Post by Andrew Ashton on Dec 2, 2012 0:22:18 GMT -6
[OOC Note: I'm a bit rusty, bear with me. This is part one, just getting rid of my characters demons before he can fully embrace his persona.]
It’s amazing how fast you can be forgotten.
From being at the top of the hill, the king of the mounting, to nobody; a distant memory. Now the only thing I’m top of is the scrap heap.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a hell of a lot of people around who still hold me in the highest regard. It’s the people who only respected me for lining their pockets that are so quick to show that I was nothing more than a walking ATM machine in their eyes. The people you thought were your friends, then not even so much as the once-in-a-while “How are you doing?” phone call. Hell, not even as much as a fucking goodbye before they move on to their next venture – a venture that wouldn’t have been possible without the money they made on the back of your success.
I went to heights people couldn’t even reach in their dreams. My name was on the lips of every wrestling fan in the world. My legacy was the envy of everybody in this business. I’ve lost friends – even family – because they were jealous of my success. All the while, the suits sat back and watched as their bank balance grew and grew.
They continued to get richer, thanks to the head start that I gave them.
And now here I am.
In a fucking squid costume.
Wrestling on a college campus.
Not that I’m bitter or anything, you know?
I’ve just got to play the hand I’ve been dealt. I already know I’m going to be underestimated just based on what I’m wearing. I’m completely fine with that, my career began with everybody underestimating me. Needless to say things worked out fine in the end.
I showed me doubters back then what I’m capable of, and I’m going to do it again. So feel free to take me as a joke, at face value. It’ll be the biggest mistake you make in your professional career.
INT.
Single-Room Apartment
11/30/12
11:30AM
The piercing sound of the alarm clock made me feel as though my ears were bleeding. While the sound was excruciating, I was in no rush to move from my comfortable position in bed. Don’t they just give up after a couple of minutes anyway? I figured I’d wait it out.
“…Uh” came a voice from across the room. It didn’t sound familiar at all, but waking up to someone sounding confused was starting to become something I was accustomed to. “Where the hell am I? Why are you in a squid costume? And why does my anus hurt?”
I shuffled my way up the bed. Being in the squid costume made it quite difficult to manoeuvre about, but it was comfortable as hell so I figured, why not sleep in it? After a slight struggle, I managed to prop my upper body against the headboard. Through my blurred vision, I could just about make out the rough looking young woman sat on the edge of the bed along the opposite wall to mine.
“Wha- I mean, cue?” I asked, noticing the expression on her face become even more confused.
She tugged down on the edges of her mini-skirt, attempting to cover herself up, and held her hand to her head, obviously nursing the effects of a hangover. “You don’t speak English?”
I shook my giant silver head, much to her disappointment.
“Okay, well I... guess… I’ll...” her voice began to trail as she noticed a giant orange tentacle lay on the bed beside her. She held it up to her nose gingerly, smelled it and quickly dropped it back down. I kind of felt bad for her, clearly noticing that she was trying to recall in her mind what happened the night before. “I guess I’ll be going” she finished, getting up to her feet.
All I could do was wave my silver tentacle at her while she made her way to the door, one hand on her ass and struggling to walk. Just another one of the Orange Octopus’ victims and definitely not the last one I would wake up to in the mornings. I couldn’t imagine what they thought when they woke up. One minute they’re at a club or bar, drinking the night away, the next they’re waking up in a small apartment, staring at a constantly-shocked looking squid with a bad smelling, orange tentacle for company.
Rather them than me.
The fucking alarm clock was still attacking my soul through my ears, ruining my theory of them just giving up after a set period of time. Clasping it in my giant tentacle, I launched it across the room, sending it rolling under the bed earlier occupied by the butthurt (literally) woman.
“Watch where you’re throwing things you son of a bitch!” came a voice that this time I was familiar with. The clock came rolling back out from under the bed, followed by everyone’s favourite Orange Octopus, also in costume. Nobody could question our commitment, although while I knew I was in my costume for method acting reasons, I had to question if Octopus was in his just so the ladies couldn’t identify him.
After stumbling around the room, he managed to prop himself up against the wall, holding his un-covered arm in front of his face. “Man, I love it when they put up a fight, but I’m getting fucking tired of having to fix this god damn costume.”
I watched him move to his torn tentacle, realizing that this was the first time I’d ever seen his actual skin. He was Caucasian, looked to be in quite good shape judging by his definition, but I was quite concerned by the fact that he had a tattoo of James Taylor on his bicep. I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was doing there.
Living with the Orange Octopus was what I imagined it would be like if I went to college. At the age of twenty-nine, it definitely wasn’t the lifestyle for me anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still go out drinking, party when I could, but all I was focused on was my task at hand. When I have my mind completely set on something, I follow it to the end. No distractions. No compromises.
“Dude, you need to start letting your hair down. I mean, look at us,” said Octopus, holding his arms out by his side. “I’m an octopus, you’re a squid, and I’m fun-loving, embracing this while you’re being fucking miserable. Who wants to support a miserable squid?”
What he said did make sense. I’d been feeling extremely bipolar. I knew how to have fun; you could say having stupid kind of fun used to be a specialty of mine way back when. I just had to get over my hump. This is where I am, accept the predicament, bide my time and have some fun.
I nodded my head.
Octopus jumped up to his feet. I couldn’t see his face but I knew he was smiling. “Then let’s have at it, man. We’ll go out, have a few drinks, talk to some ladies and see what happens from there! You’ll be amazed how much action you can get in one of these suits.”
I followed his lead, getting out of bed and looking straight at him.
“How about it?!” the enthusiasm in his voice was noticeable. I appreciated how much he wanted to get through to me.
“El later-o”
He let out an audible sigh, before crashing back down on to his bed. “I don’t know why I bother sometimes.”
I was all for going out and having fun, I really was. I felt bad getting Octopus’ hopes up, but I’d make it up to him. Before I could even think about letting my problems go, there was something I needed to do. I just needed to get a little closure. I couldn’t be positive I’d get it, but I had to try.
INT
Local diner
11/30/12
1:00PM
“I’m not meaning to be rude, but you’ve not said a word to me since I got here and I’ve got to admit, it’s starting to freak me out a little.” He said, nursing his coffee in both hands.
I could see how awkward the impromptu meeting was making him. I could understand why. One minute you’re ordering a breakfast burrito, the next a squid is sat directly opposite you, just staring. My silence certainly wasn’t on purpose; I just didn’t know how to start a conversation and was hoping he’d take the lead.
Fortunately, he did that. “So, um, I’ve not heard anything at all about you on the circuit. Is this your first time at the dance or what?”
“See.” I nodded.
He looked confused. “You mean sí? Where do you come from?”
“Mehico” I replied.
The puzzled look on his face became even more transparent. “Oh, well, that’s quite a unique accent…”
I got that a lot. It’s as if people didn’t believe it was real sometimes. If they were from Mexico, they’d have totally never questioned it.
He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes doing all they could to not make contact with mine. “Well you’ve got your first match coming up, should be quite the spectacle to commentate. Got to be nervous, first time in the ring and straight in a triple threat? Pretty scary.”
Hah, my match, I’d heard about it but I couldn’t say I paid much attention to it. A “dude-bro” in J-Swag and someone who was adamant in letting everybody know his life story in Alex Brooks. I had nothing against the guys; I was looking forward to getting in there with them. The one thing that did shine through more than anything was their nerves. That was the good thing about my persona. They see a Silver Squid and they can write me off, but at the same time, who wants to lose to a squid? It played in to my hands completely.
I could see a lot of my former self in them. Alex’s attitude of win or lose, making sure he left his all in between those ropes every time he stepped in to the ring was something I used to be so proud of a long time back. The admiration from fans and peers, as well as the self-knowledge that you did everything you could made it easier to sleep when you put your head down on that pillow after a loss.
That was until you woke up in the middle of the night, realizing that you gave your best and still lost. Your best wasn’t good enough to get the job done. You still wound up a loser. If your best wasn’t good enough, how could you get to the top? That realization hit me like a ton of bricks and was actually a god-send. It was what made me knuckle down and become the athlete I became. I felt sorry for Alex’s naivety and didn’t envy that he was going to go through exactly the same thing I did one day.
J-Swag’s eagerness to put himself on the map and show the fans that he’s the rising star was another thing I could attribute to my earlier days. Fortunately for me, I was able to become a shining star. I wished him all of the luck in the world, I really did. One thing that did put a smile on my face was hearing he wasn’t going to take it easy on me. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It would have made it so much sweeter when he’s put on his back.
Going back to his question, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the thought of it being scary. In fact, I found myself not scared at all. It wasn’t because I was over-confident. I just knew what I had to do.
Noticing my head shake, he asked “so you think you’re going to win?”
I shook my head again. “Nadda.”
“…That means ‘nothing’” he shot in.
“Then no,” I slipped, moving nervously in my seat and hoping he didn’t notice.
He scratched his head. “You’re in a Winter Road qualifier and you don’t think you’re going to win? What’s the point in even turning up?”
It was a good question and deserved a good answer. “Weenter Rhoad iss non-importento. Non-want to ween.” I replied, not able to hold back my smile at the blank look I got in return.
His look didn’t take long to change to one of anger. “This is what’s wrong with the business these days,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “There’s no commitment, no drive, people want to do what the hell they want. It’s why we’ve gone from huge stadiums to campus arenas. You’re new, you’re in a ridiculous costume with a stupid fucking accent and you’re deciding you don’t want to win a match? Do you think you’ve earned the right to do what you want? You don’t even know what this tournament could lead to and you already think you’re better than it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, nodding my head at the same time.
“You’re unbelievable. This is a business that my voice helped put on the map while you’ve done absolutely nothing. You’ve only just got here and you don’t want to work for anything. Laugh it up all you want, but I guarantee you’re going to be nothing but a laughing stock in this game. You’re a small fish in a big pond. You don’t deserve to work here.”
I don’t deserve to work here? I’m what’s wrong with this business? Small fish in a big pond? I’m a big fish in a small pond. I’ll fucking show him.
I grabbed his coffee cup from his mitts and threw the contents directly at him. I laughed again as he let out a squeal, wiping the hot beverage off his suit.
“Fuck you, Seth.” I said, getting up to my feet. There were probably people more deserving of throwing coffee over Seth Ericson than me, but it felt good either way.
As I made my way towards the exit, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I think a trip to the liquor store on the way back was in order. Taking Orange Octopus up on his offer appealed to me now more than ever.
It’s amazing how fast you can be forgotten.
From being at the top of the hill, the king of the mounting, to nobody; a distant memory. Now the only thing I’m top of is the scrap heap.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a hell of a lot of people around who still hold me in the highest regard. It’s the people who only respected me for lining their pockets that are so quick to show that I was nothing more than a walking ATM machine in their eyes. The people you thought were your friends, then not even so much as the once-in-a-while “How are you doing?” phone call. Hell, not even as much as a fucking goodbye before they move on to their next venture – a venture that wouldn’t have been possible without the money they made on the back of your success.
I went to heights people couldn’t even reach in their dreams. My name was on the lips of every wrestling fan in the world. My legacy was the envy of everybody in this business. I’ve lost friends – even family – because they were jealous of my success. All the while, the suits sat back and watched as their bank balance grew and grew.
They continued to get richer, thanks to the head start that I gave them.
And now here I am.
In a fucking squid costume.
Wrestling on a college campus.
Not that I’m bitter or anything, you know?
I’ve just got to play the hand I’ve been dealt. I already know I’m going to be underestimated just based on what I’m wearing. I’m completely fine with that, my career began with everybody underestimating me. Needless to say things worked out fine in the end.
I showed me doubters back then what I’m capable of, and I’m going to do it again. So feel free to take me as a joke, at face value. It’ll be the biggest mistake you make in your professional career.
INT.
Single-Room Apartment
11/30/12
11:30AM
The piercing sound of the alarm clock made me feel as though my ears were bleeding. While the sound was excruciating, I was in no rush to move from my comfortable position in bed. Don’t they just give up after a couple of minutes anyway? I figured I’d wait it out.
“…Uh” came a voice from across the room. It didn’t sound familiar at all, but waking up to someone sounding confused was starting to become something I was accustomed to. “Where the hell am I? Why are you in a squid costume? And why does my anus hurt?”
I shuffled my way up the bed. Being in the squid costume made it quite difficult to manoeuvre about, but it was comfortable as hell so I figured, why not sleep in it? After a slight struggle, I managed to prop my upper body against the headboard. Through my blurred vision, I could just about make out the rough looking young woman sat on the edge of the bed along the opposite wall to mine.
“Wha- I mean, cue?” I asked, noticing the expression on her face become even more confused.
She tugged down on the edges of her mini-skirt, attempting to cover herself up, and held her hand to her head, obviously nursing the effects of a hangover. “You don’t speak English?”
I shook my giant silver head, much to her disappointment.
“Okay, well I... guess… I’ll...” her voice began to trail as she noticed a giant orange tentacle lay on the bed beside her. She held it up to her nose gingerly, smelled it and quickly dropped it back down. I kind of felt bad for her, clearly noticing that she was trying to recall in her mind what happened the night before. “I guess I’ll be going” she finished, getting up to her feet.
All I could do was wave my silver tentacle at her while she made her way to the door, one hand on her ass and struggling to walk. Just another one of the Orange Octopus’ victims and definitely not the last one I would wake up to in the mornings. I couldn’t imagine what they thought when they woke up. One minute they’re at a club or bar, drinking the night away, the next they’re waking up in a small apartment, staring at a constantly-shocked looking squid with a bad smelling, orange tentacle for company.
Rather them than me.
The fucking alarm clock was still attacking my soul through my ears, ruining my theory of them just giving up after a set period of time. Clasping it in my giant tentacle, I launched it across the room, sending it rolling under the bed earlier occupied by the butthurt (literally) woman.
“Watch where you’re throwing things you son of a bitch!” came a voice that this time I was familiar with. The clock came rolling back out from under the bed, followed by everyone’s favourite Orange Octopus, also in costume. Nobody could question our commitment, although while I knew I was in my costume for method acting reasons, I had to question if Octopus was in his just so the ladies couldn’t identify him.
After stumbling around the room, he managed to prop himself up against the wall, holding his un-covered arm in front of his face. “Man, I love it when they put up a fight, but I’m getting fucking tired of having to fix this god damn costume.”
I watched him move to his torn tentacle, realizing that this was the first time I’d ever seen his actual skin. He was Caucasian, looked to be in quite good shape judging by his definition, but I was quite concerned by the fact that he had a tattoo of James Taylor on his bicep. I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was doing there.
Living with the Orange Octopus was what I imagined it would be like if I went to college. At the age of twenty-nine, it definitely wasn’t the lifestyle for me anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still go out drinking, party when I could, but all I was focused on was my task at hand. When I have my mind completely set on something, I follow it to the end. No distractions. No compromises.
“Dude, you need to start letting your hair down. I mean, look at us,” said Octopus, holding his arms out by his side. “I’m an octopus, you’re a squid, and I’m fun-loving, embracing this while you’re being fucking miserable. Who wants to support a miserable squid?”
What he said did make sense. I’d been feeling extremely bipolar. I knew how to have fun; you could say having stupid kind of fun used to be a specialty of mine way back when. I just had to get over my hump. This is where I am, accept the predicament, bide my time and have some fun.
I nodded my head.
Octopus jumped up to his feet. I couldn’t see his face but I knew he was smiling. “Then let’s have at it, man. We’ll go out, have a few drinks, talk to some ladies and see what happens from there! You’ll be amazed how much action you can get in one of these suits.”
I followed his lead, getting out of bed and looking straight at him.
“How about it?!” the enthusiasm in his voice was noticeable. I appreciated how much he wanted to get through to me.
“El later-o”
He let out an audible sigh, before crashing back down on to his bed. “I don’t know why I bother sometimes.”
I was all for going out and having fun, I really was. I felt bad getting Octopus’ hopes up, but I’d make it up to him. Before I could even think about letting my problems go, there was something I needed to do. I just needed to get a little closure. I couldn’t be positive I’d get it, but I had to try.
INT
Local diner
11/30/12
1:00PM
“I’m not meaning to be rude, but you’ve not said a word to me since I got here and I’ve got to admit, it’s starting to freak me out a little.” He said, nursing his coffee in both hands.
I could see how awkward the impromptu meeting was making him. I could understand why. One minute you’re ordering a breakfast burrito, the next a squid is sat directly opposite you, just staring. My silence certainly wasn’t on purpose; I just didn’t know how to start a conversation and was hoping he’d take the lead.
Fortunately, he did that. “So, um, I’ve not heard anything at all about you on the circuit. Is this your first time at the dance or what?”
“See.” I nodded.
He looked confused. “You mean sí? Where do you come from?”
“Mehico” I replied.
The puzzled look on his face became even more transparent. “Oh, well, that’s quite a unique accent…”
I got that a lot. It’s as if people didn’t believe it was real sometimes. If they were from Mexico, they’d have totally never questioned it.
He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes doing all they could to not make contact with mine. “Well you’ve got your first match coming up, should be quite the spectacle to commentate. Got to be nervous, first time in the ring and straight in a triple threat? Pretty scary.”
Hah, my match, I’d heard about it but I couldn’t say I paid much attention to it. A “dude-bro” in J-Swag and someone who was adamant in letting everybody know his life story in Alex Brooks. I had nothing against the guys; I was looking forward to getting in there with them. The one thing that did shine through more than anything was their nerves. That was the good thing about my persona. They see a Silver Squid and they can write me off, but at the same time, who wants to lose to a squid? It played in to my hands completely.
I could see a lot of my former self in them. Alex’s attitude of win or lose, making sure he left his all in between those ropes every time he stepped in to the ring was something I used to be so proud of a long time back. The admiration from fans and peers, as well as the self-knowledge that you did everything you could made it easier to sleep when you put your head down on that pillow after a loss.
That was until you woke up in the middle of the night, realizing that you gave your best and still lost. Your best wasn’t good enough to get the job done. You still wound up a loser. If your best wasn’t good enough, how could you get to the top? That realization hit me like a ton of bricks and was actually a god-send. It was what made me knuckle down and become the athlete I became. I felt sorry for Alex’s naivety and didn’t envy that he was going to go through exactly the same thing I did one day.
J-Swag’s eagerness to put himself on the map and show the fans that he’s the rising star was another thing I could attribute to my earlier days. Fortunately for me, I was able to become a shining star. I wished him all of the luck in the world, I really did. One thing that did put a smile on my face was hearing he wasn’t going to take it easy on me. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It would have made it so much sweeter when he’s put on his back.
Going back to his question, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the thought of it being scary. In fact, I found myself not scared at all. It wasn’t because I was over-confident. I just knew what I had to do.
Noticing my head shake, he asked “so you think you’re going to win?”
I shook my head again. “Nadda.”
“…That means ‘nothing’” he shot in.
“Then no,” I slipped, moving nervously in my seat and hoping he didn’t notice.
He scratched his head. “You’re in a Winter Road qualifier and you don’t think you’re going to win? What’s the point in even turning up?”
It was a good question and deserved a good answer. “Weenter Rhoad iss non-importento. Non-want to ween.” I replied, not able to hold back my smile at the blank look I got in return.
His look didn’t take long to change to one of anger. “This is what’s wrong with the business these days,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “There’s no commitment, no drive, people want to do what the hell they want. It’s why we’ve gone from huge stadiums to campus arenas. You’re new, you’re in a ridiculous costume with a stupid fucking accent and you’re deciding you don’t want to win a match? Do you think you’ve earned the right to do what you want? You don’t even know what this tournament could lead to and you already think you’re better than it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, nodding my head at the same time.
“You’re unbelievable. This is a business that my voice helped put on the map while you’ve done absolutely nothing. You’ve only just got here and you don’t want to work for anything. Laugh it up all you want, but I guarantee you’re going to be nothing but a laughing stock in this game. You’re a small fish in a big pond. You don’t deserve to work here.”
I don’t deserve to work here? I’m what’s wrong with this business? Small fish in a big pond? I’m a big fish in a small pond. I’ll fucking show him.
I grabbed his coffee cup from his mitts and threw the contents directly at him. I laughed again as he let out a squeal, wiping the hot beverage off his suit.
“Fuck you, Seth.” I said, getting up to my feet. There were probably people more deserving of throwing coffee over Seth Ericson than me, but it felt good either way.
As I made my way towards the exit, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I think a trip to the liquor store on the way back was in order. Taking Orange Octopus up on his offer appealed to me now more than ever.
