echoing Ryan's words here, but it is vital that we don't devolve into a "Us against Them" situation. This fed should be a place for everyone to have fun and work storylines with each other. Get to know newer members and ease them in with possible angles, no matter how small it is. Cliques and tight-knit groups only serve to cause further problems for other members, and we can't accept that under any circumstances.
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Post by Ryder Blade on Jul 30, 2016 19:42:23 GMT -6
Growing pains. It's all I'm gonna say.
That and good luck. You're gonna need it. I was where you guys are right now, I know how it feels. If you guys want help figuring out how to defuse cliqueitis or whatever, I can give insight. Otherwise, best of luck.
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Post by Matt Slater on Jul 30, 2016 19:57:50 GMT -6
I should also mention that just because a member is not frequently active on Skype or Twitter should not exclude them from working with others. They should not be forced to go onto social media just to have a chance of that. It's their decision to be board-only and we respect that.
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Post by Patrick Jones on Jul 30, 2016 20:00:28 GMT -6
I'd like to echo Omega's feelings about Twitter. Yeah, it's your character's account so it will pertain to their personal life. "They" are going to Tweet about inane parts of their day and their daily happenings. It doesn't need to be a 24/7 episode of Total Divas though...
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Post by Jamilyn Cornett on Jul 31, 2016 10:20:06 GMT -6
I'm gonna look really stupid here...what exactly is ROH like? Cause I feel like I'm getting targeted in part on this whole thing, and my character's whole point in coming to VoW was to get AWAY from that whole 'reality' vibe that was being projected onto her in the last place she was at. But I don't know what the comparison is here because I have no experience with the ROH product, only WWE and its like, so I don't even know where I'm screwing up the feel of this.
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Post by Ryder Blade on Aug 1, 2016 5:31:11 GMT -6
They mean the focus is more on wrestling and titles, and less on inter-personal relationships and storylines. Most of the feuds here tend to be 'I want your belt' or 'I don't like you for wrestling-related reason XYZ' rather than 'omg you're dating my ex I HATE U!!!' and they want to keep it that way, rather than go the way of the soap opera.
I think that's their point though I'm not 100% sure.
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Post by Owen Gonsalves on Aug 1, 2016 6:10:35 GMT -6
They mean the focus is more on wrestling and titles, and less on inter-personal relationships and storylines. Most of the feuds here tend to be 'I want your belt' or 'I don't like you for wrestling-related reason XYZ' rather than 'omg you're dating my ex I HATE U!!!' and they want to keep it that way, rather than go the way of the soap opera. I think that's their point though I'm not 100% sure. We're okay with all sorts of storylines however, when the inter-personal relationship storylines start to become more and more important than the actual wrestling rivalries then it becomes a bit of an issue. Those storylines certainly have a place however we have felt lately that the wrestling orientated show we started as has changed to more of a soap opera focusing on the love lives of people who just so happen to be wrestlers, we would much prefer having our shows go back to a focus where we have wrestlers who just so happen to have love lives that on occasion can be brought to the forefront to effect heat. I have no issue with people having the side storylines and the love angles, however I also would like to see more characters focus on promoting VoW as a wrestling brand and a place to come for the best wrestling competition. If anyone doesn't quite understand what we mean and would like further clarification or maybe discuss this topic then please we insist you message Ryan, Slater or myself privately (or all three if you so wish!) Thanks for all your input and for keeping this discussion civilized, that means a lot to me, someone who continually prides himself on being apart of a fed with the best community going. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2016 16:14:23 GMT -6
I haven't made it a secret in the past how much I love this place and want it to continue going as long as possible. Seeing this mentioned, kinda makes me feel a little saddened as I feel somewhat at fault with what's been brought up due to Stacy's love life with her first being with Katie and now Zelda and how she likes to get frisky with a lot of her close friends.
Hell, after reading Rebecca Saint's RP against Stacy, even though it was obviously IC, the line she mentioned 'you're nothing but a lesbian slut now, not a wrestler' really made me sit back and think to myself, is that really true? Have I really gotten to the point where Stacy isn't even considered a wrestler anymore?
Thankfully after asking others their opinions, they told me flat out that Stacy is a multi-layered character and isn't simply just seen as nothing more than a lesbian, and that it was just me over-thinking it. With that said however, I have decided to cut back on the whole flirting with all her female friends on a consistent basis via social media because of course, I don't want the fact that Stacy is a wrestler to be forgotten so therefore I do understand where this post is coming from to an extent.
As for the kliq-esque and some people refusing to work with other people outside a certain circle. I just want to say that even though I do tend to work with the likes of Ty, Logan, Shane and James a lot. I wanted to clarify that I personally will never turn down the opportunity to work with someone other than those four guys. I work with Ty a lot because one, we have great chemistry together and two of his characters are in relationships with my two characters and his third character is a close friend to one of mine. I work with Shane because one of his characters is a close friend of one of my characters, same with James and also same with Logan as well as his other character also being a friendly rival to one of my characters as well.
But yeah, I honestly don't care if you've been here since day one or whether you signed up literally just five minutes ago. If anyone here in VoW wish to work a storyline with me, if I don't already have plans and you have an idea, by all means come to me either via PM (best to contact me on this account as I'm on it more often than Robinson's) or on Skype (I don't know what my add is on there because that part of Skype confuses me lol, but you can find me in group chat) or via DM on Twitter (again, my Stacy account will be easier to get in touch with me as I have her account hooked up to my phone so I get notifications instantly so if you haven't got me on there it's @theglampire)
All in all, as I previously stated, I do feel a little responsible for the way VoW seems to have shifted and for that I sincerely apologize. I don't want this place to turn into something unrecognizable as a wrestling company. I love this place too much...
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Katie Moicelle
Experienced
I got screwed out of my last VoW match. But 15-12 isn't bad.
Posts: 203
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Post by Katie Moicelle on Aug 1, 2016 16:35:56 GMT -6
I feel extremely responsible for this drastic turn that this fed's taken... and I've been hating myself for a while now for that. It feels like Katie is ultimately a cancer to VoW because of this whole "reality show instead of wrestling show" feel that it's taken on, and I feel responsible for that.
As for the "clique" thing... yes, I'm probably responsible for that, too. I was in a high school that was very clique-happy, which is something I just accepted as a fact of life: there are going to be cliques, and I fit none of them. It feels nice to be part of a group for once in my rather odd life, but if this is what it all comes to, then it's not something we need to have in this fed. Basically, what I'm saying here is that if it's not essential to the fed, then we need to drop it as quickly as we can.
All in all, I can't help but feel rather responsible for the direction this fed has went, as I've stated before. If it'll help things out for this fed to not feel the way it does, and if it'll help you guys to start having fun with this game again, I can leave and only attend to my future college studies... which is something I really don't want to do, but if I'm dragging people down, it's not something I wanna be a part of anymore.
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Jessica E. Mathis
Newbie
That moment you remember you're just a joke to the Universe
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Post by Jessica E. Mathis on Aug 2, 2016 13:13:41 GMT -6
Aside: It is much easier to write something people can read when you have your fingers in the right home positions on the keyboard. Now: The Clique bit is a part of Wrestling as well. Aside from the name fitting Shawn Michaels and his crew in WWthenF. A Clique can be like a group, or stsble. It can even be people who enjoy working with and RPing against each other. That said, the issue with it is when it excludes anyone from being able to not only interact with the characters in the Clique, but cordons off a portion of the federation to access to anyone else. Case in point, without naming names... FedX has a really decent FedHead. He's pretty relaxed, lets people run the angles and is 'too busy' in real life to really get involved in the day to day minutia. He also has his little group of friends, for the sake of this example and my experience, four of them. All four are fantastic RPers and Story Tellers. Grant their stories go way over the top, easily crossing into Rated R or even Rated X territory. The FedHead does not discourage this. It makes the rest of the RPers present, who don't go over the top, feel left out when this sort of thing is repeatedly 'voted' to be the winning RP week in and week out. Trying to develop a characater, tell a story and give us a view of the talent's personal life just falls to the way side. These four writers begin a multi year (still going last I looked) campaign to in essence cordon off the World level belt, as well as the Tag belts, and on occasion even the mid card belt, to their group. The story is so intertwined among the four of them, that no one else can even get a chance. THose who are 'thrown a bone' on this, lose because their RPs are not dynamic (in this case, graphic enough) to win, even if the piece is a superior effort by the challenger/outsider. When the same 4 handlers, over and over, are the only ones who can/do win or at times even complete for a title, that's when the Clique bit goes too far. Being a clique is okay, as long as you are willing to work with others on occasion. Get outside of your comfort zone. If you are feeling a tad bit like breaking this reach out to someone who have not worked with, new or existing and say 'Hey, what would you think of working an angle for a bit?' Doesn't have to be for titles, just has to be fun for those involved. And, I feel, keeping the Administrative people involved is a good thing. So they know what is going on, can advise of different problems that they might foresee and even perhaps reward with a shining moment match at a PPV. Those 'Show Stealer' opportunities. For example, if Katie right up above this post came to me and said 'Hey. Would you be open to having an extended program? Maybe not every week, but a rolling rivalry or some such? I'd like the opportunity. That goes for anyone on the roster. The reason my character is now deceased that was in that previous fed was because she was too fantastic to try to take somewhere else, even if I had a good storyline for her. It would not have mattered. Here, I have found a home that feels good, seems like it is open to actual story telling and the Admin works hard to reward those who put in the effort, write well and participate. Not just those who have this mutli-year all-exclusive angle that controls the prizes our characters are supposed to really be going after.  That said, anyone who wants to work with the new kid on the block (music reference! Yay!) PM me. Or be on the look out for a PM from me after this weeks show. (I might need a dance partner for the PPV...even if we're the 'free' pre-show match). To quote Mick Foley now: "Have a nice day!" |
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Post by Patrick Jones on Aug 3, 2016 14:19:45 GMT -6
I'll add a little more...advice, I guess. Don't rush things on Twitter. The 24/7 access and ability to get "instant grafitification" out of a SL advancing tweet can be tempting, but if your character is going through BIG changes or having BIG life moments every day or couple of days, it waters down their effect. Anything done with too much volume will cause each individual item's impact to be lessened. People become desensitized to it. If a character has 20 BFFs, it makes each relationship cheaper. Best friends (and girlfriends/boyfriends) are special relationships, but if someone has a ton of them, how much does each one matter? We all know these things from our own, real lives. Don't let them be weakened in your character's life. I know a lot of it is from just wanting to work with whoever handles the other character...but VoW is supposed to be heavily grounded in realism.
Logan and Matt, you don't need to blame yourselves. I don't think either of you TRIED to do anything wrong. Not sure you really DID anything wrong, either. You saw chances to further your characters (and they're great characters with way more interest value than anything I've done), but it has taken on that Attitude Era-esque crash booking nature. The relationships and inner conflicts are just coming so hot and heavy that it can be hard to keep up with them at times. That makes each one less impactful if a reader/viewer can't remember how that effects other relationships for the character.
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Post by thewarchild on Aug 3, 2016 18:46:13 GMT -6
I'll add a little more...advice, I guess. Don't rush things on Twitter. The 24/7 access and ability to get "instant grafitification" out of a SL advancing tweet can be tempting, but if your character is going through BIG changes or having BIG life moments every day or couple of days, it waters down their effect. Anything done with too much volume will cause each individual item's impact to be lessened. People become desensitized to it. If a character has 20 BFFs, it makes each relationship cheaper. Best friends (and girlfriends/boyfriends) are special relationships, but if someone has a ton of them, how much does each one matter? We all know these things from our own, real lives. Don't let them be weakened in your character's life. I know a lot of it is from just wanting to work with whoever handles the other character...but VoW is supposed to be heavily grounded in realism. Logan and Matt, you don't need to blame yourselves. I don't think either of you TRIED to do anything wrong. Not sure you really DID anything wrong, either. You saw chances to further your characters (and they're great characters with way more interest value than anything I've done), but it has taken on that Attitude Era-esque crash booking nature. The relationships and inner conflicts are just coming so hot and heavy that it can be hard to keep up with them at times. That makes each one less impactful if a reader/viewer can't remember how that effects other relationships for the character. Someone buy the man a drink. This is the most profound thing read on this topic. PJ holy fuck man, I owe you a drink and some of my diabetes brownies, I may even throw in a steak |
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Post by Ryder Blade on Aug 4, 2016 3:34:31 GMT -6
I'll add a little more...advice, I guess. Don't rush things on Twitter. The 24/7 access and ability to get "instant grafitification" out of a SL advancing tweet can be tempting, but if your character is going through BIG changes or having BIG life moments every day or couple of days, it waters down their effect. Anything done with too much volume will cause each individual item's impact to be lessened. People become desensitized to it. If a character has 20 BFFs, it makes each relationship cheaper. Best friends (and girlfriends/boyfriends) are special relationships, but if someone has a ton of them, how much does each one matter? We all know these things from our own, real lives. Don't let them be weakened in your character's life. I know a lot of it is from just wanting to work with whoever handles the other character...but VoW is supposed to be heavily grounded in realism. Logan and Matt, you don't need to blame yourselves. I don't think either of you TRIED to do anything wrong. Not sure you really DID anything wrong, either. You saw chances to further your characters (and they're great characters with way more interest value than anything I've done), but it has taken on that Attitude Era-esque crash booking nature. The relationships and inner conflicts are just coming so hot and heavy that it can be hard to keep up with them at times. That makes each one less impactful if a reader/viewer can't remember how that effects other relationships for the character. I can't believe we're agreeing...AGAIN?!?! The hell, PJ?!? Anyway, yeah. One of the worst aspects of efed Twitter (which is otherwise The Best Thing Ever) is how unrealistically relationships and big changes develop on there. Consider real life relationships. Me and my ex weren't even a 'C-word' until our fourth date. Which was like three weeks into our relationship. At which point many efed chars are getting ENGAGED, if not MARRIED. Hating to toot my own horn, but how long did it take Emily Darcy and Connie C to get engaged? Sure, they're indecisive old misogynists, but still. Engagement decisions take time; at the very least, they take more than 2 weeks. Or consider the last time you had a life-altering experience, or found yourself thinking about life in a major way. If you're like me, you MAY have mentioned it on social media...ONCE. Maybe twice. You weren't on there live-tweeting your thought process, were you? You probably gave yourself some personal time and REALLY THOUGHT about it, away from everyone. Same goes for Twitter. Have you guys been seeing Gina Tweet a lot? Or hell, even RB? He used to be all up in there 24/7 and now he only tweets around events. Ever wonder why? Maybe it's because the personal growth experiences they're going through require private time, and they don't feel like Tweeting? Bottom line is: characters are people. They should behave like people when they're not on the page in front of everyone. I'm moving flats and I can barely focus on work. The other night I barely slept trying to figure out if I was taking a room I saw or not. Let alone be on Twitter every 5 seconds talking about moving flats. Because that's what people do. And that's what efed chars should do, too. |
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