FWA 'Carnal Contendership 2023' || Card/Discussion Thread.

[SupineSnake]

The Fantasy Wrestling Alliance
proudly presents
CARNAL CONTENDERSHIP, 2023.

Sunday 30th April, 2023.
LIVE! from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee...

- - featuring - -

FIRST MATCH - 1/60.
The Connection [c] (Michelle von Horrowitz and Gerald Grayson) vs. The Buddy System (Bryan Baxter and Jeremy Best).
Tag Team Match - FWA World Tag Championship.
Match Writer: Dubb.​

Since October 22nd 2022, Michelle von Horrowitz and Gerald Grayson have reigned as the FWA World Tag Team Championships. In the intermittent time, they have defended the belts against the Undisputed Alliance three times, including once in the Mile High Massacre alongside the Lumberjacks, Bad Reputation, and the Coven, as well as against the team of Anderson Vega and Spooder-Man. After one hundred and ninety days, though, their reign is in serious jeopardy in this fifth defense, when the recently re-united Buddy System get their first crack at tag team gold. Jeremy Best and Bryan Baxter earned this opportunity on the Tag Team Scramble match back on Meltdown XXVI, outlasting several teams, including Eternal and FTN, and putting themselves on a collision course with Cthulhu’s Nephews. This chaotic journey has already seen Bill Scorpane, a long-time associate of the Buddy System, cross over to the other side, albeit somewhat against his will. This rivalry comes to a head with the belts on the line in Nashville, Tennessee.​

SECOND MATCH - 1/60.
Cornelius Aurelius Caesar [c] vs. Shawn Summers.
Rupert’s Granary ‘Most Dangerous Game’ Deathmatch - FWA X Championship.
Match Writer: BattleTank.​

Cornelius Aurelius Caesar completed a phenomenal run at the King of the Deathmatch tournament, where he was able to defeat Anzu Kurosawa, Death Walker and Reagan Cole (in a three-way dance match), Jeremy Best, and then Jeffry Mason in the grand final to become the FWA X Championship. The former tag team champion should have spent Saturday night enjoying the fruits of his labour, but instead his celebrations were halted by an incoming Shawn Summers. ‘Der Basterd’, along with former Fallout executive Rupert Watkins, arrived in the desert in a chopper to cash-in a clause in his contract guaranteeing him a championship shot of his choosing, stealing Caesar’s well-earned spotlight to issue the challenge for this preposterously titled Rupert’s Granary ‘Most Dangerous Game’ Deathmatch. Der Basterd has promised us a return to the Granary, the site of the first King of the Deathmatch tournament in 2022, for this champion versus champion encounter.​

THIRD MATCH - MAIN EVENT - -/–.
The 2023 Carnal Contendership Match.
30-Person Battle Royale - FWA World Championship - #1 Contendership.
Match Writer: Mandalorian.​

Thirty FWA wrestlers will enter the 2023 Carnal Contendership Match with the hopes of securing their place in history: a chance to main event the second night of Back in Business and take home the richest prize in professional wrestling. The field will aim to join hall-of-famers Chris Kennedy, WOLF, and Ryan Rondo, as well as more modern names such as Cyrus Truth, Nova Diamond, Michelle von Horrowitz, and Danny Toner, as one of the select few that can boast a Carnal Contendership win on their resumé. With an open and unannounced field, the Carnal Contendership offers its winner a ticket to Mexico City, where the chance to become the FWA World Championship on the grandest stage of them all awaits.

MOD NOTE: There is a limit of one character per handler in the first instance. Please contact Man, the match writer, with whom you will be entering. We will assume that your primary character is in for a storyline appearance even if you don’t promo, unless you specifically tell Man otherwise. There may be room for storylined appearances by secondaries when we have an idea of who is in the tournament - again, speak to Man.​

The promo deadline for this show is as follows:

Sunday 23rd April, 2023 at 23:59 Pacific Time.
Monday 24th April, 2023 at 03:00(am) Eastern.
Monday 24th April, 2023 at 08:00(am) UK.
Monday 24th April, 2023 at 10:00(am) Turkey.
Monday 24th April, 2023 at 17:00 Melbourne.

Good luck!​

 

[Rosie]

Here comes... MULTIMAN MADNESS! Time for By the Numbers hype packages, a catchy slogan, and to hear the phrase "Both feet must touch the floor" 100 times! @Mandalorian good luck writing the match. Sure you'll do great.

 

[Mandalorian]

I put a message on the Discord, but will repeat in here. Any secret promos should be sent to me only via PM on the forum (I may also accept a link to a Google Doc through Discord, but please ask first). Please do not copy in other mods; I will forward the promos to them as necessary.

I will also add that the Carnal Contendership match is not just for existing FWA characters - if you are not yet a part of FWA and wish to take part, that’s totally cool too! Any questions can be directed to me.

Best of luck everyone.

 

[CakeWalker]

I won't be available to enter - but feel free to use Madison Gray as a place holder.

 

[Mandalorian]

I won't be available to enter - but feel free to use Madison Gray as a place holder.

Thank you for the heads up - if we don’t have 30 entrants otherwise I’ll put Madison in there to take up a spot.

 

[Rosie]

Here are some officially unofficial match card graphics for the show made by someone with so-so photoshop skills. The latter graphic I'll update as promos are posted and I'm told people are officially entering the match.

 

[Rosie]

I'm moving today, but if anyone wants me to read their promo and give thoughts, let me know. I'm done school so I have extra time after I get settled.

 

[WelshyBOI]

Well, I suppose I'll give feedbacking a go...a little disclaimer, I'm a fucking infant in comparison to the vast majority of you when it comes to my ability to write, break down, criticise etc promos. I'm probably gonna miss A LOT of plot points/callbacks/character development moments that you were trying to achieve. If this happens, just know that it probably isn't down to your writing, but more so to do with the fact that I am a simpleton with a small brain.

I shall try to give my opinion, nonetheless...starting first with @Princess Rosé and her 8 trillion word promo that took me 4 hours on and off to read

Starting off...as per usual, your ability to scene set is just absolutely fantastic, and the attention to detail that you put into it brings every setting you take us to feel alive and vibrant. It's something I struggle with since I lack the imagination to firstly envision these scenes, let alone then have the ability to bring those scenes to life like you seem to be able to do flawlessly. It's possibly your greatest strength as a writer. Absolutely beautiful scene setting.

As for the story elements, and Vampyra/Vampiress/Katsuki/PICK A SINGLE FUCKING NAME, WILL YA...'s journey through this...god damn, what the fuck do I say here...umm...

Well, I'll be here until the year 2410, writing this on my fucking datapad while my starship gets shot to shit by Borg or something if I try to break this down scene by scene, and I do value sleep, and so I'll just give my over-arching views/takes/likes/gripes.

LIKES:
- Vampyressuki's relationship with her "Guardian", while I don't particularly understand how it works, makes for an extremely interesting dynamic. It gives me Ben Kenobi force ghost vibes as sort of a wise, sage-like figure who guides the protagonist through their journey. It's not something that should be used all the time, but I think it's a great tool to have in your back pocket that you can bring out and utilize in key stages of Vampyressuki's FWA career. It's a very creative relationship.
- As someone who pretty much refuses to lie to my father, like ever, out of sheer respect and appreciation for everything he's done for me...seeing the shame that Young Katsuki felt at having deceived and tricked her father into signing her wrestling school application was actually super relatable to me, as I would 100% feel the exact same way in her shoes. I also like that it adds a little edge to her as a character, since she was willing to pretty much betray the trust of those closest to her in order to chase her dream...makes me wonder if she still has that little manipulative spark inside her somewhere.
- I like how Vampyressuki, at various points on her journey up the mountain to the Dragon's Gate, actually looks on the verge of talking herself into quitting. Like, she has this persona of this fearless monster in the ring, but underneath that mask is just a young woman with massive insecurities and doubts, and I do enjoy it more when we get to take a peek behind that mask at the person behind it, flaws and all. The fact that after she'd lost her title, she essentially ran back home, and was considering the same course of action at various points throughout this is actually a fascinating thing to explore, especially as a babyface, since running away from the challenge is quintessentially a heelish and cowardly thing to do, and it makes her seem all the more heroic and brave when she powers through those thoughts and keeps pushing on.
- Queen Yoshiko...oof. Mad props on just how uncomfortable you made me feel when reading that flashback. God damn was that brutal. Extremely well written.
- YEY for families making up despite their differences. Beautiful.
- Rokurokubi being all Emperor Palpatine trying to turn Vampyressuki to the dark side essentially had me hooked, since I love Star Wars and that was almost textbook Palps I liked as well that Vampyressuki was actually about to give in to the darkside, had it not been for her final memory with her parents and reading her journal. Again, makes me wonder if at some point, some villainous foe could actually tip Vampyressuki over the line, since she still seems to have that monster inside her, no matter what colours she wears, or what her name is. It seems as though a little piece of Vampyra will always be there, waiting like Dexter Morgan's "Dark Traveler", to be unleashed.
- Beheading a snake. Cruelty to animals. Vampyressuki heel turn confirmed.

GRIPES:
- Can't think of many. Just a few little errors or missing words here and there.

Turning her head slightly, she looks deeper in the cave at the path of crystals. The path goes father and

Begins to go up. Perhaps a slightly less daunting road to the top? She takes one step forward and thinks.

- This stuck out like a sore thumb to me. Again, nothing major, but that moment specifically really took me right out of the promo momentarily. Beyond a few little errors like that though, nothing really bad to say about the promo.


I've said about one of your promos that it was quite possibly the best promo of yours I've read...well, I can say for certain that this is 100% the single greatest promo that I've ever read of yours. You did a really magnificent job, and you should be really proud of how far you've come with Vampyressuki in such a short time writing her. Really well done...it's reading stuff like this that has me wondering whether I'm even cut out for this whole FWA thing, lol. I read something like this and it truly is something that I could only ever hope to achieve.

34.5/40 (I'm not a grader, but if I was...this) Congratulations on a truly wonderful promo, Beavs.

 

[The Gipper]

I want Welshy to grade all my matches from now on btw

 

[WelshyBOI]

I want Welshy to grade all my matches from now on btw

24/40

 

[Rosie]

Starting off...as per usual, your ability to scene set is just absolutely fantastic, and the attention to detail that you put into it brings every setting you take us to feel alive and vibrant. It's something I struggle with since I lack the imagination to firstly envision these scenes, let alone then have the ability to bring those scenes to life like you seem to be able to do flawlessly. It's possibly your greatest strength as a writer. Absolutely beautiful scene setting.

First of all, 100% thanks for looking through and give me thoughts on everything. And I'll respond, not me going "Oh boowho you are wrong!" But explaining in my head rationale.

First with the opening scene:

Spoiler

If you read back my short segments on the Fallouts before The Grand March, you will see... The story is continued from those promos. The lines from the second promo are reused for the opening. I think that is a little extra detail that can be appreciated.

As for the story elements, and Vampyra/Vampiress/Katsuki/PICK A SINGLE FUCKING NAME, WILL YA...'s journey through this...god damn, what the fuck do I say here...umm...

This gave me a chuckle, haha. Though this is the first time it stood since I added names only because of the number of characters in the promo, I have done it slightly before.

Spoiler

Basically, whenever Vampyra, as she has been known to FWA, has her mask, I only refer to her as her in ring persona. Her real name, Katsuki, which is not public knowledge, I use whenever she is maskless and I really want to hammer home... The mask is off metaphorically as well. The Vampiress name, was because that was her original name and I don't want to retcon it for the sake of it. So the flashbacks I did have her be referred to her old name for the sake of continuity.

- Vampyressuki's relationship with her "Guardian", while I don't particularly understand how it works, makes for an extremely interesting dynamic. It gives me Ben Kenobi force ghost vibes as sort of a wise, sage-like figure who guides the protagonist through their journey. It's not something that should be used all the time, but I think it's a great tool to have in your back pocket that you can bring out and utilize in key stages of Vampyressuki's FWA career. It's a very creative relationship.

I definitely can see the comparison to Kenobi. I'll take the compliment to the fictional Jesus. I probably won't use her all the time and I doubt I will have back to back match promos with her there often, but I have some ideas in relation to her. Sort of another side character. Like I feel as though with some feds you can just focus on your own character, but here with... 30+ Nephews, and etc, side characters are needed to add variety to your promos. So I pick them to highlight the main character, the protagonist as you said.

- As someone who pretty much refuses to lie to my father, like ever, out of sheer respect and appreciation for everything he's done for me...seeing the shame that Young Katsuki felt at having deceived and tricked her father into signing her wrestling school application was actually super relatable to me, as I would 100% feel the exact same way in her shoes. I also like that it adds a little edge to her as a character, since she was willing to pretty much betray the trust of those closest to her in order to chase her dream...makes me wonder if she still has that little manipulative spark inside her somewhere.

That moment I am glad hit you emotionally. Emotional heart-string one.

- I like how Vampyressuki, at various points on her journey up the mountain to the Dragon's Gate, actually looks on the verge of talking herself into quitting. Like, she has this persona of this fearless monster in the ring, but underneath that mask is just a young woman with massive insecurities and doubts, and I do enjoy it more when we get to take a peek behind that mask at the person behind it, flaws and all. The fact that after she'd lost her title, she essentially ran back home, and was considering the same course of action at various points throughout this is actually a fascinating thing to explore, especially as a babyface, since running away from the challenge is quintessentially a heelish and cowardly thing to do, and it makes her seem all the more heroic and brave when she powers through those thoughts and keeps pushing on.

Spoiler

I for sure wanted to break things up, while having each "flashback" to have purpose. Her talking to a bird I wanted it to fly away to show the sense of doom coming. Then, her, since she is literally climbing a mountain physically and mentally, I wanted to have her to open up. And that has just been a trend I have been wanting to see. That person behind the mask and the masked persona.

- Queen Yoshiko...oof. Mad props on just how uncomfortable you made me feel when reading that flashback. God damn was that brutal. Extremely well written.

Spoiler

You can now see now where her anxiety and confidence issues come from, eh? At least her future friends came to the rescue. I had that planned since she debuted. Including her with her parents after. Saving it for the right time. Now worked. Also, emotional heart string number two.

- YEY for families making up despite their differences. Beautiful.

Emotional shift.

- Rokurokubi being all Emperor Palpatine trying to turn Vampyressuki to the dark side essentially had me hooked, since I love Star Wars and that was almost textbook Palps I liked as well that Vampyressuki was actually about to give in to the darkside, had it not been for her final memory with her parents and reading her journal. Again, makes me wonder if at some point, some villainous foe could actually tip Vampyressuki over the line, since she still seems to have that monster inside her, no matter what colours she wears, or what her name is. It seems as though a little piece of Vampyra will always be there, waiting like Dexter Morgan's "Dark Traveler", to be unleashed.

Spoiler

My TV title defense promo had different Yokai for each person in the match... Including Vampyra. That was a Rokurokubi.

A long-necked woman, like a Japanese vampire. I think you can imagine the symbolism. The final memory, the shift complete. Then, we got the potential roads. The Dragon's Gate. Also I will say is a Chinese/Japanese legend. You can google if you want. Then you might get an extra layer.

Thank you so much, Welshy. Glad you enjoyed it, despite its size. As for the main nitpick-

Spoiler

YEAH I NOTICED TYPOS AND ALL THAT AFTER! IT WAS ALL TOO LATE AND YET I WENT THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANGES IN EDITING SO I MISSED A FEW! MINUS 100 POINTS! I'M GETTING THE 2009 SANTINO TREATMENT!!!

I'll also say that your grade for my promo probably is higher than what I rated it after posting, haha. Thank you so much!

Edit:

Spoiler

Also I did have some formatting struggles so that might have caused an issue.

 

[Rosie]

Paying it forward, I will do a little review of a promo from an all-time great, @Cyrus Truth

The opening with the Pilgrim (I assume Cyrus) sitting in a church, scene setting with the purpose of building a dark and dead scene. A man seemingly on his last legs, but defiant. Then the "Race to Heaven." There's plenty of ways to set up something for a big multi-person match, and already from this initial reaction, I'm interested. Especially thinking of the connotations. The line from the priest "Fight and die, like so many times before. Carry the Light, even if no one will acknowledge what it is you carry." is chilling. A recognition of him being here many times before, wins and losses, and a lack of acknowledgement of being one of the greats. I'm interested alone from this opening.

Then the scene with the woman. I am sure a lot of people in the fed who have been around much longer can get the reference to her and some of the people "Cyrus" alluded to. I got some, but I can tell a lot of what he is said is deliberate. Using metaphor to discuss notable figures while still fitting the scene. And another paragraph that stood out to me is...

"I’m nothing special. I’ve never been. And if we’re being completely honest, I’m not exactly the best person to be carrying this. I’ve been vain, arrogant, and prideful. I’ve judged others harshly for the decisions they’ve made, and for the actions that I’ve believed they should’ve taken. The only reason I’m able to carry this burden is because, regardless of my faults? I’ve always…always held true to my principles." This unique sense of nobility, putting parallels to the actual Cyrus, someone who has done it all, accepts mistakes, yet is very true in who he is. Since I read through Welshy's feedback for my promo, I'm thinking a parallel or two, but how it is sort of like how Vampyra(?) could potentially be. She's learning who she is, trying to stay true to herself, while Cyrus has been there, matured, but still has personal hurdles. I genuinely like it.

Then the grand finale, a big fight with a monster. In a big dialogue a heart-filled message, what he wants is something more than just taking a seat on the throne. He wants to prove HE is STILL enough. Not just talk a big game, but walk-the-walk. Once again for the comparison, Vampyra(?) wanting to show she is enough TO belong as someone still new. But Cyrus, he's seen his era drop like flies, new ones come up. He wants to STILL belong and I think for a character who has been around the block makes you want to root for him and I think it especially goes for people more used to Cyrus beyond my limited experience in the fed so far.

When I posted my promo early, I knew in my head, if you come in swinging, you'll be up there. A part of me worried (though maybe hoped given I also would like to win, thank you very much <3) that after coming off a big match you might not have the bullets in the chamber to come out with fire. But you've done amazing with this promo. A genuine contender and regardless of what you finish (But I don't doubt it'd be high unless you opt out of the GO which causes storyline flip flopping).

You

Are

STILL

Enough.

Great job. I enjoyed it.

 

[Rosie]

Here are some officially unofficial match card graphics for the show made by someone with so-so photoshop skills. The latter graphic I'll update as promos are posted and I'm told people are officially entering the match.



View attachment 51167

View attachment 51168

View attachment 51172

Updated versions: Minor edits to the first two, CC has the (admittedly not as long as I expected) announced line-up with promos and at least one person I know who said they will still enter. That and a better logo:

Who will main event Back in Business!?

 

[Dubb]

I want to give some quick comments but don't have the time for the full in depth reviews, so consider this Dubb's Rapid Fire Thoughts on CC Promos.

Luna Piper: @Oz
Always fun to see Luna and definitely enjoyed this little lyrical trip down memory lane (a lot of which went over my head due to it being before my time, but still can appreciate it). Will Luna get the 40?!

Vampyra/Katsuki: @Princess Rosé
I think you've developed and grown stronger with each promo and this one continued that trend as I certainly have it as my highest graded promo from this character. I really enjoyed the character development in this, which was reflected in my scoring for sure. The story of Katsuki essentially going with the mask to hide/out of shame was a nice little addition to her story, even if as you mention she probably would've been masked anyway. Part of my was hoping this might lead to her shedding the mask, no longer needing to hide. But again, you mentioned she would've had the mask anyway so I get it. But overall it seemed like I wanted even more of a change in her look beyond a slightly different mask to go along with her new name and direction. But still, really really good stuff here.

Weaselperson: @weaselperson
I'm not sure I should comment on this due to it's inproper use of another handler's characters. But since weaselperson has offered up reviews as well, I suppose I should. Quite the epic story here for sure. I'm not familiar with all of these characters, so along the way, I ended up feeling a little lost at points especially in the middle but man so much of this was fun and enjoyable. I certainly did not see weaselperson becoming roadkill at the start coming and the story going on around that moment and then the whole journey to the end to Kazadi accepting the mantle was definitely a unique one. Don't look now but WP is a threat folks.

Juan Tothrefor: @Mandalorian
This was a fun introduction to this character and I would definitely like to see more in the future. Because this one left me wanting more. While the utilization of the kids to give us some backstory on Juan, I felt like there just wasn't enough of Juan in his own promo, really only coming in at the very end for the reveal. Give us more Juan!

Jackson Fenix: @Jimmy King
I've made it no secret that Jackson Fenix is one of my favorite FWA characters and his current arch is another fun chapter in his story. I love the idea of him continuing to wrestle with his conscience and dealing with the aftermatch of his friendship with Jeremy. The fact that Jackson is actually feeling guilty and a sense of responsibility for Jeremy "snapping" is a nice little twist on this as well. Don't worry Jackson - one day, the Undisputed Amigos will ride again!

Cyrus Truth: @Cyrus Truth
This is a real master class in how to tell an epic story. The tale of the Pilgrim on the Race to Heven quest and it's plethora of metaphor and easter eggs was just really great stuff. The banter between the Pilgrim and the woman was very engaging and a nice dive into the FWA Lore in this fantasy world perspective. And capping it off with the Pilgrim literally battling his own demon capped off a strong high quality character driven promo. Glad to see Cyrus bouncing right back after the tough loss at TGM to show he's not slowing down.

XYZ: @The Golden One
I love that we look to be taking on a new chapter in the XYZ story and this was a nice introduction to it. I love the XYZ character ever since being able to work with TGO last year with Jeremy and have been closely following his arch. And while this was a great introduction and brought in some new, interesting characters - especially that of Christian Howard and the world of superhero fashion... unfortunately the promo was really lacking in actual XYZ. The promo ending abruptly with a To Be Continued was a real kick to the balls because I was ready for Chapter 2 to be part of the same promo and thought we were going to finally get us some X-goodness... but alas, I'm just left wanting more. Not always a bad thing but, of course, to leave them wanting more - but for CC purposes I think a little more was needed. But in any event, I'm really excited about where he's going from here.

Cole: @The Gipper
Speaking of leaving me wanting more, I felt like this Cole promo did the same thing. It started off very good and I was getting into the story of Cole and his ragtag Suicide-squadesque team going into battle with Jeffrey Mason pulling the strings from above. It was a very interesting concept and it was going well, but then I felt like it just rushed to the finish and missed a few steps along the way. Literally hitting the fast forward button at one point - not sure if Gip ran out of time (maybe so judging by the posting time), but I definitely think there was some missed opportunities in the story to not have so much happen "off screen" so to speak. That said, for me, stil one of the stronger Cole promo's I've read even with the abrupt climax.

 

[The Gipper]

not sure if Gip ran out of time (maybe so judging by the posting time),

Yes.