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

[Rosie]

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.

Thanks for the high praise. I really put a lot of work in the promo and I'm happy my trend is up. To the mask point, I probably can ditch the mask in the future if the story calls for it, but I also feel as though it is too early to ditch it (in part because I love SLK, other because it adds an element with very few masked wrestlers here). But after fine tuning the character I sort of found out what I want from her after her initially being created as someone else's side character. So I used the time away to craft a persona I feel reflects it better. I hope upon her new "lease on life" being seen in FWA I can further seperate it. I will gladly keep that stuff in mind. Thanks again!

 

[Oz]

A quick review back for our friend @Dubble J because something something tit-for-tat:

Buddy System: i didnt watch psycho before and only knew the very famous elements of the plot so reading this was mostly a novel experience for me. like our good pal wp said, the setting fits perfectly with what jeremy best has turned into. i agree with a lot of wp's other comments so im just going to comment on other stuff i guess.

lol of course the events of the story start because gerald is a kitten lolololol. but that ties into probably the biggest thing that didnt sit completely well with me and i don't know if you wrote it like that due to how the parody demands this to happen but i feel like gerald and mvh's relationship ... isn't really that fragile to be depicted like this? i can maaaaaybe buy gerald being afraid of the crime enough to leave his best friend who had his back for far too long if i try hard enough to buy it but i don't think mvh's first reaction would be her best friend whose back she had for far too long going missing (even with the money) would be 'damn that bastard is gonna snitch'. yeah mvh is a piece of shit but i feel like even she would worry about a friend over money. anyway, yeah, that's my main issue.

ending this review on a more positive note, i loved the aura of this promo a lot, i'm absolutely loving this new direction you're taking jeremy (even though i do wish doom on your seventh grandfather on discord in a regular basis because of said direction) and this is another neat edition to this arc. god i'm even more sad for krashey now. stellar work, hope it's enough to beat ss so that he can finally go back to being my tag team partner

 

[Rosie]

@The Gipper Feedback time, motherfucker. <3

Continuing and continuing to improve.

First of all, in comparison to other promos, you are already improving the formatting. Easier on the eyes. To the actual content, I genuinely feel as though if you, presumably, didn't run out of time, you would have had your best promo. First the opening of the end of the KOTDM, Reagan Cole nearly being blown up, weak, being checked on, that sets an instantly engaging tone. Then he fades to a dream. Jeffry as some business tycoon or something from the government... A heck of a tone shift compared to the usual Mason I know. Then there are some metaphors and references to Reagan Cole's position. "The same" a feeling of stagnation. That, I feel as though if you would have had the time, could have been something to just build with and run. This need to move FORWARD at last. No more mid-card Cole. He goes up. (IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!) Then you set up an interesting idea with the Task Force. The members, I'm a bit curious of the choice of Summers given there isn't much connection to Cole (Trixie I get if that is what you are going for though). But, the promo ended.

Now the ending itself, if you would have had more, a middle section between the interview and that where they do their mission, then I feel as though the promo would have been a home run. Period. Maybe we get some of what is going on in Reagan's head during it. Maybe even feed on his need to escape his old status, his thoughts on "Medic Trixie" with Summers being an antagonist (fitting given the character) and maybe something develop between them in terms of an uneasy friendship. THEN, that ending with TYLER just shooting her and telling Reagan Cole to "Pull up his end of the bargain." THAT would have hit an emotional chord and be a big gut punch. Emotions are something which I feel can be a heartbeat of a promo. Take Cyrus having his motivations throughout his promo, creating that thread, and then kind of realizing it in the end, standing up to his demons. I think that could have brought your promo to a higher, dare I use the word, main event tier.

So on the whole, a lot of good things to build on, only if you had more time. Trust your ideas, build upon them, and if you can, start a bit sooner so you can give them the justice they deserve because I think you had something here. Not too shabby, Reag.