NXT LEVEL #346 - THE CLASSIC
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
Of all the fantastic segments, the one that popped me the most was the one that made me laugh. Old school Wally Goldenrod calling Angel a 'ladyboy' for wearing make-up fit such old stereotypes but made me giggle like a child none the less. The characters on display in every segment put this show over the edge because you felt like you knew them. I could see how much of a shitbag Vincent Hargraves was. I could see how old school mentality that Wally was in the segment and it just popped me.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- Who was the hooded man that sat down with Hargraves and started the civil war?
- Will The Elders still attempt to go through with the end of Arcadia?
- What happens to everyone who fought at The Classic?
- Will we see some of the Classic again?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
I regrettably didn't take part in The Classic but that didn't stop me from watching the entire show live.
I'm forever blown away by the way these shows are not only put together but hosted by Dean and Laner. The production value is next level. The videos that lead us in are something special and the way the shows are read varies between person to person but each have their massive positives. I really enjoyed myself last night and didn't want the show to end. That's saying nothing about the show, which was incredible.
The infectious enthusiasm that you and Laner show when hosting these events, the energy in which you read the matches.. you specifically from last night Dean seem like you're in an auction house sometimes and it adds layers of excitement, drama and passion. You have this knack of pausing at the right time to let something sit and your additional commentary is funny and entertaining.
The show itself was a blast of great story telling. Angel's plight to ignite the competitors against whatever corruption was afoot was very fun and watching the different character reactions to him was intriguing. I think from reading the character biographies that the right characters were used for the right segments and everything flowed together well.
Overall a really fun show that I didn't want to end.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
I don't want to sound like a homer but I really liked all of them actually. The segment I probably liked the most was the sit down between Vincent and whoever he was talking to. I just loved the dialogue, as it happens. He isn't a nice dude but the way the person set about letting him know how expendable people like him were was quite chilling actually.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- Who was the hooded man that sat down with Hargraves?
- What happens to everyone who fought at The Classic?
- Will we see some of the Classic again?
I stole some of these from Tombstone but they ring true for me. Who was the hooded man? What will the Elders do now? I hope to see a lot of the classic characters again but understand that may not be feasible.
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
I'm disappointed that I couldn't take part in the show but not being on Discord was an issue that has now been resolved. I'll be signing up for future events like this and I'm looking forward to Rise this weekend. A weekend of OSW and WWE is an exciting prospect!
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
There were a few pop moments throughout the night, so I thought I’d list my top 3.
- The opening segment. The description of the scene, the sights and sounds, getting that agora- market showcase feel was really cool. I loved how the scene was set
- Goliath and his massive beil toss – perfect move for him and the way it was described was freaking amazing
- The moment the shit hit the fan. When the voice boomed, and the truth was told. The crowd turning and the army taking charge. Seeing the wrestlers fight to defend the elders was good too. Great moment to cut the story too, utter chaos and Hargreaves revelling in it.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- I’m so interested in what horrors are to follow. Exploring this civil war and how the characters we’ve seen now will feature in that next chapter.
- Will this lead to future special events?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
There were some awesome characters, that it’d be really cool to see explored more as the next chapter of OSW’s and Arcadia’s history get explored further.
TK Whitman has been an idea I’ve wanted to explore for a while, but I’d never see him as a full-time character. The idea of the pressure of Perfectionism is poignant but once explored, it’s done. If anything, it’d be interesting to see what happens now that the perfection streak has been broken.
I really like HOW the streak was broken, the dirty finish. It was well done, liked it!
POP OF THE NIGHT:
The penultimate segment of the night takes it for me. Without that pipe bomb moment from the unknown saviour, Arcadia would be no more and we wouldn’t be where we are now in the present, or at least that’s what we have been led to believe – particularly given Cronus’ inability to refute the accusations.
I particularly liked Vincent Hargraves part in all this. We know him to be a man of ill repute, but he stayed good to his word orchestrating attacks among the titans and instigating further turmoil. There may have been a huge sense of uncertainty and unrest following the revelations of betrayal and manipulation by the top table, but Hargraves, you feel, was instrumental in the hooded figure’s plans to stop the Elders in their tracks so that the people of Arcadia lived to fight another day.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Echoing what has already been said here, but what true horrors are yet to come and how can it be worse than trying to wipeout the Arcadian community?
Also, that hooded figure. Who is he/she, and how were they privy to the Elders’ plans to end Arcadia?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
This was a brilliant throwback to days done by. Whilst there are still huge questions which need answering, we bore witness to the night everything came to a head and have a better understanding of why Arcadia still exists despite the Elders’ plot to destroy it. The subject now remains why.
Why Cronus? You son of a bitch... Tell me why!
POP OF THE NIGHT: The End of Arcadia
Utter fucking chaos! The moment the booming voice turned the crowd against the Elders just felt so massive. Shit went sideways and fast. It looks like the Elder's story is headed towards civil war which should be very interesting.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Who is the hooded figure? Is it Zeus?
- Will the Elders still attempt to end Arcadia?
- Hercules said that Zeus is terrified of him, why is that?
- What real horrors does Zeus speak of?
HAVE YOUR SAY: Man what a fun event this was. It was actually rather nice to write something that didn't have a bit of match focus in it. I had a lot of fun with my promo for The Classic and I hope you all enjoyed it just as much. There was so many characters for this event that were really cool. Everyone has mentioned the scumbag that is Vincent Hargraves, but Goliath, Wally Goldenrod, Angel.. all of these characters quickly gained my interest in them.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
The biggest pop of the night for me was the End of Arcadia. Holy fucking shit, seeing things go from a celebration of all things Arcadia to a Civil War in a matter of a minute was a hell of a scary moment. It really only takes one voice that sees through the bullshit going on to stir up a riot, I guess. It doesn't help that, while we knew that it was going to happen no matter what the results were, we didn't want the war to happen at all. If it hadn't been for that guy in all black, things could've been different. Maybe ending Arcadia wouldn't have been as violent as we all assumed it would've been. But we'll never know now. Add in the fact that things apparently get worse from here? Hoo boy, we're in for a ride and a half.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Why is Zeus apparently so afraid of his son? I'm probably missing a lot in terms of subtle hints in the shows, but we haven't really seen much fear from the ruler of Arcadia, I think.
Who was the man in all black that stirred up a riot and got Vinny H.'s men to help stir the pot? It had to have been someone who knew about the end of Arcadia beforehand, so who currently alive would do such a thing? Zeus? Ares?
Who amongst those that wrestled managed to survive the Civil War and keep their mouths shut throughout all this time? There were quite a colorful cast of characters that I'm sure are long dead by now, but I'm intrigued to see if there was anyone that lived through the war who will eventually return one day.
How will the tale get worse from here on out? When you end a show like that, I become morbidly curious. What could possibly be worse than a Civil War that saw people that wouldn't keep their traps closed about the Elders executed for tattling?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
I'll admit, I was afraid of facing Mike again. I didn't think I had it in me to pull off an 82 Classic and do the impossible twice. So to have gotten such a good showing against him had me pretty surprised, almost making me believe that I had done the impossible. Regardless, it looks like we're getting a rubber match the next time a Classic rolls around, if there will be another one in the next volume or something like that.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
The Real Horror is yet to come
Goddamn just knowing that there's more of this to come. I love the idea that Zeus has been narrating this story the whole night. It makes me anxious for what's next to come. What stories are left to come, I really love these stories of the past with Papa Zeus and Hercules! I cannot wait until we get the next one.
BURNING QUESTIONS: (What questions does the show have you asking after reading?)
- What horror stories will we get from the Civil War?
- What parallels will we get (if any) to the Uprising?
- What was the original exit strategy for the End of Arcadia and does it have anything to do with the Apokalypsis's door?
- Will Zeus have to make the same decision as his father as the days grow longer in Arcadia?
HAVE YOUR SAY: (How did you like your characters portrayal and what are your thoughts on your current storyline? What, if any, improvements could be made?)
I have to say since my hospitalization, I haven't felt a lot of confidence in my work. ALS a character that I had next to no experience with coming out on top was the kick in the pants I needed to bring back a fair deal of my confidence. I would love to hear about what happened to him after the classic, this whole thing was fun as hell to do and work on.
POP OF THE NIGHT: (What was the moment, in segment, that you enjoyed the most and why?)
There's several really good ones, but the one that truly did stick out to me the most was Body Language. Seeing that moment, the shift that Angel was in fact right into his thoughts was a fantastic beginning of escalation, and the implied history between Walter Maslow and Angel was done spectacularly, a history that went unspoken but could be felt for sure. It was a fantastic one that helped really get things started I feel for the whole show, and deserved the shout out!
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Who was the Hooded Man that delivered the truth to the people of Arcadia?
- How many of the Classic's characters survived the chaos and slaughter that came down around them?
-What was the grim fate of the Civil War that's been erased from the annals of Arcadian history?
HAVE YOUR SAY: Honestly it was one hell of a show to sit down and listen to, along with the re-reads. While these characters were new for us all, it was a hoot seeing how they all fitted together. Especially with the end segment, we know there's more to come with the horrors that haven't arrived yet, and I'm honestly hooked to see how that does play out.
POP OF THE NIGHT:
I feel like the easy answer to this is The End of Arcadia because it was such a massive moment and really did a great job at tying together the segments leading up to this. A very cohesive and well written story ending with a suitably cohesive and intriguing segment.
Every segment had some reason to pop, but I'm going to go with The Real Horror is Yet to Come because it means we get to see possibly move of this Civil War playing out with some characters FROM the Classic. I was instantly enamored with the characters so I'm just excited at the possibly of seeing more of them.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Who was the hooded man that caused the riot?
Just who ended up surviving the Civil War and who ended up buried because of it?
What is this 'real horror' if not simply a Civil War?
Where does Angel get his make up from?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
I thought the Classic was an absolute blast to read so I have to say I'm excited to see more of this story unfold. As for Goliath, I loved his portrayal both in his match and his segment. Friend or Foe was excellent and I enjoyed Goliath speaking sparingly and getting straight to the point. It's exactly as I imagined for him.
Also the visual of Angel, Figaro, and Goliath standing together at the end? Superb.