Bite the Hand: A Penny Shannon Roleplay

[veronicaaaahhhh]

February 2019 

Penny & Mary's Apartment 

Hipster Atlanta 

One Night Before Sin City Showdown 

"Do you think you can keep it down? Some people want to run a company while you saunter off and be a champion."

Penny turned over and found Mary standing against the door of their bedroom. From the looks of things, Mary was still working. With her pantsuit still on, Mrs. Shannon folded her arms with a look that just cut itself across Penny's heart.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You very well know what that means."

"Don't do this, please," Penny spoke. "The last thing I need right now is a fight."

"Well, that's funny because it seems that fighting is all you care about right now," Mary said. "Like, ever since you got your hands on that stupid belt, the only thing that's been on your mind is fighting despite what it's done to you."

"Are you ing serious with this, right now?!" Penny shot back. "Like, I finally have everything I spent my whole life fighting for."

"And I'm proud of you," Mary said, approaching her. "I probably don't show it the way you want me to, but I am. But also, that pride comes with a cost and if this is the way it's going to be, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"But you don't understand," Penny said. "It's part of the business."

"Excuse me?!" Mary scoffed. "Getting physically assaulted is part of the business?"

"Yeah, honey, it is."

"What the f*ck kind of answer is that?!" Mary barked. "What Drakz did to you is a criminal offense. And not in the macho psycho drama you called a sport. I'm talking about this: the real world. The world, if you've become so dense to have forgotten, happens to the place you and I exist in! The same place that would have sent Drakz straight to jail."

"Why are you talking to me like this?" Penny shot back. "I got beaten up. Big deal? I'll just beat him up even harder tomorrow."

"Are you listening to yourself right now?" Mary shook her head, holding out her hands. "I can't believe this."

"Well, believe it because if you haven't noticed it, this is the world Josh and I exist in."

"You almost died!" Mary broke. "I don't think you can even begin to appreciate how traumatic that was for me."

"Baby..." Penny murmured, approaching her.

"No," Mary sighed, holding up her arms as she inched away.

"Is that how this is going to be?"

Mary took a deep breath as she looked away, almost holding back the drops of saline that were on the verge of running down her face. "Yes, because I need to set boundaries here."

"What?"

"If this is how you're going to be, then I don't know if I can stand to be around you." Mary sighed. "Each time I close my eyes, each time I have a moment to myself, all I can think about is the way you were assaulted in front of me. You may be numb to the smell of your own blood, but I’m not. Nothing I do will ever wash that scent from my memory. And all I want to do is just to tell you to quit. Right now. While you're ahead, because you have nothing to prove anymore. You did it."

"I can't do that," Penny sighed, looking down.

"I can't either," Mary said, biting her lips. "I'm sorry, but right now, I can't support you the way you want me to."

"So that's it?"

"It is," Mary nodded. "As long as you have that belt."

"Please don't do this," Penny said. "You don't know how much I need you right now."

"You better leave."


<***>





<***>

Present Day  

It had been years since Penny Shannon took the drive away from Atlanta. After everything that's happened in the last few months, there was something absolutely comforting about the solitude the open road gave her.

She didn't want to think. She did want to feel. She just wanted to exist. And somehow, she wanted to pick up whatever pieces of her life she could gather and just start her life all over again. If that was even an option at this point.

All she needed was inside this car: her phone, her gear, her stash, and most importantly, good music.

The sound of silence and vibration cut through Boygenius' "Me and My Dog."

Josh Dean is calling

Penny let it ring for a moment. Maybe she wanted to answer, maybe she didn't. Maybe, she wanted to let it ring for a while. That way it was clear that she needed to be left alone and that any interruptions were not welcome.

Then again: it was Josh. You could always hide things from a girlfriend, a friend, or a family member. But if there's anything the business teaches you, it's that there is no hiding from a former tag team partner who also happens to be your agent.

Penny pulled to the closest opening she could find and took the call.

"I was wondering when you were going to pick up."

"Did you really think I would?"

"Had a feeling that you were bound to answer," Josh replied. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about, JD."

"How're you holding up, at least?"

Penny looked at the rearview mirror, and for a moment, allowed herself to look at her things. All her things. Packed up and just recklessly tossed into the backseat of her Volkswagen Beetle, the Bratmobile. 

"I'm good."

"You know, in spite of everything, you seem to be holding up well."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a complement," Josh said, as Penny heard him blow away smoke. "You wanna talk about what happened with Mary?"

"No," Penny began, changing the topic. "But I took a match at Animalize..."

"I saw that," Josh said. "You got EBR. At the main event no less."

"I don't even know why I'm going to tell the truth."

"I'm sure you do."

"No, I don't," Penny replied. "I break up with the love of my life and the first thing I do is go back to WFWF."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Penny replied. "I'll get off on beating another living legend. For a minute. Then I'll just go back to what I normally do and phone it in, over and over until I get bored and drop off the face of the Earth. Again."

"Can I say something?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Penny shot back, reaching to the glove compartment for her vape.

"You already know where I stand on this whole thing," Josh began. "The one thing that has always held you back, despite all your accomplishments, is the fact that you are the most inconsistent wrestler I have ever met. You're the kind of wrestler who performs at her best whenever she's challenged. It's why you've got an incredible track record of beating some of the best talent the industry has ever had to offer. If you think it's worth it, you will put in the time. But have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, the one person you could never beat was yourself?"

Titling her head back, Penny took a drag off her vape and relaxed into her seat. "Go on..."

"You keep getting stuck in this loop," Josh began. "You'll take time off from the business, come back and have a successful string of matches, and before you know it, you get bored and leave without so much of a notice."

"I really hope I don't get bored this time," Penny said. "Getting bored is the last thing I need."

"And we both remember what happens when you get bored."

In that moment, Penny closer her eyes as a sudden flash of memories came rushing at her. From the bender that followed a street fight with DevilKiller all over Madison Square Garden; to the sleepless week she spent on a case of Monster and grade-A Master Yoda; to the time she crashed the Bratmobile; and to the time she wandered into the home of Josh and Nikki Dean.

"I don't want that to happen to me anymore," Penny sighed, taking another drag off her vape. "But I don't know what to do to with myself."

"Remember Penny, you are you're greatest enemy. And take it from me, that's the best enemy anyone could have. It's all up to you to prove yourself now."

"Well, let's just see about that."

"I'd end this call here," Josh said. "But I've got one other thing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, the people at The Ben Logan Experiment called, asked if you wanted to do an interview? Mary would have told you, but, you know?"

"I know..." Penny sighed, gazing back at the rearview mirror to look at her things again. "Ben Logan's the pseudo-woke MMA dude bro who does a lot of drugs right?"

"That's him," Josh said. "He's got a huge platform, could be a good place to hype the EBR match in Cardiff?"

Penny took a deep breath. It sounded like a horrible idea. But whatever it was, it seemed a hell of a lot better than whatever she had at that moment.

"Great!" Josh shot back. "You won't regret it."

"I should hope not."

Sta. Monica, California 

The Ben Logan Experiment  

"What's up, derp nuggets? This is Ben Logan and you're officially listening to, as of 11:47 AM this morning, the most listened to live podcast on the internet. Today, we're joined by feminist icon, can I call you that?" 

"... Sure." 

"Penny Shannon," Ben continued. "Former WFWF World Heavyweight Champion. And get this for the unaware, she is the second woman to hold the title and the first openly-gay woman to be a World Champion in a major wrestling promotion. That's amazing!" 

"Thanks? It didn't last long." 

Despite her reservations, Penny Shannon accepted her invitation to The Ben Logan Experiment. As of that moment, things seemed relatively relaxed. Ben Logan, a middle age white guy with the body of a dad who did BJJ on the weekends, was lighting up a joint in a the studio looked like the man cave to end all man caves. 

"Want in on this?" Ben Logan coughed as he passed the joint to Penny. 

"Sure, maybe a bit," Penny replied, taking the joint. "I've been cutting down." 

"No way?" 

"Yeah," Penny replied, leaning back as she took a hit. "Like with my schedule, I've realized that I manage to get a lot more crap done if I don't bake until the evening. And I used to be the biggest stoner in the world." 

"That's insane, you know? Like, I think with the right focus, you can basically get what you want done when you have an occasional toke although the day." 

"See," Penny coughed, handing back the joint. "I used to think that way too but before I knew it, I'd end up getting lazy. You know? Just doing stupid crap. Playing video games, sh*t like that." 

"It's all discipline, at the end of the day," Ben spoke, somewhat condescendingly. "And prioritizing what you do and how much you take in." 

"For sure," Penny shot back. "But for me, that need to take a hit also depends on what's going on in my life at that moment. Am I stressed? Is there a lot on my plate? I could say that for me, in those moments, it's almost like having a cigarette. But at the same time, and maybe it's because I'm getting older, my whole deal is that, if I'm gonna blaze up, I might as well do it in the confines of my own home, you know?" 

"For sure, for sure," Ben nodded, taking another deep pull of the joint. "And this is one of the reasons why I wanted to have you on the show. You're a gay woman with reasonable success in a form of entertainment that's often frowned upon by the general public who advocates the use of recreational marijuana. And I think that's awesome. I may not like pro wrestling. But this is a free country and I can totally get behind that." 

"Well first off, I think marijuana is something more than recreational. It has major spiritual and psychological benefits that are often overlooked." 

"For sure. It's the same argument I make with DMT, you know?" 

"Yeah," Penny shrugged. "But also, do you not like wrestling?" 

"We're going there?" 

"It's a thing?" 

"Well, here's my deal," Ben began, laying both hands out on the table. "I'm an MMA guy. I believe that mixed martial arts is a supreme and vastly superior form of fighting. And when I watch wrestling, I catch those moments when the performers in the ring give themselves away. Like all pro wrestling marches start of in what's effectively a clinch and that's just stupid, because the opening moments of any form of combat sports are so incredibly crucial and the start of most, if not all, the wrestling matches I've seen just blatantly disregards all of that. I mean no disrespect because I can respect the athleticism but anything beyond that is just a f*cking joke." 

Penny glared at Ben Logan with every desire to just grab the joint off his hand.  

"So I've been wrestling since I was sixteen years old," Penny began. 

"Sixteen?” Ben Logan coughed. “That's insane." 

"Wrestling since I was sixteen. I'm thirty now," Penny began, calmly. "I have host of nagging injuries on my back and knees that pretty much forced me to change the way I wrestle. I have had my arm intentionally dislocated from my shoulder. My left eye is actually a donor because I've had a shard of glass shoved into my eye that it actually tore my old cornea. I've been in situations inside the ring where people have actively tried to hurt me." 

"But that's all combat sports." 

"For sure," Penny shot back. "But pro wrestling is held by a set of principles, like any other discipline, that enables it to have this kind of free-flowing form of action that invites us to perform moves, holds, and attacks that you wouldn't normally see in other kinds of combat sports." 

"See, I could buy into that," Ben Logan spoke. "However, the idea that a woman of your size can easily pick up a 250lbs man and drop him on his head is a bit of a stretch for most logical adults to buy into, especially in a situation where you've been fighting non-stop for several minutes." 

"Adrenaline is a hell of a rush." 

"Oh, I'm not denying that. But from a logical standpoint, even getting yourself in a position like that, where even your attack is vulnerable to compromise, and to manage to successfully land a move of that kind requires an incredible leap of the imagination." 

"Oh totally!" Penny shot back. "But I think the fact that we do it, with so much at stake, is why professional wrestling is such an enduring sport. Not a lot of people can do what we do in the ring and make a successful career out of it." 

"Right," Ben nodded. "And that's something I want to ask you about because it seems to me that because there are so many lines that are blurred in wrestling, specifically towards women and this new age of civil rights that we’re in, where everything's so sensitive, and we now see this prevalence across the board of transgender athletes dominating women's spaces and claiming titles and recognition that should rightfully belong to biological women. Do you have these same anxieties about transgenders taking over women's spaces in sports?" 

"No," Penny replied, curtly. 

"And why not?" 

"Because I'm a transgender woman." 

"... Oh sh*t,” Ben Logan coughed, mid-pull.  

"Do you have a problem with that?" 

Leaning forward, Ben Logan took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone. "I, personally, do not have any problems with transgender people. I believe we live in a free and democratic country that affords Americans of legal age the right to do anything they want." 

"Good." 

"That said, I do have a problem with the idea that people who were biologically born male are now invading women's spaces and attaining the accomplishments that biological women have the fundamental right to claim." Ben Logan continued. "That said, I think your inability to come forward with your alternative lifestyle created irreparable damage to the legitimate validity of women's sports, and to an extent, professional wrestling." 

"In what way is the status of my gender identity harming the validity of women's sports?" Penny shot back. "As far as I'm concerned I am, and have always been a woman. I transitioned relatively early in my life compared to other girls." 

"How old?" 

"Thirteen." 

"You transitioned when you were thirteen years old?" 

"Yeah." 

"Chemically castrating and altering the hormones of adults is one thing, but do to that on minor, who doesn't understand themselves is another thing all together. Kids change their minds so frequently and to think you have any right ov-" 

"-Can I ask you a question?" 

"I don't think we should change the topic." 

"Me neither," Penny shot back. "But this goes right into that." 

"Then by all means." 

"Did you ever once question being a boy as a child?" 

"No." 

"Okay. How old you were you when you realized you like girls?" 

"Are you assuming my gender?" Ben Logan scoffed.  

"No, but I want to form an opinion and I need you to answer my questions I'm order for me to do that," Penny shot back. "I mean, so far, I think I've been incredibly forthcoming with you." 

"Then go ahead." 

"How old were you when you realized you liked girls?" 

"I don't know," Ben Logan shrugged. "Six, seven- maybe?" 

“Okay. Has your feelings about liking girls ever changed?” 

“No.” 

“Has your feelings about being a boy ever changed?” 

“No, but then-” 

“Then that’s it,” Penny shot back. “It’s literally the same exact thing with people who realized they were transgender or gay when they were kids. They just don’t have the language or the understanding of the world to express that. I never felt like a boy. As long as I could remember, I was always a girl and I was lucky to have a mom and adults in my life who allowed me to have a girlhood." 

"But you like women,” Ben Logan scoffed. “Your whole persona was built on the fact that you are, were, supposed to be, a gay woman. I'm sorry if this offends you, but your existence, as a biological male who chemically altered his body in his teens, instantly negates the validity of any of your claims as a female athlete." 

"Do you understand now why kept this a secret?" 

"I understand that you lied to people, in particular your peers and your fans." 

"I couldn't lie, even I wanted to." 

"But you did, I'm sorry if the truth offends you," Ben Logan spoke. "Whether intentional or not, you made the world believe that you are a biological woman without disclosing your actual sex. That constitutes as lie." 

Penny took one last look at the joint and closed her eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to get lost in its moist, dank scent. It wasn't a lot, but it was more than enough to calm her down.  

"Okay," Penny spoke, opening her eyes. "If that's how you see it, then there's nothing I can do to change your mind. I don't like it. But you're entitled to your beliefs and I have to respect that, regardless of how hateful I think it is." 

"It's not hate," Ben Logan spoke. "I just don't appreciate it when men dominate women's sports." 

"What you did right there, just now, was hurtful and disrespectful. And frankly, a little hypocritical,” Penny shot out. “I've fought for everything I've ever earned. And I did that as a woman. While it may seem like some kind of façade to you. It's real to me. Wrestling has allowed me to be the truest, most honest version of myself. And that's a lot more than I can actually say about the real world." 

"The real world because pro wrestling is the fake one?" 

"Is that really all you're gonna do over the course of this interview?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"See, I've listened to your shows a few times. With people, who agree with you, you're willing to engage in this bullsh*t sense of intellectual discourse. But the moment you're confronted with someone who's lifestyle you disagree with, you will look for holes in what they say and you will throw it at them." 

"You're being ridiculous." 

"Am I?" Penny shot back. "The moment I sat on this chair, you have done nothing but constantly belittle and twist around every single world that came out of my mouth. You've been doing that before you even found out about my gender identity. The fact that I came out on your show, in a position I had no control over, was the loaded gun you needed to unload all of your problems with the transgender community. We actually could have had an honest, civil, and eye-opening exchange that could have enlightened your listeners. But even that you refused to do." 

"And what? Ask you how much your boobs job cost? I don't even do that with the actual women I have on this show!" 

"It's called progresterone, mother*cker. And you know what?" Penny shot out, standing up as she dropped her headset on the desk. "This interview is over. S*ck my trap d*ck!" 

And with that, Penny held up her middle finger and sauntered out of the studio. 

Penny’s first impulse after leaving Ben Logan’s studio was to drive to the nearest dispensary and clear the whole store out… But then her phone blew up with calls, messages, e-mails, Tweets, and whatever else was out there. Granted, there were those who seemed genuinely happy for her. Which was nice. But then there were the rest… Hundreds upon hundreds of angry messages and Tweets, a lot of them coming from the United Kingdom, boasting about what a horrible human being she was ‘lying to people for so long’, and God knows what else. 

Penny figured that she had grown up enough in the last few years that she could brush it off. But she couldn’t. It seemed that minute by minute, the hateful messages kept on coming and coming. And before long, it began to rattle her and fill her entire being with so much dread that the thought of looking at her own reflection made her feel absolutely sick. 

So she gave in… For a minute and she got higher than she’d ever been in years and it only made things worse. Because the pain, the distress, and the fear she had spent so much of her life running away from was staring back at her. Amplified…  

“Do you know what it’s like to hate your own body that you basically build your entire life around finding small ways to hate it a little less, and maybe make it a little more tolerable? Well, this is me. This is me every single f*cking day. And it sucks. 

All I do is force myself to gently let myself go of this idea that if things were just a little different, I wouldn’t have to live this way. Because it’s affected just about everything I’ve ever done in my life. All my accomplishments. All my mistakes. Everything- it was just all to prove that maybe there was just even a little room in this ugly world for somebody the likes of me. 

And for so long, I’ve allowed myself to bury it because I didn’t want to define me. I didn’t want to have to explain myself the way I had to growing up. I just wanted to be. Without any questions asked or any need to have to explain myself ever again. And for a long time, people believed it. And I did too… 

This is why I am the way I am. And this is why I absolutely resent the very existence of men like Drakz, Michael Kyzer, Philip Schneider, Trace Demon, Alex Sean, and my opponent come Animalize, EBR. These so-called legends of our sport… If there’s anything that’s ever driven me to succeed, it’s the notion that in I had the power to beat them, humiliate them, and break them. 

These men, especially EBR, built their entire careers on a luxury that people of their kind are so easily afforded. And it pisses me off because they can do anything they want inside the ring- and each of those men have done incredibly despicable things throughout their careers. And what happens when they come back? The entire industry rolls out the red carpet and the fans welcome them back with open arms. All their sin forgiven because in their narrative, this grand narrative that I’m forced to f*cking conform to each and every day, they never did anything wrong. They were just people who sacrificed everything for the glory of this industry.  

They’re not bad men. They’re not liars. They’re legends who gave it their all. It’s why they can always come back with a clean slate.  

But what about me? I couldn’t a sh*t about the Cameron Stones or the DevilKillers of the world because inside that ring, they mean nothing to me… But the thought that a woman, a transgender woman, could beat them, and break them, and humiliate them gets off so much harder than any drug or sexual thrill out there. 

EBR, you’re nothing but liar… You come back after all this time acting like this great, honorable hero, when the truth is that you are just as bad as anyone else whose stepped into that ring. Like yeah, I’ll f*ck someone up. But I would never go out of my way to intentionally cripple another human being the way you have throughout your entire career. You broke people without any regard for the lives or the people they love. You may have moved on, but there are a lot of people out there who haven’t forgotten about what you did. 

And come Animalize, I am going to walk into the United Kingdom- the most hostile country on the planet right now for women like me- and in front of all those people, I am going to beat you in the middle of that ring and I am going to remind the world just how small you really are. 

People are gonna love and a lot more are gonna hate me. But I don’t care. Because when I walk out for Cardiff, I’m not just walking away as the winner. I’m walking out of there as the most powerful woman- no, the most powerful human being on the face of this planet because I am stronger than EBR could ever wish he could be.”. 

Tempe, Arizona 

A Few Days Later… 

It was another dry Arizona morning in Tempe, yet there was a distinct chill in the air that quietly announced the passing of the season. And for Vanessa Gillespie-McGurk, this meant that getting through the day would be a little more challenging than it was the day before. 

The first thing Vanessa noticed that morning was how she could feel weather change deep in her bones. Her knee ached. Nothing too painful, but it was remarkably uncomfortable. Not wanting to disturb Wayne, who lay sleeping beside her, Vanessa took a deep breath as she pulled away the covers and gently pushed herself out of bed a moment later. 

There was an ache in her knee with each step she took, but Vanessa forced herself through it. This always happened at around this time every year. It was a reminder of a past life- a youth that was spent chasing fame, glory, and the undeniable roar of the crowd. Yet, despite the accolade and acclaim, it was not without its regrets… A particular regret that Vanessa carried with each step she took. 

That morning, Vanessa had forgone her usual shower for a bath that soaked her surgically-repaired ligaments in a boiling brew of essential oils. She would have preferred to stand while she cleaned herself, but she didn’t know if she even had the strength to do that this morning.  

She allowed herself to think about her old life; the glory, the pain, and the things she wished she could do again. On occasion, she would yearn for a return. One more shot of glory that culminated in a successful three count… To soar through the air the way she once did.  

“What good is it to fly when I can’t even stand up straight to shave my legs?”, Vanessa chuckled.  

Oh, the cruel bittersweet heartbreak of a dream.  

It took a good couple hours, but eventually, Vanessa Gillespie-McGurk was dressed and ready to face the day. She took her time to walk down their staircase and was pleasantly surprised to find her husband in the kitchen, preparing breakfast; the scent of fried tomatoes and chorizos were just intoxicating. 

“Bonjour, mon amour,” Vanessa smiled, as she slowly approached Wayne with a slight limp in her step. 

“I reckoned it was one of those days,” Wayne spoke, looking at Vanessa as he stepped away from the stove to take her hand. “Here, let me help you.” 

“Merci,” Vanessa smiled as she took Wayne’s hand and greeted him with a soft kiss. “But I’ll be alright.” 

“I know, but still,” Wayne said, holding Vanessa in his arms as he guided her to a seat. “Tea?” 

Vanessa nodded and in turn, she watched Wayne work his magick in the kitchen. He had complete command over the stovetop as he made her the perfect cup of chai, made from a family-old recipe blended by Mama Sandoval herself.  

“Thank you,” Vanessa said, looking up at Wayne as he handed her the mug. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take this on the porch.” 

“Yeah,” Wayne nodded. “Can I help you there?” 

“I’ll be alright,” Vanessa smiled, rising her from her seat, chai in hand, as she began to motion herself towards the front porch.  

The front porch had become a favorite spot over the last decade. There was something so satisfyingly still, yet equally exciting about observing life on the porch. On a good afternoon, Vanessa would take a book out there with her. On other days, she might even be inclined to paint. But today, there was something else that compelled her to stay on the porch.  

Someone was coming. And call it a mother’s instinct or women’s intuition, but Vanessa knew she had to be out there. It was as if someone needed her and she just wanted to be ready for the call, more than anything else in the world.  

Vanessa wasn’t out there for more than ten minutes when a familiar sight came rushing her way in the distance. It was the Bratmobile, Penny Shannon’s baby blue Volkswagen Beetle, coming to an a sharp and rather abrupt stop on the driveway before her home. 

Rising from her seat, Vanessa forced herself to make the descent down her porch to approach the Bratmobile. Where, from the looks of things, Penny sat on the driver’s seat looking visibly shaken. Vanessa remained where she was as Penny turned away from the steering wheel to face her… The poor girl looked like she had gone through hell and back with all the life completely drained out of her.  

Penny stared at Vanessa for a good while, before leaving her car. Her lips quivered, her steps lagged, but eventually Penny approached Vanessa, and when she did, she threw her arms around her and buried her face on her shoulder, as her body gave into a hushed cry.  

In turn, Vanessa closed her eyes and held Penny in her arms. 

“I’m sorry,” Penny cried quietly. “I just had nowhere else to go.” 

“Ne t'inquiète pas, bébé,“ Vanessa hushed. “Everything is going to be alright.”. 

[veronicaaaahhhh]

This is probably one of the most revealing things I've ever written. Hope you all enjoy. Best of luck to EBR!

[Drakz]

Wow. That was some candid sh*t, and full of what I can only assume are your very real feelings on the matter, which of course made for some heavy dialogue. Penny having to defend both herself and her profession live in front of the world was heart wrenching, and I really hope you're around for at least a few matches, as I for one want to read more into the fallout of Penny coming out. As always I'm happy to see you back here, and I also loved the blurring of the lines when Josh calls out Penny for her habits of returning, beating a couple of top people, then losing momentum and eventually disappearing again. Something that's very much the case with you as the writer. I'm a sucker for stuff like that.

My only pet peeve, and it's one you certainly handled as well as can be expected, is the discussion about the validity of wrestling. It's always a tough one in the WFWF "universe" when MMA is mentioned, as in our pretend world where pro-wrestling is a legitimate fight, why would MMA be so different? Why would these two fighting styles exist when MMA fundamentally undermines the validity of the pro-wrestling match? You managed to answer some of that as best you could, but it's a subject I've personally never even touched on, because I'm not sure there's a way to discuss it without breaking the illusion. That being said, it was a great catalyst to just make me hate Ben Logan even more than his opening line of "What's up, derp nuggets?" already did haha.

Overall this was a great piece and I wanna say thanks for being so open about a very personal experience.

A favourite line of mine:

"The last thing I need right now is a fight."

"Well, that's funny because it seems that fighting is all you care about right now,"

[Deleted]

Sept 26, 2020 15:03:47 GMT -5 veronicaaaahhhh said:

This is probably one of the most revealing things I've ever written. Hope you all enjoy. Best of luck to EBR!

I loved everything about this.

Penny being back, Penny opening up about her identity and her reunion with The McGuirks. This RP had a clear beginning, middle and end with a thread throughout and that was the strongest point of this piece.

I loved the sorta self-awareness conversation Penny has with Franchise. Creative burnout happens to everyone, including the best so I will never fault you for that. I just love the self-awareness of it.

I love the commentary by having Penny appear on that podcast. I got the reference and know exactly why you went down that route and it was brilliantly done. I can see maybe the whole MMA/pro wrestling thing being the main source of criticism here since in our world, pro wrasslin' is real and judging by the interview (the source material would say the same thing verbatim though so....) it makes it seem like MMA is real and pro wrestling isn't. You towed the line as best as you could but it's one of those things that I feel every writer has struggled with when addressing that. I'm guilty of doing that as well.

The heartwarming reunion with Penny and Vanessa was touching. As a huge fan of your work (you know this though lol) this was my favorite part of the RP!

The monologue was very strong too. It tied everything together, with her fallout/breakup with Mary to the explosive interview, Penny used all of that to fuel her monologue. The best monologues, to me are ones with no holes in it. Everything that is said is a cold, hard fact and Penny's monologue here was one of those.

This last part is just for me: I surely do hope that Penny sticks around. I know that real life nd creative burnout has prevented you from truly staying for a long period of time but just know that I appreciate you opening up about your personal life with us in this piece. Not sure if everyone was aware of your identity so it's even more powerful that you laid it all out there for us to read. I appreciate you coming back and giving us, the readers the honor of EBR vs. Penny Shannon - a marquee match. Anytime you're around in the fed, I'm fanboy like crazy because I get to watch one of my favorites write and continue to get better. I remember bawling my eyes out when Penny beat Drakz! You can see Penny's influence in Mesh and that's the ultimate compliment for someone that's inspired me. Whatever you do in life, just know that you are an amazing writer and an even more amazing person. Thank you, Veronica <3

[jdfranchise]

Ok so you know I had to go in on this, considering I helped you with how you wanted to structure this and what content you wanted to address.

I read the Ben Logan scene when you first wrote it, and I feel about it the same way I did when you first wrote it. There's A LOT to unpack there, but I feel like your dialouge really allowed you to go through the topics without any problem, hitting your talking points with equal parts honesty and efficiency. New writers take note of the dialouge, because this is another masterclass in using dialouge to frame a scene, plus flesh out the characters and drive a narrative. I can't stress enough how much I love the revealing nature of that scene. You write about what you know, and this is the prime example. Plus, you drew your inspiration of this scene from Joe Rogan, which is always going to earn points with me.

I understand the criticism of the topic of MMA vs. Pro Wrestling being used in the scene. As someone who is a fan of both worlds, that debate is always going to have clear sides and both can be rather closed minded about it even if they are influenced by each other. Maybe the mention of how fighters will cut a pro wrestling promo in their media obligations may have been an angle to take, and I believe I told you that at one point, but that wasn't the big takeaway from the scene. It can be brought back easily at a later date with the notion that Penny essentially lost her cool. I think you handled it as well as could be expected because the dynamic was spot on, and it can be overlooked because of how loaded that scene was.

The Josh/Penny conversation was a good way to reintroduce that dynamic, and once again you took a real life situation and used it effectively. This rp, if nothing else was very self aware on all fronts.

But wait, there's more.

The end scene with Vanessa and Penny was a great way to follow up that hard hitting promo. The fact there was minimal dialouge was fitting, and the use of physical narrative made a very subtle allusion that I thought was very well executed.

Overall, this is an example of why you are so respected around here. And I'm glad you decided to tell this story.

[sonstuds]

Very strong and powerful stuff.

The opening with Penny and Mary was a great conclusion to the cliff-hanger you left in your last RP (which picks up immediately from where you left it if I'm not mistaken) and holds gravitas over the entire thing. Specifically though, it's how you let what happens happen and let it speak for itself without pounding the reader over the head with the nuances. Specifically, how it relates to one of the reasons she would hold such personal contempt for someone like EBR (the second reason being the incredibly subtle mention of Vanessa's limp. I see you). Just great, great ways to connect everything.

As for the MMA vs. wrestling debate that I feel the need to chime in on for fear of being left out, I'll say it worked effectively on two ends. The first being to help establish and give some depth to the Logan character, and more importantly, as a means to get to what becomes the heart of the RP. Gotta lay the tracks before you can ride the train.

I've been a big fan of the stuff you've done with Wayne/Vanessa for years, so looking forward to the next chapter of that.

You've been on my personal Mount Rushmore for years here, so I was thrilled when the possibility of working with you opened up. RPs like these are why.

[Thunder]

Really great and powerful stuff all the way around. Of course I’ve been a fan of your work for many, many years now and you’re still at the top of your game.

I appreciate how revealing and personal it is, and that makes it all the more powerful. I know I felt the emotional tension building through the whole thing, with just the right incredibly sweet and powerful release at the end with Veronica. (And Penny telling Logan off was was pretty great too). Along with that, a very effective monologue that hammers home Penny’s feelings and the way most top stars act very well.

As for the MMA stuff, it didn’t make me bat an eye. It fit in with the conversation at large and worked. It’s not something everyone would be able to pull off, but you’re skilled enough for that.

I hope you’ll feel like sticking around. This was a great read and it’s always nice to have someone as awesome as you around.