Post by Fiona McFly on May 2, 2015 6:42:19 GMT
Devotion.
Everything about this particular sport depends on whether or not you have the devotion in your heart to accomplish great things. It all started when I made my premiere against Diamonds Champion Ana Valentine, it picked up a head of steam when I faced off against Jessica Reed, but nothing will ever compare to the match I find myself in.
The Iron Maiden.
People have questioned me ever since I got my start between the ropes, but no one will ever be able the question the amount of time and devotion I have placed into this rather interesting gig. How many other women can say that they've made their debuts against a reigning Diamonds Champion and lived to tell the tale? No one...at least, according to the legends. People have said that I was barmy for getting into the sporting world in the first place after years of success in the world of academics, but honestly, I don't care.
When the night is all over, people won't be able to question me any longer.
For I will become your next Iron Maiden, loves.
**********
Episode V
“KOBAYASHI MARU, PART I”
Everything about this particular sport depends on whether or not you have the devotion in your heart to accomplish great things. It all started when I made my premiere against Diamonds Champion Ana Valentine, it picked up a head of steam when I faced off against Jessica Reed, but nothing will ever compare to the match I find myself in.
The Iron Maiden.
People have questioned me ever since I got my start between the ropes, but no one will ever be able the question the amount of time and devotion I have placed into this rather interesting gig. How many other women can say that they've made their debuts against a reigning Diamonds Champion and lived to tell the tale? No one...at least, according to the legends. People have said that I was barmy for getting into the sporting world in the first place after years of success in the world of academics, but honestly, I don't care.
When the night is all over, people won't be able to question me any longer.
For I will become your next Iron Maiden, loves.
**********
Episode V
“KOBAYASHI MARU, PART I”
February 16, 2001 - 2:45 PM
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (2nd floor)
We find ourselves on the second floor of the University of Wisconsin's Main Administration Building and Faculty Center as Fiona McFly slowly walks down a corridor, sighing to herself after turning in an early Spring semester mini-term paper. It has been several months since her and Angie Johnson got together, but that hasn't stopped Fiona from scoring a near perfect 3.85 GPA on a 4.0 scale in her inaugural semester at University. Without warning, she's approached from behind by Dr. Patrick Stewart, a tall, venerable, bald-headed Englishman who serves as her academic adviser.
DR. PATRICK STEWART: Miss McFly, may I have a word with you?
FIONA MCFLY: Absolutely.
Fiona allows for Dr. Stewart to pass before following him towards his office, $247. The long-time adviser, who also serves as a Marketing professor, beckons the young Irishwoman to take a seat. Dr. Stewart, after tugging on the front of his suit, sits down on a red, swiveling office chair and opens up a manila folder containing Fiona's records.
DR. STEWART: I've examined your records so far, and throughout your very first year, your marks in all of your courses so far have been exemplary. In fact, I believe your name was on the Dean's List.
Fiona simply ekes out a warm grin, nodding her head in an act of humility.
DR. STEWART: It is a very distinctive honour for an underclassman with your exceptional mind to make the Dean's List in his or her inaugural semester, but now I see that you've got a wonderful gift--the desire to better yourself in the world of academics.
FIONA: Thank you very much.
Dr. Stewart pulls out a single-use coffee cup from a plastic bag.
DR. STEWART: Would you like some tea?
FIONA: What kind?
DR. STEWART: Earl Grey, hot.
The adviser puts the cup underneath a hot teamaker's spigot and fills it up; he hands the warm drink over the smiling young lady, who gladly takes a sip. Fiona chuckles to herself as she watches the good teacher ponder his next move for a few moments before pulling a blue brochure and a corresponding application.
DR. STEWART: I have something here I would like to give you. This is a brochure for the Wilkens International Assessment—or WIA exam. It is one of the most prestigious and rigorous academic examinations ever conceived.
Fiona sets the application down and slowly peruses the bulletin; she happily nods her head in approval as she ganders at what the test is about and its history.
FIONA: This is great...I guess I shall be studying for this.
DR. STEWART: You can't.
The Irishwoman perks up her right brow with a hint of curiosity.
DR. STEWART: The exam is designed in such a way that you can't study for one thing; it features a sampling of questions from all different fields; it was created in such a way that you'll have to think on the fly with very little in the way of advance knowledge of a particular subject.
FIONA: This sounds like a bit of a no-win scenario to me if I don't have the luxury of perusing at all the different fields of study.
DR. STEWART: But the rewards for simply taking the exam will be far greater than you will ever imagine.
Realizing that this could be her chance to show the world just how bright she is, Fiona quickly fills out the application form with her trusty black ink pen. She signs on the dotted line and quickly stands up to leave, taking the spot of tea with her.
DR. STEWART: The exam happens in late March. I strongly suggest...that you keep a clear mind and not worry so much about studies.
Fiona gently turns her head around and nods.
FIONA: I'll give it my best, sir.
DR. STEWART: That is all I ask. Good luck.
**********
In a match of this unique magnitude, I see my opponents in a variety of different ways.
I see Mercedes Vargas as a bit of an unsporting motormouth, whose charms are wasted by the bitterness she feels about losing the Ruby Championship nearly a year ago. On the flip side, whilst Firenze Everett is a very talented competitor whose held said title longer than anyone else, she comes off as somewhat of a braggart who's too afraid to go after the larger Diamonds prize unless, in her eyes, a “real champion is coronated.
When I think of Eliza, I think of a very confident woman who's making a name for herself at the expenses of Wolverina and others. To me, Alexis Caffery has looked great week after week despite underachieving against Rayne. You've also got Crystal Hilton—the very lassie that created this whole Ruby Championship mess in the first place by “sharing” the title for a bit with Miss Everett after some...rather unfortunate circumstances that I shan't get into any farther.
In this sport, however, none of these things matter in the present day. To me, they are all my equals.
But they are also my enemies.
**********
In a match of this unique magnitude, I see my opponents in a variety of different ways.
I see Mercedes Vargas as a bit of an unsporting motormouth, whose charms are wasted by the bitterness she feels about losing the Ruby Championship nearly a year ago. On the flip side, whilst Firenze Everett is a very talented competitor whose held said title longer than anyone else, she comes off as somewhat of a braggart who's too afraid to go after the larger Diamonds prize unless, in her eyes, a “real champion is coronated.
When I think of Eliza, I think of a very confident woman who's making a name for herself at the expenses of Wolverina and others. To me, Alexis Caffery has looked great week after week despite underachieving against Rayne. You've also got Crystal Hilton—the very lassie that created this whole Ruby Championship mess in the first place by “sharing” the title for a bit with Miss Everett after some...rather unfortunate circumstances that I shan't get into any farther.
In this sport, however, none of these things matter in the present day. To me, they are all my equals.
But they are also my enemies.
**********
FIONA: Angie!
Moments after stepping outside Dr. Stewart's office, Fiona spots girlfriend Angie Johnson, whose facial expression immediately gives the Irishwoman a sense that she had been barbecued by a term paper of her own. The volleyball player notices the brochure Fiona is holding and laughs.
ANGIE JOHNSON: Whoa...ya got invited to take the WIA test?!
FIONA: Yep...and I'm planning on aceing the damned thing.
Angie grins, shaking her head negatively while still chuckling.
ANGIE: Listen babe...I hope you're prepped to lose and lose royally.
FIONA: I did not say anything about losing—neither did Dr. Stewart.
ANGIE: I know that, sweetie...but ya gotta understand somethin': the WIA is the Kobayashi Maru of all collegiate exams! As awesome as Dr. Stewart is--and I've had him before--he neglected to mention that nobody in the 153-year history of this grand university has even come close to passin' it, let alone acein' it.
The pair steps into a waiting elevator to make their trek down to he ground level.
FIONA: But the Wilkens post-graduate scholarship...it will set me up for the rest of my life!
ANGIE: Face it, baby...it's the ultimate "no-win scenario." You're outta your Vulcan mind if ya think you--a first-year freshman of all people--can simply waltz into the Testing Center and demolish the hardest test on the planet.
FIONA: Are ya barmy?! Have ya even taken the test yourself?
ANGIE: Yes I have--twice...and I failed miserably both times. It ain't worth it.
The bell dings, and Fiona and Angie quickly step onto the first floor before turning so that they face one another.
FIONA: Darling...it's like what Dr. Kasem always says—
ANGIE: I know, “keep reachin' for the stars.”
The confident student places her hand firmly on her partner's shoulder.
FIONA: I am taking this exam, love. I have accepted challenges my entire life, and I will take this one--not just for me, but my family.
The slightly taller gal bobs her head, mustering a sly grin.
ANGIE: I know. I just hope ya don't embarrass yourself out there.
Angie warmly pats Fiona on the shoulder before making her way towards her next class; the Irishwoman flashes a confident grin and slowly nods her head.
FIONA: Bet your arse I won't...
**********
There is so much that needs to be said, yet words alone just can't express how I am feeling.
Each and every one of you has had your fair share of ups and downs in the Imperial world, but come Sunday night, you'll all be stepping inside the Iron Maiden chamber against someone that, quite frankly, nobody ever expected to even be there in the first place. And darlings, if there's one thing that you all can take away from this rather unique contest of iron wills and monster skills, it's a fact that is, for all intensive purposes, quite simple to understand.
I did not come to the Iron Maiden to lose.
After all, I have managed to beat the so-called "no-win scenario"--the odds--to get to where this moment in time.
And I shall NOT stand by idly and let this match pass me by.
I am nowhere near the underconfident lassie that made her debut against the likes of Ana Valentine and Alex Jones. Every week, I strove to better myself in all things, keeping my mind clear whilst going up sgainst the likes of the Hall of Famer Jessica Reed or headlining a card for the very first time just so I could get into this very match. Make no mistake about it, darlings: I'm not planning on lying down, rolling over, and playing dead just to satisfy the whims of those who absolutely despise everything that I stand for.
I will not go down without a gorram fight. I believe in myself—that I can succeed and do something that I never would've thought I'd be able to do, say, fifteen years ago when I graduated secondary school and went off to university.
And I will enjoy this night for all eternity.
If I have to go through the likes of Crystal Hilton or Mercedes Vargas in order to claim victory, then so be it. If Eliza, Alexis Caffery, or Firenze Everett want to hurt me in so many pornographic ways just to teach me a lesson, then I welcome it. In the end, nothing else truly will matter because I will be the one who shall walk out of the state of Utah as the next “Iron Maiden.” When the smoke is cleared and the tunes start to play, five of you are going to lose whilst I will be holding my head high, standing over the lot of you with a warm smile on my face and an honourable wink of my right eye.
My loves, I shall enjoy becoming the next Iron Maiden. That is not a blanket statement.
That is a cold, sobering fact.
I bloody guarantee it.
There is so much that needs to be said, yet words alone just can't express how I am feeling.
Each and every one of you has had your fair share of ups and downs in the Imperial world, but come Sunday night, you'll all be stepping inside the Iron Maiden chamber against someone that, quite frankly, nobody ever expected to even be there in the first place. And darlings, if there's one thing that you all can take away from this rather unique contest of iron wills and monster skills, it's a fact that is, for all intensive purposes, quite simple to understand.
I did not come to the Iron Maiden to lose.
After all, I have managed to beat the so-called "no-win scenario"--the odds--to get to where this moment in time.
And I shall NOT stand by idly and let this match pass me by.
I am nowhere near the underconfident lassie that made her debut against the likes of Ana Valentine and Alex Jones. Every week, I strove to better myself in all things, keeping my mind clear whilst going up sgainst the likes of the Hall of Famer Jessica Reed or headlining a card for the very first time just so I could get into this very match. Make no mistake about it, darlings: I'm not planning on lying down, rolling over, and playing dead just to satisfy the whims of those who absolutely despise everything that I stand for.
I will not go down without a gorram fight. I believe in myself—that I can succeed and do something that I never would've thought I'd be able to do, say, fifteen years ago when I graduated secondary school and went off to university.
And I will enjoy this night for all eternity.
If I have to go through the likes of Crystal Hilton or Mercedes Vargas in order to claim victory, then so be it. If Eliza, Alexis Caffery, or Firenze Everett want to hurt me in so many pornographic ways just to teach me a lesson, then I welcome it. In the end, nothing else truly will matter because I will be the one who shall walk out of the state of Utah as the next “Iron Maiden.” When the smoke is cleared and the tunes start to play, five of you are going to lose whilst I will be holding my head high, standing over the lot of you with a warm smile on my face and an honourable wink of my right eye.
My loves, I shall enjoy becoming the next Iron Maiden. That is not a blanket statement.
That is a cold, sobering fact.
I bloody guarantee it.
Well howdy there pardner.