01-22-2020, 12:07 AM
OOC: I'm not going to lie... I'm a bit surprised with myself right now. Before I went to work earlier all I had done was a promo I was heavily considering scrapping because I simply wasn't feeling it and was finding it difficult to get back into a writing rhythm in general. Over the past three hours after I got home I somehow found the spark I needed to not only churn out a retooled promo I'm quite happy with, but also a CD that serves it's primary purpose of helping to set the stage for what I'm planning on doing for the PPV. I don't think I've ever had an instance before where I went from virtually nothing and fearing I'd only be able to get up a half effort to set myself up for the PPV or rushing the whole thing to being able to say I have a complete effort I'm happy with while still having time to spare before deadline. Best of luck to everyone involved, and I'm kind of looking forward to doing this dance again with everyone but J (sorry J, I've got no control over how the PPV card shaped up sadly) this weekend.
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To many people, a new year was supposed to bring with it a fresh start, a chance to leave behind the issues of the year before and push forward with renewed resolve.
For Aaron Blackbourne, it was starting to feel like the same story as the previous two years.
If there was one bad habit he just couldn’t seem to shake despite his best efforts, it was starting a brand new year in SCW off on the wrong foot. He didn’t even feel right about trying to reassure himself that this time around it was because someone got involved and not simply because his own efforts were in vain, considering said interference ultimately saw Rachel Tatum Lee, his opponent that night, get put on the shelf all because Bree Lancaster decided to answer an empty threat, albeit one Aaron didn’t agree with regardless, with one that attempted to make her pay-per-view title defense a little easier on herself. Add to that the fact that Shilo apparently seemed fine with accepting the non-finish to their encounter back at Clarity no matter how much Aaron knew it truly wasn’t like the man based on everything he’d seen, and he found himself struggling to find the right direction to regain any sense of traction on his career.
The bigger problem was that the more his proverbial tires kept spinning in the mud, the more likely things inside his head would start breaking down even worse than they already had.
Aaron knew Nemesis was getting desperate, that much couldn’t be argued. The embodiment of his more negative feelings was well aware of the ever-growing army that was preparing to storm his stronghold, and the more Aaron could keep things in the real world working in his favor the more power and control Nemesis lost. It was the whole reason why he was trying to use everything he still had to drag his host back into the toxic abyss where he could feed, from efforts to interrupt Aaron’s ‘demonic escapades’ whenever he opened that door for one of his creations to take to attempting to mess with his perception in the ring to keep him off-balance. Fear and desperation… it was clear that was the gear Nemesis had shifted into in hopes he could delay the inevitable final battle long enough to regain enough strength to win the day.
Unfortunately, the nightmare of negativity had time on his side in order to try and fix that issue.
The last time Aaron had ventured into his mind, he’ll admit the attempt to recruit Zeitgeist to try and truly create an unstoppable force no matter what Nemesis threw at him didn’t go as planned, though he wasn’t that surprised in retrospect. After all, an entity designed to effectively be his own version of Father Time would be a tide-turner in any battle as he would already know the outcome and what actions to take. He couldn’t blame him for wanting to maintain a passive approach to the whole situation unless there was truly no other choice even in his all-seeing eyes, although he had aided his creator by bringing to light the crucial problem that would doom his assault plans and a cryptic clue as to how he might be able to get around it.
Trying to figure out how he could stay locked inside his own head via longer sleep than the human body was capable of was actually something that was beginning to cost him sleep.
At least Aaron had been able to keep the mind games at bay to end 2019 and start off 2020, which he was grateful for. Spending Christmas back in Lowell with his family for the first time in many years had been a big help in that regard, especially since he ended up with nothing to do at the End of the Year Special with no sign of the entertainer that was hellbent on being his enemy. With a relatively quiet past few weeks aside from Bree’s interference that stalled him on his beginning to the new year and desperately maintaining optimism about the impending Trios situation he had a rare opportunity to be involved with, he’d been able to maintain a pause in his mental warfare up until this next Breakdown, where the show taking place in Detroit would serve as a blessing in disguise he’d been long overdue on.
That was the thought that kept his spirits high as he trudged through the snow up towards the front door of the address he’d been given. It had been quite some time since he and his fiancée had been able to see each other face-to-face due to their respective careers, but her comedy tour had wrapped up near the end of December and she’d been spending the holidays with her siblings since then. She’d wanted to rejoin Aaron sooner, but he reasoned that she could save money by waiting just a little longer until SCW came rolling into Michigan, while also giving him a little extra time to see if he could keep himself stable on his own. The whole effort has yielded very mixed results admittedly, though it was hard for him to deny that a lot of the blame went into dealing with his unexpected new ‘friend’ near the end of the year. He rang the doorbell, trying his best to maintain a smile despite the frigid temperature outside for when it opened up, even if the Forte sibling that greeted him wasn’t who he’d been waiting to see.
“I think I’ve kept her waiting long enough… I definitely owe her an apology…”
He’d just barely finished saying those words to himself before he suddenly found his body flying backward and sinking into the snow, arms wrapped tightly around his torso and lips desperately attaching themselves to his.
Despite his surprise at the sudden attack the moment the door opened, one look into the blue eyes he’d been dying to see again without the glare of a screen getting in the way and his own immediately closed and returned the kiss, arms holding the body of his beloved close as he felt her shivering due to the very ill-advised lack of winter wear she’d thrown on before making this decision. They just remained lost in the bliss of the first kiss they’d shared in what felt like an eternity, even ignoring the giggling coming from the direction of the house until the stern voice of the eldest Forte sibling weaved its way into the moment.
“I hate to interrupt such a tender moment between two lovesick souls, but you guys really should come inside before Liane gets herself literally sick.”
Liane slowly and sheepishly pried herself off of her husband-to-be, immediately wrapping her arms around herself as the cold winter air hit her like a semi-truck. She quickly bolted back into the house and Aaron followed after her, brushing snow from his coat before removing it once he was inside the warm abode. Since the main business she was working for happened to be located in Detroit and her own significant other also had a job or two within the Motor City limits, Lorelei and her husband Roberto had bought a house in a suburban community just outside the bustling metropolis, and considering that as far as he was aware there was still tension between the siblings and their parents it was no surprise to Aaron that he’d been directed here. Apparently, this is where the Fortes, sans mom and dad, had decided to gather for the holidays this year, and while most of the older ones had since left to resume their own careers or college pursuits, he did find out that the four youngest of the clan had been allowed to move in with her to have some freedom and peace of mind until things with the ones who brought them into this world simmered down. Considering how she wasn’t allowed back at their childhood home still, Liane had been hanging around as well waiting for Aaron to roll in, and he’d also taken notice that Lane, who he hadn’t seen since the open invitational back at the end of 2018, was still hanging around as well due to weather keeping her from returning to Mexico where she was starting to really build herself up in lucha libre.
“It’s nice that you guys seemed to have found a solution until your parents hopefully come to their senses about the way they’ve treated you over the years.”
“They really have snow reason to keep going with this, if you ask me.”
After changing clothes quick since she’d soaked what she was wearing previously due to tackling Aaron into the snow, which gave Aaron a chance to quickly reacquaint himself with the Forte siblings present as well as meet Lorelei’s husband, everyone had more or less settled into the living room to simply relax and spend time together, which was all the creative soul could ask for after being virtually alone for weeks on end up until this point. Little Lillian was working on drawing while Lane posed for her, trying to have her own wrestling portrait painted without ‘bothering the actual artist in the room,’ the twins Leila and Laila were working together on homework while Louise hovered near them to provide assistance since she’d actually advanced ahead a few grades because of how smart she was, Lorelei and Roberto had retreated to the kitchen to work on dinner which left Aaron and Liane to cuddle one another on the couch and catch up, with Aaron grinning from ear to ear over how successful her comedy tour had been only for his teeth to disappear once the subject shifted to his recent struggles, especially once he laid out the newfound imagination scenario to her.
“So Zeitgeist isn’t going to actually fight with you?”
“I’d be surprised if he did, honestly, though part of me was holding out hope he’d reconsider his usual stance after Nemesis actually briefly interrupted Ferrugo’s turn at the helm when I was wrestling Shilo at Clarity. I know he still opened my eyes to other things I hadn’t considered, but it’s just been hard to refocus between the desperate force inside my head and the seemingly desperate force outside of it trying to find real estate. If it wasn’t for this Trios Buy-In thing this Sunday I have to look forward to, I’d… well, I’d have probably started to lose it after we got through the holidays if I can be honest.”
“Well, you know you’ll always have my support however I can to fix this mess in your noggin.”
Liane planted a kiss on the top of Aaron’s head to get him smiling again as her mere presence sent a calming wave throughout his entire being. He needed this a lot more than he initially thought, as even when he had positive vibes due to things going in his direction he’d still felt the stress weighing on his mind when they’d been separated by their respective careers. If that wasn’t a sign that he needed to figure out a resolution to this conflict sooner rather than later, he didn’t know what was at this point.
“Your imaginary friend does pose a viable dilemma. Even if you should make the ill-advised decision to deprive yourself of rest for an extensive period of time, the human body is not designed to naturally remain in a state of REM for the length you seem to require.”
Aaron turned his head to Louise, who was the only other Forte aware of his situation and had slowly moved closer to where he and Liane were while still keeping an eye on her older twin sisters, though they seemed to be figuring things out for themselves now which may be why she felt she had an opportunity to join in this discussion.
“Believe me, he pointed that out to me too. I’m not doubting that the imaginary army I’ve built is capable of handling this task without me, but the only way this will ever truly end is if I forcefully separate that set of feelings from the face I created for it so long ago. At least then it won’t keep bothering me like some sort of sentient tumor.”
“What about hypnosis? Can’t you forcefully put somebody to sleep that way if you don’t give them any sort of suggestion?”
“I’m afraid that technique does not necessarily work that way, elder sibling. While I personally believe the practice to be a lot of hooey myself, it could at least aid Aaron in coming to terms with the nightmare that seems to be the deepest rooted in this conflict.”
“You mean Dylan’s death the night he tried to murder me over Rise to Greatness weekend.”
“Precisely.”
It was a tempting thought, and considering he’d heard Owen mention something about giving it a shot the last time they’d talked to help with whatever was still weighing heavy on his mind, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to consider. Then again, part of him felt like he was slowly coming to terms with that night on his own and the only reason it lingered in the first place was due to it being the only crutch Nemesis had to truly support himself right now.
“I’ll keep it in mind, though I doubt I’ll get that opening in time for Breakdown. Not that Kandis and Tommy would give me a break anyway with how much they’ve convinced themselves they should just be handed the keys to the SCW tag division whenever they ask for them.”
“If I may be honest for a moment Aaron, I believe the only way you can possibly achieve the length of sleep you desire is if you find yourself in a coma-induced state, something I doubt your employers would be too happy with no matter how agitated your next opponents may be about their predicament.”
“I just don’t understand the last part of that meeting I had, though. The pocket watch with the added number thirteen on it just doesn’t seem to have any significance to figuring this out at all.”
“Did you say ‘thirteen’?”
While she’d barely paid attention to any of the conversation, which Aaron was somewhat grateful for as he wasn’t sure what she would be able to contribute to it, Lane had taken a break from letting Lillian make a muse out of her to at least catch that one word that seemed to suddenly have her interest.
“Yeah…? What of it?”
“Dude, your pay-per-view this weekend is in Chicago, right? That’s where SCW alumni Thirteen calls home last I checked! Maybe if you’re able to track him down, he can give you some pointers on trying to get that stupid clown out of your head so you can focus on dominating for Trios!”
Aaron opened his mouth to tell Lane that she was hijacking their topic of conversation, but he stopped himself as the light bulb went off over his head. While maybe some advice in regards to Shilo wasn’t a bad idea, he remembered hearing before Thirteen had seemingly retired for good at last that he’d earned the necessary degrees to work as a therapist beyond the ring. His main office had to be located in the city he called home, but while Aaron still cringed at the idea of dealing with a therapist knowing full well the way his mind worked was a natural enemy of how they defined the concept of sanity, a truly insane idea was beginning to develop that would pose a significant risk to both his well-being and likely his status in SCW.
At this point though? He felt he didn’t have much to lose by trying to book an appointment with the former self-professed Angel of Death.
I know, that’s a pretty bold statement, especially coming from someone who has a legitimate gripe over the interference that ruined his last match and could make that same argument for several matches throughout his career. However, the more I reflect on those words, the more I realize that there is a shortcoming to be found even in a situation where I’m denied a proper ending to a match regardless of the outcome because of someone else getting involved… and it pertains to how long I dwell on it. For as much as that’s apparently been the name of the game for several of my matches over the course of the last two months or so, I only have myself to blame for allowing someone like Shilo Valiant to occupy real estate in my mind he never paid for and continue to do so without so much as a peep since things were never resolved back at Clarity, and the more I decide to dwell on the fact that Bree Lancaster ruined my match with Rachel Tatum Lee all because she desperately wanted to try and make her workload lighter for the next pay-per-view, the more I give her the same satisfaction of trying to hold something over my head that she doesn’t deserve.
It’s a new year full of new opportunities, and it’s high time I actually start embracing that fact.
As I look back on how 2019 ended, I realize how much I allowed others to try and make the decision for me about what path my career takes, and it feels like they wish to start 2020 off with more of the same. I have no excuse for losing control of the fact that I am the only author of my own destiny in this company, but now’s as good a time as any to forcibly take the wheel again. After all, I’m starting to have a clearer understanding of the way Shilo prefers to operate, so the best course of action is to simply let him decide how ‘done with our show’ he truly is and go back to building my own resume until he makes a move. As for two weeks ago? Rachel, I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery and know that when you return the U.S. Title will be right back in your crosshairs as it should be. At some point down the line, I owe you a rematch to make up for the fact we didn’t get to finish our first showdown properly. As for Bree? I know she probably doesn’t care considering she loves falling back on her track record against me, but if she wants to keep crossing my path even if I’m not the one she’s got an issue with, then she’ll keep finding herself matched up with me no matter how many times she believes she’s done with me, and if our last encounter was anything to go by? I think it’s safe to say she’d be hesitant at the idea of facing me one more time considering how close I came at less than a hundred percent to waking her up from her twisted fantasy.
Funny to think that those possibilities and more could be made a reality with just one little collection of papers fairly soon, isn’t it?
Day of Infamy is on the horizon, and with it comes implications that SCW has never offered before that could drastically alter the course of one of their most intriguing events of the year in the form of the Trios Tournament. This Sunday, you will see two matches pitting a collective total of sixteen individuals against one another to narrow the field down to eight, solidifying captains for every team in that tournament this year. Then, a second battle will be waged to ultimately decide a draft order for each captain to pick at least one member of their team, leaving the final member then up to the usual random chance. It’s an interesting twist on the Trios formula if I do say so myself, and certainly embodies the spirit of what that event is all about by forcing you to cooperate with people you may not like or have issues with at first all for the sake of guaranteeing your participation this time around.
It only seems fitting that SCW would want at least one match on this final Breakdown card devoted to putting over the significance of this little alteration, even if one person in this match won’t be dealing with the other three directly come Sunday night.
I’m not going to lie… it feels a little weird being thrown into a scenario like what awaits me in Detroit. I’m no stranger to being thrown into tag matches with a variety of partners I may or may not have some prior connection with, but this is the first time as far as SCW is concerned where I’ve only had one partner in that scenario as opposed to several. That said, despite the vain hopes of an opponent I’m all too familiar with, I have no issue with the man I’ll be standing beside on Wednesday night. Konrad Raab has his faults, as we all do because last I checked we’re all human, but to say that this man doesn’t bust his ass and keep going no matter how many times people think they’ve knocked him down would be an insult to the effort he puts forward every single time he gets in the ring regardless of the outcome. I’ve faced the man in the ring fairly early in my time here and I can tell you that the Konrad I faced back then is not the same man that will stand by my side both on Breakdown and at Day of Infamy. I know this is a partnership that may not last, considering that if things play out the way I’d want them to on Sunday night we’ll immediately be against one another, but it gives us both the valuable extra experience of being able to work with someone we’re not used to, which is invaluable to have given the event that’s fast approaching.
The same can’t be said of the team standing across from us.
I’m not going to argue the fact that in this match, Konrad and I are at a disadvantage purely because this will be our first time teaming together and we’re facing an established tandem, and they’ve made it clear they are willing to do anything to get back into Tag Title contention. That said, the Jackass and Big Ass Connection have far more to lose in this match than we do, and while I doubt they’ll ever admit to it, I know they know it. In the short term, it’s all about momentum heading into both this Sunday’s pay-per-view and the Trios Tournament beyond that. In the long term, though? Kandis and Tommy both know that losing to a team that might not even be staying together beyond this one match doesn’t bode well for their aspirations of climbing back into title contention. Of course, while they have each other on Wednesday night, that will not be the case come Day of Infamy or even maybe for Trios. After all, they could both be captains and have to oppose one another when we get there, or neither one could be a captain and they could be split apart by how things go from there.
But I guess the bigger concern should be whether or not Konrad’s going to stab me in the back, huh Tommy?
Let me make something clear: just as I respect Konrad, I also respect what you can do in the ring Tommy. There is a reason you’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame and have reached the top of the mountain in this company, and to deny that I would have to be blind. My problem with you has always resided in the fact that you feel that because of what you’ve done to get to this point, that entitles the world to simply hand you everything you feel you should have without continuing to commit to why you’re here in the first place. You’re not the same man who once stood beside David Helms and worked hard to represent both the tag team division and what it meant to be on the SCW roster in general no matter what anyone had to say about you. These days, you’re blaming Sasha and anyone else for the fact that you two aren’t champions anymore when you have no one but yourselves to blame for inviting all that competition to your doorstep in the first place. You and Kandis feel that SCW is just supposed to tell you that the tag team division begins and ends with you and that’s just the way things are meant to be until the day you finally retire.
Since when was that the case?
And since when is anyone supposed to ignore the fact that you and Kandis seem to have no problem painting this picture that you just now suddenly started caring about the way things are going down around you because nobody’s bending over backward to grant your every wish?
I’m sure you two probably think I’m just grasping at straws, but it’s hard to argue when you two haven’t been this vocal and fired up about what’s going on up until the proverbial ‘deck clearing’ since you felt you had nothing to worry about before. I mean, you lost the tag titles to Ryan and Autumn and just assumed a rematch was coming, never mind the fact that they lost those titles to another team in the meantime and after getting them back proceeded to trade them several times at house shows with yet another team. I will at least admit in all honesty that you, Kandis, didn’t deserve the stunt Gavin Taylor tried to pull that got you two preoccupied in the meantime that opened all those other doors, but it does create an interestingly painful scenario of the pot calling the kettle black with how much you two want to remind me of people that have supposedly been trying to split my own focus and throw me off track, now doesn’t it?
By the way Tommy… considering the trouble you and Kandis are all up in arms about supposedly stems from this belief that whatever she and Ryan had made a title rematch a lock for you two, maybe you shouldn’t be one to haphazardly throw around advice about who should be trusted.
You two can cry foul all you like, but if the Board of Directors hasn’t stepped in and said Sasha’s overreaching with her position in an attempt to screw you over, then they don’t believe you have a case. Even if it wasn’t the exact scenario you wanted, feel happy that you at least still got a rematch in some fashion regardless. I could easily stand here and plead a case for a rematch for the TV Title because of Shilo’s interference, or that I should have gotten a second chance at the U.S. Title because I wrestled Bree at less than a hundred percent due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, or even the fact that I should have competed for the World Title inside the chamber months back instead of Syren because I hold a clean pinfall victory over her.
I could… but I won’t.
Not because I’m simply being a ‘good little boy’ about it.
But because I know that in the grand scheme of things, raising a fuss about it won’t make a difference.
Actions speak far louder than words ever could, and if management feels that because you two didn’t do enough to win back the titles at Clarity that you need to work your way back up, you aren’t going to change their minds now. All you can do is walk into Breakdown and back up all this talk of trying to make a statement at the expense of Konrad and myself. That said… considering Kandis, in particular, seemed obsessed with trying to drive home this point that I haven’t been the same since my Rise to Greatness match with Bree, ignoring the mess that happened before that show that would significantly throw anybody off-kilter, I would think she’d have taken some notes from that match to realize that taking me out of the picture is far easier said than done. But by all means… give it your best shot. You and Tommy can throw all the knees you want at me.
I’ll simply respond in kind, knowing full well that I’ll still walk into my match on Sunday with plenty of fight left in my body and ideas ready to be put into play.
After all… no matter how hard you try, you can never kill the concept of creativity that easily.
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To many people, a new year was supposed to bring with it a fresh start, a chance to leave behind the issues of the year before and push forward with renewed resolve.
For Aaron Blackbourne, it was starting to feel like the same story as the previous two years.
If there was one bad habit he just couldn’t seem to shake despite his best efforts, it was starting a brand new year in SCW off on the wrong foot. He didn’t even feel right about trying to reassure himself that this time around it was because someone got involved and not simply because his own efforts were in vain, considering said interference ultimately saw Rachel Tatum Lee, his opponent that night, get put on the shelf all because Bree Lancaster decided to answer an empty threat, albeit one Aaron didn’t agree with regardless, with one that attempted to make her pay-per-view title defense a little easier on herself. Add to that the fact that Shilo apparently seemed fine with accepting the non-finish to their encounter back at Clarity no matter how much Aaron knew it truly wasn’t like the man based on everything he’d seen, and he found himself struggling to find the right direction to regain any sense of traction on his career.
The bigger problem was that the more his proverbial tires kept spinning in the mud, the more likely things inside his head would start breaking down even worse than they already had.
Aaron knew Nemesis was getting desperate, that much couldn’t be argued. The embodiment of his more negative feelings was well aware of the ever-growing army that was preparing to storm his stronghold, and the more Aaron could keep things in the real world working in his favor the more power and control Nemesis lost. It was the whole reason why he was trying to use everything he still had to drag his host back into the toxic abyss where he could feed, from efforts to interrupt Aaron’s ‘demonic escapades’ whenever he opened that door for one of his creations to take to attempting to mess with his perception in the ring to keep him off-balance. Fear and desperation… it was clear that was the gear Nemesis had shifted into in hopes he could delay the inevitable final battle long enough to regain enough strength to win the day.
Unfortunately, the nightmare of negativity had time on his side in order to try and fix that issue.
The last time Aaron had ventured into his mind, he’ll admit the attempt to recruit Zeitgeist to try and truly create an unstoppable force no matter what Nemesis threw at him didn’t go as planned, though he wasn’t that surprised in retrospect. After all, an entity designed to effectively be his own version of Father Time would be a tide-turner in any battle as he would already know the outcome and what actions to take. He couldn’t blame him for wanting to maintain a passive approach to the whole situation unless there was truly no other choice even in his all-seeing eyes, although he had aided his creator by bringing to light the crucial problem that would doom his assault plans and a cryptic clue as to how he might be able to get around it.
Trying to figure out how he could stay locked inside his own head via longer sleep than the human body was capable of was actually something that was beginning to cost him sleep.
At least Aaron had been able to keep the mind games at bay to end 2019 and start off 2020, which he was grateful for. Spending Christmas back in Lowell with his family for the first time in many years had been a big help in that regard, especially since he ended up with nothing to do at the End of the Year Special with no sign of the entertainer that was hellbent on being his enemy. With a relatively quiet past few weeks aside from Bree’s interference that stalled him on his beginning to the new year and desperately maintaining optimism about the impending Trios situation he had a rare opportunity to be involved with, he’d been able to maintain a pause in his mental warfare up until this next Breakdown, where the show taking place in Detroit would serve as a blessing in disguise he’d been long overdue on.
That was the thought that kept his spirits high as he trudged through the snow up towards the front door of the address he’d been given. It had been quite some time since he and his fiancée had been able to see each other face-to-face due to their respective careers, but her comedy tour had wrapped up near the end of December and she’d been spending the holidays with her siblings since then. She’d wanted to rejoin Aaron sooner, but he reasoned that she could save money by waiting just a little longer until SCW came rolling into Michigan, while also giving him a little extra time to see if he could keep himself stable on his own. The whole effort has yielded very mixed results admittedly, though it was hard for him to deny that a lot of the blame went into dealing with his unexpected new ‘friend’ near the end of the year. He rang the doorbell, trying his best to maintain a smile despite the frigid temperature outside for when it opened up, even if the Forte sibling that greeted him wasn’t who he’d been waiting to see.
“I think I’ve kept her waiting long enough… I definitely owe her an apology…”
He’d just barely finished saying those words to himself before he suddenly found his body flying backward and sinking into the snow, arms wrapped tightly around his torso and lips desperately attaching themselves to his.
Despite his surprise at the sudden attack the moment the door opened, one look into the blue eyes he’d been dying to see again without the glare of a screen getting in the way and his own immediately closed and returned the kiss, arms holding the body of his beloved close as he felt her shivering due to the very ill-advised lack of winter wear she’d thrown on before making this decision. They just remained lost in the bliss of the first kiss they’d shared in what felt like an eternity, even ignoring the giggling coming from the direction of the house until the stern voice of the eldest Forte sibling weaved its way into the moment.
“I hate to interrupt such a tender moment between two lovesick souls, but you guys really should come inside before Liane gets herself literally sick.”
Liane slowly and sheepishly pried herself off of her husband-to-be, immediately wrapping her arms around herself as the cold winter air hit her like a semi-truck. She quickly bolted back into the house and Aaron followed after her, brushing snow from his coat before removing it once he was inside the warm abode. Since the main business she was working for happened to be located in Detroit and her own significant other also had a job or two within the Motor City limits, Lorelei and her husband Roberto had bought a house in a suburban community just outside the bustling metropolis, and considering that as far as he was aware there was still tension between the siblings and their parents it was no surprise to Aaron that he’d been directed here. Apparently, this is where the Fortes, sans mom and dad, had decided to gather for the holidays this year, and while most of the older ones had since left to resume their own careers or college pursuits, he did find out that the four youngest of the clan had been allowed to move in with her to have some freedom and peace of mind until things with the ones who brought them into this world simmered down. Considering how she wasn’t allowed back at their childhood home still, Liane had been hanging around as well waiting for Aaron to roll in, and he’d also taken notice that Lane, who he hadn’t seen since the open invitational back at the end of 2018, was still hanging around as well due to weather keeping her from returning to Mexico where she was starting to really build herself up in lucha libre.
“It’s nice that you guys seemed to have found a solution until your parents hopefully come to their senses about the way they’ve treated you over the years.”
“They really have snow reason to keep going with this, if you ask me.”
After changing clothes quick since she’d soaked what she was wearing previously due to tackling Aaron into the snow, which gave Aaron a chance to quickly reacquaint himself with the Forte siblings present as well as meet Lorelei’s husband, everyone had more or less settled into the living room to simply relax and spend time together, which was all the creative soul could ask for after being virtually alone for weeks on end up until this point. Little Lillian was working on drawing while Lane posed for her, trying to have her own wrestling portrait painted without ‘bothering the actual artist in the room,’ the twins Leila and Laila were working together on homework while Louise hovered near them to provide assistance since she’d actually advanced ahead a few grades because of how smart she was, Lorelei and Roberto had retreated to the kitchen to work on dinner which left Aaron and Liane to cuddle one another on the couch and catch up, with Aaron grinning from ear to ear over how successful her comedy tour had been only for his teeth to disappear once the subject shifted to his recent struggles, especially once he laid out the newfound imagination scenario to her.
“So Zeitgeist isn’t going to actually fight with you?”
“I’d be surprised if he did, honestly, though part of me was holding out hope he’d reconsider his usual stance after Nemesis actually briefly interrupted Ferrugo’s turn at the helm when I was wrestling Shilo at Clarity. I know he still opened my eyes to other things I hadn’t considered, but it’s just been hard to refocus between the desperate force inside my head and the seemingly desperate force outside of it trying to find real estate. If it wasn’t for this Trios Buy-In thing this Sunday I have to look forward to, I’d… well, I’d have probably started to lose it after we got through the holidays if I can be honest.”
“Well, you know you’ll always have my support however I can to fix this mess in your noggin.”
Liane planted a kiss on the top of Aaron’s head to get him smiling again as her mere presence sent a calming wave throughout his entire being. He needed this a lot more than he initially thought, as even when he had positive vibes due to things going in his direction he’d still felt the stress weighing on his mind when they’d been separated by their respective careers. If that wasn’t a sign that he needed to figure out a resolution to this conflict sooner rather than later, he didn’t know what was at this point.
“Your imaginary friend does pose a viable dilemma. Even if you should make the ill-advised decision to deprive yourself of rest for an extensive period of time, the human body is not designed to naturally remain in a state of REM for the length you seem to require.”
Aaron turned his head to Louise, who was the only other Forte aware of his situation and had slowly moved closer to where he and Liane were while still keeping an eye on her older twin sisters, though they seemed to be figuring things out for themselves now which may be why she felt she had an opportunity to join in this discussion.
“Believe me, he pointed that out to me too. I’m not doubting that the imaginary army I’ve built is capable of handling this task without me, but the only way this will ever truly end is if I forcefully separate that set of feelings from the face I created for it so long ago. At least then it won’t keep bothering me like some sort of sentient tumor.”
“What about hypnosis? Can’t you forcefully put somebody to sleep that way if you don’t give them any sort of suggestion?”
“I’m afraid that technique does not necessarily work that way, elder sibling. While I personally believe the practice to be a lot of hooey myself, it could at least aid Aaron in coming to terms with the nightmare that seems to be the deepest rooted in this conflict.”
“You mean Dylan’s death the night he tried to murder me over Rise to Greatness weekend.”
“Precisely.”
It was a tempting thought, and considering he’d heard Owen mention something about giving it a shot the last time they’d talked to help with whatever was still weighing heavy on his mind, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to consider. Then again, part of him felt like he was slowly coming to terms with that night on his own and the only reason it lingered in the first place was due to it being the only crutch Nemesis had to truly support himself right now.
“I’ll keep it in mind, though I doubt I’ll get that opening in time for Breakdown. Not that Kandis and Tommy would give me a break anyway with how much they’ve convinced themselves they should just be handed the keys to the SCW tag division whenever they ask for them.”
“If I may be honest for a moment Aaron, I believe the only way you can possibly achieve the length of sleep you desire is if you find yourself in a coma-induced state, something I doubt your employers would be too happy with no matter how agitated your next opponents may be about their predicament.”
“I just don’t understand the last part of that meeting I had, though. The pocket watch with the added number thirteen on it just doesn’t seem to have any significance to figuring this out at all.”
“Did you say ‘thirteen’?”
While she’d barely paid attention to any of the conversation, which Aaron was somewhat grateful for as he wasn’t sure what she would be able to contribute to it, Lane had taken a break from letting Lillian make a muse out of her to at least catch that one word that seemed to suddenly have her interest.
“Yeah…? What of it?”
“Dude, your pay-per-view this weekend is in Chicago, right? That’s where SCW alumni Thirteen calls home last I checked! Maybe if you’re able to track him down, he can give you some pointers on trying to get that stupid clown out of your head so you can focus on dominating for Trios!”
Aaron opened his mouth to tell Lane that she was hijacking their topic of conversation, but he stopped himself as the light bulb went off over his head. While maybe some advice in regards to Shilo wasn’t a bad idea, he remembered hearing before Thirteen had seemingly retired for good at last that he’d earned the necessary degrees to work as a therapist beyond the ring. His main office had to be located in the city he called home, but while Aaron still cringed at the idea of dealing with a therapist knowing full well the way his mind worked was a natural enemy of how they defined the concept of sanity, a truly insane idea was beginning to develop that would pose a significant risk to both his well-being and likely his status in SCW.
At this point though? He felt he didn’t have much to lose by trying to book an appointment with the former self-professed Angel of Death.
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It’s always easier to blame others for your own shortcomings.I know, that’s a pretty bold statement, especially coming from someone who has a legitimate gripe over the interference that ruined his last match and could make that same argument for several matches throughout his career. However, the more I reflect on those words, the more I realize that there is a shortcoming to be found even in a situation where I’m denied a proper ending to a match regardless of the outcome because of someone else getting involved… and it pertains to how long I dwell on it. For as much as that’s apparently been the name of the game for several of my matches over the course of the last two months or so, I only have myself to blame for allowing someone like Shilo Valiant to occupy real estate in my mind he never paid for and continue to do so without so much as a peep since things were never resolved back at Clarity, and the more I decide to dwell on the fact that Bree Lancaster ruined my match with Rachel Tatum Lee all because she desperately wanted to try and make her workload lighter for the next pay-per-view, the more I give her the same satisfaction of trying to hold something over my head that she doesn’t deserve.
It’s a new year full of new opportunities, and it’s high time I actually start embracing that fact.
As I look back on how 2019 ended, I realize how much I allowed others to try and make the decision for me about what path my career takes, and it feels like they wish to start 2020 off with more of the same. I have no excuse for losing control of the fact that I am the only author of my own destiny in this company, but now’s as good a time as any to forcibly take the wheel again. After all, I’m starting to have a clearer understanding of the way Shilo prefers to operate, so the best course of action is to simply let him decide how ‘done with our show’ he truly is and go back to building my own resume until he makes a move. As for two weeks ago? Rachel, I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery and know that when you return the U.S. Title will be right back in your crosshairs as it should be. At some point down the line, I owe you a rematch to make up for the fact we didn’t get to finish our first showdown properly. As for Bree? I know she probably doesn’t care considering she loves falling back on her track record against me, but if she wants to keep crossing my path even if I’m not the one she’s got an issue with, then she’ll keep finding herself matched up with me no matter how many times she believes she’s done with me, and if our last encounter was anything to go by? I think it’s safe to say she’d be hesitant at the idea of facing me one more time considering how close I came at less than a hundred percent to waking her up from her twisted fantasy.
Funny to think that those possibilities and more could be made a reality with just one little collection of papers fairly soon, isn’t it?
Day of Infamy is on the horizon, and with it comes implications that SCW has never offered before that could drastically alter the course of one of their most intriguing events of the year in the form of the Trios Tournament. This Sunday, you will see two matches pitting a collective total of sixteen individuals against one another to narrow the field down to eight, solidifying captains for every team in that tournament this year. Then, a second battle will be waged to ultimately decide a draft order for each captain to pick at least one member of their team, leaving the final member then up to the usual random chance. It’s an interesting twist on the Trios formula if I do say so myself, and certainly embodies the spirit of what that event is all about by forcing you to cooperate with people you may not like or have issues with at first all for the sake of guaranteeing your participation this time around.
It only seems fitting that SCW would want at least one match on this final Breakdown card devoted to putting over the significance of this little alteration, even if one person in this match won’t be dealing with the other three directly come Sunday night.
I’m not going to lie… it feels a little weird being thrown into a scenario like what awaits me in Detroit. I’m no stranger to being thrown into tag matches with a variety of partners I may or may not have some prior connection with, but this is the first time as far as SCW is concerned where I’ve only had one partner in that scenario as opposed to several. That said, despite the vain hopes of an opponent I’m all too familiar with, I have no issue with the man I’ll be standing beside on Wednesday night. Konrad Raab has his faults, as we all do because last I checked we’re all human, but to say that this man doesn’t bust his ass and keep going no matter how many times people think they’ve knocked him down would be an insult to the effort he puts forward every single time he gets in the ring regardless of the outcome. I’ve faced the man in the ring fairly early in my time here and I can tell you that the Konrad I faced back then is not the same man that will stand by my side both on Breakdown and at Day of Infamy. I know this is a partnership that may not last, considering that if things play out the way I’d want them to on Sunday night we’ll immediately be against one another, but it gives us both the valuable extra experience of being able to work with someone we’re not used to, which is invaluable to have given the event that’s fast approaching.
The same can’t be said of the team standing across from us.
I’m not going to argue the fact that in this match, Konrad and I are at a disadvantage purely because this will be our first time teaming together and we’re facing an established tandem, and they’ve made it clear they are willing to do anything to get back into Tag Title contention. That said, the Jackass and Big Ass Connection have far more to lose in this match than we do, and while I doubt they’ll ever admit to it, I know they know it. In the short term, it’s all about momentum heading into both this Sunday’s pay-per-view and the Trios Tournament beyond that. In the long term, though? Kandis and Tommy both know that losing to a team that might not even be staying together beyond this one match doesn’t bode well for their aspirations of climbing back into title contention. Of course, while they have each other on Wednesday night, that will not be the case come Day of Infamy or even maybe for Trios. After all, they could both be captains and have to oppose one another when we get there, or neither one could be a captain and they could be split apart by how things go from there.
But I guess the bigger concern should be whether or not Konrad’s going to stab me in the back, huh Tommy?
Let me make something clear: just as I respect Konrad, I also respect what you can do in the ring Tommy. There is a reason you’ve been inducted into the Hall of Fame and have reached the top of the mountain in this company, and to deny that I would have to be blind. My problem with you has always resided in the fact that you feel that because of what you’ve done to get to this point, that entitles the world to simply hand you everything you feel you should have without continuing to commit to why you’re here in the first place. You’re not the same man who once stood beside David Helms and worked hard to represent both the tag team division and what it meant to be on the SCW roster in general no matter what anyone had to say about you. These days, you’re blaming Sasha and anyone else for the fact that you two aren’t champions anymore when you have no one but yourselves to blame for inviting all that competition to your doorstep in the first place. You and Kandis feel that SCW is just supposed to tell you that the tag team division begins and ends with you and that’s just the way things are meant to be until the day you finally retire.
Since when was that the case?
And since when is anyone supposed to ignore the fact that you and Kandis seem to have no problem painting this picture that you just now suddenly started caring about the way things are going down around you because nobody’s bending over backward to grant your every wish?
I’m sure you two probably think I’m just grasping at straws, but it’s hard to argue when you two haven’t been this vocal and fired up about what’s going on up until the proverbial ‘deck clearing’ since you felt you had nothing to worry about before. I mean, you lost the tag titles to Ryan and Autumn and just assumed a rematch was coming, never mind the fact that they lost those titles to another team in the meantime and after getting them back proceeded to trade them several times at house shows with yet another team. I will at least admit in all honesty that you, Kandis, didn’t deserve the stunt Gavin Taylor tried to pull that got you two preoccupied in the meantime that opened all those other doors, but it does create an interestingly painful scenario of the pot calling the kettle black with how much you two want to remind me of people that have supposedly been trying to split my own focus and throw me off track, now doesn’t it?
By the way Tommy… considering the trouble you and Kandis are all up in arms about supposedly stems from this belief that whatever she and Ryan had made a title rematch a lock for you two, maybe you shouldn’t be one to haphazardly throw around advice about who should be trusted.
You two can cry foul all you like, but if the Board of Directors hasn’t stepped in and said Sasha’s overreaching with her position in an attempt to screw you over, then they don’t believe you have a case. Even if it wasn’t the exact scenario you wanted, feel happy that you at least still got a rematch in some fashion regardless. I could easily stand here and plead a case for a rematch for the TV Title because of Shilo’s interference, or that I should have gotten a second chance at the U.S. Title because I wrestled Bree at less than a hundred percent due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, or even the fact that I should have competed for the World Title inside the chamber months back instead of Syren because I hold a clean pinfall victory over her.
I could… but I won’t.
Not because I’m simply being a ‘good little boy’ about it.
But because I know that in the grand scheme of things, raising a fuss about it won’t make a difference.
Actions speak far louder than words ever could, and if management feels that because you two didn’t do enough to win back the titles at Clarity that you need to work your way back up, you aren’t going to change their minds now. All you can do is walk into Breakdown and back up all this talk of trying to make a statement at the expense of Konrad and myself. That said… considering Kandis, in particular, seemed obsessed with trying to drive home this point that I haven’t been the same since my Rise to Greatness match with Bree, ignoring the mess that happened before that show that would significantly throw anybody off-kilter, I would think she’d have taken some notes from that match to realize that taking me out of the picture is far easier said than done. But by all means… give it your best shot. You and Tommy can throw all the knees you want at me.
I’ll simply respond in kind, knowing full well that I’ll still walk into my match on Sunday with plenty of fight left in my body and ideas ready to be put into play.
After all… no matter how hard you try, you can never kill the concept of creativity that easily.
![[Image: yC0vuyj.png]](https://i.imgur.com/yC0vuyj.png)