Post by Stella Basch on Jun 4, 2024 17:11:57 GMT -5
Privilege…
Yeah, you could say I had it. After all, I was the daughter of the now-retired CEO and the younger sister of the current CEO of Basch Industries, and I’d basically been an intern - working directly under my brother - since the moment I finished high school. On top of that, I’d been learning the ins and outs of professional wrestling since I started living with my brother and his wife. To say that my pedigree worked to my advantage was definitely an understatement.
Granted, with that privilege came an equal share of scorn and disdain from those around me… the ones that had it in their heads that I believed I was better than them. But I knew better than to think that.
As the Taylor Swift song goes, “Haters gonna hate…” All I can do is block them out and focus on what I need to do. Let people think what they will, because if I let them drag me down, then they win. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a Basch, it’s that you NEVER let the haters win.
Basch Industries - Office of Donovan Basch
Irvine, CA
Saturday, June 1, 2024
It was the weekend, so there were only a select few of us lurking the halls of corporate headquarters. My brother and sister-in-law had already headed out to Indiana for Donovan’s match at Five Lakes, leaving me to check in with the weekend skeleton crew… and because I couldn’t resist and was bored out of my damned mind, goof off in my brother’s office.
I sat in his oversized black leather chair with my laptop open on his desk, its hot pink shell a stark contrast to the matte black furnishings that decorated (if you could call it that) the massive corner office. Crystal clear windows looked out over the city, and I had a totally unobstructed view of John Wayne Airport.
So naturally, I did what any sane intern would do when holed up in the CEO’s office on a weekend…
I used the corporate wi-fi to play World of Warcraft.
**DING!**
A flash of gold light surrounded my character, a Vulpera Warlock named Vulpiona (yeah, yeah… original, I know) as a banner flashed onto the screen.
Stella: Alright! Yet another toon at max level! Well, at least until the expansion goes live.
I chuckled to myself before tapping on the Hearthstone icon to teleport myself back to the inn. As much as I would’ve liked to see how long it would take me to level another character to cap while the Mists of Pandaria Remix event was still active, I had other things to do. I closed out of the game, then opened up my browser to do some recon.
Yeah, I called it recon… so what?
I pulled up a video of my opponent, Jackson Cole, from the previous show, taken shortly before his match against one of my mentors, Aurora Graves. I watched… but more importantly, I listened. I then rewatched the match itself, pausing every so often as I felt necessary. Once I was finished, I closed up my laptop, then looked up and smiled.
Stella: Interesting…
I folded my hands in front of me, smiling as I leaned forward toward the edge of my brother’s desk.
Stella: It seems that you and I actually have something in common, Jackson. We were both abandoned by the women that brought us into this world. The only difference is that I actually know what type of woman my mother was. Sure, she was well off… or at least she liked to give people that impression. The truth of the matter was that while I was growing up, she bounced around from one sugar daddy to the next, casting them aside like a worn-out pair of shoes as soon as she got bored with them - or in some cases, their wives made their lives a living hell once they got wind of what was going on.
I shrugged. What did I really know at that age, anyway? For that matter, did I really even care?
Stella: As a kid, I didn’t question it. I didn’t have any reason to. I had plenty of food, I had clothes, a roof over my head. The only thing I didn’t have was my mother’s presence. Sure, she was there physically, but emotionally, she was as absent as she would always claim my father was.
For the first 15 years of my life, I practically raised myself. In middle school, whenever I needed something signed by “a responsible adult,” I learned to forge my mother’s signature. Not because I was ashamed to let her see what my grades were - I was a straight A student - but because she couldn’t be bothered. She was too busy looking for her next gravy train. It wasn’t until I was… removed from her custody that I learned the truth about why I never really wanted for anything.
I let my eyes roll slightly toward the back of my head as I sighed.
Stella: Yeah… imagine being labeled a “spoiled little princess” without even knowing who the king was? It was like living in The Princess Diaries without the politics. The “king” I mentioned? He runs a tech empire that would make Bill Gates shit his pants. But I didn’t come here to talk about my family tree.
I shook my head, smirking a little.
Stella: We both got bounced from the Prestige Championship tournament by wrestlers that are no stranger to championship gold. You by Aurora Graves, and me by her husband Damon. But what you may not know is that they both had a hand in training me. So even in defeat, I still win… well, in a way.
I stood up and pulled at the sides of my shirt, showing the image of a video game controller and the words “What doesn’t KILL ME gives me XP.”
Stella: It’s like the shirt says… “What doesn’t kill me gives me XP.” And being in the ring with either Damon or Aurora is definitely a chance to level up! Time will tell just how long it will take me to reach level cap, but there’s one thing I do know…
No one gets ANYWHERE without the grind!
I paused for a moment, then sat back down. Opening up my laptop again, I smiled as I once again fired up my Battle.net launcher.
Stella: I think I’ll try Remix with a Death Knight, this time…
My smile grew wider as I dove back into my game.
Yeah, you could say I had it. After all, I was the daughter of the now-retired CEO and the younger sister of the current CEO of Basch Industries, and I’d basically been an intern - working directly under my brother - since the moment I finished high school. On top of that, I’d been learning the ins and outs of professional wrestling since I started living with my brother and his wife. To say that my pedigree worked to my advantage was definitely an understatement.
Granted, with that privilege came an equal share of scorn and disdain from those around me… the ones that had it in their heads that I believed I was better than them. But I knew better than to think that.
As the Taylor Swift song goes, “Haters gonna hate…” All I can do is block them out and focus on what I need to do. Let people think what they will, because if I let them drag me down, then they win. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a Basch, it’s that you NEVER let the haters win.
Basch Industries - Office of Donovan Basch
Irvine, CA
Saturday, June 1, 2024
It was the weekend, so there were only a select few of us lurking the halls of corporate headquarters. My brother and sister-in-law had already headed out to Indiana for Donovan’s match at Five Lakes, leaving me to check in with the weekend skeleton crew… and because I couldn’t resist and was bored out of my damned mind, goof off in my brother’s office.
I sat in his oversized black leather chair with my laptop open on his desk, its hot pink shell a stark contrast to the matte black furnishings that decorated (if you could call it that) the massive corner office. Crystal clear windows looked out over the city, and I had a totally unobstructed view of John Wayne Airport.
So naturally, I did what any sane intern would do when holed up in the CEO’s office on a weekend…
I used the corporate wi-fi to play World of Warcraft.
**DING!**
A flash of gold light surrounded my character, a Vulpera Warlock named Vulpiona (yeah, yeah… original, I know) as a banner flashed onto the screen.
Stella: Alright! Yet another toon at max level! Well, at least until the expansion goes live.
I chuckled to myself before tapping on the Hearthstone icon to teleport myself back to the inn. As much as I would’ve liked to see how long it would take me to level another character to cap while the Mists of Pandaria Remix event was still active, I had other things to do. I closed out of the game, then opened up my browser to do some recon.
Yeah, I called it recon… so what?
I pulled up a video of my opponent, Jackson Cole, from the previous show, taken shortly before his match against one of my mentors, Aurora Graves. I watched… but more importantly, I listened. I then rewatched the match itself, pausing every so often as I felt necessary. Once I was finished, I closed up my laptop, then looked up and smiled.
Stella: Interesting…
I folded my hands in front of me, smiling as I leaned forward toward the edge of my brother’s desk.
Stella: It seems that you and I actually have something in common, Jackson. We were both abandoned by the women that brought us into this world. The only difference is that I actually know what type of woman my mother was. Sure, she was well off… or at least she liked to give people that impression. The truth of the matter was that while I was growing up, she bounced around from one sugar daddy to the next, casting them aside like a worn-out pair of shoes as soon as she got bored with them - or in some cases, their wives made their lives a living hell once they got wind of what was going on.
I shrugged. What did I really know at that age, anyway? For that matter, did I really even care?
Stella: As a kid, I didn’t question it. I didn’t have any reason to. I had plenty of food, I had clothes, a roof over my head. The only thing I didn’t have was my mother’s presence. Sure, she was there physically, but emotionally, she was as absent as she would always claim my father was.
For the first 15 years of my life, I practically raised myself. In middle school, whenever I needed something signed by “a responsible adult,” I learned to forge my mother’s signature. Not because I was ashamed to let her see what my grades were - I was a straight A student - but because she couldn’t be bothered. She was too busy looking for her next gravy train. It wasn’t until I was… removed from her custody that I learned the truth about why I never really wanted for anything.
I let my eyes roll slightly toward the back of my head as I sighed.
Stella: Yeah… imagine being labeled a “spoiled little princess” without even knowing who the king was? It was like living in The Princess Diaries without the politics. The “king” I mentioned? He runs a tech empire that would make Bill Gates shit his pants. But I didn’t come here to talk about my family tree.
I shook my head, smirking a little.
Stella: We both got bounced from the Prestige Championship tournament by wrestlers that are no stranger to championship gold. You by Aurora Graves, and me by her husband Damon. But what you may not know is that they both had a hand in training me. So even in defeat, I still win… well, in a way.
I stood up and pulled at the sides of my shirt, showing the image of a video game controller and the words “What doesn’t KILL ME gives me XP.”
Stella: It’s like the shirt says… “What doesn’t kill me gives me XP.” And being in the ring with either Damon or Aurora is definitely a chance to level up! Time will tell just how long it will take me to reach level cap, but there’s one thing I do know…
No one gets ANYWHERE without the grind!
I paused for a moment, then sat back down. Opening up my laptop again, I smiled as I once again fired up my Battle.net launcher.
Stella: I think I’ll try Remix with a Death Knight, this time…
My smile grew wider as I dove back into my game.