[X] The group sitting near the window. Naomi and Angelina are hanging on Lenny's every word as the older man tells some kind of elaborate story that involves a lot of gestures with his hands.
I like Lenny
I like Lenny
Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Original
Stop: Stop
- Pronouns
- He/Him
stop
Violent revenge fantasies like this or Jean's earlier chainsaw post would be unacceptable directed at fictional characters, let alone other users.
He has received a major infraction under Rule 2 as a result.
He has received a major infraction under Rule 2 as a result.
[X] The group clustering around the bar. You can see Mark, the promoter, dishing out the drinks to Leah, Caleb, the hairy russian guynamed Ivan, and one of the bleach blondes
It's the most interesting group to me, and Daybreak did mention specifically drinking as a good way to form connections. It seems apparently we were also the best exhibit of the night, so we may as well see if that can be leveraged somehow especially with how we included his niece (which was mentioned previous as a plus) and tried to aid the storyline the show was pushing.
It's the most interesting group to me, and Daybreak did mention specifically drinking as a good way to form connections. It seems apparently we were also the best exhibit of the night, so we may as well see if that can be leveraged somehow especially with how we included his niece (which was mentioned previous as a plus) and tried to aid the storyline the show was pushing.
Vesvius
The Wicked God
Current Tally
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 32 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The group sitting near the window. Naomi and Angelina are hanging on Lenny's every word as the older man tells some kind of elaborate story that involves a lot of gestures with his hands.
No. of Votes: 15
[X] The group clustering around the bar. You can see Mark, the promoter, dishing out the drinks to Leah, Caleb, the hairy russian guynamed Ivan, and one of the bleach blondes
No. of Votes: 5
[X] The group over at the jukebox. Looks like 'Outlaw' has found Jack again, and pulled him to join with his friend, who you're pretty sure is one of the Birds of a Feather without all his jewelry.
No. of Votes: 4
Total No. of Voters: 24
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 32 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The group sitting near the window. Naomi and Angelina are hanging on Lenny's every word as the older man tells some kind of elaborate story that involves a lot of gestures with his hands.
No. of Votes: 15
[X] The group clustering around the bar. You can see Mark, the promoter, dishing out the drinks to Leah, Caleb, the hairy russian guynamed Ivan, and one of the bleach blondes
No. of Votes: 5
[X] The group over at the jukebox. Looks like 'Outlaw' has found Jack again, and pulled him to join with his friend, who you're pretty sure is one of the Birds of a Feather without all his jewelry.
No. of Votes: 4
Total No. of Voters: 24
- Location
- The Usual Room
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Looks like the option in the lead has it pretty well locked up. Can't wait to see what happens.
- Location
- Underground
When the most significant criticism you're getting is 'show more of what you can do', that's a good sign. Daybreak wasn't going to exempt anyone from criticism in the van, but she didn't strongly criticize anything else Tommy did (or didn't do).
From the plan for the match and letting others shine she could see that Tommy knows wrestling and is a team player. So, Daybreak telling Tommy he needs to show off more indicates that she thinks he has talent worth showing and that he should.
Of course, that's also supported by the extra praise at the end. Of the performance she did see, she thinks he did well.
It was pulled off really well. Subtle enough so that I didn't really expect the comment at the end, and was thus pleasantly surprised.
From the plan for the match and letting others shine she could see that Tommy knows wrestling and is a team player. So, Daybreak telling Tommy he needs to show off more indicates that she thinks he has talent worth showing and that he should.
Of course, that's also supported by the extra praise at the end. Of the performance she did see, she thinks he did well.
It was pulled off really well. Subtle enough so that I didn't really expect the comment at the end, and was thus pleasantly surprised.
20. Lay of the Land
Vesvius
The Wicked God
Vote Tally : Original - Ten Pounds of Gold: A Pro Wrestling Quest | Page 32 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The group sitting near the window. Naomi and Angelina are hanging on Lenny's every word as the older man tells some kind of elaborate story that involves a lot of gestures with his hands.
No. of Votes: 15
[X] The group clustering around the bar. You can see Mark, the promoter, dishing out the drinks to Leah, Caleb, the hairy russian guynamed Ivan, and one of the bleach blondes
No. of Votes: 6
[X] The group over at the jukebox. Looks like 'Outlaw' has found Jack again, and pulled him to join with his friend, who you're pretty sure is one of the Birds of a Feather without all his jewelry.
No. of Votes: 5
Total No. of Voters: 26
##### NetTally 1.7.5
[X] The group sitting near the window. Naomi and Angelina are hanging on Lenny's every word as the older man tells some kind of elaborate story that involves a lot of gestures with his hands.
No. of Votes: 15
[X] The group clustering around the bar. You can see Mark, the promoter, dishing out the drinks to Leah, Caleb, the hairy russian guynamed Ivan, and one of the bleach blondes
No. of Votes: 6
[X] The group over at the jukebox. Looks like 'Outlaw' has found Jack again, and pulled him to join with his friend, who you're pretty sure is one of the Birds of a Feather without all his jewelry.
No. of Votes: 5
Total No. of Voters: 26
"-and then he goes 'watch the slam buddy.' and grabs me by the throat. And fuck, if that guy decides he wants to chokeslam you, you get goddamn chokeslammed. So I jumped off the grab but-"
He spots you and raises his glass in salute. You slide into a chair on one of the unoccupied sides, greeting the three of them. Lenny doesn't waste any time getting back to his story. "I jump, but the fucker's wearing these leather gloves and I'm sweating like a motherfucker, so I slide out of his grip when I'm in the air! I just hang there for a good two seconds like I'm that goddamn coyote before Jace realizes I'm not where I'm supposed to be anymore."
Naomi's listening with an eager grin on her face. "How'd you get out of it?"
Lenny snorts. "I didn't. Went straight down, landed high. Pretty sure I got my bell rung on that one. And Jace, he's greener than gooseshit so he doesn't know what to do. I've got to tell him to give it to me again. But what're you gonna do?"
You three students all wince in sympathetic pain. That… that doesn't sound pleasant.
It's Angelina who speaks up this time. "Did anyone notice?"
"Yeah," Lenny says around a mouthful of something fried. "But Parker called it like a champ. Swore that it was Brachius' 'horrifying blood lust' that made him slam me again. Got out of there with the match intact and a nice little bonus for being a pro."
From the name he just dropped and a few of the details, you figure out the part of the story you missed. Looks like Lenny's done a few jobs in the bigger leagues. Sounds like he's been at it for a while too, if he was jobbing when Brachius- the Bloodstained Killer of the UWC- was new. After he takes another swing of his drink, you ask "How long've you been doing this?"
Lenny strokes his mustache in thought. After a moment, he starts counting off on his fingers. "Twelve years. Way longer than I thought I'd be," he answers. "I always thought that I'd have quit or made it big by now. But nope. Can't do either."
He seems to sink in on himself for a second, thinking carefully about what he just said. "But still!" he finally says. "It's a good gig. I work a few shows a month, the crowds are good, and the money's passable. Nothing like what I'd be making if the EPC deal had panned out, but hell, you can't dwell on things that might've happened."
"So." he says, glancing between the girls. "I told you the Brachius story. How much've you heard about Drake Croft?"
The next few hours pass in a similar vein, with Lenny drinking and telling you more stories from over the course of his career. Nowadays he seems like he mostly spends time in the area, working Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and Virginia. But before that he traveled the country, working at any show he could find, and losing to the best of the best. Or maybe he's just pulling out the biggest names he's worked to sound better; you're not sure.
After a few more beers he stops telling stories. "So," he asks, looking from face to face. "You guys planning on making a living out of this?"
Around the table, no two answers are the same. You nods yes before even thinking about it, while Angelina shakes her head no, and Naomi just kind of shrugs. Lenny chuckles, looking at the girls. "If you're not planning on doing this then why're you here?"
Angelina shrugs. "Not really sure myself." she rasps, as if she's spent the last eight hours smoking. Lenny just waves his hand, gesturing for her to go on. "I'm four months out of the Army." she finally adds. "Had no idea what I was going to do and had some cash saved. I saw Daybreak's ad and figured why not."
"Shiiit." Lenny says appreciatively. "You do that kinda thing all the time? The whole fly by your pants thing?"
"Why'd you think I decided to do the army thing in the first place?" A roar from the group around the bar distracts you all before you can say anything to that. A glance over shows Caleb dipping Leah and trying to- apparently- eat her face. You shudder and turn back to your table. Lenny hasn't looked up from his crab legs and Angelina's just shaking her head.
Naomi's still staring at the scene wistfully though. You watch her and feel the urge to rub your temples. Eventually she turns back around and blanches when she sees you all staring at her. "What?" she says defensively. "It's okay to want a man!"
You're just going to let that one slide. Lenny, on the other hand, doesn't. He just chuckles. "Wow. Your school's way different than mine was if you're that hard up." At your questioning look he twirls one finger in the air. "Ever hear the stories about dudes at the Olympics? Yeah. They didn't have shit on Carl Cannon's gym."
Naomi flushes. "Can… can we just move on?"
It looks like Lenny wants to reminisce about his own training days from the look on his face, but honestly you'd rather talk about any- no, everything else. So you set your mug down on the table with a loud click, grabbing his attention. "So, how long've you been in the area?"
Lenny shrugs. "A while now. I'm not too good with dates."
"Do you just work for Mark?" you ask. "Or is there anyone else that promotes in the area?"
"Hmmm." Lenny drawls. "There're a few that put on steady shows. Some pay more than others. You planning on staying around after you're done training?"
"Maybe." You say, not elaborating. It's an idea you had- you don't have the money to move to one of the bigger wrestling areas and live there full time. Just the idea of what rent would be in Fort Lauderdale or a decent part of El Paso sends shivers down your spine. Staying in Baltimore's one of the thoughts you had had.
Lenny waits for you go on, but shrugs when you don't. "Well anyway, yeah. There're a few good promoters. You got a car?" You shake your head, and he lets out a tsking sound. "Yeah, that's gonna have to change if you want to get booked with any kind of frequency. But there're a few places around that'll hire you if you show up. Don't expect to make more than fifty bucks a show though- and that's if you're lucky."
He kicks back and lights his cigarette finally. "You know about Mark and the SWF. He'll put on a show every month or so if he can afford it, but the missus cuts him off every little while. So there'll be droughts between trips to Eagle Point High. You can't count on him for regular income- and that's if he paid a living wage a show."
"There's also the brats." he says through a thick cloud of smoke. "Not sure if they're still going but-"
"Excuse me?" Angelina breaks in. "The brats?"
Lenny snorts. "Yeah, the brats. A group of high school kids that watched too much WPW and ignored the 'don't try this at home' part. They got an old boxing ring, set it up in their backyard, and just started doing stuff. A couple of them honestly aren't half bad, especially after they ponied up to get a few actual lessons."
"Their stuff's all on Youtube if you want to check it out; call themselves…" Lenny looks around and clears his throats, "THUNDERPUNCH. Yeah. Just like that. All caps. Lately they've been hiring actual workers and putting on spot shows. Nothing regular, but look for a flea market and you'll probably find 'em."
Interesting. "That's different." you say, topping off your beer with the pitcher on the table. "But they don't sound like steady gigs."
Lenny holds out his mug and jingles it back and forth. You obediently refill his glass too and his takes an appreciative swing. "Yeah, if you're looking to make a steady living at this, you're gonna have to look hard. Besides Mark and the brats, there're a few other small timers around. PCW- that's Patomic Championship Wrestling- runs fairly regularly, but they're in the same boat as Mark I hear. Haven't actually been booked there myself. And if you can get it, some lawyer guy named Barker pretty much sells shows to anyone who wants to put one on. I've got a friend who gets booked by him- pay's decent, but not regular, and you wind up working a lot of birthday parties."
"If you really want to get paid and you stay in the area, you're gonna want to hook up with Superior. 'Superior Professional Athletics' if you want to use the full name."
Naomi snorts. "Sounds… humble."
Lenny lets out a bellow of laughter that shakes the light fixture. "You don't make it far in this business if you're humble. And name aside, Superior puts on a decent show. Heavy on tag wrestling- not really my thing. They're the only one around that puts on steady shows though."
Now that sounds a bit more promising. You lean forward in anticipation, only to be waved off. "Before you ask, no, I can't get you booked there. I've only done some jobs for em. It may lead to something down the line, but right now I don't have the stroke to get anyone in. Best thing to do is put together a solid body of work and get some buzz."
For the rest of the night you hang with Lenny, Naomi, and Angelina, talking shop and playing with the deck of cards that Naomi pulls out of her pocket. It's only when Naomi baits Lenny back into talking about his training days with something far deeper than casual interest that you decide it's time to go.
You bump fists with Lenny as you stand up and wave to Naomi. "Time to hit the hay." you say. "See you around."
Lenny nods, tipping an imaginary hat to you. "See you round, Martin. Good shit today."
You and Angelina duck outside at the same time into the brisk night air. The two of you stand there for a second, letting the cold push back your buzz as you prepare to head back to the motel. "Well," she says. "See you Monday!"
You wave and she trots away. You're about to follow her when the door opens again, and Allie pushes her way out after you. "Yo." She says. "Heading back?"
"Yeah. Figured I should get out before Naomi and Lenny started dry humping."
She snorts. "Well at least they had fun tonight."
You raise an eyebrow at that. "Not you?"
"Not so much. Not really my thing. I mean, Carly's nice, and she really wants me to teach her how to do some splashes, and Sandy and Kendra were cool enough. But if I wanted watered down beer I'd make it myself."
Allies sighs. "I'm gonna head back to the motel, get blitzed on Absinthe, and watch old westerns. You in?"
"Sounds great."
The two of you take a couple steps before you stop. "Wait. Where's Jack?"
Allie's tinkling laugh is your answer. "We're not all joined at the hip you know. But I think he's been grabbed by that friend of his. From what I saw, he's going to be in rougher shape than we are on Monday."
***
As it turns out, Allie is a prophet.
On Monday morning, when you head out for training, Jack drags himself from his room as if he hadn't been recovering for a full day, pouring coffee down his throat like it was plain water. You watch him with concern. "You alright?" you ask.
"If fucking Skyler Sheriff ever decides he wants to party with you," he pants out. "Just say no."
And that's all the information you get from him.
It's just as well. You have all the information you can handle to process once you get to Horizon. Daybreak decides to skip the usual morning training, and instead puts on some very familiar footage to dissect. As it turns out, yes, Delilah was recording the entire show, and the class sits down to watch the tape.
Though you watch it on mute. Delilah decided to do running commentary over the whole thing that's very distracting. You almost fall out of your chair laughing when she starts calling Nick with a mouthful of Ivan's chest hair like it's an actual move.
"Can I get a copy of this?" you gasp out.
"Can we all get a copy of this?" Naomi echoes, a sharklike grin on her face.
Nick watches the tape, mouth set in an expressionless line. "I'm good." he says.
"Now now," Daybreak chides him. "Way worse than this is going to happen to you if you keep wrestling. All of you. So be glad you got the whole humiliation thing out of the way so quick. The rest of these chucklefucks're gonna have to look forward to the pleasure."
With the tape muted, it's a lot easier to watch. You wince when you see yourself making some mistakes you'd made fun of other people for on tape- hooking the wrong leg, not holding the tag rope, and your pinfall attempts look hideous. Overall, you can't help but be proud of the match you had.
But still. There's work you can do. And you still have five days of training before your match with Daybreak, and your 'final exam' at Horizon Academy.
What do you want to work on? (FINAL TRAINING ROLLS)
[] Your fundamentals. There's no such thing as being too good at the basic building blocks of professional wrestling. (+1 Psychology Roll, +1 Basics Roll, +1 Safety Roll)
[] Your promos. There's no way around it- your talking needs work. If you want to get anywhere you'll need to hone your gift of gab. (+1 Charisma Roll, +1 Cool Roll, +1 Microphone Roll)
[] Your in-ring work. You weren't awful in your first match, but you've got some ideas that you need more work on if you ever want to be able to pull them off. (+1 Aerial Roll, +1 Brawling Roll, +1 Showmanship Roll)
[] Your body. You've spent almost all your time at Horizon honing your professional wrestling skills. But it doesn't matter how much you know or what moves you've practiced if your body physically can't do them. (+1 Athleticism Roll, +1 Power Roll, +1 Cardio Roll)
[] You... have some other ideas. (Pick 3 Skill Rolls)
[X] Your body. You've spent almost all your time at Horizon honing your professional wrestling skills. But it doesn't matter how much you know or what moves you've practiced if your body physically can't do them. (+1 Athleticism Roll, +1 Power Roll, +1 Cardio Roll)
- Location
- USA
[X] Your fundamentals. There's no such thing as being too good at the basic building blocks of professional wrestling. (+1 Psychology Roll, +1 Basics Roll, +1 Safety Roll)
- Location
- Who Knows
That settles it, I'm voting for Jack time next time we're all seperate. Gotta bump our friends equally.
[X] Your fundamentals. There's no such thing as being too good at the basic building blocks of professional wrestling. (+1 Psychology Roll, +1 Basics Roll, +1 Safety Roll)
[X] Your fundamentals. There's no such thing as being too good at the basic building blocks of professional wrestling. (+1 Psychology Roll, +1 Basics Roll, +1 Safety Roll)
Pandemonious Ivy
Panties, Revolution. Big Drawers. Parachute.
[X] Your fundamentals. There's no such thing as being too good at the basic building blocks of professional wrestling. (+1 Psychology Roll, +1 Basics Roll, +1 Safety Roll)
Focus on getting the minor sloppiness taken care of, then we can expand on the coolness.
And why is it that every time we leave Jack alone, he gets into some shit?
Focus on getting the minor sloppiness taken care of, then we can expand on the coolness.
And why is it that every time we leave Jack alone, he gets into some shit?
unknown_xho
YOU'RE NOT FUNNY
- Location
- South Carolina
This is a side character quest in disguise. Jack is the true main protagonist.
Pandemonious Ivy
Panties, Revolution. Big Drawers. Parachute.
Wouldn't that be a badass twist?
- Location
- Maine
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Theirs
[X] Your body. You've spent almost all your time at Horizon honing your professional wrestling skills. But it doesn't matter how much you know or what moves you've practiced if your body physically can't do them. (+1 Athleticism Roll, +1 Power Roll, +1 Cardio Roll)
Much as I want to go for the Fundamentals, that's a good point. I mean, Safety, Safety, Safety and all, but...
Much as I want to go for the Fundamentals, that's a good point. I mean, Safety, Safety, Safety and all, but...
RedV
Refuelling
- Location
- Right here
[X] Your promos. There's no way around it- your talking needs work. If you want to get anywhere you'll need to hone your gift of gab. (+1 Charisma Roll, +1 Cool Roll, +1 Microphone Roll)
We already have safety at a good rank for now. This is how we get a good gig, guys.
It is also the very last training roll we get. No more free stat increases. This should be a priority.
We already have safety at a good rank for now. This is how we get a good gig, guys.
It is also the very last training roll we get. No more free stat increases. This should be a priority.
Last edited:
Iandude0
BEST RANGER
- Location
- Milwaukee
[X] Your body. You've spent almost all your time at Horizon honing your professional wrestling skills. But it doesn't matter how much you know or what moves you've practiced if your body physically can't do them. (+1 Athleticism Roll, +1 Power Roll, +1 Cardio Roll)
