This is just something that occured to me a second ago when I was mulling over a number of topics.

We all joke (mainly in the prediction threads) about how 'no one reads feuding', so I just kind of wondered how true that was. Now, I'm not going to turn this into a witch hunt (because, as I'll go on to explain, I'm as likely to be burnt as the rest of you...) so I'll phrase it in a slightly different way:

Is this hobby, to you, a way of just writing stuff as a brief diversion and getting some prose out there (as practice for some other literature-based calling, or just to show off maybe?), are you more fascinated by the interactive nature of it or is the game something more all-encompasing - a chance to both have fun and create a unique story based on your character's life?

With that in mind, it's easy to see how the first 'type' suggested above probably wouldn't care too much about other people's stuff (because it's just a feud-by-feud thing for fun) wheras the latter extreme would be more likely to pay more attention so that the whole thing is more cohesive as a whole.

Do you consider what other people write to be entertaining? Are there guys you always pay attention to so you know what they're up to or because you think they're awesome?


I'll go first: the truth is that, while I definatley fall into the 'all-encompasing story' group (and derive pleasure from building a mythology around my character that requires me to pay special attention to minor detail and continuity points), I can't honestly say that most of what is written here is that entertaining for me. Now, that's not a slight against the skills of most of the writers here, but it's a simple fact that I'm not a massive wrestling fan these days so anything (even vaguely) wrestling-based is kind of boring for me - unless it's really good (see: Strikmore, Matt).

On the other hand, I keep up with Dante's feuding for obvious reasons, I really like Freya's stuff and TI's writing is almost always a great read. I'm mostly into anything that's a little 'out there' - sci-fi, parallel universes, crazy characters with dark secrets, stuff like that. On the other hand, I find that the comedy here can be kind of hit and miss - it tends to be kind of broad for my tastes, but that could be because you're mostly American

How about you...?

I read feuding from people I like and when there's a match-up that catches my interest.

So, how do you define 'catches [your] interest'?

Are we talking a big match in terms of the inherent competition of the game (an anticipated title match for instance) or something more nebulous in terms of things you like in a feud (example: I read Freya vs. Shadow this session because I wanted to see how a manipulative character like Shads would deal with Freya based on how she wrote herself against TI and vice versa)?

If the latter, what defines this decision?

Yeah, I am the first type and try to be the second every so often. I fail though. Honestly, the problem with even attempting to get into the broader storylines like yours is that they're too broad at this point. In order to have a grip on all of Darkness' stuff I'd have to read a ton of nonmatch feuding to see who is who, what is what, there's the whens, whys and hows, and a bio description in your character's profile that's longer than some feuds. I'm way too lazy to do that.

Had I come in in the beginning stages of it I wouldn't have this problem, but I'm not about to read more words than War & Peace to catch up on it now. It's not a knock on your talent. You're good, everyone here knows it. You know it. I'm sure I'd enjoy being in a feud with you, but the second it involved a character mentioned in some post in 1993 I'd immediately lose interest.

Some other characters have been around for quite a long time and still have the personality of a department store manequin. I find that boring as all hell too. There is a happy medium between no back story with the same schtick each feud and a long-ass convoluted backstory delving back to the beginning of time.

On the other side of it, generic stuff bores the snot out of me. That's actually why I made my spoof character Wrassler, because a guy who's "just here to wrestle" in a fed as fucked up as this one is crazier than Bruce. I'm about the comedy. Even when I had Prime as my character he was still a smart-ass. That's the biggest reason why I lost interest in Vindicator almost right off. He was an attempt at a serious character and I'm as far from serious in real life as you can get. I can't not be a smart-ass and that will come out in my writing whether I want it to or not.

I'm sure some comedy, including mine, might be far out there and not funny at all, but it goes back to the first type of person that you described. I'm doing it to amuse myself so if someone else doesn't laugh then heck with 'em.

ill be honest i very rarely read other people's feuds but when i did it was usually a marque matchup or one i was writing(on that very rare occation

hasta
Beau