Post by The Ace on Feb 24, 2010 16:19:55 GMT -6
My mind travels back some twenty five years ago now. I am eleven and this is my grandfather's house, nothing too big or too extravagant, just modest. My family have always been the modest sort come to think of it. Nobody from the Conway family ever desired to be rich or famous, they just wanted to be happy. That was enough for them.
Oh how their lack of drive and ambition infuriated me, I always knew I could be so much more, maybe that was where the seedling of my ego first took root, or maybe it was the fact that I was being bullied at school and couldn't wait to show the world what I would become.
One day they'd be sorry, they'd all be sorry for ever calling me Jake 'The Mistake' Conway. One day I'd develop a talent so great, the girls would be falling over themselves to kiss me and the guys would all wish they could be me.
Money is what it takes to get that kind of respect, money buys you everything. Money bestows upon you relevance and power and the ability to do whatever you want. Unfortunately money is the one thing we've never really had. One day that will change.
I am curled up in my bed in the spare room because my parents have dropped me off here for the summer, I always enjoyed the summer holidays for that reason, well that and the fact that it meant six weeks off school and six weeks without being bullied.
It was bliss. Curled up here looking out through the curtainless windows into the night, somewhere beyond the stars my destiny lay waiting. It was then that I knew that some day when the rest of the world was too busy reaching for the stars that I would instead become a star. A star they could never attain, never bring down, a star that they envied.
I reach across and click on the lamp beside my bed because I cannot sleep, and instead I reach under my bed and pull out my Batman comic. One day I too would have two faces, like Bruce Wayne. I would have the money to use my second face to strike fear into those who bullied me, and my first face would be a simple man with a wife and a couple of kids, you know the average life anybody would want.
Ah so he's facing the Joker this week. Cool, Joker is my favourite villian, followed closely by two face of course, I can't really explain it but there was always something terribly alluring about the idea of basing your entire life on the flip of a coin, or cutting down your enemy with a card and a quick quip to make sure they always remembered you. Some day that will be me.
My grandpa enters the room now shuffling his trusty deck of cards. He always knew when I couldn't sleep and a quick game of Rummy or two did wonders. I beat him more times than I lost, though looking back on it now, maybe he just let me win. Life was never going to be easy, nobody was going to hand me anything.
Grandpa sits down by my bedside and without a word starts dealing.
Grandpa: Couldn't sleep eh, Kiddo?
Jake: Nope.
Grandpa: Thought as much. Are those blasted bullies still giving you a hard time at school?
Jake: Yeah, I just don't get it Grandpa, I'm not so different and yet they hate me. Why? I haven't ever done anything to them and yet they pick on me for the way I talk. They ridicule me and call me lame just because I have a way with words that they can't understand.
Grandpa: And they never will son. The trick is to ignore them and keep pushing ahead, show them you're a better man, develop a talent other than dropping down to their level and picking fights you can't win.
Jake: But I want to win, Grandpa. I know I can.
Grandpa: We all want to win Jake, but sometimes try as we might, we just can't. Say you win the first two, three or four fights, what happens when you can't beat the fifth? You'll be defeated and humiliated and you'll have no one to blame but yourself. You've got to learn to pick your battles son, don't be a fool and rush into a fight thinking you can win. Life is a series of crossroads, its up to you which path you take and your success will depend on how good a judge of character you are.
*The scene opens with The Ace sat in his grandfather's old house by the fire, his grandma was asleep upstairs. She slept often, due partly to her advancing age and partly because she was so alone now. She had been all too glad to see him come home, and had recounted many of her fondest memories over dinner yesterday of his childhood, and now as he sat in his grandfather's worn old armchair shuffling a deck of cards, he snaps out of his memories and notices the camera is trained on him, waiting for him to pick a fight with Xavier Cross. With a deep sigh, he decided to satisfy the audience's need to see him tear Mr Cross a new one...*
Oh Boy X. Talk about giving someone a dose of their own medicine huh? I thought going through my opponent's promo with a fine comb and reiterating everything they said was my job. The parrot style promo was a style I made so famous that I guess I really should have it patented or in the very least sue you for attempted gimmick infringement. After sitting through twenty minutes of that, I finally see why so many of my opponents got so upset and wanted to poke their eyes out with a rusty fork just to make sure they were still alive. So this is how you plan to beat me huh? To bore me into submission by painstakingly pouring over every last detail of my promo and dissecting it like a frog in Biology class?
Newsflash, X. It's not going to work!
And I'll tell you why. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and its never worked out that well for me either. Took me a hell of a long time to figure out exactly where I was going wrong, but now I think I have it. You see I finally realised that I don't need to obsess over every word that comes out of my opponent's mouth because most of the time they're talking the most inconsequential and mind-numbingly cliche Grade A premium horsecrap anyway. And you Xavier, I'm glad to say have been no exception to this basic 'cutting promos for dummies' rule with your latest gumflapping, ass-numbing, sleep-inducing extravaganza. Part way through, I began to envy my grandma for having the good sense to have a kip rather than sit through the same old tired threats that every generic Challenger has ever made to every Champion in every company everywhere...
Threats like "I can guarantee you won't make it out of Crossroads as National Champion."
Really Cross, really? You had to go there, you had to whip out that particular card on me and lay it on the table, really? Well I can't say I'm not disappointed, but then again I can't say I'm surprised either. I expected such dribble to leave your mouth at least once this week, I knew that hand was coming before you even played it and now I'm not afraid to call your bluff...
*Motto placement bonus because The Ace needs to shift some of his T-Shirts even though he said said he didn't. Yay for hypocrisy! Be honest, that comes as a surprise to neither of us right? The Ace flashes his trademark smirk before continuing...*
Perhaps then you'll go on to criticise how I sometimes emphasise key points like Falcon, or criticise my use of inner monologue whenever I narrate my thoughts for the camera. Go ahead, I am unashamed of the way I choose to deliver my promos, they've all done it before when they really couldn't admit that they had nothing more to say to me. The fact is there's nothing you can say to me X that I haven't heard a million times before, I have learned to anticipate when everybody starts jumping on the same old bandwagon rather than have an original thought of their own. Like for instance the fact that you called me washed up in your first promo and Perfectly Lame Bates didn't miss a beat on following suit in his promo...
*The Ace looks down at the cards that he had absent-mindedly been shuffling during the entire time he had been talking, and something inspires him to continue - almost as if it was a force eminating from the deck - his grandfather's old deck - itself...*
There's no doubt Cross that having the memory of a Goldfish can sometimes be an advantage, not only in this business but in life in general. Indeed I've seen and done some things in my life that I wish I could forget, but equally there are some things I hope I never forget. Some lessons that will never leave me, lessons I have grown and matured from. This house for instance, this house and everything in it is full of memories I will never forget, and sure a short term memory may enable you to simply forget a loss and put it behind you, but honestly what is the point of that if you're not going to learn from it? You can't just file away a bad experience because its no longer convienient, you have to adapt and grow from it. Like if I never took the time to come here this week and remind myself of his death, I would never remember my grandfather's life and the lessons he taught me...
*The Ace pauses before he gets too overwhelmed by his memories again. Only after he feels that he has regained his composure does he continue...*
Life is too short already, it doesn't mean your memory has to be too. You see even if I chalk up your little slip of the tongue when you said Trauma instead of Collision to you being distracted by painting up that room real nice for your unborn child, rather than your ignorance, you are still completely blinded by your ego, still utterly convinced of your superiority, and whilst it is mildly amusing for me to self-reflect and wonder if I myself really used to be that pathetic, there is also something profoundly disappointing about being in the crosshairs of your mirror image, or at least a shadow of the c*cky little sh*t I used to be. Why am I disappointed you may ask?
Because I know that you as a younger, stupider me can be beaten.
The mirror image of who I used to be deserves to be shattered for he represents a weak and feeble man who represents a challenge to no one - and you're right X, that is the part of me I want to destroy, to forget. I fear it because as long as I know he exists within me, he can resurface and I don't want to go down that spiral again. If you truly wish to be the one living reminder of who I was, then my friend you deserve to suffer the same fate he did. You deserve to languish in your mediocrity just as long as I did before I finally grew up and you deserve to be put down at every given title opportunity by far better men. You want to be X-ace-ier Cross, then be prepared to be shown the potency of the delusions of greatness that have long dogged your career, just as I was shown...
Oh yes Cross, that is exactly how bad I want you dead.
*There is a knock at the door...*
I'm coming...
*The Ace pockets the deck he was playing with and gets up to answer the door. As soon as he opens it, an attractive young redhead jumps up and puts her arms around his neck. The scene fades with a rather shocked National Champion in the grip of this woman who is very very excited to see him...*
Oh how their lack of drive and ambition infuriated me, I always knew I could be so much more, maybe that was where the seedling of my ego first took root, or maybe it was the fact that I was being bullied at school and couldn't wait to show the world what I would become.
One day they'd be sorry, they'd all be sorry for ever calling me Jake 'The Mistake' Conway. One day I'd develop a talent so great, the girls would be falling over themselves to kiss me and the guys would all wish they could be me.
Money is what it takes to get that kind of respect, money buys you everything. Money bestows upon you relevance and power and the ability to do whatever you want. Unfortunately money is the one thing we've never really had. One day that will change.
I am curled up in my bed in the spare room because my parents have dropped me off here for the summer, I always enjoyed the summer holidays for that reason, well that and the fact that it meant six weeks off school and six weeks without being bullied.
It was bliss. Curled up here looking out through the curtainless windows into the night, somewhere beyond the stars my destiny lay waiting. It was then that I knew that some day when the rest of the world was too busy reaching for the stars that I would instead become a star. A star they could never attain, never bring down, a star that they envied.
I reach across and click on the lamp beside my bed because I cannot sleep, and instead I reach under my bed and pull out my Batman comic. One day I too would have two faces, like Bruce Wayne. I would have the money to use my second face to strike fear into those who bullied me, and my first face would be a simple man with a wife and a couple of kids, you know the average life anybody would want.
Ah so he's facing the Joker this week. Cool, Joker is my favourite villian, followed closely by two face of course, I can't really explain it but there was always something terribly alluring about the idea of basing your entire life on the flip of a coin, or cutting down your enemy with a card and a quick quip to make sure they always remembered you. Some day that will be me.
My grandpa enters the room now shuffling his trusty deck of cards. He always knew when I couldn't sleep and a quick game of Rummy or two did wonders. I beat him more times than I lost, though looking back on it now, maybe he just let me win. Life was never going to be easy, nobody was going to hand me anything.
Grandpa sits down by my bedside and without a word starts dealing.
Grandpa: Couldn't sleep eh, Kiddo?
Jake: Nope.
Grandpa: Thought as much. Are those blasted bullies still giving you a hard time at school?
Jake: Yeah, I just don't get it Grandpa, I'm not so different and yet they hate me. Why? I haven't ever done anything to them and yet they pick on me for the way I talk. They ridicule me and call me lame just because I have a way with words that they can't understand.
Grandpa: And they never will son. The trick is to ignore them and keep pushing ahead, show them you're a better man, develop a talent other than dropping down to their level and picking fights you can't win.
Jake: But I want to win, Grandpa. I know I can.
Grandpa: We all want to win Jake, but sometimes try as we might, we just can't. Say you win the first two, three or four fights, what happens when you can't beat the fifth? You'll be defeated and humiliated and you'll have no one to blame but yourself. You've got to learn to pick your battles son, don't be a fool and rush into a fight thinking you can win. Life is a series of crossroads, its up to you which path you take and your success will depend on how good a judge of character you are.
*The scene opens with The Ace sat in his grandfather's old house by the fire, his grandma was asleep upstairs. She slept often, due partly to her advancing age and partly because she was so alone now. She had been all too glad to see him come home, and had recounted many of her fondest memories over dinner yesterday of his childhood, and now as he sat in his grandfather's worn old armchair shuffling a deck of cards, he snaps out of his memories and notices the camera is trained on him, waiting for him to pick a fight with Xavier Cross. With a deep sigh, he decided to satisfy the audience's need to see him tear Mr Cross a new one...*
Oh Boy X. Talk about giving someone a dose of their own medicine huh? I thought going through my opponent's promo with a fine comb and reiterating everything they said was my job. The parrot style promo was a style I made so famous that I guess I really should have it patented or in the very least sue you for attempted gimmick infringement. After sitting through twenty minutes of that, I finally see why so many of my opponents got so upset and wanted to poke their eyes out with a rusty fork just to make sure they were still alive. So this is how you plan to beat me huh? To bore me into submission by painstakingly pouring over every last detail of my promo and dissecting it like a frog in Biology class?
Newsflash, X. It's not going to work!
And I'll tell you why. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and its never worked out that well for me either. Took me a hell of a long time to figure out exactly where I was going wrong, but now I think I have it. You see I finally realised that I don't need to obsess over every word that comes out of my opponent's mouth because most of the time they're talking the most inconsequential and mind-numbingly cliche Grade A premium horsecrap anyway. And you Xavier, I'm glad to say have been no exception to this basic 'cutting promos for dummies' rule with your latest gumflapping, ass-numbing, sleep-inducing extravaganza. Part way through, I began to envy my grandma for having the good sense to have a kip rather than sit through the same old tired threats that every generic Challenger has ever made to every Champion in every company everywhere...
Threats like "I can guarantee you won't make it out of Crossroads as National Champion."
Really Cross, really? You had to go there, you had to whip out that particular card on me and lay it on the table, really? Well I can't say I'm not disappointed, but then again I can't say I'm surprised either. I expected such dribble to leave your mouth at least once this week, I knew that hand was coming before you even played it and now I'm not afraid to call your bluff...
*Motto placement bonus because The Ace needs to shift some of his T-Shirts even though he said said he didn't. Yay for hypocrisy! Be honest, that comes as a surprise to neither of us right? The Ace flashes his trademark smirk before continuing...*
Perhaps then you'll go on to criticise how I sometimes emphasise key points like Falcon, or criticise my use of inner monologue whenever I narrate my thoughts for the camera. Go ahead, I am unashamed of the way I choose to deliver my promos, they've all done it before when they really couldn't admit that they had nothing more to say to me. The fact is there's nothing you can say to me X that I haven't heard a million times before, I have learned to anticipate when everybody starts jumping on the same old bandwagon rather than have an original thought of their own. Like for instance the fact that you called me washed up in your first promo and Perfectly Lame Bates didn't miss a beat on following suit in his promo...
*The Ace looks down at the cards that he had absent-mindedly been shuffling during the entire time he had been talking, and something inspires him to continue - almost as if it was a force eminating from the deck - his grandfather's old deck - itself...*
There's no doubt Cross that having the memory of a Goldfish can sometimes be an advantage, not only in this business but in life in general. Indeed I've seen and done some things in my life that I wish I could forget, but equally there are some things I hope I never forget. Some lessons that will never leave me, lessons I have grown and matured from. This house for instance, this house and everything in it is full of memories I will never forget, and sure a short term memory may enable you to simply forget a loss and put it behind you, but honestly what is the point of that if you're not going to learn from it? You can't just file away a bad experience because its no longer convienient, you have to adapt and grow from it. Like if I never took the time to come here this week and remind myself of his death, I would never remember my grandfather's life and the lessons he taught me...
*The Ace pauses before he gets too overwhelmed by his memories again. Only after he feels that he has regained his composure does he continue...*
Life is too short already, it doesn't mean your memory has to be too. You see even if I chalk up your little slip of the tongue when you said Trauma instead of Collision to you being distracted by painting up that room real nice for your unborn child, rather than your ignorance, you are still completely blinded by your ego, still utterly convinced of your superiority, and whilst it is mildly amusing for me to self-reflect and wonder if I myself really used to be that pathetic, there is also something profoundly disappointing about being in the crosshairs of your mirror image, or at least a shadow of the c*cky little sh*t I used to be. Why am I disappointed you may ask?
Because I know that you as a younger, stupider me can be beaten.
The mirror image of who I used to be deserves to be shattered for he represents a weak and feeble man who represents a challenge to no one - and you're right X, that is the part of me I want to destroy, to forget. I fear it because as long as I know he exists within me, he can resurface and I don't want to go down that spiral again. If you truly wish to be the one living reminder of who I was, then my friend you deserve to suffer the same fate he did. You deserve to languish in your mediocrity just as long as I did before I finally grew up and you deserve to be put down at every given title opportunity by far better men. You want to be X-ace-ier Cross, then be prepared to be shown the potency of the delusions of greatness that have long dogged your career, just as I was shown...
Oh yes Cross, that is exactly how bad I want you dead.
*There is a knock at the door...*
I'm coming...
*The Ace pockets the deck he was playing with and gets up to answer the door. As soon as he opens it, an attractive young redhead jumps up and puts her arms around his neck. The scene fades with a rather shocked National Champion in the grip of this woman who is very very excited to see him...*