Nightfall. Stars strewn about the sky. The wind blowing through the trees. The cool, crisp, March air. A tree free of leaves rests close by Ophelia and Alice's apartment building. The bare branches blow close to the building, as we find Alice skipping down the sidewalk in a plaid skirt, white long-sleeved shirt with black tie and knee-high, leather, spiked and chained boots. Her throat is fitted with a spiked collar, and her ravenesque hair is tied into pigtails. She holds a magazine in her hand as she giddily (almost maniacally) skips toward the front door of the complex. Ophelia steps through the front door, with a tiny smile spread across his painted face.

Ophelia: You got it?

Alice: Yip!!! ^_^ RAMPAGE Wrestling Weekly, with the interview you cut with Buster Banks!

Ophelia: Nice. Read it to me, hun.

Alice: Of course. Sit down and listen up, I took a peek and it's WICKED!!!

Ophelia sits down on the porch steps, as Alice sits on his lap and begins to read;

= = = = = =
RAMPAGE
03-07-16
= = = = = =

::Ordinary's Just Not Good Enough Today::

- - -

RWW: Hello sports fans, it's resident Tool of the Trade, Buster Banks here, and I'm with one of the newest, hottest young prospects in the industry, Ophelia McVeigh!

Ophelia: You openly call yourself a tool?

RWW: It's what the Editor in Chief calls me so I run with it, ANYWAY! I hear you're fresh off of a huge tag match in the Xtreme Wrestling Federation, yourself and Chris MacBeth vs Alexis Riot and former XWF World Champ; Trax!

Ophelia: Emphasis on 'former'...

RWW: You four put on one hell of a show, but in the end, it was the team of Trax and Riot that came out victorious. In your XWF debut, you lost to a man by the name of Joey Menos in HIS debut. You were crucified, and I'd have to say, while that may be a huge note for your premiere, it was a sour one, and left the fans qustioning your ability. This follow-up match couldn't possibly help in embedding a strong image of you in the minds of the fans, what do--

Ophelia: Buster, I have a theory. The fans' minds are weak, easily misled and misguided and it takes a fragment of change, not a whole, but a mere FRAGMENT to resituate their beliefs. They're fickle, and that's putting it lightly. I can't rightfully state that I don't care about their opinions, for they, just as the boys and girls in the back as well as the management, play a pivotal role in my mission to reach the masses... for they ARE the masses, and I intend to reshape every last one of their ideas as it pertains to me, my talents, and my teachings. However? I do not allow them to misdirect my focus. For now, there are things that are much more important than their opinions of what I bring to the table, namely? Focusing on the table itself. For, if I am to feed the hungry, starving minds of these sheep and hypocrites, then I must bring my absolute, 100% best, top-of-the-line ingredients, a meal fit to serve a king. Such as Vinny Lane... who, I believe in my heart of hearts, is a shoe-in to win the upcoming King of XWF tournament. But I digress. ; )

RWW: So you're not worried about your losses so far?

Ophelia: On the contrary, Mr. Banks. I take each loss as a lesson. A lesson in picking myself up, dusting myself off, and putting in twice as much effort the next time. Learning from my mistakes to know what to and NOT to do when I get another shot. This business is a game where only the ready and willing are able to succeed. Bring your best, or drop like the rest, it's been that way since, like, the 20s. Nothing new, and if a man or woman can't deal with it, they're in the wrong industry.

RWW: True, McVeigh--

Ophelia: MISTER McVeigh, to you, Mr. Tool.

RWW: Excuse me, Mr. McVeigh... but it must be upsetting to come into a company and in your first week pick up two losses. Any plan as it regards to how you're going to bounce back from this past week?

Ophelia: I do, for one thing, I have my eyes set on pulling out a victory over Rebel Star at any cost. Our verbal sparring has led to a predicament that can only be settled in the ring. Same goes for Trax. And as for Austin Fernando, my recent attempt to take his Xtreme title may have been in vein, but I'm not giving up. No, there's no quit in me Buster, and somehow, some way, even if I have to use a fucking rocket launcher to obliterate him into a thousand pieces, and then use duct tape to tape his indistinguishable bits and pieces together again just so I can go for the pin... well, believe me, I'll do anything to pick up that Xtreme title.

RWW: Why does it mean so much to you, Ophelia?

Ophelia: Well, in a way, it is the second most sought after title in the company... though, a case could be made for the IC or one of the other secondary straps. But the truth is, B., part of my mission is to capture all of the titles the XWF has to offer. Why? To liberate them, that's why. Simply due to the fact that the only title held by a worthy champion is Vincent's Universal Championship. I want to show this company how a true champion carries himself. Most of the people on the roster have such an elementary grasp on the English language and such juvenile minds that they resort to sentences littered with curse words, not to mention tons of racism, sexism and gay jokes that paint this promotion in the most putrid of ways. If I have to sit through another Peter Gilmour rant about "" or "sucking dick" than I am literally going to stab a knife in that kid's throat.

RWW: ...damn.

Ophelia: Next question.

RWW: The tag titles. If you were given a shot at them, who would you choose as your partner and why?

Ophelia: Well, first of all, anyone but Chris MacBeth. I have no doubt that, had I been partnered with ANYONE on the roster other than him, even Dimmy if he's still kickin' around somewhere, then I'd be 1 to 1 now. Hey, Dim helped Petey to the gold, so there's gotta be somethin' to the guy. Though, I'd have to use a ten foot pole to tag out. There's no way in hell I'm bringing home Dimmy germs. Worse than STDs, trust me. Now, the two 'men', and I use that term in the loosest sense of the word, but Luca and Austin are much more like frat boys than proffessional wrestlers. The sooner they drop those titles, the better. And I'd have to choose Vinny Lane. Thoughhe may have killed a woman once, as Trax said, .... looking around at this field of weeds, I wouldn't doubt the wench deserved it. People bring certain things upon themselves, and I've been told that my whole life. I used to be a whiny, petulent bitch. I grew out of that. This company needs champions. This company needs winners and warriors. To quote a song... "ordinary just isn't good enough today".

RWW: So, exactly how would you describe this 'mission' of yours?

Ophelia: It's simple. I am the strongest advocate of giving into human vice that you will ever find. And that is because I live my life by a rule; Go to the edge, stare into the abyss, and know where to be when the next step presents itself. The Edge of Glory. We can either rest on what's been.... or we can create what is to come. Our past can amount to nothing... or we can present it to the world as the theatrical trailer to the masterpiece that is our life. The life that brews within our innermost hopes, wishes, and dreams. The world is filled with vice. These things can lead us to making mistakes that ruin our futures. OR... they can lead us to the greatest times, the greatest moments in our existence. Uninhibited. Unrestrained. Unrestricted. Unchained. I live my life without shackles, and that is the pure truth I teach. Live for the moment... but make something of it. People cast their judgements upon us, but it is up to us to take those judgements and throw them back in peoples faces, middle finger raised high. "How can you say I go about things the wrong way?" Judge not lest ye be judged, and all that.

RWW: You see yourself as a philosopher then?

Ophelia: Not quite... more of a simple man with a set of ideals. We're never 100% right or wrong. And neither are beliefs. What works for someone at one time, may not at another, or for someone else. This world we live in is not set in stone. It evolves and changes shape on the daily, and in the end, it's up to us to take what we're given and either break down... or make the most of it. The road we travel very rarely leads to two-path forks, but instead, we're met with a dozen different choices. But the thing that brings them all together is the fact that it's up to us to either take one of those paths... Take the Leap... or sit on our hands, and lve in fear of making a move. A chess game is nothing without movement. A meal is nothing without the potpourri set before you. And life is nothing without the ability to make that life your own, and make your own mistakes, your own regrets, but out of these, your own morals, thoughts, beliefs, and everything else that makes us human.

RWW: What do you hope to get out of bringing your message to XWF?

Ophelia: To help people. And if they don't want the help, then I use them as examples. You see, my message is one of obtaining the things we want from life, taught from the perspective of someone who couldn't realize soon enough what this world is about. You can't simply be a decent person and expect to reap the benefits. You can't have a boring, mundane, low-paying job, plug away, toil day in, day out, and expect to move up the ladder. You have to be willing to take a goddamned sledgehammer, bust through the glass ceiling, and cut every mother fucker up there with the shards till you get precisely what you want. Blood, Buster. If you're not spilling it, you damned sure better make sure you're dropping it from every bastard that gets in your way. Naivety is a poison that must be dispelled from our lives. People need to wake up... and quick.

RWW: Well... that souds brutal. And it reminds me... you're Wiccan, correct? You've claimed in the past that that permeates into your career as a wrestler--

Ophelia: It does. I believe whole heartedly that I have the power to shape my career via the powers I've mastered over the years. And my 'kid sister' is just as strong a believer as I am. We actually have Wicca to thank for our meeting one another.

RWW: Which brings up a powerful part of your story; Alice. You refer to eachother as 'little sister' and 'big brother'... do you care to share the story?

Ophelia: Indeed. She is my rock, the apple of my eye. Without her, I'd be blind, she's the glue that holds my fragile psyche together. And by that, I mean if not for her, I would have never put down the knife. She is the golden, luminescent beam of sunshine that lights up my life and points me in the right direction. One nght, long ago, when I was around 17 or so, I was in a mental clnic, a girl by the name of Alice McGee stuck to me like a kitten to their mom, she followed me everywhere I went. She looked up to me. But inside, my mind was waging war with itself, and I couldn't control it... so, one night, I stole a scalpel from the doctor's room and crept into a room by myself to do something I'd never done before... to cut.

Ophelia: All the emotions within struggled to combat the words that zipped through my brain, but it was too much. I cut, and with every cut it seemed as if the pain sent tiny shockwaves through the battlefield, shaking the demons inside to their core, and causing them to battle back twice as viciously. I couldn't do anything but continue to carve into my arm... till a girl's scream came from behind. She had seen what I was doing, and as soon as it dawned upon her, she knew how I was feeling and what I was doing, trying desperately to kill the voices creeping into my ears, nesting, and laying eggs. She knew this wasn't like me at all. A 13 year old Alice came to my rescue, begging for me to put down the scalpel... hugging me, consoling me, speaking quietly, telling me I had more to offer the world, that she knew what I could do, and if I ended it there all of that would go up in smoke...


Ophelia: ...and then, the incantation. "Do no harm unto thee self. Drop the weapon upon the shelf. Leave it be, come to me, your life will be long, return your health." And as if by magic, all those feelings vanished from my mind. I dropped the scalpel, and haven't attempted cutting in four years, ever since she first called me her "bubby". We slowly became closer, always being there for one another when no one else was. All the trials and tribulations we've been through, we could depend upon the other to be right there alongside as we headed into our future...

- - -

At this point, Alice began to tear up, reading to Ophelia. O.M. smiles a tad, knowing exactly how his 'kid sister' felt, taking her into his arms and embracing for a moment.

Ophelia: Thank you, lttle girl... for saving me from myself... you are the most remarkable gal I've ever met. I love you, Alice.

Alice: *her head nuzzled against Ophelia's shoulder softly* Thank you... I love you too...

Ophelia: Let me finish reading, and you just rest your head, okay?

Alice: Okay... Ophelia?

Ophelia: Yes?

Alice: *looks up at Ophelia, whispering quietly* Why do you put up with me?

Ophelia leans in, kisses Alice on the forehead, brushes away a tear, and smiles.

Ophelia: Because, silly. You put up with me.

Ophelia wraps his arm tightly around Alice's shoulder, as he reads the rest of the article.

- - -

RWW: So, you're a witch?

Ophelia: Warlock.

RWW: Of course... do you happen to know that the XWF used to have a few different witches under its employ, not the least of which was a very honored woman by the name of Alexandra Callaway. Do you happen to know the name?

Ophelia: Quite well, actually. She's actually one of my idols. It's kind of akin to a straight edge wrestlng fan looking up to CM Punk or a black person looking up to Trax. Ally paved the way for unordinary people such as myself to enter the world of wrestling and to carve our own niche. Because of her, and many like her, I can come in and not be afraid of people thinking it odd that I practice Wicca. Now... clearly they have a thousand and one other reasons to hate me, but thankfully that's not one of them. I take time before every match to sit, meditate, practice and become one with The Craft. "I am the sun, I am the air." I feel an energy resounding throughout my core every time I step foot through the curtains, whether it be the XWF, the indie circuit, Japan, Mexico, Canada... I bring it with me. It has no zip code. It's all encompassing. It's a field that I take with me everywhere I go, in my mind, my body, my spirit... It's the electricity I run on. It's everything.

RWW: And if it pushes you to win, I'd say it works, regardless of what some may say. This whole thing kind of goes hand in hand with my next question... Your belief system. You speak of Wicca and how it pushes you forward, but you also spoke of "The Truth". What exactly does your definition of 'truth' entail?

Ophelia: In short, because I'm sure you have other places to be and other people to see, is that the world is not as simple as we would hope it to be. It's not so cut and dry. There are not merely polar ends of black and white, but a whole spectrum of gray. Shades of gray. I may write 'heel' on my application, I may play dirty and use cheap tactics, but then again, it is all for the greater good. I'm not like other people, Mr. Banks. I don't submit to the theories most people do. Under my birth name of Icarus Jinx, I grew up in a Catholic home in Utah with two Irish parents. A devote mother and a 'preacher' as a father. But all he preached of amounted to nothing more than a heap of lies. So, I shed the tailored suit of hypocrisy they made for me, I escaped into New York, and began to fend for myself, simply so I could live the life I wanted, instead of the life I was forced into. Everyone has their own truth... but it remains hidden till we remove the chains surrounding it.

RWW: Ok, we're almost out of time, but first, I've just gotta ask two more questions. Firstly, who would you say you look up to the most in the XWF, past or present.

Ophelia: Well, there's several.... Ann Thraxx, for her agenda to buck the norm. Someone who certainly paved the way for freaks like me. If she's back from the dead like so many from XWF, and she just so happens to be reading, a tip of the cap to you, Miss Thraxx. Other than that, the Legendary Sebastian Duke, whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy B-day Sebby, wherever you may be. Tony Santos, Azrael Erebus, Alexandra Callaway, Mystica... and of course, one of the greatest speakers this company has ever known; Eli James the 4th, the man that inspired me in part to take my word to the XWF and reach out to those willing to listen. So thank you Eli for being the trail blazer, but rest assured, not only will I take the balll and run with it, I'll score the winning touchdown. Not only will I take the torch you've passed, but I will engulf the tired ways the XWF has trudged through for years and from the ashes will rise a New Day. Thank you... and good riddance.

RWW: Strong words, Mr. McVeigh... lastly, out of EVERYONE that's ever stepped into an XWF ring, who would be the one man or woman you'd like to square off against?

Ophelia: Reeve Gordon, easy. Rayne is just-- probably the most exceptionally gifted, agile, extremely talented JOKES I've ever seen on a tv screen. Seriously, I just had to throw his name under the bus, all the cool kids are doing it, so I ifigured, why not right? No... hmm. Good question...........
......Shane . The Chairman. The guy is a Hall of Famer, former champion, and if it wasn't for him, the XWF wouldn't still be around. If I should thank ANYONE for paving the way for people like me, it oughta be him, and it is. Shane... thank you, from the bottom of my heart. If the itch ever comes back? You know where to find me.


RWW: Ophelia, thank you for your time, and I wish you the best of luck on turning things around. Take good care of yourself, and tell Alice I said hello!

Ophelia: Sure, as if she cares. Blessed be, you tool.

RWW: Thanks for the compliment!

= = = = =


Ophelia wraps up the article and notices Alice is fast asleep, head resting upon his shoulder. He smiles, stands, holding Alice in his arms. He carries her inside, as the camera slowly zooms into the cover of the magazine, showing a glossy picture of Sebastian Duke with the headline;

"The Bell Tolls; Are You Scared?"

~fade!

If you put this in the Rumors forum, you'd have done it right.

I'm trying really hard to help, man, but it's like you just refuse to pay attention to what you are told.

I see Gunn mentioned specifically that autoplay was okay in 24/7 interactions, so maybe I am wrong on my interpretation. If so, I apologize.

Honestly this one is a gray area for me. I didn't think they were allowed here but someone else mentioned that they were. I definitely don't think they should be allowed anywhere that replies can happen because then you have to scroll up to the top to mute it. But like I said, gray area. Maybe Gladiator will weigh in.

OOC: Sorry if it isn't allowed... lke Gunn said, it's meant to give a feeling, and I thought I chose a couple of good ones, but I don't wanna start any more issues. I honestly thought Tom was right when he said that I could post them in the interaction area... I know it's pretty long, but could one of you let me know if this is any good? I spent a long time on it, and I think it may be my best work with Ophelia... but now that's overshadowed by the vid .-.