Homecoming RP: The Underdog

[Danger10]

It's late afternoon, the sun has already gone down. So it's not too hot and with a slight breeze, it's not too cold. I love this weather, perfect running weather if you ask me. Running is a great exercise for me, I could do it with Sean or another friend, or I could do it alone. I also use this time to focus on upcoming matches, at Homecoming I'll be facing The Maestro of Madness himself, Trace Demon.

Tonight the track is mine, with the exception of a slightly larger man with a big bottle of water on a late walk. While this poor man attempts to shed a few pounds, I focus on my cardio, I want to be prepared for the long haul. Demon was quite impressive in his previous match against Drakz for the WFWF Heavyweight Championship at The Clash, so impressive that I truly thought he was going to pull out the W. The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that both men went the distance and just when you thought the match was over, these 2 guys would muster up the energy or adrenaline to continue on, which is what I'm trying to prepare for by spending time on the track tonight.

I lap the larger man, poor guy, he's already sweating pretty noticeably. Back at The Clash it was another match another loss for good ol' Shapiro. Man, I can't believe how much failure I've experienced in my career has been so far. It's kind of embarrassing how many chances I've had at the National Championship and have still come up short every single time. One win is all it takes, one win and I could be back in serious contention for the National Championship again.

I pass the poor guy again, drenched in sweat, drinking from his water bottle constantly. I noticed that each time I pass him he stares down at his feet, almost as if he's embarrassed. Anyways back to Homecoming, I'm definitely the underdog in my match vs Trace and personally, I love being the underdog. I love being put in a situation where people expect for me to fail and I prove them wrong.

I pass the overweight man one final time. Maybe I should stop to talk to him, let him know he has nothing to be embarrassed about, if anything I respect him and his honest attempt at becoming more healthy. Facing a 2 time WFWF Heavyweight Champion is no walk in the park but I definitely welcome the challenge. It's the perfect stage for me to get a win and turn some heads, make people in the WFWF really take notice of me.

Later That Night

I'm up late having a soda, watching a movie and just contemplating some more. For some odd reason, I can't get that poor man from the track off my mind. I have the upmost respect for people who work that hard towards their goals of bettering themselves. I probably can't get him out of my mind because I regret not approaching him and commending him on the work he put in tonight on his seemingly long journey ahead of him. It's people like that that give me the courage to continue on with my head held high regardless of my past failures.

I need that kind of inspiration in my career and in my life, especially now. Trace is too distracted with his self perceived prejudice placed upon him by Lila Sleater and that could be the advantage I need. One thing about that whole conflict is that I respect Trace for standing up for his morals and refusing to back down, even though I may not agree with him entirely. But while he's out feeling sorry for himself or thinking of how he could get one over on Sleater, I'll be focusing on how to reverse the Demonstration of Hell, or how to avoid Trace locking in Paradise Lost on me. So I hope he's ready because at Homecoming The King of Demons meets The Hope Dealer and I'm confident and ready because I know, just like everybody at home knows good always triumphs over evil.

[Danger10]

This is definitely way shorter than I intended but I was suffering from writer's block this time around. I've been wanting to create a more long term story for Shapiro, I feel like that will be more fulfilling, but I haven't been able to come up with yet. Hopefully, I'll do better next time.

[Rated R]

There really wasn't enough here to warrant much a reply because I've seen you put out a lot better than this. This felt like the opening and closing scene that was lacking the entire mid-section. It didn't achieve all that much other than place Shapiro in the role of the underdog but aside from a couple of lines we don't really know how that affects him all that much. I've mentioned it in another reply but the most important thing to do in any roleplay is make it count, make a lasting impression and develop the character or story in some way. This didn't do that at all and if you want to grab the opportunities that you keep setting yourself up for that's what you need to do.

[CM Poor]

Your block was obvious here - we've probably all been guilty of the "chance encounter in public that inspires thoughts on the upcoming match" device. Best advice there? Avoid it like the plague. It's cheesy, cliched, and altogether cringe worthy. Don't sweat it too much - I've done it, as have more of my peers than will be willing to admit.

You're scratching the surface with the "Hope Dealer" angle, and what I'd love to see you do is spend some time reading into the work of what some of the more successful writers here are doing - Trace, Drakz, Tugarin, Dean, Demento, Bishop, any of them. Study their characters. Glance at their profiles to get to know them on the surface a bit. Really read the shows beginning to end, and figure out, in the context of the fed where your character fits, and then don't just run - HAUL ASS with it. You may not see it now or yet, but as the Hope Dealer, with the right approach, you could have done HUGE things against Trace Demon - his character is everything bleak and bad and hell bent on destruction, and your angle here could have been a complete rejection of all that he stands for and an absolute manifesto of everything the Hope Dealer really means.

Stick it out. I love that you have thus far - a lot of guys have a tendency to quit after a rough start, but if you really hog on this Hope Dealer thing, you could really make it something special.

[Drakz]

I'm in total agreement with SYE in that The Hope Dealer schtick really has the promise to be a huge deal. If you read more of other's work and learn to really get to know who your opponent is you'll be on the right track. Again though The Hope Dealer is a gimmick with legs and it's up to you to see how far they can take you.