Post by Alice Harris on Jan 17, 2016 17:06:58 GMT -5
Once again, we find ourselves at the abandoned apartment complex where one would usually find Alice Harris when she isn't in her gym training or on the road with NAW. It's early evening and the sun is slowly setting once again. Up on the rooftop of the building, sitting there completely at ease with herself and her surroundings is the Legacy Champion. Wearing her white hooded sweater jacket, zipped up halfway and underneath it, a "1987" Whitesnake T-shirt, topped off with some torn, faded light blue denim jeans and black skate shoes, Alice sits there idly watching the horizon and vocalizing her inner thoughts once again, something she has become known for given her preference to seek solitude instead of company.
Alice pauses as she reaches down for the bottle of water by her side. Unscrewing the top and taking a sip, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before continuing to talk.
Pausing, Alice takes a breath and closes her eyes as she leans back, kicking her legs out as they dangle over the edge of the building.
Alice opens her eyes and gazes at the sky. The amber glow of the setting sun, outlined by the first shadows of night and the buildings around her leads her to stand up so she can admire the view from a better vantage point.
Jumping down from the wall, Alice turns her back on the sunset and looks out across the grounds of the abandoned complex she frequently spends time in.
"Orrison Swett Marden once said: 'Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.' At first that didn't make sense, given how human beings generally associate success with empirical evidence... Physical things, statistics, data, things we can see, hold, touch, manipulate, convert... Things we have control of...."
Alice pauses as she reaches down for the bottle of water by her side. Unscrewing the top and taking a sip, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before continuing to talk.
"I mean look at NAW... Ownership, General Manager contracts, titles... They are all things we can see with our own eyes, touch with our hands.. We can physically and mentally reassure ourselves of their legitimacy and existence. Right now, people would call me the most successful person in NAW given how I hold the belt everyone wishes to hold. Technically, behind Alice White and Alejandro, I am the third most powerful and influential figure on the roster... If I were to issue a call to arms, people would join me... I always said I would fight to defend Alice White after she put her faith in me, and this time is no different...
But I am drawn to think about other things... Like Erin... The former hardcore champion. Much like me, she came in and made an impact. She had a hot streak going, one which ended by my hand no matter how much she tries to downplay it, she had a good run, she thought she was set... But Assassin was simply better than her and now the pathetic little whore threatens to go on strike until she is given 'her' title back... It's hilarious when I think about it, because Erin's childish behavior just shows that despite losing the hardcore title, she had achieved great success so far in NAW. Her record speaks for itself to an extent despite the few blemishes on it, one would say it was damn impressive... That to me is a mark of success...
It is a mark of taking on whatever is thrown at you and coming out on the other side of it still standing, coming out of it a stronger person, an enlightened, educated and informed person. You learn from your mistakes just as much as you learn from your victories. You can learn from every situation if you put your mind to it...
That is how I succeeded here... Every time I step into the ring, the odds are against me. Physically, I am always the underdog. I am always looked at like I am a glass hammer, there for one good hit, but after that I am broken and useless. But what people forget is that if you shatter a glass hammer, the jagged edges are there which can do far more damage, as do the shards which get stuck in the skin from the initial impact... You see, to succeed you have to consider every possibility and plan for it... You have to know when to strike, know when to press the advantage and know when to fall back to fight another day because even in retreat, there is victory to be found."
But I am drawn to think about other things... Like Erin... The former hardcore champion. Much like me, she came in and made an impact. She had a hot streak going, one which ended by my hand no matter how much she tries to downplay it, she had a good run, she thought she was set... But Assassin was simply better than her and now the pathetic little whore threatens to go on strike until she is given 'her' title back... It's hilarious when I think about it, because Erin's childish behavior just shows that despite losing the hardcore title, she had achieved great success so far in NAW. Her record speaks for itself to an extent despite the few blemishes on it, one would say it was damn impressive... That to me is a mark of success...
It is a mark of taking on whatever is thrown at you and coming out on the other side of it still standing, coming out of it a stronger person, an enlightened, educated and informed person. You learn from your mistakes just as much as you learn from your victories. You can learn from every situation if you put your mind to it...
That is how I succeeded here... Every time I step into the ring, the odds are against me. Physically, I am always the underdog. I am always looked at like I am a glass hammer, there for one good hit, but after that I am broken and useless. But what people forget is that if you shatter a glass hammer, the jagged edges are there which can do far more damage, as do the shards which get stuck in the skin from the initial impact... You see, to succeed you have to consider every possibility and plan for it... You have to know when to strike, know when to press the advantage and know when to fall back to fight another day because even in retreat, there is victory to be found."
Pausing, Alice takes a breath and closes her eyes as she leans back, kicking her legs out as they dangle over the edge of the building.
"And once again, the odds are against me in more ways than one... People at the top wish to push their agenda forwards. An agenda where I play the part of the sacrifice. They would wish to see me cast aside, battered and broken, no use to anyone, all for the sake of putting their person in the spotlight.
What they fail to see is that the people want to see me. They want the underdog there. The person who they can relate to, the person they can look up to... They want to see that hard work and dedication can provide results in the long run and how despite the adversity, it is ultimately rewarding. Sure, there are those who will look for the short cut in order to reach their goal and sometimes that path does seem more appealing, but what happens when you hit a pothole on it?
Jason Price found that out when he tried to use his name, his fame, his money and his ego to compete against me... He lost. Erin tried to use every trick in the book to defeat me, she lost... Vincent Alejandro is trying to pull the rug out from underneath everyone who has flourished here since Alice White gave them all a chance to shine... He will lose soon enough too.
In the end, they always lose. No matter how foolproof or water-tight their plan seems, there is always a fool capable of tampering with it... There is always that one little crack which one drop of water can get through and dampen it... For the geeks out there watching, a celestial bodied sized space station, capable of destroying a planet will always have that one insignificant ventilation shaft which will lead to its destruction... However you dress it up, someone out there will always come along to destroy whatever plans you have made...
Me, I am no different... I know that my days as champion are numbered... The only control I have over this is how many days I have which are numbered. I could lose this tomorrow, I could lose it next week, next month... Hell, next year... It all comes down to me and how I push myself against the odds... How much courage and belief I have that no matter what comes at me, I will still be standing by the end of it, no matter how big, how small, how painful or how tormenting it may be, I have to make sure that I know I can still stand tall, my head held high and know that at the end of the day, I succeeded because I gave it my all against insurmountable odds...."
What they fail to see is that the people want to see me. They want the underdog there. The person who they can relate to, the person they can look up to... They want to see that hard work and dedication can provide results in the long run and how despite the adversity, it is ultimately rewarding. Sure, there are those who will look for the short cut in order to reach their goal and sometimes that path does seem more appealing, but what happens when you hit a pothole on it?
Jason Price found that out when he tried to use his name, his fame, his money and his ego to compete against me... He lost. Erin tried to use every trick in the book to defeat me, she lost... Vincent Alejandro is trying to pull the rug out from underneath everyone who has flourished here since Alice White gave them all a chance to shine... He will lose soon enough too.
In the end, they always lose. No matter how foolproof or water-tight their plan seems, there is always a fool capable of tampering with it... There is always that one little crack which one drop of water can get through and dampen it... For the geeks out there watching, a celestial bodied sized space station, capable of destroying a planet will always have that one insignificant ventilation shaft which will lead to its destruction... However you dress it up, someone out there will always come along to destroy whatever plans you have made...
Me, I am no different... I know that my days as champion are numbered... The only control I have over this is how many days I have which are numbered. I could lose this tomorrow, I could lose it next week, next month... Hell, next year... It all comes down to me and how I push myself against the odds... How much courage and belief I have that no matter what comes at me, I will still be standing by the end of it, no matter how big, how small, how painful or how tormenting it may be, I have to make sure that I know I can still stand tall, my head held high and know that at the end of the day, I succeeded because I gave it my all against insurmountable odds...."
Alice opens her eyes and gazes at the sky. The amber glow of the setting sun, outlined by the first shadows of night and the buildings around her leads her to stand up so she can admire the view from a better vantage point.
"And now we look at those odds... I am placed against one of three opponents on Meltdown... Each brings a different skill set to the table... But all three have one thing in common apart from their blood... I have overcome them before. Despite their abilities being varied and myself having no idea who to prepare to face off with, I know that the smoke and mirrors at play, all with the sole intention of sabotaging my chances and weakening my position... The Jasons, Rocky Hollywood and Vincent Alejandro all see me as a major threat and rightly so. To them, I am everything wrong with the business... I am someone who values work ethic over star quality... Someone who prefers to speak words which have meaning and substance to them as opposed to empty threats and self inflating reassurances...
I am everything wrong with NAW in their eyes... And they hope that by trying to unsettle me with tricks like this... Trying to break my resolve, trying to get in my head and throw me off... It only stacks the odds higher because I have the courage and the belief that I can win this fight or die trying. I will not allow myself to be compromised by people who are so afraid of someone who has talent and ability and simply wants to do what she always has done - wrestle and be treated like an equal.
The Jeckels, I harbor no ill will towards you. We are just professionals trying to make a living in this cut-throat industry. You're a solid unit, you have a bond I am envious of because no matter how close people get to me, I always end up alone... You all have each others backs, you all understand each other brilliantly and you are reaping the benefits of the hard work and dedication you have shown to working towards your goals.
Unfortunately, despite harboring no ill will, I must come at you as if you were in league with Alejandro and his co-conspirators. I must come at you because you are the next set of odds which has been put against me and given how you win the numbers game and have the element of surprise, I am up against it... But you have all seen how I fight when I am up against it... I fight with the courage and belief that I can overcome any struggle put in front of me... Whether it be the first time of asking or the third time in the case of defeating Corey... I know in the end I will stand there victorious and that is what keeps me going.
I don't need the odds in my favor, it may help from time to time, but ultimately, I am the only limiting factor, not you, not the Jasons, not Rocky and his buddy, Not Vincent and his deceitful tricks... I am the only person who can be held accountable for my success and my failure, and right now... I don't plan on failing myself any time soon.... "
I am everything wrong with NAW in their eyes... And they hope that by trying to unsettle me with tricks like this... Trying to break my resolve, trying to get in my head and throw me off... It only stacks the odds higher because I have the courage and the belief that I can win this fight or die trying. I will not allow myself to be compromised by people who are so afraid of someone who has talent and ability and simply wants to do what she always has done - wrestle and be treated like an equal.
The Jeckels, I harbor no ill will towards you. We are just professionals trying to make a living in this cut-throat industry. You're a solid unit, you have a bond I am envious of because no matter how close people get to me, I always end up alone... You all have each others backs, you all understand each other brilliantly and you are reaping the benefits of the hard work and dedication you have shown to working towards your goals.
Unfortunately, despite harboring no ill will, I must come at you as if you were in league with Alejandro and his co-conspirators. I must come at you because you are the next set of odds which has been put against me and given how you win the numbers game and have the element of surprise, I am up against it... But you have all seen how I fight when I am up against it... I fight with the courage and belief that I can overcome any struggle put in front of me... Whether it be the first time of asking or the third time in the case of defeating Corey... I know in the end I will stand there victorious and that is what keeps me going.
I don't need the odds in my favor, it may help from time to time, but ultimately, I am the only limiting factor, not you, not the Jasons, not Rocky and his buddy, Not Vincent and his deceitful tricks... I am the only person who can be held accountable for my success and my failure, and right now... I don't plan on failing myself any time soon.... "
Jumping down from the wall, Alice turns her back on the sunset and looks out across the grounds of the abandoned complex she frequently spends time in.
"When you are at the top, the only way you can go is back down... And I don't plan on going that way any time soon... See you at Meltdown"