The Overarching Conspiracy Against You
Jun 21, 2021 23:41:01 GMT -5
Dave D-Flipz, vastrix, and 7 more like this
Post by Mongo the Destroyer on Jun 21, 2021 23:41:01 GMT -5
"When you win it's because you're a good writer. When you lose it's because the admins hate you." -Paul Soutter
At its core, efedding is competitive writing. Now there are many other aspects such as the community and atmosphere and whatnot but anyway in rp feds the goal is to out-write your opponent.
Naturally therefore, there are winners and losers. From a perspective of many many years of judging matches I can tell you that 90% of the time it's not that you lost the match it's that the other guy won. That is to say, between two good rps one was better. The other 10% is no-shows or when you break a rule or shoot yourself in the foot some other way.
But it doesn't always feel that way does it? I've both been on and watched fair booking teams transparently and objectively judge matches... and then deal with accusations of favoritism from the losing party. It happens and is a regular part of admin life so I don't wanna focus on that.
I know though that when you hit a losing streak and it just keeps getting wider you can start to question things. "Am I a really bad writer?" "Did I make somebody angry?" "Am I accidentally breaking a rule?" And, as that losing streak continues it might turn into "The admins don't like me." Or "The bookers only like a certain style." Now straight up- in some feds these are actual issues. However, most of the time you'd be surprised how much care and thought goes into each booking. So I'd like to pull back the curtain just a bit to hopefully ease your concerns.
First and foremost, as a booker, I don't really care who you are. Ok, that came out weird lemme rephrase it. When I go into an rp, I'm not concerned about the handler, I'm concerned about how the character being presented is written and if he can either sell me on their worthiness to win or the lack of worthiness of their opponent. I may not like a somebody personally but really enjoy their character and want to push them. I can think of a couple names off the top of my head but we won't get into them. Likewise there are guys I really like working with who's characters I simply can't get into. Is this universal among all bookers? No, probably not. But from my experience with the Network Admins I know his is how they approach things. If you are concerned that your fed admins are less inclined to this mindset then you might want to check out another fed on the Network. It happens and I wont' pretend it doesn't. But it absolutely happens way less than you'd probably imagine. Most bookers love a large portion of the rps they read and it's a real struggle to decide who won out in any given match.
"Ok, ok. So WHO I am isn't affecting my score. Ok. BUT, BUT, here me out- maybe the bookers have a preferred style?" Sure, happens all the time. I've seen feds where the owner will literally try to shape everyone into the same style. I was told by an old XHF member that he thought there was a pressure to follow the dominant style at the time- which is funny because I actually really like variety. I like when people are willing to try new ideas and new formats. Go ask Caff who won a Rumble by throwing every idea at the wall he could. Also ask Caff about the next year when he did that again and it didn't work so well, lol. The Network Admin bookers aren't looking for any style or html editing in particular in promos (I do have a set style for matches but that's a different story). We're looking for you to stand out from the pack and grab us with your words. Yes, a style different from others will grab our attention better. But no, there is no magic style that means you suddenly will win matches. That said, if your fed is giving you feedback that is pushing you to into a format that you are uncomfortable with then it might be time to look for another fed on the Network. From my experience though I don't think that any booker here has a particular style preference that automatically gives people more points in judging.
"BUT COLORS-" ...make a good rp pop and a not-so-good rp sort of a drag, lol. Colors are pretty standard now but I come from the age when doing that sort of thing required actual html skill and was sort of a waste of time (two shows a week baby!). Can you sell me your character with colors? Cool. Can you sell me your character in black and white? Cool. The focus was never the colors but being able to sell your character to me, the booker. The same thing goes for pictures. Sure everyone likes pictures, but they're not a substitute for competitive writing (unless Kira suckers you into an "all gif" match or something). I've absolutely booked against guys who've used pictures poorly in an attempt to cover up shoddy writing. It is and always has been about the words. If a fed head is telling you upfront that colors/pics help you- that's not a fed you wanna be in.
So how do you get out of a losing streak? First and foremost get feedback AND listen to that feedback, lol. I know a lot of guys who'll come in with the mindset of "what did I do wrong?" and usually they didn't do anything wrong- it's just that their opponent did something extra right. But feedback often only covers basic issues or highlights areas that you might want to give more focus in the future. Another option might be to try different things. Your bookers read a lot of promos all the time and if you're dong what everyone else is doing then the promos all start to run together. Your goal as a writer should be to make your writing stand out. Maybe this means a different writing style, maybe this means doing something new with your character that attracts attention. There's a lot of options and I know as a writer I'm always trying to challenge myself first. Because if I'm trying new and interesting ways to talk myself up and run my opponent down then maybe the guy reading it will say to themself "Hey that's new and interesting" and give me the little boost past my opponent.
Beyond that? Patience or moving on. I've seen folk who are incredibly talented bashing their heads against the main event for months on end only to continually come up short. And it's hard and it's frustrating. But if you're in that spot I'd remind you: you're still in the main event. And if you're in the midcard? Well, keep looking for feedback but embrace the lack of pressure and just do what you want in the rps, lol. That said, if you think you can do better at another fed in the Network....do it? I don't want to upset any fed heads by saying that but it's a benefit to our system, you can jump ship. I just wouldn't advise doing it too often in case the places you're jumping from (and may want to return) are not very forgiving. Most of the time if you stick it out you'll get into the right groove in your writing or outlast whoever's writing kept beating you and you'll get your time in the sun.
They key is to have fun while you're rping. Don't think you have to waste time selling a loss because that's not even fun- but in the same breath don't promise a win because man that'll be hard to come back from if you don't, lol. Find a storyline you want to do and can accomplish win or loss, title or none and just do it. If you've got an interesting story that has YOUR attention, you're likely to get the booker's as well. If you're writing to just win, or just pop somebody else then you've let the competitive side eat you alive. Pop yourself, do something crazy if you feel like it. In the end you might have a string of losses and still be massively over. It happens in real wrestling too. And when that happens, you're doing just fine man. You'll get that win eventually.
I hope this is a little comforting. Stacked up losses suck, no doubt- but odds are that there's not some sort of vast anti-you conspiracy or pro-somebody else cabal. More than likely something didn't click quite as well as your opponent and you can try again next show. Go get'em tiger! We're all pulling for you!