Interview with the Vampire (AV Club Promo)

Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:33 pm

At some point, it became in vogue for professional wrestlers to “shoot” on their careers in the business over streaming services online, which dirt-shirt journalists capitalized on with full enthusiasm. One such show on YouTube, “The Shooting Range with Wayne Beltzer”, has made its name based on such interviews, leading to its most recent episode uploaded for the first week of December 2020.

As the video begins, we see Beltzer sitting in front of his makeshift set, a stack of cards with potential questions in his hands. Sitting across from Beltzer in her typical ringside attire of a black cloak, corset, and leather pants, is Valeria, manager for the enigmatic tag team known as The American Vampire Club. She appears relaxed, with one leg crossed over the other and her hands folded together in front of her. She eyes Beltzer with a pleasant smile as he introduces the video and welcomes her to his show.

Beltzer: Hello again, Shooting Rangers! Welcome to another edition of "The Shooting Range with Wayne Beltzer". Tonight our guest is the manager of The AV Club, a relatively new pairing in Project: Honor! Thank you for joining me on The Shooting Range, Valeria, and congratulations on your team's victory over American Grime on the last edition of Proving Ground.

Valeria: Thank you, Wayne. The pleasure is all yours.

Beltzer: So to start things off, The AV Club has advanced in Project: Honor’s Tag Team Championship Tournament, and will now face the combination of Myojin and Zane, The Celestial Lovers, in the upcoming episode. Now before we get into your opponents, I think my subscribers would really like to know more about Ambrosius, Valentine, and yourself. Other than your debut match over Euan Hill and Aurora Ray, not much is known about your trio. Considering their impressive debut in the ring, where have The AV Club been up to this point?

Valeria: We’ve been around a long, long time. Is it our fault that we’ve gone unnoticed, or is the fault of the misguided masses who have been distracted by flamboyant drama queens and kings such as Zane and Myojin?

Beltzer: Uh…*chuckles*...we’ll get to them in a moment. What more can you tell us about Ambrosius and Valentine? Where do they come from? What are their backgrounds? Their goals?

Valeria: So many questions, Wayne, and so little time. Are you sure you can handle the answers you’re given?

Beltzer: Well, as long as you don’t try to convince us that you’re real vampires, I think we’ll manage just fine.

The interviewer gives Valeria an amused grin, but she does not return one in kind. Instead, her eyes narrow and she slightly leans forward in her chair.

Valeria: Vampires? You mean creatures who live off the blood and pain of others...who uses their charm to manipulate the emotions of their victims?

Beltzer: Well, yes…

Valeria: How interesting. I thought I was describing a professional wrestler.

Wayne chuckles again, but this time his grin is less confident.

Beltzer: Sure, I can see the similarities there, but what about garlic, crosses, and wooden stakes?

Valeria: Garlic? I hate it. Valentine seems to enjoy it though. As for crosses, you saw what I thought of those during Proving Ground. Without any meaning behind them, they are just petty symbols made of silver and gold. Now wooden stakes to the heart, I’m afraid that’s a very real danger. Of course, I have a feeling that if I drove one through your heart we’d see similar results.

Beltzer: Look, we can dance around the topic like this all day. Vampires or not, would you at least like to share your ideals or your background?

Valeria leans back in her chair once more, her smile now relaxed, much to the relief of her interviewer.

Valeria: I would love to, but first, you need to understand one simple truth. It is not who or what we are that should be of concern...but what we believe in that should give you pause. You see, along with Ambrosius and Valentine, I live my life by a very simple series of principles, lessons if you will, seven of them in fact. If you want to understand who we are and what we represent, you need to understand those seven tenets.

Beltzer: Excellent! By all means, please share those with our subscribers.

Valeria: As you wish…

Valeria continues to smile, presenting an air of wickedness more so than one of comfort, as she begins to explain what The AV Club stands for and believes in through the form of stories from the past…

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Lesson 1

Imagine if you will, two boys, forsaken by those responsible for their care and upbringing, whether by fate or chance. They are left without homes or families, the simple comforts that most people would take for granted. Through this abandonment, they are left in the care of those who do so out of obligation and not choice. A Catholic orphanage, its halls void of warmth and its caretakers more concerned with the souls of the boys after their death than any form of compassion while they are alive. They find themselves stripped of purpose, given no choice but to worship an absent god that is either uncaring or too far away to bring them deliverance.

They have no personal goals, no individual hopes and dreams, stripped of their basic freedom of choice. In this environment, they are taught only the need to compete against their peers for the attention of childless couples looking to fill a void in their loveless relationships. They are little more than puppets to a cruel master, an aging woman of the cloth who only knows the kind of love that could be imparted through subservience and supplication. In this shell of life, they are content to wither and stagnate, believing that they have no means of escape or hope for the future.

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Beltzer: Wait...are you talking about Ambrosius and Valentine? Are you saying they were wards of the church? Were they mistreated in some way?

Valeria slightly cocks her head to the side, gazing at the interviewer as if he is nothing more than an experiment under a microscope.

Valeria: Those are the conclusions you’ve come to. The point is, these children played the cards they were dealt, never seeking to venture out of the confines of the game.

Beltzer: Um...okay. Please, continue...

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Lesson 2

In time these boys would grow into strong, young men, yet still not of age, they continue to be confined within a prison they had no part in creating. They have been overlooked, time after time, finding themselves in a situation that grows more bleak with every passing year. When another child is rescued from the home, they are looked down upon as failures, unworthy of common human decencies. For if these desperate couples will not even take them in, what good could they possibly be? Their faults and flaws are not attributed to their emotionless upbringing or blamed on the old nun responsible for their punishments. Instead they are recognized as being touched by Satan, wicked to their core and utterly irredeemable.

They take these excuses at face value, accepting that they are the spawn of a vile malefactor. As such, they see no reason to remain within a house of god, and for that matter, no reason as to why they should leave such a holy place unmarred. Finally ready to make their escape and see what the world outside can offer them, they hatch a plot to end the tyranny that imprisons them. They wait until the old nun has retired to her chambers, when the moon is high and the light of day long extinguished. In that witching hour, they retrieve a can of fuel from the groundskeeper’s shed and spread it up and down the halls of that cursed place. With the light of a match, they fully turn their backs on the god who had been entrusted with their custody. They watch the flames crawl up the orphanage from a distance, and not once do they consider the fate of the cruel old woman they left inside.

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Beltzer: Wait, I think I need you to stop right there. What you are describing is a very serious thing. This old woman, the nun, may not have been able to get out of the building. This is not only arson, it could also be murder…

Valeria uncrosses her legs and leans forward, resting her elbows upon her knees as she cups her chin with both hands.

Valeria: You wanted to hear my story, you wanted a big scoop. Have you changed your mind? Are you too weak to handle what you’ve asked for?

Beltzer: Weak? Me? *laughs nervously* Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you understood the ramifications of what you’re implicating Ambrosius and Valentine in…

Valeria: I’ve said no names. Named no place. Again, those are your conclusions…

The internet journalist shifts uncomfortably in his chair, finding it more difficult to meet the strange woman’s gaze with his own.

Beltzer: You’re right, of course. My apologies. Please, I’d love to hear more...

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Lesson 3

The boys now find themselves free of the shackles life had placed on them. The world is their oyster, and they cannot wait to partake in it. They finally come of age on the streets, having nothing beyond each other’s trust and companionship. Yet these boys, these young men, are not without their individual charms. They have not only grown strong, but handsome and clever as well. They use these attributes to their own advantage, seeking out lonely souls in the night with primal needs that they can satisfy. Bars and clubs become their new homes, and within those sanctuaries of sin, they dine on everything this new life offers them. Alcohol, sex, and drugs become their gateway into living. They cannot refuse their own carnal desires, which ultimately, leads them to the door of a woman who can take full advantage of their raw potential.

They are lured in with such ease, the promise of illicit substances and forbidden acts drawing them like moths to the flame. Then, once within her grasp, the woman encourages them to give in fully to both the harsh lessons of their youth as well as the newly found sins of the present. They quickly give in to her promises, allowing themselves to fall into her dark embrace. From that moment on, a new world opens up to them. A world that offers so much more than any mortal man could expect. Through her, they finally become the children of the night they had always been destined to evolve into.

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Beltzer: Wait...just...hold up a second. This is starting to sound like an Anne Rice novel again. A dark embrace? Experiencing a new world? I thought you were telling us the real story behind Ambrosius and Valentine, not some kayfabe vampire fairy tale…

Valeria leans back as her eyes narrow, clearly annoyed by the constant interruptions of Wayne Beltzer.

Valeria: If you want me to tell you that 3 young people met at wrestling school and decided to use vampirism as a gimmick, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. You can either accept the story that I’m offering, or create your own version of the truth in your dirt sheet. I’m under no obligation to continue…

Beltzer: No, no, you’re right. Again, I apologize. It’s just that my subscribers are used to competitors leaving the gimmicks aside when they do these interviews…

Valeria: You assume our lifestyle is nothing more than a gimmick. Again, this is your fault, not mine.

(Visibly frustrated yet unwilling to push any harder, Beltzer attempts to calm the situation with a gesture of his hands and a nod of his head.)

Beltzer: Please, continue. We haven’t gone this far just to stop now.

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Lesson 4

The boys are proud of what they have become, and slowly they accept the fact that it is what they were always meant to be. They flaunt this new acceptance of their existence with little care for what others may think. They fully embrace their growing reputation as godless men, willing to bow before no one and nothing. They happily reject the norms of society, the rules of man, and the hypocritical morality of a diseased culture. They wear what they want to wear, say what is on their minds, take what they want, and offer no apologies for any of it.

When they bare their fangs, they do it for all to see, gladly displaying them as a symbol of the damned. Whether fiction or reality, the story of a vampire is one of god’s rejection, an absence of humanity, and eternal damnation. They young men want everyone to see them for what they truly are, and acceptance, mockery, and fear are the burdens of those who sit in judgment, not for those who would be judged.

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Lesson 5

With this acceptance, this pride in their true nature, also comes the hunger. Living off the lifeforce of others can be an intoxicating experience, whether it is done literally or figuratively. The more they flaunt their depravity, their immoral desires and beliefs, the more they crave that attention. Every pair of eyes that look upon them are destined to become fuel for their wicked desires. Supporters and detractors alike become nothing more than cattle, living only to feed superior beings with their cheers and their taunts. Like sheep at the mercy of wolves, the fans that fill arenas are content to live in ignorance, unaware that their every response makes the young men more renown and more powerful.

The young men want more and more, until finally a place like Project: Honor takes notice of their growing reputation. In search of teams to fill a newly crafted division, they reach out to offer worldly promises, unconcerned with whether the rumors of troubling behavior are exaggerated. They only want to fill every seat within an arena, happily feeding the monsters in their employ in exchange for increased revenue or a greater profit margin.

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Beltzer: So we’ve reached the point where Ambrosius and Valentine...that is…these two young men arrive on the mainstream. Now that they’ve reached that level, are the tag team championships their only goal? If they fail to capture them, do they disappear back to wherever they came from or are they here for the long haul?

Valeria lets out a sigh as she rests the side of her jaw against her thumb, the long black fingernail of her index finger tapping against her cheekbone.

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Lesson 6

Having grown comfortable with who they are and how the world sees them is not enough for the two men. They hunger for more, for prestige and recognition. In this business there is a clear prize for competitors with these hungers. There is championship gold. If by some means they are unable to capture this prize on their first outing, they will not simply disappear. Whether it’s as individuals or as a team, they will continue to stalk after the gold that this business has to offer. Like a pair of dragons sitting atop their glistening horde, they will guard their treasure with every ounce of their beings.

They will collect gold in one form or another, and with it their reputations will grow, and the masses that feed them with their emotions will turn out in droves, eagerly adding to the selfish desires of both men. They will never be satiated. It will never be enough. These men will not stop until everything they desire belongs to them and them alone.

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Beltzer: I think I’m starting to understand. These men you’re talking about are greedy for success in professional wrestling. That makes sense, because I think most competitors would share those goals. I’m certain that even The Celestial Lovers, Myojin and Zane, would not disagree with that.

Valeria: Funny you should bring them up again. That leads us to our seventh and final lesson.

Beltzer: In that case, please, don’t let me stop you...

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Lesson 7

The final ideal, the final principle these men live by, is one that even you and your viewers should be able to grasp. The young men look around their new home and they see others who have achieved great levels of success. They see these individuals honored by both the viewers and their peers. They watch as these others are put high upon a pedestal, as if they are golden idols meant to stand above all others. They see this, and they want it for themselves. Witnessing the respect and admiration their fellow competitors have only makes them want it more. They want what others, such as Myojin and Zane already have, and they will do anything to take it for themselves.

They will do this by any means necessary, whether that is by winning a championship tournament or by permanently maiming their opponents. If they must knock those honored individuals from their pedestals in order to claim them for themselves, that is exactly what they will do. Then they will sit on the golden thrones that have been previously reserved for others, basking in the glory of wealth, recognition, and regular doses of pain inflicted to those who now kneel before them.

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Beltzer: Well, that’s quite a story. I must admit, I admire your flair for the dramatic and the dedication to your character.

Valeria closes her eyes and shakes her head, accepting that the interviewer has missed the point entirely.

Valeria: You’re such a simple man. I should have known better than for you to understand what I’m trying to explain. These seven principles, these seven deadly sins, are not just what drive Ambrosius and Valentine. They are what drives everyone within the halls of Project: Honor. Sloth; being content with not taking action, much like Myojin sat idly by while his partner was kidnapped. Wrath; which both Myojin and Zane feel towards their opponents, most notably Colton Saint. Lust; for what are Celestial Lovers, the stars and the moon, if not lustful creatures that long to be in each other’s company? Pride; much like Myojin and Zane flaunt their personas with an obvious flair for the dramatic. Gluttony; when they feed off the emotions of the audience and take greater risks in order to gain that nourishment. Greed; their desire to attain championship gold to further their influence and add prestige to their legacies. Envy; jealous of what those above them possess, making them eager to take it for themselves.

These are not just selfish desires that motivate Ambrosius and Valentine, but the same motivations for The Celestial Lovers, for Raven and Warstein, for the Storm Chasers. The only difference is that we proudly display our desires and motivations for all to see, while they hide behind things like nobility, legacy, and jokes.

So yes, Mr. Beltzer, we are vampires. We are as much vampires as every other team in the tournament, as much as any other competitor in Project: Honor. We are all vampires. And now that you know that, you should understand that we’re not all that different from anyone else, except for the level of comfort we find within our own skin.

Beltzer leans back in his chair and nods, as if he’s finally been able to understand everything Valeria has shared. Then, after a momentary silence, he leans forward one last time.

Beltzer: So...sunlight. What happens if your team is booked in an outdoor arena match in the middle of the afternoon?

Valeria sighs and shakes her head once more. She then looks back at Beltzer with a slight glare, and gestures with a nod of her head.

Valeria: Why don’t you ask them yourself?

The camera pans out as Beltzer looks over his shoulder, realizing for the first time that Ambrosius and Valentine are standing directly behind him. Their sudden appearance startles the journalist, as he visibly jerks away from them. Both men are glaring down upon Beltzer with disdain, and as he begins to stutter and scramble for something to say, the camera pans over to show only Valeria, who turns toward the camera with a smile.

Valeria: Looks like that’s all the time we have for today. I hope you all learned something valuable from today’s lesson. Until next time, Shooting Rangers…

And with that, the video fades out and reaches its conclusion.