how to be a face

ALL CREDIT GOES TO STEFAN ESCAYG

Welcome to the "Immortal Warrior's" guide to being a fan-favourite, better known as a face.
I've only been an active RPer for a few months, but I know quite a bit
about the world of pro wrestling and as most if not all of you know, I'd
like to be a wrestler one day. Anyway, without further ado, let's get
this lesson started!

Lesson #1: The crowd cheers for the face!
This
is the most basic lesson you can get when it comes to being a face. The
face is a face because the crowd cheers for him. If you get booed, you
are a heel and this is the wrong tutorial for you. If you get mixed
reactions, that is called a tweener and this is, again, the wrong
tutorial. As a face, you must do things that would get the crowd to
cheer for you. This varies from situation to situation, which brings me
to my next lesson...

Lesson #2: Faces don't have to be nice!
That's
right! You don't have to be a complete kiss-ass to be a face! If you
are, that is what is called a "white meat babyface". Chances are though,
you're gonna want to be more exciting than the typical goody two shoes.
Look at guys like The Rock and Stone Cold. They were by no means "good
guys". In fact, they were assholes! The Rock always bullied people
around while Stone Cold was just a beer drinking redneck! Why did we
love them then? It's because of what they did, not how they did it. The
typical Mark would boo the hell out of Edge for stealing a win, but we
all used to be on our feet for Eddie whenever he pulled one of his dirty
tactics! It all depends on what we do! It's ok for a face to resist
authority! It's ok for a face to be a douchebag! It all depends on if
the fans agree with what you're doing, which brings me to my next
lesson...

Lesson #3: Relate to the fans!
The
crowd isn't going to like you if you don't relate to them. You need to
not only perform actions that the fans agree with, but have certain
qualities that the fans admire. For example, my "Immortal Warrior"
gimmick is very simple. The fans would admire my "never say die"
attitude. It's a classic gimmick with my own twists on it. Your
character needs to have some qualities that the fans admire, whether
it's determination, willpower, or w/e. He needs to do things that would
make the crowd say "Yeah!". If a loud-mouth heel is cutting down the
town, shut them up! If a group of heels are abusing their power, rebel!
Whatever you do, just make sure that the crowd would agree with it!

Lesson #4: Catchphrases!
This
is by no means required. If you look at some of the more successful
faces though, you will see that a lot of them had catchphrases. Who
didn't enjoy going along with The Rock when he said his trademark "If ya
smeeeeeelllll" catchphrase? Who doesn't let out a "WHOOOOOO!!!" when
the Naitch lets it out? Again, this is not required for a good face, but
it definately helps. It gives the fans a little bit of interaction with
you, which would make them enjoy you even more. If you can, try to come
up with a series of nicknames for yourself! It works just as well when
you hear someone saying something like, "I am the Showstopper, the
Headliner, the Main Event, The Icon!". It's not easy, trust me, but if
you can come up with something, roll with it, no matter how stupid it
sounds at first. Once you get used to it, you will grow to like it.

Lesson #5: Crowd Reactions
This
could go for face, heel, and tweeners alike, so listen up! I know you
want to be the guy that gets the biggest pop right off the bat, but it
just doesn't happen that way. You need to work your way up. Look back at
my rp's from the beginning of WWI and compare them to my most recent
rp's. You will see that early on, I would only put stuff like --The crowd pops slightly--.
That is because I was still new to WWI and the federation scene in
general, so the crowd needed to get used to me. It was a while before I
started typing --The crowd pops--, and even longer until I started putting --The crowd explodes with a thunderous pop--.
Eventually, I started having the crowd chant my name more and more, but
that wasn't until several seasons into my career. Don't God Mod! Be
reasonable!

Random Role Playing Note
If
anyone has ever read any of my more recent promos, you would notice
that I would have several lines of the crowd chaning my name. I would
make it interesting by typing how the camera is panning across the arena
or zooming in on fans with certain signs or w/e. This is a great way to
improve the detail in your rp's, and a nice chance to put in some
interesting fan signs. Keep this in mind whenever you make the crowd do
any kind of chant because it makes it easier to visualize (to me at
least).

Lesson #6: Losing
Yes, we are
faces, but we aren't unstoppable. Everybody needs to lose every now and
then, so NEVER forget that! Since we're faces, we may have the
opportunity to win more often, but heels have careers as well. They need
to go over as well. If you are losing to a heel, do not make it
necessary that they have to win by cheating. It just makes them look
weak. It's fine every once in a while, but if you've seen the WWE heels
today, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Alright, I hope this
has helped at least one person in some way. If not, it killed
about...idk...1/2 an hour for me, so mission accomplished Razz. Anyway, remember these things and wow the crowd!
Because win, lose, or draw...
--The fans join in-- Stefan and the fans: ...MY SPIRIT...WILL NEVER...DIE!!!






Ok, so this is my very first rp. I'm going to analyze and explain
certain things so that beginners will know what they should and
shouldn't do. Keep in mind that this is for true beginners who have
never been in a fed before.


--A man, about 6'2 with a very light brown skin and neat dreadlocks that go down a bit past his shoulders walks out--
Shawn: This looks like another Superstar is trying to make a name for himself here at the first show.
Percival: I think what you meant to say was that this is another jobber about to make a complete fool of himself in a few moments.
Shawn: Oh come on! You didn't even give the guy a chance to introduce himself before you started cutting him down!
Percival:
I don't need to know this guy's name to know he's just another wannabe.
I mean look at him! He's looking around and smiling at the fans on his
way down here!
Shawn: That's called kindness Percival.
--The man grabs the microphone laying on the steps and makes his way into the ring. The crowd is dead silent--
(Notice how I put that the crowd is silent. This is because nobody knows me at the time! This is Lesson #5 shining right now)
Percival: Watch, he's going to embaress himself in a matter of seconds.

--The man raises the microphone to his mouth--
Man: I can tell by the silence in this arena that none of you know who I am. You guys shouldn't let a new face silence you though.
You're a part of history!
We're all a part of history!
We are all a part of the very first episode of WWI!
--A slight pop can be heard in the crowd--
(Slight pop! That is because nobody goes crazy for someone they just met!)

Man: Yes, the very first episode of WWI! Historic! VERY historic! But that's not all...
You see, I guess this can be considered a night of first's because tonight marks my very first appearance in any Federation!

Percival: And hopefully your last...
Shawn: What? He doesn't seem too bad. Let's hear the guy out!

Man:
My name is Stefan Escayg, and I plan on beginning my legacy here in the
WWI. Trust me, I will not disappoint. My burning desire to succeed in
this business is as unstoppable as the spirit of a Warrior! That is why I
call myself "The Immortal Warrior"! I've had to overcome way too many
obstacles in my life to end up failing here. WWI will rise in the ranks
just as I will!
My home country, Trinidad, qualified for the World
Cup for the first time in history back in 2006. Nobody knew anything
about this tiny island, but that didn't stop us from going 100% each
time we played!
I will take that determination a step further! We
were eliminated from the World Cup after only 3 games, I will not let my
career end that way!
Win, lose, or draw! MY SPIRIT WILL NEVER DIE!
--The crowd pops a bit louder--
(Now
if I could do this again, I would have put something like "the crowd
pops slightly again" or something because this makes it sound like they
popped a lot louder, which they didn't. Wording is very important)

Shawn: Wow! This guy seems really enthusiastic! I kind of like him!
Percival: Of course you like him. You're just as simple minded and foolish as he is!

Stefan: Now, as for tonig--

--Just as Stefan is about to finish his sentence, and new wrestler's music and video hit--

Shawn: It looks like Stefan's got company.
Percival: Indeed it does. Let's see who else is showing up tonight.

--Another new wrestler comes out with a mic in hand--
New wrestler:
I couldn't but help hearing in the back that you claim to be a warrior
from a small island. I couldn't help but hear how you were saying how
you give 100% no matter the outcome. See, the sad part is, you were
talking about ME! I am The Samoan Warrior Aifelafasofa. Born and raised
in Samoa. I exemplify what a true warrior is.

Shawn: Looks like we have a warrior's quarrel going on tonight.

The Samoan Warrior: You speak of how your spirit will never die?
--The crowd gives a small cheer for Stefan--
(SMALL cheer! TSW knew what he was doing!)
The Samoan Warrior:
Your spirit won't die but I will make sure that your body comes mighty
close to it. I propose this to you: Right here, right now, in that very
ring in which you stand! Let's be part of WWI history. What do you say?
--The crowd starts to show some excitement--

--Stefan stares at Aifelafasofa for a few seconds before bringing the microphone to his mouth--
Stefan: Let me get this straight...
You want to come out here and interrupt me...
Claim that you will beat me within an inch of my life...
And then challenge me to a match?

Percival: YES! That's what he just said! I hope The Samoan Warrior shuts this "Immortal Warrior" up!
Shawn: What?! No! The Samoan Warrior came
out and interrupted Stefan on during his time! He threatened to beat
Stefan within an inch of his life! How could you support that?!
Percival: I hope he does beat him badly! Stefan Escayg is utterly useless!

Stefan: Well you know what?
I have no problem with that!
I am going to show all the guys in the locker room why you should NEVER interrupt me!
I am going to show these fans EXACTLY why I call myself "The Immortal Warrior"!
And most importantly...
I am going to show YOU who the true warrior is here in WWI!
--The fans begin to cheer more loudly--
(Again, I should have put slight pop)
Stefan: Get yourself down here Aifelafasofa! Let's give these fans a show they won't soon forget!
--A faint "Stefan" chant can be heard in the crowd--

(I probably shouldn't have even put this in because nobody would have
remembered my name. It's just best if you save the chants for later)

I'm just going to throw this up here because this inspired me to write it. Just a note on Heel Psychology.

A Note on Heel Psychology:

#1

Whatever city the show emanates from is the antithesis of your ideal. If it's a smaller venue, you dream of the big time, large stadiums. You're a city boy born and bred. However, if the event happens in a sprawling metropolis, you might yearn for the solitude of your farm. Use your gimmick to base insults at the crowd.

#2

There are no heroes, the only noble goal is the one that serves the self. If you could benefit from turning on your tag partner, what's stopping you? Or from taking the shortcut while the babyface is pandering to the crowd?

#3

The crowd is irrelevant. No matter how hard or loud they boo, you thrive off their negative energy, manipulating these poor people into wasting their energy on you. You are at your best when being showered with garbage and see the kiddies in the stands clutching their parents while their heroes suffer your wrath.

#4

Crowd reactions are still important. Be a little realistic here, as in, if the people have no way of knowing you, don't include an eruption of boos just because you're a bad guy. See the below example. Even though my character is a tweener, he's a heel for this RP's sake.



[The lights flicker, then finally go dim, as if some kind of electrical disturbance has happened, leaving the crowd slightly stunned, then the giant scren flickers to life filling with a staticy image of a room with bare wooden walls. The image shuffles, distorts, and then it is dark.

An unknown song ((Lacuna Coil- Our Truth)) begins to fill the arena, the sound of blastbeat drums, intermixed with a low, melodic violin flourish. Just as the tempo picks up the static reappears and fades away to reveal an intermingled I and T.

The crowd is nearly silent as an unknown man makes his way through the curtains. It is the same, athletically built man who warned those who had seen his vignette speaking about the Descent. His mad green eyes surveyed the fans that he could see in the audience with contempt.

He reaches out to snatch away a fan's sign, and tosses it to the ground in front of him, theatricly trampling it before walking to the ring- garnering himself a smatter of boos from the fans who were close enough to see the act. As he ascends the steps to the ring, the lights blink back into working order.

The man motions for a microphone. He shoves the hapless announcer to the floor after receiving the mic, garnering boos from a few more people. He waits for the noise to die down before raising the mic to his lips.]

"Those of you within the sound of my voice, you might want to remember this moment. This is the very catalyst of a new era here in OutBreak Wrestling." He pauses for a moment, surveying those in attendance. "Though, by the looks of half of you drunken, droopy eyed plebians I'm already asking too much."

He gives an arrogant smile as the boos ring out once more, those easily insulted joining in the chorus. "You're only continuing to prove my point." The man sneers into the mic. "You don't believe that I am who- or what- I say I am. Believe me people. I will bring this company to its knees."

The boos intensify, but he refuses to be drowned out, raising his voice to make it blare from the speakers. "And while you are on your knees, I will make you beg. You wil.. Beg..

Prepare."


[With that last word, he drops the mic, and the lights flicker. The screen fills with static for a moment. He leaves the ring, brushing aside the outstretched hands of those few who had truly heard what he had to say, even the believers weren't worthy of his attention it seemed.]

It's a little short, but I am rusty, and don't really have a feud or anything to work from at the moment. I'm sure you all get the jist of what it is to be a heel, though.