The West-Ward Blogicles
Season 3, Entry #10a -- “Ironic Social Blunders”
Ty West has once again settled himself in front of his gopro camera, only this time the look on his face indicates that this is not a typical promo
“Look at what society has been reduced to, all because some college guy said, ‘hey there's gotta be a good way to communicate online’ and the coles notes version is, he started a movement that would actually start to shape the interactions of the younger generations and not in a good way either.”
He inhales deeply.
“Now we have hordes of people with this invincibility complex that think they can say whatever they want without consequences. On the flip side, because we are now exposed to everything and no one has any fear of REAL persecution, we have people that feel it is acceptable to biasedly comment on others thoughts, feelings and beliefs. I am just as guilty of doing this as everyone else. Doesn't make it right.”
He puts a hand to his chest, biting his bottom lip for a second before continuing to speak.
“This has happened to me a lot recently. I have also had people try to accuse me of using my partner as a way up the ladder. No idea how that works though. He didn't interfere in my matches. He didn't bribe the bosses to get me my shots. He sure as help didn't body swipe either. And it hasn't brought me anymore fame than I already had. I am not going to use the cop out excuse of saying there are a lot of jealous people out there. I have no idea why after holding the Roulette title for over a month, they pop out of the woodwork to express these opinions now. Then there are those that claim to be better than others and use past successes to validate themselves, but when confronted back down like the lazy fat cats they are. Why bother commenting about the lack of talent if you are done? Just move on.”
His voice has started to raise gradually before his fist comes down on the table, shaking the camera. He then once again takes a breath to steady himself and his emotions.
“I'm also not going to lie and say that it doesn't bother me either. I fully admit that it does. When you have worked your ass off, fought off depressive thoughts, dealt with your father not only being the world's biggest asshole but then dying without closure, I still managed to climb my way back to where it all began and right the ship. And that is not me using that as an excuse, it just proves that you can't judge anyone by what's on the surface. I still welcome all challengers and never do I say any of them are not worth my time. I have learned a lot in the last year. I also learned not to take life that seriously either.”
He nods his head, gathering more confidence as he goes.
“People want to throw up my wanting to retire in my face, please, be my guest. Failing to come up with relevant material, isn't my problem. Parroting my last two opponents seems like a winning strategy, I mean considering how successful it made them when they were beating me afterall...”
He smirks at his own sarcasm before continuing.
“This isn't a political rally. Getting on a soapbox and calling out the bosses for a booking decision is kinda biting the hand that feeds. And this isn't me trying to start a war or drag up shit. This is just related to the topic at hand. If this was twenty-five years ago, how would this be dealt with? Everyone thinks they are entitled to something without earning it. It's sad. Doesn't seem that long ago that we were so behind technologically does it? I was only a baby, but my trainer, Bliss remembers when cell phones were a luxury not a necessity. Yes, she will kill me for saying that. She's not even that much older than me either. When computers were these large cumbersome things with 8 bit screens.”
He leans forward a bit now.
“It's almost like technology has made us stupid. Removed from us, part of our humanity that allowed us to ‘agree to disagree’. A time when you just let people do their own thing. Sure, we grumbled our opinion over our tv trays of microwavable dinners but no one was hurt. There were no angry arguments or bullying bullshit. We have given those schoolyard bullies a way to chase their victims home and the damage done is irreparable. There are a lot more teen suicides now, isn't there? A lot more people that don't even need to leave the comfort of their living room even to buy groceries or clothing. Everything can be delivered to your house with the click of a mouse button or tap on a smartphone. And this desensitization has made people easily offended. The simplest comment can spark such an uproar and it then leaves you asking, ‘Why did I bother...’”
He continues...
“Sometimes the best solution to those ranters is to just not respond at all. Eventually, they lose interest because you don't give them any power. Again, just seeking validation. I'm aware that this in fact provides said validation by admitting it bothers me, however, I am also standing up without name calling. Without segregation. I call attention to it in hopes that people's morality, no matter how deep down it is buried, somehow rises to the surface to help make a difference. That's why I reply with gifs and memes. Because I know that no matter what I say, it will be twisted into some ridiculous assumption that isn't worth the effort to untangle.
If anyone has an issue, I am not hard to find but don't expect me to yell and scream in response. I won't need to use a gif of the great Robert Downey Jr. Because I can just roll my own eyes.”
And just to prove it, he rolls his own eyes.
“Bliss once gave me the best advice regarding your words, ‘never say anything you aren't willing to back up, even if you don't say it to their face.’ So yes, the people with whom I am talking about are probably angry. All ready to subtweet me with a ridiculous argument or insult. Man, I almost wish for them to come up with some new material...I am aware my subtweets are public. Didn't realize it was so offensive to not agree with someone. I have seen far worse on twitter, believe me. To be honest, I think it was just an excuse for someone else that thinks I am only in this position based on who shares my bed at night. Whether he is a champion or not, has nothing to do with how I feel about him. He knows that. I don't owe a single other person an explanation. And yes, the rumours of his greatness are not exaggerated. And when the day comes that he loses his title, I will still be right by his side. And when the day comes when I lose my championship, he'll be there beside me. That's how a relationship works. The only perks I get are not ones I wish to share publicly and have zero to do with wrestling.”
He gives a wink.
“Glad I could take the time to bring you this little PSA. I hope that it will enlighten a few that took the time to watch, but I expect the subtweets about not being man enough to name people exclusively, which is kinda ironic, don'tcha think?”
***
Off Camera: “Moving Anxiety...”
Wednesday, January 22
Valora West looks anxious as the men bring in the couch. Ty has got the back end and Kristjan barks orders from the front while Aron tries to direct him into the living room of the apartment. He mumbles in Icelandic and judging by the look on his face they are probably not pleasant words in the least. They manage to get the leather monster into place. Not long after, St.John Cross, another friend and future opponent of Ty's carries in two of the kitchen chairs.
“In the nook dear, thank you.”
Valora points him in the right direction as Kristjan and Ty both walk toward her.
“You seem anxious.” Kristjan replies, looking very concerned for the woman he has adopted.
“Oh it's nothing. I am just not a fan of moving.”
Ty nods. “My grandparents moved a lot because my grandfather was in the service.”
It was a new piece of information for Kristjan. Neither member of the West family had mentioned it before. Not one to pry though, he doesn't question any further.
“I wonder what's taking Eff so long...”
As if her name summoned her, Effie Bingham, troll extraordinaire and best friend to Ty appears in the door, her arms full of bags and pizza boxes. Lora rushes over to help.
“Can you believe the dude at the store ID'd me for the beer? He even thought my id was fake. I had to show him my credit card too.”
“You'll appreciate looking young better when you're older. Believe me.”
Valora takes the bags from the young woman and sets them on the counter.
“Right now, I am just tired of being asked if I'm 12. I am going to be 26 in only a few short weeks.”
Everyone stops to look at Effie as if she had two heads.
A smile spreads over Aron's face as the wheels start turning. Effie's eyes go wide
“Oh no, no parties. I hate parties.”
Sin pokes his head out of the kitchen.
“Your birthday is soon? Why didn't you tell me?”
Effie spins to look at the man.
“A woman is not supposed to reveal her age. It takes away her mystery. I only said it due to my annoyance at not looking old enough to purchase some damn beer.”
At once, Sin picks up a few bags and Effie takes the pizza into the kitchen. There are a few moments of awkward silence.
“So Valentine's day should be fun...” Aron offers before looking at K.
“Did you like being stuck in the drawer?”
K’s voice has a hint of anger in the threat. Lora looks alarmed. “Oh dear...”
“I wasn't going to say anything else. I'm not stupid.”
K raises his eyebrows.
“Well...”
Lora sighs before barking, “Boys! I'll have none of that here. My house is neutral.”
The three men remaining in the room all roar into laughter.
“What?”
K whispers something into Aron's ear.
“What did he say?”
Aron smirks again. “He said that you and our mother really are alike.”
“Well I did promise her that I would look out for all of you.”
She looks at Ty too which causes K to let out an aggravated sigh. He grumbles to himself in Icelandic as he exits to grab something else from the truck. Ty quickly follows to help. Aron pats the arm of the confused woman.
“Our mother has grown rather fond of Ty. She threatened harm to K should he hurt him. It annoyed him but I don't think he would ever intentionally hurt Ty anyway. At least not outside a ring.” He smiles, hoping it reassures the older woman. “Trust me, K is just as smitten as Ty.”
He then follows the men out to help.
***
The West-Ward Blogicles
Season 3, Entry #10b -- “Bootlicker”
“I'm boring. Yes it's true. I don't cause shit. I don't call people out backstage or attack people. I just tell the world what I'm going to do and I do it. That apparently not only makes me a “bootlicker” to my partner but also a nobody. A nobody with two titles.”
Ty laughs. Although earlier he had been upset over the confrontations he had experienced over social media, now he seemed to be enjoying mocking those that had no faith in his ability to be a good champion. Ty is currently sitting in front of the camera again, only this time he is bare chested and has the Roulette Unified championship sitting over his shoulder.
“But you know what else I am? I am successful. I do, believe it or not, have an impressive fan base with two fan clubs. And every week, those fans are cheering me on. It may not be a whole arena cheering my name but being popular doesn't determine my ability in that ring. I was lost for a long time, but I had friends that cared. And no, when I lose this title, and I will eventually lose, I am not leaving SCW. I will do what I did before. Climb my way back to the top again. I don't need banners and parades celebrating me. I already have a group of people that care and give me strength in so many ways. That's what really matters. Always has, always will. I am not alone anymore. That is the biggest prize I could ask for, but fortunately for me this match isn't to earn my wolfpack’s respect, it's to determine if I can once again defend my new Unified Roulette championship.”
He pats the title sitting on his shoulder.
“Monk gave me a hell of a fight, but I still came out with my arm raised. And I intend to repeat that process again on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I hold a lot of respect for Travis and Sinjin. They are excellent competitors and they put up one helluva fight at Inception, but that is not going to make me waver in our match. Travis even admitted his head isn't in this. It's a bit of an insult. Not because I am big headed, but because if you decide to be in multiple companies, you have to be good at juggling both. Both need to have the time they deserve. And Sin? I think whatever this shit is with his monk buddies, but his mind is going to be thinking about whether they will be backstage waiting for him. That sucks because this also involves my best friend. Man, if anything happens to her, being in a match with me is the least of your worries.”
His face changes to a very serious straight lipped grimace.
“ But, Triple threats are really a good representation of a game of roulette. There is a significant amount of risk involved. I could lose because of one of the other people in this match slips up and gets pinned or submitted. I am not ready to be the former Roulette champion just yet.”
He nods his head as if everything he has said in the last few days had really opened his eyes.
“I am going to keep proving why I still have this title. And for as much as I respect these two men, I am not going to be an easy fight. I am coming back home with this title.”
He nods his head at the camera before holding his hand up in a non moving wave. The scene goes dark.
***
Off Camera: “Trouble’s Brewing...”
Wednesday, January 23
“That woman is honking again...”
Lora is looking out the front window, down below is Ty's trainer, Kahlan Fischer, known professionally as Bliss. She's laying on the horn, looking impatient with dark armani sunglasses.
Ty grabs his duffle bag and leans in to kiss his aunt's cheek.
“She's impatient. Don't worry Auntie. I will be back tomorrow.”
Lora continues to look down at the beautiful blonde.
“This better not be some extra thing on the side...”
“Auntie! Both of us are in relationships. And besides, I don't look at Kahlan that way... anymore...”
Lora smirks, finally turning away.
“She turned you down.”
“Yup.”
There was no sense in trying to hide it from his Aunt. He smiles before leaving. He comes down the steps and to the passenger side of Bliss' porsche. Ty knew that she loved an opportunity to take it out of storage, since it was not a car equipped for a toddler seat.
She doesn't say a word as she zooms down the street toward the freeway ramp.
“So, is this realtor guy meeting us there?”
Ty recognized that her impatience today was not because of him but because seeing her birth mother was the last thing she wanted. The woman had abandoned her at birth.
“yes.”
She nods. After a few more minutes she speaks again.
“Don't let personal shit get you twisted about this match okay? I know Sin is dating Eff, but inside that ring, there are no friends, only opponents.”
He nods.
“I know Kahlan. I got this. I am not going to let personal feelings get in the way of me keeping this title.”
She pulls out onto the freeway, she picks up speed. Ty noted that she was a little reckless when driving yet never seemed to have an accident or get stopped by the police. She zoomed in between cars until they are in a position where there was a lot of empty road in front of them.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Ty offers but Kahlan shakes her head.
“Nope.”
When they arrive, the realtors car is already there but it is not Ernest Tozier that exits the car, but a beautiful raven haired woman with large pouty lips.
Ty had to take a double take.
“Samantha? Samantha Manolis?”
She smiles as she approaches the pair. Bliss tips up her glasses to appraise the young woman.
“Kah, this is Sam. She was my ummm...”
Samantha steps forward offering her hand.
“Girlfriend. Was a very long time. What? Ten years now Tyler?”
Ty gulps and nods. Bliss then turns to look at him with raised eyebrows.
“How long have you two been together?”
Kahlan bursts out laughing.
“We're not. I'm dating someone, so is Ty...”
Kahlan looks back at Ty who is blushing.
“You are? That's wonderful. I am glad to see you happy.”
Tyler is obviously trying to remain neutral but past memories were flooding his mind. It doesn't change how he felt about K, but this woman was his first everything. It was hard to just brush away the feelings involved with that. Much like K when it came to Joküll, although looking back, Ty doesn't believe it was love he felt for her.
“Are you in a relationship?”
She shakes her head, holding up her bare left hand.
“Nope. Never could find one that measured up.” She quickly changes the subject. “So, my boss got the survey of the land done and there is absolutely nothing holding you back from selling. I will get it listed and keep in touch.”
After what seemed like an eternity of silence she speaks.
“I would love to grab a drink, catch up. Maybe even meet your new squeeze.”
Ty tries to keep calm but Kahlan has to pretend to cough to hide her laugh. Ty offers his hand.
“Oh I think I deserve more than that.” She opens her arms. “Come on, bring it in...”
It's awkward for Ty but he gives her a quick hug. Her hand lingers on his biceps and she smiles widely.
“You are way more buff then I remember. Being an athlete sure has its perks.” She laughs and then, sways her hips, she walks back to her car. Kahlan watches her pull out and gives a fake smile and wave as she honks.
“What the fuck was that?”
Kahlan has turned back to Ty.
“Surprised she didn't pull down your pants and start sucking you off right here...”
Ty sighs as they walk back towards the car.
“She was always quite promiscuous...”
Kahlan barks out another sarcastic laugh.
“The woman is a gold digger. I bet all her boss had to say was athlete and champion and she was on board. Finding out it was someone she fucked previously was just a bonus. Wait till you tell her you're gay now, it will be her personal mission to fuck you straight.”
Ty rolls his eyes as he buckles in. Bliss takes off down the dirt road leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.
“I’m actually Bi...”
Bliss rolls her eyes before replacing the sunglasses over her eyes.
“Once you go dick...”
“What about you, huh? You're dating a woman.”
She smiles and looks over at him.
“Ash is more man then all my exes combined, she doesn't need a dick to make me...”
“Stop. For the love of god, Kah...”
She laughs heartily leaving Ty with a slight pout.
“I can see you and K are going to get along famously.”
Kahlan is still smiling.
“Why's that?”
“You both have a sadistic sense of humour.”
The conversation on a whole has lightened Kahlan's mood and the rest of the trip is tolerable, until they pull up in front of Kahlan's mother's house.
(Continued in Bliss’ RP)
