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Neville Sinclair · (12-08-2017)

Dec. 8, 1780

Gainsborough had given all that he had to the painting and now sat back looking at it. The King had departed hours prior and Thomas had agonizingly touched up every detail, making sure the portrait was exactly what he wanted it to be. As he stared back at the finished product, he was struck by some of the details he had given it.

The eyes were determined yet human. Staring into them truly felt like you were in the presence of someone watching you alertly, yet not looking directly at you. In many ways, this is what Gainsborough had felt as he sat in the room. The King had barely looked at him directly, yet he felt the alertness of the King noticing everything around him.

His poise was erect and strong. This was one of the things Thomas was able to add to the picture. King George III stood with a strong back, yet looked incredibly human. Anyone having never met him would have been surprised at how human he looked. Gainsborough sought to remove the blurring of lines between Monarch and townsperson. He didn’t want the King to appear human.

His mouth looked like he wanted to say something. This was one of the things Gainsborough had taken away from his time with the King. Every time he looked up and caught the King looking back he wondered if there was something he wanted to say. Mixing that with a stiff upper lip showed the true essence of Thomas’ time with the King.

The emotion Gainsborough felt as he sat back in exhaustion was palpable. He felt a wave of emotions as he knew he was finished. He would submit this to the Royal House tomorrow and wait for feedback. He had no idea if this would lead anywhere, but he felt a strong satisfaction that he had given his best.
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Dec. 8, 2017

[Image: portrait_of_mother_teresa_by_hidemitadajp-db8hngy.jpg]

Neville had moved into a different section of The National Portrait Gallery and now was faced with more modern, famous faces. He saw Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II, Freddy Mercury and more staring back at him.

What struck Neville as he surveyed the faces of great men and women who weren’t born into royalty was how they had earned everything they had gotten. This was the hall of “Working for your own Greatness”, if you could crudely call it that.

It had been an up-and-down year for Neville. He remembered what it felt like to come into the XWF and win the TV Title in only his third match. He remembered what it felt like to strongly knock down every challenger that came into play. The people had called him great, and he relished in the praise and recognition of everyone.

But then the injury happened. Neville remembered what it felt like to be a mere mortal again. He lost everything in that time. The title moved to Bearded War Pig. His Universal Championship shot was taken away. People no longer had him in conversations among the strongest in the federation. People forgot how good Neville could be.

As Neville stared at the faces on the wall, he felt even more determined than ever to get that all back. This was his first match back, and he didn’t plan on losing. This was his first step back to what he had. The only one who stood in his way was Erik Black.

Erik, I’ve been watching you this week and I have to say that, while it kills me to say so, there actually is something about you I admire. You do seem to bring good effort. I can’t knock a man who wants to make this match as good as he can and puts work into training. I’ve seen the work you put in, and it’s made me train harder. But that’s where the admiration ends. In the XWF, they don’t give out medals for “trying hard”. If we started being the wrestling federation that gave out ribbons for 27th place, I don’t think any of us would really want to be here.

One of the things that sets this place apart is that there is actual wrestling nobility here. There are Kings and there are peasants. There are those who have crossed the threshold and now sit as Kings among men here. We know who they are, they’re the ones who hold titles, they’re the ones who sit for a long time as champions because people can’t find ways to beat them. What kills me is when you see someone who doesn’t know their place in the order of things. You see peasants walking as Kings, and they expect everyone to treat them that way.

As I’ve watched you for the past little bit, the tragic nature of who you are comes across that you don’t know your place. What do you think happens when a common person treats a King like a nobody? Usually it doesn’t end too well for that person. What do you think happens when a commoner declares himself a King? He’s either looked at as crazy or locked away as a traitor.

If you’ll allow me to use my final address to you to teach a few things. I think you’ll find that this will be better for you. Maybe some day you can cross that threshold. But not now. And not in a match that means so much to me. Listen up.

Lesson #1 – Don’t Hold Yourself to a Higher Level than you Deserve

One of the things that kills me about listening to you is how fucking delusional you are. There isn’t an ounce of self-awareness in anything you say or do. You argue that others accomplishments mean nothing then proceed to brag on your own. You argue that you’re above the “wrestling game”, that winning championships don’t matter and you just do this to “put asses in seats”. Then you brag that this match will be boring because it will be completely one-sided. Who the fuck do you think you are?

This week, you’ve not only disrespected me, but the entire wrestling establishment as you try to show that you’re above everything we do here. Promos matter, not just to “put asses in seats”, but because it hypes up emotions so people genuinely care about what is happening. Imagine if you had used this match to actually show some human emotion? Imagine if you actually cared enough to put in the right kind of effort, assuming that you are going to have a fight on your hands? Imagine if your own words actually lined up with the effort you were putting into things?

You’ve sure put a lot of effort into a match that you assume is going to be “boring”. And what it shows me is that obviously your words and your actions don’t line up. So why is that the case? Is it because you are certifiably delusional and your brain can’t make the right connections? Is that why there’s a case of “grandeur” going on? Or is it because you’re too dumb to understand that what you’re saying and doing are separate things. Believe me, this is usually the case with most wrestlers.
So believe me, I’m going to enjoy beating the “unbeatable”. I’m going to enjoy making this a “not easy” match for you. I’m going to love taking away an accomplishment that “means nothing”. I’m going to enjoy the match on Saturday.

Neville stares at a portrait of Michael Jackson. He imagined what would have happened with the King of Pop if he talked down all of his accomplishments or treated others like they didn’t matter at all.

Lesson #2 – Don’t Insult the Entire Federation

I wonder if you actually understand what the term "job ber" means. For one, I don’t usually hear wrestlers using that term during in-ring situations. Usually good wrestlers prepare the same for every match whether it be against local wrestlers or superstars within the federation. The term job ber comes from wrestling fans as slang for a match that they know will be one-sided. So I wonder if you actually know what this term means. I’ve never once heard a wrestler call a former champion who’s come back from injury a “job ber”. Again, it’s this lack of self-awareness or lack of any real awareness that haunts you Erik. To add insult to injury, you repeat this over and over again, showing that you just don’t get it. Now I get it, you’re probably some ‘roided up meathead who has had to quit the world of martial arts because of random drug testing. It’s probably done a number on both your brain and your penis size. But use words properly Erik Black, understand what a job ber is before you call someone it.

I wonder if you’ve realized how much you’ve insulted the entire federation by calling me, and all my opponents, a job ber? Think about it for a second. You’ve just insulted your place of work by saying that they placed a title for an extended period of time on someone who would get destroyed to hype up other wrestlers. That makes the XWF sound so good doesn’t it? There’s nothing like loyalty and respect coming from that. So you’ve just said a giant “fuck you” to your workplace. And then you go further by calling all my opponents jobbers as well? Well that’s a giant “fuck you” to Finn Kuhn, Jenny Myst, Jack Cain, etc. Is that really how you want to play things? All it accomplishes is putting a target on your back that says “I don’t play nice with others”. You’ve insulted so many by saying so little.

The difference between you and I is that, while I know I can beat them, I show respect to my opponents. I treat every match like an opportunity to better myself and better this federation. The reason I like to teach lessons is because I genuinely want to better those I go against and win or lose I hope there are a few things they take away. That being said, I genuinely hope you take away a lot of things from this time Erik, don’t insult those who give you opportunities, because those opportunities can dry up really fast.

At this point, Neville would usually take a shot of Scotch. But it doesn’t have the same taste these days. Seeing Erik Black drink the cheap shit and do it so insultingly bad had turned Neville off his drink a little bit. He didn’t want to be anything like that annoying little asshole.

Lesson #3 – If Something Gets Repeated, You Should Probably Listen

The part that made me laugh and laugh in your promo was that you tried to justify your lack of personality by saying that you’ve been told it before. You actually wanted to address the problem by brining further attention to it. You’ve never beaten anyone at my level Black, and you won’t unless you address the problems instead of ignoring them. Just because you’ve won in spite of the problem doesn’t mean it will continue to be that way.

Words aren’t the issue here, but emotion is. Have you ever walked into a wrestling ring and actually had good crowd interaction? Watch some of the wrestling greats, as they enter into the ring, they play off emotion whether it be boos or cheers. The emotion makes the match great, and everyone goes home happy. That’s how I win matches. The crowd actually cares about me, which is exactly why we fight in front of fans.

The problem with being boring, Erik, is that no one really cares about you. It’s why you can fight a title match last week with no one in the crowd. It’s why Savage only had one match and no one wanted to fight there last week. A boring champion is one that no one wants to see. That’s a problem for the entire federation. It’s probably why they gave me such a quick title shot on my return. They can’t wait to see someone rid the federation of the problem of a boring champion.

You’re not just boring Erik, you’re mind-numbingly boring. Something that is further ascertained by the fact that you say numerous people have told you that and you refuse to do anything about it. And that’s why you’ll go down as a one week champion. You’ll be the random name found with a one week title reign that can be used as trivia. You’ll be a footnote in my story, and a blip in the federation’s story. Address the problem, you dumbass. It doesn’t go away by itself.

Neville walks over and sees Gainsborough’s self portrait hanging on the wall. His portrait of King George III never made it as the official portrait, politics kept him from achieving that. But here he was, a portrait hung on his own merit of himself. Something no Royal Portrait artist had achieved. Gainsborough had made his own way into the portrait gallery, something that made sense to Neville Sinclair.
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The news had come in that not only had Allan Ramsay died, but the King had been forced to make Gainsborough’s rival, Joshua Reynolds, had been named his successor. Gainsborough felt like he had the wind knocked out of him. Today was a bad day.

Excuse me sir

A royal aide had walked through the door.

Yes sir?

I’ve come to pass on the information that Joshua Reynolds has been named Royal Portrait Artist.

Just want Gainsborough needed today, this felt like a kick in the pants.

Yes

I regret to inform you that your portrait of King George III will not be hung in the Royal Court.

The disappointment felt by Gainsborough was sure to be seen. His face dropped and the royal aid could visibly see it. A smile went on the aid’s face, and it looked as if he relaxed.

King George III has asked that your portrait be hung in his personal home.

Gainsborough looked up

Between you and I, you might not have gotten the job. But you were the King’s favourite.

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