06-09-2020, 04:14 PM
07-10-2020, 10:18 PM
“Let it be known that as of April 27, 2020, Shawn Mason has a one-hundred percent success rate when it comes to active competitors becoming Champions.
With Kelcey Wallace, that success was easy, and really I was just along for the ride. Kelcey was going to be Champion regardless of who managed her in her career - I truly believe that. I was fortunate in that I was the one she chose to be in her corner. I didn’t have to alter her state of mind to force her into a binding contract so I could ride her coattails to the top. I watched her become Champion on her own. Whatever one says about me and my brother, and whenever they measure who was more successful, that is the one piece of information that is most relevant: My clients are my clients by choice. Also I never spent time incarcerated, but that’s another matter.
With Alicia Sabbatini, the success came by design… my design. I was General Manager with her as a client on the side, so it became a plan to get her to GCW’s International Championship. Sure, she’s out of the industry today, managing her own philanthropic interests, but she certainly had the means to be successful.
For Desiree Devna, teaming with Madeline Masters, I’ll admit that I did not expect success to be quite so... happenstance. They became number one contenders for EMERGE’s DUOS Championships through disqualification, and won the titles because their opponents ultimately were incompatible. The ironic part is had they been able to keep their alliance together for just that one last match, they’d be the ones in this position rather than Desiree and Madeline. Some people lack that foresight, however. I - being the Smartest Man in Wrestling - knew it was an inevitability and so, ensured that it was my client and her ally that found themselves in the position to benefit from the changing landscape in EMERGE. That is the benefits of having one such as I in your corner.
And while Invasion: Europe represented an unconverted opportunity… a chance at greatness that was not realized, it is not to be taken for granted. For my client, it was an opportunity to again show that hard work can get a naturally talented individual and push them in the direction of what they had considered possible, even if others had derided it. For Desiree Devna hadn’t even initially perceived this as being in her sights. That came with a review of history, and guidance of The Perfect Mind…”
~~~
“I know that I’m not exactly “supposed” to be here…”
Desiree Devna had been sitting back inside her home in London, England, a place she had taken out once the move overseas was announced. For Desiree, being in the position she was now, set to take on Sierra Swann, a woman who had proven to be exceedingly antagonistic in her approach, with the opportunity to vanquish that thorn in her side. But her nerves persist, with questions swirling around her head. After all…
“After all, who am I? I’m not… I’m not a name brand. I’m not a legacy. I have no wrestling credibility or reputation prior to joining EMERGE. But here I am anyway - an unknown commodity set to once again forge and carve my own career out of nothing. Four months ago I was barely a face in the crowd. Now I’m here and, really, a three-count away from taking down the self-proclaimed “Face of EMERGE”…”
She shakes her head.
“I never thought I’d come this far. I figured I’d fizzle out into nothing early, that I’d become one of the wrestlers with a couple of appearances under their belt before shuffling back to obscurity, maybe dusting the boots off in two… three… maybe five years for another go around.”
“So what changed?”
The second voice was clear - belonging to The Smartest Man in Wrestling, Shawn Mason. He sits at the desk inside the hotel room, dressed in his three-piece suit. He holds a cell phone towards her, recording Desiree as she speaks. Desiree shrugs her shoulders, reaching to the side of her shirt to pull the left sleeve up onto her shoulder.
“I don’t know. It was almost… there was a fire that was lit under me. Like someone had pushed the right buttons… the wrong buttons.”
“You’re nervous.”
“Can you blame me? You just came in here and sat down with your phone out, saying ‘Speak’. What are we even doing?”
Shawn smiled. It was a simple routine in his mind, but his mind had been so vast as it is. He was able to comprehend things on a level that most hadn’t even realized was there.
“It’s about your motivations, Desiree.”
“What about them?”
“The people need to see what they are. The fans… they’re there. They want to stand behind you, but you need something more than you have. We already got through the Taylor Chase superfan persona. They now see you as your own person rather than what you had once presented yourself as.”
“And how do we do that?”
Shawn smirked a knowing smirk, an eyebrow raising.
“Take us back to the beginning.”
“Um… I guess it goes back to Los Angeles, when I started in the industry.”
“Los Angeles… seems like a cliche in the making.”
Desiree’s face scrunched together. She wasn’t sure of what Shawn was doing, but the Perfect Mind hadn’t steered her wrong to this point.
“I’m… sorry?”
“No, don’t be. People get so wrapped up in origins that in trying to conceive something “unique”, they tend to become so unbelievable and maudlin that their inauthenticity is betrayed.”
“It sounds like you’re making a point.”
“Aren’t I always?”
Desiree considers the question, but shrugs a shoulder. Shawn Mason WAS always making some kind of point, whether Desiree was able to understand what it was or not. She sits back.
“So your motivations…”
“Shouldn’t they be the same as everyone? Make money. Become Champion. God-willing, maybe become one of the individuals a company builds around.”
“No-no… let’s leave higher powers out of the conversation. No need to muddy the waters.”
Desiree raises an eyebrow.
“I didn’t figure you for a religious man, Shawn.”
“You don’t survive in the heart of Texas for as long as I had without some sort of spirituality, impractical as it may be.”
“So what? Are we discussing you here?”
Shawn chuckles.
“Of course not. What we are doing here is giving you a platform. You know how sometimes you lament about how sometimes it feels like EMERGE doesn’t take you seriously?”
“Yeah… spoken in confidence.”
“Right. Confidence. Sure. Well, sometimes if you don’t feel like you have the platform provided for you, you have to figure out how to create your own platform. So this is the platform.”
“Right here?”
“Right here. I focus the camera on you, and you simply speak. It’s traditional. It’s “old school”. But it’s a lost art, in my estimation… lost among these grant productions.”
Desiree thinks about it, but Shawn continues his sell.
“You don’t need a fancy production to talk about your issues with Sierra Swann. So just sit back and, when you’re ready, we can begin.”
“You’ve been recording this entire time though…”
“Just… we’ll work with it.”
“Right. Sorry…”
Desiree sits back against her chair, pushing some hair back out of her face as she looks to the camera, a sense of calm resolve in her eyes. After letting out a long, calming breath, she looks to the camera beginning her monologue...
“You know, it’s actually kind of funny. Once upon a time, Sierra Swann and I could have been allies.
A bemused grin forms immediately upon her face.
“You see, Sierra, for as abrasive and annoying as you are, when we first crossed paths, I actually kind of liked you. Sure, you and I would never have gone for manicures and pedicures together or anything, but under the right lights, who knows? Maybe it would have been me you turned on for the DUOS Championships. Because no matter how you and I may have gone in the beginning, I feel like we were ultimately bound to end up in this place, face to face.”
Desiree nods his head.
“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you and I were destined to end up on opposite sides of the ring, ever since you went out calling yourself “The Face of EMERGE” while claiming you were sleeping with the boss. It takes someone pretty low down to do something like that. But more than that… like I said, you’re abrasive and annoying, and that’s probably the nicest thing I could say about you. If I wanted to go farther, I could say your arrogance borders on delusional! You are the type who believes the entire world revolves around you… you even went out and said that it does. How can you reason with someone who thinks they are why the sun rises in the morning, or the moon comes out at night? You just… you can’t. There’s no reasoning with that level of delusion. And that’s where you and I come apart. That’s where we differ. And that, really, is my advantage over you.”
A grin curls onto Desiree’s lips.
“You, Sierra, look at you. The “Face of EMERGE”... the one who the world revolves around. What’s it going to look like if you can’t beat me? I mean “again”, of course, because the last time we faced each other, you and I both know that your hairspray tactic was a way to escape that match with your pride intact because you weren’t going to be leaving with the victory either way. Me? I know I can beat you. If you’re honest, you know I can beat you. So what happens when we get in that ring and you’re again faced with that truth? That laying flat on your back for a three, or slapping your hand on the mat, might take a little bit of shine off of you? Might make you seem… mortal?”
She laughs.
“Sierra, you place the world on your own shoulders. You are the one who thinks everything revolves around you. The pressure is your’s, hun. Me? I know I’ve lost matches before, and I’ll likely lose matches again. But in the end, I know my worth, whether you agree or not. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit about your opinion of me. I don’t value what you have to say. I am going to relish facing you, because I know nothing you do is going to rock the foundation of who I am. And you, Sierra?”
Desiree winks at the camera.
“I know for a fact that you can’t say the same. Because if I beat you? Everything you sell yourself as… the “Face of EMERGE”... the world revolving around you… will be seen as the lies they are. From there? You can go on whatever journey you'd like trying to rebuild a reputation that isn't yours to begin with. Otherwise? I’ll see you soon.”
“Good… well done…”
And without another word, Shawn switches his camera off, cutting the scene black.
With Kelcey Wallace, that success was easy, and really I was just along for the ride. Kelcey was going to be Champion regardless of who managed her in her career - I truly believe that. I was fortunate in that I was the one she chose to be in her corner. I didn’t have to alter her state of mind to force her into a binding contract so I could ride her coattails to the top. I watched her become Champion on her own. Whatever one says about me and my brother, and whenever they measure who was more successful, that is the one piece of information that is most relevant: My clients are my clients by choice. Also I never spent time incarcerated, but that’s another matter.
With Alicia Sabbatini, the success came by design… my design. I was General Manager with her as a client on the side, so it became a plan to get her to GCW’s International Championship. Sure, she’s out of the industry today, managing her own philanthropic interests, but she certainly had the means to be successful.
For Desiree Devna, teaming with Madeline Masters, I’ll admit that I did not expect success to be quite so... happenstance. They became number one contenders for EMERGE’s DUOS Championships through disqualification, and won the titles because their opponents ultimately were incompatible. The ironic part is had they been able to keep their alliance together for just that one last match, they’d be the ones in this position rather than Desiree and Madeline. Some people lack that foresight, however. I - being the Smartest Man in Wrestling - knew it was an inevitability and so, ensured that it was my client and her ally that found themselves in the position to benefit from the changing landscape in EMERGE. That is the benefits of having one such as I in your corner.
And while Invasion: Europe represented an unconverted opportunity… a chance at greatness that was not realized, it is not to be taken for granted. For my client, it was an opportunity to again show that hard work can get a naturally talented individual and push them in the direction of what they had considered possible, even if others had derided it. For Desiree Devna hadn’t even initially perceived this as being in her sights. That came with a review of history, and guidance of The Perfect Mind…”
- Shawn Mason, “The Smartest Man in Wrestling”
~~~
“I know that I’m not exactly “supposed” to be here…”
Desiree Devna had been sitting back inside her home in London, England, a place she had taken out once the move overseas was announced. For Desiree, being in the position she was now, set to take on Sierra Swann, a woman who had proven to be exceedingly antagonistic in her approach, with the opportunity to vanquish that thorn in her side. But her nerves persist, with questions swirling around her head. After all…
“After all, who am I? I’m not… I’m not a name brand. I’m not a legacy. I have no wrestling credibility or reputation prior to joining EMERGE. But here I am anyway - an unknown commodity set to once again forge and carve my own career out of nothing. Four months ago I was barely a face in the crowd. Now I’m here and, really, a three-count away from taking down the self-proclaimed “Face of EMERGE”…”
She shakes her head.
“I never thought I’d come this far. I figured I’d fizzle out into nothing early, that I’d become one of the wrestlers with a couple of appearances under their belt before shuffling back to obscurity, maybe dusting the boots off in two… three… maybe five years for another go around.”
“So what changed?”
The second voice was clear - belonging to The Smartest Man in Wrestling, Shawn Mason. He sits at the desk inside the hotel room, dressed in his three-piece suit. He holds a cell phone towards her, recording Desiree as she speaks. Desiree shrugs her shoulders, reaching to the side of her shirt to pull the left sleeve up onto her shoulder.
“I don’t know. It was almost… there was a fire that was lit under me. Like someone had pushed the right buttons… the wrong buttons.”
“You’re nervous.”
“Can you blame me? You just came in here and sat down with your phone out, saying ‘Speak’. What are we even doing?”
Shawn smiled. It was a simple routine in his mind, but his mind had been so vast as it is. He was able to comprehend things on a level that most hadn’t even realized was there.
“It’s about your motivations, Desiree.”
“What about them?”
“The people need to see what they are. The fans… they’re there. They want to stand behind you, but you need something more than you have. We already got through the Taylor Chase superfan persona. They now see you as your own person rather than what you had once presented yourself as.”
“And how do we do that?”
Shawn smirked a knowing smirk, an eyebrow raising.
“Take us back to the beginning.”
“Um… I guess it goes back to Los Angeles, when I started in the industry.”
“Los Angeles… seems like a cliche in the making.”
Desiree’s face scrunched together. She wasn’t sure of what Shawn was doing, but the Perfect Mind hadn’t steered her wrong to this point.
“I’m… sorry?”
“No, don’t be. People get so wrapped up in origins that in trying to conceive something “unique”, they tend to become so unbelievable and maudlin that their inauthenticity is betrayed.”
“It sounds like you’re making a point.”
“Aren’t I always?”
Desiree considers the question, but shrugs a shoulder. Shawn Mason WAS always making some kind of point, whether Desiree was able to understand what it was or not. She sits back.
“So your motivations…”
“Shouldn’t they be the same as everyone? Make money. Become Champion. God-willing, maybe become one of the individuals a company builds around.”
“No-no… let’s leave higher powers out of the conversation. No need to muddy the waters.”
Desiree raises an eyebrow.
“I didn’t figure you for a religious man, Shawn.”
“You don’t survive in the heart of Texas for as long as I had without some sort of spirituality, impractical as it may be.”
“So what? Are we discussing you here?”
Shawn chuckles.
“Of course not. What we are doing here is giving you a platform. You know how sometimes you lament about how sometimes it feels like EMERGE doesn’t take you seriously?”
“Yeah… spoken in confidence.”
“Right. Confidence. Sure. Well, sometimes if you don’t feel like you have the platform provided for you, you have to figure out how to create your own platform. So this is the platform.”
“Right here?”
“Right here. I focus the camera on you, and you simply speak. It’s traditional. It’s “old school”. But it’s a lost art, in my estimation… lost among these grant productions.”
Desiree thinks about it, but Shawn continues his sell.
“You don’t need a fancy production to talk about your issues with Sierra Swann. So just sit back and, when you’re ready, we can begin.”
“You’ve been recording this entire time though…”
“Just… we’ll work with it.”
“Right. Sorry…”
Desiree sits back against her chair, pushing some hair back out of her face as she looks to the camera, a sense of calm resolve in her eyes. After letting out a long, calming breath, she looks to the camera beginning her monologue...
“You know, it’s actually kind of funny. Once upon a time, Sierra Swann and I could have been allies.
A bemused grin forms immediately upon her face.
“You see, Sierra, for as abrasive and annoying as you are, when we first crossed paths, I actually kind of liked you. Sure, you and I would never have gone for manicures and pedicures together or anything, but under the right lights, who knows? Maybe it would have been me you turned on for the DUOS Championships. Because no matter how you and I may have gone in the beginning, I feel like we were ultimately bound to end up in this place, face to face.”
Desiree nods his head.
“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that you and I were destined to end up on opposite sides of the ring, ever since you went out calling yourself “The Face of EMERGE” while claiming you were sleeping with the boss. It takes someone pretty low down to do something like that. But more than that… like I said, you’re abrasive and annoying, and that’s probably the nicest thing I could say about you. If I wanted to go farther, I could say your arrogance borders on delusional! You are the type who believes the entire world revolves around you… you even went out and said that it does. How can you reason with someone who thinks they are why the sun rises in the morning, or the moon comes out at night? You just… you can’t. There’s no reasoning with that level of delusion. And that’s where you and I come apart. That’s where we differ. And that, really, is my advantage over you.”
A grin curls onto Desiree’s lips.
“You, Sierra, look at you. The “Face of EMERGE”... the one who the world revolves around. What’s it going to look like if you can’t beat me? I mean “again”, of course, because the last time we faced each other, you and I both know that your hairspray tactic was a way to escape that match with your pride intact because you weren’t going to be leaving with the victory either way. Me? I know I can beat you. If you’re honest, you know I can beat you. So what happens when we get in that ring and you’re again faced with that truth? That laying flat on your back for a three, or slapping your hand on the mat, might take a little bit of shine off of you? Might make you seem… mortal?”
She laughs.
“Sierra, you place the world on your own shoulders. You are the one who thinks everything revolves around you. The pressure is your’s, hun. Me? I know I’ve lost matches before, and I’ll likely lose matches again. But in the end, I know my worth, whether you agree or not. Quite frankly, I don’t give a shit about your opinion of me. I don’t value what you have to say. I am going to relish facing you, because I know nothing you do is going to rock the foundation of who I am. And you, Sierra?”
Desiree winks at the camera.
“I know for a fact that you can’t say the same. Because if I beat you? Everything you sell yourself as… the “Face of EMERGE”... the world revolving around you… will be seen as the lies they are. From there? You can go on whatever journey you'd like trying to rebuild a reputation that isn't yours to begin with. Otherwise? I’ll see you soon.”
“Good… well done…”
And without another word, Shawn switches his camera off, cutting the scene black.
07-10-2020, 11:52 PM
OOC: G and I Agreed to Shoot Only
The Views Expressed by Your “Rose Gold Standard” Are That of Her Own and Do Not Reflect Those of the Publisher. Viewer Discretion Is Advised.
The Views Expressed by Your “Rose Gold Standard” Are That of Her Own and Do Not Reflect Those of the Publisher. Viewer Discretion Is Advised.
![[Image: tumblr-o5al6q6-MRg1qlxvxuo1-500.gif]](https://i.ibb.co/rFDP98R/tumblr-o5al6q6-MRg1qlxvxuo1-500.gif)
(Click Title)