Post by Caroline Machado on Oct 30, 2023 5:19:36 GMT
"Hi!!!"
Caroline Machado sat down at her computer at her Arlington, Texas home, taking in the ambiance around her. It hat been raining for the past several days in North Texas, leaving her to listen to the sounds of water hitting the roop as the weather started to turn colder. The first throes of autumn were taking shape in the house as Caroline had it decorated with Halloween gear, preparing herself for an influx of trick-or-treaters that might brave the weather and stop by.
She was looking to get ready for the occation herself, planning to dress up in her favorite red miniskirt uniform as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. She even had fake pointy ears and a black wig on standby, ready to be worn when the time was right. Halloween was, oddly enough, her favorite time of the year -- a time in which she could partake in listening to scary stories and urban legands from years past.
Whether or not they were actually true was irrelevant, at least in her mind.
"Being in the ring with five other challngers is going to be very intense!
When I used to play volleyball, I was often coached on the fact that you never knew where the ball was gonna travel. It could go left, it could go right, it could hit the ceiling and go straight down, or it could fly into the stands! No matter how hard you hit it, the ball is gonna have a mind of its own! So when I find out I'm gonna face the likes of HIJOU, Virginia, Itami, Charlotte, and Dawn, I keep reminding myself of what I was taught back in college.
That everything is not prectable!
It's amazing, isn't it? Being in the unknown, having to face said unknown with open arms?! It's what drives me to compete at my abolute best, to treat EVERY match like it's for the Women's World title. I've often found myself struggling more than I've succeeded, but I truly believe that we are at our best when we fail, when that strange bounce doesn't go our way. In my time at Imperial, I've learned that there was a fine line between confidence and pure ego, that we often resort to portraying ourselves as these 'loarger than life, morally superior' figures that strive to tear down those percieved as weak.
As I understand it?
That is the whole connotation behind 'survival of the fittest.'
Time and time again, I've often heard the same criticism: 'Caroline, you're too SOFT! You're too KIND! You're too DEMURE to succeed in this business!' I get it, though...the name of this sport is to hurt one another -- and be ready to get hurt yourself. When I fail at something, it's all on me. I have no excuses, no regrets, no ill will against anyone I've ever faced.
Being the only former Women's World Champion in this field, the climb to get that title back hasn't been an easy one -- nor will it BE easy. It's meant to be demanding, and along the way you're gonna find yourself being knocked down over and over. Facing Brooklyn several weeks ago, I know that feeling very well. Do you, alll of you?! When you've had this desire to become Women's World Champion, often ask yourselves 'why' after a loss?
Why did it have to happen?
Why did I do this or that wrong?
Truth is, you can't answer those questions right away. That's the reason why you keep training, pushing yourself to finally make to that big dance ahead of you! If Virginia or Charlotte were to win this match? Or HIJOU or Itami or Dawn?! It would be because the bounces went their way -- nothing more, nothing less. That won't make the rest of us who DIDN'T win this match 'lesser' than those who won, okay?
Moments like this match? They are bigger than any of us put together."
For Caroline often considered them to be cautionary tales on what the world is like in 2023.
The Brazilian's cheerful and optimistic disposition helped her cope with the constant barrage of news stories from all parts of the globe. War was raging in the Middle East. Anti-semitism was on the rise worldwide. People from both sides of the political aisle were sniping at each other, often using words and ideas to help shape a certain narrative. Through it all, Caroline often shook her head as she watched the destruction unfold in front of her eyes, pondering the same basic question as the crews of the starships featured on her favorite TV franchise.
Why?
Why must certain people percieve themselves as morally superior to others?
Much like Archer, Kirk, or Picard...Caroline couldn't come up with an answer right away. She often posed that, no matter what she could attempt to do, it wasn't going to make things better overnight. The scars left behind were always going to be there, much like the scars on her face from two years of countless battles. The captains of those famours crews never stood on their laurels and let Humanity simply wither and die. They were explorers, often seeking out new life without imposing their will on somebody else -- but through coexistence.
Through the sharing of ideas on all sides.
"So. Much. BIGGER!!!
To be a former Women's World Champion, to be a part of this place called Imperial? It's an honor, a blessing, a privilige that very few people get to have. Truly, I never envisioned the day when I'd hold onto that title with a smile, knowing that moment will never be taken away from me. Yet to me, it's also a cautionary tale...to never, EVER take this life for granted. To never rest easy because you might never get a chance to be in this position again.
There are those who might not like me because of my disposition, but...I want nothing but the abolute best from each of you. From Virginia and Dawn, to Charlotte and Itamit and HIJOU! There is only one mode in which we operate, and that's called warp speed! No impulse power here!! Only one of us is gonna win on this night, but for those who don't? Perhaps...including myself?!
No excuses. No bad feelings.
Only the the strength to keep moving forward..."
It was this ethos that Caroline often espoused, much to the displeasure of some of her own peers.
She gazed upon the many bags of all-natural sweets that she had planned on handing out to her neighborhod's costumed children. There were, in Caroline's eyes, the future of Humanity. Future leaders, future doctors, future athletes...she was looking forward to seeing the smiles light up, even in the darkest of days. Caroline needed to use the occasion of Halloween as a reminder that this life was far too precious to be taken for granted.
That people could be so much more than just the sum of their own parts.
That Humanity can bring out the best from within each other.
That was the primary reason why Caroline loved Star Trek. It helped her to create a viewpoint that could inspire future generations to do better than anything she ever did in her own life. Despite being a firsthand witness to one of history's darkest moments, she truly believed that good could come out of those moments. There were those who hated this ethos, but the Brazilian vowed to keep standing her ground.
No matter the price she was willing to pay.
Caroline Machado sat down at her computer at her Arlington, Texas home, taking in the ambiance around her. It hat been raining for the past several days in North Texas, leaving her to listen to the sounds of water hitting the roop as the weather started to turn colder. The first throes of autumn were taking shape in the house as Caroline had it decorated with Halloween gear, preparing herself for an influx of trick-or-treaters that might brave the weather and stop by.
She was looking to get ready for the occation herself, planning to dress up in her favorite red miniskirt uniform as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. She even had fake pointy ears and a black wig on standby, ready to be worn when the time was right. Halloween was, oddly enough, her favorite time of the year -- a time in which she could partake in listening to scary stories and urban legands from years past.
Whether or not they were actually true was irrelevant, at least in her mind.
"Being in the ring with five other challngers is going to be very intense!
When I used to play volleyball, I was often coached on the fact that you never knew where the ball was gonna travel. It could go left, it could go right, it could hit the ceiling and go straight down, or it could fly into the stands! No matter how hard you hit it, the ball is gonna have a mind of its own! So when I find out I'm gonna face the likes of HIJOU, Virginia, Itami, Charlotte, and Dawn, I keep reminding myself of what I was taught back in college.
That everything is not prectable!
It's amazing, isn't it? Being in the unknown, having to face said unknown with open arms?! It's what drives me to compete at my abolute best, to treat EVERY match like it's for the Women's World title. I've often found myself struggling more than I've succeeded, but I truly believe that we are at our best when we fail, when that strange bounce doesn't go our way. In my time at Imperial, I've learned that there was a fine line between confidence and pure ego, that we often resort to portraying ourselves as these 'loarger than life, morally superior' figures that strive to tear down those percieved as weak.
As I understand it?
That is the whole connotation behind 'survival of the fittest.'
Time and time again, I've often heard the same criticism: 'Caroline, you're too SOFT! You're too KIND! You're too DEMURE to succeed in this business!' I get it, though...the name of this sport is to hurt one another -- and be ready to get hurt yourself. When I fail at something, it's all on me. I have no excuses, no regrets, no ill will against anyone I've ever faced.
Being the only former Women's World Champion in this field, the climb to get that title back hasn't been an easy one -- nor will it BE easy. It's meant to be demanding, and along the way you're gonna find yourself being knocked down over and over. Facing Brooklyn several weeks ago, I know that feeling very well. Do you, alll of you?! When you've had this desire to become Women's World Champion, often ask yourselves 'why' after a loss?
Why did it have to happen?
Why did I do this or that wrong?
Truth is, you can't answer those questions right away. That's the reason why you keep training, pushing yourself to finally make to that big dance ahead of you! If Virginia or Charlotte were to win this match? Or HIJOU or Itami or Dawn?! It would be because the bounces went their way -- nothing more, nothing less. That won't make the rest of us who DIDN'T win this match 'lesser' than those who won, okay?
Moments like this match? They are bigger than any of us put together."
For Caroline often considered them to be cautionary tales on what the world is like in 2023.
The Brazilian's cheerful and optimistic disposition helped her cope with the constant barrage of news stories from all parts of the globe. War was raging in the Middle East. Anti-semitism was on the rise worldwide. People from both sides of the political aisle were sniping at each other, often using words and ideas to help shape a certain narrative. Through it all, Caroline often shook her head as she watched the destruction unfold in front of her eyes, pondering the same basic question as the crews of the starships featured on her favorite TV franchise.
Why?
Why must certain people percieve themselves as morally superior to others?
Much like Archer, Kirk, or Picard...Caroline couldn't come up with an answer right away. She often posed that, no matter what she could attempt to do, it wasn't going to make things better overnight. The scars left behind were always going to be there, much like the scars on her face from two years of countless battles. The captains of those famours crews never stood on their laurels and let Humanity simply wither and die. They were explorers, often seeking out new life without imposing their will on somebody else -- but through coexistence.
Through the sharing of ideas on all sides.
"So. Much. BIGGER!!!
To be a former Women's World Champion, to be a part of this place called Imperial? It's an honor, a blessing, a privilige that very few people get to have. Truly, I never envisioned the day when I'd hold onto that title with a smile, knowing that moment will never be taken away from me. Yet to me, it's also a cautionary tale...to never, EVER take this life for granted. To never rest easy because you might never get a chance to be in this position again.
There are those who might not like me because of my disposition, but...I want nothing but the abolute best from each of you. From Virginia and Dawn, to Charlotte and Itamit and HIJOU! There is only one mode in which we operate, and that's called warp speed! No impulse power here!! Only one of us is gonna win on this night, but for those who don't? Perhaps...including myself?!
No excuses. No bad feelings.
Only the the strength to keep moving forward..."
It was this ethos that Caroline often espoused, much to the displeasure of some of her own peers.
She gazed upon the many bags of all-natural sweets that she had planned on handing out to her neighborhod's costumed children. There were, in Caroline's eyes, the future of Humanity. Future leaders, future doctors, future athletes...she was looking forward to seeing the smiles light up, even in the darkest of days. Caroline needed to use the occasion of Halloween as a reminder that this life was far too precious to be taken for granted.
That people could be so much more than just the sum of their own parts.
That Humanity can bring out the best from within each other.
That was the primary reason why Caroline loved Star Trek. It helped her to create a viewpoint that could inspire future generations to do better than anything she ever did in her own life. Despite being a firsthand witness to one of history's darkest moments, she truly believed that good could come out of those moments. There were those who hated this ethos, but the Brazilian vowed to keep standing her ground.
No matter the price she was willing to pay.
Well howdy there pardner.