Post by The Karma Keeper on May 21, 2014 0:35:17 GMT -6
A man dressed in shadows strikes on location earlier than expected, the Hammerstein Ballroom greeted wordlessly, the New York atmosphere almost expecting such shady men to walk across their sidewalks with a purpose as if it were commonplace in this seedy city. The man was unarmed and lacking a name, an unfamiliar face to those who looked deep into his eyes, his fame diminished to lower than a whisper.
EXODUS Pro was holding an event in mere days, Absent Are The Saints, and as luck would have it, the shadowy creature stood in place of said absent saint if only to deliver a message in the vein of a written entry of a journal. The page was too ordinary to speak about, too plagued with striped parallel lines that it seems almost pointless to even mention it. Yet here it was, taped with rather ordinary tape against the front door, words written across the front that would greet anyone who decided to stop and read upon arrival to the Pay-Per-View.
Only a handful would actually read the words, only a few would actually bother to feast their eyes on the penciled in message, but those who did were part of an elitist group who hopefully would not be disappointed after their curiosity was sated. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but here's hoping that's not the case on this day.
Dear Humble Reader,
... I am become a name.
The New Iron Saint. That's what they've been calling me lately, isn't it? That's the nickname you've dubbed me? How ironic is it that this Pay-Per-View you are about to witness shines the light to the surface that the saints of this world have not yet shown themselves, that the saints of this company are excluded from the illustrious event.
Funny, I couldn't agree more. Saints, contrary to what you may believe, exist much less frequently in this world than we initially let on. Of course, there are several exclusions, such as the ordinary man who sacrifices his own life for the lives of many or the woman who sacrifices her own happiness and her own family's financial stability, their well-being, just to give fruitlessly to charity like it's going out of style. Those people are saints, those people deserve all the attention in the world and yet we try to pretend we in the EXODUS locker rooms or otherwise claim we match the heights of those people, those modern day superheroes who do what the rest deem insane? Well, count me out of it.
Call me what you will but don't forget about the real saints, the real men and women who do things even I consider insane for the betterment of this cynicism soaked world. Don't forget about those closest to you who've paved the way to give you the cushy life you've been taking for granted, have padded the throne for you to sit upon for countless hours. Others, such as the soldiers and the parents and everyone in between, made your life possible and they should be treated as the saints themselves, not us.
I do not speak for the rest of the EXODUS Pro locker room, nor do they wish me to even write this while I heal from my open wounds back home, but I want you to watch this show with open eyes and an open mind. I want you to watch what goes on here tonight and not only enjoy yourself but to see that the true saints are those chosen few sitting in the audience, the people who think for themselves and live their lives with regrets that they wished they could have done even better than they had thus far. Those people are the saints, every last one of them and they're few and far between.
I assure you, humble reader: We'll do right by you. We'll take down those who deem themselves better than the rest. We'll fix this industry one episode at a time and we'll do what's necessary to restore your faith in all of us. Global peace will likely never truly happen, however, we can come close.
Heed my words and remember them well. The Gods & Monsters are not incorrect. They've witnessed what this business can do to even the brightest of stars, witnessed what the toll can become on a man such as Magnus Gunner. They've seen firsthand what the rest of us have known all along - this world is a cold and brutal place yet still they believe what I do, what most dare not to believe out of the fear of seeming childish.
This world can get better.
We each strive for the same ending, we all strive for the ultimate peace at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately, each of our paths will more than likely lead to more of the same, no matter how drastic the approach. Still, we must do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, for the sake of its the only thing we know how to do without dangerous consequences not too far behind, a slim kernel of hope hidden just beneath which, if luck and willpower is on our side, has the power to fix even the smallest injustice no matter how unforeseeable. It's just the way it is and I don't blame you for not understanding my reasoning, nor that of the Gods & Monsters' plan of a false 'New Age.'
All that I ask is that you don't lose faith. In anything. In me, in EXODUS, in Gods & Monsters as a whole. They are not evil for the sake of being evil, they're evil for the sake of a false happy ending they strive to make a reality. They're foolish. They've always been foolish, but in essence, they're the smartest people we have in this company for actually standing up and trying to fix things at the very least while the rest of us are doing more of the same.
Jon Collins may disagree with me. He may see him as Christum Furor, a false shepherd who needs a reality check, but frankly, all he is is a revolutionary with flawed ideals and incorrect methods. Still, I will stop at nothing to stop him in his tracks as well as the rest of his group despite his well-intentioned plan while protecting my friends in the process no matter what it takes. No matter what it takes.
Despite my current predicament, I will persevere. Despite my 'time out,' I'll find a way to help those who need it in EXODUS. Fans, fear not. Seikigun, rejoice. Or not, that is, it really depends on your current impression of me as a whole after all. And Gods & Monsters? Fear not just me, but the power I'm capable of garnering once the largest, deadliest thorn in your side finally has the world by his side and finally has the willpower to tear you all asunder in one fowl swoop.
- The Absent 'Saint'.
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
The elements have not been kind to such a message, the brutal wind creeping up on the day before the event. Absent Are The Saints came and gone and the only thing that remained once a final child no older than five approached it were the last remnants of Tennyson's Ulysses, words he couldn't begin to comprehend as well as the three words that superseeded it - The Absent 'Saint.'
EXODUS Pro was holding an event in mere days, Absent Are The Saints, and as luck would have it, the shadowy creature stood in place of said absent saint if only to deliver a message in the vein of a written entry of a journal. The page was too ordinary to speak about, too plagued with striped parallel lines that it seems almost pointless to even mention it. Yet here it was, taped with rather ordinary tape against the front door, words written across the front that would greet anyone who decided to stop and read upon arrival to the Pay-Per-View.
Only a handful would actually read the words, only a few would actually bother to feast their eyes on the penciled in message, but those who did were part of an elitist group who hopefully would not be disappointed after their curiosity was sated. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but here's hoping that's not the case on this day.
Dear Humble Reader,
... I am become a name.
The New Iron Saint. That's what they've been calling me lately, isn't it? That's the nickname you've dubbed me? How ironic is it that this Pay-Per-View you are about to witness shines the light to the surface that the saints of this world have not yet shown themselves, that the saints of this company are excluded from the illustrious event.
Funny, I couldn't agree more. Saints, contrary to what you may believe, exist much less frequently in this world than we initially let on. Of course, there are several exclusions, such as the ordinary man who sacrifices his own life for the lives of many or the woman who sacrifices her own happiness and her own family's financial stability, their well-being, just to give fruitlessly to charity like it's going out of style. Those people are saints, those people deserve all the attention in the world and yet we try to pretend we in the EXODUS locker rooms or otherwise claim we match the heights of those people, those modern day superheroes who do what the rest deem insane? Well, count me out of it.
Call me what you will but don't forget about the real saints, the real men and women who do things even I consider insane for the betterment of this cynicism soaked world. Don't forget about those closest to you who've paved the way to give you the cushy life you've been taking for granted, have padded the throne for you to sit upon for countless hours. Others, such as the soldiers and the parents and everyone in between, made your life possible and they should be treated as the saints themselves, not us.
I do not speak for the rest of the EXODUS Pro locker room, nor do they wish me to even write this while I heal from my open wounds back home, but I want you to watch this show with open eyes and an open mind. I want you to watch what goes on here tonight and not only enjoy yourself but to see that the true saints are those chosen few sitting in the audience, the people who think for themselves and live their lives with regrets that they wished they could have done even better than they had thus far. Those people are the saints, every last one of them and they're few and far between.
I assure you, humble reader: We'll do right by you. We'll take down those who deem themselves better than the rest. We'll fix this industry one episode at a time and we'll do what's necessary to restore your faith in all of us. Global peace will likely never truly happen, however, we can come close.
Heed my words and remember them well. The Gods & Monsters are not incorrect. They've witnessed what this business can do to even the brightest of stars, witnessed what the toll can become on a man such as Magnus Gunner. They've seen firsthand what the rest of us have known all along - this world is a cold and brutal place yet still they believe what I do, what most dare not to believe out of the fear of seeming childish.
This world can get better.
We each strive for the same ending, we all strive for the ultimate peace at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately, each of our paths will more than likely lead to more of the same, no matter how drastic the approach. Still, we must do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing, for the sake of its the only thing we know how to do without dangerous consequences not too far behind, a slim kernel of hope hidden just beneath which, if luck and willpower is on our side, has the power to fix even the smallest injustice no matter how unforeseeable. It's just the way it is and I don't blame you for not understanding my reasoning, nor that of the Gods & Monsters' plan of a false 'New Age.'
All that I ask is that you don't lose faith. In anything. In me, in EXODUS, in Gods & Monsters as a whole. They are not evil for the sake of being evil, they're evil for the sake of a false happy ending they strive to make a reality. They're foolish. They've always been foolish, but in essence, they're the smartest people we have in this company for actually standing up and trying to fix things at the very least while the rest of us are doing more of the same.
Jon Collins may disagree with me. He may see him as Christum Furor, a false shepherd who needs a reality check, but frankly, all he is is a revolutionary with flawed ideals and incorrect methods. Still, I will stop at nothing to stop him in his tracks as well as the rest of his group despite his well-intentioned plan while protecting my friends in the process no matter what it takes. No matter what it takes.
Despite my current predicament, I will persevere. Despite my 'time out,' I'll find a way to help those who need it in EXODUS. Fans, fear not. Seikigun, rejoice. Or not, that is, it really depends on your current impression of me as a whole after all. And Gods & Monsters? Fear not just me, but the power I'm capable of garnering once the largest, deadliest thorn in your side finally has the world by his side and finally has the willpower to tear you all asunder in one fowl swoop.
- The Absent 'Saint'.
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
The elements have not been kind to such a message, the brutal wind creeping up on the day before the event. Absent Are The Saints came and gone and the only thing that remained once a final child no older than five approached it were the last remnants of Tennyson's Ulysses, words he couldn't begin to comprehend as well as the three words that superseeded it - The Absent 'Saint.'