Post by Samantha Tolson on Oct 21, 2017 22:37:08 GMT -5
--OFF-CAMERA--
Samantha Tolson sits on her couch inside her Las Vegas home, there only for a moment or two to check on her puppies and to collect some fresh clothing and gear before heading to Chicago. She'd just flown in from Atlanta, having worked a charity show for a pair of long-time friends in the sport, and was tired. Dead tired.
It had finally begun to catch up with her recently, the strain and stress of defending three separate titles in three separate companies. Now, though, they were no longer in her possession. But, the one thing that remained?
Exhaustion.
Every single opponent she had faced in the last two to three months had excoriated her career. From Roxy Cotton, who brought up things that had been water under the bridge for six months or more, to every other opponent anywhere else, it seemed like all anyone wanted to do was call her to the carpet for things out of her control.
It wasn't Samantha's fault that Maggie Lockheart asked for the breakup. Yet Sarah Lacklan, someone with more marriage issues than any two others combined, loved to call her down for it.
It wasn't her fault that Lucas Dupree and Megan Helms-King had not booked her a Chaos Championship defense for over five months, leaving an asterisk next to what was, as far as she could tell, the second longest single championship reign in LAW history. Yet, every single one of the Cool Kids thought it was great fun to attack Samantha for that.
Never mind the fact that she'd offered a title match to Angelica Vaughan. Never mind the fact that she did so after they'd all taken her to task for the booking decision made out of her control. And, of course, never mind the fact that after she'd offered the title shot, the Cool Kid turned her nose up at it, believing the Chaos Championship beneath her.
It seemed to her that everyone was lacking any respect for anything she'd accomplished. She'd held the Chaos Championship for well over three hundred days. Held three titles, and defended them, for over ninety. She was twice over a damned World Champion, for the love of all that was good and Holy, all within just over three years in the sport.
Which one of the Cool Kids had done that? Lacklan? No, one tag title reign in another company she WILLINGLY gave up. Cotton? No, not anywhere close, discounting holding a championship in a fed run by her boyfriend, which just smacked of favoritism. Crowthorne, Nevaeh? Grey? Nope. Vaughan? Please....that child could barely hold herself up after a few suplexes.
But here they were, all of them, taking their pot shots at them from afar, despite the fact that Roxy had to handcuff her to beat her. Despite the fact that the only way Roxy could beat her was to literally try and take her life. Five individual matches against them since the formation of the little gaggle of goons, and here she was, four wins over them, despite all the bitching and whining and moaning.
But she knew. She knew that they weren't, as both Lacklan and Cotton loved to espouse, agents of change. No, what they were....bullies. The very worst of the kind, worse than the ones who'd teased her on the playground as a child. Worse than the people in the offices of the first promotion she'd worked for. They weren't agents of change at all. They were all just jealous of those who had attained the type of success and notoriety they themselves craved more than anything else. So, naturally, Samantha quickly became a target for them.
She'd held up well, fought hard and honestly, and until someone tried to murder her, had bested each and every one of them. But all of it had worn her down, made her vulnerable.
And she was exhausted. Mentally and physically.
So here she was, on her couch, if even momentarily, slowly stroking the soft fur of Luke and Leia.
Overwhelmed.
Samantha Tolson closed her eyes.
Then the tears came, flowing easily like waterfalls....
--ON-CAMERA--
Samantha Tolson, her face red and wet, pushed a button on a small silver remote in her hand, watching as the little red light on the camera that sat across from her couch came on.
"Yes....I've been crying."
"Why, you ask? Because I'm tired."
"Tired of being made to be a fool by idiots like the Cool Kids. Tired of being the constant object of scorn and ridicule by those looking to make their way in this sport the easy way. Tired of being the target of those same people, looking to assure themselves a modicum of stardom by attacking someone who's spent every single moment of her career working for it."
"So, yes, Amy Jo....I'm tired. Matter of fact, I'm flat exhausted. I'd like nothing more than to sit here on my couch, pet Luke and Leia here, and drift off into slumber for two or three days, and let my mind and my body heal."
"But no, I don't get to do that."
"No, I get to go to Chicago, and face a friend. A friend who, not surprisingly, has taken some of the tactics of the people I hate so very much."
Samantha sighs deeply.
"But you know what, that's all well and good. That's fine. Frankly, I'm used to it by now."
"But you say you're winning, AJ?"
"FUCK. THAT."
"See, you don't need this. You can go on your merry way after this, holding your title high, win or lose. Me? I have to prepare for another war with Roxy Cotton, one where I will absolutely murder her to regain what I've lost."
"I NEED THIS."
"And, by hook or by crook, I'll take it."
"See you in Chicago...."
"...friend.
Samantha clicks the button on the remote again, but before the feed cuts to black, we see the tears again begin to roll down her face.
Samantha Tolson sits on her couch inside her Las Vegas home, there only for a moment or two to check on her puppies and to collect some fresh clothing and gear before heading to Chicago. She'd just flown in from Atlanta, having worked a charity show for a pair of long-time friends in the sport, and was tired. Dead tired.
It had finally begun to catch up with her recently, the strain and stress of defending three separate titles in three separate companies. Now, though, they were no longer in her possession. But, the one thing that remained?
Exhaustion.
Every single opponent she had faced in the last two to three months had excoriated her career. From Roxy Cotton, who brought up things that had been water under the bridge for six months or more, to every other opponent anywhere else, it seemed like all anyone wanted to do was call her to the carpet for things out of her control.
It wasn't Samantha's fault that Maggie Lockheart asked for the breakup. Yet Sarah Lacklan, someone with more marriage issues than any two others combined, loved to call her down for it.
It wasn't her fault that Lucas Dupree and Megan Helms-King had not booked her a Chaos Championship defense for over five months, leaving an asterisk next to what was, as far as she could tell, the second longest single championship reign in LAW history. Yet, every single one of the Cool Kids thought it was great fun to attack Samantha for that.
Never mind the fact that she'd offered a title match to Angelica Vaughan. Never mind the fact that she did so after they'd all taken her to task for the booking decision made out of her control. And, of course, never mind the fact that after she'd offered the title shot, the Cool Kid turned her nose up at it, believing the Chaos Championship beneath her.
It seemed to her that everyone was lacking any respect for anything she'd accomplished. She'd held the Chaos Championship for well over three hundred days. Held three titles, and defended them, for over ninety. She was twice over a damned World Champion, for the love of all that was good and Holy, all within just over three years in the sport.
Which one of the Cool Kids had done that? Lacklan? No, one tag title reign in another company she WILLINGLY gave up. Cotton? No, not anywhere close, discounting holding a championship in a fed run by her boyfriend, which just smacked of favoritism. Crowthorne, Nevaeh? Grey? Nope. Vaughan? Please....that child could barely hold herself up after a few suplexes.
But here they were, all of them, taking their pot shots at them from afar, despite the fact that Roxy had to handcuff her to beat her. Despite the fact that the only way Roxy could beat her was to literally try and take her life. Five individual matches against them since the formation of the little gaggle of goons, and here she was, four wins over them, despite all the bitching and whining and moaning.
But she knew. She knew that they weren't, as both Lacklan and Cotton loved to espouse, agents of change. No, what they were....bullies. The very worst of the kind, worse than the ones who'd teased her on the playground as a child. Worse than the people in the offices of the first promotion she'd worked for. They weren't agents of change at all. They were all just jealous of those who had attained the type of success and notoriety they themselves craved more than anything else. So, naturally, Samantha quickly became a target for them.
She'd held up well, fought hard and honestly, and until someone tried to murder her, had bested each and every one of them. But all of it had worn her down, made her vulnerable.
And she was exhausted. Mentally and physically.
So here she was, on her couch, if even momentarily, slowly stroking the soft fur of Luke and Leia.
Overwhelmed.
Samantha Tolson closed her eyes.
Then the tears came, flowing easily like waterfalls....
--ON-CAMERA--
Samantha Tolson, her face red and wet, pushed a button on a small silver remote in her hand, watching as the little red light on the camera that sat across from her couch came on.
"Yes....I've been crying."
"Why, you ask? Because I'm tired."
"Tired of being made to be a fool by idiots like the Cool Kids. Tired of being the constant object of scorn and ridicule by those looking to make their way in this sport the easy way. Tired of being the target of those same people, looking to assure themselves a modicum of stardom by attacking someone who's spent every single moment of her career working for it."
"So, yes, Amy Jo....I'm tired. Matter of fact, I'm flat exhausted. I'd like nothing more than to sit here on my couch, pet Luke and Leia here, and drift off into slumber for two or three days, and let my mind and my body heal."
"But no, I don't get to do that."
"No, I get to go to Chicago, and face a friend. A friend who, not surprisingly, has taken some of the tactics of the people I hate so very much."
Samantha sighs deeply.
"But you know what, that's all well and good. That's fine. Frankly, I'm used to it by now."
"But you say you're winning, AJ?"
"FUCK. THAT."
"See, you don't need this. You can go on your merry way after this, holding your title high, win or lose. Me? I have to prepare for another war with Roxy Cotton, one where I will absolutely murder her to regain what I've lost."
"I NEED THIS."
"And, by hook or by crook, I'll take it."
"See you in Chicago...."
"...friend.
Samantha clicks the button on the remote again, but before the feed cuts to black, we see the tears again begin to roll down her face.