Post by Ampersand on May 12, 2021 22:01:16 GMT
Typically an RP has elements of character development and promo work.
Promo and Character Development are equally weighted if the match is being judged.
The three ways match outcomes are determined at Ascended are as follows:
Ascended is primarily an angled and randomized fed. Judging is typically reserved only for championship matches and/or when it is requested from all participants in a match.
While you may have distinct portions of your RP for each, promo and character development are not mutually exclusive. Your promo work may feature significant character development, for example, so don’t feel like you need to clearly separate them. What feels good to you as a writer? All character development? All promo? A poetry slam about your opponents? Cool. Let me see what you can do.
First Match
Your first match at Ascended will always be against an NPC jobber, aka a character whose job it is to lose to their competitor, unless you specify that you would prefer a match against a player character. This will also be the case when you're doing your first match as a tag team with someone. This is for two reasons.
1. It's nice to start out with a win under your belt.
But more importantly
2. I want you to have the space you need to show us who your character is, and for newcomers to get used to this role-playing format.
Now, just because you're scheduled against a jobber doesn't mean you can no-show without consequence. If you fail to write for your first match without communicating to us beforehand that you have a reason you were unable to post, we will exclude your character from the show, and it will be your first strike for no-showing. Furthermore, your next booking will be against a player character just like it would be if you'd written for your first match against your jobber opponent.
It's fine if you are unable to post because of outside circumstances; life is always going to take precedence over roleplay. Just let us know and we'll accommodate for you.
Singles vs. Tag Matches
Singles matches are what they sound like - you’re operating as an individual. While collaboration with other writers is fine for singles match RPs, I’m looking for the majority of the writing to be done by the person booked in the fight.
Tag matches differ from singles matches in that you’re working on a team. Tag teams must consist of two separate writers, as this is a specific form of writing where significant emphasis is placed on your collaboration and chemistry.
If you have a tag team concept but are a single writer and still really want to write both characters, DM me and we can discuss it. Understand, however, that even if I make an exception and allow you to write your team by yourself, you may not compete for the tag titles or have a title reign as a single writer.
There are two ways you may submit your RPs:
For tag matches, I’m looking for outstanding collaboration and cooperation. I want to feel the connection between your characters. If participating in a judged match, scores for tag matches will be averaged between both writers, and whichever team earns the best average wins.
In the event that one tag partner is unable to submit a piece in a judged match, whomever submitted an RP will be looked at as the sole score. Can you win without your partner being present against a team where both members have submitted RPs? Technically, yes, but it is not likely.
Separate character development/non-judged writing
I encourage collaboration, cooperation, and creativity among the writers here. If you would like to develop your characters with writing done outside of the RPs you're scheduled for on the cards, please feel free to do so in the Character Development section of the board. These can be individual pieces or ones on which you collaborate with other writers. While these will not be taken into consideration for your match-based RP score, they’re excellent opportunities to explore your character; getting to know both them and your fellow roster members better. The better you know your character, the better your RPs will be.
Supernatural/Sci fi
Playing out supernatural/sci-fi gimmicks in wrestling is a delicate business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Heck, the Undertaker is an undead biker wizard, Luchasaurus is a dinosaur with a Master’s degree, The Hurricane is a superhero, and I mean, Broken Matt Hardy. Need I say more? With that in mind, if your character has some kind of supernatural gimmick, it must not give them an unfair in-ring advantage. While in-ring supernatural shenanigans isn’t something I’m going to say can never happen, don’t count on it, and if it does, don’t expect anything occurring above the level of plausible deniability. Ultimately I have the final say about what goes into any show’s match. Unless there’s what I deem to be an exceptionally compelling reason, don’t expect hocus-pocus to happen on the canvas.
While Ascended welcomes any writers with characters who have supernatural/sci-fi gimmicks, try to think of a reason why they would be wrestling. Are you a high-spot-loving alien studying Earth’s gravity? Are you an unwilling warlock fighting to appease your patron? Are you an escaped government experiment on the run from your captors? Come on down, y’all! If you’re not sure if your concept will work here, let me know what you have in mind and we can figure it out.
A note on supernatural/sci fi characters - If you plan on playing a supernatural/sci fi character, you have to be 100% up front with me about them. I need to know exactly what you have in mind and what you want to do with them, because while I'm pretty permissive, you may plan for something that I wouldn't let fly here. I understand the desire to come up with surprises and whatnot in your story for everyone, including me, but in this case, you need to be completely transparent. I would hate to have you build an entire character around a concept that I never would have allowed in the first place that I would then have to ax. Ascended seems to be an outlier for e-feds as far as allowance of supernatural characters goes, but don't think I won't put the brakes on if you're going too far. I am confident that whatever you have in mind, we can facilitate in some way.
Do not try to be clever. Just be honest.
Feedback
If you want feedback, you will always receive it for your RPs in this fed as long as you request it. I will not give unsolicited feedback/critique. I typically limit my feedback to what I like/feel works about your piece. If you want additional feedback that specifically points out weaknesses in your writing you would like me to identify so I can suggest ways to improve, please let me know beforehand.
While feedback is one of my responsibilities, if you would care to contribute feedback to your fellow roster members upon their request, please feel free to do so. If you would like to contribute feedback but wish to remain anonymous, just send it to me and I will dispense it to the writer in question without mentioning you.
Character Development on Social Media
Your fedhead flippin' hates most social media. Your in-character social media posts will also not be taken into consideration when scoring your RPs. So, if you start something on Twitter that’s relevant to your RP, you’re going to have to take up some word count real estate to explain it.
- Character development is what is your character going through. How is this changing them? How does this connect to their match? While this portion can be about any aspect of your character’s life, you’ll do best if you find a way to make your non-promo work relevant to how you’ve been booked.
- Promo work is ‘trash talk,’ about your opponent. Who is your opponent to you? Why should your readers care about this match? I want to see that you’ve put in the time to get to know who your opponent is, express why the fight is important, and why you feel you’re going to win. Sometimes you’ll be fighting a brand new character or someone with whom you don’t have history, so there may not be a lot of material to work with in your promo. I will keep this in mind while scoring.
Promo and Character Development are equally weighted if the match is being judged.
The three ways match outcomes are determined at Ascended are as follows:
- Angled outcome - This is when a match's outcome is decided upon ahead of time by all participants.
- Randomized outcome - This is when a match's outcome is decided by dice rolls. Read more about this here.
- Judged outcome - This is when all RPs for a match are read by a judge or judges, and a match's outcome is determined by whom the judges decided put forth the best effort.
While you may have distinct portions of your RP for each, promo and character development are not mutually exclusive. Your promo work may feature significant character development, for example, so don’t feel like you need to clearly separate them. What feels good to you as a writer? All character development? All promo? A poetry slam about your opponents? Cool. Let me see what you can do.
- You may not use RPs you’ve posted elsewhere either in part or in their entirety. If it’s found out that you have done this, it will be an automatic loss.
- I prefer prose style (like you would read in a novel) over script style, but either are acceptable. If you want to make the shift to prose style but aren’t sure about things like punctuation, please review my post in the Writing Resources sub-board about punctuation and formatting. Consider the color of your text against the background color of the forum or any graphics you may be using.
- If you're in a title fight, I expect you to make that fact central to your piece. Respect your opponent. This doesn't mean you have to lavish them with praise, but it does mean you need to make them pertinent to your writing in some way.
- Ascended will not tolerate any hate speech as a way to generate heat against your opponent (racist, homophobic, or sexist slurs etc.) If you use hate speech, you will be disqualified and subject to possible suspension or permanent ban.
- If you No Show three times in a row (as in, you are booked but don't post an RP three times consecutively), your character will become a jobber for the fed to be used as I see fit. We know emergencies happen, though. If you are booked and for some reason you are unable to finish your piece for your match in time, please let us know beforehand if you’re able and we’ll work something out. If you realize the fed is not a commitment you can make, totally fine. Just let me know before you depart. Because if you ghost me, your character will join the ranks of Brick Hardcheese, Buck Fruckster, and Big McLargeHuge.
- If you participate in judged matches, statistically speaking, it is highly likely that you will lose at some point. You will always have a reason for a win or a loss. Part of what Ascended is about is improving who you are as a writer, and if you didn't win, it's my job as a fedhead to be able to tell you how you can do better. If a writer loses, they ask me why, and I give them the equivalent of a shrug emoji without any advice on how they could improve, they would be justifiably frustrated. I want to avoid that. If the judges and I can’t find a reason for one piece being better than the other, then it’s going to be a draw. In the event of this happening for a title fight, the defender retains.
I understand that even if we do have reasons for our decisions, writers may not always agree with them. That’s life. If you can’t accept losing, please consider another fed.
- Your fedhead may bring in characters of their own to write. In these matches, a third party will be chosen to judge in a judged match. Should your fedhead win a title, they will be limited to three defenses maximum and, should they reach all three, may not challenge for that title again until one year after their final defense.
- Judges for Ascended are selected by the fedhead and will be anonymous to one another as well as non-judge writers unless they choose to identify themselves. We do this to minimize opportunities for potential harassment, intimidation, or retribution.
- For a judged match, no one will cast votes for their own pieces, or pieces to which they have contributed writing in the form of collaboration. For example, if Person A is a judge and collaborates with Person B on their RP, Person A cannot vote on that piece.
- For a judged match, if I feel I cannot be impartial about a judgment or if I can't decide a winner, I may either choose someone else to judge in my place, or ask for input from one of the other Ascended judges to help me make my decision.
- If English is not your first language or if you have any accessibility needs, please reach out to us and let us know.
First Match
Your first match at Ascended will always be against an NPC jobber, aka a character whose job it is to lose to their competitor, unless you specify that you would prefer a match against a player character. This will also be the case when you're doing your first match as a tag team with someone. This is for two reasons.
1. It's nice to start out with a win under your belt.
But more importantly
2. I want you to have the space you need to show us who your character is, and for newcomers to get used to this role-playing format.
Now, just because you're scheduled against a jobber doesn't mean you can no-show without consequence. If you fail to write for your first match without communicating to us beforehand that you have a reason you were unable to post, we will exclude your character from the show, and it will be your first strike for no-showing. Furthermore, your next booking will be against a player character just like it would be if you'd written for your first match against your jobber opponent.
It's fine if you are unable to post because of outside circumstances; life is always going to take precedence over roleplay. Just let us know and we'll accommodate for you.
Singles vs. Tag Matches
Singles matches are what they sound like - you’re operating as an individual. While collaboration with other writers is fine for singles match RPs, I’m looking for the majority of the writing to be done by the person booked in the fight.
Tag matches differ from singles matches in that you’re working on a team. Tag teams must consist of two separate writers, as this is a specific form of writing where significant emphasis is placed on your collaboration and chemistry.
If you have a tag team concept but are a single writer and still really want to write both characters, DM me and we can discuss it. Understand, however, that even if I make an exception and allow you to write your team by yourself, you may not compete for the tag titles or have a title reign as a single writer.
There are two ways you may submit your RPs:
- Team members may submit individual pieces. Each individual piece has the usual word limit of 5,000, but team members may collaborate with one another freely in them.
- Tag teams may also choose to create one piece both members co-write. If you choose to do this, you may combine your word limits for a total of 10,000 words.
For tag matches, I’m looking for outstanding collaboration and cooperation. I want to feel the connection between your characters. If participating in a judged match, scores for tag matches will be averaged between both writers, and whichever team earns the best average wins.
In the event that one tag partner is unable to submit a piece in a judged match, whomever submitted an RP will be looked at as the sole score. Can you win without your partner being present against a team where both members have submitted RPs? Technically, yes, but it is not likely.
Separate character development/non-judged writing
I encourage collaboration, cooperation, and creativity among the writers here. If you would like to develop your characters with writing done outside of the RPs you're scheduled for on the cards, please feel free to do so in the Character Development section of the board. These can be individual pieces or ones on which you collaborate with other writers. While these will not be taken into consideration for your match-based RP score, they’re excellent opportunities to explore your character; getting to know both them and your fellow roster members better. The better you know your character, the better your RPs will be.
Supernatural/Sci fi
Playing out supernatural/sci-fi gimmicks in wrestling is a delicate business, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Heck, the Undertaker is an undead biker wizard, Luchasaurus is a dinosaur with a Master’s degree, The Hurricane is a superhero, and I mean, Broken Matt Hardy. Need I say more? With that in mind, if your character has some kind of supernatural gimmick, it must not give them an unfair in-ring advantage. While in-ring supernatural shenanigans isn’t something I’m going to say can never happen, don’t count on it, and if it does, don’t expect anything occurring above the level of plausible deniability. Ultimately I have the final say about what goes into any show’s match. Unless there’s what I deem to be an exceptionally compelling reason, don’t expect hocus-pocus to happen on the canvas.
While Ascended welcomes any writers with characters who have supernatural/sci-fi gimmicks, try to think of a reason why they would be wrestling. Are you a high-spot-loving alien studying Earth’s gravity? Are you an unwilling warlock fighting to appease your patron? Are you an escaped government experiment on the run from your captors? Come on down, y’all! If you’re not sure if your concept will work here, let me know what you have in mind and we can figure it out.
A note on supernatural/sci fi characters - If you plan on playing a supernatural/sci fi character, you have to be 100% up front with me about them. I need to know exactly what you have in mind and what you want to do with them, because while I'm pretty permissive, you may plan for something that I wouldn't let fly here. I understand the desire to come up with surprises and whatnot in your story for everyone, including me, but in this case, you need to be completely transparent. I would hate to have you build an entire character around a concept that I never would have allowed in the first place that I would then have to ax. Ascended seems to be an outlier for e-feds as far as allowance of supernatural characters goes, but don't think I won't put the brakes on if you're going too far. I am confident that whatever you have in mind, we can facilitate in some way.
Do not try to be clever. Just be honest.
Feedback
If you want feedback, you will always receive it for your RPs in this fed as long as you request it. I will not give unsolicited feedback/critique. I typically limit my feedback to what I like/feel works about your piece. If you want additional feedback that specifically points out weaknesses in your writing you would like me to identify so I can suggest ways to improve, please let me know beforehand.
While feedback is one of my responsibilities, if you would care to contribute feedback to your fellow roster members upon their request, please feel free to do so. If you would like to contribute feedback but wish to remain anonymous, just send it to me and I will dispense it to the writer in question without mentioning you.
Character Development on Social Media
Your fedhead flippin' hates most social media. Your in-character social media posts will also not be taken into consideration when scoring your RPs. So, if you start something on Twitter that’s relevant to your RP, you’re going to have to take up some word count real estate to explain it.