006: Of Heroes And Pests (#2 vs Mark Storm)
May 12, 2017 23:21:16 GMT -5
Post by Admin on May 12, 2017 23:21:16 GMT -5
Pinky's Vlog || Stardate 94901.46
Pink and rainbow-streaked hair blows in the wind while Mia settles a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses over her eyes. She's sitting on the hood of her car in a parking lot. The Square One shopping mall in Mississauga is in the background.
"Corey Cruelty thinks I'm a stereotype."
She pauses, letting that sink in, totally deadpan.
"The guy who probably orders his coffee 'black as my soul' at Starbucks… thinks I'm a girly-girl cliché. And you know, I think I can live just fine with that label because if there's anything in this business I NEVER want to be, a comparison to Corey is at the top of my list. If we're going to paint in brush strokes this broad, I'd rather be a hero than a bad movie villain, spouting off about all my deep, dark plans. I mean, if we're being honest here. Last week I lost to a woman who considers herself on the level of a roach – never really stopped to analyze that. Until now. And see…"
She taps her nose.
"I get it. I really do. It's not about the destruction, that whole ripping and tearing and ruination – one single loss isn't a definition. It's a pivot point. And while the world might feel like it's crashing down around your ears and the tears of humiliation are mixing with the sweat running into your eyes, that's when the epiphany comes – came – it's a ladder to climb. Not some pedestal to get up on and be displayed from. It's endless, demanding work. Hand over hand and maybe the ladder tips occasionally and throws you down in the gutter with the trash. Let it roll off. The roaches don't care because they know they'll still be here, doing what they do best when the rest of the world's been reduced to smoking cinders. I kinda envy that."
Mia shrugs, leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees.
"I'm not like Mark Storm. I don't aspire to be a guy in a funny red sheet – can't fly, can't break the sound barrier, can't see through walls. Hell, I can barely win a wrestling match on a good day and according to some, I really don't belong here. But that's not the point. See, I get it now. This is what it feels like to be on the other side. My first impulse isn't to lash out, to defend myself anymore. Now I wanna just get back up. I wanna prove I can do this. I wanna feel what it's like when the coin flips, not because I want to revel in a win but because I finally found a reason. I wanna thank La Cucaracha for pushing me there, for knocking sense into me. I wanna thank AJ Knight and Corey Cruelty for their insults, for their doubt. I want to thank every speed-bump and every roadblock that's been on this route because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Truthfully."
She nods.
"I know this business wants to push everyone into a neat box. Hero. Villain. Idiot. Genius. Whatever it is, the lines are there, perfectly drawn in black and white – it forces you to choose a side. Either you're with them or against and it's nonsense because this isn't war. We're more soldier ants under a magnifying glass, trying not to get burned, than brave warriors in battle. So we've got our boxes. We've got the lines and I have to stop and ask you right now if I look like I'm the type who ever colored inside the lines?"
She leans back, smiling, letting her rainbow hair loose from its high ponytail to spill over her shoulders.
"People waste too much time caring about image. Mark Storm wants you to see a hero and he's doing all he can to keep that rolling, rewashing the brainwashed. The Wizard was just an ordinary man behind the curtain – just a regular person. I honestly don't see what's so awful in that. Be who you are. And if that's something that inspires awe, something that makes people stand up and take notice – negative or positive – then you're doing it right. Last week was a mistake I don't plan to repeat. I saw a pest. I saw a nuisance, a fly in the soup of my dreams of glory, not a heroic survivor. It won't happen again."
That smile grows, lighting her whole face.
"The best motivation is always survival. Best revenge, too."
