Post by amyzing on Jun 5, 2013 15:10:03 GMT -4
::Once again, Amy Zing is inside her bedroom. Her bedspread has been changed. It is a white with blue stripes. Her pillowcases are a light blue. That stuffed bear of hers is sitting on the bed, nestled between two pillows.::
::An open rolling suitcase sits on her bed. Next to the bag is her wrestling gear, a bag of toiletries, sweat shorts, a tank top, a pair of jean and two shirts, socks, a sports bra, and her undergarments.::
::Next to the rolling suitcase is her laptop, already open. “The Hong Kong Sensation” looks at the laptop. The laptop’s bag is on the bed next to it.::
“You know, I suppose the right thing to do would be to act humble in victory. I should stand here and say that Michael Jennings and I had a fantastic and hard fought match. We did indeed have a really good one. The two of us went back and forth and it really could have gone either way. I just happened to get lucky.”
::She turns from her bed.::
“However, considering what the victory entailed and what it means for me, I do think I should be allowed a bit of celebration.”
::Amy throws her arms into the air and her head back.::
“Yes! I did it!”
::Lowering her arms, she pumps her fist a few times.::
“I’m going to the first round!”
::She smiles, looking a bit sheepish.::
“Sorry about that. It’s just that, beating Michael Jennings was huge. That victory means I am in the first round of Test for the Best. That is just huge. I mean this is me we are talking about. I know my track record is not all that great. I have had a few wins here and there, but nothing really all that big. This one, this victory was big.”
::She approaches her small bookshelf and kneels down, looking through her books. Amy likes to read. Among her many books are the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan as well as the sequel series The Heroes of Olympus, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. She starts to look for a book.::
“Most people think I should get something like a Kindle or a Nook or something that lets me read e-books. I prefer to buy actual books. I always buy hardcover books. Don’t know why. Might be that hardcover is a bit more durable. I like real books, actually made of paper. But then again, that may just be me. I mean I also collect postcards from every town and city I wrestle in and write the match on them. I keep them on my dresser. Of course not every town has a postcard, so I try to get one of the state or country and fill in the details.”
::Amy pause and closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, realizing she started on some pointless rant that has nothing to do with anything. She exhales slowly and turns back to the bookshelf.::
“Anyway, I have only made it to the first round. There are no guarantees in wrestling. Just because I managed to pull off an upset over Michael Jennings and qualify for the first round of Test for the Best does not guarantee I can make it to the second round or to the semi-finals or even to the finals. I may end up watching Shockwave from home or something. Wrestling has no guarantees.”
“It is kind of funny really, I find myself thinking about something Michael Jennings mentioned before our match. He referenced The Hunger Games, a three book series by Suzanne Collins, and it is also going to be a four movie series, because for some reason, splitting the last book of a series into two movies is the new thing to do.”
::Her fingers slide along the books and pulls out a hardcover black book with the emblem of a bird holding an arrow in a circle. It is The Hunger Games, the first book of the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.::
“Now if you have never read it or seen the movie then you should, but in any case, the basic story is the United States is gone and in its place is Panem, a nation of thirteen numbered districts around a central city referred to as The Capitol. It seems to be mostly in what was once the eastern US, as the Capitol seems to have mountains. Anyway, over 74 years before the start of the trilogy, District 13 rose up in rebellion and a war started. District 13 was destroyed and the other Districts surrendered. The Capitol decides to punish the Districts by selecting two children, one boy and one girl, anywhere between ages 12-18, from each of the twelve and bringing them to the Capitol, and making them compete in the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death were the last survivor wins.”
::She flips the book open, flipping through the pages and comes to a page.::
“But there is a line from the book that seems to apply here and it is one I do wonder about. They have a national holiday called Reaping Day, where a representative of the Capitol shows up to select the contestant, called Tributes, with the line “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor”.”
::She holds the book open, looking at the page she was reading.::
“It is that second part “may the odds be ever in your favor” that I found myself thinking about as I was reading the book. And it just seemed to have so many meanings.”
::Closing the book, she looks at the other books at the shelf.::
“For the Districts, it seems to mean that they hope you don’t get chosen. They hope that you are not one of the twenty-four selected for the Games. Considering how violent, how brutal the Hunger Games are, and the fact that only one of them will survive, and that it is mandatory that everyone watches, no one wants to see their child inside the arena. They hope the odds favor them by picking someone else.”
“In the Capitol, however, the saying “may the odds be ever in your favor” is a good thing. To them, the Hunger Games is a pageant like the Olympics. It means a parade of the Tributes, gambling on them, getting to watch all the excitement and drama and celebrating the victor. They are disconnected from the fact that to almost everyone, outside the Capitol and richer districts, sees the Hunger Games as violent, brutal and terrifying.”
::Getting to her feet, she looks at the book in her hand and turns back to her bed and the pile of stuff.::
“I find myself thinking about that line “may the odds be ever in your favor” as I walk into the first round of Test for the Best.”
“Now granted, it is not a fight to the death. But, when you get right down to it, there can be only one winner. Only one out of all the people involved is going to be able to survive and stand victorious.”
::She places the book down next pile of clothes.::
“I think it is safe to say that the odds are not in my favor. Realistically, I don’t think anyone expected me to make it through the qualifier, never mind the first round. The odds are not in my favor to win the Test for the Best and then go onto Shockwave and become World Champion.”
::She looks at her pile of clothes and starts to put them inside the bag. She pauses and looks up. She sighs and looks forward.::
“Do I think I can win?"
::Amy smiles and nods.::
“Yes I do. But thinking it and doing it are two totally different things. And I really have no way of knowing if the odds are in my favor or not."
“The odds are probably more in favor of the other people in the tag team match I find myself in this week on Thursday Night Overdrive. I think it is safe to say that most people would expect guys like Biggs, Nathanial Havok and Delikado to win Test for the Best, or at least make it through the first round as opposed to a dark horse like me.”
“And it makes some sense when you look at them.”
“Nathanial Havok is smart. He spent weeks fooling everyone by hiding behind a mask and a different identity. Granted, he admits it would have been perfect if he won the North American Championship, but he pulled the plan off. And Havok has been here before. He’s won titles, he’s been a champion. This is not his first dance, as they say. He’s got skill and the intelligence to use them.”
“That also holds true for Delikado. He has been in a Test for the Best situation before. He has the skills and the ability to make it all the way to the final round and take it. It doesn’t help this week that he is also a capable tag team wrestler. Yes, he and Evan Envi have never been Tag Team Champions, but Envikado is still a capable tag team and could become champion.”
“And there is the guy I am teaming with, Biggs.”
::“The Hong Kong Sensation” smiles a bit and shakes her head. She seems amused by this team up for some reason.::
“I have got to stop teaming with people like this.”
::She shrugs and goes back to packing her bag.::
“Biggs is young, hungry and arrogant. I don’t think I’ve tag teamed with anyone bringing an entourage, never mind that it’s just his wife and bodyguard/occasional tag team partner. I think it is safe to say that he wants to make a mark and prove that he’s as good as he says he is, but that’s pretty much universal in wrestling.”
“Biggs and I appear to be in the same boat, despite our differences. We are both looking to make a mark and we both want to get through the first round. However, that does not necessarily mean we are going to be able to work together.”
::Amy finishes backing her clothes and then places her toiletry bag inside. She zips the bag up.::
“And the same can be said about Nathanial Havok and Delikado. I think it is safe to say that those two would be among the favorites to win. I cannot imagine that they will be able to pull together and form an effective tag team knowing that they may have to face each other and the same can be said about Biggs and me as a team.”
::She looks at the book and picks it up, her eyes on the cover.::
“Each of us wants momentum going into Test for the Best.”
“However Biggs, the first round is in the back of my mind right now. I am focused on the moment and the moment is Thursday Night Overdrive and the tag team match we have. Once that is over, then I will start to focus on Test for the Best and the first round.”
::Unzipping another pouch on the bag, she slips The Hunger Games inside and zips the bag up.::
“But, as I said, that’s the future. My present is going to Overdrive and showing each of you why I am simply Amy Zing, and maybe just getting those odds to shift to my favor.”
::Amy turns the laptop off and closes it. She slips it into the bag and slings it over her shoulder.::
“I will see you all Thursday. And may the odds be ever in your favor.”
::With that, Amy grabs her the suitcase and lifts it off the bed. She heads out of her bedroom, flipping the lights off as she leaves the room.::
::An open rolling suitcase sits on her bed. Next to the bag is her wrestling gear, a bag of toiletries, sweat shorts, a tank top, a pair of jean and two shirts, socks, a sports bra, and her undergarments.::
::Next to the rolling suitcase is her laptop, already open. “The Hong Kong Sensation” looks at the laptop. The laptop’s bag is on the bed next to it.::
“You know, I suppose the right thing to do would be to act humble in victory. I should stand here and say that Michael Jennings and I had a fantastic and hard fought match. We did indeed have a really good one. The two of us went back and forth and it really could have gone either way. I just happened to get lucky.”
::She turns from her bed.::
“However, considering what the victory entailed and what it means for me, I do think I should be allowed a bit of celebration.”
::Amy throws her arms into the air and her head back.::
“Yes! I did it!”
::Lowering her arms, she pumps her fist a few times.::
“I’m going to the first round!”
::She smiles, looking a bit sheepish.::
“Sorry about that. It’s just that, beating Michael Jennings was huge. That victory means I am in the first round of Test for the Best. That is just huge. I mean this is me we are talking about. I know my track record is not all that great. I have had a few wins here and there, but nothing really all that big. This one, this victory was big.”
::She approaches her small bookshelf and kneels down, looking through her books. Amy likes to read. Among her many books are the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan as well as the sequel series The Heroes of Olympus, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. She starts to look for a book.::
“Most people think I should get something like a Kindle or a Nook or something that lets me read e-books. I prefer to buy actual books. I always buy hardcover books. Don’t know why. Might be that hardcover is a bit more durable. I like real books, actually made of paper. But then again, that may just be me. I mean I also collect postcards from every town and city I wrestle in and write the match on them. I keep them on my dresser. Of course not every town has a postcard, so I try to get one of the state or country and fill in the details.”
::Amy pause and closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, realizing she started on some pointless rant that has nothing to do with anything. She exhales slowly and turns back to the bookshelf.::
“Anyway, I have only made it to the first round. There are no guarantees in wrestling. Just because I managed to pull off an upset over Michael Jennings and qualify for the first round of Test for the Best does not guarantee I can make it to the second round or to the semi-finals or even to the finals. I may end up watching Shockwave from home or something. Wrestling has no guarantees.”
“It is kind of funny really, I find myself thinking about something Michael Jennings mentioned before our match. He referenced The Hunger Games, a three book series by Suzanne Collins, and it is also going to be a four movie series, because for some reason, splitting the last book of a series into two movies is the new thing to do.”
::Her fingers slide along the books and pulls out a hardcover black book with the emblem of a bird holding an arrow in a circle. It is The Hunger Games, the first book of the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.::
“Now if you have never read it or seen the movie then you should, but in any case, the basic story is the United States is gone and in its place is Panem, a nation of thirteen numbered districts around a central city referred to as The Capitol. It seems to be mostly in what was once the eastern US, as the Capitol seems to have mountains. Anyway, over 74 years before the start of the trilogy, District 13 rose up in rebellion and a war started. District 13 was destroyed and the other Districts surrendered. The Capitol decides to punish the Districts by selecting two children, one boy and one girl, anywhere between ages 12-18, from each of the twelve and bringing them to the Capitol, and making them compete in the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death were the last survivor wins.”
::She flips the book open, flipping through the pages and comes to a page.::
“But there is a line from the book that seems to apply here and it is one I do wonder about. They have a national holiday called Reaping Day, where a representative of the Capitol shows up to select the contestant, called Tributes, with the line “Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor”.”
::She holds the book open, looking at the page she was reading.::
“It is that second part “may the odds be ever in your favor” that I found myself thinking about as I was reading the book. And it just seemed to have so many meanings.”
::Closing the book, she looks at the other books at the shelf.::
“For the Districts, it seems to mean that they hope you don’t get chosen. They hope that you are not one of the twenty-four selected for the Games. Considering how violent, how brutal the Hunger Games are, and the fact that only one of them will survive, and that it is mandatory that everyone watches, no one wants to see their child inside the arena. They hope the odds favor them by picking someone else.”
“In the Capitol, however, the saying “may the odds be ever in your favor” is a good thing. To them, the Hunger Games is a pageant like the Olympics. It means a parade of the Tributes, gambling on them, getting to watch all the excitement and drama and celebrating the victor. They are disconnected from the fact that to almost everyone, outside the Capitol and richer districts, sees the Hunger Games as violent, brutal and terrifying.”
::Getting to her feet, she looks at the book in her hand and turns back to her bed and the pile of stuff.::
“I find myself thinking about that line “may the odds be ever in your favor” as I walk into the first round of Test for the Best.”
“Now granted, it is not a fight to the death. But, when you get right down to it, there can be only one winner. Only one out of all the people involved is going to be able to survive and stand victorious.”
::She places the book down next pile of clothes.::
“I think it is safe to say that the odds are not in my favor. Realistically, I don’t think anyone expected me to make it through the qualifier, never mind the first round. The odds are not in my favor to win the Test for the Best and then go onto Shockwave and become World Champion.”
::She looks at her pile of clothes and starts to put them inside the bag. She pauses and looks up. She sighs and looks forward.::
“Do I think I can win?"
::Amy smiles and nods.::
“Yes I do. But thinking it and doing it are two totally different things. And I really have no way of knowing if the odds are in my favor or not."
“The odds are probably more in favor of the other people in the tag team match I find myself in this week on Thursday Night Overdrive. I think it is safe to say that most people would expect guys like Biggs, Nathanial Havok and Delikado to win Test for the Best, or at least make it through the first round as opposed to a dark horse like me.”
“And it makes some sense when you look at them.”
“Nathanial Havok is smart. He spent weeks fooling everyone by hiding behind a mask and a different identity. Granted, he admits it would have been perfect if he won the North American Championship, but he pulled the plan off. And Havok has been here before. He’s won titles, he’s been a champion. This is not his first dance, as they say. He’s got skill and the intelligence to use them.”
“That also holds true for Delikado. He has been in a Test for the Best situation before. He has the skills and the ability to make it all the way to the final round and take it. It doesn’t help this week that he is also a capable tag team wrestler. Yes, he and Evan Envi have never been Tag Team Champions, but Envikado is still a capable tag team and could become champion.”
“And there is the guy I am teaming with, Biggs.”
::“The Hong Kong Sensation” smiles a bit and shakes her head. She seems amused by this team up for some reason.::
“I have got to stop teaming with people like this.”
::She shrugs and goes back to packing her bag.::
“Biggs is young, hungry and arrogant. I don’t think I’ve tag teamed with anyone bringing an entourage, never mind that it’s just his wife and bodyguard/occasional tag team partner. I think it is safe to say that he wants to make a mark and prove that he’s as good as he says he is, but that’s pretty much universal in wrestling.”
“Biggs and I appear to be in the same boat, despite our differences. We are both looking to make a mark and we both want to get through the first round. However, that does not necessarily mean we are going to be able to work together.”
::Amy finishes backing her clothes and then places her toiletry bag inside. She zips the bag up.::
“And the same can be said about Nathanial Havok and Delikado. I think it is safe to say that those two would be among the favorites to win. I cannot imagine that they will be able to pull together and form an effective tag team knowing that they may have to face each other and the same can be said about Biggs and me as a team.”
::She looks at the book and picks it up, her eyes on the cover.::
“Each of us wants momentum going into Test for the Best.”
“However Biggs, the first round is in the back of my mind right now. I am focused on the moment and the moment is Thursday Night Overdrive and the tag team match we have. Once that is over, then I will start to focus on Test for the Best and the first round.”
::Unzipping another pouch on the bag, she slips The Hunger Games inside and zips the bag up.::
“But, as I said, that’s the future. My present is going to Overdrive and showing each of you why I am simply Amy Zing, and maybe just getting those odds to shift to my favor.”
::Amy turns the laptop off and closes it. She slips it into the bag and slings it over her shoulder.::
“I will see you all Thursday. And may the odds be ever in your favor.”
::With that, Amy grabs her the suitcase and lifts it off the bed. She heads out of her bedroom, flipping the lights off as she leaves the room.::
