Post by Charlotte Shimizu on Nov 19, 2024 1:16:00 GMT
Charlie felt herself getting pulled in three different directions, and it was a vicious loop swinging through all of them. She did want to win. She didn’t want to lose the title on her first defense… But when she tried to justify it in her mind, the boiling hatred and hurt she’d managed to ignore between June and August reared up, making her bound and determined that if she had to lose, she’d make sure Shea O’Hara did too. But that left April and Mai… Women she held some respect for still… but had they really proven themselves worthy of the top seat just from the fast qualifiers over the last month? Which brought Charlie back to the beginning of wanting to win.
“Una?”
Pax’s voice yanked her forcibly from the loop, sending her crashing back to reality. She caught herself before she could fall from her perch on the turnbuckle, but Pax’s hands also steadied her there. She smiled at him. She’d already told him all her thoughts, late at night when they wouldn’t let her sleep. She knew his thoughts as well. It was an anchor for her in this storm, but one that didn’t hinder her.
“I’ll be alright, Pax,” Charlie said finally, pushing off and knowing he would catch her. “We’ll be alright.” she repeated softly. And, win or lose, they would be.
The screen lights dimly, making it clear there is actually something playing, and then a crack of lightning shatters the darkness, illuminating Charlotte standing on a windswept field with her braids dancing in the high winds. It’s oddly bright where Charlotte stands, with ominous grey clouds roiling in the distance.
“How do I talk about April Madrox and Mai Everstone, two women who, whenever I’ve squared off with them, I’ve come out on top?”
A distant roll of thunder seems to answer the question, but Charlotte remains unphased by it.
“I suppose I could make a deal out of how they’ve basically lucked into this shot at the championship, but I’ve always said they deserve a chance to step out of their self-imposed shadows. It’s just plain shitty that they’re getting their latest opportunity for glory now, when everyone’s been waiting to find out which honors will reign supreme. All they wind up being is added drama to the feud of the Queen’s Gambit versus the Iron Heiress, like that weird ice cream topping that doesn’t really fit in.
“April, I warned ya… months ago where this path would lead you. I tried warning you again before Lineage, because despite everything, I still want to see you do better. I know you’re better than what you’ve shown since March and I want you to fuckin’ show it. I want nothing more than to see you finally bust loose and really show everyone who you are.
“But can ya do it now? Can ya do it when you’ve had everyone turn on ya? Can ya keep going when it’s just for you? Fuck everyone else’s expectations. Hell, ya don’t even have to give a shit about my expectations of you. God, do I want ya to bring it to me with nothing but your pride on the line. But will ya? You seem to be an expert on sabotaging yourself for the sake of others. I could spend hours nit-picking at ya, honey, but ya don’t need it. I’m sure that voice in your head is louder than mine. Tell it to shut the fuck up already and damn the consequences. Please. I’m begging ya, April. Forget the title, fuck the feuds and factions, and just fight.”
The wind picks up, sending small bits of debris in flurries around Charlotte that don’t seem to phase her, even as she leans into the wind as though it were a solid wall.
“I feel bad for ya, April, but arguably, I feel worse for Mai… You and I know what’s coming. Poor girl won’t know what hit her. I ain’t stupid. I know how this is gonna play; all three a’them against me… but the moment Mai tries to do something to put herself ahead in the game? O’Hara gonna take her out. Everyone knows it’s coming ‘cept Mai. I mean, I’m sure O’Hara over there sayin’ that she won’t, tellin’ Mai that she has as much of a chance as O’Hara does… but Mai… You’re in her way. You think you beside her? Nah girlie… You between her and the belt, the belt she’s proven she’ll do anything for… That includes leading you like a sacrificial lamb to the altar. The worst part is? You’ll follow her there, believing the whole time that you have one less enemy waiting for you in the ring.”
Charlotte sighs, irritably brushing one of her braids away from her face. The wind picks it up, pulling at the feathers as she stares into the storm moving across the plain
“I once said that I wasn’t sure I wanted this crown because I didn’t want the responsibility, the constant attacks… I compared winning the title to that outfit that looks amazing in the shop window, but once ya put it on? It starts chaffing in embarrassing spots, or makes ya break out in a rash.”
She turns her dark brown eyes back on the camera with a shrug, ignoring as the winds protest her ignoring the oncoming storm.
“But it ain’t me to slack off on the clock, so here I am, at the top of the world, watchin’ y’all come at me, and I’m thinking… I’ve done what I set out to do. I proved I was better than what I was forced to be, I’ve proven how high I can go and how fast I can do it. I’ve always had the attitude that if I can do something once, I can do it again… So as much as I don’t wanna get knocked down, I’d be happy for either Mai or April if they got the win and the gold because it’d just give me something new to aim for.
“So… April, Mai… I ain’t your enemy this week…” Charlotte pauses as a thought seems to occur to her, making her grimace. “Well, okay… Not your only enemy.”
Charlotte folds her arms across her chest, her expression hardening to stone as her clothes rustle loudly in the increasing wind.
“Which leaves just Shea O’Hara. I saved ya for last because I wanted to give Mai and April the respect they deserve and I still got a lot t’say about ya, even with all the talkin’ we been doin’ since Legacy.”
Charlotte starts ticking points off points on her fingers. “We already did a gloss on how you turned on me, and then a fun ambush last week about you breakin’ up the cult you joined to form your own. You keep blamin’ me for shit that coulda been fixed if ya just said something. But sugar, your actions speak far better than your words.
“You gonna deny the truth of course, and we all just gotta live with ya twisted sound bytes and fake reasons while ya keep doin’ exactly what I said ya was gonna do; chase the spotlight at all costs. But since ya such a glory hound, it begs the question: why did ya sit on that fuckin’ contract for six months? You probably gonna spin it as some tactical decision, or you gonna say that family shit cropped up but that only explains the last three months. Even if we ignore you bein’ gone for most of the Japan tour, you still had February to May to cash in, so why not, Shea?
“The real answer though? The one you’ll never admit? You were duckin’ goin’ after Jennie. See… I heard you, and I saw the brave face you tried to put on your first round loss to Fenix in ‘23’s Heiress tournament. I damn near laughed outta my chair when you tried to spin it as some noble sacrifice. All that talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but there was that voice in the back of your mind telling you that coming back was a mistake, that you would never achieve the same heights you did before. That loss shattered what confidence you had, didn’t it?
“All while you were looking at me, the girl doin’ shit you couldn’t ever do; winnin’ the Iron Maiden, makin’ Jennie fight for her fuckin’ life to retain, wrecking the day of any former champion that happened across my path, steamrollering through Heiress to the Throne; flying higher and faster than anyone short of Dean fuckin’ Harper has.
“But that still leaves that brief moment when Jennie was out, and I wanted - no, I needed a fight. Ya coulda cashed in then. Ya coulda made it so I never got my hands on the belt. So why not show up before the match instead of after? Don’t try to make me think ya weren’t there, watchin’ everything go down.
“Ya clearly think you’re better than me. Oh, ya got your flowers, sure… Former womens’ champion, former two-time Openweight Champion, back in the days when I was still learnin’ the ropes… And you’ve got a win over me. I was prepared for Fenix, not you. It coulda been easy pickings for ya, right? So tell me O’Hara… What bullshit reason ya got for that?
“Why do I call it bullshit? Because there isn’t a good reason. I got a buncha theories, but the disconnect is real. I mean… Ya clearly hate me for some fuckin’ reason, probably because I keep doin’ crazy shit you couldn’t pull off in your wildest dreams. I’ll even admit you might be right to think ya better than me, so why let me have this belt at all? With that logic, ya shoulda been the one I fought in Tokyo… But ya weren’t. Which tells me there’s something more there… Could it be that everything I’ve done is makin’ ya question yourself again, just like Fenix did?”
Charlotte stares into the camera with a grin that shows all her teeth.
“Lemme spell that out for ya; I. Made. You. Hesitate.”
The sound of rain pummeling the ground hits, but even still, Charlotte is still clearly heard; as though the rain and wind were actually amplifying her voice instead of drowning her out. Her hair no longer swirls around her as she gets soaked in the downpour.
“I made you pump the brakes once... Everything you've done since then has been a reaction to that, but ya never really put your foot back down. I'm gonna make ya stop again, O’Hara. You have no idea what's coming for ya.
“So here’s how this whole thing is gonna go down; I’m gonna spend the first twenty getting my ass handed to me because all three a’ya gonna be out for my blood. I’ll even bet on some Everstone and O’Hara team shenanigans… I’ll have some moments where I spare myself and get out of the way, maybe a splashy counter or two, but no real edge.
“Then something gonna happen in those final minutes, and whatever unity y’all have will vanish like O’Hara in a faction she don’t lead. And that’s when I’ll kick into overdrive. I’m gonna bear down with all my eight years of continuous training and performance. That’s when y’all gonna remember that I didn’t get here by chance, or luck, or getting this handed to me on a platter.”
The feed flickers, flashing a black screen and the piercing tone of the EAS warning wails. As soon as the sound fades, the feed cuts back to Charlotte, closer to the camera than she was before, brown eyes flashing dangerously. White pellets pummel her surroundings.
“You’re in twister country, girls.”
Again, the feed flicks to black, the EAS tone blaring, before cutting back to Charlotte, who now looms only head and shoulders in frame.
“Y’all shoulda took shelter.”
Just before Charlotte’s hand covers the lens, the feed goes black, and the EAS siren screams through once more. Then the feed cuts.
It’s later released in Cherokee and Japanese.
“Una?”
Pax’s voice yanked her forcibly from the loop, sending her crashing back to reality. She caught herself before she could fall from her perch on the turnbuckle, but Pax’s hands also steadied her there. She smiled at him. She’d already told him all her thoughts, late at night when they wouldn’t let her sleep. She knew his thoughts as well. It was an anchor for her in this storm, but one that didn’t hinder her.
“I’ll be alright, Pax,” Charlie said finally, pushing off and knowing he would catch her. “We’ll be alright.” she repeated softly. And, win or lose, they would be.
The screen lights dimly, making it clear there is actually something playing, and then a crack of lightning shatters the darkness, illuminating Charlotte standing on a windswept field with her braids dancing in the high winds. It’s oddly bright where Charlotte stands, with ominous grey clouds roiling in the distance.
“How do I talk about April Madrox and Mai Everstone, two women who, whenever I’ve squared off with them, I’ve come out on top?”
A distant roll of thunder seems to answer the question, but Charlotte remains unphased by it.
“I suppose I could make a deal out of how they’ve basically lucked into this shot at the championship, but I’ve always said they deserve a chance to step out of their self-imposed shadows. It’s just plain shitty that they’re getting their latest opportunity for glory now, when everyone’s been waiting to find out which honors will reign supreme. All they wind up being is added drama to the feud of the Queen’s Gambit versus the Iron Heiress, like that weird ice cream topping that doesn’t really fit in.
“April, I warned ya… months ago where this path would lead you. I tried warning you again before Lineage, because despite everything, I still want to see you do better. I know you’re better than what you’ve shown since March and I want you to fuckin’ show it. I want nothing more than to see you finally bust loose and really show everyone who you are.
“But can ya do it now? Can ya do it when you’ve had everyone turn on ya? Can ya keep going when it’s just for you? Fuck everyone else’s expectations. Hell, ya don’t even have to give a shit about my expectations of you. God, do I want ya to bring it to me with nothing but your pride on the line. But will ya? You seem to be an expert on sabotaging yourself for the sake of others. I could spend hours nit-picking at ya, honey, but ya don’t need it. I’m sure that voice in your head is louder than mine. Tell it to shut the fuck up already and damn the consequences. Please. I’m begging ya, April. Forget the title, fuck the feuds and factions, and just fight.”
The wind picks up, sending small bits of debris in flurries around Charlotte that don’t seem to phase her, even as she leans into the wind as though it were a solid wall.
“I feel bad for ya, April, but arguably, I feel worse for Mai… You and I know what’s coming. Poor girl won’t know what hit her. I ain’t stupid. I know how this is gonna play; all three a’them against me… but the moment Mai tries to do something to put herself ahead in the game? O’Hara gonna take her out. Everyone knows it’s coming ‘cept Mai. I mean, I’m sure O’Hara over there sayin’ that she won’t, tellin’ Mai that she has as much of a chance as O’Hara does… but Mai… You’re in her way. You think you beside her? Nah girlie… You between her and the belt, the belt she’s proven she’ll do anything for… That includes leading you like a sacrificial lamb to the altar. The worst part is? You’ll follow her there, believing the whole time that you have one less enemy waiting for you in the ring.”
Charlotte sighs, irritably brushing one of her braids away from her face. The wind picks it up, pulling at the feathers as she stares into the storm moving across the plain
“I once said that I wasn’t sure I wanted this crown because I didn’t want the responsibility, the constant attacks… I compared winning the title to that outfit that looks amazing in the shop window, but once ya put it on? It starts chaffing in embarrassing spots, or makes ya break out in a rash.”
She turns her dark brown eyes back on the camera with a shrug, ignoring as the winds protest her ignoring the oncoming storm.
“But it ain’t me to slack off on the clock, so here I am, at the top of the world, watchin’ y’all come at me, and I’m thinking… I’ve done what I set out to do. I proved I was better than what I was forced to be, I’ve proven how high I can go and how fast I can do it. I’ve always had the attitude that if I can do something once, I can do it again… So as much as I don’t wanna get knocked down, I’d be happy for either Mai or April if they got the win and the gold because it’d just give me something new to aim for.
“So… April, Mai… I ain’t your enemy this week…” Charlotte pauses as a thought seems to occur to her, making her grimace. “Well, okay… Not your only enemy.”
Charlotte folds her arms across her chest, her expression hardening to stone as her clothes rustle loudly in the increasing wind.
“Which leaves just Shea O’Hara. I saved ya for last because I wanted to give Mai and April the respect they deserve and I still got a lot t’say about ya, even with all the talkin’ we been doin’ since Legacy.”
Charlotte starts ticking points off points on her fingers. “We already did a gloss on how you turned on me, and then a fun ambush last week about you breakin’ up the cult you joined to form your own. You keep blamin’ me for shit that coulda been fixed if ya just said something. But sugar, your actions speak far better than your words.
“You gonna deny the truth of course, and we all just gotta live with ya twisted sound bytes and fake reasons while ya keep doin’ exactly what I said ya was gonna do; chase the spotlight at all costs. But since ya such a glory hound, it begs the question: why did ya sit on that fuckin’ contract for six months? You probably gonna spin it as some tactical decision, or you gonna say that family shit cropped up but that only explains the last three months. Even if we ignore you bein’ gone for most of the Japan tour, you still had February to May to cash in, so why not, Shea?
“The real answer though? The one you’ll never admit? You were duckin’ goin’ after Jennie. See… I heard you, and I saw the brave face you tried to put on your first round loss to Fenix in ‘23’s Heiress tournament. I damn near laughed outta my chair when you tried to spin it as some noble sacrifice. All that talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but there was that voice in the back of your mind telling you that coming back was a mistake, that you would never achieve the same heights you did before. That loss shattered what confidence you had, didn’t it?
“All while you were looking at me, the girl doin’ shit you couldn’t ever do; winnin’ the Iron Maiden, makin’ Jennie fight for her fuckin’ life to retain, wrecking the day of any former champion that happened across my path, steamrollering through Heiress to the Throne; flying higher and faster than anyone short of Dean fuckin’ Harper has.
“But that still leaves that brief moment when Jennie was out, and I wanted - no, I needed a fight. Ya coulda cashed in then. Ya coulda made it so I never got my hands on the belt. So why not show up before the match instead of after? Don’t try to make me think ya weren’t there, watchin’ everything go down.
“Ya clearly think you’re better than me. Oh, ya got your flowers, sure… Former womens’ champion, former two-time Openweight Champion, back in the days when I was still learnin’ the ropes… And you’ve got a win over me. I was prepared for Fenix, not you. It coulda been easy pickings for ya, right? So tell me O’Hara… What bullshit reason ya got for that?
“Why do I call it bullshit? Because there isn’t a good reason. I got a buncha theories, but the disconnect is real. I mean… Ya clearly hate me for some fuckin’ reason, probably because I keep doin’ crazy shit you couldn’t pull off in your wildest dreams. I’ll even admit you might be right to think ya better than me, so why let me have this belt at all? With that logic, ya shoulda been the one I fought in Tokyo… But ya weren’t. Which tells me there’s something more there… Could it be that everything I’ve done is makin’ ya question yourself again, just like Fenix did?”
Charlotte stares into the camera with a grin that shows all her teeth.
“Lemme spell that out for ya; I. Made. You. Hesitate.”
The sound of rain pummeling the ground hits, but even still, Charlotte is still clearly heard; as though the rain and wind were actually amplifying her voice instead of drowning her out. Her hair no longer swirls around her as she gets soaked in the downpour.
“I made you pump the brakes once... Everything you've done since then has been a reaction to that, but ya never really put your foot back down. I'm gonna make ya stop again, O’Hara. You have no idea what's coming for ya.
“So here’s how this whole thing is gonna go down; I’m gonna spend the first twenty getting my ass handed to me because all three a’ya gonna be out for my blood. I’ll even bet on some Everstone and O’Hara team shenanigans… I’ll have some moments where I spare myself and get out of the way, maybe a splashy counter or two, but no real edge.
“Then something gonna happen in those final minutes, and whatever unity y’all have will vanish like O’Hara in a faction she don’t lead. And that’s when I’ll kick into overdrive. I’m gonna bear down with all my eight years of continuous training and performance. That’s when y’all gonna remember that I didn’t get here by chance, or luck, or getting this handed to me on a platter.”
The feed flickers, flashing a black screen and the piercing tone of the EAS warning wails. As soon as the sound fades, the feed cuts back to Charlotte, closer to the camera than she was before, brown eyes flashing dangerously. White pellets pummel her surroundings.
“You’re in twister country, girls.”
Again, the feed flicks to black, the EAS tone blaring, before cutting back to Charlotte, who now looms only head and shoulders in frame.
“Y’all shoulda took shelter.”
Just before Charlotte’s hand covers the lens, the feed goes black, and the EAS siren screams through once more. Then the feed cuts.
It’s later released in Cherokee and Japanese.
Well howdy there pardner.