Post by RAM on May 27, 2024 3:42:02 GMT
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October 31, 2019 -- 6:00 AM
As Halloween began at RAM's house...
R.A. Marshall, who has begrudgingly accepted the nickname of "RAM," woke up on what, in his mind, appeared to be a routine Thursday morning. Yet as he approached the kitchen inside the house he lived in with his aunt Liz, her loud voice disrupted his ability to fix him up some black coffee from the Keurig.
"Good mornin', sleepyhead! Happy Halloween!"
He turned around and widened his eyes. Hiz was sporting a costume that closely resembled Princess Leia in the famous Tatooine bikini. He then shook his head, noting how tacky it looked.
{ ...okay, she's done jumped the shark... }
Ram sighed as Liz pressed.
"How do you like it? It's Cosplay Day at the office..."
He facepalmed.
{ ...seriously...?! }
He struggled at first, trying to get his thoughts out of his mind. Yet eventually...
"Kinda tacky, I'd say..."
"Pffft, right! Let's see what YOU'VE got cooking tonight!"
"C'mon, we don't wear stupid costumes at school!"
Liz smiled.
"They do at the Halloween dance, which is tonight by the by. I saw it on the school website while you were asleep."
Ram scoffed. A high school dance was the last thing on his mind.
{ ...oh, hell no... }
Liz piped on, trying to get him to come out of his proverbial shell.
"What's up, you're...you're not going?"
"Honestly? I...I wasn't plannin' on it..."
"It's supposed to be a 90s Night -- one of the biggest events of the school year!"
Ram, a Gen-Z through and through, imagined the horror of being in such an environment.
{ ...if I gotta show up at that gym and se a bunch of frizzled hairdos or bucket hats, I'l probably want to kick my own ass... }
He could only offer up a feeble response.
"I...I can't dance."
Just before Liz said something back...DING! Ram got a ping on his phone; he looked down at his screen and discovered a photo message from Rydia. He wasn't too thrilled about it, especially this time of the morning.
"Let me see, I want ot see it!"
"You don't want to see it--"
Liz grabbed Ram's phone and looked at the new photo. She was amazed by the look and scope of Rydia's dance attire.
"Aww, how CUTE of Rydia to send this!"
As it turned out, it was a fully-faithful replica of Aerith from the acclaimed Final Fantasy VII. Having played said game numerous times on his PS4, he felt terrified of how the entire school was going to view it once it leaked out.
{ ...great, now it's gonna be spreadin' all over the whole damn school... }
Liz cracked a smirk.
"What's up, you don't like Aerith Gainsborough?"
"I thought that dead video game characters never came back..."
Ram's aunt poked him in the ribs.
"Smartass! I'm gonna fix you for that one. In fact, it's here somewhere..."
She proceeded towards the garage and perused through several boxes before finding the right one. Liz brought it back in the living room and set it on the couch.
"Got it! Your mom bought this a long, long time ago for your dad. They wanted you to have it when the time was right and you were old enough, but dickless David wouldn't allow it. He feared you might become a bit of a weenie or something of the like."
Ram covered his face as his aunt opened up the box. The first thing he saw was a recreation of the famous Buster Sword, a reference to Cloud Strife.
{ ...oh, this is just great. A giant fake-ass sword that would be easily spotted... }
He then saw the black suit, which mortified him even more.
"C'mon, it's even got the Buster Sword! Just say the word -- Rydia will love it!"
It was perfectly clear in Ram's mind. Rydia, along with his aunt Liz, were trying to embarrass him enough to get him to go out and socialize more. Liz whispered in his ear.
"Listen, babe...it's like Rydia said, you can't be by yourself all the time. Go out there and enjoy the moment -- you might find it to be rather educational."
Ram sighed. He had no choice but to go to the dance.
{ ...the biggest night of the school year... }
To be continued...
--------
October 31, 2019 -- 6:00 AM
As Halloween began at RAM's house...
R.A. Marshall, who has begrudgingly accepted the nickname of "RAM," woke up on what, in his mind, appeared to be a routine Thursday morning. Yet as he approached the kitchen inside the house he lived in with his aunt Liz, her loud voice disrupted his ability to fix him up some black coffee from the Keurig.
"Good mornin', sleepyhead! Happy Halloween!"
He turned around and widened his eyes. Hiz was sporting a costume that closely resembled Princess Leia in the famous Tatooine bikini. He then shook his head, noting how tacky it looked.
{ ...okay, she's done jumped the shark... }
Ram sighed as Liz pressed.
"How do you like it? It's Cosplay Day at the office..."
He facepalmed.
{ ...seriously...?! }
He struggled at first, trying to get his thoughts out of his mind. Yet eventually...
"Kinda tacky, I'd say..."
"Pffft, right! Let's see what YOU'VE got cooking tonight!"
"C'mon, we don't wear stupid costumes at school!"
Liz smiled.
"They do at the Halloween dance, which is tonight by the by. I saw it on the school website while you were asleep."
Ram scoffed. A high school dance was the last thing on his mind.
{ ...oh, hell no... }
Liz piped on, trying to get him to come out of his proverbial shell.
"What's up, you're...you're not going?"
"Honestly? I...I wasn't plannin' on it..."
"It's supposed to be a 90s Night -- one of the biggest events of the school year!"
Ram, a Gen-Z through and through, imagined the horror of being in such an environment.
{ ...if I gotta show up at that gym and se a bunch of frizzled hairdos or bucket hats, I'l probably want to kick my own ass... }
He could only offer up a feeble response.
"I...I can't dance."
Just before Liz said something back...DING! Ram got a ping on his phone; he looked down at his screen and discovered a photo message from Rydia. He wasn't too thrilled about it, especially this time of the morning.
"Let me see, I want ot see it!"
"You don't want to see it--"
Liz grabbed Ram's phone and looked at the new photo. She was amazed by the look and scope of Rydia's dance attire.
"Aww, how CUTE of Rydia to send this!"
As it turned out, it was a fully-faithful replica of Aerith from the acclaimed Final Fantasy VII. Having played said game numerous times on his PS4, he felt terrified of how the entire school was going to view it once it leaked out.
{ ...great, now it's gonna be spreadin' all over the whole damn school... }
Liz cracked a smirk.
"What's up, you don't like Aerith Gainsborough?"
"I thought that dead video game characters never came back..."
Ram's aunt poked him in the ribs.
"Smartass! I'm gonna fix you for that one. In fact, it's here somewhere..."
She proceeded towards the garage and perused through several boxes before finding the right one. Liz brought it back in the living room and set it on the couch.
"Got it! Your mom bought this a long, long time ago for your dad. They wanted you to have it when the time was right and you were old enough, but dickless David wouldn't allow it. He feared you might become a bit of a weenie or something of the like."
Ram covered his face as his aunt opened up the box. The first thing he saw was a recreation of the famous Buster Sword, a reference to Cloud Strife.
{ ...oh, this is just great. A giant fake-ass sword that would be easily spotted... }
He then saw the black suit, which mortified him even more.
"C'mon, it's even got the Buster Sword! Just say the word -- Rydia will love it!"
It was perfectly clear in Ram's mind. Rydia, along with his aunt Liz, were trying to embarrass him enough to get him to go out and socialize more. Liz whispered in his ear.
"Listen, babe...it's like Rydia said, you can't be by yourself all the time. Go out there and enjoy the moment -- you might find it to be rather educational."
Ram sighed. He had no choice but to go to the dance.
{ ...the biggest night of the school year... }
To be continued...
--------
"Well, well.
Ain't this the shit?!
The biggest stage of 'em all, Night of the Immortals. For the very first time, I find myself goin' to the big dance. Thing is, y'all can tell me that I'm just a punk kid who doesn't know the ins and outs of this business, but the fact of the matter is this...I know ENOUGH of it to understand the hype. I know enough to fully understand what it means to step inside a ring in front of 50,000 folks.
To me, it's like my first high school dance.
Did y'all THINK I wanted to go there in order to embarrass myself in front of the goddamn world?!
Dark Tiger surely did that -- but okay, let's move on.
Problem is, I really didn't have much of a choice BUT to sign on the Imperial dotted line. I did some stupid shit as a ex-grad and ended up on probation. I had to spend a year travelin' the world AND toein' the line. Now that I'm free of that shit, however, I think it's time y'all felt the PAIN I've felt ever since comin' here. A pain brought on by the very cesspool of bullshit I thought I got out of once I got my diploma.
Nepotism. Jockhood.
The desire to want to be a god.
I hate that shit, man. I really, really do.
I lived my fuckin' life with one simple thing in mind...don't get your hopes up. 'Cuz here's the thing...I once had a love interest. I once had a desire to learn and build a computer. I had everything I ever wanted to do in my life...before it was all taken away from me. In one dark day, everything changed, and I say...what the fuckin's the point?! What's the point of chasin' a championship when you KNOW that you're gonna fail at any given second.
Only to be told that you've got potential to keep on comin' back.
Really?! Did y'all think I wanted to HEAR that kind of bullshit?!
Where the fuck do all these hopes and dreams go when they're wasted?!
Ya got somethin' INSPIRATIONAL to say to me, TJ Alexander?! 'Cuz let's face the facts, you remind me of that jock I once tangoed with when I was in school. Wearin' all those titles like they're badges of honor, struttin' around the locker room and actin' like you own the goddamn place. Yeah, that's you in a nutshell -- and you're a Brit, so that's two strikes against you right there.
Always actin' like a pmpous ass while tryin' to show a l'il class.
Hope ya like that l'il rhyme.
Did you like that, Ozura?! The newbie, only in your second or third match in Imperial, and you're in Rome already?! Congratulations, you just completed a journey that saw you go NOWHERE in your fuckin' life! Did nothin', yet you find yourself insulated in the very same "dare to dream" bubble that James Gilmore himself created nearly eight years ago. Do me a favor, bubba...close your eyes and imagine that bubble burstin' inside your mind.
Then watch...as you and TJ see your worlds collapse around you.
Like I said, don't get your hopes up. 'Cuz as much as y'all want me to say that championships mean somethin', I can tell you a l'il secret. Nah...I'll SHOW you that l'il secret. I'll show you those scars and other bruises that I accrued throughout my entire life -- from an abusive uncle to a bunch of roided up athletes that wanna be larger than life. 'Cuz the reality is...you're nothin' but SMALL creatures outside that ropes.
The very same feelings I'm dealin' with now? They're gonna be exactly what y'all will feel when that bell rings.
Broken. Battered.
Alone"
PROMO COUNT: 630
Well howdy there pardner.