Post by Lavender on Apr 9, 2024 21:48:02 GMT -6
'The size of the giant in front of you will always be determined by the size of the giant within you' - Craig D. Lounsbrough.
'A story I often tell is a story of giants; it was my first reminder that our actions often have consequences. As a child, I was fascinated with the world around me, and one day whilst walking through the thickets of the trees I noticed a beautiful butterfly had landed on my hand. The colours on the butterfly's wings were so bright and vibrant that I couldn't keep my eyes off them... so much so that I wondered what it would be like to eat the butterfly. It is said that the most poisonous animals in the world are the most colourful. Is it possible that the beautiful creature perched on my hand was also poisonous? The urge to drop the butterfly into my mouth was unwavering so I proceeded to elevate the butterfly towards my mouth. As I lifted my hand towards my mouth and watched those beautiful wings draw closer and closer to my face I opened my mouth and watched the butterfly fall inside. It clutched onto my hand for a brief moment, clawing in a desperate attempt to remain perched, but eventually, it fell into my mouth. The wings of the butterfly fluttered inside my mouth, scratching away at the sides as it tried to escape. I let the butterfly rest there for a brief moment as it danced across my tongue before I chomped down and felt the ooze escape from its decaying carcass. It tasted sour, almost metallic, as the ooze slid down my throat. In one fluid motion, I swallowed and the once beautiful butterfly slid down my throat and down into my stomach, never to be seen the same again...'.
'...and then THUD! It was at that moment that I came back to reality. I heard the sound of a car colliding with the side of our own car and everything went black. My daydreaming in the passenger side had now become a nightmare. As I opened my dreary eyes - rubbing them with clenched fists to wipe away the sleepy feeling - the first thing that I noticed was the orange hue of the sky. It was a majestic orange glow as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. As I looked over towards the horizon I noticed the very real danger that waited for me; a giant seemingly peering its head over the horizon as it noticed my presence. Its head almost completely blocked out the sun, its monolithic fingers clutched onto the edge of the horizon, almost as if it were clutching onto the world itself. The giant's eyes grew wild as it noticed me, and then it stood up and started to charge, its towering figure blocking out the sun completely. As I started to run from the giant I realised escape would be futile, the long legs of the giant made strides that were impossible for little, diminutive me. The giant quickly approached me and wrapped a gargantuan hand around my petite frame to ensure I couldn't escape. The giant lifted me off of my feet and - much like I had done with the butterfly - it dropped my entire body into its mouth. The giant took a brief moment to savor my desperate attempts at escape before - in one fluid motion - the giant chomped down and swallowed me whole. The moment I felt monstrous teeth pierce flesh everything went black and there was nothing but darkness... that was until I woke up to the sound of a heart rate monitor, lying in a hospital bed with the realisation that my mother was gone and my life would change forever'.
'I can't help but think that story was a cruel reminder of the butterfly effect where a small change in one state can result in a large difference in another state. For the longest time, I couldn't help but think that my actions earlier in life had resulted in my mother being struck by that vehicle later in life. It was a burden that I carried with me for the longest time as continued to blame myself for my mother's passing. Had I said something or done something that had caused the universe to take a dynamic shift in one direction and change the trajectory of my life forever? It was a predicament I had to ponder for quite a while... that was until I met Maeve and everything changed. I realised that the small changes I made in one state didn't necessarily negatively impact the large difference in another state... they could be positive too. If I hadn't been on the rooftop of the orphanage building and watched her fall I wouldn't have been there to save her. Even as I feared watching another person's life escape before my very eyes, I had been there to resuscitate her and keep her alive. If I hadn't been there to save her then she potentially wouldn't have been here by my side to keep me safe all these years later... I don't believe that all actions have consequences, but I do believe that the world is full of ebbs and flows - both positive and negative - that shape our life trajectory and it is up to us to seize those moments. That is why I choose to stand atop the shoulders of giants rather than grovel at their feet because admittedly, the view up here is extraordinary'.
The silent princess places the pen clutches in her fingertips precariously onto the spine of her diary before closing the pages, the pages resting slightly ajar as a result of the betwixt pen. She stuffs the diary in a satchel bag placed over her shoulder and stands to her feet before taking in a deep breath. The end of the year hadn't quite gone as she had planned for it too and it seemed as if she was taking steps backward whilst life moved forward without her. WrestleFest saw her involved in a fatal-four-way match that lacked stakes and although she has always been adamant about being passionate about competition and being inside the ring, she couldn't help but feel a little jaded about her exclusion from challenging for the United States or Undisputed Championship considering the year she had with both championships. Nonetheless, she had been in this position before where she had to start anew and she was determined to do just that. A victory over Bruce Booth at Prime's season opener allowed her to get her feet wet, but after being victim to repeated travel issues and then losing to Mercenary after finally catching a break, she realised that the ebbs and flows of life can be a harsh mistress determined to throw you in absurd directions just for the sake of testing your mettle. However, the silent princess needed to be tested. With an opportunity at the United States Championship at Stranglemania looming on the horizon, she needed to be tested to ensure that she was ready to do what she did last year and once again become United States Champion, this time for a record-breaking third time.
'I can't lie... there is a bit of a chip on my shoulder as of late. After everything that I had accomplished last season - from being United States Champion and Undisputed Champion for a second time and remaining virtually impervious all season - I can't help but feel a little taken aback by not just my standing at the present moment, but my standing in the eyes of those that surround me. On a night where we celebrate achievement and award competitors for their accomplishments, not a single award found it's way into my hands at the End Of Year awards. I am not one to get myself all dressed up, but I got dressed up for that night, expecting to walk up on stage and accept at least one award for my accomplishments... and then I left empty-handed whilst members of The House and Shinjoshi swept through all the awards. It was a cruel reminder that 'it isn't what you have done... it is what you have done lately' and even more so when it was only the end of last September when I lost the Undisputed Championship in the Rumble. A mere three months between that moment and the End Of Year awards show and people only remembered what happened at WrestleFest... me once again watching victory slip between my fingertips at the hands of another. I can't help but feel that this is appropriate though because for the last two years, I have done nothing but continue to defy the absurdly low expectations people have for me...'. Lavender pauses for a moment and takes in a deep breath. '...and if they continue to have those absurdly low expectations I will continue to defy them - time and time again - until the lesson is learned'.
The silent princess secures the satchel containing her diary over her shoulder and starts to briskly walk down the city streets of Birmingham, Alabama where she would have her final stop before Stranglemania approaches. The warm night air combined with a light breeze pierces her pallid white face as she proceeds through the city streets, making impetuous, carefree twists and turns throughout the city streets without a clear direction or destination. The street lights had only started turning on an hour or so prior so the orange hue of the setting sun still rested beyond the horizon, casting an orange glow over the city skyline and shrouded the city in unnerving silhouettes of towers and skyscrapers. The monolithic structures looked like towering giants, stretching towards the heavens in an attempt to intimidate the proverbial ants that ducked and weaved through the city streets. It seemed appropriate considering the silent princess would be standing toe-to-toe with a literal giant inside Bartow Arena in a few short nights.
'I have stood on the shoulders of giants and seen a world worth living... and I have stood at the feet of giants and realised how small and insignificant I truly am. My diminutive stature compared to the monolithic structure of a giant; I could never compare. But it is not the size of the giant that stands before you but the size of the giant that lurks within you because even in defeat, I have felt larger than any other. Even after succumbing to the gargantuan hands of Mercenary... again, there aren't many moments where I have felt larger than life than right now because in just a few short weeks I have the opportunity to take back something that makes me feel whole. For nine months I have waited with bated breath for my opportunity to reclaim the United States Championship... and I told myself the last time after waiting for my Undisputed Championship match only to be denied by Scorpio that I would never do that again, but here we are, this time a little different to the last. Last time I felt lost, all the expectations I put into challenging for the Undisputed Championship made it so I had no clear route to take if it all disappeared in an instant. I didn't quite grasp the fact that the ebbs and flows of this industry - and life in general - help steer us in directions we may not have been expecting. I went on a long journey of self-doubt and despair, a less than stellar run with Prime which I am not proud of, and leaving the industry entirely just to come back and find myself... and potentially none of this would have happened if you hadn't been denied my opportunity all those years ago. Or maybe it would have and the rejection from Scorpio would have been inconsequential? That's the beauty of the butterfly effect; you may never know the consequences of your own actions in one state and their effects on another state'.
'Those ebbs and flows have led to this gauntlet against giants; an opportunity against Grizzly Duggan that fell through, Mercenary being mercilessly ambushed backstage only to beat me in India, and now zero-day cometh as I stand toe-to gargantuan toe with the monolithic giant, ZERO. All caps, mind you, wouldn't want to forget all those caps. A towering figure at six-foot-four inches, but his monolithic structure comes from his girth. At three hundred and forty pounds, the walking myth could easily shatter my diminutive frame. You want to know something though, ZERO? I didn't get this far in my career by running away from giants. Both figuratively and literally, I got this far by running steadfastly toward those giants with blissful ignorance, unabashedly unafraid of the consequences resulting from such an undertaking. That's what happens when you get this close to life ending before your very eyes; you're no longer afraid of death. And ZERO, as Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu proclaimed; 'if you are not afraid of dying, there is nothing you cannot achieve'. I realise proclaiming to not be afraid of death is a cliche trope, but ZERO, I wholeheartedly mean it. If I were to die tomorrow I would happily ascend to the clouds knowing I would once again see my mother's illuminating smile again. Since watching the life slip from her eyes, not a day has passed where I have not thought about her. I like to tell people I step between those ropes because I have a passion for this industry - and that is unquestionably true - but more so than that I step through those ropes to make her proud. She never really cared for this industry, but she cared for me and I cared for this and, thus, she cared too. Every time I screamed at the television, promising I would share the same shoes as my idols, she never demeaned or degraded my absurdly preposterous pipe dreams, she always encouraged them'.
A lighthearted smile permeates the face of the silent princess as she abruptly stops in her tracks, ceasing her aimless and endless wandering through city streets.
'She has always given me the strength to slay the giants'.
As the sun slowly disappears beyond the horizon, the silent princess walks towards a nearby park. As she steps foot into the park she observes an unoccupied park bench which she decides to sit down upon. With her hands pressed firmly into her thighs, leaning over ever-so-slightly to peer forward, she addresses the towering figure she will stand toe-to-toe with inside Bartow Arena more directly.
'So ZERO, with all that being said, what makes you think you can wilt this delicate flower? The size discrepancy? I've always been the smaller opponent. The near impervious record? The fact that it is 'near' impervious proves the giant can be slain. The fact that you have killed a man inside that ring? As I have mentioned, ZERO; I am not afraid of death. With an opportunity at the United States Championship at Stranglemania looming on the horizon, I can not afford to fall short at the hands of a giant. Even if I have to shatter all the bones in my body just to ensure you stay down for a three count that is exactly what I will do because if my career is defined by anything it is the fact that I will resort to lengths most people aren't willing to go to just to ensure I am the one walking from the burning wreckage. I have tested my endurance against queens. I have tested my mettle against kings. I have tested my resilience against giants. I have sweat buckets, cried rivers, and painted - as the carnival clown would so eloquently put it - the bloodiest of Picasso's just so I could confidently stand here and claim to have done everything humanly - and unhumanly - possible to stand here today a better version of myself. Your size and stature cannot compete against that. Your towering force cannot compete against a woman so blissfully determined to walk through hellfire and brimstone and emerge from the other side still standing on her own two feet. Come Rampage, inside the Bartow Arena, you won't be contending against the fighting spirit of Vin Havoc, you won't be enduring the madness of War Games, nor will you be reveling in a cowering opponent groveling at your feet, you will be standing toe-to-toe with the woman who, for the last three years has been the walking definition of endurance and survival'.
The silent princess stands to her feet and turns around to face the seemingly monolithic towers and skyscrapers and the unnerving silhouettes they cast, which had become even more apparent now as the sun had completely set beyond the horizon.
'The clock is ticking, ZERO day is approaching, and the silent princess will stand tall over the fallen monolith whilst his business-savvy manager, Moises Ferro, desperately tries to pick up the shattered remains of his disgraced prospect'.