Post by Vivienne Daniels on Jun 21, 2018 1:33:17 GMT
The camera comes on to Vivienne sitting in a white tank top and a pleated white skirt sitting on a bench swing with the ocean behind her.
“Hi IWF, hope you’re keeping cool. The first day of summer and the buildup has been super intense, hasn’t it? Just heat wave to the degree you almost don’t want to go outside, huh? Sort of like the buildup to Bloody Assizes. It’s getting to the point you can’t even walk around backstage without witnessing an attempted murder.”
Viv sighs.
“There’s a lot of good on this card. Seeing an end to whatever has been going on with Gilmore. A return of an old star. The first of the Pax and Nighthawk matches. We get to see Mike and Ulf fight it out. We get to see Xavier and Sandman try to end what’s been going on between them. Some time travel stuff I don’t fully understand and Jessica Reed trying to put a stop to Rowan.”
Viv presses her lips together.
“On a show where the highlight should be the Last Rites match to see who will be given the new championship belt so the women’s division finally has as many belts as the men are being overshadowed by the apocalypse match. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad about that.”
Viv shrugs.
“You know that thing from cartoons? Where the character has a tough choice to make which is represented as an Angel and a demon that pop up on their shoulders? The angel tells them not to lie, does them to be true to themselves and to be forgiving. The devil says to do what feels good, what’s easy, that they shouldn’t try things because it’s too hard.”
Viv takes a deep breath.
“It’s hard not to see that as your pessimistic side and the optimistic side. Even though it’s a cartoon thing I think it bears talking about. Because people see optimism, the angel, as a weakness. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Optimism isn’t terrible. It isn’t being ignorant of how messed up the world is. It’s not ignoring the terrible things in the world. It isn’t putting on rose-colored glasses and coloring in unicorns hoping the world gets its act together. Because it won’t. Optimism, positivity, kindness isn’t easy. It’s about seeing there is a struggle but knowing you can get through it. Knowing you are strong enough to get through it.”
Viv gives the camera a smile.
“No one is positive all the time. We all have down days. We all sometimes listen to the bad impulses. Maybe it’s giving in to a petty idea despite knowing it’s not healthy. But I do think overall people are good.”
Viv tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“And people are going to do things that justify your pessimistic side. They are going to hurt you in ways that feels like it will never heal right. And sometimes maybe you will hurt someone too. But you have to acknowledge that hurting someone is like throwing a plate to the ground. You can’t just say you’re sorry and fix the plate. You have to work to make it better. If you don’t? Well, then it’s only going to get more broken.”
Viv looks down at her feet.
“I know now might not seem like the time to bring this up but given everything I think it’s the perfect time. We have a literal war going on. Factions forming, factions fighting each other to the point security can’t even contain it. You want to notice what almost all of them have in common?”
Viv looks back up at the camera.
“They are about giving into the darker impulses. The Pack, Age of Gods, Best Friends Club, and Infamously Bueno. What do they have in common? They are all about pain. They are about hurting people. They are about just being a giant jerk and thinking you're better than everyone.”
Viv pushes against the sand with her feet so the bench swings.
“Which is why I accepted your challenge, Maxine. I know you thought a vague threat in my direction while you were preparing for a different match was a long shot but I’ve been clear. I’ll accept any challenge given to me on this belt. Did you think I’d back down from facing you? Everything your faction stands for means we have to stand up to you. I have to stand up to you.”
“Sorry again that I’m late,” Viv said as she rushed to the table Shea was sitting at with the drinks sitting on the table waiting.
“Was about to call to see if something happened,” Shea smiled. “Though, can kind of tell what made you late…”
Viv felt her neck heat up. “He distracted me.”
“do I want to know?” Shea smiled.
“I was worried and he deflected with checking in on me and then things got, you know, out of hand.” Viv gestured vaguely. “Thanks for inviting me out. I’m normally super on time.”
“Figured we could both use it?” Shea shrugged. “How are you doing?’
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Viv asked.
“Deflecting.” Shea took a sip of her drink.
“I’m fighting The Pack. Last time that happened things didn’t end well. Like, I made my roommate go stay with my mom just in case. Xavier… Well, he insists he’s fine.”
“He’s a big strong man. I’m sure he can handle himself.”
“I worry anyway.” Viv shrugged. “With everything you’ve gone through lately I seriously should be asking how you are. I can’t imagine the answer is ‘great’.”
“One day at a time.” Shea shrugged. “I let myself mourn. I’m handling it as best I can.”
“I’m sorry, again.”
“You had nothing to do with that, Viv.”
Viv fidgeted with the bracelet that Xavier gave her. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Ciara is her own person. What she does isn’t your fault. Blaming yourself only gives her power to manipulate you.”
“I should have stepped in. I don’t know. I mean, you stepped in when Fiona said that stuff to me.”
“We’ve both had some rough stuff happen. I’m just done pretending everything that doesn’t impact me personally doesn’t matter.”
Viv nodded in agreement, “Still thank you for stepping in.”
“I saw she apologized to you with a camera crew…”
“Yeah.” Viv sighed.
“Do you believe her?”
“How am I meant to? She fully admitted there’s a demon inside her. How do I trust anything she said?”
“Or if it’s just an excuse not to take responsibility for her actions. She’s good at that.”
“Am I terrible? Like… there was a demon and maybe she had no control, I guess, but it was such a casual and hurtful backhanded thing to say in the first place. I have to forgive her, don’t I?”
“She didn’t just insult you. She insulted me too. She insulted everyone who the Pack has mentally manipulated. She victim blamed all of us for not being good enough to withstand it.”
“I should have said that.” Viv sighed. “I worry about hurting people’s feelings and coming off mean.”
“There’s a difference between being nice and being a doormat. Trust me.” Shea grinned. “Learned that the hard way.”
“Yeah but you’re amazing.”
Shea laughed, “Thanks.”
Viv tasted her drink. “Oh wow this is amazing.”
“Stronger than it tastes. Careful.” Shea grinned.
“Thanks.” Viv nodded.
“So there was an alternative motive for me asking you out for a drink.”
“Oh? It’s not going to be something I’m going to owe Xavier money for is it?”
Shea laughed, “I can only assume the kind of thing he’d assume.”
“Sorry, derailed.”
“No, you’re fine.” Shea smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about the hashtag I used the other day.”
“Really? What about it?”
“It’s hard not to think about how things went last year. At least for me. We had been in a couple matches together. Each one of those matches ended the same way. You beating me. Even if I wasn’t the girl to get pinned, I had bruises you caused. It came to a head last year during Extinction Event. You kidnapped someone I considered closer than a best friend, more like a sister and left her on a building for me to find.”
Viv closes her eyes taking a breath.
“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t affect me. I had tried to take a stand against The Pack and not only had I lost but you’d hurt someone close to me. I’d stumbled. I’d backed off. I gave up. The nightmares from Rowan was one thing but you’d put your hands on her. I was mad, I was angry, I was terrified. I thought that if I simply let The Pack do what it was clearly wanting to do everything was okay. I didn’t try to come for you.”
Viv plays with a bracelet on her wrist.
“That was a mistake. I get that now. I shouldn’t have given up that easily.”
Viv looks back at the camera.
“Because by doing that I gave you just what you had wanted, right? The point of everything The Pack does is to convince everyone to be too scared to stand up. That’s how you live your life, Maxine. You make threats. You beat the crap out of every girl who is misfortunate enough to share a ring with you.”
Viv pushes the swing.
“I’m not going to do you the disservice of trying to appeal to your human nature. You buy into the cult hook line and sinker. You reveal in your imperfections. You like seeing yourself as the monster. You like viewing yourself as the protector of your little found family. And maybe it does give you things you didn’t have before. I can’t speak for what they may or may not be doing for you.”
Viv shakes her head.
“But what you’re doing is wrong. What you are doing is giving in to all your bad impulses. You’re a bad person Maxine. Before when we fought it was just matches or me trying desperately trying to make an impact. But that’s not the case this time. I have this belt. I am trying to make it a better belt. I’m trying to wipe out all of the evil off of this belt. I’m making a legacy. I might not letting you take all of my hard work and throwing it in the trash.”
Viv gets a determined look on her face.
“I’m not going to allow it. I’m going to do what I should have done a long time ago. I’m going to beat you.”
Viv points to her heart.
“I know I’ve never beaten you. I know the last time we did this dance you threw me around the ring like I was nothing. You practically destroyed me. But the belt was on the other person at that time. By the time we meet each other in the ring, it will be 120 days that I’ve held Open Weight. You will be my 7th defense. Because this will be a defense, Maxine. It might take everything I have to do it but I’m not giving up to you again.”
“Hi IWF, hope you’re keeping cool. The first day of summer and the buildup has been super intense, hasn’t it? Just heat wave to the degree you almost don’t want to go outside, huh? Sort of like the buildup to Bloody Assizes. It’s getting to the point you can’t even walk around backstage without witnessing an attempted murder.”
Viv sighs.
“There’s a lot of good on this card. Seeing an end to whatever has been going on with Gilmore. A return of an old star. The first of the Pax and Nighthawk matches. We get to see Mike and Ulf fight it out. We get to see Xavier and Sandman try to end what’s been going on between them. Some time travel stuff I don’t fully understand and Jessica Reed trying to put a stop to Rowan.”
Viv presses her lips together.
“On a show where the highlight should be the Last Rites match to see who will be given the new championship belt so the women’s division finally has as many belts as the men are being overshadowed by the apocalypse match. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad about that.”
Viv shrugs.
“You know that thing from cartoons? Where the character has a tough choice to make which is represented as an Angel and a demon that pop up on their shoulders? The angel tells them not to lie, does them to be true to themselves and to be forgiving. The devil says to do what feels good, what’s easy, that they shouldn’t try things because it’s too hard.”
Viv takes a deep breath.
“It’s hard not to see that as your pessimistic side and the optimistic side. Even though it’s a cartoon thing I think it bears talking about. Because people see optimism, the angel, as a weakness. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Optimism isn’t terrible. It isn’t being ignorant of how messed up the world is. It’s not ignoring the terrible things in the world. It isn’t putting on rose-colored glasses and coloring in unicorns hoping the world gets its act together. Because it won’t. Optimism, positivity, kindness isn’t easy. It’s about seeing there is a struggle but knowing you can get through it. Knowing you are strong enough to get through it.”
Viv gives the camera a smile.
“No one is positive all the time. We all have down days. We all sometimes listen to the bad impulses. Maybe it’s giving in to a petty idea despite knowing it’s not healthy. But I do think overall people are good.”
Viv tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“And people are going to do things that justify your pessimistic side. They are going to hurt you in ways that feels like it will never heal right. And sometimes maybe you will hurt someone too. But you have to acknowledge that hurting someone is like throwing a plate to the ground. You can’t just say you’re sorry and fix the plate. You have to work to make it better. If you don’t? Well, then it’s only going to get more broken.”
Viv looks down at her feet.
“I know now might not seem like the time to bring this up but given everything I think it’s the perfect time. We have a literal war going on. Factions forming, factions fighting each other to the point security can’t even contain it. You want to notice what almost all of them have in common?”
Viv looks back up at the camera.
“They are about giving into the darker impulses. The Pack, Age of Gods, Best Friends Club, and Infamously Bueno. What do they have in common? They are all about pain. They are about hurting people. They are about just being a giant jerk and thinking you're better than everyone.”
Viv pushes against the sand with her feet so the bench swings.
“Which is why I accepted your challenge, Maxine. I know you thought a vague threat in my direction while you were preparing for a different match was a long shot but I’ve been clear. I’ll accept any challenge given to me on this belt. Did you think I’d back down from facing you? Everything your faction stands for means we have to stand up to you. I have to stand up to you.”
“Sorry again that I’m late,” Viv said as she rushed to the table Shea was sitting at with the drinks sitting on the table waiting.
“Was about to call to see if something happened,” Shea smiled. “Though, can kind of tell what made you late…”
Viv felt her neck heat up. “He distracted me.”
“do I want to know?” Shea smiled.
“I was worried and he deflected with checking in on me and then things got, you know, out of hand.” Viv gestured vaguely. “Thanks for inviting me out. I’m normally super on time.”
“Figured we could both use it?” Shea shrugged. “How are you doing?’
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Viv asked.
“Deflecting.” Shea took a sip of her drink.
“I’m fighting The Pack. Last time that happened things didn’t end well. Like, I made my roommate go stay with my mom just in case. Xavier… Well, he insists he’s fine.”
“He’s a big strong man. I’m sure he can handle himself.”
“I worry anyway.” Viv shrugged. “With everything you’ve gone through lately I seriously should be asking how you are. I can’t imagine the answer is ‘great’.”
“One day at a time.” Shea shrugged. “I let myself mourn. I’m handling it as best I can.”
“I’m sorry, again.”
“You had nothing to do with that, Viv.”
Viv fidgeted with the bracelet that Xavier gave her. “I’m not sure that’s true.”
“Ciara is her own person. What she does isn’t your fault. Blaming yourself only gives her power to manipulate you.”
“I should have stepped in. I don’t know. I mean, you stepped in when Fiona said that stuff to me.”
“We’ve both had some rough stuff happen. I’m just done pretending everything that doesn’t impact me personally doesn’t matter.”
Viv nodded in agreement, “Still thank you for stepping in.”
“I saw she apologized to you with a camera crew…”
“Yeah.” Viv sighed.
“Do you believe her?”
“How am I meant to? She fully admitted there’s a demon inside her. How do I trust anything she said?”
“Or if it’s just an excuse not to take responsibility for her actions. She’s good at that.”
“Am I terrible? Like… there was a demon and maybe she had no control, I guess, but it was such a casual and hurtful backhanded thing to say in the first place. I have to forgive her, don’t I?”
“She didn’t just insult you. She insulted me too. She insulted everyone who the Pack has mentally manipulated. She victim blamed all of us for not being good enough to withstand it.”
“I should have said that.” Viv sighed. “I worry about hurting people’s feelings and coming off mean.”
“There’s a difference between being nice and being a doormat. Trust me.” Shea grinned. “Learned that the hard way.”
“Yeah but you’re amazing.”
Shea laughed, “Thanks.”
Viv tasted her drink. “Oh wow this is amazing.”
“Stronger than it tastes. Careful.” Shea grinned.
“Thanks.” Viv nodded.
“So there was an alternative motive for me asking you out for a drink.”
“Oh? It’s not going to be something I’m going to owe Xavier money for is it?”
Shea laughed, “I can only assume the kind of thing he’d assume.”
“Sorry, derailed.”
“No, you’re fine.” Shea smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about the hashtag I used the other day.”
“Really? What about it?”
“It’s hard not to think about how things went last year. At least for me. We had been in a couple matches together. Each one of those matches ended the same way. You beating me. Even if I wasn’t the girl to get pinned, I had bruises you caused. It came to a head last year during Extinction Event. You kidnapped someone I considered closer than a best friend, more like a sister and left her on a building for me to find.”
Viv closes her eyes taking a breath.
“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t affect me. I had tried to take a stand against The Pack and not only had I lost but you’d hurt someone close to me. I’d stumbled. I’d backed off. I gave up. The nightmares from Rowan was one thing but you’d put your hands on her. I was mad, I was angry, I was terrified. I thought that if I simply let The Pack do what it was clearly wanting to do everything was okay. I didn’t try to come for you.”
Viv plays with a bracelet on her wrist.
“That was a mistake. I get that now. I shouldn’t have given up that easily.”
Viv looks back at the camera.
“Because by doing that I gave you just what you had wanted, right? The point of everything The Pack does is to convince everyone to be too scared to stand up. That’s how you live your life, Maxine. You make threats. You beat the crap out of every girl who is misfortunate enough to share a ring with you.”
Viv pushes the swing.
“I’m not going to do you the disservice of trying to appeal to your human nature. You buy into the cult hook line and sinker. You reveal in your imperfections. You like seeing yourself as the monster. You like viewing yourself as the protector of your little found family. And maybe it does give you things you didn’t have before. I can’t speak for what they may or may not be doing for you.”
Viv shakes her head.
“But what you’re doing is wrong. What you are doing is giving in to all your bad impulses. You’re a bad person Maxine. Before when we fought it was just matches or me trying desperately trying to make an impact. But that’s not the case this time. I have this belt. I am trying to make it a better belt. I’m trying to wipe out all of the evil off of this belt. I’m making a legacy. I might not letting you take all of my hard work and throwing it in the trash.”
Viv gets a determined look on her face.
“I’m not going to allow it. I’m going to do what I should have done a long time ago. I’m going to beat you.”
Viv points to her heart.
“I know I’ve never beaten you. I know the last time we did this dance you threw me around the ring like I was nothing. You practically destroyed me. But the belt was on the other person at that time. By the time we meet each other in the ring, it will be 120 days that I’ve held Open Weight. You will be my 7th defense. Because this will be a defense, Maxine. It might take everything I have to do it but I’m not giving up to you again.”
Well howdy there pardner.