Welcome to Gaia! ::

[But Matt, shouldn't you be working on all your Best of... series that you have planned? Yeah I'll get on that when I've got a full day to myself.]

What's this thread for? In essence, it's gonna be whatever I want it to be. Stay tuned.

Alright, so we all got dream opponents. We all got that idol we wanna face, or that legend we wanna work with. So on and so forth. These are mine as of the moment. I'm naming this Part 1, because I'm sure I'll think of some later.

To those that are offended they didn't make this list: I tried to focus on those that I know I can't face anymore, or that probably won't happen. It's okay, relax.

Vulture: I can already hear King grumbling at me. Chances are, no one here (except King, Landry, Warner, and Stone) remembers who Vulture was. To me, he was -the- top guy when I started. He wasn't world champion, he wasn't this magnificent RPer that just blew everyone away, but something about his character and the faction "The Dark Carnival" caught my attention more so than anything else. I never got to have a great match with him, if any; it's something I've regretted since he disappeared. The closest I ever got to working with him was being in his guild DUW. I think we tried something in WWE:U once... but I know it didn't work out, if we did. Regardless, Shanahan vs Vulture has always been something I've wanted.

Phoenixfire: I've worked with Phoenix numerous times over the years, and we did get to have a match; it wasn't what it could've been though, due to my activity. Phoenixfire might be one of the best competitors we've ever had in the females division, and working with her is a treat to anyone, whether she's PF, Machiavel, or Matthias. Consider yourself lucky, because I know I would.

The Number Three: I can't say Three's got some idol level status to me, but he became a massive force in the community during my leaving period from the company. I only came back to fully competing -after- Three was killed off. Three's work with TNT was always pretty epic though, and I would've loved to have seen The Storm vs The Demon. He's a great writer and always flexible with how to work a match, in my small experience with him in BBW.

Ryuu Sakamoto: Alright, to be fair, I did have various matches with his character The Rock (yes, the real version) and I did get to be his final match in EEW... BUT, he retired mid-match. In fact, I'm not too certain him and I ever got to finish a match. I really wish we could've though, because Ryuu's writings are a cherished treasure in this community to this day. Having him be part of BBW for a short time this year was a dream come true for me, but I still would love to have that full match against the Strong Sexy Stylist.

Jacob Figgins: This is literally the same as Ryuu; I got to be his last match (also in EEW), and then we never got to finish. Unlike Ryuu though, Figgins is still around and is currently active in WWF:G. Which is really awesome and gives me hope that maybe we'll get to finish a match one day. If I'm lucky.

Shadow: Do I even need to explain myself on this one? The entire community knows what a Shadow mark I am. I'm in his goddamn signature! Shadow is absolutely one of my favorite people to read from, and his character might be my eternal Character of The Year. I'm really hoping I get a chance to work with him before one of us decides to hang it up. Shanahan vs Shadow... Oh. My. God.

Guy Cancer: In all my years, I can say that Fox and I have not clashed, aside from a triple-threat match in EWA (let's face it, few consider triple-threat matches actual clashes). Many know that I'm a Fox guy. I love his work and his unique style, and he's one of my favorite people to watch work in BBW.

Jonnathan Riker: I think I spelled that right. I've faced Disciple and worked a good bit with XFactor, but nothing compares to THE Legend that Factor became known for. The Black Spot, Jonnathan Riker. He's an EEW legend, and his promo-work is always Spot-on. I doubt I'll ever get the match I want with him, since Factor's more focused on his other characters, but a guy can dream.

X-Rated: Possibly the most historic faction in the history of Gaia, and few even remember their name. I remember X-Rated due to Moki, Majin, and Samoa Dan. Those three guys were ones that were THE big-time in some guilds, and I would've loved to see The Outcasts vs X-Rated happen. This match is a pipe-dream that I'll never get, but goddamn it would've been awesome.

AJ Warner: Aside from our awesome, gold-winning tag team The Punks of Steel, Warner and I have not worked together in all our time in the community. If we have, I forgot. Warner vs Shanahan is something that should have happened way back in the days of WWE:U, if I weren't so garbage back then. Maybe there's hope for it in the future. Maybe.

Marxx: Despite being fairly closer than most to our resident Midnight Rolemodel, Marxx and I have not worked together, aside from some one-off match that we never finished. He's one of my two partners in crime in BBW (which was basically all his idea), he's been a good friend to me, and yet we've never had that epic match. He's not around nearly as much as he'd like to be, but maybe one day I can catch him online to make this dream a reality.

Christina Parks: What? You wanna face the chick that Matt apparently loves? Why? Because that match would ********' rock. Christina is... ugh, I can't even describe the magic that happens when Mystique writes, especially when it's for Christina. I love it all. I mark out for her almost as much as Shadow. She's awesome. Please come back to me, Mystique.

Nuke Fusion: OUTCAST VS OUTCAST. WWF:G HALL OF FAMER VS WWF:G HALL OF FAMER. GOD VS GOD. NUKE FUSION VS MATT SHANAHAN. The people have DEMANDED this one for years (mainly me), and we almost had it; my unwillingness to do it in LWL stopped that though. I got a feeling one day, WWF:G's gonna see this clash. That's the only place it makes sense anymore, after all.

Saint Joey: I miss Joey so m- wait, we have a match going on in the Dream Guild. Ignore this, I'm gonna go post.

Damon Pierce: Matt, he's new, why does he make this list? Because I've worked hands-on with Damon since he came into the scene. I'd like to say that I've watch him grow into an amazing RPer, but I can't say that; he was better than me the moment he came in. A match with him would be really awesome to have, simple as that.

Kelly King: King and I have worked -extensively- with eachother over the past year and a half. Our award-winning feud in WWF:G, Front Row Seats, and now working together in BBW. He's my best friend and the -best- writer I know. Whether it's with Seita Gray, Serenno and the House, or Kelly King himself, it's always a dream to work with him. No one has ever had so much chemistry with me in a match or a promo, and I can't wait for the day that him and I clash again.



Brantley Summers: Goddamn it, EWA. That's all I can say. Goddamn it.

Freakshow: I hate you.

Great list! smile

The Success of BBW [Part 1]

Alright, so even with as humble as I try to be about this (I still shop at Wal-mart), even I have to acknowledge that BBW is probably the most successful guild within the past couple of years. People like to tell me that it's because of my charming personality or that I'm not biased, but that's not it. I hope not, at least. Now, despite the shitty title, this isn't some preachy "Oh this is how BBW got successful" post. This post is to help out every other guild out there, because I want you all to succeed.

1. Deadlines: I have preached this to every guild owner by now, but let me reiterate. DEADLINES ARE EVERYTHING. When you say a show is closing on this date, you make sure it closes on that date. If you got a show planned for that date, do your best to get it up then. People like knowing when their matches are beginning and ending, and how much time they have before the next show. Deprive them of this, and they'll start to lose interest and/or faith in your guild. Unfortunately, this means you're going to have to dedicate a good amount of time to things. For example, when a new BBW show is opening, I spend 2-5 hours working onthe guild in just one sitting, and that's not including fixing all my mistakes and dealing with late sign-ups.

2. Communicate: Communication with your guildies is key. You don't have to send personal PMs about everything, you don't have to ask about every detail, but it's good to talk to them about things pertaining to them or that can interest them. If a card is going to be late for some reason, tell people. Make it known. If you're extending dates, let them know. Just communicate! Especially if you got a lot of crew members (see the next step).

3. Crew reliance: A good crew helps, but if you're relying on your crew to post matches, keep track of everything, BOOK YOUR GUILD, or even move threads on the dime, you're not gonna have a good time. The crew is helpful, but some things need to be done by -you-. It's your guild, you book it. That's probably the gist of this. I don't like seeing guilds where the guild owner isn't booking everything, and I know a number of others don't either.

4. Plans: Do not make them. Do not plan for so-and-so to be your world champion. Do not plan for this guy to win this huge tournament. Basically, don't politic. Can you have a preference? Sure. But that shouldn't blind you from giving other people a shot. Your champions should be the ones to make plans with people. Hell, all your guildies should be the one making the plans they want. We aren't there to make them do storylines. We're there to make their storylines possible.

5. Babysteps: You don't need a .com section right off the bat. You don't need a full list of PPVs in the future. You don't need 3+ championships to fight for, or tag titles, or women's titles (blegh). There's plenty of things that people think their guilds just need or that they really want in, when there's no room for it. Look at BBW. Did we have AMAs off the bat? Or the TV title? The .com section? Nah, not at all. These things are all great and have their place, but let the momentum begin to flow before you try to give it more to push.

There's a good chance none of this helped. Maybe it's all wrong, I dunno. I'll come back to this later too. I'm tired, I'm gonna make a snack. Feedback is appreciated, good or bad.

Might I add that EEW was one of the biggest and best guilds of all time. If it helped him, then it's gotta be true. ;D

You have no heart you cold-blooded Englishman