Post by Vivienne Daniels on Feb 24, 2018 6:12:41 GMT
The camera starts with Viv sitting on the windowsill with the sun setting behind her. She’s wearing a pale blue dress.
“Danger Zone is going to be amazing! Have you seen the card? It’s chock full of all kinds of exciting matches for those of us on the Diamond’s division. There are women fighting for a shot at the Diamond’s belt. And there are the four of us in a match to see if we can win the Shield Maiden belt.”
Viv moves her hair behind her ears.
“This is an amazing moment in women’s wrestling in the IWF. This is a fantastic moment to be included in a match of this kind. Rayne just got the belt back from Astrid. It’s anyone’s game to see how this could go down.”
Viv smiles warmly.
“I know 2018 hasn’t specifically gone according to my plans. I promised myself it was going to go better and this match is my chance to really fulfill that promise. I won my match against Gabbi and Fiona. I lost against Crystal. Abigail and I sort of…Well, we both got counted out. Not perfect but hey, I think am going to turn things around.”
Viv nods.
“The Shield Maiden belt got tarnished with Maxine’s disrespect. Shea had the belt for a time after beating Eternity before Maxine but she got it all dark and gloomy again. I know this is the belt that I want. I know it has to be defended constantly. I know it’s the hardest belt to keep out of all the belts the IWF has.”
Viv shrugs with a smile.
“Sure, the boys have match stipulations attached to theirs but they can wait to defend their belt until it’s a pay per view time. The boys with belts can waste time with fighting amongst themselves without having to put their belt on the line.”
Viv puts a hand to her heart.
“Not disrespecting anyone who holds one of the boy belts just pointing out the unbalanced way the Shield Maiden belt exists on a path of its own. Almost every match the holder of this belt has is defending the belt. It’s twice the work of the Diamond’s belt. Brooklyn doesn’t even have to defend her belt this week. She gets to sit on the outside drinking cocoa while she watches people fight for the chance to face her.”
Viv closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
“I am putting my all into this match. It’s the hardest working belt in the company and I want a chance to hold it. Regardless of how long you hold it, the fact you even earn it is a marvel. I want to see my name there. I want it so much I can practically taste it.”
Viv had barely had a chance to start drying her hair from the shower before she heard a knock at the door. She paused only long enough to yell, “JUST A SECOND” before grabbing the hotel bathrobe off the back of the door. She hoped to hold it closed was good enough as she unlocked her door and opened the door.
“Afternoon, Packages came for you downstairs.” The man advised handing a large box and a small box to her.
“Oh. Um, thanks.” Viv took them one-handed before closing the door.
She went to the bed opening the first package. Inside was a red dress, a bottle of wine, and a card whose interior inscription was simply "Treat yo self - Cals". Viv opened the second smaller box she saw a matching set of underwear she definitely would not have gotten herself. The card had a vague note of ‘Trust me. -Dawn’.
Viv pulled out her phone and dialed Ciara’s number.
“You better not be having a crisis right now. Very specific instructions were given.” Ciara said on the other end.
“I was about to ask why you didn’t send one. Guess it’s late?” Viv smiled looking at the contents in front of her. “I should have tipped the bellboy more.”
“Trust me when I tell you it goes with your outfit. You are going to wear it right?”
“For a fancy birthday lunch by myself? A little overboard.”
“Vivienne Yael Rodgers.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll wear the dress.” Viv sighed setting the robe aside. “Bossy.”
“Love you too.”
Viv made a face at her phone when she saw a text message waiting.
‘What are you up to?’
‘Getting dressed then lunch. You?’
‘sleep in?’
‘Shower after my morning run.’ Viv smiled at her phone before slipping on her underwear and the dress.
‘You’re spending the time in Mexico and all you’ve done is work out and sleep.’
‘I’m unsupervised. I can do what I want’, Viv grabbed a purse and tucked her phone into a small purse and opened the door to stop dead.
“…Hi.”
“Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you. Um...When you asked what I was doing…”
“In the lobby.”
“That’s cheating.” Viv smiled at him. “…How did you get here?”
“One of your roommates sent me your room number.”
“Do you want to come in or do you have a room?”
“Do I need my own room?” Xavier smiled, and her heart flipped.
“Not if you play your cards right.” Viv grinned.
“I did promise your roommate to take you out to lunch.”
“I should technically eat.” Viv agreed.
“I also owe you a drink.”
“I have a bottle of wine in the room. Room service could be ordered…”
"You're going to get me in so much trouble, you know that?"
"It's my birthday. I think I'm allowed one a year?"
“I know I come into this a little disadvantaged. Rayne has kicked my butt. Crystal has kicked my butt. Abagail and I got counted out just last week. I have to work my self twice as hard as I normally would. This is my chance and I’m not wasting it.”
Viv brushes her dress slightly over her knees.
“I’m not stupid. I know that I’m sort of viewed as the easy target. In a fatal four way where it’s everyone for herself to pin whoever they can first. I must seem the easy choice. Abigail is vicious. Crystal is having a career resurgence. Rayne’s a legend. I’m the pastry who can put on a good match but doesn’t have the teeth to finish the job, right?”
Viv takes a beat before continuing.
“Too happy and soft to be able to handle a serious belt like the Shield Maiden, right? And… Yeah, I know that. But here’s the thing about being positive and kind? It’s not an easy thing.”
Viv looks off camera.
“It’s easier to just say all the petty and bitter things that might pop into your head. It’s easier to just let all the bad things in the word just fill up your head. I’m not saying to just hide in your closest and shut out all the bad things and pretend it’s okay. Avoiding your problems doesn’t make them better. But facing them? Facing them and not letting the badness get you down to its level has a strength in it too. There’s a bravery in it.”
Viv gives the camera a hard look.
“I don’t think being kind makes me better than anyone and I don’t hate anyone. I can honestly say out of all the women in the company I only really think two are evil. Kindness isn’t easy when things get hard when the world goes out of its way to make things hard, when your life isn’t how you hoped it would be.”
Viv half smiles.
“That’s one of the reasons this match means so much to me. I want to prove you can make it in this business without turning to the dark side. I’ve been told my whole life that I couldn’t make it here because I wasn’t hard enough, I wasn’t mean enough, that I was too kind.”
Viv giggles.
“I’m not ignorant of all the things said about me but…”
Viv puts a hand to her heart again.
“I get back up. I hear all those things but I don’t let it dull my sparkle. I might not have the career other women have. My skills aren’t limited by that. No one’s skills are. I like who I am. I like waking up in the morning and seeing myself in the mirror. Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Viv leans forward.
“Crystal. I get it. I do. I’m sorry. I’m sorry you think the only way to get people to remember you is by turning your back on your progress to redeem yourself. I’ve never gone through what you have. It’s not my place to judge. I hope what you are doing, the changes your making, I hope they make you happy. I hope you don’t regret them. I’m sorry for the way everyone has been treating you. I was wrong. I hope someday you can forgive me for that.”
Viv frowns.
“I admit I underestimated you last time. I didn’t expect the way you’d come for me. You kicked my butt. Your career is on an upswing. Whatever your doing is clearly working. But I’m not going to underestimate you again. I’m going to be better prepared this time. It won’t be easy but I am positive I can beat you this time.”
Viv stretches.
“Abagail. The last match was amazing. You brought the A game and really put me through the paces. Your time off has really done wonders for you. There is no doubt in my mind you are going to be tearing through the diamonds division really soon. I look forward to a lot of matches with you in the future.”
Viv gives the camera two thumbs up.
“You are not the joke. You are an amazingly strong and determined woman. You hit hard as a truck. I think we both want this belt just as much. You want to prove yourself. You want to show the whole world that your family name is something to behold. We are kinda similar in that way, don’t you think? I want this belt more than anything too. I hope you can let go of some of that anger. I know spite can be a motivator but it can also poison you just as quick. I don’t want you to see enemies where there could be friends.”
Viv crosses her legs.
“Rayne…”
Viv bites her lip.
“Rayne. Boy, this is tough.”
Viv takes a deep breath.
“Last time we saw each other in the ring it was for the match to qualify for Survival of the Fittest. You will always be my hero. You did things for women in wrestling that no one can ever take away from you. You will always be an inspiration.”
Viv smiles brightly.
“I love you and everything you’ve done in the past. The things you’ve still done to this day… You made public reports of the sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood. How could you not be an inspiration?”
Viv twirls her hair between her fingers.
“Well, mostly all the ways you use negativity in ways you think helps people. You take dreams of people who face you and throw them into a blender and press frappe. You enjoy hurting people with your words, knocking them to the ground, spitting in their faces and reminding them that they will never be good enough. I get it is meant to be motivation. I get it’s meant to make us climb out of the mud and prove you wrong.”
Viv sighs.
“I’m honest with myself enough to know the stuff you said about me in our first match crushed me. Hard. But I get it. You've been through hell, broken glass and barbed wire to get where you are. You had to become hard and jaded to succeed. You had to be a tough as nails hard-ass bitch mixed with a Mean Girl to not be pushed aside like so many other women from my childhood who’ve been more or less forgotten to time.”
Viv nods sadly.
“But times are changing. Women in wrestling don’t have to be like that anymore. People, in general, are allowed to be soft. People are allowed to believe in the good in people. There’s no longer a need to make yourself an armor out of anger. The world is kind of a mess, but we can make a difference by just finding a way to be kind and soft to each other. You’re my problematic fav, Rayne, but you’re still my hero.”
Viv looks into the camera with determination.
“So! This match for this belt? Going to be amazing. We are all going to be putting our all into it. This is the time. This is the place. History in the making. This is me. I’m never going to stop fighting and I never settle for second best. I’m going to do something spectacular. I’m going to win the Shield Maiden belt or at least make it hard as hell to beat me.”
Viv winks with a smile before the camera feed ends.
“Danger Zone is going to be amazing! Have you seen the card? It’s chock full of all kinds of exciting matches for those of us on the Diamond’s division. There are women fighting for a shot at the Diamond’s belt. And there are the four of us in a match to see if we can win the Shield Maiden belt.”
Viv moves her hair behind her ears.
“This is an amazing moment in women’s wrestling in the IWF. This is a fantastic moment to be included in a match of this kind. Rayne just got the belt back from Astrid. It’s anyone’s game to see how this could go down.”
Viv smiles warmly.
“I know 2018 hasn’t specifically gone according to my plans. I promised myself it was going to go better and this match is my chance to really fulfill that promise. I won my match against Gabbi and Fiona. I lost against Crystal. Abigail and I sort of…Well, we both got counted out. Not perfect but hey, I think am going to turn things around.”
Viv nods.
“The Shield Maiden belt got tarnished with Maxine’s disrespect. Shea had the belt for a time after beating Eternity before Maxine but she got it all dark and gloomy again. I know this is the belt that I want. I know it has to be defended constantly. I know it’s the hardest belt to keep out of all the belts the IWF has.”
Viv shrugs with a smile.
“Sure, the boys have match stipulations attached to theirs but they can wait to defend their belt until it’s a pay per view time. The boys with belts can waste time with fighting amongst themselves without having to put their belt on the line.”
Viv puts a hand to her heart.
“Not disrespecting anyone who holds one of the boy belts just pointing out the unbalanced way the Shield Maiden belt exists on a path of its own. Almost every match the holder of this belt has is defending the belt. It’s twice the work of the Diamond’s belt. Brooklyn doesn’t even have to defend her belt this week. She gets to sit on the outside drinking cocoa while she watches people fight for the chance to face her.”
Viv closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
“I am putting my all into this match. It’s the hardest working belt in the company and I want a chance to hold it. Regardless of how long you hold it, the fact you even earn it is a marvel. I want to see my name there. I want it so much I can practically taste it.”
Viv had barely had a chance to start drying her hair from the shower before she heard a knock at the door. She paused only long enough to yell, “JUST A SECOND” before grabbing the hotel bathrobe off the back of the door. She hoped to hold it closed was good enough as she unlocked her door and opened the door.
“Afternoon, Packages came for you downstairs.” The man advised handing a large box and a small box to her.
“Oh. Um, thanks.” Viv took them one-handed before closing the door.
She went to the bed opening the first package. Inside was a red dress, a bottle of wine, and a card whose interior inscription was simply "Treat yo self - Cals". Viv opened the second smaller box she saw a matching set of underwear she definitely would not have gotten herself. The card had a vague note of ‘Trust me. -Dawn’.
Viv pulled out her phone and dialed Ciara’s number.
“You better not be having a crisis right now. Very specific instructions were given.” Ciara said on the other end.
“I was about to ask why you didn’t send one. Guess it’s late?” Viv smiled looking at the contents in front of her. “I should have tipped the bellboy more.”
“Trust me when I tell you it goes with your outfit. You are going to wear it right?”
“For a fancy birthday lunch by myself? A little overboard.”
“Vivienne Yael Rodgers.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll wear the dress.” Viv sighed setting the robe aside. “Bossy.”
“Love you too.”
Viv made a face at her phone when she saw a text message waiting.
‘What are you up to?’
‘Getting dressed then lunch. You?’
‘sleep in?’
‘Shower after my morning run.’ Viv smiled at her phone before slipping on her underwear and the dress.
‘You’re spending the time in Mexico and all you’ve done is work out and sleep.’
‘I’m unsupervised. I can do what I want’, Viv grabbed a purse and tucked her phone into a small purse and opened the door to stop dead.
“…Hi.”
“Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you. Um...When you asked what I was doing…”
“In the lobby.”
“That’s cheating.” Viv smiled at him. “…How did you get here?”
“One of your roommates sent me your room number.”
“Do you want to come in or do you have a room?”
“Do I need my own room?” Xavier smiled, and her heart flipped.
“Not if you play your cards right.” Viv grinned.
“I did promise your roommate to take you out to lunch.”
“I should technically eat.” Viv agreed.
“I also owe you a drink.”
“I have a bottle of wine in the room. Room service could be ordered…”
"You're going to get me in so much trouble, you know that?"
"It's my birthday. I think I'm allowed one a year?"
“I know I come into this a little disadvantaged. Rayne has kicked my butt. Crystal has kicked my butt. Abagail and I got counted out just last week. I have to work my self twice as hard as I normally would. This is my chance and I’m not wasting it.”
Viv brushes her dress slightly over her knees.
“I’m not stupid. I know that I’m sort of viewed as the easy target. In a fatal four way where it’s everyone for herself to pin whoever they can first. I must seem the easy choice. Abigail is vicious. Crystal is having a career resurgence. Rayne’s a legend. I’m the pastry who can put on a good match but doesn’t have the teeth to finish the job, right?”
Viv takes a beat before continuing.
“Too happy and soft to be able to handle a serious belt like the Shield Maiden, right? And… Yeah, I know that. But here’s the thing about being positive and kind? It’s not an easy thing.”
Viv looks off camera.
“It’s easier to just say all the petty and bitter things that might pop into your head. It’s easier to just let all the bad things in the word just fill up your head. I’m not saying to just hide in your closest and shut out all the bad things and pretend it’s okay. Avoiding your problems doesn’t make them better. But facing them? Facing them and not letting the badness get you down to its level has a strength in it too. There’s a bravery in it.”
Viv gives the camera a hard look.
“I don’t think being kind makes me better than anyone and I don’t hate anyone. I can honestly say out of all the women in the company I only really think two are evil. Kindness isn’t easy when things get hard when the world goes out of its way to make things hard, when your life isn’t how you hoped it would be.”
Viv half smiles.
“That’s one of the reasons this match means so much to me. I want to prove you can make it in this business without turning to the dark side. I’ve been told my whole life that I couldn’t make it here because I wasn’t hard enough, I wasn’t mean enough, that I was too kind.”
Viv giggles.
“I’m not ignorant of all the things said about me but…”
Viv puts a hand to her heart again.
“I get back up. I hear all those things but I don’t let it dull my sparkle. I might not have the career other women have. My skills aren’t limited by that. No one’s skills are. I like who I am. I like waking up in the morning and seeing myself in the mirror. Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Viv leans forward.
“Crystal. I get it. I do. I’m sorry. I’m sorry you think the only way to get people to remember you is by turning your back on your progress to redeem yourself. I’ve never gone through what you have. It’s not my place to judge. I hope what you are doing, the changes your making, I hope they make you happy. I hope you don’t regret them. I’m sorry for the way everyone has been treating you. I was wrong. I hope someday you can forgive me for that.”
Viv frowns.
“I admit I underestimated you last time. I didn’t expect the way you’d come for me. You kicked my butt. Your career is on an upswing. Whatever your doing is clearly working. But I’m not going to underestimate you again. I’m going to be better prepared this time. It won’t be easy but I am positive I can beat you this time.”
Viv stretches.
“Abagail. The last match was amazing. You brought the A game and really put me through the paces. Your time off has really done wonders for you. There is no doubt in my mind you are going to be tearing through the diamonds division really soon. I look forward to a lot of matches with you in the future.”
Viv gives the camera two thumbs up.
“You are not the joke. You are an amazingly strong and determined woman. You hit hard as a truck. I think we both want this belt just as much. You want to prove yourself. You want to show the whole world that your family name is something to behold. We are kinda similar in that way, don’t you think? I want this belt more than anything too. I hope you can let go of some of that anger. I know spite can be a motivator but it can also poison you just as quick. I don’t want you to see enemies where there could be friends.”
Viv crosses her legs.
“Rayne…”
Viv bites her lip.
“Rayne. Boy, this is tough.”
Viv takes a deep breath.
“Last time we saw each other in the ring it was for the match to qualify for Survival of the Fittest. You will always be my hero. You did things for women in wrestling that no one can ever take away from you. You will always be an inspiration.”
Viv smiles brightly.
“I love you and everything you’ve done in the past. The things you’ve still done to this day… You made public reports of the sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood. How could you not be an inspiration?”
Viv twirls her hair between her fingers.
“Well, mostly all the ways you use negativity in ways you think helps people. You take dreams of people who face you and throw them into a blender and press frappe. You enjoy hurting people with your words, knocking them to the ground, spitting in their faces and reminding them that they will never be good enough. I get it is meant to be motivation. I get it’s meant to make us climb out of the mud and prove you wrong.”
Viv sighs.
“I’m honest with myself enough to know the stuff you said about me in our first match crushed me. Hard. But I get it. You've been through hell, broken glass and barbed wire to get where you are. You had to become hard and jaded to succeed. You had to be a tough as nails hard-ass bitch mixed with a Mean Girl to not be pushed aside like so many other women from my childhood who’ve been more or less forgotten to time.”
Viv nods sadly.
“But times are changing. Women in wrestling don’t have to be like that anymore. People, in general, are allowed to be soft. People are allowed to believe in the good in people. There’s no longer a need to make yourself an armor out of anger. The world is kind of a mess, but we can make a difference by just finding a way to be kind and soft to each other. You’re my problematic fav, Rayne, but you’re still my hero.”
Viv looks into the camera with determination.
“So! This match for this belt? Going to be amazing. We are all going to be putting our all into it. This is the time. This is the place. History in the making. This is me. I’m never going to stop fighting and I never settle for second best. I’m going to do something spectacular. I’m going to win the Shield Maiden belt or at least make it hard as hell to beat me.”
Viv winks with a smile before the camera feed ends.
Well howdy there pardner.