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31
Climax Control Roleplays / "For Dani"
« Last post by Seleana Zdunich on February 20, 2026, 09:42:38 PM »
On-Camera

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Everett, Washington
Friday, February, 20, 2026
8:01 AM PST





Seleana Zdunich walks into the room with her sister and tag team partner, Zenna Zdunich, and sits down across from Zenna. The elder Zdunich sister looks at her younger, redheaded sister, and nods slightly.

Seleana Zdunich: Heya, Chickie, how's it?

Zenna smiles and hugs her elder sister.

Zenna Zdunich: Så, fittan och Metal Maniacs, ja?

Seleana nods, somewhere between sadness and outrage in her eyes.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, det kommer att vara dags.

The redheaded Swede shakes her head, anger and disgust permeating every fiber of her being.

Zenna Zdunich: Fitta… deserve whatever we do. Maniacs…

She stops shaking her head just to let her rage glisten off of her.

Zenna Zdunich: They deserve too.

Seleana nods almost vacantly

Zenna Zdunich: Problem?

Seleana stares into the distance and Zenna

Zenna Zdunich: Sarabi?

The word, Seleana's usual family nickname, has no effect.

Zenna Zdunich: Syster?

Again, the word, their familial relationship, has no effect.

Zenna Zdunich: Hej?

Zenna's voice cracks like a whip. Seleana blinks and nods apologetically.

Seleana Zdunich: Jag är ledsen för det.

Zenna nods, letting Seleana off the hook at least for the moment.

Zenna Zdunich: You are ready?

Seleans nods slowly, seeming unsure.

Seleana Zdunich: I…

She sighs heavily. Was it that obvious?

Seleana Zdunich: I do not know. Christina has teamed regularly with us before in WWA before Dani die…

She goes quiet, the memory of the departed Danielle Lopez causing all kinds of emotions to flood in and mix with the ones already present regarding Christina. Zenna nods understandingly.

Zenna Zdunich: She was Christina's cousin, ja?

Seleana nods sadly.

Seleana Zdunich: She believe in all of us.

Looking down, Seleana fights back tears.

Seleana Zdunich: We were a great trios team there.

Zenna smiles.

Zenna Zdunich: We were.

She exhales heavily to try and quell the moment before it really goes down.

Zenna Zdunich: How are you and Christina doing?

Seleana sits back further.

Seleana Zdunich: I…

She shakes her head.

Seleana Zdunich: I love Christina. That never change but…

Trailing off, Seleana looks almost through her sister.

Seleana Zdunich: I do not know if she believe in me.

Zenna takes that in and nods slowly.

Zenna Zdunich: Then…

Knowing how the subject needed to change, Zenna pauses considering her options.

Zenna Zdunich: Let us focus on the fitta and the Metal Maniacs, ja?

Seleana nods ever so slightly.

SZ? Okej.

Zenna's focus intensifies.

Zenna Zdunich: The Metal Maniacs have been targeting us and does it really matter why?

Her teeth threaten to start grinding in outrage.

Zenna Zdunich: They must not be allowed to go unchallenged. We need to respond like you did when Christian tried to put you through hell for answering the one question he never should have asked.

She growls like a wild animal staring down a challenger.

Zenna Zdunich: Mercedes targeted you for the better part of the last year and deserves to be beaten until our hands hurt and then to be beaten more for making our hands hurt.

Seleana nods firmly.

Seleana Zdunich: Ja, she does at that.

Anger filters into her eyes.

Seleana Zdunich: All three fittas…

Zenna nods her agreement.

Zenna Zdunich: If we fight like we did in WWA, they learn.

Seleana nods in agreement.

Seleana Zdunich: For Dani?

Zenna nods at the phrase everyone had used at the WWA end/tribute show after Dani's death.

Zenna Zdunich: For Dani.





32
Climax Control Roleplays / The Eyes Have It
« Last post by HBCarter on February 20, 2026, 08:12:37 PM »
“I’m in the driver’s seat. I know I am. I can feel the wheel in my hands but my car isn’t a car. It’s more like a box.”

“The door handle won’t move the way it should. I pull. I shove. I hit it as hard as I can but it won’t open. I try to roll the window down but I can’t. I try the other door but the seat belt won’t let me go. I swear to God I feel like I’m fighting my own car!”

“That’s when it hits me. The smell. Cologne. It’s familiar, but I can’t name it. All I know is I know it, and it’s wrong somehow. It’s everywhere and it makes my stomach turn. I remember I used to like it but now it just makes me want to throw up.”

I turn my head toward the windshield and I see Miles. His mouth is open but I can’t hear him. He’s closer and then he’s not. He’s trying to reach me but the distance between us isn’t closing. He looks terrified. His eyes are on the backseat but I can’t look over my shoulder because of the seat belt restraining me!  His eyes flick deeper into the garage and naturally mine follows.”

“Kevin is standing in the shadows and not moving. He’s too still, like a cardboard cutout. I can’t see his face. I can see the shape of him, but not him. If that makes sense. He’s farther away than he should be and my stomach drops because I know that feeling. The feeling of being the only one who sees the danger. The feeling that if I don’t move, if I don’t do something, somebody else is going to get hurt because of it.”

“The cologne is stronger, like it’s pouring from the vents. I twist in the seat, half looking at Miles, half at Kevin. My hands feel wrong, like they’re not mine. My legs start to feel heavy. The air gets thicker. I blink and the lights smear like paint streaking down a wall. The garage tilts. Miles’ face goes blurry. He’s still moving, still trying, his mouth forming words I can’t catch.”

“I take a breath and it doesn’t go all the way in. I can’t get a full breath. My head dips for a second and I snap it up like I’m trying to stay awake. My vision tunnels. The edges go dark. My eyes keep trying to close. The rearview mirror catches my attention like a hook. I don’t want to look because some part of me already knows. But I do. I lift my eyes and there they are.”

“Eyes staring back at me like they’ve been waiting for me to finally look.”


Las Vegas, Nevada

The office was quiet after that. The surroundings all too familiar.

A soft lamp in the corner. A painting on the wall that Dr. Delacore told him in their first session together was purchased by her husband on their honeymoon to Sicily. A box of tissues that looked untouched but was always within reach. And the doctor herself, Dr. Gail Delacore, who sat in her chair with her notepad resting lightly on her knee, pen idle. She wasn’t writing. She was watching Carter the way professionals watched. Open and attentive but not prying.

For a few seconds after he finished reading the latest entry in his dream journal, nobody spoke. Dr. Delacore let it sit long enough for Carter’s breath to settle. Then she said, gently, “Thank you for reading that out loud.”

Carter’s gaze stayed on the journal but he nodded. “Yeah.”

“I want to check in with you before we talk about any of it.” She said. “Right now, in this moment, how are you feeling?”

Carter’s mouth tightened as if he didn’t want to give the question the satisfaction of an answer. “Tight.”

“Where?”

“My chest.” He answered. “Like I swallowed a rock.”

Dr. Delacore nodded once. “If it helps, we can do a quick grounding check before we discuss the content.”

“I’m fine.” Carter said quickly, the words more blunt than intended.

Dr. Delacore didn’t challenge him. She simply offered. “If you notice the tightness climbing, we’ll slow down. You’re in control here.”

Carter’s eyes flicked up, and there was something behind them. Irritation? Gratitude? Fear? Even he wasn’t certain so how could she be? He gave a small nod.

Dr. Delacore leaned in just a fraction. “You’ve described dreams like this before.” She said. “But there are details in the journal that stood out to me. Especially the way you keep returning to one particular image.”

Carter didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.

“The eyes.” She said.

He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, fingers clutching at the journal.

Dr. Delacore’s voice remained even. “In multiple nightmares, the eyes always appear. In the mirror. In the dark. Sometimes without a face attached. That repetition is consistent with how traumatic memories can be stored.”

Carter finally looked up and she went on to explain.

“The brain isn’t a camera. It doesn’t record trauma like a movie. Under extreme stress, the system that helps us organize memory doesn’t always work the way it usually does.”

Carter’s shoulders shifted, like he wanted to move out of his own skin. “So I’m broken.”

“No,” Dr. Delacore said immediately, firm but kind. “You’re responding normally to something abnormal. What you’re describing, fragmented memories. Inconsistent dreams about the same detail. That’s very common after an assault.”

Carter stared down again. Dr. Delacore didn’t rush to fill the quiet. When she spoke again, her tone shifted into careful clinical curiosity. “Can I ask you something specific?”

Carter’s eyes narrowed but he nodded.

She acknowledged that and asked, “When you see the eyes in the dream, do you feel like you’re seeing them for the first time, or do you feel like you recognize them?”

Carter answered quickly, “No.”

“No, you don’t recognize them?”

Carter’s lips pressed together. “No. I mean… I don’t know. That’s the problem. It feels like I should know them but my brain is keeping me from knowing them.”

Dr. Delacore nodded slowly. “That feeling of ‘I should know this’ is important.”

Carter looked up and asked, “What do you mean?”

“It means there may be more memory there than you can access right now.” She said. “And I want to be very careful with how I say this.”

Carter sat back slightly, guarded.

Dr. Delacore continued. “Based on what you’ve shared about that night, being exposed to chloroform, being in a state of panic, your brain likely prioritized survival over storing a coherent narrative. That can result in memories stored as fragments. Smells. Sounds. A specific visual detail.”

“The eyes.” Carter muttered.

“Yes.” She said. “The eyes could be a fragment that got embedded in your mind the most strongly. Sometimes that happens because it was the clearest detail you registered.”

“So are you saying that I saw him?”

“I’m saying it’s possible you did.” Dr. Delacore replied, emphasizing the word ‘possible’. “Not necessarily that you saw his whole face but enough. Maybe a glance, a split moment, that your brain captured something. And then the combination of chloroform, fear, and trauma responses muddled that memory.”

Carter’s fingers tapped the journal once, twice. The rhythm wasn’t impatience. It was an attempt to keep control. He hated not being in control of his own life - and he hasn’t been since this stalker first invaded their lives.

Dr. Delacore continued, “I need you to understand something. Memory is not perfect. Even when we access more detail, it doesn’t become a recording that would stand up in a courtroom setting. I’m not interested in creating certainty where none exists.”

Carter’s voice went flat. “But you’re interested in digging.”

“I’m interested in helping you suffer less.” She corrected. “And if there’s a way to safely approach the memory on your terms, it may also help you feel less haunted by the unknown.”

Carter’s eyes flicked to the door, then back. He looked at her, met her eyes, and waited.

Dr. Delacore took a breath. “There’s a technique called trauma-focused guided imagery and imagery rescripting. It’s a structured process where we use imagination in a controlled way. We establish grounding first. Coping strategies. Then, if and only if you consent, we revisit the memory scene in a controlled way. Small doses. We pay attention to what comes up, but we also change the script to reduce helplessness.”

“Change it.” Carter said. “Like rewrite what happened?”

Dr. Delacore said, “To give your nervous system a different experience than helplessness. For example, bringing in an ally. Creating an exit. Giving your past self more agency. Sometimes the mind holds onto trauma because it never completed the threat response. Rescripting can reduce the intensity of the flashbacks and nightmares.”

Carter stared at her like she’d suggested he walk back into a burning building to make peace with the fire.

“And you think that will help me remember?” He asked.

“Sometimes.” She replied honestly. “Sometimes people can access additional detail because they’re approaching the memory with more stability and support. Sometimes the goal is simply to reduce distress and shame. Remembering is not guaranteed. It’s not a promise.”

Carter leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I don’t want to relive it. I don’t want to be back in that car. I don’t want to smell that … whatever that was.”

Dr. Delacore nodded. “That makes complete sense.”

“No, it doesn’t!” Carter snapped. “Because you’re sitting there telling me it makes sense while you’re also telling me to do the thing I just said I don’t want to do!”

Dr. Delacore took the hit without flinching. It came with the job. “I'm not telling you to do it. I’m telling you there is a path, if you decide you want it, and we can approach it in a way that prioritizes your sense of control. Your resistance is not a problem to solve.”

Carter’s breathing was tight. He looked away, toward the window that didn’t show much except daylight and the edge of a building.

Dr. Delacore asked, “Would it be okay if we bring Miles in for the last part of the session? Not to decide for you. Just to be part of the conversation.”

He’s going to vote yes.”

“That’s possible.” Dr. Delacore said. “And if that happens, I will still support your choice.”

Carter stared at her briefly before he gave a single nod. Dr. Delacore turned in her chair and pressed a button on the intercom. She spoke to her secretary outside.

“Raeford? Can you send Miles in, please?”

The door opened within moments and Miles stepped inside. Miles’s eyes went straight to Carter first. Not the doctor. Carter. His husband, his love.

“You okay?” He asked.

Carter’s response came with a shrug that tried to be casual and failed. “Fine.”

Miles didn’t argue. He crossed the room and sat in the chair beside Carter’s. Close enough to be supportive, not close enough to crowd.

Dr. Delacore addressed him directly. “Thank you for coming in, Miles. Carter read an entry from his dream journal. We’re discussing a recurring nightmare related to the assault. The dream repeats certain fragments, especially a consistent image of the attacker’s eyes. Carter also describes a familiar cologne scent he can’t identify, and themes of being trapped and unable to reach safety.”

Miles’s gaze flicked to the journal in Carter’s hands. His expression softened for half a second before it was quickly replaced by that fierce protective nature his friends and family noted of him.

Dr. Delacore continued. “I shared a theory with Carter, and I want to present it to you as well. It’s possible Carter saw more of the attacker than he can currently access consciously. The combination of chloroform exposure, panic, and acute trauma can disrupt memory consolidation. It often leaves people with fragments rather than a cohesive narrative.”

Miles’s voice was tight. “So he might actually know who it is.”

Dr. Delacore stepped in immediately smoothing things over. “Let’s slow down. Miles, I want to be careful with that language. I’m not saying Carter ‘knows’ in a deliberate way. I’m saying there may be information stored that isn’t easily accessible. That is very different from conscious knowledge.”

Miles exhaled through his nose. “Okay. But if there’s any chance that his brain has something, and we can bring it out safely, we have to consider it.”

Carter’s laugh was sharp. “Safely. There’s that word again.”

Miles turned toward him fully now, voice lower. “Carter, the cops are stuck. They’re stuck because we don’t have enough. If you could remember anything that helps …”

“I remember plenty!” Carter cut in. “I remember being trapped! I remember thinking I was going to die and never see you or Kevin again! What I don’t remember is who those eyes belong to!”

Miles’s throat bobbed. His eyes shone with barely restrained emotion. Carter stared at him, and for a second the anger cracked, showing something raw underneath.

Dr. Delacore turned slightly toward Miles to explain without escalating. “The approach I suggested is trauma-focused guided imagery and imagery rescripting. It’s not about forcing Carter to relive the assault in full detail. It’s a gradual, consent-based method. We build grounding skills first. We establish what Carter can do if his body starts to react. Then, if he chooses, we approach the memory in small pieces, with the goal of reducing distress and, sometimes, allowing additional details to surface.”

Miles listened closely, hands clasped on his lap. “So he wouldn’t be thrown into it.”

“No.” Dr. Delacore answered. “And he can stop at any time. We can pause. We can end. He sets the pace.”

Carter’s voice was quiet now. “And if I do it and nothing comes up?” He asked.

“Then we’ve still worked on reducing the nightmares and your sense of helplessness.” Dr. Delacore replied. “That’s still meaningful. But again, I won’t promise accuracy or certainty.”

Carter looked down at the journal. “I don’t want to go back there.” Carter said, voice low. “You don’t understand what it feels like. I can still smell it in my head sometimes. I can still…” He stopped, breath catching.

“I don’t understand it the way you do.” Miles admitted. “But I’ve been there with you after. I’ve watched you wake up in a cold sweat, choking on air. You haven’t driven since it happened, and I get that. But I hate it. I hate that he took that from you!”

Dr. Delacore said, “Carter, can I ask you something? When you think about doing guided imagery work, what scares you most? Is it the feelings? The images? The possibility of recognizing him?”

Carter’s lips pressed together. “All of it.” He said. “Because if I remember, then it’s not just a nightmare. It’s someone out there who did it on purpose.”

Miles’s voice softened. “It already is.”

Carter nodded sharply. “Yeah. And if I see him in my head, I’m going to see him everywhere else too!”

“That’s a very real fear.” Dr. Delacore nodded slowly. “And it tells me we would need to spend time on stabilization first. You wouldn’t go straight into the memory. Not even close.”

Carter’s gaze flicked between them. “And if I say no?”

Dr. Delacore didn’t hesitate. “Then we respect that. And we work on what you are willing to work on. You don’t lose support because you don’t choose memory work.”

Miles exhaled, frustrated but trying to hide it. Carter noticed anyway.

Miles said, “I’m not trying to force you.”

“No.” Carter replied. “You’re just trying to convince me.”

“Yeah, I am.” Miles admitted. “Because I think it could help you. And because I think it could help the police. And because I don’t want this to be the rest of our lives!”

Carter looked at Miles. Miles met his gaze, stead and supportive. Carter’s expression softened just enough to show his husband that he felt it.

Then he nodded once. “I’ll think about it.” Carter said.

Miles’s shoulders dropped, relief and frustration mixed. “Okay.”

Dr. Delacore offered a small, professional smile. “That’s all I’m asking today.”

She glanced at the clock on the far wall. “Before we close, Carter, I want you to name three things you can see in the room. Just to bring you fully back here.”

Carter’s eyes flicked around as if he hated that it might help.

“The lamp.” He said. “Your painting. Miles’ shoes that I’ve been trying to get him to throw out since last year.”

Miles huffed a quiet laugh despite himself, and Carter’s mouth twitched like he wanted to as well, but didn’t because it somehow felt like a betrayal to what they were going through.

“Good.” Dr. Delacore said. “Two things you can feel.”

“The chair. My journal.”

“One thing you can hear.”

Carter paused, then  quietly answered, “Miles breathing.”

Dr. Delacore let the moment land before she continued. “Excellent. That’s grounding. That’s you reminding your brain you’re here, not there.”

Dr. Delacore then stood, signaling the session’s end with calm structure. “We’ll schedule for the same time next week. I’ll send you home with the resourcing exercise instructions. If nightmares spike, use the grounding routine first before writing. And if either of you feels unsafe, you call.”

Miles rose. Carter rose more slowly, like his body was still deciding whether standing was a good idea.

At the door, Miles placed a hand lightly at Carter’s back as both a gesture of love as well as reassuring support as they stepped into the hallway together.




“Logan Hunter.”

“It’s funny how this business can take two people who came up in the exact same place, taking the exact same lessons, and still turn one of them into a man who stands his ground and the other into a man who keeps moving the goalposts so he never has to face the truth. Because that’s what makes this Clash of the Champions different. This isn’t just Champion versus Champion. This is GO Gym versus GO Gym. Two graduates, two products of the same system, two men who were given the same foundation and told to build something that lasts. And now we’re about to find out which one of us built a fortress, and which one built a house of cards that is about to get blown over with a simple sneeze.”

“Let’s be clear about one thing before you start running your mouth, Logan. This has been a long time coming ever since you started running your mouth from the relative safety of social media. I don’t care about your highlight reels. I don’t care about how you rework your failures into injustices for the benefit of all four of your social media followers! All I care about is consistency. I care about stability. I care about whether you can deliver when the lights are bright and the pressure is higher than your ego! Because the truth about you is written right there in your track record like a lie you keep telling yourself!”

“You started strong. You came in with momentum. For a minute it looked like you had something real. And then, like a game of Jenga, you started pulling out the wrong pieces. One at a time. An ego move here. A shortcut there. A tantrum when things didn’t go your way. And now you’re still standing, sure, but the whole thing sways every time somebody puts real hands on you.”

“You’re a two-time Roulette Champion. Congratulations. I’m not taking that away from you. You beat Aiden Reynolds AND Vincent Lyons Junior for those two reigns of yours! And those two men are a staple of this business and what it represents. All I’m telling you is that those two reigns don't mean what you want it to mean. Because that belt of yours, that roulette wheel, it’s built on chaos, on surviving the spin of the wheel. And you’ve made a career out of avoiding accountability. It lets you avoid the simple, brutal truth of wrestling. Sooner or later, the bell rings and you either are who you say you are, or you get exposed for being a fraud. And your record isn’t consistent, Logan. Your whole career is a pattern of hot start versus cold reality. You’re not a machine. You’re a mood. You’re not a champion’s champion. You’re a guy who can look like a champion on his good nights and look like a cautionary tale on all the others. Big difference!”

“And I remember the beginning. Everybody remembers the beginning! You hit the scene with that streak and you had people paying attention. You had people talking. You had the kind of heat that wrestlers spend their entire careers begging for, and you got it by being a dick. By attacking Caleb Storms the way you did and putting him on the shelf, maybe permanently and you smiled while you did it! You got that heat by walking in and making sure everybody knew you weren’t here to earn respect! You were here to take it, to demand it, to rip it off somebody else and make it your own! That’s how you got the spotlight. And in this sport, sometimes the spotlight doesn’t care if you deserve it. It just cares whether or not you can maintain it.”

“But you couldn’t hold onto it, could you? Not without feeding the ugliest parts of yourself. Not without telling yourself that the GO Gym was too small for you, that the people who trained you were holding you back. No, you needed your own private gym, your own private world, where every mirror says ‘you’re the man!’ and ‘You’re the man!’ You ran off to your private setup like it was a flex, like it proved you’d graduated beyond everyone else, like it made you elite! But I don’t see an elite athlete when I look at that choice. I see a man who couldn’t handle being corrected. I saw a man who couldn’t handle being coached. I see a man who couldn’t handle being held to a standard that didn’t bend just because his mouth was loud!”

“Because that’s what the GO Gym does, Logan. It humbles you. It strips away the excuses. It forces you to face what you say you are and what you actually are. And if you can handle that, you grow. If you can’t, you leave. And you left, Logan. You didn’t move on. You didn’t evolve. You ran.”

“And we both know why the running started. Fenris.”

You can pretend it was about training or scheduling, or needing a new environment, but anybody who was watching could see the moment your mouth finally wrote a check your body couldn’t cash. You spent so much time trash talking Fenris, so much time trying to build yourself up by tearing someone else down, and then Fenris did what the GO Gym has always done to men like you. He humbled you. Not with speeches. Just that one time you ran your mouth one time too many and he beat the holy shit out of you for disrespecting him!”

“And instead of eating it, instead of taking that embarrassment and using it the way real champions use failure as fuel, you tucked your tail between your legs and ran for the nearest exit! You left the GO Gym behind because it reminded you of the day you weren’t the biggest voice in the room. You didn’t want accountability. You wanted comfort. So you built yourself a private gym where nobody could see the cracks forming.”

“But those cracks have been forming ever since.”

“Because your real modus operandi, your real pattern, isn’t dominance. It’s escape. You escape consequences. You escape hard truths. You escape the people who can actually push you. And when you can’t escape with your feet, you escape with your mouth. You start making excuses. You start blaming everyone else. You start acting like the world is conspiring against you when the truth is simpler. You’re inconsistent because you’ve built an inconsistent man. A man who needs everything just right to succeed. A man who needs the spin of the roulette wheel. A man who needs outside hands to keep him upright.”

“Which brings me to your built-in excuse, Brooke.”

“Logan, you can puff your chest out and act like the biggest badass walking from the stage to the ring. You can talk like you’re a killer. You can act like you’re some untouchable menace. But the entire world has watched you get saved more times than you’ve saved yourself! The entire world has watched Brooke interfere in your matches, again and again, to pull you out of trouble when your plan A collapses and your plan B is panicking! How many times has she stopped you from taking the beating you earned? How many times has she stopped you from losing the match you were about to choke on? How many times has she turned your ‘I did it’ into ‘we did it’ and then you still walk around like you’re the one in control?”

“Newsflash! You’re not!”

“You are, as the kids say, absolutely whipped! And it’s not even subtle. Brooke has your balls in her clutch purse and she only hands them back to you long enough for you to cut a promo and pretend you’re a lone wolf. Then the bell rings, reality hits, and suddenly she’s right back where she always is, between you and the consequences you can’t handle!”

“And that’s why this match is so interesting, isn’t it? Champion versus Champion. GO Gym grad versus GO Gym grad. The Roulette Champion standing across from the World Heavyweight Champion! That contrast is the whole story. Because I’m not a man built for the spin. I’m a man built for the fight because being who I am? I’ve had to learn to fight the hard way. Because life is a right bitch at the worst of times! I’m not a man who needs perfect conditions. I can adapt. I’m not a man who needs saving. I’m the man who keeps walking forward when there’s no one left to save me.”

“And I already hear the whispers. I already see the plan in Brooke’s eyes. She’s given every indication she’s not going to refrain from doing what she always does just because it’s me. Just because the three of us have a shared history at the GO Gym. She’s not going to suddenly find ethics. She’s not going to suddenly respect the sanctity of Champion versus Champion or man versus man. She’s going to do what she always does, because that’s what you two rely on. A built-in system of interference and excuses. And she thinks, and this is the best part, she thinks because Ariana Angelos isn’t around, I’m vulnerable.”

“Baby, you have NO idea!”
33
Climax Control Roleplays / PAYBACK IS A BITCH
« Last post by Andrew on February 20, 2026, 05:43:59 PM »
PAYBACK IS A BITCH

Narrator:  Without a doubt Bea is upset but even I am not 100 percent sure what she is upset about except that she lost the qualifier match last week to Alexandra Calaway and she is upset that she wasn’t the wrestler to win the match and move on to challenge for the Bombshell Internet Championship. With that said I will exit on my comments and see what Bea has to say about why she is upset.

The scene shifts to a shot of Bill and Bea Barnhart as they are relaxing in the dressing room assigned to Bea until she is scheduled for her entrance for her match. We notice movement and then we realize that their English Bulldog, Iris, is with them in the dressing room. Iris drops to the carpet next to Daddy Bill’s feet and Bea and Bill continue airing their comments concerning Bea’s upcoming match.

Bea:  I want to know where people got the idea that I felt I was cheated out of the win last week against Alexandra Calaway. Although some people will make stuff up I am here to tell you what really happened and why I requested this match tonight against Alexandra.

Bill:  Okay tell is what is going on as even I am not 100 percent sure what happened.

Bea:  It comes down to the fact that I am more upset at Alexandra for being a sarcastic jerk than her winning our match and her moving on to fact the Champion for the Bombshell Internet Championship. When I took the loss I requested to have a match against Alexandra again before Blaze Of Glory XV. I honestly didn’t expect Alexandra to accept this match but she did. So now that I have this opportunity maybe, just maybe, when I win this match over her at Climax Control 450 that Management may just get excited enough over my victory over Alexandra and throw me into the Bombshell Internet Championship match to make the match an extremely interesting Triple Threat match. Stranger things have happened.

Bill:  I agree with the comment that stranger things have happened so it will be interesting to see what Management will do next. By the way you two are about the same height and weight is that correct?

Bea:  Yep! I am going into this match at 5 feet 5 inches in height and 130 pounds of weight. Alexandra comes into our match at 5 feet 6 inches and 125 pounds. There is no actual height or weight advantage between us so the final decision I our match comes down to who will perform the best in the match to get the win.

Bea informs the camera person that they are going to take a short break and when they come back the camera person can continue to air the comments from Bea and Bill.

After a short time Bea and Bill return to sit on the couch in their dressing room and the camera person continues airing their comments.

Bea:  Back to my comments on my upcoming match. To start this round of comments I wish to state that she does not know the type of match, the rules for this match, or any other stipulations for this match, I is going to have against Alexandra Calaway.  We will be informed of the rules, stipulations, and any other information, from the Referee assigned to our match before the Referee starts our match.

Bill:  What type of match are you hoping for?

Bea:  It doesn’t matter to me. Whatever we are assigned to in this match is fine with me and I will, as I always do, perform to the best of my abilities.

Bill:  We had a talk before we came on camera and I want the viewers to know what we talked about. This match at Climax Control 450 had background information given stating that after your loss to Alexandra at Climax Control 449 that you demanded a match against her before she goes into Blaze Of Glory XV to try to prove yourself and prove that you should have won your match at Climax Control 449. There also seems to have been quite a bit of comments from the other wrestlers and from the fans How much truth is in those comments people are making?

Bea:  I would guess 10 percent truth and 90 percent nonsense. I feel that Sin City Wrestling Management wanted to stir things up a bit and that the did so by having her assigned to me at Climax Control 450 which is the show after she defeated me. This causes her to have to work in the wrestling ring two shows in a row. Then after a very short break she will be work in the Blaze Of Glory XV event to try to obtain the Bombshell Internet Championship. There is a chance that if I defeat Alexandra in our match at Climax Control 450 that Management will add me to the Bombshell Internet Championship to make it a Triple Threat match and the Bombshell Internet Championship will still be on the line.

Bill:  We honestly don’t know what Management is planning for you so just take it a step at a time and a day at a time and we will see what the final result will be so we will see how it goes.

Bea takes a break from talking into the camera then she excuses herself and she tells the camera person to wait until she gets what she needs from the other part of the dressing room and they give Bea a smile and nod.

After about five minutes Bea returns to the main area of the dressing room and she is carrying a tray of snacks and drinks for herself, Bill, and Iris.

Bill:  Thank you Bea! If you had asked me to get those items from the other room I would have brought them to you so that you would not have to get out of camera range.

Bea:  Everything is okay Bill. I decided to get the items and bring them here for you and me and Iris to enjoy. You know how men are right? You can tell a man exactly where something is located and still they are unable to find the item you asked them to get.

Bill:  Very funny Bea! Ha ha ha!!!

Bill and Bea enjoy laughing over Bea’s comments then they relax and get ready to present more comments for Bea’s upcoming match. Iris is not the least bit amused by Mommy Bea and Daddy Bill laughing instead of handing snacks to her so Iris lets out a loud groan, then a growl, then the faces her butt in the direction of Bea and Bill and she lets out a doggy fart that could stop a runaway train on the tracks.

Bill:  Apparently someone in this room has a big attitude to go along with her hunger. Let’s give some of the snacks and drinks to Iris before she lets another fart fly and we end up unconscious.

Bill and Bea enjoy a laugh at the expense of Iris but Iris decides it is okay when Bill and Bea grab snacks and drinks off the tray for Iris she turns happy and quickly devours her snacks and her drink.

Bill:  That should keep Iris contented while you present more comments for your upcoming match.

Bea:  Iris is one hell of a spoiled dog. Wo, Alexandra, I hope you did not misinterpret my comments leading up to our current upcoming match. I did not directly accuse you of cheating in our previous match where you earned a shot at the Bombshell Internet Championship. You did what you had to do to get the win over me and I accept that. Since our Referee did not step in and issue you a warning of inappropriate actions against me I accept that as the Referees assigned to matches are there to ensure the rules of the matches are not violated. Since our Referee for our previous match did not feel that you deserved to be Disqualified from the match go hand me the win I accept that.

Bill:  That’s how wrestlers should act in that they should respect the Referee for their match. Some of the Referees make mistakes but rarely are their mistakes directed at a specific wrestler or wrestlers.

Bea:  The only thing I am hoping for in my upcoming match is that I can get the win over Alexandra Calaway but I would not want her to lose her spot in the match to face off against Victoria Lyons for the Bombshell Internet Championship. Alexandra should remain in the match, even though I defeat her in our upcoming match, and Management should make the match a Triple Threat with the Bombshell Internet Championship still up for grabs. The final decision is with Management and I respect whatever their decision ends up to be.

Bill:  That’s how you handle situations such as the one you have. However your match turns out against Alexandra then we accept that. If you end up winning the match and Management wants to make it a Triple Threat for the Bombshell Internet Championship then so be it. Just do your best as you always do in all of your matches.

Bea:  Thank you for your support Bill.

Bea informs the camera person that she is done with her comments leading up to her match against Alexandra Calaway and that they can cut their camera feed now and the camera person cuts the camera feed and our screen goes dark

34
Climax Control Roleplays / The Great Escape!
« Last post by Metal Maniacs on February 20, 2026, 02:02:35 PM »
A chain-link fence topped with razor wire surrounded St. Bartholomew Maximum Security Sanitarium. Anthrax leaned against a dented utility van with the words SANITATION SERVICES painted to the side. Some of the letters were worn off, so it read SANIT I SERVICES. Appropriate, am I right?

Twisted Sister adjusted the white nurse cap on her head that was two sizes too small. Their scrubs were clean, and please don’t ask where they came from because it would totally spoil the end of this little adventure in the collective minds of madness.

Anthrax, meanwhile, wore a doctor’s coat, black boots, black pants, a band T shirt and a plastic stethoscope dangled around his neck like a toy - because it was. Anthrax checked his reflection in the van window, smoothed the lapels of the lab coat, and spoke in a low voice.


Anthrax: Okay. Doctor … Um …

Twisted Sister squinted, tilting her head like a confused puppy.

Twisted Sister: You forgot your own fake name!

Anthrax: No! I’m … Doctor A!

Twisted Sister blinked, deadpan. Anthrax nodded like it explained everything.

Anthrax: Yeah. A for Anthrax! And you are… Nurse Dee Snyder!

Twisted Sister stared at him until the floodlights of the facility danced off of the whites of their eyes. She remained motionless, silent, until …

Twisted Sister: I LIKE it! I don’t know why, but I LIKE it!

They both turned toward the gates. A gust of wind pushed against the wrought-iron gates, causing a creaking sound that would make any old horror movie green with envy. Twisted Sister’s posture shifted. Iron Maiden was in there, and nobody got put in a place like St. Bartholomew for having a good time.

Twisted Sister: Let’s go get her!

Anthrax’s grin softened into something with sharp edges.

At the front entrance, a bored security guard sat behind glass. He barely looked up as they approached. Anthrax marched up first, clipboard held like a shield.


Anthrax: Good evening good sir! I am Doctor A!

The guard stared at him. Twisted Sister leaned in, pushing a medical cart.

Twisted Sister: Nurse Snyder, at your service!

The guard’s eyes drifted to Anthrax’s band shirt under the lab coat. Then to Twisted Sister’s fishnet stockings, because Twisted Sister had insisted If Florence Nightingale could wear them, so could she! The guard sighed, rubbed his temple, and pressed a button to buzz them through.

Guard: Third door on the left is admin. Don’t touch anything. Don’t make my night worse!

The door clicked open. They walked in like they had every reason and right to be there - and in their minds, they did! They were on a rescue mission!

The lobby smelled like old disinfectant that burned the nose. Track lighting hummed overhead, giving everything an eerie, overcast light. The receptionist, an older woman, sat at a desk reading a magazine and gave the air of someone who was just waiting for the thrill of retirement. She didn’t even look up as they approached.


Receptionist: Doctor A?

Anthrax startled.

Anthrax: YES! I mean, yes?

Receptionist: You’re late! You were scheduled for emergency treatment thirty minutes ago!

Anthrax: Yes! Emergency! Very BIG  doctor emergency!

The receptionist finally looked up, eyes drifting over them with the vague disinterest of someone inspecting a new stain on a filthy carpet.

Receptionist: You’ll want the supervisor. She’s in Ward C. Try not to excite the patients. Last time someone did a wellness inspection, we had an incident with a therapy ferret.

Twisted Sister’s eyes widened with delight.

Twisted Sister: A therapy ferret!?

The receptionist slid two visitor badges across the desk.

Receptionist: Wear those. Don’t wander into Solitary. If you hear singing, don’t answer it!

Anthrax clipped the badge on crooked. The badge read Doctor A. Twisted Sister’s badge read Nurse Snyder. Come on! You HAVE to get it by now!

They pushed the infirmary cart down the hall. Ward C was guarded by another set of doors and another security station, this one staffed by a man who looked like his muscles had muscles. He scanned their badges, squinted at Anthrax’s face paint and then shrugged.


Guard: You’re the new doc?

Anthrax: Yes. Doctor A!

Guard: And you’re Nurse Snyder?

Twisted Sister gave a cheery wave.

Twisted Sister: That’s me! Spongebaths! Discipline! I do it all!

The guard’s gaze dropped to Anthrax’s boots, then to Twisted Sister’s fishnets again. He shrugged harder than before, as if he could ignore the glaringly obvious.
.

Guard: Sign in. Don’t give the patients anything they can swallow.

Twisted Sister glanced at the cart.

Twisted Sister: Even gummy worms?

Guard: Especially gummy worms!

With a press of a button, the doors unlocked and they stepped into the ward where the  sounds shifted. Muffled voices, distant laughter that turned into crying before they were finished and the screaming. Oh god, the screaming! Anthrax’s shoulders squared, but the grin didn’t leave his face.

They were in enemy territory now.

They found the supervisor at the nurse’s station, a woman with a tight bun, sharp eyes, and a clipboard held like a weapon. Her badge read Head Nurse Sue Flaye. She looked up as they approached and immediately frowned.


Nurse Flaye: You’re not Dr. Keene.

Anthrax: Dr. Keene is busy. I am Doctor A.

Nurse Flaye: Doctor A. From where?

Anthrax: From the hospital, where else?

Twisted Sister: We’re here for a wellness check!


Nurse Flaye’s gaze flicked to Twisted Sister’s badge.

Nurse Flaye: Nurse Snyder.

Twisted Sister peered closer at the Nurse’s badge.

Twisted Sister: Nurse… Sue Flaye…

Twisted Sister and Anthrax looked at each other and broke out into hysterical laughter! Head Nurse Flaye frowned. It took all kinds to treat these people.

Nurse Flaye: Follow me.

They followed her down a corridor that grew quieter with every step. Doors here were heavier. Locks were thicker. The laughter vanished and was replaced with the kind of silence that had teeth. At the end of the corridor was a steel door with a keypad and a key slot.

Flaye typed a code, then pulled out a security pass key. It was attached to a retractable cord on her belt. Anthrax’s eyes locked onto it like it was a championship belt!


Nurse Flaye: This is a Solitary Annex. Only high-risk patients. We do not open doors unless necessary.

Nurse Flaye looked at Anthrax.

Nurse Flaye: What exactly are you here to inspect?

Anthrax: Ummm…. A patient … with metal stability!

Nurse Flaye’s lips pressed into a thin line.

Nurse Flaye: You mean mental instability.

Anthrax: That’s what I said!

Nurse Flaye swiped her key, the door clicked, and she pulled it open just enough for them to enter.

Nurse Flaye: You have ten minutes. Do not engage. Do not antagonize. Do not…

A distant shout echoed from the ward behind them, followed by a crash and someone screaming!

Patient: THE FERRET IS BACK!

Nurse Flaye’s eyes flicked down the corridor, irritation flashing across her face. Twisted Sister seized the moment, gasping dramatically!

Twisted Sister: Oh no! Not the ferret incident again!

Nurse Flaye’s jaw tightened. She reached up, unhooked the key cord slightly as if preparing to sprint.

Nurse Flaye: Stay here. Do not touch anything!

Nurse Flaye hurried away, her footsteps sharp against the floor! The moment she hurried along, Anthrax reached toward the pass key and snatched it in his fingers! The cord stretched and then the clip snapped loose! Anthrax held up the key like a trophy.

Anthrax: She probably thought it was her garters giving way!

Anthrax swiped the pass key, unlocking the heavy steel door. Inside the Solitary Annex, the lighting was dimmer. They walked down the row of heavy doors until they found the one marked:

>
Patient: MAIDEN, I.
RISK LEVEL: EXTREME

Twisted Sister giggled, her fingertips in her mouth from giddy excitement.


Twisted Sister: That’s her! It’s her! It’s her! It’s her!

Anthrax swiped the pass key and turned the lock, opening the door into the relative unknown.

Iron Maiden sat on the edge of a narrow bed like she’d been waiting the entire time, spine straight, hands resting on her knees. Black and white face paint smeared, hair left uncombed and her pajamas worn out and loose fitting. Her eyes lifted slowly, too slowly, and they seemed almost vacant.

Anthrax stepped inside the room first and performed a sweeping bow.


Anthrax: Good evening, ma’am! We’re here for your discharge!

Iron Maiden spoke only one word, her voice rough as gravel.

Iron Maiden: Finally!

Anthrax held up the pass key and smiled ghoulishly.

Anthrax: Time to go!

Iron Maiden moved like a predator, controlled and dangerous without trying. She said nothing else, only stepped to the door to join her two saviors.

The three passed back into the main corridor just as Nurse Flaye returned, breathing hard, hair slightly disheveled, looking like she’d just wrestled a ferret and lost. And she DID lose! Her face tightened around the mouth, betraying her emotions at the lack of protocol.


Twisted Sister: Good news! Wellness inspection complete!

Anthrax: The patient is emotionally metal stable!

Iron Maiden stared at Nurse Flaye without blinking.

Nurse Flaye: Why is she out of her room?

Twisted Sister answered immediately.

Twisted Sister: Therapeutic walk!

Anthrax: Doctor’s orders!

Nurse Flaye’s gaze narrowed.

Nurse Flaye: Whose orders?

Anthrax tapped his badge.

Anthrax: Doctor A.

The head nurse stared at both of them for a long and dangerous pause when from down the hall, there was another crash!

Patient: THE THERAPY FERRET HAS A SHIV!

Nurse Flaye’s eyes squeezed shut like she was praying for the sweet release of resignation or retirement. Her radio crackled with frantic chatter. She looked between the chaos behind her and the three in front of her. Finally, she stepped aside.

Nurse Flaye: Get her to intake. Sign the paperwork. Don’t make this worse!

Twisted Sister saluted like a good little soldier.

Twisted Sister: Absolutely!

Iron Maiden said nothing. She simply walked. And the staff, overworked and underpaid, did not question it. They saw a lab coat and their brains filed it under Not My Problem. The Metal Maniacs reached the front lobby again. The receptionist didn’t bother to look up.

Receptionist: You done?

Twisted Sister danced from foot to foot.

Twisted Sister: We cured everything!

They pushed through the front doors into the night. Rain had started, light and steady. The van waited. Anthrax opened the side door with a flourish. Twisted Sister guided Iron Maiden in first.

Anthrax hopped in last, slammed the door, and started the engine. They rolled out through the gates like they belonged there. Nobody stopped them. The floodlights swept over the van and moved on. St. Bartholomew Maximum Security Sanitarium’s existence continued on.


>

A few patients of the Sanitarium had been put to work at folding tables under the watch of an attendant who kept a close, nervous watch around him, wishing he could be anywhere but here.

One patient sat cross-legged on the floor directly in front of the dryers, face inches from the glass, eyes wide and unblinking, watching the tumbling sheets as if they were episodes of his favorite television show. At the far folding table, another patient had worn a sock on his right hand and held it aloft. The sock had buttons for eyes and a stitched grin.  The third patient was in an epic battle, trying to fold a fitted sheet - and coming out on the losing side every time!

In the middle of it all, Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister had stood like two stains that wouldn’t bleach out.

The sock puppet had turned toward them, bobbing with eager little nods.


Twisted Sister: You all hear that, right?

She had tilted her head, as if listening for something behind the noise.

Twisted Sister: That’s the Sanitarium doing what it does best. Turning. Cleaning. Spinning. Rinsing out the stains!

She glanced at the man watching the dryers like a television, and the man stared harder, as if she had just narrated the plot.

Twisted Sister: He’s watching stories in there. He’s watching heroes get wrung out. Watching villains get fluffed and folded and put back on the shelf like they never did anything wrong.

She lifted one towel from the cart, held it in both hands, then twisted it slowly, slow enough that the gesture had felt like a threat rather than a chore.

Twisted Sister: That’s what you three think you are, don’t you. A nice little story. A neat little family photo you can hang in the hallway.

She set the towel down with care, smoothing the edges as if she wanted it perfect before she tore it apart.

Twisted Sister: Crystal Zdunich. Seleana. Zenna. Look at you. All holding hands, all bright smiles and matching names like you’re stitched into the same blanket.

The sock puppet had bobbed faster, like applause. The patient holding it had made the sock’s mouth open and shut, pretending it cheered.

Twisted Sister: Cute. You walk into that ring thinking connection makes you safe. Thinking love makes you untouchable. Thinking the crowd will cradle you because you fit together so well. You love each other. And that’s exactly why this is going to hurt.

She snatched the fitted sheet from the patient trying to fold it and bunched it in her clenched fists and inhaled the scent of the detergent, her eyes closed in dreaded bliss.

Twisted Sister: Crystal Zdunich, you’ve built your whole identity on being unbreakable. On being the bright, shining standard. You’re the good crystal. The clean one. But even crystal gets cloudy when it’s put under pressure. Every crystal cracks when it gets hit the right way. But I don’t need you to shatter. I just need one fracture. One tiny line that spreads when you reach for Seleana and  call out to Zenna. And then you’ll hear it! The sound of yourself splitting!

Iron Maiden’s gaze had moved, slow and deliberate, from the camera to the nearest folding table. The patient with the sock puppet had turned it toward her, like offering the stage.

Iron Maiden: Seleana.

Twisted Sister moved closer to Iron Maiden.

Twisted Sister: Seleana, you’re the wife. The anchor. The one who thinks she can pull Crystal back from any edge because you know her better than anyone.

Twisted Sister shook her head and tutted.

Twisted Sister: You think knowing someone is the same as saving them. It’s not. We’ve watched people in here know each other for years and still forget each other’s names when the lights flicker.

She had nodded toward the man staring into the dryers. He had begun to grin at something spinning behind the glass.

Twisted Sister: You can be the closest person in the world and still lose them in a second. You’re going to learn what it feels like to reach out and grab air.

Iron Maiden: Zenna…

She closed her eyes and drew out the name softly.

Twisted Sister: Zenna, you’re the sister-in-law. The extra blade in the drawer. You think that means you can be reckless. You think that means you can take risks because if you get hurt, there are two others to cover you. That’s the lie that gets people hurt the worst. Because the moment you’re the one in trouble, family turns into a chain. And chains don’t save you. They drag you down with them.

The sock puppet had started to “boo,” flapping its stitched mouth dramatically. The patient had angled it toward the camera like he was defending the Zdunichs.

Twisted Sister had looked at the sock puppet.


Twisted Sister: Oh you can boo all you want.

She had leaned in close to the sock, voice barely audible over the dryers.

Twisted Sister: Nobody’s going to throw you a lifeline either.

The patient made the sock puppet nod like it understood.

Iron Maiden had lifted her chin slightly, and the movement had pulled attention away from the puppet and toward her. Twisted Sister giggled.


Twisted Sister: Six Bombshell Tag. Six bodies. Six pulses. Six sets of lungs trying to remember how to breathe when the room gets smaller. You three think the numbers favor you because you come in as a unit. As a set.

Iron Maiden: Numbers don’t matter when the wrong person is counting.

She had tapped her fingers against the metal cart, a slow count only she seemed to hear.

Iron Maiden: One for the first scream you won’t let out because you don’t want to look weak.

Twisted Sister: Two for the first time you hesitate because you don’t want to leave your wife alone.

Iron Maiden: Three for the first time you look for your sister-in-law and don’t see her where she’s supposed to be.

Twisted Sister: Four for the first time you realize love doesn’t protect you from impact.

Iron Maiden: Five for the first time you realize the ring doesn’t care what your last name is.

Twisted Sister: Six for the moment you understand what we are.

Iron Maiden’s fingers had curled into a fist.

Iron Maiden: Cut.

Twisted Sister: That’s what we do. We cut the pretty picture down the middle and watch you try to tape it back together while the crowd chants your name and pretends that helps.

She stepped back, letting the hum of the laundry room fill the space between them.

Twisted Sister: You’re going to show up with your matching confidence and your matching gear and your matching pride. And we’re going to show up with something you don’t understand until it’s too late.

Twisted Sister: Patience.

She turned her head slightly, listening again, as if the Sanitarium itself had been talking to her personally.

Twisted Sister: In here, you learn how to wait. You learn how to watch people unravel bit by bit. You learn how to smile while you do it.

The man watching the dryers had suddenly laughed, delighted by whatever “scene” had played across the glass. Twisted Sister looked pleased.

Twisted Sister: That’s the soundtrack to your match. That laugh. The laugh you hear when you realize you’re not in control anymore. When the bell rings, I want you to look at each other, just once, and remember this room.

The Iron Maiden ran her hands down the sides of her face, caking her makeup beneath her nails.

Iron Maiden: You’re going to feel the exact moment your connection becomes your weakness. You’re going to feel the exact moment you try to save each other and it costs you everything!

Twisted Sister: And when you’re on the mat, reaching, scrambling, trying to pull the pieces back into place?

She lowered her voice even further.

Twisted Sister: We’ll be standing over you like a grave digger throwing in the dirt filling your graves up inch by inch while you lie there, unable to process your untimely demise.

The sock puppet had clapped again, frantic little flaps, the patient eager to please. The man at the dryers had kept staring, enthralled by the spinning “show”. And the Metal Maniacs?

Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister were never there. Why would they be? Even they wouldn't be crazy enough to cut a wrestling promo inside of a sanitarium.</font>

;
35
Climax Control Roleplays / The next generation
« Last post by Alex Jones on February 20, 2026, 06:08:51 AM »
The next step

The gym was louder today. Not chaotic. Not out of control. Just alive.

Wolfslair New York never truly rested, but there were certain hours where the building seemed to breathe heavier, where the energy shifted from casual training to something sharper. More deliberate. The air was thick with sweat and effort. Weights clanged in the far corner. Someone was skipping rope near the mirrors. The dull thud of fists meeting heavy bag echoed like a heartbeat. And in the main ring, Dylan was moving like he belonged. Alex stood a few feet back from the apron, arms folded, shoulders relaxed, but his eyes sharp. He wasn’t in gear. No tape, no boots. Just sweatpants and an old hoodie that had seen too many years. He looked like a man trying to convince himself he was only here to observe. But the truth was, he couldn’t look away.

Dylan circled his training partner, hands raised, posture loose. He didn’t bounce around like he was trying to imitate something he’d seen on television. He didn’t overextend or rush. His movements were clean. Controlled. He stepped in, caught the wrist, twisted into a smooth arm wringer, then transitioned into a headlock like it was second nature. The trainee tried to shove him off. Dylan shifted his weight, kept his base low, and pulled him down to the mat. Alex’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t the move that impressed him. It was what came after. Dylan didn’t celebrate. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t look around for approval. He just adjusted his grip, tightened the hold, and breathed like it was the most natural thing in the world. A trainer leaned in, barking feedback.

Dylan nodded once, listened, and reset. No attitude. No ego. Just work. Alex felt something in his chest loosen. Pride, maybe. Or relief. Or something more dangerous. Because the more comfortable Dylan looked in the ring, the more real all of this became. Alex was still watching when he heard footsteps behind him. Slow, confident, familiar. “You’ve been staring at him like he’s a damn experiment.” Alex didn’t turn immediately. He didn’t have to. He already knew that voice. Austin James Mercer. Alex finally glanced over his shoulder. Austin stood there with a water bottle in one hand, towel draped over the other. He looked like he’d already trained, shirt damp, hair still wet, shoulders loose but heavy. Like his body was tired but his mind was still awake. Austin’s eyes stayed on Dylan. “He’s different,”

Alex turned back toward the ring. “Yeah.”

Austin leaned against the ring post, arms folding. “Not just better. Different.” Alex didn’t answer right away. Dylan took another trainee into the ropes, ducked under a clothesline, rebounded, and hit a crisp dropkick. Not flashy. Not reckless. Just clean. Austin spoke again. “He’s more comfortable.”

Alex nodded once. “That’s what I’ve been noticing.”

Austin’s gaze stayed fixed. “You remember when he first started showing up?”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “Yeah.”

Austin exhaled. “He used to wrestle like he was angry at the world. Like every bump was personal.” Alex watched Dylan now, how calm he looked, how he rolled through a takedown and popped up without wasted movement. Like he’d done it a thousand times. “He’s not fighting ghosts anymore,” Austin said quietly.

Alex’s voice was low. “No. He’s not chasing anything. He’s just… doing it.”

Austin smirked slightly. “That’s when it gets dangerous.”

Alex glanced at him. “Dangerous?”

Austin shrugged. “The moment a wrestler stops doubting, they start believing they’re built for it. That’s when they stop holding back.” Alex didn’t respond, because Austin wasn’t wrong. Dylan moved into chain wrestling now. Wristlock. Counter. Arm drag. Back to the feet. Headlock takeover. Smooth transition into a hammerlock. He wasn’t rushing to get to the big moves. He was working through the fundamentals like he understood their importance. Alex stared at him, and for a moment he saw something he didn’t expect. He didn’t just see his son. He saw a wrestler. Austin’s voice pulled him back. “You should be proud.”

Alex didn’t hesitate. “I am.”

Austin’s expression softened, but only slightly. “That’s good.” They watched Dylan reset again, breathing hard but steady. Sweat soaked into his hair, but his eyes stayed sharp. Austin took a sip of water, then spoke again, quieter now. “You ever think about how the business treats people?”

Alex’s mouth twitched. “Every day.”

Austin chuckled. “Yeah. I figured.”

Alex didn’t move. His gaze stayed locked on the ring. “It doesn’t care how hard you work.”

Austin nodded. “It cares if you draw.”

Alex’s voice was flat. “And if you don’t, it forgets you existed.”

Austin’s smile faded. “Exactly.” They stood in silence for a moment, the sounds of training filling the space between them. The ropes creaked as Dylan leaned into a corner. The canvas thudded as another trainee hit the mat. Austin’s tone shifted again. More serious. “It waits,” Alex glanced at him. Austin continued. “This business waits until you’re confident. Until you think you’re ready. Then it humbles you. Hard.”

Alex let out a slow breath. “That’s wrestling.”

Austin nodded. “That’s life.” Dylan took a bump then, clean back bump, chin tucked, arms out. He rolled through it and was back on his feet almost instantly. Austin pointed subtly toward him. “Look at him. He’s not reckless. He’s not trying to kill himself for a pop. He’s learning.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “He’s still young.”

Austin shrugged. “So were we.”

Alex muttered, “And look how that turned out.”

Austin smirked. “Still standing.”

Alex didn’t smile back. “Barely.”

Austin’s eyes stayed on Dylan. “He’s ready.”

Alex turned his head sharply. “Ready for what?”

Austin didn’t flinch. “The next step.”

Alex’s arms tightened across his chest. “He’s not ready for that. He’s still green.”

Austin scoffed. “Everybody’s green. Even the ones on TV. They’re just green with a production crew.”

Alex almost laughed, but it didn’t come. “Indies aren’t the same as bigger companies.”

Austin nodded. “No, they’re not.”

Alex’s voice lowered. “On the indies, you mess up? You learn. You get embarrassed. You get bruised. But you go home.”

Austin’s expression hardened. “And in bigger companies, you mess up and you get replaced.”

Alex nodded once. “Exactly.”

Austin stepped away from the post, voice firm now. “That’s why he needs to go now.”

Alex stared at him. “Now?”

Austin’s eyes narrowed. “How many guys do you know who wasted five, ten years on the independents because they were afraid to take the leap?”

Alex’s jaw flexed. “The leap can kill you.”

Austin didn’t hesitate. “Or it can make you.”

Alex wanted to argue. Wanted to shut it down. Wanted to say Austin didn’t understand what it felt like to watch your own blood walk into a business that didn’t care whether he survived. But Austin wasn’t speaking like a fan. Austin was speaking like a man who’d been eaten by the same machine. Alex’s voice came out quieter. “I don’t know if he’s ready.”

Austin’s expression softened. “That’s honest.”

Alex’s hands loosened slightly at his sides. He stared at Dylan, who was now helping one of the trainees adjust positioning, guiding him through a sequence with patience. Alex swallowed. “It’s not him I don’t trust him,” Alex admitted.

Austin tilted his head. “Then what is it?”

Alex’s voice was rough. “It’s the world.”

Austin didn’t laugh. Didn’t mock him. He just nodded slowly, like he understood completely. “Yeah. That’s fair.”

Alex stared at Dylan again. “He looks… happy.”

Austin’s eyes narrowed slightly. “That scares you.”

Alex nodded. “It means the ring is becoming his home.”

Austin’s jaw clenched. “And if the ring becomes his home, then the business owns him.”

Alex’s voice was almost a whisper. “Exactly.”

Austin let the silence sit for a moment, then stepped closer, voice lower. “You don’t protect him by keeping him small.” Alex glanced at him. Austin continued. “If you want him to survive, you push him toward the right opportunities. The right direction. Not just the safest one.”

Alex shook his head. “There is no safe direction.”

Austin smirked. “True. But there are smarter ones.”

Alex exhaled, humorless. “That’s wrestling.”

Austin nodded. “That’s wrestling.” Dylan finished the drill, and the trainer clapped his hands, calling for a break. Dylan stepped through the ropes, breathing hard, towel around his neck, sweat dripping down his face. He looked exhausted, but not drained. He looked alive. Austin spoke quietly. “He doesn’t need the indies anymore.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “He still needs experience.”

Austin shook his head. “No. He needs exposure. He needs direction.” Alex stared at Dylan as he laughed with one of the trainees, then took a long drink of water. Dylan wasn’t just training. He was thriving. Austin’s voice remained steady. “If he keeps grinding these little shows for gas money and handshake payoffs, he’s going to burn out before he ever gets a real shot.”

Alex’s hands flexed. “And if he gets his shot too early?”

Austin shrugged. “Then he learns fast.”

Alex stared at him. “And if it breaks him?”

Austin’s eyes didn’t move. “Then he wasn’t built for it.”

Alex’s expression hardened. “That’s a hell of a thing to say.”

Austin didn’t back down. “It’s the truth. You know it. I know it.”

Alex looked away again, back to Dylan. His son was wiping sweat off his face now, his posture relaxed. Not tense. Not angry. Just focused. Alex swallowed hard. “I don’t want him to hate it,”

Austin’s voice softened. “He won’t hate it.”

Alex looked at him. “How do you know?”

Austin’s answer came without hesitation. “Because he already loves it enough to suffer for it.” Alex didn’t respond. Because that line hit too close to home.

It was the same reason Alex had lasted as long as he did. It was the same reason men destroyed themselves for this business. Because when you loved it, it wasn’t sacrifice. It was devotion. Alex exhaled slowly, like he was letting go of something he’d been holding onto for years. He looked older in that moment, not weak, not broken. Just human. Then he nodded once. “Alright,”

Austin’s eyebrows lifted. “Alright?”

Alex’s voice was firmer now. Resolved. “Alright. We’ll talk to him. We’ll start putting together footage. We’ll send out interest. Bigger companies. Bigger opportunities.”

Austin’s smile widened slightly. “Good.”

Alex’s eyes stayed locked on Dylan. “But if this goes wrong—”

Austin cut him off. “It’s going to go wrong at some point. That’s part of it.” Alex clenched his jaw. Austin stepped closer, voice low, serious. “The question isn’t whether he gets hurt. He will. The question is whether he gets hurt chasing something real… or chasing scraps.”

Alex didn’t answer. Because Austin had already won. Not by being loud. By being right. Dylan approached them a moment later, towel around his neck, water bottle in hand. Sweat still rolled down his temples, but his eyes were calm and clear. He looked at Alex. “You watching the whole time?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “And?”

Alex paused. Then, bluntly, honestly, he said, “You’re getting good.”

Dylan blinked, caught off guard. Not because he didn’t believe it, but because Alex didn’t hand out praise easily. Then Dylan nodded slowly. “Thanks,”

Austin smirked. “He’s not just getting good. He’s getting ready.”

Dylan looked between them. “Ready for what?” Alex and Austin exchanged a look. Alex felt his chest tighten, the weight of what he was about to say. Because saying it out loud meant it was real. It meant there was no pretending Dylan was still just training for fun. It meant this was becoming a path. A career.

A life. Alex finally spoke. “Ready to stop treating this like a hobby.” Dylan’s expression shifted. Not fear. Not doubt. Hunger. Like the words lit something inside him. Alex watched his son’s face, watched that spark, and felt the knot in his chest tighten again. Because pride and fear were cousins, and they lived in the same house. This was happening. Dylan didn’t speak immediately. He just stared at Alex for a moment, like he was searching for the catch. For the warning. For the hesitation. But Alex didn’t give him one. Instead, Alex nodded once more, slow and deliberate. “You want this?”

Dylan’s voice was quiet, but firm. “Yeah.”

Austin smiled faintly. “Then let’s do it right.” Alex stared at Dylan, seeing the man he was becoming, and realizing something he hadn’t fully accepted until now. He couldn’t keep his son safe. Not from the business. Not from the world. Not from pain. All he could do was help him walk into it prepared. Alex exhaled, the sound heavy, like surrender. Or maybe acceptance.

Then he said the words that mattered most. “Alright,” Alex repeated. “We’ll start making calls.” Dylan’s mouth curled into a small grin. Not cocky. Not arrogant. Just sure. And Alex felt something settle deep in his bones. This wasn’t the end of his story. It was the beginning of Dylan’s. And that truth scared him. But it also made him proud in a way he didn’t know how to explain. Wolfslair hummed around them, ropes creaking, weights clanging, bodies hitting canvas. And for the first time in a long time… Alex didn’t feel like he was watching the clock run out. He felt like he was watching something new take shape. Something he couldn’t control. Something he couldn’t stop. Something he could only choose to stand beside. Right or wrong…Alex was finally ready to let Dylan go forward.

The next generation

”What a joke…”

The voice of Alex Jones cuts through the darkness. He turns his nose up and shakes his head, his long dark hair tied back and away from his face in a bun.

”This is what happens when you have to team with someone who is a perennial choker. And this is our number one contender for the world championship? In his entire career, Alexander Raven has always been the bridesmaid and never the bride. I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he and I teamed together. I honestly thought that he was going to rise up and finally live up to the potential that all of us had seen in him. Because as a professional wrestler, he has talent. He has drive. He is someone who, in other companies, has had success. A lot of success.”

“And I was behind him. Looking at how Carter was talking to him and completely dismissing his accomplishments in other companies, I wanted to see Alexander Raven take all of those comments and shove them right down Carter’s throat and expose him as the horrible piece of crap that we all know Carter is deep down. This projection of being a good human being and the mask that he put in front of himself were starting to fall. And I thought Alexander was going to be able to step up and help me beat Miles and Carter. After all, lately Climate Control has become the Carter and Miles show.”

“They have preferential booking, they get to be all over the show, they have merchandise and promotional material everywhere.”

“They are the golden couple of SCW. Hell, I remember a few years ago Carter and Miles won Couple of the Year despite the fact that Finn and Kayla spent the entire year as double champions, dominating everyone they faced. As both Mixed Tag Team Champions and as World Champions. Yet somehow Miles and Carter became Couple of the Year. The entire company is behind them like they are some kind of fucking golden goose that keeps laying golden fucking eggs, despite the fact that the entire wrestling world is sick of their picture-perfect relationship bullshit.”


Alex scoffs and rolls his eyes before pausing.

”But Alexander Raven failed and let me down. We ended up losing that tag team match. We ended up looking like a pair of chumps. So now I have to rebuild all of that momentum that I had been building. I’m the Internet Champion. I have been begging and pleading for one of these young bucks to step up and beat me. I keep waiting for Miles to break through that glass ceiling and show me something. And in wanting to try and show me something, he attacked me and came after me. And now, going into my next match, I have to make sure I’m watching my back.”

“But now, well, I have to go into a match with another young star. One with a famous last name. A young Lyon, if you will.”

“Zayvion Lyons.”

“A young man who has come to us from the Lyons Den. Following in the footsteps of his cousins. But more than that, he has to surpass them. So I’ll admit that Victoria, Eddie, and Vincent have done all they can to elevate the name of Lyons to greatness. In their own way. You had Eddie, the honourable warrior ready to fall on his sword instead of take shortcuts. You had Victoria, a woman who dominated through her own level of arrogance as she became a queen. And Vincent, who would do anything in his power to walk away the winner.”


Alex pauses for a moment, cracking his knuckles before laughing under his breath and opening his eyes and staring forward.

”This match is a true contrast. Zayvion is young and at the beginning of his career. A young star who has so much growth ahead of him and someone who has a chance to forge a life and a career in this business that is unrivalled. He is the unknown. And as such, we don’t know what he’s going to accomplish. We don’t know the heights that he will reach. And we don’t know what his ceiling is. And then you have me. The exact opposite. I am closer to the end of my career than the beginning. I don’t think that is a controversial statement. I’m at that point now where the finish line is fast approaching, and even if I stay healthy and keep going the way I have been, I still don’t have that long left until I eventually will be forced to walk away from this business.”

“But you know what I’ve done. We don’t know what this kid is going to do, but we know where I have been and what I have accomplished. SCW World Champion, SCW Roulette Champion, Mixed Tag Team Champion, and now Internet Champion. I have held all of the active championships that I can. A Grand Slam Champion. A member of the Hall of Fame. I have accomplished incredible things in this company, and that is just in this company. That isn’t including every other place I’ve been and the other world championships that I have held in my over two-decade-long career.”

“This is what I do, Zayvion.”

“I am a known quantity. A name that can be in bright lights on a marquee and have people want to see me in the ring. You? While your last name is known, no one else knows anything about your first name. And while your last name will get your foot in the door, your talent and your drive have to keep you there. And I am standing here left to wonder what kind of career you are going to have and if you are going to be the young lion that takes me down.”


He shrugs and then shakes his head, taking a deep breath before continuing.

”I thought it could be one of the Kasey brothers. But both Miles and LJ let me down. I then thought maybe it could be a returning champion in Ryan Keys and he could step up and break through that glass ceiling to remain relevant, and he failed as well. And now I’m in a situation where Miles is right in front of me coming at me, but until I get to him, I have to face you. And you have a hell of a lot to gain by beating me. But what do I have to gain by beating you? As the Internet Champion, going into a match with a former champion who keeps on running his mouth like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, what is it that I get from beating you?”

“Nothing…”

“I get nothing, Zayvion.”

“You are an unknown. As I said. So I beat you and I’ve just beaten this kid with a famous last name at the beginning of his career. That’s it. It doesn’t get me to where I need to be. It doesn’t allow me to be able to go on to the supercard with any amount of confidence. All it does is waste my time. But what if you win? What if you are able to make me submit or pin me? You get to say you’ve beaten a former world champion — and not just a former world champion, a former SCW World Champion. The current Internet Champion. You get to say that in your rookie year in this company you beat a Hall of Fame name. That’s what you get.”

“Is that enough motivation for you?”

“I hope it is. Because I want to see what the next generation is capable of. I want to see what you can do. And if you’re going to be like LJ or Miles? If you’re going to be like these other young kids who come in with all of this fire only to lose and stumble at the first real challenge that gets thrown your way, then my disappointment is going to be visible and it’s going to be violent. So that’s all I’m asking of you. That’s all I want you to do, Zayvion. You don’t have to beat me, kid. Just don’t disappoint me.”
36
Climax Control Roleplays / “Clash of the Titans!”
« Last post by Logan Hunter on February 19, 2026, 10:20:03 PM »
Logan’s first title defence against Ryan Kays was on the horizon but also on Blaze of Glory XV was a #1 Contenders Match to determine who will challenge for the title after Blaze of Glory XV between Zayvion Lyons, Ciaran Doyle, Bill Barnhart and Brayden Hilton meaning that Logan would have a lot on his mind heading into Blaze of Glory XV!

But there was still the Go Home Show to go before Logan got that far and Logan was in the Main Event, his opponent? The World Heavyweight Champion HB Carter in a non-title Clash of the Champions match following up on the similar match between the Bombshell Internet Champion Victoria Lyons and the Bombshell Roulette Champion Alicia Lukas from last week’s Main Event, can Logan get the win?

Logan and Brooke’s hotel room, Kent, Washington
Sunday the 15th of February 2026, 21:00pm

For my first full cycle as a champion this has been rather uneventful.

Aside from forcing Brooke to apologize to the SCW Backstage Interviewer Pussy Willow for shoving her at High Stakes all those months ago our focus has been what the future holds for my title reign, and that’s when Marissa isn’t making a spur of the moment decision to adopt one of the largest domestic cat breeds that can be legally owned.

But alas, we now have a Main Coon is the same house as an Irish Wolfhound.

”So you guys god?” Marissa asked as she and Brooke finished a game of Mario Kart World and I watched on from the bed. ”Because I’m thinking of ordering room service before I call it a night.”

”Didn’t think hotels did room service this late.” Brooke commented before checking the time on her phone. ”Unless that room service means “you naked in bed with Zara”.”

”First of all that’s gross coming from my younger twin sister! Second, she’s back in Vegas pet sitting Aolfie and Sir Pursalot.” Marissa corrected her sister and Brooke rolled her eyes. ”And third? Some hotels do and this one happens to be among them.”

”I’m not hungry and Brooke had something at the arena.” I responded as I glanced up at her. ”Besides, I’m waiting on news about the Go Home Show.”

”Oh right, there’s still one more show before Blaze of Glory.” Marissa realized as she folded her arms and we both nodded. ”You really think we’re going to get booked for the Go Home Show?”

”They put the ancient Bombshell Roulette Champ against Victoria tonight and you think they’re not going to do something similar with Logan?” Brooke asked as she rolled her eyes right as I got the new card text. ”PUH-LEASE!!!!!!! My money’s on it being against Miles since there’s a ton of history between Logan and LJ.”

”And you think Christian is that predictable a booker?” Marissa asked as the beautiful brunette  woman brushed some hair over her shoukder and Brooke just shook her head. ”Maybe the red hair dye is starting to seep into your brain Brooke!”

”Will you two be quiet? And besides, I was booked!” I interrupted their bickering and the sisters turned to me. ”Brooke was half right, I was booked in a Clash of the Champions match, only it’s against Miles’s husband!”

”Carter?” Marissa asked and I nodded. ”Kinda surprised it took this long, especially since you both graduated from the Go Gym!”

”It matters not! If I get the win over Carter it’ll cement my legacy!” I responded as I made a fist. ”He is after all, the golden boy right now!!”

”Which means I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Logan wins ion Sunday.” Brooke added with a grin and Marissa gave her a pointed look. ”What?”

”Or you could stay out of it and let your fellow Go Gym Grads duke it out.” Marissa responded as she shook her head. ”Just saying!”

”And be negligent in my duties as one of Logan’s managers? PUH-LEASE!” Brooke said as she rolled her eyes. ”You’re lucky your still new to managing sis.”

”Whatever! I’m going to bed.” Marissa responded before leaving our hotel room and closing the door behind her.

Brooke and Logan’s home, Las Vegas, Nevada
Thursday the 19th of February 2026, 11:00am

Since returning from Washington we have been training for the match against Carter though today? Brooke is merely acting as my spot as I work on the bench press while Zara and Marissa watch on alongside the pets.

“I jave to admit.” Zara commented as she watched me lift weights while topless and Brooke watched on while wearing a sports bra. “Even as a gay woman I can kinda see why Brooke fell for him.”

”Yeah, pity about, well, everything else about him really.” Marissa responded snarkily and Zara laughed as Marissa stroked Sir Pursalot while the cat sat in her lap. ”At least the cat doesn’t talk back.”

”You say that like the cat hasn’t started meowing every time he gets hungry, he’s needier than the dog!” Brooke scoffed as she looked up at her sister. ”And given that Aolfie is an Irish Wolfehound? That’s saying something!”

“Especially since coons don’t stop growing until they’re five or six, the damn things a year old and still growing.” Zara pointed out as she shook her head in disbelief. “It’s a year old, how does that make sense?!”

”Pretty much the thing I asked the shelter when I adopted him.” Marissa responded as she shook her head. ”How goes the training Logan?”

”Well enough.” I responded as I set the weights back and sat up on the bench. ”Better if you two weren’t talking about cats.”

[color=#ff0000”Needed to talk about something other than your exercise routine.”[/color] Marissa responded as Aolfie plopped down at her feet. ”Or your sex life!”

”Or your girlfriend thirsting over Logan!” Brooke added as she shook her head. ”Are you sure that you’re not bi? genuine question!”

“Nah, gay but knows a good looking dude when I see them.” Zara responded as she shook her head. “Or a good looking woman for that matter.”

”Well at least you have good taste!” Brooke responded as she shook her head. ”And I haven’t even gotten into my plans for Main Event interference!”

”God, give me patience.” Marissa muttered as she shook her head. ”Because I’m gonna need bail money if you give me strength!” She added before we resumed the workout.

Logan and Brooke’s home gym, Las Vegas, Nevada
Thursday the 19th of February 2026, 21:00pm

*promo time*

This will be glorious.

”HB Carter, one of the few men I respect on the SCW Roster, such a shame that he is married into the idiotic Kasey family.” I stated as I folded my arms and Brooke started circling around me with her arms crossed. ”This week in Climax Control’s Main Event we will finally do battle, champion vs. champion, Go Gym Graduate vs. Go Gym Graduate, non-title just two men doing battle with only ego on the line!

And after Alicia Lukas pinned Victoria Lyons last week? I aim to repeat history with the men’s Roulette Title.”
I added as I slung the title over my shoulder. ”For you are my final opponent before I defend this against Ryan Keys at Blaze of Glory XV!”

At this point Brooke chimed in.

”Let me see if I can predict what you’re going to say about me Carter, “oh I bet Brooke’s going to interfere because Logan can’t win his own battles” “oh, I bet she’s going to brag about winning manager of the year after only a year on the roster.” Brooke shakes her head. ”PUH-LEASE! When I interfere in matches that’s just me doing my job and  I know you won’t lay a hand on me and Ariana’s dipped out on wrestling, what are you going to do?

That’s right, fuck all to stop me!”
Brooke added as she flipped some hair over her shoulder. ”I won Manager of the Year at High Stakes for a damn good reason Carter and if the voting wasn’t rigged me and Logan would’ve won Couple of the Year over you and Miles but don’t take my word for it, listen to Logan as well.”

I nodded.

”When me and Brooke graduated from the Go Gym we had one goal: to cement ourselves as two of the best to come from that wrestling school, and now I face arguably the Go Gym’s greatest success story.” I scoffed as I shook my head. ”I sincerely hope that Raven will be watching because I will be softening you up for my fellow Australian and I expect proper gratitude from Alexander when all is said and done!”

It’s that simple.

”Anything beyond that will be discussed down the line but for now Carter? We have a Clash of the Titans on our hands.” I stated as I stared deep into the camera. ”And I will gain momentum for Blaze of Glory when I win this match!”

And with that I decided to wrap things up.

”And that momentum shall carry me into the rest of the year.” I added as I made a slit throat motion. ”And respect only goes so far! Woo to the vanquished, for the lives of soon to be former champions will not by mourned! Carter? I COMMAND THEE KNEEL! YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY THRONE AWAY! And as for all into darkness and embrace oblivion? I will cement my legacy!”

Marissa turned off the camera as the scene fades.
37
Climax Control Roleplays / Chapter 81
« Last post by Dreamkiller on February 18, 2026, 07:22:44 AM »
Chapter 81: The Little Things

Restaurants were different than cafés.

Cafés were safe because they were temporary. Quick. Casual. Something you could excuse yourself from without it feeling like a dramatic exit. You could wrap your hands around a cup of coffee, stare out a window, and pretend the entire meeting was just something that happened in passing. Like it didn’t matter. Restaurants didn’t let you hide like that. Restaurants asked you to sit down and stay. They asked you to commit to a meal. To conversation. To time. They asked you to make room. And I wasn’t sure I knew how to do that.

The snow had stopped a few days ago, but Denver still looked like it hadn’t forgiven winter yet. The sidewalks were wet and dark, the streets slushy at the edges, and the air had that biting sharpness that made your lungs feel like they were being scraped clean with every breath. The sky was pale and low, heavy with clouds that couldn’t decide whether they wanted to rain or just hang there like a threat.

Finn had dropped me off again. He always offered to come in. He always made it sound like a suggestion, not a plea. And I always said no. Not because I didn’t want him there. But because this wasn’t his battle. This wasn’t his mess. This was mine. The restaurant wasn’t fancy. Not the kind of place with white tablecloths and wine glasses polished to perfection. It was warmer than that. A family place. Brick walls, soft lighting, booths that looked like they’d held a thousand conversations that mattered and a million that didn’t. It smelled like garlic and tomatoes and butter. It smelled like comfort.

It smelled like the kind of place people brought their families. That thought tightened something in my chest as I stepped inside. The hostess smiled, asked for my name, and before I could even answer, I saw him. He was already there. Of course he was. He always got there early. Like he thought punctuality could make up for absence. Like if he arrived first enough times, he could rewrite the years he hadn’t shown up at all. He stood as soon as he saw me, and the movement was automatic, reflexive respect. It used to annoy me. It used to feel like performance. Now it just looked… nervous. “Kayla,” he said quietly. His voice didn’t carry the way it used to. It didn’t have that edge of authority. It was softer now, worn down around the corners.

“Hi,”

The hostess gestured toward the booth. “Right this way.” My father nodded politely, letting her lead. He waited for me to slide into the booth first before he sat down across from me. Another small thing. Another careful thing. Like he was constantly measuring the space between us, making sure he didn’t step too close. It shouldn’t have mattered. But it did. I pulled my coat off and draped it beside me, my bag settling against my hip like an anchor. The menu was already open in front of him, but I could tell he wasn’t reading it. He was pretending to. Pretending gave people something to do with their hands when their emotions were too loud. I knew the trick. The waitress came over almost immediately, cheerful, too bright for the tension sitting at our table. “Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“Coffee,” I said automatically.

My father looked at me, then nodded. “Coffee for me as well.”

The waitress smiled. “Cream? Sugar?”

“No,”

“No,” he echoed. It was strange. How much we matched in that moment. How much we mirrored each other without meaning to. The waitress left and silence dropped into the booth like a weight. Not uncomfortable. Not exactly. Just… heavy. I stared down at the menu, even though I already knew what I’d order. Spaghetti and meat sauce. It was basic. Predictable. Safe. A meal you didn’t have to think about. A meal you couldn’t mess up. I didn’t look up right away. I could feel him watching me anyway. “How have you been?” he asked, voice low.

The question wasn’t casual. It wasn’t polite small talk. It was careful, like he was testing the floor in front of him for cracks. I swallowed. “I’m good,” I said, then paused. The words felt too automatic. Too shallow. And I hated that I’d given him the same empty answer I always did. So I added, quieter, “I’ve been… busy.”

His eyes softened, like that mattered. Like that was something he could hold onto. “With work?” he asked.

“And training,” I admitted.

His brow lifted slightly. “Still wrestling.” I nodded. He didn’t say anything judgmental. He didn’t lecture. He didn’t ask if it was safe. He didn’t tell me I should stop. He just nodded again, like he was absorbing the reality of the life I’d built without him. “That’s good….You always had drive.” That compliment should’ve irritated me. It didn’t. Maybe because it wasn’t wrapped in expectation. It wasn’t him taking credit for it. It was just an observation. The waitress returned with coffee, setting the cups down between us. Steam curled into the air, warm and fragrant, and for a moment it felt like the booth was its own world. Separated from everything else. From everyone else. I wrapped my hands around the mug. The warmth seeped into my fingers. My father watched me for a moment, thencleared his throat. “How’s Finn?”

The name still startled me, even after weeks of these meetings. Like hearing him speak Finn’s name made it real in a way I didn’t like. Like it confirmed that my father had access to parts of my life he hadn’t earned. But I answered anyway. “He’s good…..Busy too. But… good.”

My father nodded slowly. “He seems like a steady man.”

I didn’t respond immediately. Steady. That was exactly what Finn was. And it was exactly what I’d never had growing up. “He is,”

There was another pause. Another moment of silence that didn’t feel like avoidance so much as… adjustment. Like we were both still learning how to speak to each other without old habits poisoning the air. My father shifted slightly in his seat. “I’ve been seeing Amber more,” he said, and I felt my shoulders tighten instinctively.

Not because I was angry. Because I was afraid. Afraid that hearing about Amber would make something ugly rise up inside me. Jealousy. Resentment. That bitter, childish thought that always came first: Why does she get the version of you I didn’t? But I forced myself to stay still. I forced myself to listen. “How is she?” I asked, and the words surprised even me.

My father blinked, as if he hadn’t expected that question. “She’s… good. She’s doing well. She’s happy. She’s still stubborn.” That earned the faintest twitch at the corner of my mouth. Amber had always been stubborn. It was practically her personality trait. “And Tasmin….She’s been coming around too. She brings her daughter sometimes.” My stomach tightened slightly.

I’d always liked being around them because it was easy. Kids didn’t hold grudges. Kids didn’t demand explanations. They just existed, loud and messy and full of life. They didn’t know the history. They didn’t know the damage. They just knew you were there. “That’s… good,” I said carefully.

My father nodded. “It is. I didn’t realize how much I missed having noise in the house. Real noise. Not the kind you drown yourself in. The kind that reminds you you’re alive.” I stared into my coffee. That sentence sat heavy in my chest. Because I understood it. I understood the difference between noise and silence. I understood what it meant to drown yourself in the wrong kind of sound. My father’s fingers tapped once against the edge of his mug, a small restless habit. “I’m trying,” he said quietly. I didn’t look up. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing the emotion on my face.

But my throat tightened anyway. “I know,” I admitted. The words were barely audible. But they were honest. And honesty felt like stepping onto ice and hoping it didn’t crack. My father exhaled, like he’d been holding his breath. Then he hesitated. And I saw it before he even spoke. That slight shift in his posture. That careful inhale. The way his eyes dropped, then lifted again, as if he was bracing himself. He was about to say something dangerous. Something that could ruin the progress we’d made.

“I’ve been thinking about…” he started. I stiffened. He paused, then corrected himself. “I’ve been thinking about you.” I didn’t respond. My father’s gaze held mine. “You’re engaged. And you’re building a life. A real one.” My fingers tightened around the mug. “And I…” he trailed off, then tried again. “I know I don’t have the right to ask this. But it’s something I’ve been wondering.” Here it comes. I felt my heart rate pick up. My instincts rose like armor. He leaned back slightly, giving me space even as he spoke. “Do you want children someday?” The question hit like a slap. Not because it was cruel. Because it was intimate. Because it was the kind of question fathers asked their daughters when they were involved. When they were present. When they were part of the future. Not the past. My mouth went dry.

My first instinct was to shut down. To retreat into sarcasm, to snap something sharp and defensive. To punish him for daring to ask. But I didn’t. Instead, I swallowed hard and forced myself to breathe through it. “I don’t know,” I admitted.

My father nodded, accepting that without pressure. “That’s fair.” I stared at him. The restaurant noise around us blurred, forks clinking, people laughing, a child whining somewhere near the front. It all sounded distant.

“I mean…” I started, then stopped. Because I realized the truth. I realized what I was about to say. And that truth scared me. “I’m not sure if Finn wants kids,” I said finally. My father’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger. In clarity.

“That’s not what I asked,” The words rattled me. Because he wasn’t correcting me like a man trying to control the conversation. He was reminding me that my feelings mattered. That my wants mattered. That I wasn’t just someone who existed in reaction to the men in her life. He leaned forward just a fraction. “I asked if you want children, Kayla.” My breath caught. I stared at him. My mind scrambled, searching for the safest answer. The most neutral answer. The answer that wouldn’t expose me. But there wasn’t one.

Not anymore. I looked down at my hands, watching my fingers curl against the ceramic mug. “I didn’t,” I said quietly. My father stayed silent. So I continued. “Before Finn, I didn’t want kids. I didn’t… I didn’t see myself as a mother.” I swallowed, the words thick. “I like spending time with Amber and Tasmin’s kids. I love my nieces and nephews. But I liked being able to leave. Being able to give them back.” My father nodded slowly. No judgment. Just listening. “I didn’t want the responsibility……I didn’t want… the fear.”

My father’s face softened at that. “The fear of what?” he asked carefully.

I laughed once, bitter and quiet. “The fear of being you.”

The words hung between us like smoke. I expected him to flinch. To get defensive. To lash out. But he didn’t. His expression tightened, like it hurt, but he didn’t deny it. He just nodded once. “That’s fair too” he murmured. I swallowed again, throat burning.

Then I forced myself to say the part that scared me most. “But after meeting Finn…” I hesitated, then pushed through it. “I do want them.” My father’s eyes widened slightly. Not in shock. In something else. Something like relief. Something like grief. Like he was realizing he’d missed the years where I’d become a woman capable of saying that out loud. “I want a family, Not because I feel like I’m supposed to. But because… because I can actually picture it. With him.”

I felt my cheeks heat, embarrassed by my own vulnerability. My father’s voice was quiet. “I hope you get everything you want in life,” he said. The words weren’t dramatic. They weren’t performative. They weren’t followed by an apology or a plea. They were simple. And somehow that made them heavier.

I didn’t trust myself to respond. So I didn’t. The waitress returned then, balancing plates on her arms, saving me from whatever emotion might’ve slipped out next. The smell hit immediately, tomatoes, basil, warm beef, buttered noodles. Comfort. Simple. Safe. Then she placed my father’s meal in front of him. Something similar, pasta with sauce, but he didn’t look at it right away. He reached into the small basket on the table, pulling out a container of granulated garlic. Not the tiny packets. A whole container. He unscrewed the lid, then slid it across the table toward me. Casually. Like it was nothing. Like it was obvious. I stared at it. My throat tightened so fast it felt like it might close.

He remembered. He remembered that I liked extra garlic. I didn’t even know when he would’ve learned that. Maybe from when I was a kid. Maybe from some family dinner I’d forgotten. Maybe from watching me once and storing it away like it mattered. And the stupid thing was… It did matter. Not because garlic was important. But because it was proof. Proof that he had paid attention at some point. Proof that he’d seen me, even if he’d failed me. My father didn’t say anything. He just picked up his fork, like it was normal. Like he hadn’t just cracked something open inside my chest with one simple movement. I stared down at my plate, blinking too hard. The little things.

That was what got you. Not the big apologies. Not the dramatic declarations. Not the promises. The little things were what made you feel stupidly human. I swallowed and reached for the garlic, sprinkling it across the spaghetti until it looked like snow falling onto red sauce. And I couldn’t help it. I smiled. It was small. Barely there. But it was real. My father noticed. His eyes softened, but he didn’t comment. He didn’t ruin it by pointing it out. He just started eating. And I realized, sitting there with a fork in my hand and garlic on my breath, that the older you got…The more you understood that love wasn’t always grand gestures. Sometimes love was just remembering. Remembering the way someone took their coffee.

Remembering the way someone liked extra garlic. Remembering the parts of them that weren’t convenient. The parts that didn’t benefit you. The parts that made them who they were. And maybe…Maybe the reason it hurt so much now was because those little things mattered more than they ever did when I was younger. Because when you were young, you thought love was supposed to be loud. But when you got older, you started realizing that the loud love was usually the dangerous kind. The love that screamed. The love that demanded. The love that disappeared. Quiet love was the kind that stayed. I didn’t know if my father could ever be that kind of love. I didn’t know if he deserved the chance.

But sitting there, across from him, with the smell of garlic and sauce filling the booth…I couldn’t deny the truth. He was trying. And for the first time in my life…I wasn’t sure I wanted to slam the door in his face. Maybe I should keep letting him in. Not all the way. Not yet. But enough. Enough to see if the man across from me was still the same ghost from my childhood… Or if he was someone new. Someone learning how to exist in my life without destroying it. I twirled spaghetti around my fork, watching the sauce cling to the noodles. And I thought, quietly, bitterly, almost amused, It was funny, wasn’t it? How something as small as garlic could feel like forgiveness.

Or at least…The beginning of it.

A champions decree

”You know, it’s funny. I thought everything would feel right again holding this championship. Like winning it would erase the disappointment that I felt over certain things that had been happening.”

Kayla looks down at her right hand, raising it up as she’s holding the SCW Bombshells World Championship. She takes a deep breath, placing her left hand on the main faceplate and moving her fingers across the nameplate before looking up and forward.

”But, it just goes to show that things that happen now can’t erase the past. The fact is that I needed to fight to get this championship back. And I did. Only to have some old ratchet bitch tell me that I had been handed the championship. Now, before I get into the match with Crystal and before I get into what’s next for me, let me be very clear to Mercedes Vargas about something. I won this championship. I have now won it three times and I have earned it each and every time. You, Mercedes, stole the championship from Crystal. You took it from her and after I beat her, I was denied my moment to hold it above my head and show the world that I was the best. By you.”

“And then after I threatened you at the beginning of the night, you walk up to me, hand me the championship, all while trying to hype your little match against Crystal. Because you actually expect people to give a shit about it. You wanted it to be for the Bombshells World Championship so badly. So badly. But because Crystal couldn’t keep up her end of the bargain, you didn’t get your little dream. You didn’t get to go to Blaze of Glory and defeat her for the Bombshells Championship because I stole your dream. You might even say I killed your dream. And because of that, you think you can stand in front of me and tell me that I was handed this championship? Handed it?”

“Yes, I was. You physically handed me the championship. Much like someone who would be looked at as a ring attendant or a referee would hand the championship to the person who rightfully won it and earned it.”

“And I did earn it. I earned it by beating the hell out of Crystal and taking that championship from her. I earned it by being better than her. Just like I earned that championship time and time again by beating every single woman who is put in front of me, including you, Mercedes. And I will be completely honest, if you hadn’t given me that championship, if you hadn’t done the right thing, then I would have found you and I would’ve destroyed you. And then I would have physically taken that championship back.”


Taylor grinds her teeth together and gets to her feet, throwing the championship over her shoulder and adjusting it before taking a step forward. Her long hair is tied back in a high ponytail, flowing down a black leather jacket.

”Now, just in case you people have forgotten what you are going to be dealing with, let me remind you of what has happened every single other time that I have been the Bombshells World Champion. I have dominated and beaten everybody that they have put me in the ring with. I have broken records and been one of, if not the most dominant champion this company has ever seen. And unlike other champions, I have stayed. I have stayed and I have stuck around. And as your Bombshells World Champion, I will make damn sure that this championship is not viewed as an afterthought ever again. And that’s what it became when Crystal was holding it. It was an afterthought.

“It was placed behind family drama that nobody gave a shit about. It was placed behind an issue between Mercedes Vargas and Crystal that we have seen time and time again because apparently these two just can’t stop getting in each other’s way. And we were supposed to get excited about this? We were supposed to think it was great that Mercedes turned on Crystal and we were going to get these two beating the shit out of each other for the 100th time in a Japanese death match? After they had just made a mockery of the Bombshells Championship in that ridiculous tag team match with two women who should never get anywhere near it?”

“I had to beat Crystal. I had to beat her and take the Bombshells Championship from her because it was the only way I could guarantee its safety. It was the only way I could guarantee that the championship was not going to keep on being laughed at and called a joke. That it was not going to continue being the laughing stock of the professional wrestling world, which is what they all made it. And now that I have Crystal and Mercedes in my rearview mirror, now I get to go on to right a wrong and face Frankie Holliday and defend this championship against her.”


Kayla chuckles and pats the championship as it sits on her shoulder. She then clears her throat before continuing, focusing instead on her next match.

”But, before I go into Blaze of Glory and defend my championship against Frankie Holliday, I have to turn up and go one on one with Cassie Wolfe….”

“Wow…..”

“Every excite…”

“Much hype…”

“I’m being facetious…”

“And it just occurred to me that a lot of you who are going to be watching this promo have no idea what that word means. So let me put it this way. A bitch. I’m being a bitch. I’m not excited or happy about facing this woman. For a multitude of reasons, one of which being I really only enjoy matches when I’m being challenged. That seems to be a common misconception about me, that I enjoy punching down and beating the living hell out of women who are not as good as me. My name is not Alexandra Calaway….”

“I enjoy a challenge. I enjoy going into a match and having no clue whether or not I’m going to win because the person standing across from me is just as good as me. Now, I understand that can sometimes be a bit of a problem considering there are not a lot of women on the roster or in the professional wrestling world who are as good as me. Believe me, I know that. But Cassie, you are so beneath my level. I wonder if you and I are even in the same business.”


She pauses for a moment and folds her arms over her chest, taking a sharp inhale before taking the Bombshells World Championship off her shoulder and looking at it before turning it toward the camera.

”You see this, Cassie? I mean, of course you do. You have probably been watching it and looking at it from afar, knowing that you are never going to hold it. I’m sure there is part of you that thinks maybe one day you can. Maybe one day, Cassie, you can defy the odds and you can shock the world and become the Bombshells World Champion. I mean, if you don’t have that dream, there would be something very, very wrong with you. But the sad fact is that in this kind of situation, all it is is a dream.”

“We all have them. Dreams. Everyone has things that they want to accomplish, things that might feel out of reach but they know that they can overcome the obstacles and accomplish them. The funny thing about dreams is that not all of them come true. In fact, barely any of them do. For someone like me, dreams are attainable. For someone like you? You need to bring your dreams down to match your talent. And you have, in a way.”

“You are the number one contender for the SCW Roulette Championship.”

“Congrats… really, that is the perfect position for you. A mid-level championship that you can win by taking out one of the most insufferable legends that this business has ever seen. And deep down, I’m rooting for you, Cassie. I want to see you take that championship from Alicia and hold it over your head because that blonde bitch is an insufferable bore…”


She chuckles again.

”But, while I am cheering for you to become the Roulette Champion, I have to be completely honest and burst your bubble. You are still going to be getting in the ring with me. You are still getting in the ring with someone who is far superior to you and has the record and the championship to prove it. You can count the women who have been able to beat me on one hand. And do you know how many of those women kept that win over me? Do you know how many of them were able to escape before I ended up beating them and embarrassing them? One. Because she ran. Like a bitch.”

“Your chances don’t look good. And I know what you’re thinking. It’s the same thing that you are probably going to say to the world. You’re going to shout to the heavens that you are going to shock the world and beat me and that I’m all ego and you are good enough and you’re going to prove it. That you need the momentum to go into the Roulette Championship match at Blaze of Glory so you can take that championship off Alicia and prove how great you are. That you are the pride of Australia. Well, if you want to be the pride of a continent that was founded by a bunch of filthy convicts and thieves, you go right ahead, Cassie. You go right ahead. I have lofty expectations. I have goals that I want to accomplish.”

“And while a loss to you would not end those goals or dreams, they would certainly put a small speed bump in front of me.”

“So, what am I to do with you? You don’t mean enough to me to have me want to destroy you. You’re not like Frankie and you’re not like Crystal, women that I have a vested interest in breaking. You are just a professional wrestler going about your life and trying to live your dreams. As a person, I don’t find you offensive to my sensibilities. As a human being, I don’t dislike you. In fact, I barely know enough about you to want to dislike you. But you are still in my way. I want to become one of the most dominant human beings that this business has ever seen, and while I have come a long way to accomplishing that dream and that goal, you are still in a position where you could disrupt my flow and my momentum going into my match with Frankie Holliday. So to keep myself where I need to be, I have to beat you. And I have to beat you in dominant fashion.”

“I can, however, say one thing. This is definitely, positively not personal. Only certain people get that side of me. That personal side where I want to destroy them. Crystal is one of those women. Mercedes Vargas would be one of those women. Frankie Holliday is going to be one of those women. But you, Cassie? I don’t give enough of a shit about you to let it get personal. So this is just business, and my business is being the best. And sister, business is booming.”
38
Climax Control Roleplays / ENDEAVOR LXXVII
« Last post by Mercedes Vargas on February 17, 2026, 01:56:38 PM »
Almighty Fire
semana del 15 de 22 de febrero de 2026

You ever notice how life has a funny way of circling back to the same drama, just with louder music and more pyrotechnics? Misma energía, diferente escenario. And right now, I’m walking right into a match that’s got all the makings of chaos—and honestly, I’m here for it.

Because let’s not pretend this is “just another tag match.” This isn’t some random Tuesday on the Bombshells Division calendar. No, no, no, cariño. This is three Zdunich women—tres generaciones de drama—and me... plus my two favorite pieces of controlled destruction, Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister, the Metal Maniacs.

Mi escuadrón de puro acero.

That alone? That’s combustible.

Crystal Zdunich has been in my orbit for what feels like an eternity. Every time I think I’ve seen every version of her—every persona, every breakdown, every so-called redemption—she reinvents herself... or tries to. But every new act ends the same way: con lágrimas, con excusas, con Crystal jugando victimita.

And she thinks she’s finally found redemption now she has her “familia” behind her? Please.

Zenna. Seleana.

Oh, qué lindo, una telenovela en el ring. Wife and sister-in-law standing side by side, like a little Hallmark movie about unity and love conquering all. Except love doesn’t win in this business. Hunger does. Rage does. Pride does.

And Mercedes Vargas? Siempre tengo hambre.

See, this match might be labeled a six-woman tag, but don’t let the numbers confuse you. There’s one story burning at the center of all this: me and Crystal.

Because come Blaze of Glory, it’s just us—in a Japanese Death Match. No rules. No mercy. No place to hide behind Zenna or Seleana.

So this match? It’s not a warm-up. It’s a message.

The Metal Maniacs don’t do “warm-ups.” They sharpen the knives before dinner.

Iron Maiden breathes violence like it’s oxygen. Twisted Sister doesn’t smile—she bares teeth. Together, they don’t just fight—they consume. And me? I don’t stop them. I conduct them.

You, Crystal, you’re walking into that ring thinking family will save you. That maybe, surrounded by people who share your name, you can bully the chaos back into order. But family isn’t armor when they’re bleeding too. Los lazos no salvan—te hunden juntos.

Let’s talk legacy, because I know that’s your favorite bedtime story, Crystal.

You love to remind people you’re this Hollywood icon, the bright light that shines wherever she goes. You sell the idea of the Zdunich “brand”—como si fuera una empresa, un logo, una revista entera de vanidad. But the truth? You built a house of mirrors and convinced yourself it’s a kingdom.

And then there’s me.

I didn’t need the flashing lights, the camera crews, ni los titulares. What I have is a résumé written in bruises and victories. Cada golpe, cada caída, cada título ganado a puro coraje.

I’ve been here from day one. I’ve outlasted legends, survivors, princesses, and pretenders. And in two weeks, when Blaze of Glory hits, I’m showing the world why my name still commands respect after all these years.

But first—we do this tag match.

It’s funny how you’ve all come together again, the Zdunich Collective, pretending everything’s fine after every meltdown, every betrayal, every “reunion” that lasts about two matches. You’re not family fighting for love—you’re family fighting for validation.

And that? Eso es tu error fatal.

I’ve been told I don’t “play well with others.” Maybe that’s true. But when I do? When I find partners who match my chaos, mi intensidad—eso sí que es espectáculo.

Iron Maiden doesn’t talk much. She doesn’t have to. There’s something surgical about her pain—precise, methodical. Twisted Sister? She’s the storm. Unpredictable. That laugh in the middle of a mauling—it’s not nerves; it’s devotion.

Together, they’re everything the Zdunich trio isn’t: unified through violence, not vanity. Real through pain, not PR.

And me? I’m the anchor. The strategist. The one who reminds them this isn’t about anger—it’s about legacy.

Crystal’s fighting to prove she still belongs. Zenna’s fighting because she doesn’t know who she is without Crystal telling her what to feel. Seleana? Always stuck between loyalty and self-worth.

Meanwhile, we’re fighting to win. Simple as that. La diferencia está clara.

You ever wonder why Crystal hates me so much?

It’s not just the losses—though there have been few and far between. It’s that I remind her of every truth she tries to bury. Every time she changes her gimmick, every reinvention she forces, every speech about “new beginnings,” I’m there. Like a ghost. A record she can’t scratch clean. And fun fact, Crystal Zdunich is the one who brought me to SCW in the first place.

Crystal Zdunich, the eternal rebrand, hates permanence. Because when you look at me, you see everything you could never maintain. Consistency. Power. Fear.

And in this business, fear isn’t weakness—it’s currency.

You spend your career begging for acceptance, Crystal. I spend mine making people remember my name.

So when I walk into that ring this weekend—when Mercedes Vargas, Iron Maiden, and Twisted Sister step through those ropes—we’re not coming to “entertain.” Estamos aquí para dejar cicatrices.

Let’s not forget what this match really exposes.

Seleana, siempre la pacificadora. Always trying to make peace. You’ll fight hard, you’ll take the hits, but when push comes to shove, you’ll hesitate. And hesitation in the ring is death.

Zenna—“The Tiger.” You’ve got fire, yes. But wildfires burn out fast. You burn bright until Crystal’s shadow smothers you again.

And Crystal herself? You can wrap yourself in your family all you want, mamita. You’re still standing across the ring from me.

I don’t need to scream la “futura leyenda.” I am the legacy. La historia viva de SCW. And believe it or not, whether you like it or not, my chapter runs through yours—one more broken idol on my road.

So by all means, come swinging. Bring the family. Bring the tears. Bring the noise. Because when the bell rings, I’ll bring the ending.

You think love makes you strong, Crystal? Love makes you hesitate. It makes you look back. I don’t. I move forward — siempre con sangre en las manos. That’s the difference between a Zdunich and a Vargas: you pray for redemption, I collect it.

Blaze of Glory isn’t a chance for your comeback — it’s your burial. Bring your wife, bring your sister-in-law, bring your excuses. Yo traigo el fin.

And that, Crystal, is where our stories diverge — yours ends where mine begins.

This Six Bombshell Tag isn’t about balance or teamwork—it’s about previewing pain.

Mercedes Vargas and the Metal Maniacs aren’t just partners—we’re prophecy. We’re the reminder that chaos can be graceful, destruction can be deliberate, and dominance can be inevitable.

Crystal, Zenna, Seleana—by the time the dust settles, you won’t just remember what happened. You’ll feel it. You’ll wake up the next morning and smell the iron from the blood in the air, and you’ll realize—this was never your story.

It was mine all along.

Nos vemos, muñeca.

Blaze of Glory is around the corner. And when it’s over, maybe—just maybe—you’ll finally learn why always wins.

You’ll call it cruelty. I call it closure.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. And may the odds be ever in your favor.


~~~

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – MORNING

[A wide shot of the marina. Gulls swoop overhead. The Floating Penalty Box gleams in the sunlight — half tugboat, half seaside café, all personality. Its faded hockey pennant flaps beside the hand-painted sign: “Eat, Float, Repeat.”

Inside, the gentle pitch of waves rocks hanging lamps shaped like fishbowls. A swirl of light filters through paper lanterns. Paint jars, brushes, and half-empty oat-milk cartons cover every tabletop. The seaside local now looks more like an art studio than a restaurant.

At the counter, Irma arranges brushes in chipped mugs on the main deck’s bar-top. Her bright scarf is speckled with acrylic splatters.]

IRMA
We have just enough cadmium red for passion, cobalt blue for tranquility— and whatever this color is for chaos.

[Irma lifts a murky brown jar. Hugo leans on a railing, eyebrow raised, polishing glasses.]

HUGO
Chaos always looks like that. Smells like it too.

[He crinkles his nose.]

[Mercedes enters, brisk, carrying pastries in one arm, phone pressed to her ear.]

MERCEDES
Tell Tomas the delivery’s late— again— and no, we’re not painting “existential despair in latte foam.”

[She hangs up, dropping almond croissants on the counter.]

MERCEDES
Okay, boss— what’s this about turning the restaurant into kindergarten art class?

IRMA
Community outreach! “The Joy of Painting, Sponsored by The Floating Penalty Box.” You’d be surprised what creativity does for business.

HUGO
Unless they spill paint on your espresso machine.

IRMA
Oh, ye of little imagination.

MERCEDES
Tomas just found six rusted buckets labeled “premium sea blue.” If that’s not on brand, I don’t know what is.

IRMA
Perfect! Upcycling, ocean edition.

Mercedes eyes the color suspiciously.

MERCEDES
It’s also the exact color of questionable seafood.

EXT. UPPER DECK – LATER

[A lively mix of locals and tourists gathers on deck, aprons fluttering in the sea breeze, canvases propped on crates and easels secured with bungee cords. The boat rocks gently beneath them, and Irma floats through the scene like a cruise director turned maestro, her energy contagious.]

IRMA
Remember, folks—let the sea move your hand. Flow with the waves!

[A swell hits. The crowd collectively sways. Irma waves her brush with theatrical flair, accidentally flicking a droplet of yellow across Mercedes’ sleeve. A tourist laughs nervously.]

MERCEDES
My inspiration is whispering “hazard pay.”

[Hugo ducks out of the galley holding mugs of coffee that slosh dangerously.]

HUGO
Next time, let’s host a sculpting class—clay doesn’t tip overboard.

[Tomas hustles out with extra towels, face flushed.]

TOMAS
The local paper’s here! They want photos of “art meets caffeine.”

[Mercedes straightens her jacket, instantly camera-ready. Irma poses mid-brush stroke. The camera zooms. A pelican screeches overhead — then snatches a rag off the table. The crowd gasps and laughs.]

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – AFTERNOON

[The restaurant hums like a gallery. Pairs of painted hands lift steaming mugs. Jazz filters softly over the speakers. At the center, Irma’s workshop glows— until a screech of panic shatters it.]

PATRON #1 (offscreen)
Where’s the paint set?

[Irma spins, scanning the table. Brushes knocked aside. The prized box of paints— gone.]

IRMA
Gone? No, it can’t be— I organized by color temperature!

[Mercedes leans over the counter, unimpressed.]

MERCEDES
Who steals paint?

HUGO
Someone with poor impulse control and great taste in pigments.

[They look toward the door as rain begins drumming on the glass.]

MONTAGE – “THE SEARCH”

[Tomas lifting tablecloths, muttering “Nothing but crumbs.” Mercedes interrogating a teen with splattered hands (“You sure that’s juice?”). Irma asking the barista’s cat for clues (“Whiskers, be a hero.”) Music rises—something jazzy and chaotic. By evening, the patrons have vanished. The room looks barren; the creative energy drained away with the missing paints.

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – EARLY EVENING

[Rain outside turns everything gray. Irma sits disheartened, chin propped on her hands. Hugo scrolls through his phone, timing how long until closing.]

MERCEDES
Okay, so we’re out fifty bucks in paint, three towels, and half a dozen croissants. Not catastrophic.

IRMA
It’s not about the paint, Mercedes. Everyone left. The moment something went wrong— they bailed.

[She glances at the empty canvases leaning against the wall.]

HUGO
Welcome to modern commitment levels.

[Irma rises. Her expression hardens.]

IRMA
No. We don’t give up. We improvise.

[She moves behind the counter, pulling jars and filters, her energy reigniting.]

INT. THE FLOATING PENALTY BOX – NIGHT

[A storm rages outside. Inside, Irma has transformed the café into an art party. The lights dim. Jazz plays louder.

She dumps used coffee grounds into bowls. Steam rises, earthy and strange. Tomas adds food coloring. Mercedes raises a brow.]

MERCEDES
Your optimism is exhausting.

IRMA
My optimism pays rent.

HUGO
Barely.

MERCEDES
Coffee grounds instead of paint?

IRMA
Pigment is pigment. And coffee’s a mural in waiting.

HUGO
I’ll pretend that makes sense.

[The door jingles—two patrons peek in, curious. Then another. Word spreads fast. Within minutes, the café fills again—locals laughing, dipping brushes into makeshift “paint,” smearing dark sienna streaks across recycled paper cups. The atmosphere turns electric.

MONTAGE – “THE SECOND WAVE”

A little girl paints her dog with a spoon dipped in espresso. Mercedes joins reluctantly, painting perfectly straight lines that look oddly corporate. Hugo sketches a self-portrait labeled “Overcaffeinated but Surviving. ”Tomas live-streams with shaky narration: “Breaking news—creativity refuses to die.”Irma floats through, radiant.

EXT. MAIN DECK – LATE NIGHT

[Every surface brims with makeshift art—coffee-ink streaks, napkin collages, even a “sculpture” made from pastry wrappers. The crew surveys their chaos.]

MERCEDES
If the health inspector walks in, we’re done.

TOMAS
But— it’s kind of beautiful.

[Irma grips a coffee cup, the rim stained umber.]

IRMA
We turned nothing into something. Maybe that’s the real art.

HUGO
So... is the thief forgiven?

IRMA
Let’s call them an unlikely collaborator. They laugh. The café glows in the amber light.

INT. CAFÉ LUNA – DAWN (NEXT MORNING)

[Sunlight seeps over the counter. The “art show” remains untouched. Irma tidies slowly, humming. Mercedes enters behind her, holding a plastic grocery bag.]

MERCEDES
Guess what showed up in the alley.

[She sets the missing paint box on the counter. A neon sticky note attached reads: “Sorry. Needed color more than coffee.”Irma traces her fingers over the note, smiling faintly.]

IRMA
They needed a little joy too.

HUGO (sleepy)
Now they have guilt-flavored joy. Best kind. They share a quiet laugh.

EXT. MAIN DECK – MIDDAY

[A few passersby stop to look. The café now displays the workshop’s creations on the patio—coffee-stained masterpieces clipped to string lights. Handwritten banner above: “Art Needs No Permission.” Irma steps outside with a cup of black coffee, breathing in the morning air. Mercedes joins her, arms crossed, feigning annoyance.]

MERCEDES
I admit… this might’ve been good for business.

IRMA
You mean the sales or the soul?

[Mercedes smirks.]

MERCEDES
Both. But next time, we charge admission for “creative accidents.”

IRMA
Deal. I’ll add it to the workshop flyer—‘Chaos included, optimism guaranteed.’ They clink coffee cups like champagne glasses.

EXT. MAIN DECK – EVENING

[Another quiet jazz track hums. The day’s rush has faded. Irma places the recovered paints on the shelf, labeled neatly once again. Hugo flips the “Closed” sign, humming off-key.]

TOMAS
You realize, Irma’s optimism basically saved the day.

HUGO
Saved, maybe. But it also guaranteed none of us get an early night.

MERCEDES
It’s leadership, Hugo. Comes with seasalt fringe and caffeine.

[Irma looks up from the counter, smiling.]

IRMA
Resourcefulness in chaos. I’ll take that as a compliment.

HUGO
You should. You’ve turned my sarcasm into company policy.

MERCEDES
We should do another class next week. Paint with wind.

HUGO
No wind, no water, no fire, no inventing new elements.

[Irma grins mischievously.]

IRMA
Just optimism, then.

HUGO
That’s the most volatile one.

[They burst into laughter as the lights dim, the café glowing through the window—warm, messy, absolutely alive. Outside, rain glistens on the street. A lone figure in a hoodie walks past The Floating Penalty Box's window—pausing to gaze at the hanging art. They pull a single tube of cobalt blue from their pocket and slip it into the café’s mail slot. Inside, the jazz continues—smooth and mellow.]

FADE OUT.

~~~

Present Day ♦ E V E R E T T • W A S H I N G T O N

[REC•]

Scene Location: APEX Everett's DogTown murals, APEX Art and Cultural Center

[Camera pans across APEX Everett's DogTown murals — vibrant graffiti exploding in neon pinks, blues, and yellows against weathered brick. The lens pans slowly before settling on Mercedes Vargas standing dead center, hands on her hips, the glint of her championship belts behind her. No mic. No crowd. Just the echoes of wind, distant cars, and the sound of her boots hitting the concrete as she starts speaking directly to the camera.]

“Welcome to Everett, Washington — a graffiti paradise, a playground for artists, and this weekend, the launchpad for Zdunich annihilation. Look around. These murals have more life and color than Crystal Zdunich’s entire career since her so-called peak in 2018. They actually mean something, and they'll still be standing long after the Zdunich family fades into obscurity.

"I’m standing where people come to capture perfection, and that’s fitting, because I personify it. I’m not here for photo ops. I don’t need filters or cutesy captions. I am the headline, the story every Bombshell wishes she could tell but never will. I am the legacy that built Sin City Wrestling’s women’s division from the ground up."

[She runs her hand across the paint-splattered wall, then turns back, smirking.]

“This weekend at Climax Control 450? The Zdunich family circus comes to town, and I'm all here for it. The Zdunichs. The supposed dynasty. The family that believes a shared last name can make up for a lack of talent. Crystal, Zenna, Seleana—you’re walking into Climax Control 450 against a team that defines power. Myself, Iron Maiden, and Twisted Sister are not opponents. We are inevitability. I've buried better than your whole family tree — and with Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister, your little reunion ends Sunday night."

[A smirk pulls across her lips as she begins to circle slowly, the camera following her movements.]

"Crystal Zdunich, let’s start with you. You’re professional wrestling’s midlife crisis in motion. Thought you were hot shit? I've had your number lately, and Sunday? I bury you again. I’ve beaten you everywhere that matters — in your prime, in your decline, and now again at your expiration date. You’ve spent more time talking about your glory days than actually creating new ones… right up until Kayla Richards ended your ‘magical’ title run two weeks ago. You’ve got nothing left but excuses, backstage drama, and fake confidence.”

“Zenna, if you’re the one meant to carry the Zdunich name forward, you’re doing a terrific job of proving why the line needs to end. Barely a month in, and your career is already a flicker. You’re living on borrowed relevance, clinging to your sister-in-law’s reputation while your own fades faster than a cheap tattoo. All hype, no bite. You want attention? You’ll get it, but not the kind you want. On Sunday, Twisted Sister breaks what little hype you have left, and I’ll make sure your family watches every second. The only thing you’ll be carrying after that is disappointment.”

And Seleana? Sweet, loyal, predictable Seleana  — the human shield. The one they throw in when things get rough."

[Her tone softens for half a beat — cold, mocking sympathy.]

"The 'consolation prize' Crystal settled for after every other marriage imploded. Kind of like your SCW career.

[She steps closer, intense glare locking onto the camera.]

“I beat you two weeks ago. At Climax Control 450, you're finished.”

"This year's been rough already, but that downward spiral isn’t slowing. Let’s be honest. You exist so Crystal doesn’t have to lose clean. You’re the cushion she lands on when her reputation falls apart. On Sunday, Iron Maiden and Twisted Sister won’t even need me to finish the job—you’ll fold under pressure, and I’ll be waiting to seal the final pin just to make it official. You want to serve your family? Then you’ll end exactly the way you’ve lived: as a lesson in sacrifice.”

[She pauses beneath the mural skull behind her as the camera tightens into a waist-up shot. The afternoon light fades, her expression turning to stone.]

"And all of you, collectively? You really think you can stand toe-to-toe with the Metal Maniacs? Iron Maiden doesn’t need to talk—her actions crush enough skulls on their own. Twisted Sister has power you can’t prepare for. And me? I’m the woman who rewrote the playbook on what success looks like in this company. On Sunday, we’re not walking into a match — we’re walking in to dismantle a family. The Zdunich legacy ends in one night."

[She stops pacing, jabs a finger at the camera, voice dripping venom as she kicks a crate past a massive mural skull.]

"Crystal, Zenna, Seleana... the three of you are stepping into the ring with the G.O.A.T., and when I tell you your legacy ends in Everett, I mean it.”

[She kicks a crate, paces past a massive mural skull, voice rising over wind.]

“This graffiti? Permanent. My legacy? Eternal. Your family reunion? Canceled.”

[She stops dead, venomous glare fixed on the lens. Calm, steady, dangerous, she points directly at the camera as her voice drops to a cold murmur.]

“Your family reunion ends where I stand.”

[A small laugh escapes her lips as she steps closer, eyes burning into the lens.]

“You can paint over these walls all you want, but you can’t paint over what happens next. When the dust settles, all that’s left is the legacy of Mercedes Vargas, the woman who doesn’t just beat history — she rewrites it.”

[Mercedes turns away, adjusts her jacket, and throws one last look back over her shoulder before walking off toward the echoing hallway of APEX Everett. The shot holds steady on the wall — a perfect blend of color, arrogance, and finality — before fading to black.]
39
Climax Control Archives / Liam's path to get Anthrex
« Last post by Liam Davis on February 14, 2026, 12:00:53 AM »
Jacksonville, Florida. Friday 6th February. (Off-Camera)

Liam had to come down and visit because he was told to go to the jungle and discover something bigger that was solely only for him to go. Other police officers were going to go to visit the place, but the message they saw on the tree that Liam Davis had to go there. Although it might be a case for murder, this was not one of those times as it happened to be that his known people that wanted to kill him weren't known to be at the park.

But rather a professional wrestler which was a new one and explained why he had to come. So it was going to be a rather short investigation for Liam who had to come and visit, compared to the other criminals he had to deal with so he took a couple of pictures of a wooden head being covered with blood and then he picked up a letter saying Liam Davis. But before he opens it, he then goes to pick up the post it note that says only for Liam Davis.

Liam Davis: “What is going on here?”

There was small signs about who the guy was as there was small amount of paint that looked like what a clown would use and he scratches his chin as it was itchy and Liam took pictures of the paint, but there was a glaring object that was clear as day, there was a horn that clowns would usually use as he took pictures of that as well.

He knew he had to open that letter which he did and it stated that it is indeed as he suspected that it was a wrestler as there was clown paint and it stated I'm glad you've finally come here to discover the killings I've been doing on the fake doll here that looks exactly like you. I hope you enjoy because we're going to be facing at the next Supershow in a match. Enjoy. Anthrax”

Liam Davis: “That bastard. I will get my hands on him, even if he scares the shit out of me because worst of all, he looks like the exact same killer that wants my head. That's why I've been off my game lately. I need to face my fears to face him, but I know I got to face an opponent I don't know anything about. I better get back to my office and tell people not to come in.”

Liam was clearly for the first time very shaky, knowing that he has to face his fears if he was going to tackle the other major crime he had to deal with as he went back to the police office and just told everyone to leave him alone. Giving time to breathe for himself.

-------------

You're done for Anthrex police video diary.

“I know I'm facing against Ciarán Doyle, but I feel sorry that I wont care what he has to say in regards to me and I know he's beaten some top wrestlers or come close to at least so I know he's a threat so I'm not stupid, but I'm sorry that you're selected as my opponent because this beat down I'm going to give to you, isn't for you. Rather I'll send a message directly to Anthrex who wants to fuck around with my studies on a crime I'm trying to solve, but that little shit wants to get involved and forcing me to confront him.

I'm not going to waste much time because I know you're going to say so much crap about me and my abilities and I'm not going to make excuses for my lack of efforts in my other matches that I clearly should've won, but I've been distracted lets say, but I've always put my thoughts out there that I want to use you as a guy to send a direct message. Yeah, you're an accomplished wrestler, but this cop is so pissed off that he wants to destroy you and not for reasons you've done.

More that Anthrex wants to cross my path at the job I work at and using you as a govenment mule beat down and that's what I'm going to do to you tomorrow night and that's all I'm going to say because I don't really give a damn enough to shit talk everything you've said and done to other wrestlers, especially that you're still pretty new here.
40
Climax Control Archives / Showed My Whole Arse
« Last post by LJKasey on February 13, 2026, 11:50:18 PM »
Showed My Whole Arse
Boyd School of Law
Las Vegas, Nevada

Law school did not care that LJ Kasey had weaponized his own bare arse on national television. That became painfully clear the second he walked into class.

“Oi, cheeks!” someone stage-whispered from the back row.

LJ didn’t even break stride. He just adjusted the strap of his backpack and slid into his seat like nothing had happened and broke into a smile.

Another voice chimed in, "Was that...strategy? Or just vibes to screw with Hendrix?”

“Your Honour,” Marcus leaned over dramatically, “The defense would like to enter Exhibit A: Kasey’s Ass. It was very clearly premeditated.”

LJ finally looked up, deadpan, "If I hear the word Exhibit one more time, I’m suing everyone in this room for emotional distress.”

That only made it worse, someone mimed applause. Someone else muttered ‘cheeky bastard’ just loud enough to be heard that caused a fit of giggles. A girl two rows over turned around and grinned.

“Respectfully,” she said, “I will never unsee that. In fact, I threatened my boyfriend to make it my screensaver on my phone when he argued with me this week.”

“Respectfully,” LJ replied, “That sounds like a you problem. But tell ya what, if ”

Laughter rippled through the room, the kind that felt more fond than mocking. It wasn’t meant to be cruel. It was law-school bonding by way of humiliation, and somehow, LJ had become the center of it. He caught Marcus watching him with an amused smirk.

“You good?” Marcus asked quietly.

“Yeah,” LJ said, flipping open his notebook, "Honestly? If that’s the worst thing I do this semester, I’m absolutely smashing it.”

Marcus laughed, then hesitated, "For what it’s worth, bud...that took guts.”

LJ glanced at him, "Mate, I showed my arse on live TV. Guts were the least exposed thing.”

Marcus shook his head, still smiling, "Nah. You knew exactly what you were doing. You rattled Hendrix without laying a hand on him. That’s....kind of brilliant.”

LJ paused, pen hovering.

“...You know,” he said after a beat, “Honestly....I didn’t even plan it. I just saw him running his mouth and thought, what’s the dumbest possible distraction?”

Marcus snorted, "Weaponized chaos and a tanned ass.”

“Exactly.”

“Well at least the whole world now knows you tan in the nude.”

LJ went to retort but it was at that moment that the professor walked in then, mercifully ending the post-Climax Control roast session, and the room settled into case law and hypotheticals. But LJ could still feel it, the shift. Not just the laughter but there was acceptance.

He wasn’t the wrestler who goes to law school anymore. He was just LJ.

The guy who studied.
The guy who took notes.
The guy who occasionally ruined a veteran’s night by being an absolute menace.

---------

Later That Afternoon
Courtyard Café
Boyd School of Law

LJ was halfway through a sandwich he wasn’t tasting and rereading the same paragraph for the third time when a familiar shadow fell across the table.

“Please tell me you’re not highlighting between mouthfuls,” Miles said, dropping into the chair across from him.

LJ swallowed, "Time management.”

Miles eyed the books, "You look tired.”

“Busy,” LJ corrected, "There’s a difference.”

“Please tell me you’re not studying through lunch,” Miles said, already pulling the chair out.

LJ didn’t look up, "It’s not studying if nothing’s sticking.”

Miles sat anyway, "That sounds worse.”

That finally got LJ to exhale. He dropped the highlighter onto the table and leaned back, rubbing a hand down his face.

“...Mate, I think I fucked up.”

Miles blinked, "Well that certainly escalated quickly. Care to share with your bro?”

“Valentine’s Day,” LJ said flatly.

Oh.

Miles smiled immediately, the knowing kind.

“I haven’t even really thought about it,” LJ admitted, voice low, "Like, at all. Between classes getting back underway, rehab, training, traveling, everything with Hendrix, keeping my head above water JUST BARELY... it just hit me that it’s coming up and I’ve got absolutely nothing.”

Miles raised an eyebrow, "Mate, you just proposed to her.”

“Yeah, which somehow makes this worse,” LJ said, running both hands through his hair, "Because now it can’t just be something. And I don’t want to half-ass it, but I also don’t want to turn it into some big performative thing that I know damn well she’ll hate.”

He looked genuinely stressed now.

“I don’t want her thinking I forgot, or that I don’t care. Or that I’m taking her for granted.”

Miles leaned back, folding his arms, "Alright. Breathe.”

LJ scoffed, "That’s easy for you to say.”

“Funny thing is,” Miles said, “I was in almost the exact same spot on Carter and I’s first Valentine’s Day.”

That made LJ pause, "You?”

“Oh yeah,” Miles said, "I had plans. I made reservations, I was going to take Carter just outside the city to this little farm that you could rent and show his favorite movie with a whole picnic. I had the whole night mapped out.”

“And?” LJ prompted.

“And then Vegas decided to become the Arctic.”

LJ snorted, "Oh no.”

“Yeah, Ice storm hit with a massive amount of wind. A lot of the roads shut down preemptively. The power flickering. My entire plan went straight to hell all within 12 hours.” Miles shrugged, smiling at the memory, "So I panicked a bit. I drove around until I figured it out, I went to the one store and grabbed Carter’s favorite sushi, picked up his favorite flowers from a place that was basically holding together by spite and duct tape...”

LJ was listening now.

“...and we stayed in. Ate on the couch. Watched his favorite movies. There was absolutely no pressure. No spectacle. Just us.”

He met LJ’s eyes.

“Carter still says it’s one of his favorite nights.”

LJ swallowed, "...Because it wasn’t about the plan.”

“No,” Miles said simply, "It was about showing up and showing that I really truly cared.”

LJ looked down at the table, jaw tight, thinking.

“She’s moved her whole life for us,” he said quietly, "Away from Texas. Bringing Ashlyn along. All of it. For me. And I just...”

“You don’t need to outdo that,” Miles cut in gently, "You just need to be present.”

A beat.

“And if it helps,” Miles added, smirking, “Carter kept the handwritten note. I know for a fact that he still has it.”

LJ laughed under his breath, "Of course he does.”

Miles stood, clapping a hand on LJ’s shoulder, "But hey, you’re not late. You’re just busy and human.”

He started to walk off, then paused.

“Oh—and whatever you do?” Miles glanced back, "Don’t overthink it. She said yes because of you, not because you’re perfect.”

LJ watched him go, the tension in his chest finally easing.

He picked his sandwich back up, stared at it for a second... then smirked.

“Alright,” he muttered to himself, "Favorite foods, movies, and not being a dick. I can work with that.”

For the first time all day, the panic loosened its grip. And seemingly for once, the plan didn’t need to be bigger than the moment.

“I would however suggest you find her something nice...” Miles added in.

“She bought me something, didn’t she?” LJ said with a drop in his voice.

Miles didn’t answer right away, "Yeah, I mean...no pressure but..”

LJ sighs loudly, “Ok, well you can give me a lift to the mall then after my last class, because I’ll be damned if I’m fucking this one up.”

-----------------------------

NO ADVANTAGE NECESSARY
Las Vegas – Late Afternoon

The jewelry store was quiet in a way LJ appreciated. There was no blaring music and no sales pitch echoing off marble floors. Which considering the time of year, was legit quite surprising. There was just soft lighting, glass cases, and the faint hum of air conditioning trying its best against the desert heat outside.

LJ stood with his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie, eyes scanning the display in front of him. There was nothing flashy or oversized, that would be way to gaudy in Ally’s taste anyways. He wasn’t here to make a statement to the world. This was for Ally.

Something she could wear every day. Something simple. Something that didn’t scream look at me but still meant I thought about you.

He leaned closer to the glass. There sat a pair of small diamond studs along with a matching thin chain necklace beside them. They were understated, clean and very elegant. In other words, perfect.

Before he could catch the salesman’s attention he felt his phone buzzing. He didn’t need to look to know what it was. Another push notification along with another graphic. Another hype blurb reminding the world that LJ KASEY vs BRAYDEN WILLIAMS was coming up fast.

He exhaled through his nose and finally glanced down after pulling it from his pocket and getting the jist of what it read in the hype.

The Uber popular LJ Kasey.
Third-generation superstar Brayden Williams.
Powder keg. Distractions. Revenge. Chaos.

Blah buh blah buh blah

LJ locked the screen again.

“Figures,” he muttered.

Brayden Williams. If there was ever a guy who had everything handed to him wrapped in opportunity and advantage, it was Brayden. Third generation. Name already etched into the business before he’d even earned his first bruise falling on his ass when he learned how to walk.

LJ had watched the tape and studied the habits between reading his case study work. Brayden was never rushed, never panicked. Never fought uphill unless someone forced him there.

Because someone always cleared the path. Of course he also never managed to get a win since he debuted either. I guess that’s a check in the con box for the ever cocky prick he was about to take on on Sunday.

LJ straightened, eyes flicking back to the jewelry.

That’s what annoyed him the most. Not the talent. Brayden had talent, real talent...sort of. He had amazingly smooth footwork, decent timing. Knack for reading a match and slowing it down until it bent to his will.

But it was always on Brayden’s terms. Clean hands and dirty results that never went well in Brayden’s favor because the poor sap had yet to taste the victory. Check another one in the pro box.

LJ’s jaw tightened slightly, "You’ve never had to fight with nothing,” he said quietly, the words barely leaving his mouth, "That’s the difference.”

He thought about everything swirling around this match. Brandon Hendrix is still looming around especially with what he did last week. He knew damn well that it wasn’t about to go away any time soon. Cheap shots lingering in the air like threats waiting to materialize. The expectation that LJ wouldn’t be able to keep his focus where it needed to be.

Everyone was waiting for him to slip.

That was Brayden’s wheelhouse. Brayden thrived when other people got frustrated. When emotions crept in. When opponents started reacting instead of thinking.

LJ had spent the last year learning how to do the opposite. He’d been jumped, laid out, delayed and doubted. He’d been forced to sit still when all he wanted was to fight back.

That didn’t make him reckless. It made him patient and dangerous.

The sales associate approached, polite and unassuming, "Can I help you with anything?”

LJ nodded once, pointing through the glass, "Those,” he said, "The earrings and the necklace, please.”

She smiled and unlocked the case.

As she lifted them out, LJ’s thoughts stayed locked on Brayden.

Brayden Williams was going to come in trying to dictate pace. Trying to slow things down and trying to bait him into mistakes while keeping one eye on the ramp, one eye on the referee.

LJ wasn’t naïve about that. But Brayden had one fatal flaw, he would more than likely assume LJ needed things to go his way.

LJ didn’t. He’d already learned how to fight without momentum and without protection. Without the benefit of the doubt. He’d learned how to stand in chaos without letting it pull him apart.

The associate placed the items on the counter. LJ looked them over once more and nodded.

“I’ll take them.”

As she rang him up, LJ caught his reflection in the glass, tired eyes, sure, but steady ones. Someone who knew exactly who he was walking into that ring as.

Just him.

He took the small bag when it was handed to him, fingers closing around it with care.

This mattered.

Just like the match did.

He stepped back out into the Vegas afternoon, sunlight hitting his face as the Strip buzzed on without a care in the world.

“Brayden,” he murmured as he walked, voice calm, resolved, "You’re going to try to slow me down. You’re going to try to make this a thinking man’s match where you always have the edge.”

“But here’s the thing. I don’t need the advantage.”

He adjusted the strap of his backpack and disappeared into the crowd.

“I just need you to stand there long enough to realize you’ve never been tested by someone who doesn’t care if the match goes your way.”

“There are no shortcuts. There are no safety nets. And for tonight, despite the fact that I know I have someone breathing down my neck...there are going to be no distractions that matter. Just LJ Kasey, focused, grounded, and walking straight toward the fight...and out to make a statement out of you.”

LJ took a few more steps before stopping, the noise of the Strip rolling past him, cars, voices, life moving forward whether he cared or not. He didn’t turn back. He didn’t need to.

“See, Brayden,” he said quietly, like he was finishing a thought instead of starting a threat, “You’ve spent your whole career waiting for the match to tilt in your favor. Waiting for the crowd to be loud enough, the moment to be right enough, the circumstances to finally line up.”

He shook his head once.

“I don’t need the stars to align. I don’t need the ref distracted. I don’t need someone watching my back.”

His grip tightened on the bag in his hand.

“I’ve fought through worse than nerves and a whole lot worse than pressure. I’ve fought when everything around me was designed to slow me down or take me out completely and the most important thing of it all....I kept moving.”

His voice hardened, not louder, just sharper.

“I mean, for a guy that calls himself a third-generation superstar, you’ve never had to answer the question of who you are when nothing’s handed to you. When there’s no advantage left to lean on. When the match doesn’t care about your name.”

He exhaled slowly.

“You’re about to find out, that I really do not give a fuck about your name. Just like I am not my brother, you are nothing like your family. You have to let go and make your own path but since you can’t get your ass out of the curtain-jerker...I’m just going to make it a point to take some frustrations out on you. But don’t get me wrong, mate...I’m not looking past you. I’m looking to set an example and show that I am not about to be another statistic.”

LJ started walking again, the decision already made.

“Because when that bell rings, I’m not here to out-think you. I’m not here to out-wait you. I’m here to make you fight without the things you’ve always relied on. And that? That was the part Brayden Williams had never learned how to survive. Sunday isn’t about proving I belong, it’s about proving you never did.”


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