Post by The Nihilists on Mar 24, 2024 20:33:21 GMT -5
"The insolent wretch doesn’t even know that I was Junior Heavyweight Champion before she was old enough to dream of being a twinkle in Gene Roddenberry’s eye…"
*Esmur turns to face the camera. The room is dark but not black. There is the telltale flicker of candle flames beneath the level of the camera, on the floor maybe. He slowly drags his hands across his masked visage as if scratching off the scorched skin underneath.*
"I will not allow you to continue to take a steaming Shatner all over the legacy of that title. The first singles title I ever won. But … not the last. I wonder … has the whelp ever been … a world champion? No. No you haven’t, have you Space Karen? I have. One glorious reign of fire over the lunch room of the XHF. Burning bright, burning fast. And in the end being burned by the false glory and ego boost of being the furnished face of the franchise. And in the end … I was used. Thrown away to the bonfire of the vanities that is … MAJESTY …"
*Upon saying the name, the light in his eyes fades to a fierce flicker, as if lighting a match in the center while shading over the rest. The light behind him begins to grow brighter as if the fire is rising!*
"But … alas, let us not dwell on the igniting incident that brings me to you here like this …"
*He rips off the mask … and he looks … well normal. But bald! Clearly there is some mental damage having taken root in his psyche. Burning him from within like the inferno match burned him without.*
"Let’s talk about … you. Some part of me wants to feel some kind of empathy for your plight. See the very fight you have had for recognition, from your brand to your partners, is something Geoffrey and I can relate to. Our career has been a constant uphill struggle. Getting no respect anywhere we went. Unable to find a purpose, find a reason, find a fight worth fighting for. In some cosmic irony the fires of our rise were lit by a fellow SCCW star. Hyperion. Having seen the way the masses flocked to his charade, his façade, his unholy Church … we finally broke out on our own. And we have become the single most dominant tag team in the XHF. Defeating anyone who dares to step in our path. Bringing glory to the emptiness and the void, the pit of despair that rots away in the hearts of all humanity. The all-consuming black hole that stokes the fires beneath our wings as we fly, ascendant to the peaks of the sport."
*He spits with rage as he seethes in his hovel. The fire behind him now rises so we can see the smoke in the frame as the light causes shadows to dance on the walls behind. One can even sort of see the embers leaping into the bottom of the camera shot. Esmur collects himself and straightens his beard from flying into wild tangles. He coughs into his fist and then lowers his hands out of frame before smiling a contorted polite rictus grin, as if the fire that ended his Fireside Championship reign has removed the knowledge of a natural human emote.*
"Almost. It’s hard to equate our struggle to be taken seriously in XHF, being buried and forgotten, used and abused … while you patter around violating the prime directive with every being with a pulse and the stench of con-sweat. While you argue that your title reign is REAL! Holding the very title that took me forever to achieve. Yes let’s talk about you and your poor lost sense of direction."
*The fire definitely and defiantly climbs into frame now as the rage within matches the maelstrom behind Esmur.*
"You, who have been handed pointless niceties, dances with dogs, and streaming war simplicities. You who have somehow become a household name whole playing with a skeletal revenant of OUR past. You who have defiled that title with dalliances with the Man of Florida!!! YOU WHO HAVE SPIT IN THE FACE OF THE HISTORIC NATURE OF THAT TITLE! BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!"
*He foams at the mouth and spits fire as a dragon would. The dancing shadows seem to cause his face to appear burned in locations, before returning to normal as the shadows pass. His mind is clearly still addled from the fight and fall to MAJESTY*
"You peddled this false hope to the world. You tried to inspire people to believe in something that just wasn’t there. You live in your own little fantasy world, escapism at its most violently evil. You sway the minds and attentions of nostalgic mobs for the monetary benefit of a corporate overlord. And though you have been so casually cast into the ashes by that very soulless corporation, you continue to push this fake idea of a better future. Of a better tomorrow. You sell lies and cut to the heart of all that is wrong with society. There is no such thing as happily ever after, there is no such thing as the final frontier. Or rather, not in the sense you would have these children buy into. It’s all trick mirrors. It’s all smoke and ash. The only future we have to look forward to is one where all are the same, and nobody is more than the rest. Money will not buy you better standing, wealth and fame and glory are just words screamed into the boundless abyss. Rattling as a faint and familiar echo, leaving the souls therein nostalgic for times of yore. And this just isn’t a message a role model would peddle."
*He runs his hand over his head where his former tan locks would have sat before being scorched off. He stops and rakes his hand on the skin leaving red streaks. The fire dances behind him, consuming what appears to be deep purple curtains and tan underdrapery. Suddenly the door next to him is kicked open and Gebin sprints in and sprays a fire extinguisher, putting out the fire before clicking on the light and tossing the extinguisher away.*
"EDWARD! We have been over this. You cannot keep setting our residence on fire! I appreciate you have this need to express yourself, but save it for the ring! I will not keep putting up with this! The security deposits on these places have to be paid somehow."
*Esmur blinks at his partner who taps his foot before facepalming and sighing into his hand. Gebin turns and dismisses it all as he leaves the room*
"You see, I once subscribed to these fantasies. Better worlds, afterlives, higher beings, meaning in existence. But it all just goes to ash in your mouth as you try to chew it all. So I have redoubled my efforts. I have become the emissary of the void, leading people to it whether they want to or not. Inevitability. And here you come… prancing into my home fed, with a title I once held. I, Esmur, the former Fireside World Champion, the former XHF Junior Heavyweight champ, the former SCCW Double Down champion, the former XHF Global Tag Team Champion, one of the most decorated stars in the history of the XHF. On the back of my, and my partner’s, own recognizance an skill. You may hold that title now… but the Nihilists are the most dominant force in the XHF. Be it here in SCCW, the current tag team tournament, or the global tag team scene. I will show you my burning desire to send you back to the tape room with your beloved high science fantasy. Back to your fantasy worlds. To play … like the child you are. You step into my domain, and I will burn you to the ground."
*Fade*