Post by angelicavaughn on Dec 8, 2018 23:50:17 GMT -5
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“Are you tired of chocolates?”
“ABS!”
“Are you tired of candy?”
“EW!!”
“Do you love wrestling?”
“OBVS!”
“Then do we have a treat for you! Throw those dumb old advent calendars in the trash and stop living like a scrub! Count down to Chrissie Coalition style! 65% less teeth rot guaranteed! Starting from December 1st, open up a window representing your favorite Coalition Superstar every single day and get a sweet surprise!”
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“Get it now, for the low price of $14.99! That’s American dollars, folks!”
“OW EM GEE NOW WAY! ONLY $14.99?? THAT’S CRAXY!!”
-----------------------------
“ABS!”
“Are you tired of candy?”
“EW!!”
“Do you love wrestling?”
“OBVS!”
“Then do we have a treat for you! Throw those dumb old advent calendars in the trash and stop living like a scrub! Count down to Chrissie Coalition style! 65% less teeth rot guaranteed! Starting from December 1st, open up a window representing your favorite Coalition Superstar every single day and get a sweet surprise!”
allpurchasesarefinalandugwcisnotresponsibleforphyschologicaldamagescausedbytheuseofthisproduct.roxycottonsboxonlytobeopenedbypersonsaged18orolderpleasespeaktoyourdoctorifyouexperienceanyofthesesideaffectsafterusingthisproduct:erectiledisfunctionkleptomaniahypothermiadelusionsofgrandeurlivingdeathorgrowingtotheheightoffivefootteninoneday.stopusingtheugwcadventcalendarifyougettheurgetoinflictgruesomepainonthoseclosesttoyou
“Get it now, for the low price of $14.99! That’s American dollars, folks!”
“OW EM GEE NOW WAY! ONLY $14.99?? THAT’S CRAXY!!”
-----------------------------
San Antonio, Texas
Mere days before Horizon
When night was creeping in
Mere days before Horizon
When night was creeping in
“Have a hol-ly jol-ly Christ-maaas! La-la-la-lala-laaaaa…”
Angie didn’t really know any other words beside the chorus, but she didn’t really care. The holiday season was upon them, and anybody who knew Angie knew that there were three things about her that would never change: 1) She was the tallest CoolKid 2) She loved cats 3) Christmas was the most wonderful time of her year.
And honestly, what embodied the Christmas spirit MORE than decorating the Christmas tree?? Christmas had ALWAYS been a big deal, even when she lived back under her fake dad’s yoke back in Vancouver. Granted, even he had managed to turn it into a mind-numbingly boring evening, rather than the feast and celebration it SHOULD be, but even then little Angie had always loved it. While her own day was usually spent praying and reciting verses about how guilty she should feel that she was alive and happy, she was also mesmerized by the many colorful lights, the smell of the pines, and of course the Coca-Cola ads. Christmas was ALL about the Coca-Cola ads! Tiny Angie had been so blown away by them that she was convinced that ANYONE who liked Pepsi hated Jesus. While she now knew that to be a bit ridiculous, she still hadn’t drunk any Pepsi, even though she was getting up there in years. At 19, she was hardly a spring chicken anymore, after all…
BUT… Christmas was hardly the time for another ¾-life crisis. Now was a time for decorating and being merry. And merry she was, for she’d gotten the largest possible tree she could stuff into her living room and had bought enough Christmas lights to make sure she’d be visible from space and make those astronauts need sunglasses underneath their helmets. Most of the lights she had installed yesterday, and she worried she might’ve overdone it, as this very morning she received a letter from her neighbors claiming that they had to sleep with their heads under the covers while wearing sunglasses when all the shutters were closed. They only lived about twenty miles away so they were probably exaggerating, though. She was NOT going to let them dampen her Christmas spirit!!
She hung the last ball she had on the last piece of free branch she could find. All that remained was the star. Luckily, being this tall, she didn’t need any kind of step-up. She just got on her tippy-toes and placed it right on top, finalizing the best Christmas tree any kind of human being could possibly wish for.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Angelica noticed sers Bobby and Alex slowly making their way towards the finalized tree. Some balls were still bobbing up and down, and made an alluring target for any sweet kitty. As Angie raised her voice they looked over their shoulders and went back to the couch, realizing that they might not get any cat milk tonight if they didn’t comply.
Angie almost instinctively looked over her own shoulder as well, looking for approval for a job well done. Unfortunately, her mother was out for the evening, leaving Angie home alone. She’d told Angie to ‘not wait up’, and had left, taking the truck. Probably going to a bar or something… She’d tried to hook her mom up with Dave, but it was a slow process to say the least. Still, she couldn’t really forbid her mother to take happiness wherever she found it, after having been subjected to another person’s will for so long.
Mind you, mom had offered to take Angie with her at first, to spend a girl’s night out. But Angie had politely declined. As Christmas was approaching, Angie felt… tired. Drained. This past year was finally catching up with her, and she knew she needed some peace and quiet. 2018 had been wild, travelling around the globe, winning and defending titles left and right across all kinds of continents and promotions… Angie knew she needed a break. A holiday. Some respite from the ever building pressure of being a globally recognized wrestler. She still very much loved her job, and knew that her destiny lay within it; but she could do with a breather. Unfortunately, her biggest obstacle might very well still be ahead of her.
Angie sighed. The aches in her muscles and bones made her feel downright ancient. She knew they were a direct result of being spiked on her head, throw off constructs, her limbs being twisted and contorted in all kinds of unnatural angles… But she was looking forward to leaving it all behind, if only for a short while. ‘One more match’, she told herself. ‘One more match and I can breathe easy’. But what a match it would be. And what ramifications it would have.
Kenzi would give her hell on earth. Their recent spat was only a distant memory, but whenever the bell rang, personal history didn’t matter. Lord Director Hastings had deemed it wise to pit them against each other in the last Pay Per View of the year, with the outcome deciding whichever road they’d take in 2019. Both she and Kenzi were primed for main event accolades, for whoever would emerge victorious from their bout would be next in line to become the new challenger for the UGWC World Championship. Angie knew that Kenzi had been frustrated at her lack of main event opportunities. On one hand, she felt bad that she was the one standing in the way of everything that Kenzi wanted and deserved. But on the other hand, the opposite was also true. Entitlement wasn’t high up in Angelica’s diary, but she felt like she deserved this opportunity. And as difficult as it was, she had to set aside the respect and love she felt for Kenzi, and be as inherently selfish as she could possibly allow herself to be. Because becoming the very best and reaching the top of the mountain was exactly what she’d gotten into wrestling for. ‘Hold nothing back’, one of her earliest mentors had told her, ‘not even if it feels like you’re betraying everything you stand for. In between bells, all of us ever want one thing: victory. Those who claim otherwise are liars or losers’. Angie knew she belonged in neither category. She was going to be completely honest with Kenzi, and she was going to step to her. One on one. Woman on woman. And the truth was this: ‘You deserve it. I deserve it. Let’s fight for the right to reach for destiny.’
Angelica wanted to fall down into her couch, the soft pillows a welcome change to otherwise unforgiving canvas or worse. It was scary how quickly you could forget the touch of a soft mattress or the comfort of a fluffy pillow. But something caught her eye. An anomaly, pinned to the wall.
“Oops…”
It wasn’t like Angie to skip a day on the advent calendar. Certainly not the one she featured in herself. As a child she’d always wanted one, but they were never allowed. Now that she had her own place, however, she made her own rules.
She walked over to the calendar. A few of the boxes had already been opened, starting from December first.
The 1st of December had been for Konrad Raab. Who better than the Iceman to kick off the month typically represented by a snow symbol? Behind his door had been tickets to ‘Disney On Ice’. Which, in all fairness, was a gift that’s hard to top.
December 2nd had been for Bordy. Probably ‘second’, because that was the place she usually ended up in? Behind her door had been French Bible verses relating to the birth of Christ. Matthew 1:18 and whatnot.
December third had been for Lord Director Hastings. Behind his door (the calendar was pretty huge) was a santa hat that talked. Every time you pressed the pompon, the hat would scream out random matches that varied every single time.
December 4th had been Roxy’s box. Her mom had opened it and quickly put whatever was inside in her handbag without letting Angie see what it was. She made a mental note to ask Rox about it when they met up at Horizons.
December fifth had been Dave’s. Behind his door was a false beard, identical to the one he was proudly sporting. Angie didn’t really know what to do with it, so she hung it in the Christmas tree as decoration.
December sixth had been Liz Blackwell’s, featuring a small comic book in the Japanese cartoon style about her accomplishments in her LFL debut season. Unfortunately for her team mate, it was only two pages.
December seventh had been Necron’s. Surprisingly straightforward, there were some Coffin Nail cigarettes inside. Angie didn’t smoke so she was just going to give them to Sarah, even though she didn’t approve of the habit. She didn’t want them to be lit up here, since she didn’t exactly have good memories of the last time those things were smoked inside her house… She swore there was still a cold spot in the kitchen.
And now, December 8th, was Kem’s. Angelica pried the door opened and retrieved what was inside. She felt some folded up papers and as she flattened them out she realized it was a small self-help leaflet on how to embrace your defects. Number one tip: strike up conversations with just about everybody. She probably wrote it herself. Kem had some big things coming up, and much like Angelica her future at UGWC hung in the balance. She’d scratched and clawed her way to the top and was finally rewarded with a one on one world title match with Alan Wallace. She wondered if Kem could pull off the seemingly impossible. It wasn’t going to be easy, but who knew? If they both played their cards right, Kem Dynamo vs. Angelica Vaughn could very well be a UGWC main event.
Angie smiled and put the paper down on the coffee table before allowing herself to sink into the couch. But her eye fell on the calendar again, on the days yet to come. One thing in particular struck her.
December tenth, the day of Horizons, didn’t feature the face of Alan Wallace, or Kem Dynamo, or Ichabod. No, that right was reserved for Kenzi. It was telling, because it clearly meant that the higher ups in the Coalition saw her as the future of the brand. They could’ve put anyone there, adorning the day of the final PPV of the year, a PPV that symbolized both the end of the year and the beginning of the future. Angelica was happy for Kenzi that she was held in such high esteem, and rightly so. Her friend was an incredibly hard worker; she was good looking, honest and charismatic and gave your brand unseen levels of exposure. It was hard NOT to see her as the torch bearer the Coalition wanted. But on the other hand, it made Angie feel like a villain. Because she was the obstacle standing in the hero’s way. It wasn’t a comforting feeling.
She wasn’t jealous or anything, but it WAS a bit frustrating. The only way she could uplift herself was by knocking Kenzi down. The only way to achieve the success she always wanted was by robbing Kenzi of it. A person she respected and admired. This world was cold and unforgiving and Angelica realized that it was just the name of the game. But it did leave her with a bad taste in her mouth, and it wasn’t the result of her homemade mac and cheese. How DID she manage to burn half of it without even getting the cheese melted? Cooking was weird. It was basically chemistry, and she always failed that class. But cooking was also about using the right doses. Sometimes a slow burn was better than a flash in the pan. But Angie knew that whatever she had left in the tank, at Horizons it was all gonna have to come out. What little energy she still had, at Horizons she was going to need it all. After Horizons, her batteries would be dead, ready for recharge mode. She just hoped that everything she had still left inside of her would be enough to beat Kenzi. It was gonna have to be.
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December, 10th
Horizons
Horizons
This was it. The final show of the year and Angelica’s last chance to kick 2019 off the right way. She had already made sure she’d be wearing championship gold at the start of the new year, after having retained against Wallace and Kem on the previous Synergy. She was glad that she had, because she would’ve hated for her precious Co-op title to be little more than an unwanted consolation prize for tonight’s main event. But there was a reason her CoolKid friends called her Angie ‘IhazALLth3titl3s’ Vaughn. She wanted more. Always more. And yes, greed was a sin, but Angelica had used the status, money and power that came with being a champion to do good in the community. She frequently donated, volunteered, or publicly supported crowdfunding campaigns in hopes to raise enough funds for causes such as animal rights, countering plastic pollution and child poverty. So, you know, she thought Jesus would probably forgive her for that.
“You feeling okay, sweetie?” Mary asked. She had insisted on accompanying Angelica to the Pay Per View to offer her some moral support. It had been relatively scarce, what with her daughter having to face one of her best friends, who was also the wife of the sister she kept a secret.
Angie nodded. She was as ready as she was ever going to be. Until she remembered something.
“Oh, shoot! I forgot to open the calendar today! I wanted to know what was behind Kenzi’s door!”
“I’m sure it can wait. What’s behind Kenzi’s face inside of a calendar isn’t nearly as important as what lies behind this victory tonight.”
“I know, I know,” Angie said, sighing. She flexed her shoulders for a bit, trying to get a bit loosened up. She could feel the tension. She could feel the wear and tear. Only adrenaline kept her body going at this point. Whatever happened, victory or defeat, she was going to be glad when the final bell rang. Que sera, sera. “But please don’t make it sound like a foregone conclusion.”
“And why not?” Mary asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Sweetie, you don’t just deserve this, you were meant for this. It’s in your blood. Your veins are running with Lacklan blood, don’t forget that. Even if you do insist on keeping the name that…he… gave you.”
“It’s not his name,” Angelica corrected her. “It’s mine. We’ve been over this. I have no Lacklan birthright. I may have the blood, but not the name. The genetics, but not the legacy. My destiny and dynasty are my own and no one else’s.”
“There would be nothing wrong with embracing your true nature, sweetie. Everybody would understand, I’m sure. I know Aveline would. And so would the Dem… Sarah.” Mary quickly corrected herself. Angelica had explicitly asked to call Sarah by her real name. She was hardly… what was that evil wizard called again? Voldesnort?
Nevertheless, Angie raised her eyebrows at the remark. This wasn’t the first time her mom had gotten started on the subject. She had rarely if ever brought up Aveline before, but in recent days she could barely stop talking about her. Angelica feared that maybe Bordy’s influence had begun to spread to her. After all, it had overtaken Richard just as easily, and the lure of Lacklanland was hard to resist… It had been her mother’s home after all, and one of the few places she’d ever felt safe and at home. Aveline could give it all back to her, with the exception of the man she loved. Something else they had in common.
“Look, I don’t want to talk about that right now,” Angie said with a shake of her head. “I have this promo video I still have to do and I’m stressing out over it. Why DO we have to do these kinds of things on-camera, anyway? Ugh! Can you go find Dave, or something? I believe there was something he wanted to ask you.”
“Okay, sweetie, sure. Maybe I’ll bump into Aveline too while I’m at it. Hopefully not Sidney Grey. That’s one face nobody ever likes to see appear, I think.”
It wasn’t a very nice thing to say but, so Angie realized, it was unfortunately the stone cold truth. She shook her head as Mary wandered off in search of either Dave or Aveline (Angelica wasn’t sure which at this point) and the leggiest blonde of all got called over by the promo director.
“Thirty seconds, Miss Vaughn.”
“Yikers. I thought it was longer. Can I still like go to the bathroom real quick, because I had an erm…”
“Twenty seconds.”
“Uh oh.”
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“Kenzi. It’s been a wild ride isn’t it?”
Angelica looks at the title on her shoulder, as if she was reminiscing. The overhead lights’ reflection in the centerpiece cause a lens flare in the top right corner of the screen. Angie looks back at the camera and takes a deep breath.
“We’ve been through a lot together. From getting off on the wrong foot, to becoming stablemates. From stablemates to friends. And from friends to family. Not literally obvs, but I certainly look at you that way. And while we may still have our differences from time to time, like recently, I’m proud to say that I live in a world and at a time where I had the great fortune of being at the side of Kenzi Grey.
Is this groveling? I honestly don’t know. To me, it’s merely the truth. It’s not a way to get ahead, or to get you to lower your defenses. I just want to say how lucky I am to have you as a friend.
And I’m glad for you, Kenzi. Glad that you’re finally getting some of the recognition you deserve. You’ve been absolutely killing it. Not just on Chill, but everywhere you go. The name Kenzi Grey legitimizes brands. It makes people care. And sure, you have an entire network backing you up and getting your name out there, but those are things that you helped build and sustain. By consistently proving that hype is real, even hyperbole can come to resemble fact. And that’s the Kenzi Grey effect.
But like I said, I’m glad you’re finally getting this opportunity. Honestly, you shouldn’t be jumping through hoops or leaping over barriers to get a shot at the World Championship, but here we are. If it were up to me you’d be on the main event 24/7, but I don’t book the shows. I can only take what Hastings’ hat hands me. And as fate would have it, he’s giving me the same opportunity he’s given you.
I know you deserve to win this match, Kenzi. Trust me, I do. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than you hoisting that World Championship above your head. And if it happens then trust me, I’ll be standing at ringside, clapping alongside our sisters in arms with tears of joy running down my cheeks. But as it stands, such a future is nothing but an illusion. A possibility. A dream.
You see, life is weird. You never know when you get an opportunity that you may never get again. Which is why I HAVE to give everything I’ve got. Which is why I HAVE to beat you. Which is why I HAVE to ignore my sisterly love and respect and admiration for you and try to deny you what I believe you so thoroughly deserve. It hurts, believe me. It cuts into my heart like a scalpel, slowly dissecting my psyche. I keep myself strong and sane by convincing me that you understand. That you understand why I am going to stand in the way of your dream and try and rip it from your grasp, even if I would be riddled with guilt should I succeed. This match is a poisoned chalice. But at the bottom of the cup lies destiny and I have to find out what it tastes like.”
Angie shakes her head a quickly wipes the back of her hand over her eyes, smudging a bit of her eye shadow.
“So we will go at it, won’t we Kenz? The only way we know how. Honest. Clean. Sportsmanlike. One on one at last, and the stakes have never been higher. We’ve faced off before in tag team action and in multi-person matches. But not like this. This isn’t about proving who the better woman is. Heck, I think we’d both point at each other and say ‘YOU, DUH!’ No, tonight is about grabbing fate by the throat and bringing it to its knees. Tonight we decide who will become the future flagbearer of the Coalition. Because while Wallace and Kem will do battle for the title, the fans know that whoever’s coming after them next will be the biggest challenge they’ve faced so far. So let’s go, Kenzi. Once more unto the breach. One final battle in 2018. And girl, you bet there’ll be fireworks.
Love you. So much!”
And after a wink, Angelica scurries out of the frame.
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