Post by Brian Bruno on Feb 5, 2007 19:43:24 GMT -5
Brian Bruno, sitting in the remains of his hotel room. His body is wracked with pain, but he can’t even feel it anymore. When your whole damn life has been pain, you learn how to fight through it. His knee, his shoulder, the broken rib that just won’t heal, and the fresh cut he inflicted on himself in a moment of uncontrolled rage – he just doesn’t care about them anymore. But he WILL NOT go back down the road he traveled in December, no sir. That part of his life is over. The pain, he’ll just have to deal with as always.
Voiceover: Is Brian the underdog? Perhaps. But even if he wasn’t, he’d take on that persona. His whole life has been an underdog story, even when he’s at his best he just can’t knock the chip off his shoulder. There’s always something gnawing at him, it seems. He can’t ever be happy…but why? Well, to figure that out, you’d need to know Brian a little better. His life has been pretty well documented in New Alberta Pro. He came from a broken home, from the rough projects of Chicago. No father, no real family. No one who cared. Gang life wasn’t for him – Brian’s was a lost soul, not a criminal.
He learned important lessons from the street, however. Never let anyone talk shit to you. Never betray your friends. If you get called out, defend your honor. But above everything else?
Never stop fighting.
And Brian…can’t. Not with others, not with himself, both physically and mentally, his life is just one big fight – there’s no peace. He’s constantly warring with his own psyche. Every decision feels forced, like it’s not what he wants. Were it not for the love and support of his family, he’d go rogue. Possibly even completely lose control. Because the frenzies he manages to work himself into, for motivation? Those aren’t ALWAYS what he intends. And once he starts…he can’t stop it. The damage he inflicts is incredible. His violence, legendary.
When he was a freshman in college, playing for the Buckeyes of Ohio State, he led the nation in sacks. The NATION. But all he could think about? “I’m not good enough against the run.” He never even gave himself the satisfaction of just enjoying his accomplishment. The negative always outweighs the positive, all because of his past. That’s why he hates his father so much. That’s why he almost killed the Royal Foundation. And that’s why he MUST defeat Kurt Castle.
Because that’s the final frontier for Brian. He needs this Provincial Championship, because maybe then, he’ll finally find some atonement. Perhaps that can lead him to get more in touch with himself. Maybe, if he is successful, he can walk right back into Dr. Baker’s office and smile, and shake his hand and tell him he’s ready to spill the beans.
The beans being the secrets, the emotions, the nightmares, everything all built up into a six foot five inch tall black man. About his son Peter, who never got to see his father, much like he never saw his. The agony every day of his life has become. His nagging fear that one day Emily will pack up the kids to just leave and never come back – even though he knows in the back of his mind it’ll never happen. Fighting through the pain to provide for his family. His guilt over using and abusing the illegal painkillers that only served to amplify his rage. Sure, it healed him up well, but it broke him emotionally. And it’s only fitting that his knee gave out again after he stopped using it.
He’ll never touch a needle again – but he’ll never forget that he once did, and he won’t forgive himself no matter WHO does, God included. He took the easy way out, and that’s just not his way. He’s a fighter, dammit. To thy own self be true, right? Shakespeare was right, of course. It doesn’t matter how good something makes you feel superficially, if it’s not who you are, it’s a lie.
He often wonders about the Voices, the one that saved his life – even his father tried to help, or so it seemed, from “beyond the grave”. But how much of that was real divine intervention, if any of it? Was it all just machinated by Brian, or was he actually touched by the hand of God? And why couldn’t he just accept his father’s help? Surely, he had his reasons – no, he hates him. But deep down…deep down, Brian does wonder if he’ll ever hear from him again. And he wonders if when he gets to heaven – will he know his father and son? Or will he walk blindly about, or even… be cast into the fire?
No, not that. He’s made mistakes, but he’s a good, God-fearing Christian. And one day he’ll smile with his son and hold him up high, and he’ll shake his father’s hand. But that’s one day, and that one day could be in a hundred days, or a thousand days, or Lord knows how many.
On this day, he’s in a heap on the floor, surrounded by his own desecration. But in just two days at Cold Snap?
Maybe he can finally prove to himself that there is nothing left to prove.
Bruno: (looking up at the camera) To thy own self be true…
fade out as Brian smiles to himself
Voiceover: Is Brian the underdog? Perhaps. But even if he wasn’t, he’d take on that persona. His whole life has been an underdog story, even when he’s at his best he just can’t knock the chip off his shoulder. There’s always something gnawing at him, it seems. He can’t ever be happy…but why? Well, to figure that out, you’d need to know Brian a little better. His life has been pretty well documented in New Alberta Pro. He came from a broken home, from the rough projects of Chicago. No father, no real family. No one who cared. Gang life wasn’t for him – Brian’s was a lost soul, not a criminal.
He learned important lessons from the street, however. Never let anyone talk shit to you. Never betray your friends. If you get called out, defend your honor. But above everything else?
Never stop fighting.
And Brian…can’t. Not with others, not with himself, both physically and mentally, his life is just one big fight – there’s no peace. He’s constantly warring with his own psyche. Every decision feels forced, like it’s not what he wants. Were it not for the love and support of his family, he’d go rogue. Possibly even completely lose control. Because the frenzies he manages to work himself into, for motivation? Those aren’t ALWAYS what he intends. And once he starts…he can’t stop it. The damage he inflicts is incredible. His violence, legendary.
When he was a freshman in college, playing for the Buckeyes of Ohio State, he led the nation in sacks. The NATION. But all he could think about? “I’m not good enough against the run.” He never even gave himself the satisfaction of just enjoying his accomplishment. The negative always outweighs the positive, all because of his past. That’s why he hates his father so much. That’s why he almost killed the Royal Foundation. And that’s why he MUST defeat Kurt Castle.
Because that’s the final frontier for Brian. He needs this Provincial Championship, because maybe then, he’ll finally find some atonement. Perhaps that can lead him to get more in touch with himself. Maybe, if he is successful, he can walk right back into Dr. Baker’s office and smile, and shake his hand and tell him he’s ready to spill the beans.
The beans being the secrets, the emotions, the nightmares, everything all built up into a six foot five inch tall black man. About his son Peter, who never got to see his father, much like he never saw his. The agony every day of his life has become. His nagging fear that one day Emily will pack up the kids to just leave and never come back – even though he knows in the back of his mind it’ll never happen. Fighting through the pain to provide for his family. His guilt over using and abusing the illegal painkillers that only served to amplify his rage. Sure, it healed him up well, but it broke him emotionally. And it’s only fitting that his knee gave out again after he stopped using it.
He’ll never touch a needle again – but he’ll never forget that he once did, and he won’t forgive himself no matter WHO does, God included. He took the easy way out, and that’s just not his way. He’s a fighter, dammit. To thy own self be true, right? Shakespeare was right, of course. It doesn’t matter how good something makes you feel superficially, if it’s not who you are, it’s a lie.
He often wonders about the Voices, the one that saved his life – even his father tried to help, or so it seemed, from “beyond the grave”. But how much of that was real divine intervention, if any of it? Was it all just machinated by Brian, or was he actually touched by the hand of God? And why couldn’t he just accept his father’s help? Surely, he had his reasons – no, he hates him. But deep down…deep down, Brian does wonder if he’ll ever hear from him again. And he wonders if when he gets to heaven – will he know his father and son? Or will he walk blindly about, or even… be cast into the fire?
No, not that. He’s made mistakes, but he’s a good, God-fearing Christian. And one day he’ll smile with his son and hold him up high, and he’ll shake his father’s hand. But that’s one day, and that one day could be in a hundred days, or a thousand days, or Lord knows how many.
On this day, he’s in a heap on the floor, surrounded by his own desecration. But in just two days at Cold Snap?
Maybe he can finally prove to himself that there is nothing left to prove.
Bruno: (looking up at the camera) To thy own self be true…
fade out as Brian smiles to himself