Post by Mav. on Aug 10, 2020 1:15:19 GMT -5
May 10th | The Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH.
The initial opening begins right where we left off with Maverick after his confrontation with the current OWA Spartan Champion, Arata Asakura, in the hallways of the arena. Still filled with frustration after his loss to Aria Jaxon, he heads back to the locker room, emptied except for one, Rebecca Brookes. Her presence is felt very strongly as she walks into the room right behind Maverick, he stops in his tracks and turns to face her, there’s no bubbly smile on her face, she seems worried about Maverick, not being used to this fiery look in his eyes. She leans in and wraps her arms around him, giving him a little peck on the cheek.
Rebecca Brookes: Did this match really mean a lot to you?
Maverick pushes her off her shoulder and looks at Rebecca into the eyes.
Maverick: Do I fucking look okay to you? Answer that, do I really look fucking okay to you?
Rebecca Brookes: Well… no, I’m just asking, Jay...
Maverick looks into Rebecca’s eyes, she seems visibly shaken by his anger and that’s when he snaps back into reality, quickly wrapping his arms around Rebecca before she could let some tears run down her face. Maverick checks his pockets, nothing. He then checks his gear bag and finds some unused tissues to wipe away the tears from Rebecca’s face, she sniffs a couple of times as he grabs her head and kisses her on the top of her head, keeping her in his arms.
Maverick: I’m so sorry you had to see that. I’m so so sorry. I never intended for you to see that at all, let’s not keep them tears from running, baby.
Once again, he wipes away the tears from Rebecca’s face and he sits her down on the couch in the locker room, sitting right beside her and holding her hand that rests on her lap.
Maverick: Cheer up, baby doll, think about the future you have now! I got you signed here, I got you back to what you used to love, isn't that what you wanted?
Rebecca Brookes: I... I guess, but I hope that I don't turn out like...
She sighs, not finishing her sentence which raises Maverick's eyebrows.
Maverick: Like what, Becks?
Rebecca Brookes: Like you, I don't want to turn out to be someone with a whole lot of anger built up and lash it out on the wrong people, you know? That's not me, and I don't want to see it again.
Maverick: Becks, I'm sorry you had to see that. Just people get on my nerves-
Rebecca Brookes: It looked a like it was more than just people getting on your nerves, Jason. You looked pissed off you lost, and then got upped by Arata. Are you sure it's just "people getting on your nerves" or something else?
Maverick: You know what... I'm an honest person with you, and I won't lie, it was me pissed off that I lost and yes, I was pissed off even more when Arata offered me a match because he wanted "magic" for his first defense.
Rebecca Brookes: Don't let them get into your head, sweetheart.
She tightens her grip on his hand.
Rebecca Brookes: Just prove them wrong, and don't go too far with it. I know how far you can go, and I don't think that proves a point.
Maverick: It works... it gets in their head... I'm sure it'll succeed again.
Rebecca looks at Maverick with a glance, he looks at her with a slight smile on his face.
Maverick: We're going to be a power couple, baby, one day we will and Hardcore Havoc weekend, we're going to prove just that.
Rebecca Brookes: Do you promise?
Maverick: Always... and I never break a promise.
They cuddle into one another on the couch with Maverick playing with Rebecca's hair and her snuggling into his chest as the scene slowly fades to black.
~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~
Yeah, yeah, I fucking lost.
It sucks, but that’s the harsh truth.
I’ll come out and admit to it, The Queen bested me that night and she put me in my place that maybe I’m getting too greedy for the throne, maybe I’m not that ready to be at the throne where I thought I belonged. If this was Maverick at the start of the year with all the momentum behind him, I could have done something about it, I could have beaten Aria but I didn’t and that might plague my head for a long while but I won’t let it get to me because I have better things to be thinking about. I have Hardcore Havoc to be thinking about and when you’re someone who chases the glory, you don’t often expect the glory to come looking for you. You don’t expect the glory to come and find you after a returning loss that proved nothing but you not being ready for that spotlight shine, but for you, Arata… It seems a bit different, and yes, I know the reason why you picked me was that you need a good match but you’ve underestimated yourself entirely.
Arata, it’s been a long time coming, I’ve been eyeing you up for a very long time. I’ve been watching either in the spotlight or in the shadows, I’ve kept an eye on you. I’ve kept watching you suddenly become champion and putting everyone in their place, showing everyone how much a Self-Made Man can do when he puts his mind to it and as much as it gets me jealous, I applaud your efforts, I applaud your commitment, you’ve gradually earned everything you’ve won but not all fairy tales have a happy ending, Arata. I’m sure you would know this, I’m sure you would have taught the many that have stepped into your dojo this one simple thing. Not everything ends in smiles and joy, everything comes to an end for a reason. Now I had hoped you’d find your way to that reason a lot sooner than what you’ve done now, but I guess, we can let slide and hopefully I can put you down a lot softer than you should because Arata, you’ve picked me … not out of spite for a good match, but for a good defense of that Spartan Championship you hold dearly to you. Arata, you should know me better than anyone here, and you should know that I’m not here to help the champions defend but here to make their lives a lot harder and TAKE their pride, TAKE their glory… Take their championship gold. Take what they think is rightfully theirs until they are stripped of everything they’ve worked for, and leave them wondering what made them special.
The question is if you are just like that, are you going to sit there after the bell is rung and hold your head in shame?
That’s not the Arata I know true and well… The one I know cares about his work, he cares about how he pleases the fans, he doesn’t need championships to prove he’s some mortal man with a god complex, he’s a Self-Made Man on a mission to put himself on the map and reach the pinnacle of the top like everyone else does. That seems to be the goal for Arata, to be the role model he portrays himself to be and to show everyone how much that hard work does pay off in the end. You put in the diligence to work hard and keep yourself in place, you seek that assiduity within everyone… Do they pay attention to Arata Asakura? Or do they just take in what the whispers in their ears tell them… ninety percent of the time, the latter of the subject fails, but do I follow that pattern? No, Arata, I know enough about you to hunt down a weakness in you and stab into it so I could watch you weep in sorrow, in anger, in peril. The question shouldn’t be how do I expose a man who’s entitled himself to be “self-made” and yet has things that can be exposed, but the question should be how far do I go to see that blood drive in you, see that anger fuel you, watch your head burn and by the time we meet… You can’t help but to let everything out, and of course, I take control of the situation. I take advantage of an anger-filled Arata Asakura and I watch his “self-made” persona crumble, because you’re not as self made as you may think you are, Arata… who makes you become who you are? Who drives you, who fills you with the fuel to continue, who motivates you to be the man you are today?
The fans do and guess what, Arata, they ain’t worth shit to you. They never fucking were.
This whole Self Made Man persona you portray yourself as is just a fluke, a flaw to your system, but I guess you’ve not taken notice to that now, have you? The Self Made Man is a joke, the Self Made Man is nothing more than a fraud. The fans cheer you on, they are what drives you to be this man, you didn’t make shit happen even if you tried. Did you win the Spartan Championship? No, the fans did because you’re not the Self-Made Man, you’re the People’s Man… You’re The Fan’s Man… and you know what, Arata? They made you, and they sure as hell will end you. What happens when there’s no motivation, Arata? When there’s no crowd to look back on, when there’s no fan that’ll support you, when there’s nobody that’ll cheer you on… what do you do from there on out? Do you keep fighting in the hopes of gaining their loyalty back, gaining their trust again, is that what’ll break you? Is that what’ll ruin you, Arata? There’s your problem, you’re too loyal, you trust them too much and when they turn their backs on you, there’s nobody for Arata Asakura to fall back on… the harsher truth is that there never was, and it’s all in your imagination. Are they really cheering for you, or for your opponent? Take a look at the Kingdom episode just gone, were they cheering for you… or were they cheering for Kenny Drake, the World Champion. Were they cheering for Kenny Drake and shouting Wolves Aeternum? ...or were they cheering for Arata Asakura; the self-proclaimed Self Made Man.
If I were to give you an answer, you wouldn’t want to hear it.
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the fans chanting for Kenny Drake, that’s the fans chanting Wolves Aeternum, and that’s why you lost, right? You’ve just proven all of my points right, Arata. I thank you greatly, not only for proving my point right, but I need to thank you in advance. Arata, I know that I can manipulate and provoke that crowd to side with me with ease, and we’ve just proved what happens when you don’t have anyone to fall back on, don’t we? We have, and believe me, I will use it to my own fucking advantage. Arata, in every story, there’s always the hero but there has to be a villain, you are the hero and I am the villain but unlike many fairy tales told, the villain is the victor because you have nothing to fall back on… You have nothing to help you, Arata… Is Hana going to save you? Is she going to be that one woman who’ll help you? Tell your daughter that when you hand me the Spartan Championship, Arata.
Maybe your daughter might see her own father as the fraud he is, poor Rin has to live with that fact, doesn’t she? If your daughter is displeased, then I worry for Chelsea… how would she feel when the clock ticks and it counts down the days to Hardcore Havoc? Would she see a changed Arata Asakura than she’s used to or are you going to hide it until you are dropped right on your back and you’re the one looking up at the rafters. Your family, Arata, are going to be disappointed in you… ashamed of you… and you might not have a lover or a daughter to fall back on either when it’s all said and done. I look to seize the opportunity that you’ve given me, I look to seize my fortunes and hold something that I know is worthy enough for me to hold. Arata, if magic is what you want to make with me then that is fine but I ask of you what magic are you going to make when Hardcore Havoc is over? Who will be willing to make magic with you when you won’t have a championship to fall back on, eh?
It’s over, Arata, and I will urghabháil an oíche.
I will yoru o tsukamu.
I will carpe noctem.
I will prends la soirée en main.
I will seize the night from you, and I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.
The initial opening begins right where we left off with Maverick after his confrontation with the current OWA Spartan Champion, Arata Asakura, in the hallways of the arena. Still filled with frustration after his loss to Aria Jaxon, he heads back to the locker room, emptied except for one, Rebecca Brookes. Her presence is felt very strongly as she walks into the room right behind Maverick, he stops in his tracks and turns to face her, there’s no bubbly smile on her face, she seems worried about Maverick, not being used to this fiery look in his eyes. She leans in and wraps her arms around him, giving him a little peck on the cheek.
Rebecca Brookes: Did this match really mean a lot to you?
Maverick pushes her off her shoulder and looks at Rebecca into the eyes.
Maverick: Do I fucking look okay to you? Answer that, do I really look fucking okay to you?
Rebecca Brookes: Well… no, I’m just asking, Jay...
Maverick looks into Rebecca’s eyes, she seems visibly shaken by his anger and that’s when he snaps back into reality, quickly wrapping his arms around Rebecca before she could let some tears run down her face. Maverick checks his pockets, nothing. He then checks his gear bag and finds some unused tissues to wipe away the tears from Rebecca’s face, she sniffs a couple of times as he grabs her head and kisses her on the top of her head, keeping her in his arms.
Maverick: I’m so sorry you had to see that. I’m so so sorry. I never intended for you to see that at all, let’s not keep them tears from running, baby.
Once again, he wipes away the tears from Rebecca’s face and he sits her down on the couch in the locker room, sitting right beside her and holding her hand that rests on her lap.
Maverick: Cheer up, baby doll, think about the future you have now! I got you signed here, I got you back to what you used to love, isn't that what you wanted?
Rebecca Brookes: I... I guess, but I hope that I don't turn out like...
She sighs, not finishing her sentence which raises Maverick's eyebrows.
Maverick: Like what, Becks?
Rebecca Brookes: Like you, I don't want to turn out to be someone with a whole lot of anger built up and lash it out on the wrong people, you know? That's not me, and I don't want to see it again.
Maverick: Becks, I'm sorry you had to see that. Just people get on my nerves-
Rebecca Brookes: It looked a like it was more than just people getting on your nerves, Jason. You looked pissed off you lost, and then got upped by Arata. Are you sure it's just "people getting on your nerves" or something else?
Maverick: You know what... I'm an honest person with you, and I won't lie, it was me pissed off that I lost and yes, I was pissed off even more when Arata offered me a match because he wanted "magic" for his first defense.
Rebecca Brookes: Don't let them get into your head, sweetheart.
She tightens her grip on his hand.
Rebecca Brookes: Just prove them wrong, and don't go too far with it. I know how far you can go, and I don't think that proves a point.
Maverick: It works... it gets in their head... I'm sure it'll succeed again.
Rebecca looks at Maverick with a glance, he looks at her with a slight smile on his face.
Maverick: We're going to be a power couple, baby, one day we will and Hardcore Havoc weekend, we're going to prove just that.
Rebecca Brookes: Do you promise?
Maverick: Always... and I never break a promise.
They cuddle into one another on the couch with Maverick playing with Rebecca's hair and her snuggling into his chest as the scene slowly fades to black.
~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~II~~~~~
Yeah, yeah, I fucking lost.
It sucks, but that’s the harsh truth.
I’ll come out and admit to it, The Queen bested me that night and she put me in my place that maybe I’m getting too greedy for the throne, maybe I’m not that ready to be at the throne where I thought I belonged. If this was Maverick at the start of the year with all the momentum behind him, I could have done something about it, I could have beaten Aria but I didn’t and that might plague my head for a long while but I won’t let it get to me because I have better things to be thinking about. I have Hardcore Havoc to be thinking about and when you’re someone who chases the glory, you don’t often expect the glory to come looking for you. You don’t expect the glory to come and find you after a returning loss that proved nothing but you not being ready for that spotlight shine, but for you, Arata… It seems a bit different, and yes, I know the reason why you picked me was that you need a good match but you’ve underestimated yourself entirely.
Arata, it’s been a long time coming, I’ve been eyeing you up for a very long time. I’ve been watching either in the spotlight or in the shadows, I’ve kept an eye on you. I’ve kept watching you suddenly become champion and putting everyone in their place, showing everyone how much a Self-Made Man can do when he puts his mind to it and as much as it gets me jealous, I applaud your efforts, I applaud your commitment, you’ve gradually earned everything you’ve won but not all fairy tales have a happy ending, Arata. I’m sure you would know this, I’m sure you would have taught the many that have stepped into your dojo this one simple thing. Not everything ends in smiles and joy, everything comes to an end for a reason. Now I had hoped you’d find your way to that reason a lot sooner than what you’ve done now, but I guess, we can let slide and hopefully I can put you down a lot softer than you should because Arata, you’ve picked me … not out of spite for a good match, but for a good defense of that Spartan Championship you hold dearly to you. Arata, you should know me better than anyone here, and you should know that I’m not here to help the champions defend but here to make their lives a lot harder and TAKE their pride, TAKE their glory… Take their championship gold. Take what they think is rightfully theirs until they are stripped of everything they’ve worked for, and leave them wondering what made them special.
The question is if you are just like that, are you going to sit there after the bell is rung and hold your head in shame?
That’s not the Arata I know true and well… The one I know cares about his work, he cares about how he pleases the fans, he doesn’t need championships to prove he’s some mortal man with a god complex, he’s a Self-Made Man on a mission to put himself on the map and reach the pinnacle of the top like everyone else does. That seems to be the goal for Arata, to be the role model he portrays himself to be and to show everyone how much that hard work does pay off in the end. You put in the diligence to work hard and keep yourself in place, you seek that assiduity within everyone… Do they pay attention to Arata Asakura? Or do they just take in what the whispers in their ears tell them… ninety percent of the time, the latter of the subject fails, but do I follow that pattern? No, Arata, I know enough about you to hunt down a weakness in you and stab into it so I could watch you weep in sorrow, in anger, in peril. The question shouldn’t be how do I expose a man who’s entitled himself to be “self-made” and yet has things that can be exposed, but the question should be how far do I go to see that blood drive in you, see that anger fuel you, watch your head burn and by the time we meet… You can’t help but to let everything out, and of course, I take control of the situation. I take advantage of an anger-filled Arata Asakura and I watch his “self-made” persona crumble, because you’re not as self made as you may think you are, Arata… who makes you become who you are? Who drives you, who fills you with the fuel to continue, who motivates you to be the man you are today?
The fans do and guess what, Arata, they ain’t worth shit to you. They never fucking were.
This whole Self Made Man persona you portray yourself as is just a fluke, a flaw to your system, but I guess you’ve not taken notice to that now, have you? The Self Made Man is a joke, the Self Made Man is nothing more than a fraud. The fans cheer you on, they are what drives you to be this man, you didn’t make shit happen even if you tried. Did you win the Spartan Championship? No, the fans did because you’re not the Self-Made Man, you’re the People’s Man… You’re The Fan’s Man… and you know what, Arata? They made you, and they sure as hell will end you. What happens when there’s no motivation, Arata? When there’s no crowd to look back on, when there’s no fan that’ll support you, when there’s nobody that’ll cheer you on… what do you do from there on out? Do you keep fighting in the hopes of gaining their loyalty back, gaining their trust again, is that what’ll break you? Is that what’ll ruin you, Arata? There’s your problem, you’re too loyal, you trust them too much and when they turn their backs on you, there’s nobody for Arata Asakura to fall back on… the harsher truth is that there never was, and it’s all in your imagination. Are they really cheering for you, or for your opponent? Take a look at the Kingdom episode just gone, were they cheering for you… or were they cheering for Kenny Drake, the World Champion. Were they cheering for Kenny Drake and shouting Wolves Aeternum? ...or were they cheering for Arata Asakura; the self-proclaimed Self Made Man.
If I were to give you an answer, you wouldn’t want to hear it.
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
“WOLVES AET-ER-NUM!”
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the fans chanting for Kenny Drake, that’s the fans chanting Wolves Aeternum, and that’s why you lost, right? You’ve just proven all of my points right, Arata. I thank you greatly, not only for proving my point right, but I need to thank you in advance. Arata, I know that I can manipulate and provoke that crowd to side with me with ease, and we’ve just proved what happens when you don’t have anyone to fall back on, don’t we? We have, and believe me, I will use it to my own fucking advantage. Arata, in every story, there’s always the hero but there has to be a villain, you are the hero and I am the villain but unlike many fairy tales told, the villain is the victor because you have nothing to fall back on… You have nothing to help you, Arata… Is Hana going to save you? Is she going to be that one woman who’ll help you? Tell your daughter that when you hand me the Spartan Championship, Arata.
Maybe your daughter might see her own father as the fraud he is, poor Rin has to live with that fact, doesn’t she? If your daughter is displeased, then I worry for Chelsea… how would she feel when the clock ticks and it counts down the days to Hardcore Havoc? Would she see a changed Arata Asakura than she’s used to or are you going to hide it until you are dropped right on your back and you’re the one looking up at the rafters. Your family, Arata, are going to be disappointed in you… ashamed of you… and you might not have a lover or a daughter to fall back on either when it’s all said and done. I look to seize the opportunity that you’ve given me, I look to seize my fortunes and hold something that I know is worthy enough for me to hold. Arata, if magic is what you want to make with me then that is fine but I ask of you what magic are you going to make when Hardcore Havoc is over? Who will be willing to make magic with you when you won’t have a championship to fall back on, eh?
It’s over, Arata, and I will urghabháil an oíche.
I will yoru o tsukamu.
I will carpe noctem.
I will prends la soirée en main.
I will seize the night from you, and I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.