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Post by Josiah Cena on Aug 13, 2021 11:12:32 GMT -5
PWS: APEX RIOT Tuesday, August 24th, 2021 Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Singles Match Krash vs. Devon Ryder
RP Deadline Monday, August 23 at 11:59pm est 1 rp each, 300 word minimum, 5000 word maximum
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Post by Krash on Aug 21, 2021 22:49:37 GMT -5
“Stay with me… I hear them call the tide. Take me in… I see the last divide. Hopelessly… I leave this soul behind… ...and I am paralyzed.”
...and now the sun will fade...AND ALL WE ARE IS ALL WE MADE…
...stayyyyy wiiiiiiith meeeeeee…
*Crack* “GNNUH!*“Right, we’re fookin’ doin’ this to toughen you th’fuck up so SHOW ME SOMETHING.(We open the shot to see Mack McKane with his hands on his knees about five feet from a tied up, shirtless, bleeding Krash. And in front of him about ten, fifteen feet away stands Kenny McKane feeding baseballs into a fastball pitching machine.) Krash: Wha-...what the fuck does this prove? *THUMP* Krash: OH GOD! Mack McKane: It’s TEACHING you...not to be WEAK when the time comes to pull the TRIGGER! Krash: ...like you? (Mack starts chuckling as Krash starts sarcastically chuckling back until a baseball collides square with his ribs and he coughs up blood in the moment.) “WHAT...ARE YOU...DOING!?”(Mack and Kenny freeze in place as Krash wheels in pain still tied to the support beam...as Mattie Cormier flows into the room as only she can.) Mack McKane: Uhh...endurance training, innit? Mattie Cormier: Untie him and clean him up, dinner is ready. (Mattie flows out of the room before halfway sticking the top half of her body back with a smile and wink as she states…) Mattie Cormier: Oh and we have...a GUEST for dinner! (Mack and Kenny look at each other like “SHIT” because the ONE NIGHT Krash’s interest takes him up on our offer is the night we’re pelting him with fastballs.) Krash: Well...shit. (We see an eloquent banquet hall table except...it's outside. Being led to the end of it taking a seat two seats from the head of the table, a Freek pulls the chair out for...Callie Renton. She graciously accepts as she looks mystified.) Mattie Cormier: Callie...WELCOME to World’s End. It’s SO wonderful to meet you! (As the girls banter for a moment the boys start to file out with Krash keeping his head ducked but he’s dressed surprisingly dapper...it’s just too bad his face looks like an oil spill with red and ugly brown, green, and purple bruises. As he approaches Callie she cups his face in her hand.) Callie: Jesus Christ what HAPPENED to you! Krash: Umm...endurance training...shall we? (And with that they all sit down to a lovely family meal complete with stories and embarrassments the likes of which your funny bones can’t take. And I may write it out someday but it’s not pertinent to the current story so...MOVING ON!) -Stigmata-
“How do you get in the mind state to kill… How do you get in the mind state to kill… ...I need a fill.” (We see Krash without a shirt on in what looks to be the bathroom of an underground laboratory as we see the lights flicker as he’s painting half of his body like a dead winter treescape. Jump cuts of the menagerie of monstrous vehicles “The Freekz” ride into conflict on. We see people from all walks of life taking care of each other...CARING about each other...we see a behemoth with a feeble child in his arms as he’s trying to give him a bottle. We cut back to show Krash paint another dead tree.) Krash: This isn’t, I’m imagining, what many of you would consider “The Norm”, I suppose. But understand that congratulations are in order. Not MANY are beckoned to the World’s End. What’s “World’s End” you callin’? World’s End got it’s name because when the end of the world comes WAY sooner than later...this is what we got. This is where WE are and what we have and what we HAVE...is each other. (We see flags painted with a strange symbol around their encampment. We cut back to Krash and he’s drawing a few of those strange symbols amongst his landscape.) Krash: These are the people...that YOU all scoffed at. These are the people YOU rejected. THIS...is The Island of Misfit Toys!!! (Levi Russow walks behind in the mirror as he smirks and chirps…) Levi Russow: ...2.0. I like it. Krash: I don’t give a shit. Levi Russow: Like that more! (We cut back to Krash painting in the white background.) Krash: See these political idiots try to infiltrate MY world? They wanna interrupt MY War? You beat that fool Brody because A) he’s a fuckin’ toolbag and B) He didn’t know who the fuck you were! See...even though you won? THAT’S your legacy...a trivia card that says “Who beat a man that HE thought was another man”. You wanna change that legacy? You join MY legacy. OR...YOU become another trivia card. “Who did Krash disembowel on live television.” see we...we don’t play by YOUR rules anymore! “They put a hole in the back of my head, called it suicide…” (We see another run through of the Freekz including Mack McKane and Mattie Cormier hand in hand on their thrones.) Krash: Do you know...how to summon adrenaline at hand? You need a rush of either excitement, eroticism, or you feel flashing pain! Devon Ryder hasn’t had a REAL...struggle. And I want you to know...I’m not that dizzy cow, Brody Shriner...I see you, I know exactly who you are. And you are about to bleed. (We see flashes of Krash getting the shit kicked out of him in the gym but standing every time. Until he finally found out that the pain hurt less if he caused it himself. We twitch the stream and when we see Krash in the mirror again, he’s wearing aviators and chomping a cigar.) “I woke up with these holes in my hands from the day I was crucified!” (We see Krash take the cigar and begin to burn just below the palm of his right hand as he screams.) “You decide if you wanna ride, Can’t stop us when we unified…” Krash: AH! AHA! IS THIS THE SAME FIRE THAT BURNS IN YOUR FUCKING VEINS, DEVON RYDER? I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT YOUR PUSS-ASS ASSEMBLIES OR ASSOCIATIONS. You are just...an unknowing victim...that was lured into a false sense of security before they were thrown to the REAL Piranha of PWS: Apex! (We jump cut to see him using the same cigar to burn a spot on the other wrist…) “I woke up with these holes in my hands from the day I was crucified…” Krash: And when the time...ng...the time...c-comes...RNNNNR *he snarls through the pain* you’re gonna KNOW...HOW FAR I’M WILLING TO GO...TO SAVE OUR KIND!!! “STIGMATA!” (We end with “Stigmata” by grandson playing out as we see Krash run water over his burns.)
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Post by Devon Ryder on Aug 23, 2021 21:31:15 GMT -5
*Fade in. We open on the Stone of Hope, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorial in Washington DC. Towering above our current position, cutting a larger-than-life silhouette against the twilight sky behind it, is a stone representation of the man himself, arms crossed stoically as he gazes out into the city. This occupies our entire field of view, holding for a moment in silence on the respectful monument, before a familiar voice drifts in from off-camera.*
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
*We pan away from the monument to reveal PWS: Apex newcomer “The Canadian Hero” Devon Ryder, who stands facing the carved stone sculpture with a look of appropriately-respectul solemn reflection on his face. He’s wearing a red-and-white Canadian flag t-shirt and plain blue jeans, with his hands resting in his pockets and thumbs hooked through two belt loops.*
“Langston Hughes said that, and, as ever, he was right. Dreams are humanity’s lifeblood. Our dreams are the things that make us human, that separate our thoughts from the whims of our biology. Only in dreaming can we find our true purpose, and only THROUGH our dreams can we give ourselves HOPE. Dreams inspire us to GROW, to CHANGE, to ACHIEVE, to LEARN from one another and build the world that we want to live in. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, a beautiful vision of racial and economic harmony in the United States. He had an image in his mind of a more peaceful, loving world, and he knew what he had to DO to make that happen. Because dreams mean nothing without action. Dogs dream. Rabbits dream. By our best estimation, even elephants and WHALES dream. The key difference is in our capacity to ACT on those dreams. Dr. King knew this too well; while he never lived to see his dream fulfilled, he spent every MOMENT of his life fighting to make it real. He knew, as I know, that this is not a battle which will be over quickly - racism and civil inequality persist in America even today - but he was willing to do anything and everything it took, short of violent revolution, to see that beautiful world he dreamed of finally made real. And his efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”
*Devon takes a few steps towards the memorial then turns to face the camera, lowering himself to sit cross-legged at the base of the monument. The camera zooms in to a more personal distance.*
“Movements like Black Lives Matter are still inspired by MLK’s actions. His dedication to fighting for his cause, his PASSION as an orator for what he believed in, lives on not only in the black community, but in the spirits of EVERY oppressed group battling for their rights today. His words still live in their mouths, his worldview has inspired nonviolent protests around the GLOBE; the man is well and truly, for millions of socioeconomically-disadvantaged people, a hero. And I can’t disagree with them. The Reverend Doctor was absolutely brilliant. His grasp of public speaking, his ability to market his message so that even those who didn’t agree with him could hear the logic in it - his use of verifiable facts to support each claim he made - all of these are traits that major community leaders still strive for today. Traits that I strive for, to truly call myself your Canadian Hero.”
*Devon casts his head downward, sighing softly.*
“Yet, as I stand here and reflect, quite literally in the shadow of Dr. King's legacy, I cannot help wondering; was it all for nothing? How much did he really change? The dream Martin Luther King fought for never really came true. The societal ills that he opposed are still at work in full force. If even HE could not change things, if the quintessential HERO of modern American history could not save your country...what chance do I have? Is it even possible?”
*The Canadian Hero pauses, inhaling slowly before he lifts his head and faces the camera again, crossing his arms over his chest.*
“I’ve often heard it said that you cannot change a system from within. Once you’ve become a part of the consensus, even if you’re opposed to it, there is nothing you can do to break it down. Only by standing apart, by existing OUTSIDE of the systems you are trying to tear down and rebuild, can any change actually be effected. If I may be honest, I’m not entirely sure that’s true. I believed it for a time, it’s part of the impetus behind my refusal to gain US citizenship or take up residence in your broken, godforsaken country. I thought my message would be more effective - that my ACTIONS could have a larger impact - if I was an outsider. These days, I don’t believe that’s enough. I don’t think working from within was Martin Luther King’s problem. I think it IS possible to change a system from within - indeed, I think you’ll find if you observe human history - that it has in fact HAPPENED a great many times. But what is impossible is changing a system that refuses to believe that it is broken. What is impossible is SAVING a group of people who refuse to stand up and fight alongside you! See, there are many types of people in this world, but when it comes to social change, there are really only two: there are those who ACT...and those who GIVE UP.”
*Ryder smirks his signature arrogant smirk as he begins the next line.*
“Which brings us, finally...to Krash. My boy. I’m sure you think your name is ‘cute’, that it’s somehow fitting for the total disregard for physical wellbeing that you try to pass off as a personality, but I’m sorry to say that’s not the case. You do not intimidate me, Krash. Your brothers and their glorified cult hold no sway over the strength of my convictions. I feel no fear when I look at you, Krash, because all I see is a broken, frightened young man who’s lost his way. I see somebody who was confronted with the evils of the world and, instead of standing up against them, retreated to his shell and hid. But I don’t blame you for it, Krash. You are not the first who chose comfortable inaction over a difficult battle with injustice. People like you have existed through all of human history. Cowardice is not a new phenomenon; in fact, it is much of the reason[/] that Dr. King’s dream remains half-realized. He did not have enough people standing up to fight with him. He was hampered by an institutionally-racist government, and austerity politics designed specifically to keep people of his ethnic origins oppressed, but even THOSE chains could have been broken with enough voices crying out in unison.”
*As Ryder speaks the previous line, his smirk vanishes and is replaced first by a look of pity for Krash and his crew, then a deadly serious expression thereafter. He’s frowning as he begins the next line.*
“Governments exist to SERVE their people, and if enough OF those people rise in revolt against the government, their hand will be forced and the people will get exactly what they want. Just look at Canada. Dr. King called us ‘the North Star’; he said ‘We sang of 'heaven' that awaited us and the slave masters listened in innocence, not realizing that we were not speaking of the hereafter. Heaven was the word for Canada.’” And you wonder why I respect the man so highly. But as much as I would love to portray my homeland as a paradise, I’m afraid we’re far, far from it. We still have a long way to go in correcting our prison system’s bias against black and indigenous Canadians, as well as making reparations for the human rights abomination[/] that was Residential Schooling. But we have come much, MUCH further than the United States, thanks in no small part to Dr. King himself. He inspired protests on our side of the border as well, and unlike YOURS, OUR government was not founded on racially-exclusive principles, so in 1967, our Prime Minister - the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson - corrected our discriminatory immigration laws by introducing a points system. One that’s still in use to this very day. It allowed us to judge incoming migrants on their CHARACTER, not their ethnicity, and enabled us to form some of the most multicultural and metropolitan cities in the entire Western Hemisphere. The Canada of today is much closer to Dr. King’s vision of heaven than it was when he last saw it, and I’m afraid the same cannot be said of the United States.”
*Devon’s expression softens here, and he clasps his hands in his lap, leaning forward with a slight smirk.*
“So you’re probably wondering, Krash, what this has to do with you. The short answer, if I’m honest, is ‘very little’ - at least, not DIRECTLY. But you ARE part of the problem. Your cowardice, your debilitating anxiety that prevents you from fighting for any sort of cause worthy of note, all of it contributes to the very same apathy that made people afraid to stand up in support when Martin Luther King was making waves. You’ve seen how cruel this world can be, Krash, and it terrified you. You know how hard it would be to change it, you know how much WORK we still have left to do, and you’ve chosen to forsake it. To hide in your hovel with your nihilistic brothers and pray for the end of the world because it’s easier than figuring out how you can fix a broken society. I’m truly sorry for you, Krash. I am sorry this world failed you. You’re another grim reminder of how the American system eats people alive if they’re not prepared to face it, another modern tragedy written by the USA. But it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to live like you've all already died. You can choose to rise ABOVE your angst and your fear, to be more than you've been told you are. All you need is a Hero to show you how it’s done. Well Krash, you’re in luck...because Devon Ryder's here to show you ALL a better way.”
*He flashes a cheeky, arrogant grin at the camera.*
“You can thank me when it’s over.”
*With that, Ryder winks, then uncrosses his legs and stands back up before striding off-camera into the sunset.*
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