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X-treme Wrestling Federation » Shove-It! Boards » Shove-It! RP Board
The Wise With The Wicked
Author Message
Ned Kaye Offline
per cogitabat, per facis
TITLE - Tag Champion



XWF FanBase:
The IWC

(gets varying reactions in the arenas, but will be worshiped like a god and defended until the end by internet fans; literally has thousands of online dorks logging on to complain anytime they lose a match or don't get pushed right)


#1
04-28-2023, 08:41 PM

Road to Recovery
Part III

The Wise With The Wicked

Step 3. To put yourself in the hands of something greater.




Amelia’s arm brushed against a few bottles lying around her in bed. The sheets were soft and plush as she languished in their gentle embrace. Her bed at home was cheap, a patchwork concoction that barely kept her warm, let alone comfortable. Many told her that the revelous pleasure of a one night stand was the appeal to them, but Amelia maintained that the true luxury of the indulgence was and always had been sleeping in a bed worth half a damn. She stretched out, the soft clinking of glass serenading her reemergence into the world of the living until she overheard the snoring of the man lying next to her, his back turned towards her. Amy was careful to not disturb him as she slipped out of the bed. She tugged her clothes on quickly, having long ago become accustomed to dressing hastily.

Her eyes scanned over the small apartment belonging to the man in the bed. In all honesty, she didn’t recall his name through the haze of the hangover. It was something like Mark or Mike. What she did recall, vividly, was his wallet with tribal looking symbols covering it, the faux-leather exterior long past the point of decay with the gross cloth beneath revealed. She swiped the wallet quickly, checking to see if there was stashed cash within. Most just used cards, so even a couple bucks would be welcome. On his particular day, Amelia was greeted to around $400. Her eyes widened as she recounted, swiftly stuffing the cash in her top, but not before glancing at the man’s name.

Joseph. Close enough.

Heading to the bathroom to catch her bearings, Amy transferred the wadded cash to her purse for a bit of added protection. However, during the act, her eyes glanced over her ID. Most days, she would’ve just moved on, but there was something about today that was palpably unique. She removed her ID from the little see-through plastic slot that it hid behind and stared at her image. Amelia Carter. Age 16. She only drank at parties and the few social gatherings where parents weren’t overbearing. There was a brightness in her eyes. An optimism retained by naivete. She glanced upward at the mirror.

Amelia Carter. Age 22. Her lips had a slight stain of the prior night’s makeup. Her long, black hair twisted in fraught manners. There were dark circles residing beneath her eyes, long removed of any sparkle or flash. She knew what her name was, but the face simply didn’t match. Sure, the reflection was her in every materially important way. But it didn’t feel that way. It was a face, but it didn’t feel like hers. She lightly splashed some water over her face, trying to fight the earlier thought, but in her haste she overheard the primary occupant of the apartment begin to wake. On instinct, she slipped out of the bathroom, making her way to the front door and slamming it shut behind her.

Then Amy ran.



She cradled a brown bag of alcohol she'd purchased on the way home. It was rare that she received a rainfall this prosperous, so she splurged a bit this time. She approached the door of her apartment, placing the bag down while reaching for her key and glancing at her phone.

Shit.

Today was one of her mandated AA meetings. That meant that Dad would be here soon and she’d need to find some place to stash all the “goodies” she got her claws on. She fumbled with the lock before finally entering, placing her liquor on the counter temporarily. She found her cheap, shit bed and lifted the mattress, confirming a roll of cash and a few spare bottles were still present. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing them before sitting back and considering how best to get ready for when her dad swung by later. That’s when a strong knock on the door alerted her. She rushed to the kitchen, grabbing all of her newfound liquid bronze and hiding it with the rest before rushing towards the door, trying to formulate an excuse for her appearance. She whipped open the door to see her parole officer, looking as disappointed as always.

“Stealing money from another fling, Amy?” He asked, shaking his head, “I thought you were getting better.”

“What?” She reacted, feigning ignorance, “I’ve been here all night and I don’t need you to come hara-”

He lifted up her ID. That’s when it clicked. She dropped it at Matt or Mike or whatever’s house. In a few moments, she was in cuffs and hauled off to a cell, forced to look outward and await them to call her father. He didn’t answer.

He hadn’t done that before.

She stared daggers at the passerbys in the station until her gaze lingered on a strange looking man with a soccer mom hairdo and a clipboard talking to a face she thought she recognized, but couldn’t name. Leaning back, she let her head smack the concrete wall behind her, longing for just a shitty bed.

Ned flipped through the pages on the clipboard before looking up at the woman in the cell, inhaling sharply through his teeth. Her file was filled to the brim with self-destructive behavior and, just getting a glance at her, it wasn’t difficult to see firsthand how disinterested in healing she really was.

“I don’t know, RL,” Ned said as he handed the clipboard back to him, “I know you wanted me to start sponsoring someone, but I’m not sure I’m… equipped to deal with someone of her unique situation.”

Edgar shrugged, leveling with him, “you don’t have to be so uptightly polite, Ned. She’s a fuckin’ mess. But we all are when we’re that far in. ‘Sides, you’re really her last hope. She’s already burnt through five other sponsors.”

Ned crossed his arms, feeling uncomfortable given the constant police chatter and surveillance around them in this place, accentuated by the monochromatic scheme of the building.

“I haven’t even gotten through a full year like most sponsors do. Even in a normal case, I’d feel a little put back, but here? I’m not even sure anyone can be qualified to try and keep up with someone like her,” he added, his skepticism of his own skills as much of a contributor to his protests as her history was.

“Look,” RL relented, “if you’d like to try and find someone else or even nobody at all, that’s fine. I’m not trying to pressure you into a decision.”

Ned almost agreed, but his eyes shifted over Amy once more, recognizing how truly and utterly alone she was in this moment. They had called her father and he hadn’t bothered to answer. Not just declined to speak to her or come pick her up. Nothing. Rolling his eyes as his conscience crept up on him, he exhaled and managed to find a few words.

“I wanna speak to her first. If I think I can reach her, then I’ll go forward, but otherwise I think I’ll see if someone else is a better fit.”

Edgar nodded, ultimately agreeing as Ned added something.

“On that note, I don’t think talking to her here is the best environment, so I’ll wait until our next meeting and get to know her there. Sound like a plan?”

“A damn good one,” Edgar replied as he jotted something down on the papers he held, letting Ned depart from the station. As he walked back out onto the streets of New York, his mind lingered on her situation. Was he really considering giving up on someone? That wasn’t what he was about, at least it wasn’t what he preached. But there was a hell of a lot of doubt if he even could provide help to Amelia. He never aspired to be a leader, he just accepted it whenever it seemed the job was placed upon him. Looking up, he noticed an electronic billboard with the May Day card scrolling over it. It was the word before his name that caught his eye: “Notorious.” A moniker he had abandoned months ago now stuck right back to his name. He glanced over at a nearby shop’s window, trying to focus on the goods inside, but all he saw was his reflection.

All he saw was a face.







“What does it mean to be a leader?”

“That’s something I ask myself often. The XWF has seen countless people claim that title, but how many embrace what it truly means philosophically? Mark Flynn called himself a leader, but he held others to a higher standard and answered directly to a greater fool. Sid Grey fashions herself a leader and the only thing she truly leads are the discussions you mute first on Twitter. So, what’s the key to being a leader? If it gets bandied about by people who have no place using the term, then is it just confidence or ambition that gives you that?”

“No; it’s responsibility. The willingness to accept responsibility on behalf of others. To put your faith in someone else and earn theirs in tow. So, my question is: why in the hell am I facing people who just don’t? Sarah Lacklan doesn’t even hold herself responsible for the things she said in the previous sentence and is obviously looking to use War Games as a way to save face after her intense desire for nepotism in the finals crumbled about as hard as she did against Raion Kido. Angie Vaughn, as positive as she is, is someone I’ve already explicitly explained why her career stagnated the way it did. She let herself fall into the black hole of existence that her sister provides and it’s done nothing for her except get her to sympathize with a homophobe in Sidney Grey. You know better. Do better.”

“Meanwhile, the repackaged Bastards decided one day that being the worst people on the face of the planet wasn’t cool anymore, so they changed their behavior superficially and continued acting in largely the same ways. Because for Dolly Waters or Thunder Knuckles, being good isn’t a set of actions that you take due to beliefs, it’s just a thing you identify as. TK wants to be a better person vicariously, using those around him as beacons of innocence or atonement as he goes from murdering people repeatedly to just being a dick most of the time. Dolly has been placing curses on people for months on end and I think her big idea of redemption is just not doing that and hoping you forget. It makes sense that this woman trying to cast spells is also practicing equally magical thinking. The one person involved that I appreciate is Vagabond because at least he’s making an effort, but the question is whether or not he will follow through or if he’s content to hang around arenas and be sponsored by paper towels.”

“There’s no shame in lacking perfection. I’m not perfect and I can never claim to be, but I try. I wake up and I look in the mirror and I try to make sure that what I see is the person I want to be! I live in a world of mirrors, where I can never go too far without seeing how something reflects on my behavior or my choices. But these other captains have little to no concern over what they do outside of the ring. Over the people they are when they leave the squared circle. But the person you are outside of it defines who you are within them. You want to surround me? I’m surrounded every goddamn week. I’m the one person in this match coming off of a singles win and that’s not a mistake. Character isn’t just the “you” who you bring out to the fancy events.”

“Character is the “you” that you bring home.”

"You can't run from yourself."
[Image: riNkNZw.png]
XWF
Wins | Losses | Draws
52 | 37 | 4


Indie Darling Eternal

#33 on The XWF Top 50(2021)
1x Tag Team Champion[with Isaiah King](Current)
2x [Image: CbviDqC.png] (Former)
1x X-Treme Champion(Former)
The Final Supercontinental Champion
1x Television Champion(Former)
Star of the Month - April 2019 | March 2021 | December 2022
RP of the Month - March 2021 (Void of the Mind)
Winner - Leap Of Faith Rafter Match 2019
1x 24/7 Briefcase Holder
Winner - War Games 2023(With Mark Flynn, Isaiah King, & Crash Rodriguez as G00D-B01)


All Time Career(Interfed)
Wins | Losses | Draws
52 | 38 | 4
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[-] The following 4 users Like Ned Kaye's post:
Dolly Waters (04-28-2023), Prince Adeyemi (04-30-2023), Theo Pryce (05-06-2023), Thunder Knuckles™ (04-28-2023)




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