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+---- Thread: *Ironside: A New Beginning (/showthread.php?tid=20914)
*Ironside: A New Beginning - IsaStarcrossed - 04-08-2020
I’d like to apologize to anyone who dares read this. I struggle at times to be creative, so character pieces aren’t really my forte. I had a lot of ideas about the story of how Bjørn Ironside went from player to GM, but as I put them on paper nothing really felt right. Even this kinda fell apart as I was writing it, but I felt like I’d gone too far to scrap the whole thing. I wanted to put together a story for my first player that made sense for him to leave the league. And come back! It is a bit of a mess, but it was fun to write. Especially the end. Now gib monies?
A harrowing injury. In one split second, everything can be over. A promising career, the ability to do something you love, your entire future. All of it gone in a single flash, in a single mistake, in a single accident. That was what was swirling through the mind of Bjørn Ironside as he lay on the field staring into the sky. In a single moment everything he had ever worked for, everything he had ever loved was gone. Football had been a dream of his since he was a kid. He had worked every day of his life to reach this point. He’d made it. A professional player in the NSFL. He was surrounded by a team that loved him, he faced off against competition he adored, and every moment of this had been an absolute joy to Bjørn. He could feel it though. He could feel it in his lower back. It would never be the same. Everything was off and though he hadn’t even left the field yet, deep down Bjørn knew that he would be lucky to walk again. Football was out of the question. His world was spinning and everything just went silent as he was carted off the field. Former first overall pick in the DSFL draft, former first overall pick in the NSFL draft, one of the most touted players in the history of the league. Career ended in front of everyone.
Though his team was ever supportive and wanted to help him, Bjørn couldn’t help his need and desire to do this alone. He needed to separate from this world, he needed to separate from football. He needed to figure out who he was without all of this. He couldn’t do that while surrounded by his previous life. As much as he loved the family he had made in New Orleans, they would have to let him go. He needed peace and he needed a chance to rediscover Ironside.
It was for this reason that Bjørn left New Orleans and headed home for a short time. His family still lived in Michigan on a large ranch that they’d purchased for both themselves and Bjørn’s adopted bear brothers. The reality was that this was the only way to keep those three stooges out of trouble. His dad worked the land thoroughly and his brothers helped out. Plowing, planting, harvesting. You name it and the brothers were there to help out. They knew that they lived a high life full of tacos and social calls in large part due to the acceptance of Bjørn’s father. The man hadn’t initially understood the connection between Bjørn and these three cubs when he had found them together in the woods, but he had at least learned to accept it over time.
It was here that Bjørn spent much of his recovery time. He knew that with the bears involved, his physical therapy might go quicker than initially expected. He had to have multiple surgeries on his spine and there were a lot of questions at first on just how much mobility he would have once he healed. Bjørn was ever determined and ever stubborn though. Much like he had for his entire life, he ignored all warnings and pushed himself beyond all limits. He knew that if he was ever going to regain any functionality that he would have to work harder than ever before. He couldn’t afford to curl up into a ball and give up because succumbing to his injuries just wasn’t an option. He may not ever be able to play football again, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fight to keep things as normal as possible.
Sure enough, it wasn’t too long before he was back on his feet again. He was able to walk, he had movement, but he still had something he needed to do. He still needed to rediscover himself. He had been so busy fighting the injury in an attempt to get some normalcy back in his life, he had allowed himself to forget that returning to football would not be an option for him. Returning to the sport that had been so much of his life would only result in him crippling himself permanently. No one wanted that. No one wanted to see that. He couldn’t do that to those who cared for him. That said, who was Bjørn Ironside without football? He had lived for football and now he needed to find something else.
Bjørn knew that the only chance he had of doing that, of discovering who he had to become, would be to do something drastic. So he did what Bjørn tends to do when he wants to improve on his life. He decided to go for a hike. He booked a trip to Antarctica for himself and his three bear brothers. He knew he still needed to get stronger after his physical training and he knew he needed a place away from society so he could clear his head and refocus. Where better to do that than in the frozen tundras of Antarctica? He prepared for a long trip and headed off.
He wasn’t exactly sure what he would discover there in the ice and snow. He wasn’t sure what he would learn about himself or what he would learn about the world. All he really knew was that he had to put his best foot forward and try. He had to move on and become something else. He had to push forward and be something other than a football player. What might that be for him? It was something he was hoping to discover on this little trip of his.
Bjørn and his brothers began their trip with a slow but steady march inwards. There was no reason to rush. Bjørn was still recovering to some degree and he was here to clear his head. Rushing would be counterintuitive. He and his brothers had plenty of supplies and Bjørn knew there were a ton of sights he would get to see as he settled into this new environment and he wanted to take everything in. Day after day passed as he went deeper and deeper into the tundra. He absorbed everything and for a while, he allowed football to slip from his mind.
It was then a rather fortuitous event occured. Bjørn found himself in an elevated position with some binoculars. He was simply searching the horizon for where he would head next when he spotted a rather peculiar scene. A small penguin was being hunted by a large bird of sorts, but somehow it was managing to fight back by sliding on his belly and tackling the poor bird. This caught Bjørn’s attention and suddenly a plan began to formulate in his mind. He knew that he needed to save this poor creature and help it become better. Help it become something else entirely. Bjørn knew he had gotten to the point where he was in his life through hard work, dedication, and a lot of secret stuff. Perhaps he could teach this penguin to model after him.
What happened next is now history as for the first time, Bjørn met Adélie De Pengu. In just a short time, Bjørn managed to train up Adélie and with the help of the Second Line, he turned the penguin into a global phenomenon. He was being talked about everywhere and his career was really starting to kick off. Bjørn used his connections and his knowledge of the game to turn the penguin into the next great superstar in the NSFL. Bjørn hadn’t been sure what he’d find when he went to Antarctica, but Adélie certainly wasn’t it. Luckily, Adélie was exactly what he needed. The penguin taught Bjørn he hadn’t considered previously.
Just because you can’t play football, that doesn’t mean your life can’t have football in it. There are more aspects to football than just what happens on the field. In fact oftentimes off the field stuff is just as important. Making a star out of a small penguin who was lost and confused showed Bjørn that you can do more than just play the sport. You can help the sport in other ways. You can contribute by helping others to enjoy football.
As these thoughts rushed through Bjørn’s head, he began to form a plan. Though his sheer physical dominance was what helped him to succeed on the field, you also have to be fairly intelligent to learn the play books and to execute a game plan. Bjørn was the type to execute a game plan flawlessly. If he could just convert his game knowledge and his information of the inner workings of the sport into something else, then he would not have to go the rest of his life without football.
Once more Bjørn looked to his family for help. He called up the front office of the Second Line and he began to talk with the team. He finally wanted to come home. Bjørn had found himself again. He was more than just a football player, he was an absolute football fanatic. He returned to New Orleans and immediately went to work. He began studying the league and how it worked off the field. He learned more about the league’s leadership, he learned about team management, he learned about rosters and drafts. He slaved himself to absorbing all the knowledge he could possibly handle.
He then finally approached team leadership with all he knew and they welcomed him with open arms. You see, while Bjørn had been off on his trip and had been working with Adélie, things had changed in New Orleans. It seemed that one of the team’s general managers had stepped down off of the back of their visit to the Ultimus. It had long been in the works for there to be a change in leadership if they ever made it to the big dance. They had finally made it. This meant that there was an opening. One that Bjørn was uniquely prepared to fill.
It didn’t take long to talk out the details as Bjørn had some long talks with a man he knew very well. Jimmy Dugan had been a dear friend and mentor to Bjørn since he’d joined the second line all those years ago. Dugan was one of the primary leaders of this New Orleans team and was a huge reason why the team had been built to be so successful. He was now the primary general manager for the Second Line and he was looking to make someone he trusted his new partner in crime. He hadn’t really begun the search yet, but now he didn’t have to. He had the perfect candidate sitting in front of him. There was no one he could think of who knew this team and knew this roster better than Bjørn Ironside. The man has made this team his family and had devoted his everything to the team. He sacrificed everything he had including his own body for the good of the team. He had earned the right to stand next to Dugan and carry this team into the next era of Second Line teams.
Before Bjørn knew it, he had signed the dotted line that made him the new co general manager of the New Orleans Second Line franchise. Everything he had done in his life came down to this moment. All of the dedication to the sport, all the work he put in to make sure he was the best prospect available. His entire life had revolved around this sport that he loved so much and now he had finally reached the precipice of all of that work. He was prepared to dive deeper into football than ever before, to throw everything he had into making sure the Second Line would continue to be successful. First he had to make some changes though. He and Dugan had discussed a lot and they both agreed that the future of this team needed some work.
The Second Line had recently announced that they were building a new stadium. It was to be named The House of the Rising Sun. It was a beautiful venue with 117,363 seats. It was massive and the current plans would make it a modern work of art. It wasn’t quite complete yet though because Bjørn has big ideas and big plans for the stadium now that he was in a new role. His first act of business was to add a small park to the stadium called the Polar Zone. It was going to be a large indoor visiting station marked after the Arctic Circle. You see one of the biggest members of the Second Line franchise was a well known player who went by Quenton Bode. I know it is sometimes hard to tell, but Bode is in fact a polar bear. Living in New Orleans, he doesn’t get many chances to feel at home. Bjørn intended to change that for his dear friend. It would be a place that both Bode and Bjørn’s brothers could enjoy when they visited.
Next up was the inclusion of the Sloth Spa. This was a new exhibit that was based around remembrance of Johnny Slothface. He was a beloved member of the team and the one thing he always believed in was relaxation. As such, the spa is being added to the stadium as the ultimate point of laziness. You can spend as much time as you want in the Sloth Spa simply relaxing and enjoying all of the amenities it has to offer. Soaks, massages, and even some very slow yoga. Whatever you need to feel pampered, the Sloth Spa is there to fill your needs.
Then there would be the FyodoroVIP. The newly titled specialty suites inside the stadium. In honor of one of the greatest players in New Orleans history, these suites will be designed to be state of the art technological paradises. Not only do they provide some of the best views of the field from these well placed boxes, the glass is augmented reality windows that show stats, names, and even play layouts in real time. Each seat has their own controller where they can watch replays and take deep dives into the games as they’re happening.
Then finally comes the Ardie Savea Hall. This is a wing of the stadium devoted to New Orleans Second Line history. Talk a walk through history as the trophies won by the team are left on display year round. There are pictures of all the Ardie Savea award recipients, exceptional players chosen by their own team as MVPs of the season. There is a section that lists all former players of the team and their achievements while playing for New Orleans. Then finally, there is an area where statues of each member of the New Orleans Hall of Fame are left on display so both fans and members of the team alike can remember those who came before them.
Satisfied with the changes, it was time for Dugan and Bjørn to get to work and look towards what was next. The draft and the building of a championship roster. A future Bjørn never expected, but one he now embraced as he found himself again as a General Manager rather than a player.
*Ironside: A New Beginning - slothfacekilla - 04-08-2020
This brings a tear to my eye