Post by Teo Blaze on Nov 11, 2018 23:52:34 GMT -5
Stupid.
That’s all that Teo could think of to describe his actions. The former Television Champion is standing in the WCF Locker room, bent over a sink. Staring into the water. The dirty sink is filled with water, discolored slightly red. As Teo looks up into the mirror, he notices for the first time what the crowd saw firsthand.
A deep gash, above his left eye, where he had landed on the Television Championship.
He had told himself he wouldn’t hesitate if he had the chance, that he would do whatever it took, and yet…
He shook his head, banishing the thoughts for now. There would be time to consider later. He couldn’t let himself get distracted, he had to focus on what came next, what his next move would be. So he had made a mistake, had actually felt sorry for Matthews…
Teo raised his head up to look into the mirror, at the deep gash on his forehead. As he held his head up, fresh blood trickled down across his face, a small red stream that splashed into the small pool of water sitting at the bottom of the porcelain sink. Despite the pain, despite the frustration, the sight couldn’t help but bring a smile to his face.
It wasn’t the first time he had bled for the WCF galaxy, and he knew for sure it would not be the last. But he couldn’t help but grin to himself at the realization that his blood was now soaked into the WCF Television Championship.
It was fitting. He had always been willing to bleed for the people. To sacrifice.
It had happened exactly like this once before. Jared Holmes had taken the Television Championship from him off of a low blow after Teo showed him an instant of mercy. As much as he hated to admit it, it was almost poetic.
He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs, and looked around the locker room, planning his next move. It was clear that there would be a rematch, despite Kennedy’s insistence that she would refuse to give him another championship match.
Teo chuckled to himself, remembering the assertion. She was so proud of herself in that promo, talking about how she was going to be a multi-time champion faster than he had done it. If he didn’t know any better, he would think she was actually proud of winning the Television champion by beating a one-legged man.
Teo smiled, looking up at the flourescent lights, but the smile quickly turned into a frown. A realization was creeping over him. A truth becoming evident in his mind, something he couldn’t turn away from. He knew that there would be a rematch. And he knew he could not hesitate again.
The thought bothered him...he liked having mercy in his back pocket. He liked being able to spare his opponents.
But that was a luxury that he didn’t have anymore.
Kennedy Matthews had taken that from him when she struck him with that low blow. She made it clear what rules she wanted to play by.
For a brief instant, Teo was saddened...and then it shifted. He began to feel different. His emotions swirled about in his head as he realized that she had spelled out clearly for him what he would have to do. She had no idea what he was capable of when the rules were off, but she made it clear that she refused to let him be merciful. That stupid, arrogant, child had taken away his ability to fight the way he wanted to fight.
He knew what happened when he played by the rules she did. People got hurt. People went to the hospital. People were thrown off scaffolds. When Teo didn’t hold back, he had almost beaten Dune on his own home turf.
That was the Teo he needed to call on. That was the one.
And that realization made Teo angry.
As he looked in the mirror, he saw that bloody face, he saw the grin, and he realized that he was feeling that passion, that feeling that had pushed him to heights that he was not sure he ever wanted to scale again.
But he knew it was coming.
He knew that he was going to hurt someone.
And he began to laugh.
It was a familiar laugh, the kind of laugh reserved for a select few.
Shrill.
Chaotic.
Broken.
And as Teo turned towards the locker room, laughing at the top of his lungs, it sounded for all the world like a demon’s cackling from the depths of hell.
And all at once, he slams his fist into the mirror! The glass face shatters in an instant, sending shards flying everywhere! Teo’s fist stays extended in the broken glass face for a moment as he breathes heavily, then the camera slowly pans towards his grinning face.
Teo Blaze: Alright Kennedy Matthews, you bitch! you want the gloves off? You want me at my best? You want to see what I'm capable of? You don’t realize just what the hell door you just opened!
And as Teo turns away, the shrill, horrifying laughter echoing and layering over itself throughout the locker room, the camera slowly pans down to the sink, where a broken shard of mirror lays in the bloody water, showing Teo in its reflection only for an instant as he disappears from the empty locker room.
As the scene comes slowly into view, it is something that could only be described as unusual. The screen is completely blank, covered in strange, vibrating static. It looks for all the world as though the screen is completely broken, the television ready for the dumpster, except for one notable detail-
In the lower right hand side of the screen, is a small WCF Logo, with a pair of bright red Lenses placed behind it.
The screen distorts, and twists, a chaotic mess of colors, blocking out everything. But as the moments pass, the static seems to twist, to shape, to slowly distort itself into something new, something familiar, and at once unnerving. It is a man, standing in silhouette.
His features are familiar, but any viewer can tell immediately who it is from the most striking feature, a glowing pair of red lenses, reflecting an orange light. The figure stands alone, illuminated by what appears to be a roaring fire behind him. After a few moments, the figure speaks through the static, and all doubt is removed to his identity from the recognizable timbre of his voice.
Teo Blaze: Regicide.
The willful act of killing a monarch, such as a king or queen.
Teo chuckles, his white teeth flashing in the dim orange light.
Teo Blaze: Tyrannicide.
The killing of an unjust ruler for the common good.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at Helloween, in front of the world, we witnessed what could only be described as a mockery of justice. In front of each and every person watching around the world, Kennedy Matthews was fraudulently declared as the new Television Champion, despite the fact that she is about as deserving of the name “champion” as she is of the name “queen”.
The silhouette shakes its head mockingly, letting out a “tsk tsk” at the idea that someone would ever consider Kennedy Matthews as deserving of such titles.
Teo Blaze: I won’t stand before you and try to cover up the fact that the referee counted to three, and that she had her hand raised. But anyone who would call the result of that match a “win” doesn’t know the definition of the word.
No, dear WCF Galaxy, what we saw was not mere highway robbery, it was grand larceny on such a level as to put anyone away for life in prison! The use of a low blow, and a distraction from the referee, AND a foreign object, all in conjunction, to steal from me, and quite frankly to steal from each and every one of you the Television Championship.
As Teo speaks, the flames in the background begin to grow dim, and his face is reflected, shadows dancing across his image as he slowly bows his head, deep in thought. As his head dips, his eyes become clear behind the glasses.
Gone is the humor that he has played up, the carefree attitude. The eyes that sit behind the rose-colored lenses are as cold as steel, reflecting the orange flames like a mirror. He does not blink, his gaze doesn’t waver, he merely stares forward, with a borderline inhuman focus.
Teo Blaze: You know, I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to Ms. Matthews about last week. There’s a lot I could say. I could call her a coward. A cheat. I could tell her that with her actions she proved me exactly right about every single thing I’ve ever said about her.
But quite frankly, that’s not what I want to say. Ms. Matthews, I know you’re out there listening, seeing as you love to hang on every word I say, and if you give a damn about whether or not you’re going to be able to walk out of the ring on your own power, you better be listening.
Teo inhales deeply, letting out a small sigh, even though he does not relax. He speaks with purpose, of a man who has completely focused himself on his words. His words carry a tension, barely holding back a passionate anger. But they are not reckless words, they are measured and deliberate.
Teo Blaze: Kennedy Matthews, I want to thank you.
I want to thank you for what you did at Helloween. You see, Kennedy, last week I literally held your fate in my hands. I had the Television Championship poised like a sword, and with one swing, I could have beheaded the braindead tyrant that had for so long poisoned our airwaves with wretched, detestable garbage, whose egotistical ramblings had haunted the WCF galaxy like a banshee for so long, to put an end not only to our little feud, but to your entire worthless career!
As Teo’s voice raises the flames roar in the background behind him, and he pauses, collecting himself. Regaining control.
Teo Blaze:...And as I stood across the ring from you, Kennedy, looking down at my potential victim...I hesitated. I hesitated because in that one instant, literally holding your fate in my hands?
I hesitated.
I stopped myself from doing to you what every single fiber in my being was telling me to do. From cracking you across the face with that belt and walking out once again as the Television Champion.
And do you know why?
It’s because when I looked at you in the ring that night, when I realized I could hurt you, to have your blood on my hands and have everyone know that I was the one who ended your story?
I realized you’re not worth it.
I saw clearly what I should have known all along. That you are not a villainous, tyrannical witch who deserved to have her face cracked like an egg for everything she’s done.
You are a scared.
Pathetic.
Child.
And you are not worth it.
I want you to realize that the only reason that you are not currently in a coma is because of me, Kennedy. The only reason that you get to walk is because I decided to let you.
Teo turns his head to the side, popping his neck as he takes a deep breath, his tone has changed once more. It is darker. The purpose is there, but it is different...sinister.
Teo Blaze: But Kennedy...you couldn’t let it go, could you? The moment you had the opportunity, the instant I hesitated, you proved me right before the entire world. You showed that for all your bragging, for all of your claims of greatness, of lineage, of legacy...that you couldn’t get the job done.
I’ve said it all along, Matthews. You can’t beat me. You are not the Television Champion because you succeeded, you are the champion only because I failed!
...and that’s why I want to thank you, Kennedy.
Because you showed me the truth. That even though you are a pathetic child, a frightened little girl who has fallen backwards into a situation that she will never be ready for, against an opponent who has stood strong against the best opponents the WCF has to offer. Even though I am very likely to end your career by doing so…
I cannot hesitate again.
You “beat” me Kennedy Matthews not because you were better. Not because you had an opportunity.
You got your hand raised because I felt sorry for you.
And...Truth be told, I still feel a little sorry for you.
But guess what? You’ve officially changed the rules.
You’ve made it clear that you want me to do it. You want me to end you.
It is no longer up to me whether or not you get mercy. You have taken that choice away from me!
So congratulations you bitch, because you have awakened the fire! You have called upon a flame that has lain dormant in me for too long, because I afraid. Afraid I might hurt somebody, afraid that people would be put in the hospital, in a coma, hell, in the damned grave!
But this is what you want! You had the chance for mercy, you had the chance to walk away, but you gave into your ego, into your greed! And now? Now you see what you get when you push me!
As Teo has spoken, the flames have roared behind him. He is completely illuminated now, like a demon covered in shadows. His face is tense, covered in beads of sweat from the heat and the intensity of the flames, both inside and out. His hands shake, as though he is holding himself back from lashing out around himself, and he stares at the viewer, his eyes piercing through the lenses like lasers as he stares into the camera.
But after a moment, he slowly breathes, and the flames begin to subside. He is breathing heavily, shaking from adrenaline, his mind clearly elsewhere. As he breathes, the flames lower to a low roar, cloaking him once more in shadow. He breathes heavily, staring forward, and lowers his voice to a normal register. Finally, he speaks, in a low, dark voice.
Teo Blaze: You may think of yourself as a queen. Like Catherine the Great, or Victoria.
No.
You’re Marie Antoinette.
And me? I’m the voice of a revolution.
We all know what happens to Marie in the revolution.
With that, the screen begins to fill with static once more. The last thing the viewer sees is the sillhouetted face of Teo, staring straight forward.
Unblinking.
Cold as steel, yet Strong as Fire.
That’s all that Teo could think of to describe his actions. The former Television Champion is standing in the WCF Locker room, bent over a sink. Staring into the water. The dirty sink is filled with water, discolored slightly red. As Teo looks up into the mirror, he notices for the first time what the crowd saw firsthand.
A deep gash, above his left eye, where he had landed on the Television Championship.
He had told himself he wouldn’t hesitate if he had the chance, that he would do whatever it took, and yet…
He shook his head, banishing the thoughts for now. There would be time to consider later. He couldn’t let himself get distracted, he had to focus on what came next, what his next move would be. So he had made a mistake, had actually felt sorry for Matthews…
Teo raised his head up to look into the mirror, at the deep gash on his forehead. As he held his head up, fresh blood trickled down across his face, a small red stream that splashed into the small pool of water sitting at the bottom of the porcelain sink. Despite the pain, despite the frustration, the sight couldn’t help but bring a smile to his face.
It wasn’t the first time he had bled for the WCF galaxy, and he knew for sure it would not be the last. But he couldn’t help but grin to himself at the realization that his blood was now soaked into the WCF Television Championship.
It was fitting. He had always been willing to bleed for the people. To sacrifice.
It had happened exactly like this once before. Jared Holmes had taken the Television Championship from him off of a low blow after Teo showed him an instant of mercy. As much as he hated to admit it, it was almost poetic.
He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs, and looked around the locker room, planning his next move. It was clear that there would be a rematch, despite Kennedy’s insistence that she would refuse to give him another championship match.
Teo chuckled to himself, remembering the assertion. She was so proud of herself in that promo, talking about how she was going to be a multi-time champion faster than he had done it. If he didn’t know any better, he would think she was actually proud of winning the Television champion by beating a one-legged man.
Teo smiled, looking up at the flourescent lights, but the smile quickly turned into a frown. A realization was creeping over him. A truth becoming evident in his mind, something he couldn’t turn away from. He knew that there would be a rematch. And he knew he could not hesitate again.
The thought bothered him...he liked having mercy in his back pocket. He liked being able to spare his opponents.
But that was a luxury that he didn’t have anymore.
Kennedy Matthews had taken that from him when she struck him with that low blow. She made it clear what rules she wanted to play by.
For a brief instant, Teo was saddened...and then it shifted. He began to feel different. His emotions swirled about in his head as he realized that she had spelled out clearly for him what he would have to do. She had no idea what he was capable of when the rules were off, but she made it clear that she refused to let him be merciful. That stupid, arrogant, child had taken away his ability to fight the way he wanted to fight.
He knew what happened when he played by the rules she did. People got hurt. People went to the hospital. People were thrown off scaffolds. When Teo didn’t hold back, he had almost beaten Dune on his own home turf.
That was the Teo he needed to call on. That was the one.
And that realization made Teo angry.
As he looked in the mirror, he saw that bloody face, he saw the grin, and he realized that he was feeling that passion, that feeling that had pushed him to heights that he was not sure he ever wanted to scale again.
But he knew it was coming.
He knew that he was going to hurt someone.
And he began to laugh.
It was a familiar laugh, the kind of laugh reserved for a select few.
Shrill.
Chaotic.
Broken.
And as Teo turned towards the locker room, laughing at the top of his lungs, it sounded for all the world like a demon’s cackling from the depths of hell.
And all at once, he slams his fist into the mirror! The glass face shatters in an instant, sending shards flying everywhere! Teo’s fist stays extended in the broken glass face for a moment as he breathes heavily, then the camera slowly pans towards his grinning face.
Teo Blaze: Alright Kennedy Matthews, you bitch! you want the gloves off? You want me at my best? You want to see what I'm capable of? You don’t realize just what the hell door you just opened!
And as Teo turns away, the shrill, horrifying laughter echoing and layering over itself throughout the locker room, the camera slowly pans down to the sink, where a broken shard of mirror lays in the bloody water, showing Teo in its reflection only for an instant as he disappears from the empty locker room.
WCF Television Presents:
Tyrannicide-
A Must-See TV Production
Tyrannicide-
A Must-See TV Production
As the scene comes slowly into view, it is something that could only be described as unusual. The screen is completely blank, covered in strange, vibrating static. It looks for all the world as though the screen is completely broken, the television ready for the dumpster, except for one notable detail-
In the lower right hand side of the screen, is a small WCF Logo, with a pair of bright red Lenses placed behind it.
The screen distorts, and twists, a chaotic mess of colors, blocking out everything. But as the moments pass, the static seems to twist, to shape, to slowly distort itself into something new, something familiar, and at once unnerving. It is a man, standing in silhouette.
His features are familiar, but any viewer can tell immediately who it is from the most striking feature, a glowing pair of red lenses, reflecting an orange light. The figure stands alone, illuminated by what appears to be a roaring fire behind him. After a few moments, the figure speaks through the static, and all doubt is removed to his identity from the recognizable timbre of his voice.
Teo Blaze: Regicide.
The willful act of killing a monarch, such as a king or queen.
Teo chuckles, his white teeth flashing in the dim orange light.
Teo Blaze: Tyrannicide.
The killing of an unjust ruler for the common good.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at Helloween, in front of the world, we witnessed what could only be described as a mockery of justice. In front of each and every person watching around the world, Kennedy Matthews was fraudulently declared as the new Television Champion, despite the fact that she is about as deserving of the name “champion” as she is of the name “queen”.
The silhouette shakes its head mockingly, letting out a “tsk tsk” at the idea that someone would ever consider Kennedy Matthews as deserving of such titles.
Teo Blaze: I won’t stand before you and try to cover up the fact that the referee counted to three, and that she had her hand raised. But anyone who would call the result of that match a “win” doesn’t know the definition of the word.
No, dear WCF Galaxy, what we saw was not mere highway robbery, it was grand larceny on such a level as to put anyone away for life in prison! The use of a low blow, and a distraction from the referee, AND a foreign object, all in conjunction, to steal from me, and quite frankly to steal from each and every one of you the Television Championship.
As Teo speaks, the flames in the background begin to grow dim, and his face is reflected, shadows dancing across his image as he slowly bows his head, deep in thought. As his head dips, his eyes become clear behind the glasses.
Gone is the humor that he has played up, the carefree attitude. The eyes that sit behind the rose-colored lenses are as cold as steel, reflecting the orange flames like a mirror. He does not blink, his gaze doesn’t waver, he merely stares forward, with a borderline inhuman focus.
Teo Blaze: You know, I’ve thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to Ms. Matthews about last week. There’s a lot I could say. I could call her a coward. A cheat. I could tell her that with her actions she proved me exactly right about every single thing I’ve ever said about her.
But quite frankly, that’s not what I want to say. Ms. Matthews, I know you’re out there listening, seeing as you love to hang on every word I say, and if you give a damn about whether or not you’re going to be able to walk out of the ring on your own power, you better be listening.
Teo inhales deeply, letting out a small sigh, even though he does not relax. He speaks with purpose, of a man who has completely focused himself on his words. His words carry a tension, barely holding back a passionate anger. But they are not reckless words, they are measured and deliberate.
Teo Blaze: Kennedy Matthews, I want to thank you.
I want to thank you for what you did at Helloween. You see, Kennedy, last week I literally held your fate in my hands. I had the Television Championship poised like a sword, and with one swing, I could have beheaded the braindead tyrant that had for so long poisoned our airwaves with wretched, detestable garbage, whose egotistical ramblings had haunted the WCF galaxy like a banshee for so long, to put an end not only to our little feud, but to your entire worthless career!
As Teo’s voice raises the flames roar in the background behind him, and he pauses, collecting himself. Regaining control.
Teo Blaze:...And as I stood across the ring from you, Kennedy, looking down at my potential victim...I hesitated. I hesitated because in that one instant, literally holding your fate in my hands?
I hesitated.
I stopped myself from doing to you what every single fiber in my being was telling me to do. From cracking you across the face with that belt and walking out once again as the Television Champion.
And do you know why?
It’s because when I looked at you in the ring that night, when I realized I could hurt you, to have your blood on my hands and have everyone know that I was the one who ended your story?
I realized you’re not worth it.
I saw clearly what I should have known all along. That you are not a villainous, tyrannical witch who deserved to have her face cracked like an egg for everything she’s done.
You are a scared.
Pathetic.
Child.
And you are not worth it.
I want you to realize that the only reason that you are not currently in a coma is because of me, Kennedy. The only reason that you get to walk is because I decided to let you.
Teo turns his head to the side, popping his neck as he takes a deep breath, his tone has changed once more. It is darker. The purpose is there, but it is different...sinister.
Teo Blaze: But Kennedy...you couldn’t let it go, could you? The moment you had the opportunity, the instant I hesitated, you proved me right before the entire world. You showed that for all your bragging, for all of your claims of greatness, of lineage, of legacy...that you couldn’t get the job done.
I’ve said it all along, Matthews. You can’t beat me. You are not the Television Champion because you succeeded, you are the champion only because I failed!
...and that’s why I want to thank you, Kennedy.
Because you showed me the truth. That even though you are a pathetic child, a frightened little girl who has fallen backwards into a situation that she will never be ready for, against an opponent who has stood strong against the best opponents the WCF has to offer. Even though I am very likely to end your career by doing so…
I cannot hesitate again.
You “beat” me Kennedy Matthews not because you were better. Not because you had an opportunity.
You got your hand raised because I felt sorry for you.
And...Truth be told, I still feel a little sorry for you.
But guess what? You’ve officially changed the rules.
You’ve made it clear that you want me to do it. You want me to end you.
It is no longer up to me whether or not you get mercy. You have taken that choice away from me!
So congratulations you bitch, because you have awakened the fire! You have called upon a flame that has lain dormant in me for too long, because I afraid. Afraid I might hurt somebody, afraid that people would be put in the hospital, in a coma, hell, in the damned grave!
But this is what you want! You had the chance for mercy, you had the chance to walk away, but you gave into your ego, into your greed! And now? Now you see what you get when you push me!
As Teo has spoken, the flames have roared behind him. He is completely illuminated now, like a demon covered in shadows. His face is tense, covered in beads of sweat from the heat and the intensity of the flames, both inside and out. His hands shake, as though he is holding himself back from lashing out around himself, and he stares at the viewer, his eyes piercing through the lenses like lasers as he stares into the camera.
But after a moment, he slowly breathes, and the flames begin to subside. He is breathing heavily, shaking from adrenaline, his mind clearly elsewhere. As he breathes, the flames lower to a low roar, cloaking him once more in shadow. He breathes heavily, staring forward, and lowers his voice to a normal register. Finally, he speaks, in a low, dark voice.
Teo Blaze: You may think of yourself as a queen. Like Catherine the Great, or Victoria.
No.
You’re Marie Antoinette.
And me? I’m the voice of a revolution.
We all know what happens to Marie in the revolution.
With that, the screen begins to fill with static once more. The last thing the viewer sees is the sillhouetted face of Teo, staring straight forward.
Unblinking.
Cold as steel, yet Strong as Fire.
