Post by MW on Dec 15, 2023 18:43:22 GMT -5
Take me away
I don't mind
You better promise me
I'll be back in time
Gotta get back in time
~We fade in as the lyrics play. A door opens and Alice Knight backs in…she has her arms up and she's moving her hands around making “pew, swish, currrghh” noises as Welsh follows her, with a blindfold on. He’s about to run into the wall, so she snags his wrist with one hand before slamming the door shut and ripping off the blindfold~
Alice: Tah-dahhhh
Welsh: Wow…where are we?
Alice: Back…in time.
Welsh: Seriously?
Alice: Yes, didn’t you hear the song? Huey Lewis? The News? That’s heavy, Doc? No? Hmm
Welsh: Wow.
~Alice’s phone pings. She gives it attention and says ‘five stars’ before closing out the Uber app~
Alice: Yep! We’re back here in the OCW Hall of Fame before it was destroyed by Xavier Lux.
Welsh: Oh wow…did it ever get rebuilt?
Alice: Absolutely not!
~Alice pulls down a photo behind her that shows Zybala as a recent inductee~
Alice: Follow me…let’s take a look into…YOUR PAST
~She grabs Welsh by the hands and drags him down the literal Hall of Fame~
Welsh: Hold on…is this like the Muppets Christmas movie with the indomitable Sir Michael Caine?
Alice: Noooooo. It’s different. Plus… if you say MY COCAINE a bunch of times fast it sounds like you're saying his name. Ha… but seriously. This is TOTALLY different.…
Welsh: Feels kinda like it…if the ghost of Christmas past appears I’m gonna…
Voice: Marcus!
~Welsh and Alice stop. Curt Canon stands in front of them. He turns and finishes pinning a fresh tulip to a picture of Checkers, which resides underneath his Hall of Fame portrait~
Welsh: Curt Canon…
Canon: Yes, or as I’d like to be known tonight…YOUR Ghost of Christmas Past!
~Welsh looks at Alice~
Welsh: Oh, Alice!
Alice: haha! I know, riiiiiight?
~Welsh wags a finger at Alice before turning to Curt~
Welsh: It’s good to see ya, old friend.
~Marcus extends a hand but Curt slaps it away, diving in for a hug~
Canon: We aren’t friends…we’re brothers!
~Welsh is kinda weirded out. Alice sighs and covers her heart~
Canon: So, Alice called…
~Alice kicks Curt in the shin~
Canon: I mean, I was summoned here to visit your past. To enlighten you. To try and get through to you!
~He taps Marcus on the head~
Canon: Before you make a mistake you can’t come back from.
Welsh: What are you talking about? Life is good, man. Haven’t you heard of TRIAD?
Canon: Now’s not the time for an infomercial, Marcus. This is serious. Walk with me.
~Alice pushes Marcus forward as Curt leads the way~
Canon: You took over OCW in 2017. Things were bad, man. Trust me, as a day one member, I know when things are bad in OCW and things were BAD.
Alice: BAD! With a capital letter… of the word BAD.
Welsh: I get it.
Canon: But you came in and you signed Matt Meyhu. You signed The Aptitude. You brought in Vincent Langston. You pushed Mack O’Connor. You gave me an OCW Title shot. Julliet Brooks, Chad Vargas, CJ O’Donnell, TIO, MJ Bell, Alice Knight, Bob Grenier, PerZag…the list goes on and on and on…Andrea Hernandez, Mike Harrison, Iggy Hardy, Ed Houston…the fed entered another boom period.
Alice: BOOM
Welsh: Reminds me, I need to talk to Vicky Stone.
Canon: The next several years you led OCW to heights never before seen. From Aptitude to eMpire…from Meyhu to Paras to Mike Best to Mack O’Connor. This company was second to none. And…when the boom ended, you were supposed to ride off into the sunset. But, you didn’t.
Alice: But he didn’t.
Canon: You brought it back. More ideas. New themes. The roster became flooded and what did you do?
Alice: What did you do, Marcus?!
~Canon pulls back a curtain revealing the ‘purge timeline’~
Canon: You purged.
Alice: PURGED. With a capital PURGED!
Canon: You were so sick of what this profession had become that you ran most of your roster off. You threw good, talented people out onto the streets without so much as a heads up. You went from the great, trusting leader into, well, the ultimate villain.
Alice: Ultimate villain.
~Welsh lowers his head~
Canon: And then you stayed.
Alice: You stayed.
Canon: Why? Pure belligerence. You despised this profession and its community so much you were willing to work day and night to prove them all wrong. And, hey, kudos to you…you did…but at what cost?
Alice: At what cost?
Canon: Friendships destroyed.
~Canon shows Welsh images of Peter Vaughn, James Raven, Outcast, and Xavier Lux~
Welsh: Yeah, I know. Look, I regret the purge, alright? It’s the biggest mistake I ever made. I don’t know why I have to keep apologizing for it.
Canon: You do because you’re still HERE, Marcus. Look at me…look at Syren…look at Paras…look at Lurrr…look at Maurako…we all left. We had our time and things progressed naturally and with all things natural, it came to an end and we moved on. But not you…you’re STILL here.
Welsh: What do you want from me? It’s what I’m good at.
Canon: it’s more than just that.
Welsh: I want the TRIAD.
Canon: It’s more than just that.
Alice: More than just that.
Welsh: Because I want to give back to these people. I want to give them something they can enjoy.
~Canon gets up into Welsh’s space, sticking a finger in his chest~
Canon: Do you? Do you really? Because based on everything you’ve done since…
~He nods toward the PURGE image~
Canon: Everything you’ve done since then…seems to indicate that you hate these people.
~No repeat from Alice. Welsh stares at the purge image, uncertainty, confusion, and doubt in his eyes~
Canon: You’ve been lying to yourself, Marcus. Ever since 2021.
Welsh: What’s the truth?
Canon: That’s not for me to tell you. That’s something you need to discover yourself but, trust me…if you don’t figure it out. This industry will consume you and you’ll run out of chances to escape. Your legacy, your name, all the great things you’ve done will be torn down.
~Curt backs away into the darkness~
Welsh: Curt, wait…just point me in the right direction. I can feel everything you’re saying but I’m still not sure…what do I need to do? How do I atone? Just give me a hint, please!
~Curt extends his hands with nothing to offer. He then makes a spooky ‘ooohhhh’ sound wiggling his fingers as he vanishes down the hall. Welsh, breathing elevated, stares into the darkness, wide-eyed. Alice latches onto his arm~
Alice: You okay? I told Curt the ‘spooky oooooh’ may be too scary…
Welsh: Alice!
~Welsh turns around and grabs both of her arms~
Welsh: The purge was a misstep. I didn’t mean to hurt so many people. I did what I thought was best. I’ve always looked out for the people in this game, Alice. That’s always been my #1 goal…to entertain the people, and the community!
Alice: Okay, okay!
Welsh: I’m a good person!
Alice: I know you are, Marcus. But maybe…maybe you’re missing something, like Curt said. Remember? He just said it… before that ‘spooky ooooooh’...
Welsh: Missing what…I’ve got EVERYTHING
Alice: You need to figure that out, Marcus.
~Welsh lets Alice go and sighs~
Welsh: But he’s gone.
Alice: Oh, he’s not the only one we’re visiting on this adventure.
Welsh: He’s not?
Alice: No. No-no. No. No-no-no-noooo. Nope.
~She grabs her phone and orders an Uber. The driver ‘Gumbo’ is on his way~
Alice: Turn around.
Welsh: No, please, not again. I want to see.
Alice: Time travel is very dangerous. I mean in the Terminator movies they do it naked. So… turn around!
~Welsh turns around and gets blindfolded once more…as he does, we fade out~
I don't mind
You better promise me
I'll be back in time
Gotta get back in time
~We fade in as the lyrics play. A door opens and Alice Knight backs in…she has her arms up and she's moving her hands around making “pew, swish, currrghh” noises as Welsh follows her, with a blindfold on. He’s about to run into the wall, so she snags his wrist with one hand before slamming the door shut and ripping off the blindfold~
Alice: Tah-dahhhh
Welsh: Wow…where are we?
Alice: Back…in time.
Welsh: Seriously?
Alice: Yes, didn’t you hear the song? Huey Lewis? The News? That’s heavy, Doc? No? Hmm
Welsh: Wow.
~Alice’s phone pings. She gives it attention and says ‘five stars’ before closing out the Uber app~
Alice: Yep! We’re back here in the OCW Hall of Fame before it was destroyed by Xavier Lux.
Welsh: Oh wow…did it ever get rebuilt?
Alice: Absolutely not!
~Alice pulls down a photo behind her that shows Zybala as a recent inductee~
Alice: Follow me…let’s take a look into…YOUR PAST
~She grabs Welsh by the hands and drags him down the literal Hall of Fame~
Welsh: Hold on…is this like the Muppets Christmas movie with the indomitable Sir Michael Caine?
Alice: Noooooo. It’s different. Plus… if you say MY COCAINE a bunch of times fast it sounds like you're saying his name. Ha… but seriously. This is TOTALLY different.…
Welsh: Feels kinda like it…if the ghost of Christmas past appears I’m gonna…
Voice: Marcus!
~Welsh and Alice stop. Curt Canon stands in front of them. He turns and finishes pinning a fresh tulip to a picture of Checkers, which resides underneath his Hall of Fame portrait~
Welsh: Curt Canon…
Canon: Yes, or as I’d like to be known tonight…YOUR Ghost of Christmas Past!
~Welsh looks at Alice~
Welsh: Oh, Alice!
Alice: haha! I know, riiiiiight?
~Welsh wags a finger at Alice before turning to Curt~
Welsh: It’s good to see ya, old friend.
~Marcus extends a hand but Curt slaps it away, diving in for a hug~
Canon: We aren’t friends…we’re brothers!
~Welsh is kinda weirded out. Alice sighs and covers her heart~
Canon: So, Alice called…
~Alice kicks Curt in the shin~
Canon: I mean, I was summoned here to visit your past. To enlighten you. To try and get through to you!
~He taps Marcus on the head~
Canon: Before you make a mistake you can’t come back from.
Welsh: What are you talking about? Life is good, man. Haven’t you heard of TRIAD?
Canon: Now’s not the time for an infomercial, Marcus. This is serious. Walk with me.
~Alice pushes Marcus forward as Curt leads the way~
Canon: You took over OCW in 2017. Things were bad, man. Trust me, as a day one member, I know when things are bad in OCW and things were BAD.
Alice: BAD! With a capital letter… of the word BAD.
Welsh: I get it.
Canon: But you came in and you signed Matt Meyhu. You signed The Aptitude. You brought in Vincent Langston. You pushed Mack O’Connor. You gave me an OCW Title shot. Julliet Brooks, Chad Vargas, CJ O’Donnell, TIO, MJ Bell, Alice Knight, Bob Grenier, PerZag…the list goes on and on and on…Andrea Hernandez, Mike Harrison, Iggy Hardy, Ed Houston…the fed entered another boom period.
Alice: BOOM
Welsh: Reminds me, I need to talk to Vicky Stone.
Canon: The next several years you led OCW to heights never before seen. From Aptitude to eMpire…from Meyhu to Paras to Mike Best to Mack O’Connor. This company was second to none. And…when the boom ended, you were supposed to ride off into the sunset. But, you didn’t.
Alice: But he didn’t.
Canon: You brought it back. More ideas. New themes. The roster became flooded and what did you do?
Alice: What did you do, Marcus?!
~Canon pulls back a curtain revealing the ‘purge timeline’~
Canon: You purged.
Alice: PURGED. With a capital PURGED!
Canon: You were so sick of what this profession had become that you ran most of your roster off. You threw good, talented people out onto the streets without so much as a heads up. You went from the great, trusting leader into, well, the ultimate villain.
Alice: Ultimate villain.
~Welsh lowers his head~
Canon: And then you stayed.
Alice: You stayed.
Canon: Why? Pure belligerence. You despised this profession and its community so much you were willing to work day and night to prove them all wrong. And, hey, kudos to you…you did…but at what cost?
Alice: At what cost?
Canon: Friendships destroyed.
~Canon shows Welsh images of Peter Vaughn, James Raven, Outcast, and Xavier Lux~
Welsh: Yeah, I know. Look, I regret the purge, alright? It’s the biggest mistake I ever made. I don’t know why I have to keep apologizing for it.
Canon: You do because you’re still HERE, Marcus. Look at me…look at Syren…look at Paras…look at Lurrr…look at Maurako…we all left. We had our time and things progressed naturally and with all things natural, it came to an end and we moved on. But not you…you’re STILL here.
Welsh: What do you want from me? It’s what I’m good at.
Canon: it’s more than just that.
Welsh: I want the TRIAD.
Canon: It’s more than just that.
Alice: More than just that.
Welsh: Because I want to give back to these people. I want to give them something they can enjoy.
~Canon gets up into Welsh’s space, sticking a finger in his chest~
Canon: Do you? Do you really? Because based on everything you’ve done since…
~He nods toward the PURGE image~
Canon: Everything you’ve done since then…seems to indicate that you hate these people.
~No repeat from Alice. Welsh stares at the purge image, uncertainty, confusion, and doubt in his eyes~
Canon: You’ve been lying to yourself, Marcus. Ever since 2021.
Welsh: What’s the truth?
Canon: That’s not for me to tell you. That’s something you need to discover yourself but, trust me…if you don’t figure it out. This industry will consume you and you’ll run out of chances to escape. Your legacy, your name, all the great things you’ve done will be torn down.
~Curt backs away into the darkness~
Welsh: Curt, wait…just point me in the right direction. I can feel everything you’re saying but I’m still not sure…what do I need to do? How do I atone? Just give me a hint, please!
~Curt extends his hands with nothing to offer. He then makes a spooky ‘ooohhhh’ sound wiggling his fingers as he vanishes down the hall. Welsh, breathing elevated, stares into the darkness, wide-eyed. Alice latches onto his arm~
Alice: You okay? I told Curt the ‘spooky oooooh’ may be too scary…
Welsh: Alice!
~Welsh turns around and grabs both of her arms~
Welsh: The purge was a misstep. I didn’t mean to hurt so many people. I did what I thought was best. I’ve always looked out for the people in this game, Alice. That’s always been my #1 goal…to entertain the people, and the community!
Alice: Okay, okay!
Welsh: I’m a good person!
Alice: I know you are, Marcus. But maybe…maybe you’re missing something, like Curt said. Remember? He just said it… before that ‘spooky ooooooh’...
Welsh: Missing what…I’ve got EVERYTHING
Alice: You need to figure that out, Marcus.
~Welsh lets Alice go and sighs~
Welsh: But he’s gone.
Alice: Oh, he’s not the only one we’re visiting on this adventure.
Welsh: He’s not?
Alice: No. No-no. No. No-no-no-noooo. Nope.
~She grabs her phone and orders an Uber. The driver ‘Gumbo’ is on his way~
Alice: Turn around.
Welsh: No, please, not again. I want to see.
Alice: Time travel is very dangerous. I mean in the Terminator movies they do it naked. So… turn around!
~Welsh turns around and gets blindfolded once more…as he does, we fade out~