Post by The Nihilists on May 2, 2019 14:32:18 GMT -5
~The XHF Network logo appears as the transmission begins. Static gives way to a scene … familiar from the previous night’s video. It seems they have filmed together and uploaded separately. The camera is continually alternating between blinding light and near black darkness. As it zooms out we see it is looking out a car window, a gray Ford one must assume. The camera man John is in the rear driver’s side seat and is filming the highway going by. It is nothing but street lights and a median. Off past the opposing traffic which is light and fast is a line of trees up a sheer ten foot rock cliff face. They seem to be making good time up the highway. The camera pans over and we see the Esmur, in a black and gold outfit this time. He is driving the car and appears dead focused on the task at hand.~
”Touching … heartwarming. Carefree and dare I say joyous. This Danny Ray … there is more to him than he would let on. And I do not speak of the jock strap he wears on his face sometimes. No this is a man with fortitude and heart. I suppose heart and soul really is an apt term here. I am not here to bad mouth this man. I am not here to tell everyone how we are going to systematically rip him limb from limb. That is not our style. We do what we must to win, no malice, no unnecessary wastes of energy. No this is a different situation. Two weeks ago we had a mission and a clear motive. A statement had to be made by introducing ourselves and our message. An example had to be set. And in doing so we cast ourselves as the villains, the fight for the plucky underdogs to overcome. But life is not that simple and sometimes the “heroes” do fail. Things are not as easy as one would believe. With Kira and Frank … a lesson was there to be learned. Our message, our redemption, our guiding principles that lead us back from a dark place to the stability we now have … was teachable. There was a reason to try and make them understand, to bring out of them the depths of their true selves that they had buried under all this pomp and circumstance of the wrestling industry. They had forgotten who they were, they had lost the path, they had strayed from the true and were actively distracted and befuddled by the bright lights and the many voices they heard. They did not hear the abyssal void calling to them. They required … a harsher touch … they needed clarity. They lacked vision, they lacked foresight, forethought. They were weak. And we could not in our debut match afford to be merciful or to allow them to continue deluding themselves. And so a mighty steel was brought forth. And a point was made. An impact they will feel for a long time and a move that will ripple throughout the XHF Network. People are taking notice. We are on their lips, in their minds, a curiosity for now … but perhaps to grow into something more.”
~He turns the wheel hard as the road cuts a path through the hills and woods of Ohio. Barreling down the road, five miles per hour over the speed limit, Esmur is at peace at the wheel and the car has become an extension of himself. Freeing his mind to wander and allowing him to think deep about the upcoming match. The headlights hitting trees and casting shadows into the night sky as the road dips and turns and rises and stretches on.~
”This upcoming Sunday is our first super show. Clash of the Icons. An homage to a piece of classic literature and a tribute to a stable that has truly made an impact not just here in AWF but in the XHF as a whole. And a perfect place for ascension. Rising through the ranks of the tag teams in XHF and rising in the minds and hearts of the people who sign the checks and the people who set the title matches. A scene has been set, and the die cast. It is clear the trial by fire is under way. Four champions will have been set before us. And how will we hold up to the challenge. Will we rise? Will we stumble? Will we come out the other side regardless, holding true to our trajectory and our ideas of what is and will be? They say it is through challenges that you can harden and forge your ideology and your identity. Steel toughening steel, metal hardening metal. And so it is we will see ourselves put to the test. But not in the way you would think. I thought going in, that Danny Ray would be another like the previous two. Using his family life to mask his vicious side. Hiding behind that mask and the safety it provides him. I assumed, incorrectly I am not afraid to admit, that he was another lost soul who would tell us to find God, or come to the light, or face the might of his beliefs. I was prepared to have to come out here and in this one voice … defend myself from his barbs and his reasoning for why his ideology was superior, for why he was a two time champion when nobody else was and we were just new meat. But … I was surprised. A truly heartfelt display. He did not show malice toward the man who took his title and who will be causing it to phase out of existence, denying him the right to take it back. He showed humility and respect. Nowhere did he do the cliché talking down the new opponent as an example. None of this alpha male, dog eat dog, for me to win you must lose everything drama that is so often flung at this screen. Compare this to how Jackson Steele handled his losses … night and day. And a pleasant surprise that I need not defend my ideology.”
~He turns his head sideways to crack his neck. He turns the wheel slowly around a large bend as the woods creep ever closer to the sides of the road. An exit ramp is signaled to approach a mile down the road.~
”But how fitting it is to see a similar scene play out. I do not claim to hold dominion over his thoughts. And after all we know Danny Ray is a religious man and one who is very proud of it. And yet the similarities in how we apply ourselves are evident in that last scene he sent to the Network. You notice there was no blaming a higher power, there was only respect for the skill of the man who beat him. There was no crying and whining about how he had been robbed or how his God abandoned him. In fact there was no talk of any presence beyond those in the room and those who played a part in the events preceding the video. There was no signs of a belief, faltering or strengthening. There was a man … focused on what he wanted in life, living in the moment, with no distractions and no bells and whistles. As advertised … it was a family man … and his family … being just that. Who could he trust but his own family and nobody else? Who could he turn to when he needed reassurance or even just a new thing to focus on? Those that were important to him in the here and now. His raison d’etre. While the destination may be different the journey looks awfully familiar. It is exactly the philosophy we follow. It is faith in only that which you need to get what you need. While there isn’t an abyss encroaching, perhaps he doesn’t need it to achieve what he desires in life. And though we will undoubtedly be shaded in greys and blacks in this upcoming bout, I hope it is clear there is a respect here. And should we end up defeating him it adds layers of meaning to this otherwise seemingly inconsequential match.”
~ The camera looks up and the sign reads, “Bethesda, OH” exit to the right. The tires squeal as Esmur banks into the turn and the lights begin to disperse as they grow further and further in between each beacon in the night. He pulls onto a road and stop at a red light. To the side of the car is a burned down building. Some sort of night club I believe. There seems to be a large lone shadow standing near the building and slowly approaching. Esmur takes notice and shakes his head~
”If only everyone could find their way back from being so lost.”
~The light turns green and he slowly accelerates and the large man fades into the distance. He refocuses on the roads as they now are less lit, smaller, and winding through a small town back towards the tree line.~
”It is easy to become misguided I think. It took us a very long time pondering the mysteries of existence and seeing everything this world could offer before we saw the truth, our eyes opened. And more than once we were led astray by prophets and proselytizers. No not false prophets, for in our findings they were all harbingers of hatred and misery. None of them were the honest deal if there ever were any to begin with. Leading to pain, agony .., and I suppose in one case in AWF … murder. Allegedly … possibly. But the darkness calls to everyone in different ways and it is hard to separate it from the evil intent. A well trained eye and mind is needed. Practice is difficult. And it seems sometimes even the hunter can become lost. The trail of his prey becomes too clouded to follow. I do not know this Villalobos … and I suppose that is my fault here. I had to do some research. And it seems in a past life he thinks we were not so different. I do not know enough to judge but obviously something changed. He is lucid … living his waking life instead of a hellish mindscape created by a mental illness or some other influence. And if he claims Danny Ray was his salvation then so be it. I am not out to cast stones or aspersions on anyone. If his mask, his identity was truly a fake … a curse … then more power to him for being able to walk out of the fractured universe he called home and restore sanity to his once lost sense of self.”
~Esmur pulls onto a long stretch of road and speeds up, he clearly is nearing his destination as the trees now tower over the road and hide it from all the lights of the city behind.~
”Sebastian, I do not know if what you once believed is the same as what we ascribe to now. I cannot for I do not know you. I can only take a measure of a man based on his actions and for the clean and focused version of you I have precious little to go on. But I can say … we are not numb to this world. No we are simply focused on our task. On our hunt … for the meaning in our lives. For you, you held no beliefs and yet were afflicted with this instability, this inability to be at one with your own mind. For us, we did have beliefs … and they all led to nothing. And when nothing is all that there is, nothing is where every path leads, why would it be foolish to then deduce that perhaps nothing is the endgame? Nothing is the place where all these frivolities and presences and deities and chakras rest. Is it foolish to look to what you placed your heart and soul into and judge it for what it was? An error of the highest caliber? No we reformed into this life because it was the only truth we found and in this truth we were finally set free. Free to be who we are and free from the chains and shackles our past lives held. It isn’t that the things we do are meaningless. It isn’t that there is no meaning in anything. It is about the journey, and the presence of mind to learn that meaning is whatever you take from wherever you are and wherever you go. It doesn’t require a man in the clouds with a bushy white beard. It doesn’t require a burning bush or a crucifix. It doesn’t require a hunger strike or a man under a mango tree. It doesn’t require that everything is fair and balanced, with an equal opposite. It doesn’t require waging a war against your own beliefs or spreading your message above all else and forgetting the costs. It is not made up of outside influence, but inside ones. We do not need inherent meaning … because we are free to create it and let those who watch us take their own meaning using those same ideas that we have eschewed. For we may not believe in them but others do and will take something out of every appearance we make. It is so much deeper. And that there is no inherent meaning, no right answer to life allows us to see every obstacle and hardship for EXACTLY what it is. In this case … a simple tag team match … with two very talented wrestlers … with nothing to prove. A stepping stone for us win or lose to solidify our existence within this federation and make our way to the top. A climb that is again … all about the journey … and how we choose to accept it or deny it. Roll with it … or fight tooth and nail against it.”
~He begins to slow as a shadow emerges from the woods in front of him. He stops and allows the man and his trailing cameraman into the passenger side of the car. Gebin buckles in as does his cameraman.~
”The question is … how do you fight the march to madness? Answer the call of the void. Bring everything to it when it comes inevitably to claim you. And make those who DO find meaning in every little detail … see you and your achievements as something to emulate. And just maybe the meaning they take from it … will lead them to freedom. And that Mobius Loop? It keeps fueling on. Embracing eternity.”
~The car accelerates again down the road. The transmission fades to static.~
”Touching … heartwarming. Carefree and dare I say joyous. This Danny Ray … there is more to him than he would let on. And I do not speak of the jock strap he wears on his face sometimes. No this is a man with fortitude and heart. I suppose heart and soul really is an apt term here. I am not here to bad mouth this man. I am not here to tell everyone how we are going to systematically rip him limb from limb. That is not our style. We do what we must to win, no malice, no unnecessary wastes of energy. No this is a different situation. Two weeks ago we had a mission and a clear motive. A statement had to be made by introducing ourselves and our message. An example had to be set. And in doing so we cast ourselves as the villains, the fight for the plucky underdogs to overcome. But life is not that simple and sometimes the “heroes” do fail. Things are not as easy as one would believe. With Kira and Frank … a lesson was there to be learned. Our message, our redemption, our guiding principles that lead us back from a dark place to the stability we now have … was teachable. There was a reason to try and make them understand, to bring out of them the depths of their true selves that they had buried under all this pomp and circumstance of the wrestling industry. They had forgotten who they were, they had lost the path, they had strayed from the true and were actively distracted and befuddled by the bright lights and the many voices they heard. They did not hear the abyssal void calling to them. They required … a harsher touch … they needed clarity. They lacked vision, they lacked foresight, forethought. They were weak. And we could not in our debut match afford to be merciful or to allow them to continue deluding themselves. And so a mighty steel was brought forth. And a point was made. An impact they will feel for a long time and a move that will ripple throughout the XHF Network. People are taking notice. We are on their lips, in their minds, a curiosity for now … but perhaps to grow into something more.”
~He turns the wheel hard as the road cuts a path through the hills and woods of Ohio. Barreling down the road, five miles per hour over the speed limit, Esmur is at peace at the wheel and the car has become an extension of himself. Freeing his mind to wander and allowing him to think deep about the upcoming match. The headlights hitting trees and casting shadows into the night sky as the road dips and turns and rises and stretches on.~
”This upcoming Sunday is our first super show. Clash of the Icons. An homage to a piece of classic literature and a tribute to a stable that has truly made an impact not just here in AWF but in the XHF as a whole. And a perfect place for ascension. Rising through the ranks of the tag teams in XHF and rising in the minds and hearts of the people who sign the checks and the people who set the title matches. A scene has been set, and the die cast. It is clear the trial by fire is under way. Four champions will have been set before us. And how will we hold up to the challenge. Will we rise? Will we stumble? Will we come out the other side regardless, holding true to our trajectory and our ideas of what is and will be? They say it is through challenges that you can harden and forge your ideology and your identity. Steel toughening steel, metal hardening metal. And so it is we will see ourselves put to the test. But not in the way you would think. I thought going in, that Danny Ray would be another like the previous two. Using his family life to mask his vicious side. Hiding behind that mask and the safety it provides him. I assumed, incorrectly I am not afraid to admit, that he was another lost soul who would tell us to find God, or come to the light, or face the might of his beliefs. I was prepared to have to come out here and in this one voice … defend myself from his barbs and his reasoning for why his ideology was superior, for why he was a two time champion when nobody else was and we were just new meat. But … I was surprised. A truly heartfelt display. He did not show malice toward the man who took his title and who will be causing it to phase out of existence, denying him the right to take it back. He showed humility and respect. Nowhere did he do the cliché talking down the new opponent as an example. None of this alpha male, dog eat dog, for me to win you must lose everything drama that is so often flung at this screen. Compare this to how Jackson Steele handled his losses … night and day. And a pleasant surprise that I need not defend my ideology.”
~He turns his head sideways to crack his neck. He turns the wheel slowly around a large bend as the woods creep ever closer to the sides of the road. An exit ramp is signaled to approach a mile down the road.~
”But how fitting it is to see a similar scene play out. I do not claim to hold dominion over his thoughts. And after all we know Danny Ray is a religious man and one who is very proud of it. And yet the similarities in how we apply ourselves are evident in that last scene he sent to the Network. You notice there was no blaming a higher power, there was only respect for the skill of the man who beat him. There was no crying and whining about how he had been robbed or how his God abandoned him. In fact there was no talk of any presence beyond those in the room and those who played a part in the events preceding the video. There was no signs of a belief, faltering or strengthening. There was a man … focused on what he wanted in life, living in the moment, with no distractions and no bells and whistles. As advertised … it was a family man … and his family … being just that. Who could he trust but his own family and nobody else? Who could he turn to when he needed reassurance or even just a new thing to focus on? Those that were important to him in the here and now. His raison d’etre. While the destination may be different the journey looks awfully familiar. It is exactly the philosophy we follow. It is faith in only that which you need to get what you need. While there isn’t an abyss encroaching, perhaps he doesn’t need it to achieve what he desires in life. And though we will undoubtedly be shaded in greys and blacks in this upcoming bout, I hope it is clear there is a respect here. And should we end up defeating him it adds layers of meaning to this otherwise seemingly inconsequential match.”
~ The camera looks up and the sign reads, “Bethesda, OH” exit to the right. The tires squeal as Esmur banks into the turn and the lights begin to disperse as they grow further and further in between each beacon in the night. He pulls onto a road and stop at a red light. To the side of the car is a burned down building. Some sort of night club I believe. There seems to be a large lone shadow standing near the building and slowly approaching. Esmur takes notice and shakes his head~
”If only everyone could find their way back from being so lost.”
~The light turns green and he slowly accelerates and the large man fades into the distance. He refocuses on the roads as they now are less lit, smaller, and winding through a small town back towards the tree line.~
”It is easy to become misguided I think. It took us a very long time pondering the mysteries of existence and seeing everything this world could offer before we saw the truth, our eyes opened. And more than once we were led astray by prophets and proselytizers. No not false prophets, for in our findings they were all harbingers of hatred and misery. None of them were the honest deal if there ever were any to begin with. Leading to pain, agony .., and I suppose in one case in AWF … murder. Allegedly … possibly. But the darkness calls to everyone in different ways and it is hard to separate it from the evil intent. A well trained eye and mind is needed. Practice is difficult. And it seems sometimes even the hunter can become lost. The trail of his prey becomes too clouded to follow. I do not know this Villalobos … and I suppose that is my fault here. I had to do some research. And it seems in a past life he thinks we were not so different. I do not know enough to judge but obviously something changed. He is lucid … living his waking life instead of a hellish mindscape created by a mental illness or some other influence. And if he claims Danny Ray was his salvation then so be it. I am not out to cast stones or aspersions on anyone. If his mask, his identity was truly a fake … a curse … then more power to him for being able to walk out of the fractured universe he called home and restore sanity to his once lost sense of self.”
~Esmur pulls onto a long stretch of road and speeds up, he clearly is nearing his destination as the trees now tower over the road and hide it from all the lights of the city behind.~
”Sebastian, I do not know if what you once believed is the same as what we ascribe to now. I cannot for I do not know you. I can only take a measure of a man based on his actions and for the clean and focused version of you I have precious little to go on. But I can say … we are not numb to this world. No we are simply focused on our task. On our hunt … for the meaning in our lives. For you, you held no beliefs and yet were afflicted with this instability, this inability to be at one with your own mind. For us, we did have beliefs … and they all led to nothing. And when nothing is all that there is, nothing is where every path leads, why would it be foolish to then deduce that perhaps nothing is the endgame? Nothing is the place where all these frivolities and presences and deities and chakras rest. Is it foolish to look to what you placed your heart and soul into and judge it for what it was? An error of the highest caliber? No we reformed into this life because it was the only truth we found and in this truth we were finally set free. Free to be who we are and free from the chains and shackles our past lives held. It isn’t that the things we do are meaningless. It isn’t that there is no meaning in anything. It is about the journey, and the presence of mind to learn that meaning is whatever you take from wherever you are and wherever you go. It doesn’t require a man in the clouds with a bushy white beard. It doesn’t require a burning bush or a crucifix. It doesn’t require a hunger strike or a man under a mango tree. It doesn’t require that everything is fair and balanced, with an equal opposite. It doesn’t require waging a war against your own beliefs or spreading your message above all else and forgetting the costs. It is not made up of outside influence, but inside ones. We do not need inherent meaning … because we are free to create it and let those who watch us take their own meaning using those same ideas that we have eschewed. For we may not believe in them but others do and will take something out of every appearance we make. It is so much deeper. And that there is no inherent meaning, no right answer to life allows us to see every obstacle and hardship for EXACTLY what it is. In this case … a simple tag team match … with two very talented wrestlers … with nothing to prove. A stepping stone for us win or lose to solidify our existence within this federation and make our way to the top. A climb that is again … all about the journey … and how we choose to accept it or deny it. Roll with it … or fight tooth and nail against it.”
~He begins to slow as a shadow emerges from the woods in front of him. He stops and allows the man and his trailing cameraman into the passenger side of the car. Gebin buckles in as does his cameraman.~
”The question is … how do you fight the march to madness? Answer the call of the void. Bring everything to it when it comes inevitably to claim you. And make those who DO find meaning in every little detail … see you and your achievements as something to emulate. And just maybe the meaning they take from it … will lead them to freedom. And that Mobius Loop? It keeps fueling on. Embracing eternity.”
~The car accelerates again down the road. The transmission fades to static.~