Meltdown XLIV & Fallout 044 || Card & Discussion.

wow having to navigate a tournament and golden op at the same time

honestly i feel so attacked right now

Cyrus Truth.
The opening sequence here with Peacock was really nicely done and brought some effective closure to a storyline/relationship arc that you guys have been working on for a really long time. I'm not sure if I'm particularly satisfied with this resolution in terms of Chris and Cyrus entering into a sort of pact of non aggression over a common enemy (in this case Jeremy, but I sense the same will be true of a certain group of interlopers). The character work with Cyrus here (in terms of portrayal) is strong here and in the rest of the promo, with this being unmistakable as a Truth promo, both in terms of tone and the quality of the content. The second scene certainly has a creative set-up, and I thought the climax of it (with the sudden reversal of roles within the game) was brilliantly visualised. It's true that the monologue section relies on the list approach to multi-person matches, but I think the uniqueness and drama of the situation depicted helped it in that regard. It also helped that you were (essentially) the only one who went all in on that approach (although others did indulge in it in other ways), and that the analysis of your opponents was as strong as ever. The opening sequence, where Truth interacts with Peacock, brings us some strong character development but I'd have maybe liked to see that more prominently throughout the roleplay. The match focus, though, is strong throughout both sections, with the opener selling to us the importance of this match (and specifically the prize itself) before the monologue provides some typically cutting opponent focus.

Katsu.
The major themes of this promo - particularly regarding Katsu fighting her inner demons, represented in both the title chapters and the manifestation of a literal monster to guide us through this medley of self-reflection (and self-loathing) are worn on its sleeve. The detail in each section, however, suggests a depth to this piece that will probably only truly be apparent to the writer. I was a little concerned that there were five sections to match the five opponents, and I wondered if perhaps each one would be about a specific opponent with the promo taking on a tried-and-tested list format. That is only true to a certain extent, because although I think each section has a specific opponent as its primary focus, the presence of all of your opponents in each section - playing a revolving cast of characters - gave a unique feel to this piece and made it seem much less formulaic than it could've been. I liked a lot of the meta touches but am not sure if so much attention needs to be drawn to them (the reader will most likely understand what you're putting down in this regard. I but also think the dismissiveness about previous feedback within the piece provides a certain irony to me providing some more here. The structure of the promo, in terms of the different sections that you could take in any order, maybe suffered a little in terms of uniqueness because a very similar format was used a couple of cycles ago, and - like with that previous promo - I found myself questioning what the purpose of using such a narrative structure was. Although it adds an interactive element I don’t know if there was an idea behind it -- I’m not sure of the merits of this style over a predetermined order that best fits the narrative. Would be interested to hear your thoughts on that. I thought the promo was at times disorienting but in a very deliberate way, and this sort of dreamlike atmosphere that you create was one of my favourite things about the promo. That element felt different from your previous writings and indeed the other roleplays in the match. The match focus was strong throughout, with a lot of discussion of your opponents (viewed through the lens of your own character) as well as the importance of this match for Katsu. Overall I thought you did a great job here, this was up there with the CC promo as my favourites of your works.

Alejandro Giunti.
I really did not expect to see a Eurovision Song Contest pastiche here. This was a very fun set-up for a promo, and the execution was humorous and oddly filled with pathos at points, particularly during the moments of inner turmoil as Giunti makes his decision at the end. Before we get there, Alejandro is prepped to face his give main rivals in the contest, with the lengthy monologue-ish sections going through each of the Golden Opportunity opponents in turn. I think it was definitely a good choice to break up these sections with the rest of the narrative, which stopped this from feeling like a ‘list approach’ and also to continually give these opponent deconstructions context through the events that surround them. I didn’t immediately recognise the map behind Cyrus, saw the white and yellow bit and thought of Cyprus (although I ruled it out because of the blue part), and thought ‘heh I hope he calls him Cyprus Truth’. Was glad when this joke was also made in the promo. Initially thought it was weird to see Japan, USA, and Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest but then I remembered they had Australia in there now. The climax of the promo does its best in terms of character progression but would probably have liked to have seen more of this throughout the roleplay, although that’s perhaps inhibited slightly (but not entirely imo) by the alternate universe set-up. I’m enjoying the characters that you’ve built up around Giunti (or attached to them via trios partnership) and think the chemistry between Alejandro and them is really strong, even if Giunti seems to spend a lot of time being spoken at rather than to by them. Alejandro’s ‘choice’ was written in a very intriguing way and I’m looking forward to further developments there back in this reality.

Trevor Ocean.
I thought this was a really well realized narrative piece with a unique set-up that you really went all in on. You realised this world so well – I’m not sure if there’s a reference point here that I am unsure of, but it felt wholly original to me in a way that was very refreshing. There was a sort of film noir-ish vibe here alongside the obvious science fiction references which made me think of Blade Runner a little I guess but not in a way where I felt like a pastiche/homage, this felt very much like its own thing (to me, at least). The presentation of this was maybe more simple than some of the other visual spectacles you’ve put out, but I think you really let your words do the work for you here, and you paint such a vivid picture of the world you’ve set your story in that there’s no need for graphics really. I did find the pink dialogue difficult to read, and thought maybe overall it was less clean on the grammar/spelling front than some of your opponents. I thought this was a very strong promo from a character perspective, and although you set it in an alternate reality you went to great lengths to ensure there was still effective character development for Ocean. Despite the complicated narrative you build around him and the numerous interlinking stand-ins weaving through the story (some more effective than others, maybe), there’s never any doubt that this is about Trevor, juggling his ambitions (again linking into the match focus category) and his past, with this struggle providing some of the promo’s best sequences.

(more tomorrow)

Noticing that the new forum doesn't have the post on Golden Opp-tions, apart from the one buried in the archive. So I thought I'd re-outline the choices available, for whoever ends up winning the briefcase tonight.

Option A.
The briefcase holder can book themselves in a singles match against the FWA World Championship on any show between now and Back in Business XIX. A request should be made to the mods to do this. Usually, if this option is to be taken, it is done with plenty of notice so a program/story can be built around the pre-announced match, but the request can be made any time before a card goes live.

Option B.
The briefcase holder can add themselves to an FWA World Championship match that is already booked. For instance, the briefcase holder could add themselves to the main event of Back in Business XIX to make it a triple threat between them, the champion, and the CC winner. A request should be made to the mods to do this.

Option C.
The briefcase holder can cash in secretly during any card where the FWA World Champion is booked in singles competition. If the champion is booked in a title match, the briefcase holder must outscore both the champion and the challenger(s) to win the title. If the champion is booked in a non-title match, the briefcase holder only needs to outscore the champion.
To enact Option C, the briefcase holder must inform the mods that they are cashing in no later than twenty fours after the promo deadline for the champion's match. This theoretically gives the briefcase holder the opportunity to see the promo(s) that they have to beat, though they will not know the exact score(s) they must surpass. After the mods are informed of the cash-in, the briefcase holder then has twenty four hours to turn in their promo. This means that the briefcase holder potentially has a maximum of forty eight hours after deadline in which to write and submit their promo, which they should do privately to the moderators. Cash-ins, including Option C, will be graded as per the grading outline in the rules thread. The score from the champion's match will stand for the briefcase holder to try and beat. The champion will not have the opportunity to amend their promo, or write a new one.