03-06-2020, 04:52 AM
03-10-2020, 10:00 PM
OOC: Been sick this week and didn't get much going early on.
{The episode starts in Los Angeles, California at the home of Katie Steward. The scene opens to Katie’s Brat, Katelyn Buehler walking up to the front door of the house and knocking on it. She waits a few seconds and doesn’t get an answer. Katelyn tries again and knocks on the door. There is again no answer. Katelyn is a bit confused and she puts out her own key to Katie’s that for sure Katie knows about and let’s herself in.}
Katelyn Buehler: Hello? Kate, are you home?
{Katelyn listens in for Katie’s answer. After a few seconds go by Katie finally answers her. Katelyn follows Katie’s voice to her bedroom and finds her inside. Katie is on her knees wrapped in her white and pink religious ring robe like a pope with a box of beads and strings from an arts and crafts store in front of her. She is just stringing beads together.}
Katelyn Buehler: Kate, ah I didn’t know you were doing crafts stuff. I could’ve brought my girls along. They’ve would’ve love this. What are you making? Friendship bracelets for us?
{Katie looks up from her project and a couple of seconds from her trance to explain.}
Katie Steward: I figured it out Katelyn. The answer is obvious. What I need to fix SCW and get what I want… is Prayer Beads.
Katelyn Buehler: Ok… how does that works?
Katie Steward: My mistake is that I forgot SCW is stupid. They don’t listen to me. They don’t listen to their fans, but I do. I heard them. I hear their prayers. I’ve tried telling management all the wrong things they were doing, but of course they ignore like the fools they are. So what I’m going to do is make Prayer Beads! It’s brilliant cause now the fans will have something to show SCW what I’m talking about.
Katelyn Buehler: Oh wow that’s really cool.
{Katelyn walks over and joins Katie on the floor and checks out her progress into her project. She grabs one that Katie already made. It has red beads and on the small metal plate with an emblem with a spider logo on it.}
Katelyn Buehler: That’s an interesting choice.
Katie Steward: No. Not that one. That one is for Robin. These ones are for the fans.
{Katie reaches over and grabs the right prayer beads to show Katelyn. Those ones have Katie’s pink beads and the small plate has a picture of a unicorn on it.}
Katelyn Buehler: Oh well, that’s nicer. Are we getting our own prayer beads? Do I have one?
Katie Steward: No. I mean not yet. I’m working as fast as I can.
Katelyn Buehler: Where’s TJ?
Katie Steward: He wasn’t being helpful and questioning that I couldn’t possibly finish this task so I send him away to get my more supplies.
Katelyn Buehler: So you don’t want any help?
Katie Steward: I’m fine. This is what I need right now. I am a very artistic and creative person. It is my craft. I am an actor after all. This is how I’m choosing to express myself. It’s going to be such a new trend setting venture for me.
Katelyn Buehler: Wow, this is all so cool, Kate.
{Katelyn watches Katie as she works on her prayer beads.}
Katelyn Buehler: So Kate, about our own special beads that you’re making? Do you already get the special things like Robin’s or is TJ looking for those too?
Katie Steward: They’re over there…
{Katie waves Katelyn away to a couple of bags by her bed. Katelyn moves over and checks it out. She finds colorful beads and a bunch of symbols scattered through. She looks up and back at Katie who is focused on her work.}
{The scene changes to Autumn Daniels shop where we find Katelyn and Autumn talking.}
Autumn Daniels: So Katie is making prayer beads and…
Katelyn Buehler: You don’t think it’s a little worry some?
Autumn Daniels: No. If I was worried about her I wouldn’t have sold it to her. It’s box with beads and strings in it. It’s not like she is conjuring up magic spells. Which I’d probably still sell to her, but I’d be a little more caution with.
Katelyn Buehler: I don’t think she’s sleeping, Autumn. She just in her bedroom making these prayer beads. You know this Goddess stuff is driving her crazy. She scared away everyone from her church thinking she’s been abandoned and a fraud. I’m just really worried about her.
Autumn Daniels: I understand and she’ll be fine. She has you looking about for her. Also TJ is around. Katie does have somewhat of a firm grasp of what she’s doing. She is a woman with a vision and she’s going to see it out no matter what. So she’s going to push these prayer beads out and her fans are going to love them. Just imagine at Retribution the sea of these things in the crowd.
Katelyn Buehler: That’s true.
{Katelyn walks around the ship with Autumn as she helped Katelyn calm down a little over worrying about Katie.}
{The scene opens inside of Katie’s church of her Lady Goddess. Katie paces around on the altar in her white and pink relgious ring robe. Her crucifix hanging around her neck with her face on it. Her prayer beads wrapped around her hand as she grips them tight.}
Katie Steward: I prayed for you Aaron. You could’ve been the one that had beaten James Evans for the SCW Championship. Maybe that is my mistake. I need to stop doing that. Looking to others and hoping they’d succeed. It was my mistake during Trios. Looking at my partners as equals. Being apart of a team and working together on a common goal. It was stupid of me. I might be a woman of faith, but faith in others is not what the Goddess preaches. A Goddess is from within. My faith is me. It’s what I need to focus on. My goals should be my priority. I can’t worry on who is the SCW Champion or what my partners think of me. I am trying to make SCW is a better place. I wanted you, Aaron to be the new SCW Champion.
{Katie stops and takes a deep breath. She tries to calm herself down as she gets a tad bit emotional.}
Katie Steward: I’m sorry there I go again. It’s not my fault you decided to disappoint your Goddess. It’s your fault. SCW needs Katie Steward to rise again and do what she does best. To command her audience with her beauty and brains. No one else can do what I can do. Aaron you have disappointed your Goddess and now you will fall to my crusade. Purging this company of it’s filth and frauds. You Aaron are one of those people. You tricked me into thinking maybe, but no you’re just like them. Retribution has come early for you.
{Katie paces around on her altar. She looks out at her empty church.}
Katie Steward: Now as for SCW, I have realized my mistakes I’ve made recently. You’re still the ones who threw two asses at me to call my partners. My goals are still the same. After I’m done with Aaron and he’s repay his sins to the Goddess. I’m going to proceed to Retribution and I’m going to get my tag team title shot. No asses are going to get in my way. Hell isn’t going to freeze over and there is going to be nothing infamous about it.
{Katie smiles.}
Katie: Well, except that’s Katie Steward does, but I don’t need to tell you that.
{Katie crutches her prayer beads tighter and holds them close to her chest as she turns and walks off the altar and the scene and episode end.}
SCW Goddess | Katie Steward | "Her Prayer Line"
{The episode starts in Los Angeles, California at the home of Katie Steward. The scene opens to Katie’s Brat, Katelyn Buehler walking up to the front door of the house and knocking on it. She waits a few seconds and doesn’t get an answer. Katelyn tries again and knocks on the door. There is again no answer. Katelyn is a bit confused and she puts out her own key to Katie’s that for sure Katie knows about and let’s herself in.}
Katelyn Buehler: Hello? Kate, are you home?
{Katelyn listens in for Katie’s answer. After a few seconds go by Katie finally answers her. Katelyn follows Katie’s voice to her bedroom and finds her inside. Katie is on her knees wrapped in her white and pink religious ring robe like a pope with a box of beads and strings from an arts and crafts store in front of her. She is just stringing beads together.}
Katelyn Buehler: Kate, ah I didn’t know you were doing crafts stuff. I could’ve brought my girls along. They’ve would’ve love this. What are you making? Friendship bracelets for us?
{Katie looks up from her project and a couple of seconds from her trance to explain.}
Katie Steward: I figured it out Katelyn. The answer is obvious. What I need to fix SCW and get what I want… is Prayer Beads.
Katelyn Buehler: Ok… how does that works?
Katie Steward: My mistake is that I forgot SCW is stupid. They don’t listen to me. They don’t listen to their fans, but I do. I heard them. I hear their prayers. I’ve tried telling management all the wrong things they were doing, but of course they ignore like the fools they are. So what I’m going to do is make Prayer Beads! It’s brilliant cause now the fans will have something to show SCW what I’m talking about.
Katelyn Buehler: Oh wow that’s really cool.
{Katelyn walks over and joins Katie on the floor and checks out her progress into her project. She grabs one that Katie already made. It has red beads and on the small metal plate with an emblem with a spider logo on it.}
Katelyn Buehler: That’s an interesting choice.
Katie Steward: No. Not that one. That one is for Robin. These ones are for the fans.
{Katie reaches over and grabs the right prayer beads to show Katelyn. Those ones have Katie’s pink beads and the small plate has a picture of a unicorn on it.}
Katelyn Buehler: Oh well, that’s nicer. Are we getting our own prayer beads? Do I have one?
Katie Steward: No. I mean not yet. I’m working as fast as I can.
Katelyn Buehler: Where’s TJ?
Katie Steward: He wasn’t being helpful and questioning that I couldn’t possibly finish this task so I send him away to get my more supplies.
Katelyn Buehler: So you don’t want any help?
Katie Steward: I’m fine. This is what I need right now. I am a very artistic and creative person. It is my craft. I am an actor after all. This is how I’m choosing to express myself. It’s going to be such a new trend setting venture for me.
Katelyn Buehler: Wow, this is all so cool, Kate.
{Katelyn watches Katie as she works on her prayer beads.}
Katelyn Buehler: So Kate, about our own special beads that you’re making? Do you already get the special things like Robin’s or is TJ looking for those too?
Katie Steward: They’re over there…
{Katie waves Katelyn away to a couple of bags by her bed. Katelyn moves over and checks it out. She finds colorful beads and a bunch of symbols scattered through. She looks up and back at Katie who is focused on her work.}
{The scene changes to Autumn Daniels shop where we find Katelyn and Autumn talking.}
Autumn Daniels: So Katie is making prayer beads and…
Katelyn Buehler: You don’t think it’s a little worry some?
Autumn Daniels: No. If I was worried about her I wouldn’t have sold it to her. It’s box with beads and strings in it. It’s not like she is conjuring up magic spells. Which I’d probably still sell to her, but I’d be a little more caution with.
Katelyn Buehler: I don’t think she’s sleeping, Autumn. She just in her bedroom making these prayer beads. You know this Goddess stuff is driving her crazy. She scared away everyone from her church thinking she’s been abandoned and a fraud. I’m just really worried about her.
Autumn Daniels: I understand and she’ll be fine. She has you looking about for her. Also TJ is around. Katie does have somewhat of a firm grasp of what she’s doing. She is a woman with a vision and she’s going to see it out no matter what. So she’s going to push these prayer beads out and her fans are going to love them. Just imagine at Retribution the sea of these things in the crowd.
Katelyn Buehler: That’s true.
{Katelyn walks around the ship with Autumn as she helped Katelyn calm down a little over worrying about Katie.}
{The scene opens inside of Katie’s church of her Lady Goddess. Katie paces around on the altar in her white and pink relgious ring robe. Her crucifix hanging around her neck with her face on it. Her prayer beads wrapped around her hand as she grips them tight.}
Katie Steward: I prayed for you Aaron. You could’ve been the one that had beaten James Evans for the SCW Championship. Maybe that is my mistake. I need to stop doing that. Looking to others and hoping they’d succeed. It was my mistake during Trios. Looking at my partners as equals. Being apart of a team and working together on a common goal. It was stupid of me. I might be a woman of faith, but faith in others is not what the Goddess preaches. A Goddess is from within. My faith is me. It’s what I need to focus on. My goals should be my priority. I can’t worry on who is the SCW Champion or what my partners think of me. I am trying to make SCW is a better place. I wanted you, Aaron to be the new SCW Champion.
{Katie stops and takes a deep breath. She tries to calm herself down as she gets a tad bit emotional.}
Katie Steward: I’m sorry there I go again. It’s not my fault you decided to disappoint your Goddess. It’s your fault. SCW needs Katie Steward to rise again and do what she does best. To command her audience with her beauty and brains. No one else can do what I can do. Aaron you have disappointed your Goddess and now you will fall to my crusade. Purging this company of it’s filth and frauds. You Aaron are one of those people. You tricked me into thinking maybe, but no you’re just like them. Retribution has come early for you.
{Katie paces around on her altar. She looks out at her empty church.}
Katie Steward: Now as for SCW, I have realized my mistakes I’ve made recently. You’re still the ones who threw two asses at me to call my partners. My goals are still the same. After I’m done with Aaron and he’s repay his sins to the Goddess. I’m going to proceed to Retribution and I’m going to get my tag team title shot. No asses are going to get in my way. Hell isn’t going to freeze over and there is going to be nothing infamous about it.
{Katie smiles.}
Katie: Well, except that’s Katie Steward does, but I don’t need to tell you that.
{Katie crutches her prayer beads tighter and holds them close to her chest as she turns and walks off the altar and the scene and episode end.}
03-10-2020, 10:14 PM
Even with the war in his head at a temporary standstill, it seemed like frustration was something Aaron could never seem to escape.
The more he looked at the landscape of SCW, the more he had to shake his head. Between the impending main event of Retribution that solidified just how petty Sienna Swann truly was to the increased activity of Infamous to try to ‘right’ anything they perceived as wrong that had been done to Syren to even things like Glory Braddock proving just how far from grace she’d truly fallen in her desperate bid to add some weight to her hollow claims of being the best, all Aaron could see was the same decay that had almost caused him to reconsider breaking into the business in the first place. If it wasn’t for the fact that he still had his creative freedom and friends who will willing to fight the same fight he wanted to, he’d have probably thrown in the towel a long time ago and poured all of his focus into his art and design efforts.
I know, that doesn’t really sound like an Aaron Blackbourne thing to do, but for as much as he wants to make a difference even he knows it can’t come at the expense of his own well-being, physical or mental.
Even if it didn’t seem to show when the cameras were on, the loss to Glory had been weighing heavy on his mind. Maybe it was the fact that he had just taken the World Champion to his limits not too long beforehand and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was capable of winning that match and bouncing back before Glory had to resort to the very thing she constantly claimed to be against, but knowing that 2020 had not been a year worth talking about so far in regards to SCW was really bothering him. He didn’t fully recall ever feeling this bothered by any previous rough patches, but maybe that was an unintended side effect of the period of peace he’d brought to his imagination for the time being: without having to divide his attention to keep Nemesis from using any setbacks as fuel for his own endeavors, the full force of those setbacks was finally hitting him like a ton of bricks and rattling him to the point where he was questioning himself.
Part of me wants to say I actually miss Nemesis kind of cushioning the blow while he figures out what to do with it himself, but the sooner I’m rid of him from my subconscious once and for all, the better things will be in the long run.
Often times, Aaron would admit he hated when he found himself thinking too much about something because he tended to fall into situations like this where he felt so torn he had no idea what to do. Aside from trying not to give Nemesis the time of day, lest he becomes an issue again sooner rather than later, he hated that he was even considering Glory’s detrimental claims that he simply lacked the ability to ‘do whatever it took to win.’ He could throw every last ounce of energy, every iota of his strength and willpower, every thought in his head at somebody, and yet he couldn’t win just because he wasn’t willing to further corrode the state of the wrestling business by going against everything he stood for as a human being, not even just as a wrestler?
He’s come this far and beaten some of the best while being nothing more than himself… why does that need to change?
Aaron spat out a sigh as he wiped some sweat from his brow before launching into a series of roundhouse kicks at the heavy bag before him, as is it would somehow suffice as a way of venting his frustrations without needing a paper and pencil for a change. As he had decided to do for a good chunk of his time in Denver despite not being booked last week, most of his time here in Nashville had been spent at the gym, pushing himself even harder than he ever had before. If it was just a matter of trying to get to a point where the next time he challenged for the World Title he could walk away with the title at that time or simply working to improve flaws in his gameplan, that’d be one thing, but he’d never push himself to the point where he would return to his hotel room feeling about ready to drop dead. That had been the case very often as of late, and naturally, it concerned Liane to see her future husband slowly tearing himself apart with how long he spent here and how far he was forcing himself to go.
Unfortunately, this was probably the first time she’d run into a trait about Aaron that he’d been suppressing for quite some time because of the mental energy he’d been pouring into sorting out the other problems in his head: his tendency to go into a single-minded self-destructive focus whenever something was truly burning away in his brain.
The pain coursing through his every muscle was ignored as he continued throwing kick after kick into the bag, the impact slowly growing heavier with each blow despite exhaustion setting in. To the creative soul, stopping now would be detrimental as he knew he could go even farther, and he’d allowed himself to lock in on the thought of making sure there was no such thing as weakness when it came to him anymore. He knew it was a foolish thought since everybody had weaknesses, but he’d allowed his spite towards the lackluster year he’d been having so far to take the wheel and drive him straight into a fog where rational thought was beginning to go out the window. When he finally stopped throwing kicks, he could swear his legs felt like they were turning to jelly as they struggled to keep him upright. He stumbled back a few steps before managing to maintain his balance, and the next thing he registered was gritting his teeth and going to throw yet another kick into the beaten bag.
“Whoa, amigo! You need to take it easy before you hurt yourself, or worse, and I don’t think Liane’s too keen on seeing you put yourself in the hospital.”
Slowly, Aaron seemed to snap out of his haze as he realized his kick had been blocked, his leg trapped in the arms of a familiar woman. He needed to wipe away some more sweat that was falling into his eyes and make sure he wasn’t getting delusional from overexerting himself, but the sight of the most athletic of the Forte siblings was as real as the gym they were both standing in. She slowly helped his leg return to the ground before dragging him over to a nearby bench where he could take a seat, and upon realizing he had nothing to hydrate himself with, she immediately pulled a water bottle from her bag and practically shoved it into his mouth, giving him a look that demanded he start drinking and take it easy, or else.
“I know she told me you were way too in the zone and she was getting worried, but this is nuts dude.”
Aaron needed a few minutes as he guzzled down the water before stopping, knowing that drinking too much at one time would only make things worse. A few coughs and deep breaths to try and get himself back in order, and he finally found the strength to be able to address Lane, whose face only showed more concerned with how ragged he sounded.
“What… what are… you doing here… Lane…?”
“Well, stopping you from seriously hurting yourself, for one thing. I know it sounds stupid that I’m telling this to someone with more actual wrestling experience than I have, but trust someone who’s a natural-born athlete: there’s a big difference between trying to push your limits and going too far, and you’re diving headfirst into the latter pool not realizing there’s no water to meet you.”
Aaron managed to shoot her a look that made it clear he wasn’t buying that as her only reason, though he wasn’t about to argue against the fact that she did just drag him out of his self-destructive mindset. Now that every ounce of pain and exhaustion was truly setting in, he could only let out a groan and do his best to relax, hoping he hadn’t put himself in a position that was going to make Breakdown in a few nights a living nightmare. Lane carefully watched him for a few moments to make sure he was going to stay put and not try to go right back to working himself to death, and then she reached down into her bag and began putting tape around her hands so she could finish getting ready for her own workout.
“The real reason I’m here, in particular, is because the company I wrestle for down in Mexico is doing a series of joint shows throughout the southern half of the U.S. with another promotion around these parts, so I wanted to get a good workout in myself. When Liane found out I was in town and told me what you were doing, though… well, I had to help my sister snap you out of it. We may not always see eye-to-eye, but us Fortes always help each other over all else. That’s going to include you soon too, Mr. Brother-In-Law.”
A smile slowly started to form on Aaron’s lips at Lane referring to him as her soon-to-be brother-in-law, but it quickly faded as he found himself slowly slipping back into his own thoughts, growing tired of his internal debate over everything that stood against him in SCW so far but knowing his mind wasn’t simply going to let it go now. He didn’t even register that Lane had left him to recuperate so she could go start throwing hands at the heavy bag he’d just been tearing apart for the past… however long he’s been here at this point. His mind could barely register when he started this workout or how long he’d been at it. All he knew from how badly everything hurt that it must have been at least several hours, not counting whatever he’d done the past several… weeks, at this point? It was only just now fully dawning on him how badly he’d let himself get far too focused on trying to move past his recent additions to his awful 2020 luck that he’d fallen back into one of his worst practices he knew he desperately needed to break for good. He could only shake his head and consume the rest of his water before his fingers gently massaged his temple.
“Fuck… I thought I was done letting myself get like this. I need to apologize for Liane for probably scaring her with all of this.”
He knew facing her was going to be a bit difficult after all of this, but he needed to make it up to Liane knowing full well he’d probably frightened her with the excessive way he’d been pushing himself lately. Considering they’d talked not that long ago about knowing the only major obstacle left in regards to their wedding was the Forte father and mother, it hurt him to think that he’d showed this side of himself to her when he thought he had it under control, especially with Nemesis seemingly falling back in order to pull himself together following the Valentine’s Day incident. Yet here he was, his head still swimming with thoughts that he needed to stand up and get back to work against the protests of his ravaged body, and he was now trying to focus on snapping himself out of this state of mind.
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but if you need someone to talk to, I could use something besides this awful music to help me pass the time.”
Lane knew that comment would end up drawing a few glares in her direction, considering Nashville was the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and she was making it clear she wasn’t a fan of the country tune playing out over the gym’s speakers right now, but she shrugged it off and kept her eyes on Aaron while she continued to punch away at the bag.
“So, what’s been eating at you anyway, huh?”
“I… I guess I’ve just let my frustrations boil over about how this year’s gone for me.”
“Seriously? Dude, I’ve kept an eye on SCW even with my own wrestling stuff. I don’t call some of the opportunities you’ve had signs of a bad year. People like me would kill to be in your shoes.”
“Yeah, but… I haven’t had a lot of success, and we’re already three months into the year. I know I’ve never really been bothered by it before since I know I can easily turn myself around if I stick with it. I… I guess I’ve just let myself get rattled because of Glory and-”
“You mean that same woman who preaches she’s trying to save the business and yet she’s resorted to cutting corners because she’s already lost all her passion for the business?”
Aaron’s gaze had slowly lowered to the floor as their conversation went on, but that got his head snapping right back up as he looked at Lane with surprise. She didn’t seem like she was apologetic about what she’d said and there was no sign that she was regretting how harsh it sounded, but she did grin and stopped smashing the bag to turn and face Aaron fully.
“That’s… not how I would have put it…”
“And that’s because you’re a lot nicer than I am, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a reason Liane fell hard for you, you know, and it’s not just all your arts and crafts talent. But the way I’ve always looked at it in any sport I’ve played over the years: no matter what excuse you try to back it up with, if you have to resort to bending the rules in the first place just to get ahead, then you don’t care about the sport itself, just trying to save your own ego. And yeah, I may get a bit of an ego myself sometimes… kind of comes with being a winner for most of my life, but I would never stoop that low because I know it invalidates all the work I put in to get to that point. Forget whatever she told you, because from my point of view? She’s disgraced everything that got her to this point by thinking her accomplishments have any meaning if this is how she’s going about it.”
While Aaron wanted to cringe at the way Lane was putting it, he knew the harsh tone was necessary to make sure he was well and truly snapped out of the fog he’d driven himself into. True, Glory had beaten him, and if she wanted to gloat about needing to cheat after all her claims of making sure he tapped out or passed out in order to actually accomplish that? Then let her have it because sooner or later their paths would cross again, and lightning wasn’t striking twice against someone who could easily approach that rematch with hundreds of different gameplans to keep her on her toes. The more he thought this through, the more he couldn’t help but chuckle as he stared at the ultra-athletic Forte girl.
“I can’t believe I let all of that get to me that bad… thanks Lane, I needed the pep talk.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ve been there before, and I know how dumb it is to get so hung up over one loss or mistake that you go way too far to try and undo it. I’m just glad I’ve got people willing to set me straight when I get that way… don’t forget you’ve got those same peeps now too Aaron. If you ask me? Liane’s truly lucky to have a guy like you, and nobody will ever take that away from you guys.”
Lane punctuated that remark with a hard kick of her own against the bag that had it swaying dangerously, as though it was threatening to fall from its chain at any moment. She quickly settled it back into place before giving him a sheepish smile that admitted she had a small moment of her own right there. Aaron didn’t need to think too hard to see what that exclamation point was all about, and he nodded with a long-overdue grin in response. As tempted as he was to bring up the subject of her parents to try and better understand what he would soon be trying to deal with, he left Lane alone on the subject for now. After all, he needed to worry more about making sure his head was clear so he didn’t recklessly push himself any more than he already had, and she needed to focus on her own workout for her own wrestling endeavors coming up.
Considering he and Liane still needed to put together their actual wedding plans and start getting everything in order, he knew there would be plenty of time to tackle that issue. Right now, his greater concern should be taking it easy so he can walk into Breakdown on Wednesday night in one piece. After all, he could make it up to Liane and they could talk out the issue he’d allowed himself to be consumed with, but if he wanted to really get himself turned around?
He’d have to rewrite the script of an overly dramatic diva who was pushing all the wrong buttons.
The patient, and the desperate.
It’s not hard to figure out who would fall into the ‘desperate’ category, because they are the ones being the most aggressive in trying to shove their self-proclaimed superiority down your throats every single week. They make all these claims only to prove just how hollow they truly are within moments, and they all share the one sign that truly proves how desperate they are no matter how much they could argue otherwise: they will not hesitate to sell their souls in exchange for immediate glory. You might think that sounds silly, and to be honest, I fully agree with you on that, but somewhere down the line, those desperate individuals came to a realization: their time is running out. I can’t tell you for sure if this is the truth or not without trying to waste too much of your time tackling every single person that we could make arguments about, but the fact of the matter is that all of those out there who make claims of superiority even in the face of hollow victories all have one thing in common, and that’s the belief that they need to stand alone at the top of the mountain NOW.
As for someone like me? I consider myself a fairly patient person. Sure, I would like to stand here and say I’ve held this title or accomplished that major accolade in my career, but at least I can stand here and be honest with all of you when I say that I’m only human. I have my faults and limitations just like every other member of the SCW roster, and while I can get frustrated over the numerous setbacks I know I’ve suffered so far this year, at least I can continue to stand here knowing full well that I’m the same man that walked into SCW a little over two years ago now. Have I improved since then? Absolutely. Did I need to sacrifice anything in order to come this far? Absolutely not, because I know I don’t need to. I still have a long career ahead of me, and the more I keep working the more I know my time will come. Maybe that sounds cliché to a lot of you, but how many of those people who criticize me over the way I am can honestly tell me that when they look at their own reflection in the morning, they’re truly happy with the soulless abomination that stares back at them?
As much as I know many of you will gladly claim otherwise because you need something to cling to in order to make sure your egos are being stroked, I’m not as naive as some of you may like to believe. Nothing ever truly manifests overnight… you need to be willing to work at it no matter how long it takes until the results begin to match up with all the work you’ve put in. I didn’t become a talented artist or writer just because I grabbed a pencil and some paper and magic just happened, just like I didn’t become a wrestler worth respecting because I walked into the business and suddenly found myself as the greatest thing walking the earth today. I’ve spent years building myself into who I am, and I know there are many more years on the horizon for me to build myself into something even greater. The more I compete and earn hard-fought victories, the more I’ll get my chances, and sooner or later those will pay off. I don’t need to desperately try to amass a ton of huge victories in record time to back up any claims that I’m the ‘best in the world’ while spitting in the face of all the work I put in to come this far and the people who helped me get here, because those people are the ones who crash and burn the hardest when they inevitably slip up and find all of those hollow achievements destroyed.
After all… those who are obsessed with the spotlight are the ones most afraid of being lost and forgotten in the darkness surrounding it.
Funny how that statement could easily apply to a certain someone who still seems content with believing that if he didn’t actually lose to me then that’s good enough for him, but it’s amazing how well those words could easily apply to someone like Katie Steward as well. After all, once upon a time, she was easily considered a pioneer for the women of SCW. She’s held the old Women’s Title more times than perhaps anybody else, she is the very first female World Champion in SCW history, she’s done just about everything someone could do in this company… if Katie was to retire tomorrow, her career would easily be something that many women, no matter how much they likely won’t admit it as they confine themselves to their own proverbial kingdoms in the clouds, could look back on and say that it was because of what she did that they were inspired to give wrestling and SCW, in particular, a shot.
And yet… instead of being satisfied with all the barriers she broke down and everything she’s achieved, Katie continues to march on, trying to do whatever it takes to add to a legacy that’s already been cemented in the history books. The truly sad thing is that the more she shows how desperate she is to do anything and everything to return to her throne, the more she tarnishes the career she built that made her worth respecting.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news Katie, but there’s a very good reason why the ‘goddess’ no longer gets the respect she feels she deserves. Just like when we clashed last year with Tommy Valentine involved as well, I truly wanted to stand here and say that I respected everything that you’ve done and acknowledge the challenge of trying to overcome another former World Champion as I seek to turn my fortunes around at long last this year. I want to… but I just can’t. Not when you feel the need to act like you’ve done anything worth respecting over the past several years, and especially not after the stunt you pulled last Breakdown. I may have been preoccupied with helping a few friends remind Infamous that they don’t simply get their way just because anymore, but I saw your little scene admitting you tricked Konrad into thinking his wife was giving birth. And what, pray tell, was the point of all of that?
If you were hoping to motivate him, then all you’ve done is put yourself in his crosshairs no matter who you think you can hide behind when the time comes.
If you think you’re actually going to get away with it, then consider your match with me a preview of this lovely little short film called ‘karma’ that’s soon going to be gracing TV screens across the country.
Nothing you can say or do is going to get you anywhere with me Katie. If you want to send every person with the last name Steward at me, I will cut them down until you’re left with no choice but to actually face the music. If you think you can convince anyone else in that locker room to fight in your stead, I will adapt and overcome. I don’t care how much you’ve convinced yourself that your script calls for your victory because you know the clock is ticking on the shambles you’ve left your own legacy in, because I’m entitled to make a few creative changes for the sake of telling a better story, and I’m afraid the outcome you want simply isn’t one the people are really going to buy into as much as you may think.
Trust me, I’ve written more than my fair share of stories to know what kind of ending people want.
Everyone’s tired of the same old story of the queen who refuses to give up her crown because she’s afraid of what’ll happen when she’s no longer seated at her throne, not realizing that some have simply built their own empires and have their own thrones to sit upon now because they no longer respect someone who has thrown away everything to desperately hold onto something that was never meant to last. They want something new… they want to invest in a hero who isn’t afraid to try new things while never compromising who he is and why he’s fighting in the first place. They want to experience the rise of a warrior who will always get back up no matter how many times he gets knocked down and come back stronger than ever before. They want to invest their time in the evolution of someone who, just like them, wants to see the world change for the better and isn’t afraid to stand up and fight for it, no matter how difficult the struggle may be. People like Owen… like Peyton… like Alistaire…
Like me…
Once upon a time, there was a queen who paved the way for many women, and athletes in general, of future generations to make their own marks on the world. But she became obsessed with the feeling of being called a pioneer, to the point where she allowed her entire kingdom to erode away with the passage of time because she refused to let go of the one thing she thought would always last. Eventually, she found herself confronted with someone who wasn’t going to stand for her tyranny anymore, someone with the ability to see through her every deception and battle through it with nothing more than his imagination and the two bare hands that would give it life. As she stood tall in the city of Nashville, believing she would win the battle on Breakdown because she believed herself to be an eternal goddess, she would soon come to know the fallacy of believing in an immortality that no one truly possesses. Left with nothing more than the ruins she herself created, the fallen queen would be left with no choice but to admit defeat to the creative soul and realize that the longer she tried to extend her relevance, the more she ultimately shattered the very foundation that had once brought her so much respect and admiration, to begin with.
And… scene.
The more he looked at the landscape of SCW, the more he had to shake his head. Between the impending main event of Retribution that solidified just how petty Sienna Swann truly was to the increased activity of Infamous to try to ‘right’ anything they perceived as wrong that had been done to Syren to even things like Glory Braddock proving just how far from grace she’d truly fallen in her desperate bid to add some weight to her hollow claims of being the best, all Aaron could see was the same decay that had almost caused him to reconsider breaking into the business in the first place. If it wasn’t for the fact that he still had his creative freedom and friends who will willing to fight the same fight he wanted to, he’d have probably thrown in the towel a long time ago and poured all of his focus into his art and design efforts.
I know, that doesn’t really sound like an Aaron Blackbourne thing to do, but for as much as he wants to make a difference even he knows it can’t come at the expense of his own well-being, physical or mental.
Even if it didn’t seem to show when the cameras were on, the loss to Glory had been weighing heavy on his mind. Maybe it was the fact that he had just taken the World Champion to his limits not too long beforehand and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he was capable of winning that match and bouncing back before Glory had to resort to the very thing she constantly claimed to be against, but knowing that 2020 had not been a year worth talking about so far in regards to SCW was really bothering him. He didn’t fully recall ever feeling this bothered by any previous rough patches, but maybe that was an unintended side effect of the period of peace he’d brought to his imagination for the time being: without having to divide his attention to keep Nemesis from using any setbacks as fuel for his own endeavors, the full force of those setbacks was finally hitting him like a ton of bricks and rattling him to the point where he was questioning himself.
Part of me wants to say I actually miss Nemesis kind of cushioning the blow while he figures out what to do with it himself, but the sooner I’m rid of him from my subconscious once and for all, the better things will be in the long run.
Often times, Aaron would admit he hated when he found himself thinking too much about something because he tended to fall into situations like this where he felt so torn he had no idea what to do. Aside from trying not to give Nemesis the time of day, lest he becomes an issue again sooner rather than later, he hated that he was even considering Glory’s detrimental claims that he simply lacked the ability to ‘do whatever it took to win.’ He could throw every last ounce of energy, every iota of his strength and willpower, every thought in his head at somebody, and yet he couldn’t win just because he wasn’t willing to further corrode the state of the wrestling business by going against everything he stood for as a human being, not even just as a wrestler?
He’s come this far and beaten some of the best while being nothing more than himself… why does that need to change?
Aaron spat out a sigh as he wiped some sweat from his brow before launching into a series of roundhouse kicks at the heavy bag before him, as is it would somehow suffice as a way of venting his frustrations without needing a paper and pencil for a change. As he had decided to do for a good chunk of his time in Denver despite not being booked last week, most of his time here in Nashville had been spent at the gym, pushing himself even harder than he ever had before. If it was just a matter of trying to get to a point where the next time he challenged for the World Title he could walk away with the title at that time or simply working to improve flaws in his gameplan, that’d be one thing, but he’d never push himself to the point where he would return to his hotel room feeling about ready to drop dead. That had been the case very often as of late, and naturally, it concerned Liane to see her future husband slowly tearing himself apart with how long he spent here and how far he was forcing himself to go.
Unfortunately, this was probably the first time she’d run into a trait about Aaron that he’d been suppressing for quite some time because of the mental energy he’d been pouring into sorting out the other problems in his head: his tendency to go into a single-minded self-destructive focus whenever something was truly burning away in his brain.
The pain coursing through his every muscle was ignored as he continued throwing kick after kick into the bag, the impact slowly growing heavier with each blow despite exhaustion setting in. To the creative soul, stopping now would be detrimental as he knew he could go even farther, and he’d allowed himself to lock in on the thought of making sure there was no such thing as weakness when it came to him anymore. He knew it was a foolish thought since everybody had weaknesses, but he’d allowed his spite towards the lackluster year he’d been having so far to take the wheel and drive him straight into a fog where rational thought was beginning to go out the window. When he finally stopped throwing kicks, he could swear his legs felt like they were turning to jelly as they struggled to keep him upright. He stumbled back a few steps before managing to maintain his balance, and the next thing he registered was gritting his teeth and going to throw yet another kick into the beaten bag.
“Whoa, amigo! You need to take it easy before you hurt yourself, or worse, and I don’t think Liane’s too keen on seeing you put yourself in the hospital.”
Slowly, Aaron seemed to snap out of his haze as he realized his kick had been blocked, his leg trapped in the arms of a familiar woman. He needed to wipe away some more sweat that was falling into his eyes and make sure he wasn’t getting delusional from overexerting himself, but the sight of the most athletic of the Forte siblings was as real as the gym they were both standing in. She slowly helped his leg return to the ground before dragging him over to a nearby bench where he could take a seat, and upon realizing he had nothing to hydrate himself with, she immediately pulled a water bottle from her bag and practically shoved it into his mouth, giving him a look that demanded he start drinking and take it easy, or else.
“I know she told me you were way too in the zone and she was getting worried, but this is nuts dude.”
Aaron needed a few minutes as he guzzled down the water before stopping, knowing that drinking too much at one time would only make things worse. A few coughs and deep breaths to try and get himself back in order, and he finally found the strength to be able to address Lane, whose face only showed more concerned with how ragged he sounded.
“What… what are… you doing here… Lane…?”
“Well, stopping you from seriously hurting yourself, for one thing. I know it sounds stupid that I’m telling this to someone with more actual wrestling experience than I have, but trust someone who’s a natural-born athlete: there’s a big difference between trying to push your limits and going too far, and you’re diving headfirst into the latter pool not realizing there’s no water to meet you.”
Aaron managed to shoot her a look that made it clear he wasn’t buying that as her only reason, though he wasn’t about to argue against the fact that she did just drag him out of his self-destructive mindset. Now that every ounce of pain and exhaustion was truly setting in, he could only let out a groan and do his best to relax, hoping he hadn’t put himself in a position that was going to make Breakdown in a few nights a living nightmare. Lane carefully watched him for a few moments to make sure he was going to stay put and not try to go right back to working himself to death, and then she reached down into her bag and began putting tape around her hands so she could finish getting ready for her own workout.
“The real reason I’m here, in particular, is because the company I wrestle for down in Mexico is doing a series of joint shows throughout the southern half of the U.S. with another promotion around these parts, so I wanted to get a good workout in myself. When Liane found out I was in town and told me what you were doing, though… well, I had to help my sister snap you out of it. We may not always see eye-to-eye, but us Fortes always help each other over all else. That’s going to include you soon too, Mr. Brother-In-Law.”
A smile slowly started to form on Aaron’s lips at Lane referring to him as her soon-to-be brother-in-law, but it quickly faded as he found himself slowly slipping back into his own thoughts, growing tired of his internal debate over everything that stood against him in SCW so far but knowing his mind wasn’t simply going to let it go now. He didn’t even register that Lane had left him to recuperate so she could go start throwing hands at the heavy bag he’d just been tearing apart for the past… however long he’s been here at this point. His mind could barely register when he started this workout or how long he’d been at it. All he knew from how badly everything hurt that it must have been at least several hours, not counting whatever he’d done the past several… weeks, at this point? It was only just now fully dawning on him how badly he’d let himself get far too focused on trying to move past his recent additions to his awful 2020 luck that he’d fallen back into one of his worst practices he knew he desperately needed to break for good. He could only shake his head and consume the rest of his water before his fingers gently massaged his temple.
“Fuck… I thought I was done letting myself get like this. I need to apologize for Liane for probably scaring her with all of this.”
He knew facing her was going to be a bit difficult after all of this, but he needed to make it up to Liane knowing full well he’d probably frightened her with the excessive way he’d been pushing himself lately. Considering they’d talked not that long ago about knowing the only major obstacle left in regards to their wedding was the Forte father and mother, it hurt him to think that he’d showed this side of himself to her when he thought he had it under control, especially with Nemesis seemingly falling back in order to pull himself together following the Valentine’s Day incident. Yet here he was, his head still swimming with thoughts that he needed to stand up and get back to work against the protests of his ravaged body, and he was now trying to focus on snapping himself out of this state of mind.
“I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but if you need someone to talk to, I could use something besides this awful music to help me pass the time.”
Lane knew that comment would end up drawing a few glares in her direction, considering Nashville was the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and she was making it clear she wasn’t a fan of the country tune playing out over the gym’s speakers right now, but she shrugged it off and kept her eyes on Aaron while she continued to punch away at the bag.
“So, what’s been eating at you anyway, huh?”
“I… I guess I’ve just let my frustrations boil over about how this year’s gone for me.”
“Seriously? Dude, I’ve kept an eye on SCW even with my own wrestling stuff. I don’t call some of the opportunities you’ve had signs of a bad year. People like me would kill to be in your shoes.”
“Yeah, but… I haven’t had a lot of success, and we’re already three months into the year. I know I’ve never really been bothered by it before since I know I can easily turn myself around if I stick with it. I… I guess I’ve just let myself get rattled because of Glory and-”
“You mean that same woman who preaches she’s trying to save the business and yet she’s resorted to cutting corners because she’s already lost all her passion for the business?”
Aaron’s gaze had slowly lowered to the floor as their conversation went on, but that got his head snapping right back up as he looked at Lane with surprise. She didn’t seem like she was apologetic about what she’d said and there was no sign that she was regretting how harsh it sounded, but she did grin and stopped smashing the bag to turn and face Aaron fully.
“That’s… not how I would have put it…”
“And that’s because you’re a lot nicer than I am, and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s a reason Liane fell hard for you, you know, and it’s not just all your arts and crafts talent. But the way I’ve always looked at it in any sport I’ve played over the years: no matter what excuse you try to back it up with, if you have to resort to bending the rules in the first place just to get ahead, then you don’t care about the sport itself, just trying to save your own ego. And yeah, I may get a bit of an ego myself sometimes… kind of comes with being a winner for most of my life, but I would never stoop that low because I know it invalidates all the work I put in to get to that point. Forget whatever she told you, because from my point of view? She’s disgraced everything that got her to this point by thinking her accomplishments have any meaning if this is how she’s going about it.”
While Aaron wanted to cringe at the way Lane was putting it, he knew the harsh tone was necessary to make sure he was well and truly snapped out of the fog he’d driven himself into. True, Glory had beaten him, and if she wanted to gloat about needing to cheat after all her claims of making sure he tapped out or passed out in order to actually accomplish that? Then let her have it because sooner or later their paths would cross again, and lightning wasn’t striking twice against someone who could easily approach that rematch with hundreds of different gameplans to keep her on her toes. The more he thought this through, the more he couldn’t help but chuckle as he stared at the ultra-athletic Forte girl.
“I can’t believe I let all of that get to me that bad… thanks Lane, I needed the pep talk.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ve been there before, and I know how dumb it is to get so hung up over one loss or mistake that you go way too far to try and undo it. I’m just glad I’ve got people willing to set me straight when I get that way… don’t forget you’ve got those same peeps now too Aaron. If you ask me? Liane’s truly lucky to have a guy like you, and nobody will ever take that away from you guys.”
Lane punctuated that remark with a hard kick of her own against the bag that had it swaying dangerously, as though it was threatening to fall from its chain at any moment. She quickly settled it back into place before giving him a sheepish smile that admitted she had a small moment of her own right there. Aaron didn’t need to think too hard to see what that exclamation point was all about, and he nodded with a long-overdue grin in response. As tempted as he was to bring up the subject of her parents to try and better understand what he would soon be trying to deal with, he left Lane alone on the subject for now. After all, he needed to worry more about making sure his head was clear so he didn’t recklessly push himself any more than he already had, and she needed to focus on her own workout for her own wrestling endeavors coming up.
Considering he and Liane still needed to put together their actual wedding plans and start getting everything in order, he knew there would be plenty of time to tackle that issue. Right now, his greater concern should be taking it easy so he can walk into Breakdown on Wednesday night in one piece. After all, he could make it up to Liane and they could talk out the issue he’d allowed himself to be consumed with, but if he wanted to really get himself turned around?
He’d have to rewrite the script of an overly dramatic diva who was pushing all the wrong buttons.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The more I look at SCW, the more I realize that the vast majority of its roster can be separated into two categories:The patient, and the desperate.
It’s not hard to figure out who would fall into the ‘desperate’ category, because they are the ones being the most aggressive in trying to shove their self-proclaimed superiority down your throats every single week. They make all these claims only to prove just how hollow they truly are within moments, and they all share the one sign that truly proves how desperate they are no matter how much they could argue otherwise: they will not hesitate to sell their souls in exchange for immediate glory. You might think that sounds silly, and to be honest, I fully agree with you on that, but somewhere down the line, those desperate individuals came to a realization: their time is running out. I can’t tell you for sure if this is the truth or not without trying to waste too much of your time tackling every single person that we could make arguments about, but the fact of the matter is that all of those out there who make claims of superiority even in the face of hollow victories all have one thing in common, and that’s the belief that they need to stand alone at the top of the mountain NOW.
As for someone like me? I consider myself a fairly patient person. Sure, I would like to stand here and say I’ve held this title or accomplished that major accolade in my career, but at least I can stand here and be honest with all of you when I say that I’m only human. I have my faults and limitations just like every other member of the SCW roster, and while I can get frustrated over the numerous setbacks I know I’ve suffered so far this year, at least I can continue to stand here knowing full well that I’m the same man that walked into SCW a little over two years ago now. Have I improved since then? Absolutely. Did I need to sacrifice anything in order to come this far? Absolutely not, because I know I don’t need to. I still have a long career ahead of me, and the more I keep working the more I know my time will come. Maybe that sounds cliché to a lot of you, but how many of those people who criticize me over the way I am can honestly tell me that when they look at their own reflection in the morning, they’re truly happy with the soulless abomination that stares back at them?
As much as I know many of you will gladly claim otherwise because you need something to cling to in order to make sure your egos are being stroked, I’m not as naive as some of you may like to believe. Nothing ever truly manifests overnight… you need to be willing to work at it no matter how long it takes until the results begin to match up with all the work you’ve put in. I didn’t become a talented artist or writer just because I grabbed a pencil and some paper and magic just happened, just like I didn’t become a wrestler worth respecting because I walked into the business and suddenly found myself as the greatest thing walking the earth today. I’ve spent years building myself into who I am, and I know there are many more years on the horizon for me to build myself into something even greater. The more I compete and earn hard-fought victories, the more I’ll get my chances, and sooner or later those will pay off. I don’t need to desperately try to amass a ton of huge victories in record time to back up any claims that I’m the ‘best in the world’ while spitting in the face of all the work I put in to come this far and the people who helped me get here, because those people are the ones who crash and burn the hardest when they inevitably slip up and find all of those hollow achievements destroyed.
After all… those who are obsessed with the spotlight are the ones most afraid of being lost and forgotten in the darkness surrounding it.
Funny how that statement could easily apply to a certain someone who still seems content with believing that if he didn’t actually lose to me then that’s good enough for him, but it’s amazing how well those words could easily apply to someone like Katie Steward as well. After all, once upon a time, she was easily considered a pioneer for the women of SCW. She’s held the old Women’s Title more times than perhaps anybody else, she is the very first female World Champion in SCW history, she’s done just about everything someone could do in this company… if Katie was to retire tomorrow, her career would easily be something that many women, no matter how much they likely won’t admit it as they confine themselves to their own proverbial kingdoms in the clouds, could look back on and say that it was because of what she did that they were inspired to give wrestling and SCW, in particular, a shot.
And yet… instead of being satisfied with all the barriers she broke down and everything she’s achieved, Katie continues to march on, trying to do whatever it takes to add to a legacy that’s already been cemented in the history books. The truly sad thing is that the more she shows how desperate she is to do anything and everything to return to her throne, the more she tarnishes the career she built that made her worth respecting.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news Katie, but there’s a very good reason why the ‘goddess’ no longer gets the respect she feels she deserves. Just like when we clashed last year with Tommy Valentine involved as well, I truly wanted to stand here and say that I respected everything that you’ve done and acknowledge the challenge of trying to overcome another former World Champion as I seek to turn my fortunes around at long last this year. I want to… but I just can’t. Not when you feel the need to act like you’ve done anything worth respecting over the past several years, and especially not after the stunt you pulled last Breakdown. I may have been preoccupied with helping a few friends remind Infamous that they don’t simply get their way just because anymore, but I saw your little scene admitting you tricked Konrad into thinking his wife was giving birth. And what, pray tell, was the point of all of that?
If you were hoping to motivate him, then all you’ve done is put yourself in his crosshairs no matter who you think you can hide behind when the time comes.
If you think you’re actually going to get away with it, then consider your match with me a preview of this lovely little short film called ‘karma’ that’s soon going to be gracing TV screens across the country.
Nothing you can say or do is going to get you anywhere with me Katie. If you want to send every person with the last name Steward at me, I will cut them down until you’re left with no choice but to actually face the music. If you think you can convince anyone else in that locker room to fight in your stead, I will adapt and overcome. I don’t care how much you’ve convinced yourself that your script calls for your victory because you know the clock is ticking on the shambles you’ve left your own legacy in, because I’m entitled to make a few creative changes for the sake of telling a better story, and I’m afraid the outcome you want simply isn’t one the people are really going to buy into as much as you may think.
Trust me, I’ve written more than my fair share of stories to know what kind of ending people want.
Everyone’s tired of the same old story of the queen who refuses to give up her crown because she’s afraid of what’ll happen when she’s no longer seated at her throne, not realizing that some have simply built their own empires and have their own thrones to sit upon now because they no longer respect someone who has thrown away everything to desperately hold onto something that was never meant to last. They want something new… they want to invest in a hero who isn’t afraid to try new things while never compromising who he is and why he’s fighting in the first place. They want to experience the rise of a warrior who will always get back up no matter how many times he gets knocked down and come back stronger than ever before. They want to invest their time in the evolution of someone who, just like them, wants to see the world change for the better and isn’t afraid to stand up and fight for it, no matter how difficult the struggle may be. People like Owen… like Peyton… like Alistaire…
Like me…
Once upon a time, there was a queen who paved the way for many women, and athletes in general, of future generations to make their own marks on the world. But she became obsessed with the feeling of being called a pioneer, to the point where she allowed her entire kingdom to erode away with the passage of time because she refused to let go of the one thing she thought would always last. Eventually, she found herself confronted with someone who wasn’t going to stand for her tyranny anymore, someone with the ability to see through her every deception and battle through it with nothing more than his imagination and the two bare hands that would give it life. As she stood tall in the city of Nashville, believing she would win the battle on Breakdown because she believed herself to be an eternal goddess, she would soon come to know the fallacy of believing in an immortality that no one truly possesses. Left with nothing more than the ruins she herself created, the fallen queen would be left with no choice but to admit defeat to the creative soul and realize that the longer she tried to extend her relevance, the more she ultimately shattered the very foundation that had once brought her so much respect and admiration, to begin with.
And… scene.