Taking Hold of the Flame 2025

[PhantomTroupe]

"Meet the Creeper"

On behalf of Ethan Stryfe.

[Jay Gold]

Season 6 / Episode 40 / Curse Of The Dark Diamond (Part 1 - Crying Out)

[Enigma]

MAN/MONSTER || CHAPTER EIGHT (THE SPIRAL FEEDS)
(click the image for RP)


"You don’t hold the flame. The spiral holds you.
And when it’s done, there’s nothing left but the dark.
Breath. Blood. Bone.
Everything DEVOURED."
—ENIGMA

[Enigma]

MAN/MONSTER || CHAPTER NINE (BENEATH THE BLACK RAINBOW)
(click the image for RP)


The spiral takes everything: breath, blood, bone.
Elle remembers what was forgotten. Sev breaks beneath the weight.
The door is waiting. The spiral is turning.
Beneath the Black Rainbow.

[Konrad Raab]

Kalvin Raab RP.


“So, you want to be a wrestler?”

Kalvan Raab looked at Adam Sharper from SCW appearing confused.

Kalvan: “Yeah dude. Like wtf? What else would I wanna be?”

Sharper: “Well your father is Konrad Raab.”

Kalvan: “I hope he gets plowed in the ass, my ninja.”

Sharper: “Well, that’s extremely inappropriate and uncalled for.”

Kalvan: “Him being alive is uncalled for.”

Sharper sighed, looking extremely worried.

Sharper: “Well, we can start you out in the division for the Television Championship. It is highly competitive.”

Kalvan: “Well no matter the division, I want to be in that Taking Hold of the Flame battle royal, bro. My piece of shit dad is too much of a chicken shit pussy to be in that shit. I have bigger balls than his entire body, and less wrinkles, too.”

Sharper: “Inappropriate, once again. But I can present you with what we call a handshake deal and enter you in the match. Do you know what a battle royal is, son?”

Kalvan: “All day long, bruh. All day.”

Sharper: “Right. Well, should you win, we can discuss further. Does that work for you?”

Kalvan: “I work all the time.”

Sharper: “How?”

Kalvan: “Local grocery store. I gots to get paid.”

Sharper: “Right.”

[Syren]

First RP for the Battle Royal.

Enjoy.



The Syren Song: Verse 397
"Let’s toast to Azerbay-whatever-you-said"

[SnowQueenSCW]

OOC: Events occur as dated. Royal Letter is a private video sent to recipient and is considered non-public.

Villain of the Year

”Where the Heart Is”

Frost “Forever Home”
Manhattan, New York
May 28th, 2016
3:09pm

“And… that’s the last of it!” Selena grunted a little as she moved the dresser a bit more to the right across the room, the dark-red wood landing with a bit of a thud, thankfully lighter with Selena taking out its drawers first before lifting it. No sense getting a hernia from it…

Stepping back, the platinum-blonde admired her ‘handywork’, seeing the fully furnished bedroom before her before silently chastising herself. “Drawers!” she shook her head, realizing she still had to put the damn things back into the chest. It wasn’t that big of an issue, the task only taking a minute for her to align each wooden compartment into the grooves properly before sliding them back into their ‘home’, as it were. “Let’s try this again!” she breathed quietly, once more taking a step back to admire the room.

She saw the photos on the wall first, a collage of frames, some with more than one photo attached to them in decoration. Some with no photos within them at all - to be added when the baby comes… Selena smiled to herself knowingly – but as for those that did…

She saw herself and Deanna standing together under a tree, both in their wedding gowns and holding each other’s hands. She saw photos of them with their little girl, Elsianna. The wall was filled with such wonderful memories of a marriage – a life, a family – just started. That’s what this whole place was supposed to be – and why Selena had gifted it to Deanna months ago. This house… their house… was meant to be the ‘start’ of their lives together. The couple had only been married for about five months now and with the baby on the way and Elsianna with them, they deserved a beautiful place to call their own. A home where she and Deanna could live the full marriage they desire together. A place for them to grow old and for Selena to, eventually, retire to when her time with SCW ended.

The thought caused the young woman sit back, dropping down onto the bed she stood against, the mattress easily making way for her.

Leaving SCW… she could almost laugh at the idea. It was a silly thought. She was a long way from that and things were going so well for her… amazingly, actually. Just a few months ago, she had not only won the Shot of Adrenaline Tournament, but also the Best of the Best Tournament! It had all happened in such a flurry, her jumping from one tournament to another, not even fully aware of what she was doing, just… trying to do her best in every match. Before she had known it, she had achieved what nobody else had. And it had just gone up from there. She was being eyed by so many legends and top-tier, main-event superstars! She was being put higher and higher on the Elite 15 list. There were even… she gulped at the next thought… there were even some whispers about her being a future ‘world title’ contender.

She shook her head at that. World title contender? There was no way. She didn’t deserve that. Yes, she had won those tournaments, but who was to say that all of this wasn’t just some phenomenal stroke of luck? That she had achieved some sort of ‘divine favor’ with the wrestling gods – were there even wrestling gods? – and any day now, she would be knocked back down to the mid-card where she felt she belonged.

She wasn’t a prodigy like Syren was. She wasn’t some ‘genetically gifted’ monster like Xander. She wasn’t some ‘student of the game’ like James Evans or so many others that had spent years in wrestling. She was just some… some nobody from Nome that had washed into SCW a few years ago and ‘gone with the flow’, training and working hard, sure, but… but…

She released a quiet sigh, letting her head lower a little. She had more important things to worry about than such silly dreams of being ‘world champion’. She had Malcolm Scythe still hounding her over Elsianna – the dangerous mayor of Nome desiring what inheritance Selena and her daughter had over the gold mine her father had left her – not to mention the rocky relationship she had with Regan due to Selena beating her in the Best of Best Tournament.

The world championship deserved someone that could give all of themselves to it. That could sacrifice everything for it. That could wait, bide their time, work hard, and seize the opportunity to acquire it through hard work, smarts, and passion. ‘The crazy miner’s daughter’?

“I don’t deserve it.” She sighed one more time, a sad smile creeping to her lips. Even the upcoming Taking Hold of the Flame royale. She wasn’t even entering it thinking she could win it. Rather, she wanted to challenge herself in such a match. She had never won it before and she wanted to face the odds and so many newcomers, legends, and main-eventers. Plus, didn’t she sort of have to make an appearance given her recent ‘rise in stock’, as it were? It would look rather bad if the winner of the last two tournaments didn’t make some kind of appearance in such a big match.

But did she believe she could win it? She shook her head. No, she didn’t. The odds were just too much against her and she was certain she had expended all her luck for the entire year on the past few months. Still, it would be an experience and something she could take with her moving forward towards Rise to Greatness.

“Knock, knock.” Came the lovely voice from the doorway, causing the young woman to break from her musings and turn her attention towards it. There, she saw the gorgeous redhead leaning against it, a bright smile on her face. “Finally managed to pee.” She huffed in a slightly exaggerated form of exhaustion. “You Frost women – do all your babies cause this much trouble?”

The platinum-blonde couldn’t help but laugh. “Elsianna was rough on me too.” Selena answered with a tilt of her head. “But I’m not going to feel sorry for you.” She added with her sticking out her tongue. “After all you did to get pregnant in the first place.”

Placing her hand on her swollen belly, Deanna Frost rolled her eyes and gave a long sigh. “Phew! Do not remind me.” She demanded playfully, waddling further inside the bedroom. “You better not be expecting another one from me, Mrs. Frost.”

“I wasn’t even expecting one from you, Mrs. Frost.” Selena shot back playfully. “But…” the statement did trigger a thought in her head, the young woman rolling back and onto her stomach as she lay over the bed, watching her newlywed wife moving like a penguin along the room. “Do you… do you think that you would want to?”

“Want to what?” Deanna asked, the younger woman turning her head and tilting to gauge her wife’s questions before emerald eyes widened in sudden understanding. “Have another baby?” Her mouth dropped a little. “Can I pop this one out first before you shove another one in there?” she half-laughed in disbelief.

“I don’t mean…” Selena rolled her eyes, rolling over onto her back to gaze at the ceiling. “I don’t mean right now, Deanna. But… I mean… We’ve got more than enough money now. Things are good with work and getting better.”

“Are they?”

Selena nodded. “I have to renegotiate my contract in a few months and I know these last tournament wins will hold some sway. And I meant… like once we deal with Malcolm and my mom… I was just wondering what you thought about having more children… with me.”

There was a silence within the room and, for the briefest of seconds, Selena feared that she had overstepped and asked such a question too soon. Yes, she and Deanna were married and, yes, this was their ‘Forever Home’, but this was a big ask. She wasn’t even sure she wanted more children, to be honest. She hadn’t expected to have another any time soon, let alone one that was genetically hers. But now that her second child was on the way… the idea of having more… wasn’t so bad of an idea.

She suddenly felt a soft warmth against her forehead, shocking her a little until she realized she was being kissed. She hummed a little in contentment as the soft lips pressed against her forehead and warm hands cupped her face. A second later, the kiss separated itself, causing Selena to open her eyes to see Deanna standing back and, once more, waddling towards the closet.

“I am not against the idea.” The redhead answered simply. “But I…” she chose her words carefully, almost nervously. “I would like at least one of our children to be… well… linked to me.”

“Linked to you?” Selena asked in slight confusion, pushing herself up and back to seated position, though this time she sat crossed-leg on the mattress. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know…” Deanna shrugged, suddenly rather shy. “Like you and Elsianna and are and how you and…” she gestured to her swollen baby, covered by her large, gray sweater. “This one will be.”

“They’ll be linked to you too, Deanna.” Selena stated, still confused. “You’re going to be here with me, raising OUR children together. I still don’t understand what you’re getting to-“

“I know…” Deanna tried, shaking her head. “I want them to be my children too, you know that. Elsianna, too. I would LOVE for her to call me ‘mom’ one day, you know that.”
“She just… she just needs time.”

“You’re missing my point, Selena.” The redhead shook her head gently. “Elsianna and this baby will all… they will have something of you with them. Elsianna has your hair. Who knows what this girl will have.”

“Boy.” Selena corrected. “I know I’m right about this.”

“And I disagree.” The redhead shot back – keeping their little ‘game’ going as they had for months of who would be right on the baby’s gender. “But they’ll have something of yours. I’m just… I’m sort of just the carrier for this one. And… if we have more… I’d like to have a child that has… something of mine...” she waved her hands in the air, though what she meant with such a gesture, Selena could only guess. “…to have with them.”

“Oh…OH!” Selena suddenly jolted, her brain finally putting the pieces together, causing her to sit more upright. “You want to use your eggs to make a baby!”

“YES!” Deanna sighed in relief. “Wow! That was awkward!”
“Why didn’t you just say so, hunny?” Selena shook her head. “I’m not going to be mad at that.” She gave a shrug. “Personally, I’d love a son or daughter that had your looks.”

That remark surprised the younger Frost, the newlywed snapping her gaze back to Selena. “Really?”

“Why not?” Selena laughed in some disbelief to her wife’s reaction. “Elsianna being made from my eggs doesn’t make her any less yours, just like our…” she paused, her eyes flying to Deanna’s swollen abdomen and choosing a compromise/pause on their little ‘game’. “Next child won’t be any less yours for the same reason. Long as you want to be their mother, you’re going to be their mother. And if you want a child with your genes, I’ll support that decision and love the child just as much.”

A wave of relief seemed to wash over the pregnant-woman’s face. “Thank you.” She whispered before swiping at her face with her hand, embarrassed. “Stupid hormones.” She muttered. “I will not miss that! Or feeling like ginormous water-balloon!”

Opening the closet door, Deanna pulled it as wide as she could before slipping inside. “Though I want to keep the super large shirts and sweaters! They are so comfy to change in!”

Selena nodded, though gave no verbal answer, her eyes watching Deanna disappear into the small ‘walk-in’ space of the closet.

“By the way!” she heard the redhead call out. “The room looks fantastic! Is that everything now? Are we all moved in?”

“Yeah…” Selena answered distantly, still watching the doorway her wife had disappeared into, her mind working through its thoughts. While the couple had lived in their new Manhattan home within the Black Arrow Neighbourhood, it had taken this long in-between Selena’s obligations with SCW and refusing to let Deanna do any work in her condition – pregnant and all – to get all their things moved in AND set up to where they wanted them to be. Still, the task was completed and the house was… perfect. There was no other word for it. Selena had known that the minute she had bought and began, quietly, to have work done on it in the buildup to revealing it to Deanna on the redhead’s birthday last April. “I met the neighbours the other day.” She added, still a little distant. “The Grays – Dorian and Sybil. They have a daughter close to Elsianna’s age named Asuna. Said they’d love to introduce her to Elsa.”

“Oh that would fun!” Deanna called back. “Sooner she can make friends here, the better.”
“I thought so too.” Selena nodded. “They also gave us a list of good schools to look into for Elsianna for the next school year.”

While she was still aware of the conversation happening between then, Selena’s mind was still only able to half-concentrate on it. The other half kept replaying her wife disappearing into the closet in front of her to change, replaying it over and over again until, finally, the younger Frost emerged from it, now wearing a long, baggy dark-green t-shirt and shorts. “And what works for her will, hopefully, work for the baby later on and-“

“Why do you keep doing that?”

The question caught Deanna off-guard, causing the manager to go silent and focus her gaze and full attention onto Selena, the platinum-blonde still sitting there on the bed, yet her sapphire eyes still studying her. “Do what?”

“That.” She gestured towards the redhead. “Since when do you change your clothes inside the closet?”

“I was just…” Deanna tried, gesturing towards the closet. “Just wanting to change into more comfortable clothes.”
“Uh-huh.” Selena nodded. “I’m not remarking your choice of clothes, Deanna. I’m pointing out the fact that you seem to prefer changing in a closet over than this big bedroom… or in front of me.”

An awkward silence hung between them as Deanna’s emerald eyes widened before they inevitably stared down at the floor.

“And lately…least the last month or two…” Selena continued, her voice filled with only concern. “I’ve noticed a few things. You won’t undress in front of me. You won’t shower with me. When we make love, the lights have to be off. Hell, even if you’re sweating buckets, you won’t wear anything to bed less than full pyjamas.” She tilted her head, seeing Deanna remain in her position, emerald eyes on the floor. “What’s going on, Deanna?”

There was no answer at first, silence the only thing working within the room, but the older Frost could see Deanna’s hand opening and closing nervously, the redhead’s teeth nibbling on her lower lip.

“I…” her voice, so full and happy a moment ago, was now shaky, causing a pang of guilt and self-loathing to rip through Selena for making her love sound like this. “I guess I didn’t want to make you upset… or uncomfortable.”

“Upset? Uncomfortable?” She knew what those words meant but, for the life of her, Selena couldn’t understand why they were being spoken now. “What…” she tried, adjusting the hem of her dark blue t-shirt. “How could you possibly make me uncomfortable or upset?”

“Because of everything you’ve been through.” Deanna answered with a shrug, her hands unconsciously wrapping around her pregnant belly. “After what Jean told me – and you told me – about you… what they did to you… how you can’t…” she was struggling with every word, every thought – her eyes dancing around the newly refurbished bedroom. “To be honest, the more I grew – the more I was showing – the more I began to feel guilty.”

“Guilty?” Selena asked in disbelief. “Love, why would you feel guilty over something so… so beautiful?”
“Because it’s something you can’t do.”

The remark, so straight and matter-of-fact, took the air out of Selena’s lungs, even as she kept her eyes on Deanna, the redhead standing there so vulnerable and exposed.

“Because my body is still intact. That I can carry our children. I can be pregnant… and you can’t ever...” a sniffle escaped her. “That I can be safe and protected here while you’re out there, coming home with cuts and scars and cracked ribs and I… I don’t have a scratch on me… And I’m afraid…” she ran out of words then, her hands failing to her side, as did her gaze, leaving Selena stunned for a second or two, barely enough time to process what she had just heard.

“You’re afraid of what? That I’ll be jealous of you? That I’ll resent you or something?” Selena asked slowly.

Deanna shook her head. “No.” she replied before reaching up to swipe at her face again with her hand. “At least… I don’t think so. But you could grow to resent me… or how unfair it all is.”

Selena shrugged. “So it’s unfair.” Her remark was quiet but gentle, regaining Deanna’s attention and gaze. “You’re right. It is unfair. The world is unfair. What I’ve been through? What you’ve been through? You can’t convince me it isn’t. But how can I hate what happened to me… when it brought me here?”

Swinging her feet out, the platinum-blonde shuffled to sit at the edge of the bed, her bare feet on the carpet-floor. “Because of what happened to us, we have a ‘Forever Home’, a daughter and another child on the way. We’re talking about a future with more children – something I never thought I’d have. And everything…” her eyes closed. “Everything else… is beyond what I ever believed I deserved.”

“Me…Me too…” Deanna nodded. “But if you grew to resent me – to hate me –“ she shook her head quickly. “I don’t think I could handle that.”

“Hey… Hey…” it was enough to get Selena to push herself off the bed and cross the distance between her and the emotional redhead, the taller Frost immediately wrapping Deanna up in her arms. “I’m okay, Deanna. I am, really.” She heard the soft cries forming and releasing from the woman she held. “I could never hate you. I WILL never hate you. No matter what happens. I promise.”

They stood like that for a moment or two, the platinum-blonde letting her wife ride through the soft cries and sobs that wracked her frame. As the redhead began to calm, Selena slowly guided her towards the bed. “Come on, sit down next to me.” She gently commanded, guiding Deanna to sit with her, but keeping the warm hand between her pale, colder ones.

“I…” Selena breathed. “I can’t see the future, okay?” she kept her eyes on Deanna, who kept her eyes on their held hands. “And I may end up with more scars and busted bones and whatever.” She shrugged. “Lot of sick people in SCW – probably meet them soon in the royale-“ Deanna’s head lifted as if to speak but the fingertips from Selena’s free hand on her lips halted her.

“Not caring about that, De.” She interjected. “Winning is not important to me in that match right now. I just want to learn and get more experience. Test myself.”
“But…” Deanna tried, eager to try and change the subject. “You could win.”
“HA!” Selena laughed. “If I don’t believe I deserve or can even win the world title, what makes you think I can win a battle royale?”
“I believe-“

“I’ll tell you what, Deanna.” Selena firmly stated. “You get me spot forty, with everyone exhausted from the match before I come in, especially the main-event guys? Maybe – MAYBE – I’ll believe I have a chance too. But back to us, okay?”

Deanna nodded. “You were saying you can’t see the future.”

“I can’t.” Selena shrugged. “Maybe I end up more busted up then what we’ve seen. Maybe someone retires me. Maybe someone ends my career or whatever.” She gave a shrug. “But whatever happens – every scenario, short of death, in my head – I always come back here. I always come back to this house. To our children… to you.” Her eyes looked up to scan the room she had worked. “That’s why I bought this place. Why I gave it to you.” She gave Deanna’s hands a squeeze. “Because this is our ‘Forever Home’. This… is where we will always be… together. And I will love you through it all. No matter what.”

Slowly, Deanna’s eyes lifted up to find the sapphire ones she sought. “You promise?”

The Snow Queen merely gave a nod, returning the forehead kiss Deanna had given her. “I promise.” She smiled. “Til death do us part, remember?” she added, drawing her newlywed wife to her for a gentle kiss, her hand resting over Deanna’s pregnant midsection. Slowly drawing back, the platinum-blonde eyes her wife coyly. “Now… I believe I said something about a shower together?”


****************************************************

Frost ‘Forever Home’
Manhattan, New York
May 28th, 2025
6:23pm

The door swung open immediately due to the woman unlocking it and pushing it open with such ferocity. “Unbelievable.” She grumbled, holding the door open so the other girls – her ex-wife and her daughter – could solemnly enter the house behind her.

“Up to your room right now, young lady!” Selena ordered coldly, pointing to the stairs, watching as Elsianna, embarrassed and shamed, quickly walked up the directed stairs., Selena barely able to recognize the blue jeans, black lacey gloves and dark multi-colored her daughter wore due to her seething rage. “I cannot believe you!”

“I didn’t mean to worry-“ the twelve-year-old tried desperately. “But it wasn’t-“

“I said go up to your room, Elsianna Irena Frost! As in ‘this instant’!” Selena ordered. “And you can forget any more ‘date nights’ for a while with Asuna, you understand me?”

“What?!” the girl cried out in shock. “No, please, mother! It won’t happen again! I just-“
“Actions have consequences, young lady!” Selena all but roared. “And if you don’t go to your room now, there will be worse ones, I assure you!”

Her eyes filling with tears, the eldest Frost child turned and bolted up the stairs, her cries audible to the two women standing at the foot of the stairs at ground level. It wasn’t until Selena heard the door slam upstairs that she began moving, marching from the mudroom section, down the short hall, and into the kitchen/family room wide expanse, her hand fishing around in the pocket of her leather-jacket pocket until she was able to pull out the yellow-plastic container of pills.

“I cannot believe that girl.” She growled to herself, helping herself to a glass on the counter, filling it with tap water, and using it to drink back two of the clear-gel pills she removed from the container before pocketing said container back into her coat pocket. “After EVERYTHING we taught her. Everything she promised us!” She breathed as she swallowed the water and pills then, trying her best to calm herself and her rapidly beating heart.

Turning her head, she was able to see the still-silent redhead standing at the doorway. “I swear…” she continued to speak, more so to herself. “After everything with David last year, I swore I would never hit my kids again… but dammit, if I wasn’t so damn close tonight!” she took another drink of the cold water. “Thanks for the help, by the way.” She finally threw towards the woman by the door. “’Preciate it.”

“Not like you were going to listen to me if I did say something.” Deanna replied passive-aggressively. “Cause I tried to get you to stop when we found her and you just shut me up and shut me down.”

“Shut you down?” Selena asked, stopping her pacing to stare down her ex-wife. “How can you be calm about this?” she asked. “She disobeyed us. She snuck out of the house. And for what? To go to some party we told her ‘no’ too.”

“And if something had happened to her, I’d understand your anger. I would.” Deanna pressed, moving across the room. “She’s my daughter too.”

“Really? Because I feel like I’m the only one acting like it right now.”

She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips but, despite that, the Snow Queen didn’t have the strength to take them back, despite the look of shock on Deanna’s face.

“How can you say that?” Deanna slowly asked, the shock still rolling off her. “You call what you did tonight ‘acting like a parent’?”

The two former lovers stood there, glaring each other down. In that moment, it didn’t matter to either of them that David and Amiliah were probably no longer asleep up there due to their noise. Or that Elsianna was crying in her room. The emotions were simply too high.

“I was scared, okay?” Selena reasoned.
“And you think I wasn’t?” Deanna laughed bitterly. “You think I wasn’t envisioning every single worse-case scenario as we ran around the neighbourhood trying to find her? You think I didn’t fear the worse when we first saw her room empty? You think I didn’t – that I didn’t – pray to every god I’ve heard of in my life to just bring my baby girl home?” the redhead scoffed. “That doesn’t make what you did right.”

“What did I do?” Selena asked in disbelief. “Are you telling me she doesn’t deserve to be grounded for what she did? What kind of example does that set?”

“No.” Deanna firmly stated, hands on her hips. “I’m not talking about punishing her. That’s not how WE raised OUR kids. We taught them that actions have consequences, just like you said. So I agree with you that we should decide a punishment for Elsianna’s behaviour.”

“Then what’s the problem-“

“Because there was no ‘WE’ in any of this, Selena!” Deanna barked out. “From the second it happened to just now, there was just you. Just Selena.” As she spoke, Deanna began to march around the kitchen, running her hands through her curls of red hair. “Selena barging into the Grays’ house and harassing them. Selena making a scene and pounding on The Breckt’s door. Selena that grabbed Elsa’s and Asuna’s arms and dragged them out of the party. Selena that yelled at them and swore in front of them the entire walk back to the Grays. Selena that cursed out Dorian and Sybil again, when they were just as sick with worry as we were. Selena that dragged Elsianna back here and Selena, now, that just made our daughter cry…”

Selena kept silent for a moment, still at odds with the panic attack she had felt an hour ago when she had first discovered her daughter’s empty room. The evening had started off so well, too. It had been a rather casual dinner-night and, despite the still awkwardness between Deanna and Selena due to ‘the event’ a few weeks back, things at least seemed calm. That was until Elsianna had asked her mothers for permission to go to a party tonight - being held for Joey Breckt’s, one of Asuna’s friends, 15th birthday (though Elsianna hadn’t mentioned that, merely that it was a party). With it being a school night, the Frosts had said ‘no’… and that should have been that.

Clearly, it hadn’t been.

It hadn’t been until Selena and Deanna had cleaned the dishes, gone over Selena’s plan for the upcoming weekend for Taking Hold of the Flame, prepared to head home back to the Eyrie Tower, and then gone up to say goodnight to the children, that they had realized Elsianna was gone – her room devoid of its main occupant. The result had been an hour long search for the eldest Frost child until they had learned the location of the party in question and the matter had been ‘resolved’ as it had been.

“We’re supposed to be on the same page.” Deanna finally spoke, breaking the silence. “You promised that to the Grays weeks ago when they shared their uncertainty of Asuna and Elsianna dating. You promised that we would solve each problem together. Because we were still – despite everything – a family.”

“I…” Selena’s jaw opened and shook a little. “I took the lead, Deanna. That wasn’t a sign for you to stay quiet!”
“No, but you know what was?” Deanna asked, turning back on Selena to glare her down. “You refusing to let me get a word in with the Grays BOTH times! Each time I tried to calm you down or talk to them, you interjected and kept going! You barely acknowledged what little I could even say!”

“I always-“

“Do you even remember what you said?” Deanna asked with a tilt of her head, angrily glaring down the former world champion. “When you shouted that the relationship with Asuna and Elsa was over – do you remember what you said when Sybil asked if I felt the same way?”

“What I said?” Selena asked, her face a mixture of confusion and lingering anger/frustration. “I said…” she tried to recall, her mind replaying the entire night’s event… but nothing came up. She had been too angry – too ‘seeing red’ – as it were. She hadn’t felt this kind of anger since Blake Mason. Even Ryan Cavalier getting a sneak attack on her last Breakdown hadn’t done it. Yes, she was irritated with the “Last Monarch’, the new girl in SCW, once again, butting in on Selena’s business just to harass the Snow Queen for a ‘fast-track to the top’ because THAT wasn’t unoriginal as hell. But how was that any different than Polly sucker-punching her? Or the multiple times Kandis or Kristen Scott had gotten the jump on her over the years? They were all just looking for the fastest route to the top of SCW, and Selena was it, with or without the world title.

“You said-“ Deanna flinched as she recalled the words with absolute clarity – and gaining Selena’s attention. “You said ‘I’m Elsianna’s mother. I am the one making the decision here!””

There was silence for a second as Deanna shook her head at Selena. “I have never felt like such a stepmother in my entire life!”

“I…” Selena suddenly recalled the words as she heard them from the redhead… even if they had been wrongfully translated. “That is not what I meant, Deanna! I didn’t mean it as I was the ‘only’ mother! Of course, I think you’re Elsa’s mother. And David’s! And Amiliah’s!”

“You took away my voice, Selena.” Deanna spat back coldly. “You took away my say! Something you promised you’d never do!”

“And what would you have said if I had not interrupted you?” the Snow Queen asked with a huff, laying her hands on the counter, opposite side of Deanna. “That it wasn’t a big deal? That she’s ‘just a kid’?”

“Yes, I would have.” Deanna stated, but quickly continued as she saw Selena roll her eyes at her. “Don’t you roll your eyes at me like that, Selena! I would have said that, yes, but only to remind everyone of the situation that you, seemingly, have forgotten.”

“And what-“

“She’s TWELVE, Selena!” the shorter woman almost screamed. “She’s twelve. Okay? She’s going to do this – make these bad choices! And while we need to hold her accountable for it, yes, we don’t want her hating us for it! Same with Asuna! They are becoming teenagers now! They are going to test the boundaries that are in place! That’s part of life! Didn’t you run away from home when you were a kid?”

“No!” Selena laughed. “I couldn’t. I was trapped in Nome, in case you forgot.”

“Don’t give me that.” Deanna gave another bitter laugh. “You think I’ve forgotten the stories you told me? How you ran away to ‘live’ in your father’s cave? How old were you when you snuck out late at night with a bag filled with your animal crackers, blanket, and favorite book? When Donovan found you the next morning and brought you back?”

“I…” Selena’s eyes widened. “You remember that?”

The scoff from Deanna as she shook her head. “Of course I do.” She replied with a shake of her head. “I remember so much about you, I could write a damn book. And by the way, you were eight. Did your father punish you?”

“My stepmom did.” Selena answered quickly, but Deanna was just as fast.
“And do you want to be like her?!”

The silence, shocked into existence, radiated as Selena stared at her ex-wife, mouth agape for several seconds, her eyes wide. To her credit, Deanna did not look away, nor show any signs of regret from saying that statement. Slowly, Selena’s mouth closed, her jaw clenching and her fist closing together tightly until the knuckles of the skin turned white.

“Fuck you, Deanna.” She hissed in a whisper, sapphire eyes burning towards the redhead. It was all she managed out before turning on her foot and marching towards the door.

“My point exactly!” Deanna called out, giving chase after the older woman, refusing to be dismissed like this. “The minute I start talking, you walk away and end the conversation or say something like that!”

Neither woman stopped as they marched out of the family room area, back down the short hall and to the door. Selena was there first, pulling the door open and marching out into the colder, night air and onto their front lawn, Deanna hot on her heels.

“What? Am I supposed to just agree with everything you say? Was that your plan? The great Selena Frost makes a decision and everyone just follows you? This isn’t SCW, Selena!” She was almost yelling at the platinum-blonde, causing the former world champion to turn towards her, eyes burning.

“You haven’t the faintest idea what I am going through over there!” she snarled. “The hell I am going through over there and what I have to do for that place and for us!”

“Oh I have an idea!” Deanna laughed. “You forget that while you’re playing ‘World-Ruler’? Our kids come home with stories of the school kids harassing them. ‘Why’s your mom such a jerk on TV?’, ‘Your mom’s gonna get her ass kicked this weekend!’, ‘When’s your mom gonna ‘cash in’?’, ‘Snow Prince! Snow Prince!’.” She did the last one as some kind of imitation. “The stories I’ve heard?” she said in her actual voice.

“That’s the price of fame.” Selena shrugged. “But I will NOT budge on my rules for my children-“
“OUR children!” Deanna glared. “You just did it again.”
“I’m not excluding you when I say something like that! They are yours and they are mine, Deanna! Stop thinking I’m shutting you out!”
“Because you are!” Deanna barked back. “You’re constantly trying to push yourself into their lives and take control over matters!”

“Well it’s not like I get to see them every day now!” Selena answered back sharply. “I only get to see them when it’s ‘my turn’, or you’re too crazy to look after them! What a fun year THAT’S been!”

Again, only a second of silence, but it felt like an eternity. Deanna, however, managed to recover faster than Selena had.

“And who’s fault was that? To lock me up in Kentucky? To hide me away from our children, huh? Oh! Again! Selena makes the call and no one else gets a say!”

“Well, I’ve seen what happens when YOU make decisions based on your ‘feelings’.” The Snow Queen spat back, once more feeling the burning sensation on her lips from that memory.

“And THERE it is!” Deanna laughed sarcastically. “That’s what all this has been about, hasn’t it?”

Despite the dark of the night, Selena could easily see her ex-wife standing there, cutting to the heart of the matter that had plagued her for the past few weeks. And now that she had, inadvertently, lead Deanna there, the former world champion could not bring herself to look at the young woman, instead turning her head out towards the quiet neighbourhood many yards away and beyond their gate.

Give me Ryan. Give me Asher. Give me any of the four from that chamber – Hell, put me IN the chamber with them! her mind begged. Put me at number one and make me run the gauntlet – ANYTHING but this…

“For Odin’s sake, Selena, it was one kiss, okay?” Deanna huffed. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, okay? For a brief moment, I thought…” she gave a little exhale as she stood a few feet away from the older woman. “I thought I was seeing the woman I married, okay? I got emotional, fine, but it doesn’t have to mean anything.” She stressed. “We can just pretend that it never happened, okay?”

“Maybe you can.” Selena finally turned her head towards Deanna. “Maybe you can toy with me like that, but I can’t.” she could feel her eyes burning in the dark with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall.

“You think I’m toying with you?” Deanna asked in surprise.

“What else would you call it, Deanna?” the platinum-blonde shrugged in disbelief. “You do that and now you’re saying ‘it doesn’t mean anything’? Are my… Are my feelings just some kind of game to you now?”

“Your feelings?” the redhead laughed in return. “Okay… which of us has been promenading words of love for months? Saying things like ‘I love you’ and ‘My heart will always be yours’ over and over again? Because that sure as hell wasn’t me.”

“That was me being honest!” Selena replied. “I’m not the one that asked for a divorce, remember?”

“No, but you forced it!” Deanna countered.
“Nobody made you do it!”
“You did!” came the inevitable retaliation. “Because I couldn’t trust you! Not after what you tried to do to Jessica!”
“Gussy it up all you want, Deanna. At the end of the day, you chose to end things. Not me. So, I’m not going to apologize for speaking honestly on a relationship I didn’t end.”
“Then don’t get mad at me when I act on feelings from a relationship that I didn’t WANT to end!”

“Note the difference there, Deanna!” Selena spat harshly. “Because that’s what makes what I do ‘me dealing with your decision’ and what you are doing cruel and unfair!”

“Again! It was just one kiss!” Deanna huffed, shoving her hands into her hair. “It won’t happen again, okay? What’s ‘cruel and unfair’ is you taking it out on Elsianna because of me and my feelings!”

“Stop saying that!” Selena ordered. “Stop saying there were ‘feelings’ behind it!”

“Then stop pretending that I don’t have them!” Deanna ordered back. “You think I’ve just shut down or forgotten or just switched them off? I’ve spent months in rehab and therapy, Selena, thinking so much about us! You don’t get to pretend you’re the only one that’s suffered this past year! You don’t get to pretend you’re the only one that’s had feelings! And all your talk about ‘loving me’ and ‘still feeling things for me’… you’re just as bad as I am!”

“Stop it!” Selena warned, every red flag going off like a siren in her head, almost drowning out the world around her, warning her of the dangers that were coming in fast. Dangers that stood to destroy everything she had built – all the months, nearly years, she had spent planning. The very walls of her master-plan beginning to crack and crumble under the strain.

“No, I won’t stop it!” Deanna implored, immediately walking the short distance between the two of them, reaching out to grasp the pale hands in front of her. “Because every time you said it to me…” her emerald eyes were barely holding back tears of their own. “It hurt so much to not say it back! It hurt more than you could imagine to keep quiet and silently curse your unfairness! That you could so easily say those things and I couldn’t! That you could easily speak those words and I had to keep quiet because it wasn’t ‘fair’ to you!”

“Stop, please…” Selena’s voice had dropped to barely a whisper, her hands tightly holding Deanna’s as if they were the only thing keeping her standing in that moment. She had to stop this. She had to stop this before Deanna brought her whole world down! “I can’t…” She felt her chest tighten, the familiar signs of that panic attack seizing her, her breathing becoming more difficult with each passing second.

“No, you need to hear this.” Deanna pressed, to consumed in her own emotions to see the signs of panic in her ex-wife. “Because there is so much I have wanted to tell you for so long, Selena. So much I wanted to say. And I thought if I kept it to myself, that would be better. But I can’t live like that anymore. I can’t just ‘keep quiet’ like I was tonight. Whether I believe you are wrong or about… my feelings…”

“Stop…” Selena’s voice was barely a whisper, the ‘World-Ruler’ feeling weaker than ever before, her mind screaming, begging for it to stop, wildly trying to think of any way out. Any way to stop her very world from exploding.

“You told me… years ago…” Deanna whispered. “That you would love me through it all. No matter what. And… you have… so maybe…” her voice trembled as the tears in her eyes finally fell down her cheeks, Selena able to see them even in the darkness thanks to the moon and porch lights of her house. “Maybe I just needed time to reach that point too. Maybe I…” her teary-eyes looked up to stare into Selena’s sapphire ones. “Maybe I-“

STOP!!!

Desperately, Selena silenced her ex-wife the only way her anxiety-driven mind could imagine possible. By crushing her lips onto Deanna’s, the Snow Queen pulling the redhead into a desperate, panic-induced kiss. It didn’t matter in that moment what was right and what was wrong. It didn’t matter in that moment who was cruel and who was unfair.

The only thing that mattered was she keep Deanna from saying those words.

Because if she heard them from Deanna…
If she believed them…

The world would certainly end for the World-Ruler…

_______________________________________________________________

The Royal Letter

The camera opens up to reveal a rather simple room. A black throne chair sits in the center and occupying it is none other than The Snow Queen, The Face of SCW, and The World-Ruler, herself, Selena Frost. Her hair is tied up in its iconic braid, and she wears a rather sharp, black pantsuit. The lack of color for her apparel only contrasts the paleness of her skin and hair, as well as the sparkling of her sapphire eyes. Still, the lack of graphics, lavishness of set, or anything ‘set-wise’ for this video screams just as much, as the young woman tilts her head, eyes on her single-person audience.

Xander… she speaks the name slowly, letting the very sound of the now FORMER SCW World Champion settle on the air, eventually evolving into silence for a few seconds. She lets it happen, the silence filling the room she sits in before she breaks it.

Xander… Xander… Xander… Xander… she tilts her head. Dropped the ball, didn’t you?

Giving a little laugh, the Snow Queen relaxes in her seat, holding a hand up. Don’t worry, Xander. This isn’t something I plan to air for my world – the SCW Universe – to see. They don’t need to. This is… this is just a private chat between you and me… between old rivals. And the way I see it, it’s only fair, right?

She crosses one of her legs over the other gracefully. Because if you think about – the last couple of months… you were the one always coming to me, weren’t you? I mean, you were the one that kept getting involved in my affairs, right? All those months you were at the top? All the months you were – what did you call yourself? “The standard-bearer in SCW”? Heh… She chuckles a little at that.

I mean, you had people literally throwing themselves at you! Challengers, Hudson, stables, Hudson, Trios-winners, Hudson… yet who did you keep throwing yourself at time and time again? Who’d you keep talking about? Who’d you keep bothering with your incessant ‘When you going to cash-in?! When you going to cash-in?!’ questions? Was it Billy Heaven Jr? Was it Amelia? Or was it me?

She smiles a little. I didn’t need you, Xander. I never have and I never will. But you clearly wanted and needed me. Which isn’t surprising considering our history. The times you’ve come after me because you needed to ‘prove’ something, right? You came after me all that time ago because you were afraid I was ‘stealing your spot’, remember that? First time you and I fought and I beat you faster than anyone else did? Then, you needed me so you could prove that you were still this ‘tough SOB’ despite that humiliating loss. Then, you needed me because I had a title you wanted. Then, you needed me when you wanted to be world champion. Now… you’re the world champion, and you STILL need me. On and on it goes, Xander…

You need me because I make you relevant. I make you ‘the monster’ you keep pretending you are. I push you to the level that you need to be in order to be good enough just to step in the ring with me. I give your career purpose in its dwindling years… and you’re welcome for that.

Once more relaxing into her seat, Selena gives a dismissive wave of her hand. But let’s skip the small talk, shall we? The point is that you’ve sought me out backstage, you crashed my main-event match on Breakdown with the Underground Champion a few weeks back… and after all the times you’ve sought me out, and after all you’ve done these past few weeks, I figured it was time I be the one that sought you out.

Because I want to remind you of something…

Eyes narrowing, the platinum-blonde uncrosses her legs and places them both on the floor, allowing herself to lean forward and glare into the camera.

Do you remember what happened last year at this event, Xander? It’s been awhile, I know, and you certainly like to let your ego and your anger cloud things and rewrite history, so let me save you the headache of thinking because you’re clearly not doing that these days… I’ll ANSWER the question for you.

One year ago, at this same event, you and I locked horns. The Executioner vs. The Snow Queen. World title on the line – the fate of Rise to Greatness’ main-event hanging in the balance. A match so huge… that they put it on AFTER the royale – not the case for you this year even with a Trios Contract made match, which speaks far more about me and MY value, but I digress…

Do you remember how that match went, Xander? Do you remember how it all went down?

Selena smiles knowingly. I do. You promised to ‘end my reign as World Champion’. You promised to, how did you put it in that promo of yours? ‘Take my head off, stick it on a pike and hang it for all of SCW to see’, right? Selena even waves her hand and arm as if she was holding said ‘stick’. But what happened, Xander? Was there a changing of the title? Was there a decapitation? Was there an ‘end’ for the Snow Queen? No. So what did happen?

You dropped the ball. You took your eye off the prize and you got stupid! You got stupid and you let your ego run things and you, Xander Valentine, failed and lost to the Snow Queen yet again. her tone is now accusatory.

And now? Here we are a year later… and you’re still being stupid! You’re still letting your ego call the shots!

Her words become slower, as if reprimanding a fool. You had one job, Xander. One little job! All you had to do was be the SCW world champion. That’s it! Not give me your kidney. Not sell me your soul. No, all you had to do was stay the SCW world champion. It was easy! Hell, I STAYED out of your way just so you could do it! You think I couldn’t have cashed-in, dropped you with one kick, and taken the title if I wanted to? I’ve done it before! Over and over again! But no, I bided my time! I let you be ‘the hero’ for these people – these idiots in my world! I let you be EVERYTHING you wanted – everything you dreamed of being! I let you become ‘the hero’ that THEY wanted – that THEY dreamed of having! All I asked in return, was for you to stay the world champion until it was time for me to take the world title back…

And with all I gave you – all the time I gave you, all the space I gave you, and all the protection you had from CHBK – you still couldn’t even do that.

Selena shakes her head disappointedly. You could have become the longest reigning world champion of all time, Xander! You could have had your match with me, the chance to main-event Rise to Greatness as the dominant hero to me – your dominant villain – and you couldn’t do it. Just like last year, Xander Valentine had EVERYTHING in the palm of his hand… and he let it slip through his fingers. Dismayed, Selena wiggles her fingers a little before setting her hand back down.

But that’s not what makes you stupid, Xander. No, what makes you stupid is what you did AFTER that failure! Because you had a golden ticket! You had the chance to ‘make it all right again!’. You had the chance to do the smart thing – to make it up to me, your REAL benefactor. You had it all in your hand again… and again, you let it slip through your fingers.

Because you could have done ANYTHING, Xander! You could have demanded your Thunderdome match with James, but have Fall of Man barred from ringside. You could have had them banned from the building! Hell, you could have pulled a Kimberly Williams and rigged some sort of stupid match where you get the world title back the second you score a single pinfall! She shrugs. Hey, if SCW can’t seem to forgive or forget when it comes to my opinion on THAT cash-in, why should I?

You had the chance to make it up to me, Xander. Not just to me, but to make it up to the fans that you let down at Rebirth… but same ol’ Xander – stupid, stupid, stupid – you let your ego take over and you put yourself in a not-so-subtle three-on-one match! Selena shakes her head incredulously.

What’s… What’s the point here, Xander, huh? And, by the way, this isn’t The Snow Queen asking, remember? This is me, Selena, asking you, Xander, what’s your game plan? You going to lock yourself in a big cage and just ‘win the title back’? That your plan?

Did it work when your ego demanded a “Last Person Standing Match” against me? Wait wait! Let me ask something more recent! Did it work when you demanded Kandis stay away so you could ‘beat me on your own’? Wait wait! Something more relative! I’ve got it!

Did it work when you demanded a handicap match between you and Frozen Hell? How’d THAT handicap match go, Xander? You against TWO top-tier talents… and you want to go up against THREE now?

Cause let me remind you of something – those three fighting against you, Xander? That strategy you just allowed inside the dome? That is why you’re NOT the world champion right now. But you want another go at it? Another try to beat all three of them at once when beating James alone would have done the job?

See, that’s why I call you stupid, Xander – that’s why I say you’re the same stupid fool you were a year ago. Because you still think you’re this monster. You still think that you can overcome ANY odds – and you let these fools (some as stupid as you) further delude you into thinking that.

Taking a moment, Selena runs a hand through her platinum-blonde hair as she continues to speak.

Now, ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind you being a fool. I wouldn’t! It gives me something to watch and laugh at on repeat while I wait for my number forty spot to come up in the royale. Xander getting humbled and humiliated – never gets old – I speak from experience with that. But just like with my match with Colleen, and with my segments, and time and time again, you just keep getting involved in my business.

Because you gave yourself a little ‘out’, didn’t you, Xander? A little clause in case you drop the ball again. That all three losers of the Thunderdome match still get to participate in MY royale to try and ‘get another chance’ at the world title…

She takes a slow, deep breath. You want to tell me why you need that clause, Xander? If you plan on destroying The Fall of Man, why would they need entry into the royale? If you were planning on becoming the world champion, why would you need that ‘out’ for yourself?

Selena shakes her head knowingly. Because you really don’t think you can win, do you? You don’t truly believe that you can beat all three them. That, just like that handicap match YOU wanted years ago, you’re slowly realizing, once again, that Xander Valentine was stupid and bit off more than he could chew…

Or maybe! And this is where I’m truly leading here with my train of thought… either Xander Valentine doesn’t truly believe he can win the title back… or maybe he does but he knows he can’t destroy the Fall of Man…

And that… that would explain so much, wouldn’t it? Because why dump three losers into the royale? Three men that will be exhausted, probably injured, and spirits crushed? Why would Xander want that for the Fall of Man if he wants their full destruction inside the dome?

Selena tilts her head knowingly. Same reason you chose MY match to announce that destruction, right, Xander? It always comes back to me, doesn’t it? Always comes back to you needing me – just like the SCW Universe does.

Selena sighs, aware of the reality. And you know that when it comes to destroying stables and other superstars, I do it better than anyone else. Ask Blake Mason. Ask James Evans – better yet! Ask Giovanni Aries! Ask him what happened to his ‘Wonderland’ group, or ‘The Brand’.

Like so many times before – when you were the villain attacking people and superstars, when you couldn’t be dominant enough to beat me last year, when you couldn’t give the SCW Universe the Wild, Wild West? You want me to be the one to clean up your mess. To do what you know, in your heart, you can’t do, Xander, no matter how much you promise.

Because of all that, you clearly only know ONE thing about this coming weekend. And that is that I am winning the royale. I called my shot, Xander. And unlike you, I didn’t do it in a fit of rage and ego-driven insanity. No, I planned it. I waited on it. I cultivated the steps needed to get me there. I called my shot, not over a few days, but over months and months! And you know, Xander, that I did not do all that just to lose to three idiots that see this royale as their ‘second chance’.

I didn’t plan this to lose to a guy that will have failed twice at this event to win the world title.
I didn’t wait this long to lose to a guy that will have lost ANOTHER chamber match this SCW season.
And I didn’t sacrifice EVERYTHING just to lose it to a guy you will have beaten twice!

Selena shakes her head. So, yes, Xander. I will do what you can’t. I will be what you can’t be. I will clean up your little mess on my way to do what you know I will do in winning the royale. I will eliminate the Fall of Man from the main-event picture altogether. I will drive them so far down the rankings, that they’ll need a telescope to see the two of us at the top. I’ll do all of that, Xander, because you can’t. Because you are not good enough to do it.

Selena takes a deep breath, her glare cold as she stares daggers at her intended audience. All you have to do is one thing, Xander Valentine… One simple thing for your World-Ruler and benefactor… Sapphire eyes narrow.

You better fucking win.

And I don’t mean morally or ‘winning in the hearts of your fans’, Xander. You called your shot and I have called mine. So you better deliver like I will this Sunday. You better dig deep and find a way to keep at least one promise you made in my world. I better hear the words “And NEW SCW World Champion: Xander Valentine”.

Because if I don’t… She cracks her pale knuckles. You won’t have to worry about James Evans. You won’t have to worry about Giovanni Aries. You won’t have to worry about Waylon Creek. Hell, you won’t even have to worry about Rise to Greatness. Because you fuck this up again? You drop the ball again, Xander? You be stupid and fail again, Xander?

You won’t even make it to Rise to Greatness.

Slowly, Selena leans forward, her tone dropping to a very harsh threat.

Because just like I won’t lose to those three idiots… I didn’t get to this point to lose to you either. Whether you want to believe it or not…

Sitting back in her seat, Selena gives a shrug of her shoulders. This is my world, Xander. Now go and play your part, ‘hero’. Because if you can’t play your part this Sunday… then I swear to you… you won’t have one by the time I am done with you…

The camera slowly fades on that threat uttered by the World-Ruler before the shot goes entirely to black.

[Giovanni Aries]

Contains a promo for thotf

The Wonderland Madman - Seeds Of Doubt

[Huddie]

OOC: Writing for this show has been horrible. Changes incoming. But here is my Hudson effort.

The Death of Violence: Chapter Two

[Thunderhorse]

"Ashes upon Ashes"

"My family enjoys vendettas a little too much...and that is a good thing."