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danisbrainrot · 3 months

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supermodel

tigris x reader

tw: smoking, drugs, alcohol, implied/mentioned ed, coriolanus is his own tag, (maybe a slight) power imbalance where tigris is a stylist and reader is her model (I don't know how modelling works LMFAO).

I'm purely using information I learnt from ugly betty; the title may or may not be inspired by a certain måneskin song.

you drag on your cigarette, watching the puff of smoke vanish in the afternoon air. you were waiting patiently outside as your stylist, tigris, added last minute modifications to your outfit. you'd gotten there early in the morning like she requested and you thought the photo shoot was going good, until you almost broke the shirt—her assistant struggled to zip it up. it didn't matter how tigris insisted it was her fault for not getting the correct measurements, your stomach dropped as you realise that you hadn't lost enough weight.

it was a miracle you'd managed to book this gig at all. tigris was an elusive stylist—the cousin of the president himself—and your modelling career was still in its infancy. you wonder what's taking her so long; your cigarette butt the only part still left. you groan, flicking it on the ground and stomping on it, before knocking on the door.

tigris opens it, apologising profusely for keeping you waiting, before she welcomes you back inside. you smiled tightly at her, trying to conceal the insecurity coursing through you. she directed you behind the divider and began to personally assist you, the zip sliding up smoothly. "there we go," she mumbles, a proud smile on her face.

the photographer had you try a few poses, but it seemed whatever you did it wasn't working—the angles were too unflattering, the lighting too harsh or your expression looked pained. you felt nervous, knowing how desperately you needed this gig, how it would shoot you into stardom.

tigris, noticing how anxious you were, pulls you aside. "are you okay?" she asks, placing a comforting arm on your shoulder. "it's not your fault, I promise," but you shake your head.

"it is. I'm not good enough," you reply, holding back the tears threatening to explode. she sighs softly, embracing you tightly.

she pulls away, staring directly in your eyes. "I chose you. I think you're exactly right for this photo shoot. for my clothes," she whispers, smiling reassuringly at you. you return the smile, your heart beat quickening—you couldn't help but admire the woman; you also felt a warmth in your stomach. the beginnings of a crush was forming.

"thank you," you blush softly. you tuck your hair behind your ears, a newfound confidence filling you as you step out back in front of the camera.

the rest of the day went by fast, as you struck pose after pose, leaving tigris cheering and clapping and the photographer calling out praises. you could hardly contain your infectious laughter, filling the room with joy.

after the shoot, tigris invites you back to her apartment. she offers you wine, champagne, all kinds of alcoholic beverages, while showing you more sketches she designed just for you. you don't know how she knew about you, or why she picked you, but you were eternally grateful.

it was a massive commercial success; tigris was receiving huge praise for her new line and your agent couldn't put the phone down. everyone who was anyone wanted to book you. however, you always made time for tigris—after all, she made you famous.

you had been invited to an exclusive party, for the elite of the capitol, in the president's mansion. you have no idea how, but you suspected it had something to do with the fact his cousin was obsessed with you. it was hard not to be, when you were the covergirl of nearly every magazine.

anxiously, you snorted a line of cocaine in the car, feeling the familiar buzz bring you to life. it was a typical occurrence that you were the life of the party. there wasn't a song you couldn't dance to, a silence you couldn't fill and a party you couldn't liven up.

alcohol was shoved in your face everywhere you went —it was rude to reject it, you concluded, so you gladly drank every drink offered to you. noticing how fancy everyone was dressed, you felt almost out of place in your mini dress and high heels. tigris had designed it specifically for you, however, so you couldn't not wear it. she designs most of your wardrobe, now that you thought about it.

you were conversing with some important gamemaker when tigris intercepted you, wanting to introduce you to her cousin and his wife. you smile politely, shaking hands with president snow before kissing his wife livia on the cheeks. tigris began gushing about how wonderful of a model you were, and that she was proud to have discovered you. you couldn't help but feel your stomach churn as the president eyed you up and down.

as an avox walked past, you grabbed a glass of the finest panem wine and almost downed it immediately. tigris eyed you warily, worrying about how quickly the alcohol was flowing through you. livia, noticing her husband's gaze, scowls and excuses the two of them—heading in an old academy friend's direction instead.

"are you okay?" tigris asked, taking a hold of your hand and stroking it with her thumb soothingly. "livia and coriolanus can be cold, I understand—"

"no it's not that," you lie, smiling your million dollar smile. "just feeling a bit weird, that's all." in reality, you felt yourself coming down.

you head to the bathroom and do another line, waiting for that delicious buzz to hit. the door opens suddenly, and you look up in shock to see tigris' face fall. "oh no, not you too," she sighs, grabbing you by the arm and dragging you elsewhere.

stumbling over your feet, you let her lead you to a guest room in the president's mansion. she sits you on the bed, forcing water down your throat—she also begged you to eat something, but you refused; her pleas falling on deaf ears. you couldn't afford to put any weight on as you had too many gigs lined up.

it hurt her seeing you this vulnerable. you had passed out on the bed, your hair a mess, your makeup smudged and reeking of alcohol. she sighs, sitting next to you and brushing the hair of your sweaty face. she leaned down hesitantly, unable to help herself, before pressing a soft kiss on your lips.

she scolds herself for taking advantage of you, getting up to leave when she hears you stir. "please don't leave me alone," you whimper. she turns to face you, smiling reassuringly.

"don't worry, I'll stay right here," she promises, holding your hand.

when you woke up the following morning, your head pounded and all details from last night were muggy. the only memory was of soft lips pressed against your own.

you groaned, holding your head in pain before getting up. you found the toilet, sticking your head in it and emptying last night's dinner. you almost jump in shock when you feel someone hold your hair back, rubbing their hand up and down your back soothingly.

"you're okay," tigris affirms, holding you in her arms as you cry softly. sobbing into her chest, she rests her chin against your head, her grip on you firm and comforting.

"I hate how out of control I get," you sob, sniffling as you pull away from her.

she sighs, wiping your tears away with her thumbs. "I'll help you, I promise," she squeezes your hands reassuringly.

"did you kiss me last night?" you blurt out. you'd been dying to know ever since you realised it was her hand rubbing your back as you vomited.

tigris cheeks turn a deep scarlet, as she grows flustered and tries to come up with an explanation. "i-um, im so sorry I shouldn't—"

you interrupt her, "it's fine if you did. I just kind of wish you did it when I was sober," you tease, a soft smirk appears on your face. she bites her lip and avoids your gaze in embarrassment.

"are you sober now?" she asks, refusing to meet your eyes.

you laugh, shaking your head—mostly in disbelief. "I've got vomit breath," you reply.

"I don't mind," tigris whispers, suddenly looking at you lovingly.

you pause, your breath catching on your throat as you process what she said. it's your turn to blush, as she leans in slowly. you get up, however, scouring the cabinet and finding mouthwash. tigris giggles as you swish, gargle and rinse your mouth.

"now I'm ready," you exclaim, as she stands up. awkwardly you crash into her, placing one hand on her hip and the other on the back of her head. she laughs, wrapping both her arms around your waist and kisses you back passionately.

you throw yourself into the kiss, finally letting go and enjoying it—you've wanted to kiss her ever since she'd been so understanding and caring on your first photoshoot. it was actually mortifying hiding your huge crush on her. now that you had her, you'd be sure to enjoy the blissful moment with her.

#tigris snow #tigris x reader #blurb #fluff #cigarette #thg #thg series #fanfic #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #eating disoder trigger warning #the hunger games #wlw #tbosas #female reader #stylist #model #coriolanus snow #livia cardew #dani's fics <3

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laneofpennies · 4 years

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ok so i’m just gonna get all my thoughts about wkm and folklore out in this post so i can stop being incomprehensible

and yes, this has ego shipping. i couldn’t stop myself.

the 1

Damien and William. I’ll start off like that. I feel like this is a melancholy ballad about a couple who didn’t work out due to maybe distance or misunderstanding- or in this case, being gay in the 1920s- and looking back on their childhood and regretting never taking that step. Also, the addition of meeting someone else and taking them home makes me think of Celine. And the singer seems successful, much like a mayor of a small city.

cardigan

Actor!Mark is written absolutely all over this song, albeit before he was entirely corrupted. But the plot, about someone still being in love despite the other having cheated and being hurt so much time after? That’s Mark, babeyyy. We know his mental state was not great after the divorce- maybe even before that. Celine was his rock.

the last great american dynasty

This tips more into my own canon, I’ll admit. But I always thought Celine and Damien weren’t exactly from the same social class as Mark. So when the marriage between the two happened, people talked. But Celine was always a badass. Even if after the divorce she was persecuted by the media, she kept her head up. Also this song makes me cry and so does Celine so I feel like that’s enough of a connection.

exile (Ft. Bon Iver)

THE MOST Celine and Mark song, well, ever. Miscommunication. References to acting as a career. The longing to make things right. Two perspectives. The third guy, who in this case is William, swooping in. Mark not having seen any of the signs of her discomfort in the lifestyle she led, and Celine just feeling shut out. I also feel like Mark was often worried about her offending other famous actors and she felt suffocated whenever they went out together.

my tears ricochet

Actor. This one might seem like a stretch, but the Mark we know is not the same from before the divorce. He was hurting, and confused as to why this had all happened to them. We know the divorce was messy and ended an entire friend group, and Celine seemed to have taken it much better, leading to the current circumstance. The fear of being home all alone- in this case because of a literal demon.

mirrorball

Since this song is revolving around someone that blends in, changes, can show a million different faces, I think it’s perfect for the DA, aka the viewer. This character had to be written so that we could all see ourselves in them, whether that be for WKM, ADWM, or AHWM. Also the metaphor about broken glass...? That’s just too perfect.

seven

More of my slight headcanons!! William and Damien growing up as friends must have been very close to this song. There’s talk about haunted houses, best friends, secrets, keeping in the closet, strict parents... I feel like they would be really cute in this song. They’ve been friends for ages, and even now, though they both look a little different. Overall, this song about childhood innocence slowly eroding fits the colonel and the politician.

august

This song is the second in the story about love affairs, excluding Illicit Affairs. This one always struck me because of how soft and tender it was, despite this being from the view of the other woman. There is a hint of regret and sadness that they can’t be publicly together, but you can tell there was genuine love between them. I like to think that William did love Celine, and saw the darkness within that house and within Mark. The affair was where it crossed the line, and he knew they couldn’t go back.

this is me trying

This one I see as mostly just about Damien. He had been the glue in this friend group for so long, and was so eager to see them all back together, it only made sense he would take the affair and divorce just as hard as those directly involved. I can imagine him pleading for reconciliation and attempting to help Mark through everything while still staying loyal to his sister. It must have been a struggle, and one he never let go of.

illicit affairs

Oddly enough, this song isn’t directly attached to August and Cardigan, but I feel like it fits perfectly for how Celine felt throughout the entire affair. She lost her love for Mark. She knew it was wrong, but she did truly did fall in love with William. The pains of being in their secret relationship and how useless she feels is perfect for how she wanted so strongly to be out of this situation even if she couldn’t be without either of them.

invisible string

Since the overall theme of this song revolves around the individual lives of two strangers having always been weaved together by fate, I feel like it fits the story Mark is building with all of these characters. Though this song is much happier, haha. This can also point to Mark now wanting us to be the love interest and trying to convince us we had been meant to be from the start, him being the hero and all.

mad woman

OBVIOUSLY Celine. She has her flaws, but she genuinely was a tough character who cared about her family. Even if she had been put down for her fieriness and her hobbies especially being a woman at the turn of the century, this madness is almost a freedom for her. Actor wasn’t the best husband, at least we can assume, and William wasn’t perfect either. And she never confided in her brother until it was too late. So all of this points back to her not trusting anyone in her life other than herself, and being trapped with her own anger and passions. I could write a whole essay on this one, guys-

epiphany

I guess this one might be fairly obvious. William. The Colonel who served more than his time. Who’s seen horrors that he still has yet to overcome. I imagine this song is specifically about him in the war, fighting to stay alive for his friends, and then him having to adjust and rely on them once he first returned home and had to deal with consequences of everything he saw overseas.

betty

gay and yearning. damien and william. next question.

peace

ok ok hear me out- The viewer about Damien. They’re life partners, whether that be romantic or platonic. Working together, studying together- it’s obvious there’s a really strong connection there. Also, the lyrics describe someone I really feel like fits Damien- honorable, has integrity, kind. Maybe this is self-indulgent but it seems like it really fits them.

hoax

This song is about a toxic relationship. Taylor knows it won’t work out, but she needs the other. The undertones of standing on the cliffside, the mentions of heroes and scars and the overall theme of faith and dependency make me, again, come back to Actor, thinking about Celine. Say what you want, but he was codependent.

#actor!mark #wkm #celine the seer #mayor damien #william j barnum #dilliam

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protectjugheadjonesiii · 5 years

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The Lucky One

Pairing: Archie x Reader

Word count: 1,950ish but feel free to add more

A/N: if you didn’t see my post about my inactivity but I won’t writing imagines on this blog anymore. however, i’m posting all of my incomplete imagines and i would love it if you all would reblog them and add on how you think the imagines should continue and end. i’ll be reblogging every addition that i see :)

New to town with a made up name in the Angel city, chasing fortune and fame And the camera flashes, make it look like a dream

Unlike most kids in Riverdale, (Y/N) (Y/L/N) dreamed of bigger things she could do with her life, greater achievements she could accomplish outside of her small hometown.

Life in Riverdale wasn’t bad; she had her friends: Betty, Archie, and Jughead. The four of them were known as the four musketeers, always stumbling around the quiet streets with barking laughter.

The ten year olds made a home in Pop’s diner, their regular booth being touched by no one but themselves.

But even with her strong bonds of friendship, (Y/N) grew restless with her head full of dreams. Riverdale was too small of a town for her to go anywhere far in life, and that was exactly what she wanted to do.

“Do you think we’ll all grow old together?” Betty asked the table one night. “Maybe we’ll be like our parents: we’ll go to school together, marry each other, and have kids that are best friends with each other.”

“Well then who are you gonna marry, Betty?” Archie inquired with a smirk. “Me or Jughead?”

“How do you know she doesn’t want to marry (Y/N)?” Jughead interjected, withholding his laughter at the transition of Archie’s facial expression from confidence to shock. Jughead turned to (Y/N), who had been wistfully staring out the window in silence during the conversation, “What do you think, (Y/N)?”

“Hmm?” she hummed, turning to face her friends. She bit her lip, not wanting to talk about her opposing life plans. “Oh yeah, I’ll be here.”

You had it figured out since you were in school Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool So overnight you look like a sixties’ queen

Every year at Riverdale Elementary, the fourth graders did a project on what they wanted to be when they grew up. They had to brainstorm ideas of what they wanted to be and then research some requirements for said profession. At the end of the month, each student would present their project to the class.

“I want to join my dad’s construction company,” Archie announced during his presentation. “He told me that when I’m older, I can spend the summer helping him, and that one day I can even own the company!” He decided to not talk about the other ideas he had about what he wanted to be when he grew up. Being a construction worker was good enough for him.

“I want to be a journalist, just like my mom and dad,” Betty informed the class. “I would help them with their articles and eventually write my own.”

“A writer,” Jughead declared as soon as he stood up, not even allowing himself enough time to reach the front of the classroom. “I want to be a writer when I grow up. Not a journalist like Betty, though. I want to write my own stories and publish books.”

When (Y/N) did her presentation, she hesitated. She spent all her time researching what it took to become an actress, but as she stood in front of all of her friends whose plans let them stay in Riverdale, she grew unsure of herself.

“I-” she paused, giving herself one last chance to change her mind. “I want to be an actress. But I don’t want to wait until I’m grown up to become one. When I did my research, I saw that a lot of famous actors started when they were little.”

“There aren’t many movies created here in Riverdale,” the teacher commented.

(Y/N) shrugged. “Then I guess I’ll have to go find movie makers somewhere else.” She ignored Archie, Betty, and Jughead’s stunned faces as she sat down.

Another name goes up in lights, like diamonds in the sky

A few weeks later, (Y/N)’s dad announced to the (Y/L/N) family that they were moving to Hollywood, which would allow (Y/N) to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. Her excitement only lasted for a few moments before she realized that she would have to leave her friends.

“Archie!” She stood on his doorstep, waiting for him to open the door.

“(Y/N)?” he questioned, opening the door. “What are you doing here? It’s late.”

“I need to tell you something,” she said, rocking back and forth on her feet. “I…” she trailed off, the guilt causing her throat to close up.

“You what?”

“I’m moving,” she blurted out.

“To a new house?” he asked, not grasping the severity of her statement.

“To Hollywood,” she corrected him, sadly watching as his expression deflated.

“Why aren’t you telling Betty and Jughead?” he questioned.

“I wanted to tell you first, Archie. You’re my best friend.”

“Betty and Jughead aren’t your best friends too?”

“They are…” (Y/N) shrugged, digging her heel into the ground, “but you’re my best friend.” Archie sadly nodded.

“You’re my best friend too, (Y/N).” He enveloped her in a hug, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his t-shirt, trying to memorize that feeling.

And they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one Yeah, they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one But can you tell me now, you’re the lucky one, oh, oh, oh

When (Y/N) landed her first role, the entire town of Riverdale went into a frenzy. Everyone counted down the days until her movie would premiere.

Archie was confused about how he felt. He didn’t know if he was happy or upset that (Y/N) played a part in a big move. He knew it would result in her staying in Hollywood longer as she continued her career. A small, selfish part of him always hoped that she would eventually give up and come back to Riverdale.

“(Y/N)’s movie comes out tomorrow!” Betty squealed as they sat in their booth, ignoring the one empty spot next to Archie.

“The Twilight Drive-In is gonna show it,” Jughead informed them. “It’s gonna be so busy there.”

“All of Riverdale will go!” Betty exclaimed. “The whole town is so excited for this.”

When Archie continued to not respond, Betty and Jughead shared a puzzled look.

“Are you okay, Archie?” Jughead questioned, trying to make eye contact with his solemn friend.

“I’m fine.” Archie shrugged. “Just a bit tired. I think I’m gonna go home early, get to sleep. Gotta be wide awake to watch (Y/N)’s movie tomorrow.”

He exited the diner, leaving Betty and Jughead to continue their excited conversation over the movie.

Now it’s big black cars, and Riviera views, And your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you And your secrets end up splashed on the news front page

As predicted by Archie, (Y/N)’s role in her debut movie attracted other producers, allowing her more opportunities to audition for more parts. Each movie she was in became a success, and soon (Y/N) was the poster child of young Hollywood actors.

Her busy filming schedule prevented her from ever returning to her hometown, no matter how much Mayor McCoy begged her to.

Even if she were able to return, (Y/N) knew it wouldn’t be because of the mayor. It would be because of her red-headed best friend.

As much as (Y/N) tried to keep in touch with her best friend, it became increasingly difficult with each new movie role she obtained. Even when she found a spare moment to call Archie, he never answered. She always brushed it off as her calling at an inconvenient time. (Y/N) never even considered the possibility that Archie stared at his phone screen as her name appeared before silencing its rings, not daring to pick up and hear her voice.

And they tell you that you’re lucky But you’re so confused, 'Cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used And all the young things line up to take your place

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)!” The reporters yelled from all around the red carpet, camera flashes going off every second. Through the chaos, (Y/N) maintained a smile. By now, she was experienced with the hell of red carpets.

“(Y/N), do you have a boyfriend,” one reporter asked, holding a microphone out towards her. Her smile faltered for just a moment, but she quickly recovered.

“Oh, god no,” she answered with a light laugh. “I mean I’m only fifteen, and so much is going on in my life right now. I don’t know that anyone would want to deal with me right now.”

“So many boys are pining after you, (Y/N)!” the reporter exclaimed. “It can’t be because of that. Could it be because you already have someone? A secret lover?”

(Y/N)’s mind immediately jumped to Archie. She hadn’t seen him in five years, so she could only picture his ten-year-old face.

“No,” she said after a moment of hesitation. “No, I don’t have a secret lover.”

“You hesitated though,” the reported pointed out. “Maybe it’s just a crush?”

She thought, again, of her red-headed best friend back in Riverdale. He was the first person she told that she was moving, the only person that made her hesitate before leaving Riverdale.

“No,” (Y/N) shook her head with a bitter smile. “No crushes here.”

Another name goes up in lights You wonder if you’ll make it out alive

“Another successful movie by (Y/N),” Jughead sighed, flopping into the booth. Betty nudged him as she nodded her head towards Archie, who sat across from them. “Sorry, Arch,” Jughead apologized.

Archie shook his head and didn’t respond.

“Are you guys angry about that?” Veronica questioned. “I mean, (Y/N) (Y/L/N) is an acting legend. Isn’t there some Riverdale pride here that this small town produced one of the hottest up-and-coming actresses in Hollywood?”

“We knew (Y/N),” Betty explained quietly, not taking her eyes off of Archie.

“Yeah, I’ve met her once, too,” Veronica said, not understanding the issue at hand. “I met her at a club.”

“Veronica,” Betty reiterated, “we knew (Y/N). She was one of our best friends.”

“Oh,” Veronica finally understood. She glanced at Archie, who was picking at his French fries. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

Before she could finish, Archie got up and stormed out of the diner.

“(Y/N) was best friends with all of us,” Betty continued, slightly shaking her head, “but she and Archie were best friends. Everyone always thought they’d get married.”

And they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one Yeah, they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one Can you tell me now, you’re the lucky one, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

As Archie continued his studies in high school, (Y/N) continued to act in movies and guest-star in TV shows.

When Archie became captain of the football team, (Y/N) was nominated for an Oscar.

Slowly but surely, both Archie and (Y/N) began to let go of each other, not daring to reminisce upon their childhood friendship.

(Y/N) stopped attempting to reach Archie, finally accepting that he was, in fact, ignoring her. She went on dates with other actors and musicians that she met, only briefly thinking of the red-head back home. Archie dated girls, such as Valerie and Veronica, and he only thought of his long-lost (Y/N) a few times.

It was a few years later, I showed up here And they still tell the legend of how you disappeared, How you took the money and your dignity, and got the hell out

After Archie graduated, he decided to stay in Riverdale to focus on his music. He could’ve gone to college, hell he could’ve moved to Nashville or LA or New York to be in a better environment to work on his music. But he saw what leaving did to (Y/N), and he knew that he didn’t want to go down that path. She was living her dream. And even if music was his dream, Archie did not want the fame that came with a successful music career.

He posted his songs on YouTube and left it at that. No promotions, no running around begging for record deals.

(Y/N), thousands of miles away, watched every single video. She smiled at his talent (and blushed at his muscular form). She hadn’t seen him since he was ten; the only things that were familiar to her were his bright red hair and soulful eyes.

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friendshqs · 4 years

Photo

Meet Betty Cooper! Some say she’s got a lot in common with Monica Geller, but she doesn’t see it. Unfortunately for you, she is taken.

Name: Betty Cooper

Age: 26

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Demisexual

Occupation: Chef

Character Traits

positive: meticulous, determined, bright negative: perfectionistic, meddlesome, competitive

Helpful Hints

the monica has grown up comfortably, middle class chic. she was an only child and while her parents were busy at their jobs, she was busy setting goals for herself. there’s not a project she hasn’t taken on and succeeded at. she’s a perfectionist and as she describes herself, a virgo to a tee. she’s always held herself to high standards and that’s shown in everything she’s done from school to extracurriculars to even hobbies that are supposed to be ‘fun’. she’s obsessed with the ‘perfect’ aesthetic and rarely has a day where she doesn’t look picture perfect from her head down to her toes. she takes great pride in her appearance and her surroundings. nothing is ever a mess when it comes to her.

the monica’s biggest passion, however, is cooking. since she often had to fend for herself growing up, she’s developed a love for cuisine. she loves eating food, she loves making it, she’s currently a chef at a downtown ny eatery and she’s got lofty goals of owning her own restaurant one day. she doesn’t have a favorite type of food - honestly, she just loves it all. she dabbles from time to time writing a food blog on tumblr but she mostly sticks to perfecting her recipes. she’s the one who feeds all her friends and whenever there’s a holiday or a party, it’s usually at the monica’s.

the monica is very loyal and protective of her friends. she’s one to accept instantly but it takes a while for her to open up to you. she’s gotten used to brushing hurt feelings aside and is still dealing with a lot of rejection/abandonment issues from her parents. she focuses more on the people she loves rather than herself which is why she can sometimes get TOO invested in other peoples problems. she’s confident and she’s stubborn but she can get very in her head which causes a lot of problems in the dating scene - some people just can’t handle a strong, independent woman but the monica knows her person is out there.

the monica’s friends have been encouraging her to seek out therapy but she’s currently struggling with it. she was diagnosed with OCD as a teen and after a few sessions, decided it was a waste of her time and she could deal with it herself. unfortunately, it flares up in times of extreme stress and if you know the monica, you know there’s a lot of times where she’s stressed.

ultimately, the monica is striving for the best in life. she wants her friends to always stay the closest, the cushiest job, and the most luxury items to make up for the inadequacy she sometimes feels. she knows there’s no such thing as perfection but she’s going to try to come pretty damn close.

Headcanons

in the little free time that she does have, betty has started to freelance as an event planner. her connections as a chef come in handy when arranging catering, and she has an eye for design that is super useful. she hasn’t done too many events yet, but she has just been asked to plan a wedding, which is her most ambitious and high-stress client yet.

planning this wedding is also a constant reminder for betty that she’s been single for a very long time. she’s a busy girl, and work and her pals come first, but... sometimes you just want to hold hands with someone and pull the girlfriend card to get them to watch trash movies with you. betty firmly believes that she absolutely does not need a man... but it sure would be nice to have one.

betty went to college, but it actually wasn’t full-time to a culinary school. her parents didn’t believe that a career in food would be stable enough for their daughter, and so she double majored in business and journalism to please her parents... while secretly attending culinary school part-time. it was a lot, and the fact that she was also involved in extracurriculars didn’t make it easier, but she graduated with high honors and little undergrad debt, so she doesn’t regret things too much. she is still paying off culinary school, however. and will be for... a while.

betty sends a christmas card each year to the people she considers herself to be close to - from her friends to her family. even her roommate gets one. they don’t have any life updates (it’s not a family newsletter like her parents send), but it’s nice to remind people that you’re thinking of them during the holidays.

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sprousehartinvestigations · 6 years

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LILI REINHART IN H&M STUDIO AW18

So how does fashion play into Lili Reinhart’s off-screen life? Style-wise, she still has that girl-next-door vibe. Only this girl is much cooler, chicer and on-trend than your average neighbour. Dressed up in the latest H&M Studio collection, this all falls into place.

Effortlessly chic, Lili Reinhart looks nothing like Riverdale’s Betty Cooper, just a lot like herself: a young, multi-faceted woman, not afraid to make a statement.

”Fashion has become increasingly more important to me within the past few years. A while ago I realized that I was holding onto a lot of pieces from when I was a teenager… and they made me feel juvenile when I wore them. I had to make an executive decision to say goodbye to older pieces and revamp my closet. I wanted to feel like a woman with a confident sense of style in everything that I wore, not just when I had the energy to style an outfit on a night out. That meant investing in signature pieces— great boots, nice jeans, a leather jacket— that would help give my daily style more edge and sophistication.”

“She keeps it simple. Nothing crazy. I think my own style has sort of crept its way into Betty’s style evolution.” - LILI REINHART ON BETTY COOPER'S STYLE

DO YOU HAVE ANY DEFINING STYLE MOMENTS? ”I’ve had moments where I have felt really myself in something that I was wearing. The Brock dress that I wore to the CFDA’s this year made me feel really beautiful. I felt sophisticated and sexy but very feminine and modest at the same time.”

STYLE-WISE, DARK BETTY OR PASTEL BETTY? ”Pastel Betty all the way.”

OUT OF ALL THE RIVERDALE CHARACTERS, WHO WOULD YOU SWAP WARDROBES WITH? ”I feel like if we’re being honest here, I’d probably take Betty’s wardrobe. She keeps it simple. Nothing crazy. I think my own style has sort of crept its way into Betty’s style evolution. I like overalls and cool flats and sneakers, so I’ve encouraged our wardrobe girls on the show to pull those sorts of things for Betty.”

IF YOU COULD GIVE A PIECE OF ADVICE TO YOUR 15-YEAR OLD SELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE? ”My piece of advice would be... go outside your comfort zone. It’s okay to be a homebody and an introvert, but pushing yourself to explore things you wouldn’t normally explore and experience being around new people will benefit you greatly.”

ANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN YOUR OWN HIGH SCHOOL YEARS AND BETTY COOPER’S? ”I would say the biggest similarity between Betty’s high school experience and mine would have to be good grades. I always did well in school and I’m assuming Betty’s report card is mostly As. Other than that? Betty is more involved in her school than I ever was. She runs the blue and gold, she’s been a cheerleader, she ran for student body president, performed in the school musical… I definitely didn’t get involved in school activities like that.”

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE PRESSURE OF BEING A ROLE MODEL? ”I know that I’m allowed to make mistakes. Everyone thinks that as a role model you have to be perfect. But that’s not what you’re going to get from me. I don’t want to pretend like I don’t screw up or fail sometimes. That’s false advertising. I’m a role model BECAUSE I accept my flaws and am not afraid to talk about them. It can definitely feel overwhelming at times... but I am comforted by my cast mates who are going through the same pressures that I am. We’re all young, we’re all learning and growing as human beings... I’m happy to have them by my side.”

THREE DREAMS TO CHECK OFF YOUR DREAM LIST? ”I want to see the wisteria tunnels in Japan. I’ve always wanted to play piano. I want to take my mother to Paris.”

WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST THING A FAN SENT YOU? ”I haven’t been sent anything particularly weird. I’ve been sent flowers by fans and an edible arrangement once, which was wonderful. I get sent a lot of foreign candies and I’ve also gotten a hand sewn Betty doll.”

“We’re all young, we’re all learning and growing as human beings... I’m happy to have them by my side.” - LILI REINHART ON HER RIVERDALE CAST MATES

LET’S PLAY A GAME. DATE, MARRY OR MAKE DISAPPEAR FOREVER: THE BLACK HOOD, HIRAM LODGE, PENELOPE BLOSSOM? ”Make The Black Hood disappear because obviously, marry Penelope because she at least doesn’t murder people… that we know of, and date Hiram because that’s the only other option.”

WHAT’S THE MOST ‘PINCHING MY ARM’ MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR? ”Every time I go to Comic Con, it’s really surreal. My face was on a hotel key card this year. Which was very weird to me. And when I see my face on a giant poster or billboard... I can’t believe that it’s me. I never could’ve dreamed this life for myself so it’s unbelievable at times.”

WE KNOW YOU’RE SOMEWHAT OF A SKINCARE EXPERT. WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER ONE ADVICE? ”My number one piece of skincare advice is to start young. You’re never too young to be taking care of your skin! I’m hoping that the effort and investment that I put into my skin now will pay off when I’m in my 70’s and don’t have as many wrinkles.”

#Lili Reinhart #photoshoot #hm photoshoot #interview

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malekshardy · 5 years

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groupie love – hardy!roger taylor x reader (part three)

summary: everything comes full circle when betty surprises you with tickets to queen’s last show at madison square garden.

a/n: this is it!!! the last part!!! and it’s three times as long as either of the first two, oops. obviously i think it must be at least kind of good, otherwise i wouldn’t have written over 6k words of it. definitely listen to the playlist while you read – i wrote most of this listening to empty space and close to me, but for the end i listened to my love, my life by abba EXCLUSIVELY and then somebody to love for a little bit at the very end. this has been so much fun to write, and i hope you like it!!

word count: 6,677 (!!!!)

part one | part two

Betty is waiting for you when you finally get home, just as you knew she would be. The whole subway ride home, you had thought about how to confront her about the phone number – although, logically, you know that you hadn’t seen her since you both got home from the party the night before.

On principle, though, you’re still mad.

Betty is laying on the couch, half asleep, when you slam the door open and enter the apartment. She snaps awake and sits straight up.

“Where have you been?! I thought you were dead in a back alley somewhere!” She exclaims.

You sigh. “Work.”

“Oh,” she seems disappointed for just a second, then her expression changes back to a more relaxed one. “Did Arthur keep you this whole time? Three extra hours?”

“Yeah.” You sit down next to her. “He paid double for the overtime though, so at least there’s that.”

“That’s good. But, like… why?”

“Queen came in around midnight.” You say shortly. You know you have no right to be annoyed, but it’s almost three in the morning and you knew your best friend and drunk Betty getting a rockstar’s number should definitely have been a topic of conversation on the taxi ride home last night. “John says hello.”

“Oh,” Betty blushes.

“I guess you don’t have to pray you run into him sometime in the next three days so you can say hi back, considering he has your phone number.”

“Y/N –“

“I’m not really mad,” you say, mostly to yourself. “Because we haven’t seen each other all day, but how did you not tell me last night on the way home? That’s exciting!”

“You didn’t tell me about you and Roger,” she says.

Oh. Right.

“And who told you about that? John?”

“We saw you, Y/N. You were literally in the middle of the party making out with the world’s most notorious playboy.” She laughs. “But yes, John mentioned it when he called me earlier. Do you want something to eat?”

“What did he say?!” You nearly shout. “Because Roger was being weird at the restaurant when I ran into him, but I just assumed that’s because he’s a rockstar who’s used to having to deal with groupies and all that.”

“I had mac and cheese for dinner,” Betty says, standing up and walking towards your kitchen. “I’ll reheat it for you.”

“Betty!” More than anything, you want to hear what John had to say. Even though you know it was probably mentioned in passing – oh, just Roger being Roger, attracting yet another groupie to his side for the night – you can’t keep yourself from hoping it’s something more.

The oven beeps. “C’mon Y/N, eat something and I’ll tell you.” You scramble to your feet and head into the kitchen. Betty takes the leftover mac and cheese and sets in on the table as if she’s your mother.

“Okay, go.”

“Well, our conversation started off a little bit awkward, since I think both of us got a lot of our confidence from being intoxicated, so I brought up you and Roger just because it was something about people that we both knew, and –“

“– Wait, what time was this?” You interrupt.

“Around three, maybe? I’m not sure, I had just gotten back from work. But don’t interrupt, I thought you wanted to hear what he had to say about you.”

“Yes. Sorry.”

“Basically, we talked a little about you guys and the party last night, and then he said something about us leaving really early and Roger being apparently pretty torn up about it – John said that he was pretty grumpy and irritable right after we left and this morning when they all got together for lunch, which is how he knew he was disappointed – and he said that Roger thinks that you left because you didn’t like him or something, which I didn’t think was true, but I also know about your wild side and you didn’t seem too upset to be leaving, so I just told him I wasn’t sure –“

“Betty, it was your fault that we left!” You exclaim.

“I know, I told him that.” Betty glares at you. “Keep eating. I know you haven’t eaten anything since five.”

“Fine. But I didn’t want to leave, just making sure you know that.”

“I know. But I’m not done with the story, so shh. Basically, John was saying that Roger didn’t want to talk about the party or you, which was weird to everybody because Roger always wants to brag about his groupies the next day, so John said they decided that Roger likes you and wishes you would have stuck around the other night.”

You can’t help it; your face heats up and your heart begins to pound furiously in your chest. Betty is watching you with a smile on her face. “That’s… good.”

“And one more thing. John and I were scheming a little bit over the phone, I’ll just tell you now since I know you’re thinking it, and he just happened to find four extra tickets and backstage passes for tomorrow – well, I guess tonight – at Madison Square Garden.”

You hadn’t really been thinking about Betty and John scheming, although you probably should have, considering Betty had been trying to set you up with a guy forever, even after you started going backstage at rock concerts and hooking up with rockstars. What you had been thinking about was being in another small enclosed space with Roger, his hands gripping your hips, your arms wrapped around his neck, his mouth on yours, just like the afterparty.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N?” You snap back to the present. Betty is staring back at you. “I’m going to bed. I, unlike some people, have work tomorrow.”

“Okay. What time do you get off? I mean, since we have a concert to get to.”

Betty smiles knowingly. “I have the ten o’clock tomorrow, so I’ll be out by four. I think I want to bring Sandra with us to the concert, do you have anyone you could bring?”

“Liz,” you say immediately. “We bonded yesterday over our mutual love of the band, right before they came in.” Betty suddenly giggles. “What?”

“I forgot to tell you, I may have mentioned to John that you were working tonight and… I maybe told him which restaurant it was.”

“So you got me stuck at work until three,” you laugh. “You should have known where I was if you told him where I work!”

“I didn’t think they would actually end up there! And especially not for that long! Wait, so that means you saw Roger, right?” Betty asks. You nod. “How did that go? Wait, don’t tell me. I need to go to bed. You can tell me later.”

“Okay,” you say as she heads down the hallway to her bedroom. “Good night!”

As she disappears into her room, you stand and rinse out your bowl of mac and cheese and set it in the dishwasher. As you do, you can’t help but think about what it’ll be like to stand in front of Roger Taylor again, having him all to yourself again, and being able to explain to him why you had left and why you hadn’t wanted to.

And hopefully he would forgive you. And maybe he would kiss you again.

***

The next morning when you wake up, Betty is gone again. Between the two of you working and going to classes, you were rarely home at the same time – even less so if a particularly good band was in town. It was nice, though, to have time apart from each other to relax or do homework. You had lived with Betty for the last three years of your undergraduate careers, and when the time came for graduate school, you and Betty had never even considered living with anyone else. The two of you could understand each other’s crazy schedules and hectic lives, and you supported each other in everything you did – with one notable exception.

You started going to rock concerts your freshman year of college, before you had even met Betty. Rock music had been part of your life since you were born, with your parents constantly playing Elvis, Ray Charles, and Bill Haley. Your first solo venture into the musical scene, like so many other girls your age, had been the Beatles. Then came Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin. Then, of course, there was Queen.

So it was safe to say you were a big rock music fan.

The first time you had slept with a musician, he hadn’t been a bona fide rockstar. However, the pure adrenaline you got from catching the eye of one of the men on stage was addicting, and you went to more and more shows, and the eyes that you caught became bigger and bigger stars. Betty, who, while also a rock music fan, tended to stay on the sidelines, was not a huge fan of your little hobby. It all led up to one massive fight at the end of your junior year, where she had called you a few choice names and moved back in with her parents for the summer. You reconciled, obviously, after finding out she was only worried for your health and safety, but she stayed far removed from your whole scene until she just couldn’t bear it anymore, and then you started bringing her to shows in the front row and going backstage. However, you usually kept her away from the afterparties – they were overwhelming and sometimes not entirely safe.

Until Queen came to New York and Betty begged you to bring her along with you to their afterparty. Which is how John Deacon ended up with her phone number.

You spend your morning doing mostly homework for your classes that week, and before you know it, it’s nearly three and you realize you still haven’t called Liz. You know she’s not working tonight, you just hope she doesn’t have other plans.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end is unfamiliar.

“Hi, this is Y/N Y/L/N, one of Liz’s coworkers? Is she there?”

“Yeah, let me go get her for you.” There’s a brief pause, and then Liz gets on the line. “Hello?”

“Hey Liz.”

“Y/N? What’s up?”

“I know this is pretty last minute, but I managed to get tickets for the Queen concert tonight and last night you mentioned wanting to see them while they’re here, so I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me?”

“Oh my God, of course! Thank you so much! How did you even get these tickets so late? I thought the whole show was sold out!”

Yeah, how did you get these tickets? “Would you believe me if I told you my roommate knows the bassist?” Technically, that was true.

Liz laughs. “No, but I appreciate you inviting me so much that I don’t even care. What time should I be ready?”

“The show starts at 7, so we want to be there by probably 6. You can meet us at my apartment at 5 and we’ll head over right after, it’ll probably take a little while to get there with rush hour traffic. You have my address?”

“Yeah! Sounds good. See you soon!” As soon as you hang up, Betty walks through the door, clearly exhausted and frazzled from her day at work.

“How was your day?” You ask.

“Not great! People are assholes.”

“Tell me about it.”

She groans loudly and flops onto the couch. “I just hate my job. I can’t wait until I graduate and can finally get a job in like, the field my degrees are in.”

“Oh, I so agree. But at least we get to go to the concert tonight?”

Betty smiles, her eyes fluttering closed. “Yeah. And we have backstage passes. So you can make up with Roger. Or at least have a conversation you can remember.”

“Haha,” you say sarcastically. “I wasn’t that drunk.”

“Y/N, if you had been making out with just a random guy at a random party instead of Roger Taylor, you wouldn’t even remember his name.”

You laugh. “I mean… you’re probably right. What time is Sandra coming over? Liz is coming at 5.”

“I told her 5 as well. We should probably start getting ready then, right?”

“Definitely.”

***

You’re in the middle of doing your eye makeup when you hear a knock at the door. You quickly finish up with your eyeliner and head to the door to find both Sandra and Liz right on your doorstep, looking perfectly dressed for the show.

“Hey guys!” You say brightly. “Excited for the show?”

“So excited,” Liz exclaims. Sandra nods.

“Yay! Me too.” More than you know.

“I was just telling Sandra while we were outside that the band came into the restaurant yesterday, so we got to see them up close and personal,” Liz says.

Yep. You smile. “Yeah, it was such a cool experience.”

“It sounds like it! What are they like in person?” Sandra asks excitedly.

“I got cut before I could talk to them, I just got to see them come in. Y/N, you stayed till closing, did you get to talk to them?”

“What?” You barely catch the end of Liz’s sentence. “Oh, yeah. Just for a second.” You don’t tell them what Freddie said about you being Roger’s Cinderella, or anything Betty had told you about her phone conversation with John. Obviously. Because that would require a lot of backstory you didn’t want to tell your coworker. Betty is the only person in your life who knows about your little hobby (and your interaction with Roger), and you intend to keep it that way.

“And?” Liz says. She and Sandra are staring at you expectantly.

“Um – they all seem nice. Nicer than most rockstars. Probably.” Too bad all you can remember from your actual conversation with Roger is his wide eyes looking at you softly, you’re something, that’s for sure playing on a loop in your head. “I ran straight into Freddie Mercury when I went to put the silverware in the front and he was perfectly polite about it. He even made a joke or two.”

“Did you talk to Roger at all yesterday?” It’s Betty’s voice, and a shock runs down your spine at the sound of his name.

“Unfortunately, no.” You say, your teeth gritted. She only smiles at you.

“Maybe you will tonight,” she says, then turns to the others. “Ladies, we have backstage passes, so you can finally have those conversations you’ve been dying to have.”

“Oh wow,” Sandra says, shocked.

“You know, maybe now I do believe that you know the band,” Liz says to Betty, a grin spreading over her face.

“Oh honey,” Betty responds. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

You roll your eyes. “Can we go now? It’s a quarter past five in New York and one of the biggest bands in the world is playing at the Garden. It’s going to be a nightmare.”

“Okay, okay,” Betty teases. “I understand.”

The four of you shuffle out the door, you in the front, hurrying towards the street. Thankfully, miraculously, a taxi stops for you almost as soon as you step onto the curb and hold your hand up.

“Evening, ladies,” the driver says. “Where to?”

“Madison Square Garden,” you respond.

“You girls going to the Queen concert?” He asks, his eyes raking over your body, and for a moment you feel utterly exposed. Then you give a sigh of annoyance.

“Yes, and we’re trying to get there before it starts.” You snap.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “C’mon in then, it might take a while.”

“I’m aware,” you mutter, climbing into the backseat of the cab. The four of you squish together in the backseat – no one wants to sit in the front, right next to the slightly creepy cab driver – and Sandra slams the door behind her.

God must be looking out for you, because you only hit traffic once, when you reach 27th Street, and at that point it’s only 5:30 and you’re six blocks from the Garden, so you can relax a little. The car is nearly silent as you sit in standstill traffic, which is odd because you’ve never known your friends to be so quiet. The only thing puncturing the silence is the occasional honk from one of the cars around you – and by occasional you mean every fifteen seconds or so – and yet you’re still grateful to live in what you consider the best city in the world.

You sit in traffic on 27th for about twenty minutes, and then things finally start moving again and you can see Madison Square Garden’s magnificent shape start to appear on your right. Excitement pools in your stomach and a wide smile spreads across your face. You love Madison Square Garden and you love rock and roll and you love your friends and you love Queen.

And you have backstage passes, which means no having to persuade the crew to let you backstage to talk to the band. For once, the band knows you and they want you backstage. At least you think they do.

***

Roger has a girl under his arm, because of course he does. It’s half past five, and his friends are relaxing in the dressing room backstage, talking loudly amongst themselves and laughing, but Roger is stuck in his own head. The girl – he can’t remember her name – has her hand on his thigh, and every so often she inches it slightly further up, but he doesn’t care the same way he usually would. He doesn’t know this girl’s name and he doesn’t care that she’s hoping he’ll live up to his reputation in the half hour or so before they go onstage. What he does care about is his run-in with another girl last night – a girl he can’t seem to forget.

“Roger,” the girl whimpers. “Can’t we have a little fun? We’ve just been sitting here doing nothing all evening!”

She doesn’t speak too loudly, but the rest of the band can hear her. “Yeah Rog, why’re you so upset?” Brian laughs.

“You’re all bloody annoying,” Roger snaps. It’s not meant to be funny, but of course the others burst into laughter.

“Really? How absolutely unusual,” Freddie chuckles. “But wait, Roger, would you still be annoyed if Deaky told you he invited his little girlfriend and some of her friends to the show tonight?”

Roger jolts forward, letting the other girl fall out from under his arm, and the moment he does it he wishes he hadn’t; he wishes he could look as disinterested as possible. But of course he can’t – he’s been wishing for another chance to talk with Y/N since the moment she left him alone at his party two nights ago.

“Oh, look at him,” Freddie whispers. “There must be a fairy godmother in here somewhere.” The others laugh.

Roger clears his throat. “I don’t care. She doesn’t want to talk to me, and I know that, so I’m done.”

“Do you, though?” Deaky smirks. “I had a very interesting conversation with her lovely roommate, who happened to tell me that when they had to leave that night, it was all because she had to work early the next morning.”

“So it wasn’t Cinderella’s fault, then,” Freddie says. “Hmm. Interesting.” Roger’s heart free-falls into his stomach. She hadn’t left him on purpose.

“Also,” Deaky continues. “I got them backstage passes for after the concert. Although I’m sure Cinderella doesn’t need them, considering how you met her in the first place.”

“Who’s Cinderella?” It’s the other girl. Roger had all but forgotten about her, he was too invested in Deaky’s words.

“A princess,” Roger says. “From a fairytale.”

“Now that was cheesy,” Brian laughs. “You’re better than that, Rog.”

“C’mon, boys.” Freddie stands up from his seat on the couch. “We’ve only got twenty minutes before showtime, we’d better get going.”

***

The seats John had given Betty were better than you could have ever dreamed. You had been third row or closer at many concerts, but none this big. None at Madison Square Garden. You could see everything.

And every time Roger looked up from his perch behind the drum set, you knew what he was thinking about. You knew because you were thinking the same thing.

The concert goes by in the blink of an eye. You certainly didn’t pay as much attention as the first time around, but a lot of things were different the first time around. Soon enough, though, it’s over, and Liz is tugging you excitedly towards the backstage entrance, where plenty of girls were already crowded. You recognize a few of them from other concerts, other parties, and for a moment a bolt of jealousy runs through you. Then one of the crew members starts speaking.

“Okay ladies, do any of you actually have backstage passes?”

“We do!” You exclaim, pushing through the sea of girls until the four of you are at the front, standing right before the crew member.

“You were just here two nights ago,” he starts. “And you didn’t have backstage passes then.”

“And yet somehow I still made it inside,” you smirk, forgetting for a moment that one of your coworkers is right behind you, watching you work your magic. “It doesn’t matter, though, because this time I actually do have backstage passes. All four of us do, actually.”

“Uh huh,” the man replies. “I’ll go ask the band then. What’s your name? Your real name. I know you groupies don’t always use your real names.”

“Y/N Y/L/N.” You say with a smile. He grumbles, but heads backstage anyway.

Liz looks at you as if she’s never seen you before. “You went backstage at the last concert?”

“Um… yeah,” you answer.

“So last night at work wasn’t the first time you’d met them?”

“Not exactly,” you say hesitantly.

“And that guy – that crew guy – he called you a groupie?!”

You smile uncomfortably, making eye contact with Betty over the top of Liz’s head. Betty opens her mouth to speak, but before she can say anything the man comes back.

“Congratulations, Ms. Y/L/N, Mr. Mercury himself says you and your friends are on the list, so I guess I’ve gotta let you in this time.”

“Thank you!” You say cheerfully, stepping past him and heading backstage. Betty slides up next to you, letting Sandra and Liz talk between themselves.

“Are you good with Liz knowing about all this?” She asks, her voice quiet.

“I didn’t confirm I was a groupie,” you answer.

“Yeah, but it seemed pretty obvious with the way you were talking to that guy. About making it backstage last time.”

“It’s okay,” you sigh. “I’ll figure something out.”

The two of you are quiet for another minute before Betty speaks again. “So are you excited? About seeing Roger again?”

You can’t keep the smile from spreading across your face. “Yeah. Especially with what you said about what the band said about me.”

The four of you turn the corner into the open dressing room and there they are, in all their glory. Freddie, Brian, John, Roger – and a girl, nestled into Roger’s chest, next to him on the couch.

Your stomach drops as you watch Roger look at the girl. You were right, then, and John had been wrong. Roger had replaced you, and you know you don’t have the right to be so hurt, but you’re hurt all the same.

Betty is looking at you with a shocked expression on her face, you can see it out of the corner of your eye, but you can’t focus on her. You can’t focus on the band, who are all looking at you with the same dispirited look as Betty. All you can focus on is Roger. His shirt is open again, chest still glistening with sweat, his long hair messy.

“Roger,” John mutters.

Roger sighs. “What?”

John gestures so slightly that you wouldn’t have caught it if you hadn’t been watching every second of this interaction. Roger follows his friend’s gaze – and lands on you. And then he scrambles to his feet, leaving the girl alone on the couch. You can hear Liz and Betty and Sandra talking with wonder about the situation, but all of that fades out as you make eye contact with Roger. You had always heard people say that the eyes are windows to the soul, but you had never believed them until now. You had never been so happy to be wrong.

“What am I supposed to do now?” The girl screeches from behind you.

“We’re going to leave now, I think,” Brian says. “If you ladies would like to join us. I get the feeling that Roger and his Cinderella probably want some alone time.”

Everyone shuffles out of the room, with John and Betty bringing up the rear, closing the door behind them. Everything is so still and so silent, and all of the sudden you get nervous again. Part of you wishes that you had a little alcohol in you, so that everything would be easier to say, but a much bigger part of you wants to remember every detail of this conversation.

“Hi,” Roger says, breaking the silence.

“Hi,” you respond. “I’m sorry about the other night. I would never have left if I didn’t have to. And I didn’t even have to, Betty had to, and if I was a worse friend, and I was really feeling like it at that moment, I would have let her go home by herself, but we live on the other side of town and it was really late and I would rather die than have something terrible happen to her, and – are you listening to me?”

He’s not. His eyes are fixated on your lips. “Hmm? Yeah. I know, Deaky told me. I don’t blame you. I’m sorry – can I kiss you?”

You hadn’t expected things to be moving this fast, but the afterparty seems like it was so long ago and you’ve been dying for this moment for what feels like years, so you nod, lifting your eyes to meet his, and one of his hands reaches up to gently cradle your cheek while the other settles on your waist. He leans down, torturously slowly – he’s so much taller than you – and finally his lips find yours.

Again, like the first time, it’s soft and sweet. He moves so that both of his hands are on your waist and pulls you closer to him, which hardly seems possible at this point, and you wrap your arms around his neck.

He pulls away for a second. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I know I came off like a dick last night at the restaurant, but I just thought you didn’t want to see me.”

You laugh softly. “It’s okay, it’s not like I said anything either.”

This time, he kisses you more roughly, leading you to the couch. This all feels so startlingly similar to the first time it happened, you can hardly breathe. This time, though, you’re fully aware that you’re on his lap, and when his hands find their way under your shirt, you let him take it off. You’re fully alone in this dressing room, the door is closed, and you’re with one of the band members. Nothing bad can happen.

He takes your shirt off and tosses it to the side, wasting no time in attaching his lips to your neck, trailing sloppy kisses down your neck and onto your collarbone. You let your head fall back, giving him more access. He leaves a trail of hickeys behind – your eyes are closed, but you can tell – and you let out a breathy moan as a knot begins to form in your lower stomach. His hands find the clasp of your bra, and just as he starts to unclasp it –

“Oh, fuck. Sorry mate.” It’s Brian. You sigh, sliding off Roger’s lap and covering yourself as best you can. “Didn’t think it’d be dangerous to come back in so quickly, but I should have known better.”

You know you must look like a mess, because Roger certainly does. His hair is all over the place, his pupils are blown wide, his lips are swollen and tinted darker red than normal from your lipstick. And obviously Brian walked in on you almost completely topless, dark hickeys spotting your neck and upper chest.

“Okay thanks,” Roger says politely. “Now piss off.”

Brian holds his hands up in surrender, stepping out of the room and slamming the door closed behind him. Roger turns to you then, his hands reaching for your hips, and you giggle.

“What?”

“Sorry, you just –“ You reach up to fix one piece of hair that had fallen (been pulled) out of place. He takes your wrist and pulls you close to him. You kiss him again, gently, and then pull back. “I’m sorry. I just can’t remember our first conversation and I really want to. Can you remind me?”

“What makes you think I can?” He chuckles, pressing a kiss to your jaw.

“I don’t know, I just thought maybe you could handle your liquor better than me.”

“Mhm, probably,” he hums. You can feel the vibrations from his voice reverberating in your chest.

“I’m serious,” you laugh. He looks up at you, his eyes sparkling.

“Well,” he says, leaning back against the couch. “You said that you were halfway through your second year of graduate school for… I don’t remember exactly?”

“Public health,” you say.

“Public health,” he repeats. “I remember thinking that was pretty cool, that you wanted to help people like that.”

You beam. “Yeah, I’ve always been interested in it.”

“That was pretty much the most coherent thing you said all night, which was cute. You obviously really care about it. You talked about your family, and how much you love Betty and New York and rock music.”

“Oh, God, of course.” You groan, blushing.

“Don’t worry!” He exclaims. “It was cute. You’re cute.”

Everything is soft and silent for a moment, besides the pounding of two hearts. You had been in this situation before, in the dressing room of a rockstar, just the two of you. But you as you sit with your head on his shoulder, you feel an unmistakeable wave of peace crash over you.

And that had never happened before.

“‘m tired,” Roger says suddenly. “D’ya wanna take a nap?”

You’re on cloud nine and there’s still so much adrenaline running through you that you can’t imagine falling asleep, but he looks so cute and soft that you can’t say no. He smiles and shifts so he’s laying down with you on top of him, his arms wrapped around your waist and your cheek resting against his heart. You don’t think you’ll fall asleep, but Roger’s breathing slows and his heart beats rhythmically in your ear, and before you know it you’re fast asleep.

***

Roger wakes up first. He wakes up to find you resting peacefully on his chest, your face completely free of any stress that may have lingered there earlier in the day. There’s a pang in his heart, and it takes a second to recognize it, and when he does he’s terrified. He’s only felt it one or two other times in his life – it’s the feeling you get when you’re on the precipice of something big, your stomach dropping in a good way when a rollercoaster hits its first big drop. His heart beats furiously, threatening to break out of his ribcage.

It’s the feeling he gets when he knows he could fall in love.

You wake up, your eyes fluttering open, and he’s suddenly embarrassed by the intensity of his heartbeat. You are so beautiful and interesting and smart, and he’s never met anyone like you before.

You’re something. That’s for sure.

“Hi,” you say softly. He smiles, pressing a sweet kiss to your lips.

“Hi.”

“Do you know what time it is?” You ask, not really wanting to know the answer. You want to stay here, laying with Roger, forever.

He sighs. “No, but I don’t want to know.”

“Me neither,” you smile. For a few brief, beautiful moments, it’s just you and him, laying intertwined on the couch in the dressing room of Madison Square Garden.

And then someone knocks on the door. And you remember that other people exist and the world isn’t just this dressing room.

And you’re still not wearing a shirt.

Roger groans. “Just a minute.”

You scramble off of him, looking for your shirt and throwing it on once you find it crumpled in a ball in the corner of the room. You turn back to look at him, but he’s already looking, a dazed expression on his face, his cheeks pink. You can hardly contain the smile on your face, and for the first time, you hear it. That little voice in your head. You could fall in love with him.

You bite your lip, opening the door, and Betty stands behind it. Roger sighs from behind you. “Are you gonna take my girl from me again?”

Betty’s eyes widen. “Uh – it’s just getting late. We haven’t seen you in a while and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“She’s better than okay!” Roger yells.

“Roger,” it’s John this time. “We’ve gotta go to the hotel soon. We’re leaving tomorrow morning, y’know.”

Right. They were still on tour. They had thousands more fans to see, hundreds more tour dates in all different cities all across the world.

Roger doesn’t belong to you.

“Yeah, I know,” Roger says tersely. “Just give us a minute.” They look at the two of you, then each other, and leave again, closing the door behind them.

You sigh, running a hand through your hair, and sit down next to Roger. He wraps an arm around your shoulders and you rest your head against his shoulder. It all feels so incredibly natural, you can’t imagine what it’ll feel like to go back to your apartment, knowing you’ll never see him again. Knowing it’ll never be this way again.

“Come on tour with me,” he says suddenly, breaking the silence. You sit up in shock, turning to look at him. It’s clear on his face that he means it, that he wants you there, and for a moment you feel warm all over. You’ve never been on tour with a band before, and his offer is so incredibly tempting. But –

“I can’t.” Your voice is so quiet, he has to strain to hear it. “I have a job, and I have classes – I’m halfway through getting my degree, Roger. And then I can finally have the job that I want, one where I can make a difference and help people. I would love nothing more than to go with you and watch you perform every night and see the whole world, but… I can’t.”

“You can,” he urges. “You can take a few weeks off of work and school and come with us. And we can get to know each other better.”

You know what he’s saying. You would get to know each other better and you would fall in love with him, and then he would break your heart. You would be silly not to think of who was asking you this, and how he had met you, and how he’d been with another girl when you had first arrived.

“I can’t.” Your voice cracks, and the look on his face is so heartbroken that you can’t help it. Tears begin to fill your eyes. “I’m sorry. I want to, I really do. I just… my whole life is here. I can’t just leave like this. I wish I could.”

He laughs, but there’s no humor behind it. Some vague, disconnected part of your mind that isn’t experiencing excruciating pain wonders if this is the first time he’s ever been in a position like this one. “I understand.” He says. His voice is small – the complete opposite of the proud, cocky drummer you met at the afterparty of one of his shows just two short days ago. It feels like it’s been a lifetime.

“Call me if you’re ever in New York again,” you say. You know he will be. “You have my number now, you know.”

He chuckles softly. “I will.”

You know he won’t. By the time Queen comes back to New York, your face will have faded from his memory and blended with hundreds of other girls, and he will have forgotten everything about you that made him feel light as air. He’ll forget you, you know. And you have to make your peace with it. It’ll be hard – because these last few days are engraved in your memory forever. He’s Roger Taylor.

And you’re you.

You leave him sitting on the couch, as close to a broken heart as you could both possibly be, and go to find Betty. And when you do, you can’t help the tears from spilling over, and Betty and Liz and Sandra scoop you up into a big hug and you leave Madison Square Garden, a little piece of your heart still in that dressing room.

•••

It took time. It hurt for months afterwards to see magazines with his face on them and to hear his songs. During those months you threw yourself into your groupie lifestyle more than ever before, causing more than a few blowout fights with Betty. You argued that nothing was wrong – you were passing all your classes with flying colors and doing extraordinarily well at your job. But obviously something was wrong, and it wasn’t something anything but time could fix.

But as the months went by, it began to hurt less and less until all you were left with were the beautiful memories of two perfect nights with Roger Taylor. You thought about him often, especially when you were at a rock concert and you happened to make eye contact with one of the men on stage. After a while, the thrill of sneaking backstage and hooking up with rockstars wasn’t good enough to fill that hole in your heart. You threw yourself back into your studies and prepared to graduate in May of 1979 with your master’s degree in public health. Things went well for a long time. You felt almost fully healed all the way through the summer of 1978, when Queen announced their Jazz tour. And that ripped the wound open all over again.

New York City, November 16, 1978

It’s a chilly, cloudy day in New York – a typical November day for New York City – and you’re in the process of finishing up some homework when it happens.You’re actually so deeply invested in your work that you barely hear it at first. It takes Betty yelling from the next room over for you to notice.

“Y/N, the phone is ringing!”

“I got it!” You shout back, standing up.

“I sure hope so, considering I’m leaving for work in thirty seconds!”

Sighing, you hurry into the kitchen to pick up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi.” Your heart drops to your knees and you get so lightheaded you nearly faint and have to sit down at the kitchen table. It’s him. It’s Roger, and you haven’t heard from him since that fateful night at Madison Square Garden. “I’m back in New York for a few days and managed to find you a few extra tickets to the show tonight. I wanted to let you know that my offer still stands. I never forgot.”

It only takes you a second to consider what he’s asking. “Yes,” you say breathlessly. “I’m graduating in May and then I’ll follow you anywhere.”

#roger taylor x reader #ben hardy x reader #bohemian rhapsody imagine #bohemian rhapsody fanfic #ben hardy as roger taylor #roger taylor imagine #queen imagine #hardy!roger taylor

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bugheadfamily · 6 years

Text

Day 7 - Fanfic Author Appreciation Week

(thank you @betty-cooper for this gorgeous gif!)

*waves* Hi everyone! @bugggghead here. Both @theheavycrown and I have been trying our hardest to spotlight every single author in this fandom but did you know there are more than we originally anticipated?!?! Did you know we have so many authors in the Bughead fandom alone that 70 just wasn’t enough?! Because we have too much love to give, we’ve chosen to do some author spotlights on the @bugheadfamily blog as well and spread AS MUCH love as we possibly can!!!

Today is the final day of Author Appreciation Week! So we will be highlighting fifteen authors today and two of their works that we recommend you check out right here!

@quirksandcaffeine (ao3)

It Happened One Night (E - 7/?)

Summary: "'How about a toast instead?' he said, raising his glass.

'Sounds like perfection,' she said, leaning her elbow onto her crossed knee and placing her chin into her hand, holding up her glass with the other.

'To tonight,' he said as he clicked her glass with his own.

They each took a sip, looking each other in the eye as they swallowed. Her eyes flicked down to his lips as he leaned into her ear. Her heart started beating harder at the smell of his aftershave.

'Go wait for me in my office,' he whispered as he kissed her on a cheek."

Gods and Monsters (E - 1/1)

Summary: "In a land of gods and monsters, I was an angel." Betty, her cheerleading uniform, and her dark side visit Jughead at FP's trailer.

@nimmieamee (ao3)

Three Wishes (E - 18/18)

Summary: Betty Cooper wants to return to a time when her mother was more consistent, Jughead was more hers, and a looming civil war wasn't breaking up her friendship with Veronica. Veronica wants to keep her friendship with Betty and for the town of Riverdale to recognize everything the Lodges have to offer. And Alice isn't being upfront about what she wants.

But at least one of them will see all her wishes come true.

Are We Dark Enough Yet? (T - 1/1)

Summary: Scenes from the town with pep! (That is, Perpetually Enraging Plots).

@cheryllclayton (ao3)

I Could Be Your Hero (T - 1/1)

Summary: After a tragic end to her relationship results in bullying and hate, Betty Cooper struggles to hold on in a world where she feels invisible...where she feels nothing except for the siren call of Sweetwater River....And after a nasty encounter, Betty makes a decision that will change her life forever...Will this once vibrant soul be lost to the icy abyss of her sorrow before an unexpected hero can convince her to live...

Til' There Was You (M - 5/?)

Summary: Betty Cooper's life has been anything but easy and at 25 she was still struggling to find herself.

Jughead Jones wasn't the type to go looking for love, but what happens when it finds you? Or more correctly, when it hits you like a ton of bricks when you least expect it....

@shirlygallagher (ao3)

What’s Past is Prologue - series (M - 9 works)

Summary: A chronicle of firsts...A tale of discovery...A story of love...~~~

In Between The Sweet Hereafter (M - 1/1)

Summary: What could have happened in that kitchen? Takes place during and after episode 13.~~~

@fictitiousoshine (ao3)

Mercy (M - 13/?)

Summary: Innocent and Naive Betty Cooper wants to run away from heinous man who has her captive for years. She seeks Toni’s help for arranging cash but Toni has different plans for her that include Serpent Prince Jughead Jones.

@kazookidissosoabuggie (ao3)

A Night To Remember (NR - 1/1)

Summary: Jughead and Betty went through a bad rough patch, something they almost couldn't fix. When they did eventually reconcile, Jughead feels terrible for what he had done to her. After he pulls a romantic stunt, the night they spend with each other turns magical instantly.

Anything's Possible with Us, Cooper. (M - 1/1)

Summary: Jughead punches somebody after they body shame her and Betty finds odd but extremely sexy.

@hbiccjsblog (ao3)

Citas Amor (T - 11/11)

Summary: Betty Cooper works for Scarlet magazine along with best friends Veronica Lodge and Kevin Keller. Veronica wants to work in fashion but has been stuck on the desk for a couple of years now. Kevin runs the social media plat forms. Betty Cooper well she's a journalist after all. It runs in her blood. After having a very heated conversation with her mum about setting her up with a boyfriend. Before there family holiday to Spain. Her Best friend Veronica Lodge suggests a fake boyfriend. Her publisher over hears the conversation and wants her to write an article about fake relationships.

Touring Flame (M - 9/?)

Summary: Betty Cooper has just been deployed to Afghanistan for her first tour of her career. She is the medical solider for the tour. Joining the army way a spur of the moment decision. If she didn't get through well at least she can say she tried. Jughead Jones was on his 4 tour in Afghanistan. He was the Head of his group. A fairly experienced soldier. He has a heart of steel. He's seen and experienced a lot. He was expecting this tour to be the same as his other tours. Expect this was different. A certain blonde pony tail, green eyes type of different.

@judgejuggie (ao3)

from pink perfection to seduce scarlett (T - 17/?)

Summary: Betty is living in her sister Polly's shadow, darkness clouding her vision, afraid to show her true colors to anyone. With a little push from a new student named Veronica Lodge, Betty joins the vixens and gains the confidence she has always wanted. Her bright smile and confidence get noticed by Southside Serpent Jughead Jones in a diner at Pop's, and Betty for the first time in her life feels something other than the darkness that's been following her around.

Of course, there will be some obstacles along the way, one by the name of Cheryl Blossom, and the other may be a gang. But Betty wants change, and she's finally ready to go for it.

love and the law (M - 5/?)

Summary: What if there was more to Betty’s vendetta against Chuck Clayton, more to her darkness? What secret is Betty working to keep buried? Can Jughead help her through? And, what else will come their way? Join this emotional, heart-breaking journey to heal and learn that love really can conquer all.

@jordansconnor (ao3)

some aces up your sleeve (M - 5/9)

Summary: In Las Vegas, the only things hotter than the summer days are the card tables on the Strip. High roller Jughead Jones lives for the heat, spending his days in board rooms and his nights at high stakes poker games, until the night a mystery girl takes the seat across from him. From that moment on, his luck starts to change in ways he may not be able to handle.

Keeping Up with the Joneses (E - 1/1)

Summary: Jughead Jones is the undisputed king of Riverdale. His grandfather is the mayor, his father owns half the town and controls Riverdale’s shady side as leader of the Serpents, and Jughead is Riverdale High’s student body president and editor of the school paper. His relationship with Betty Cooper, Southside student and new Serpent recruit, could bring it all crashing down.

@soyforramen (ao3)

Cry to Me (G - 1/1)

Summary: Quick one-shot. When Betty and Jughead find themselves stood up by a certain red-head, a little dancing goes a long way.

Persuasion comes to Riverdale - series (T - 2 works)

Summary: Years after he left without a word, an engagement throws Jughead Jones back into Betty Cooper’s life. The only question is, will she let him back in? Or, Persuasion comes to Riverdale.

@srainebuggie (ao3)

Stronger Than Me (M - 11/11)

Summary: Betty Cooper wasn’t like most girls. She was strong and independent, leather was her skin and hitting the punching bag her saving grace. Betty didn’t commit to people, she had fun. When she moves to Riverdale, she shows up at the White Wyrm looking for a job.

Jughead Jones wasn’t like most men in the Southside. He sported his Serpents jacket rarely, lived in a penthouse apartment, and was the owner of their towns infamous club, the White Wyrm. Jughead didn’t give his heart to anyone, he had fun. When a new woman moves to Riverdale, she shows up at his bar looking for a job

As Betty and Jughead spend more time together on the job, will they break their own rules and admit it’s more than just fun?

Future Bughead - series (NR - 5 works)

Summary: Jughead and Betty broke up years ago and reunite at the grand opening of Veronica's clothing store in New York, the dress she is wearing reveals a small tattoo on her ribs, when Jughead notices, he asks about it. At first her face goes red and she tries to ignore her embarrassment, but he pulls up his dress shirt and reveals his own small tattoo on his side

@sweetbettycooper (ao3)

The INXS Life (M - 8/?)

Summary: Two gangs alike in tyranny both holding two souls that are destined to be forever entwinned.

Was their love tragic or the circumstances around them or was it the events that would occur in the coming months that would make their love the most tragic of all.

Jughead feared on this afternoon in summer, of the consequences that were hanging in the stars.

She was gorgeous. Like the angel of death had come to Riverdale. Jughead new he had to have her.

Or Serpent Jughead meets Ghoulie Betty, forbidden love, Gang wars, Love, Passion.

@witty-tv (ao3)

Exhale (M - 7/?)

Summary: Anxious stoner babes Cheryl Blossom and Betty Cooper have been best friends and roommates since freshman year of college. Cheryl and Toni Topaz are seriously dating, drawing Betty and Toni’s best friend Jughead Jones together. Betty is instantly attracted to Jughead and Jughead is immediately intrigued by Betty. The two become friends, and as they grow closer, Jughead slowly but surely starts to fall for Betty - and eventually Betty shows Jughead the ways weed can help his insomnia.

@dreamer757 (ao3)

The Typewriter (G - 1/1)

Summary: Jughead goes to Betty's house after he opens her gift in 2x09.

The Sad Breakfast Club (T - 11/11)

Summary: A Breakfast Club AU where Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and Kevin aren't friends, but end up spending a whole Saturday together at school.

@merrybughead (ao3)

Announcement (G - 1/1)

Summary: “I - I know it’s personal, but are you guys thinking about it?" Jughead shrugged him off. “Wait, you look weird.” Archie narrowed his eyes to study Jughead’s appearance, “Are you smiling?” “I don’t smile.” "Why are you so happy?” “Betty and I are just...Happy,” She smuggly stated. Cocking a brow to the side, he said, “Oh, I get it.” “Honestly I don’t think you do,” Jughead laughed which sent his ginger friend into laughter as well.

How were they supposed to tell their friends if they had already been guessing and hinting towards it?

Leather and Cotton - an unlikely combination (G - 1/1)

Summary: In an alternate universe where Jughead was raised as serpent king and has been attending Southside schools. Barnes & Noble, Betty's secret safe place from all the rumors and stress that school brings...until she realizes there's a certain leather clad wearing serpent that is most definitely sitting across from her. She knew men like him. They weren’t after girls like her. She's been compromised. Where the unlikely combination of leather and cotton elicits a spark between two polar opposite people.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN IN THE FUN WITH US!

Recognize YOUR personal favorite fandom authors because the more love we can spread around, the better.

Our fandom is a vast and wonderful place and everyone deserves a little recognition!

#bughead #bughead fanfiction #bughead fic rec #bughead fanfic #spread a little bughead love #bughead fandom author appreciation week #fanfic author spotlight #betty x jughead #riverdale #betty cooper #jughead jones #fanfic

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barchiefanfiction · 6 years

Note

Prompt: Archie is planning a birthday surprise party for Betty, and Polly's kids wants to help Archie 😍

Thanks so much for the prompt. This is a bit of a sequel to And Teach Them How to Dream, I hope that’s okay!

it could stay this simple

AO3 // ff.net

It’s Betty’s first birthday since she and Archie became acouple, and Archie is determined to make it great. And honestly, is thereanything Betty likes more than a surprise party?

At his request, Alice has told Betty she can’t have a partyat their house and will have to make do with a nice dinner. Betty had been alittle disappointed, so Archie knows she’s going to love the party. The onlyproblem is, it’s one week away and Archie isn’t even slightly organised. Bettywould probably say it’s Classic Archie, and she probably wouldn’t be wrong.

“Archie,” Alice Cooper tilts her head as she opens her frontdoor. The jury is still out on whether Alice actually likes him or justtolerates him for Betty’s sake. He’ll take either.

“Hi, Mrs. Cooper,” Archie greets her.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”Alice scolds him gently.

“Sorry. Alice,” he corrects himself. “Betty’s not home, isshe?”

Alice shakes her head, confirming what Archie had alreadyknown. Betty is staying in New York this weekend to get some studying done. Butshe’ll definitely be home for her birthday next weekend.

“I was hoping I could talk to you about the party,” Archiecontinues. Alice is about to answer, but she’s interrupted by two tiny humansjumping out from behind the door excitedly.

“A party!” Juniper exclaims. “What party?”

“Can we come?” Dagwood asks.

“You’ll have to ask your mom and your grandma,” Archie tellsthem diplomatically. Alice rolls her eyes.

“Come inside, Archie,” she sighs. “I wasn’t exactly going totell them about the party,” Alice says as she leads Archie into the kitchen.“Can I get you a drink?”

“Water, please.”

“What party?” Juniper asks again.

“It’s a birthday party for your Aunt Betty,” Archie tellsthem. “But it’s a surprise, so you can’t tell her, okay?”

“A surprise party! Can we help?” Juniper begs. Archie looksto Alice. She gives him a look that says lookwhat you’ve started. Archie grinssheepishly.

“Sure, you can help,” he says. “What do you want to do?”

“They’re four, Archie,” Alice says in exasperation. “Theyaren’t exactly up to handling the guest list.”

“Well, lucky I’ve already taken care of that part,” Archiesays.

“And that’s the only thing you’ve taken care of. Apparently,we’re going to have a lot of people but no food, no music, and no decorations,”Alice huffs.

“Well, maybe the twins can help me with decorations,” Archiesuggests. “Would you like that?” he asks them.

“Maybe you should delegate some of the other tasks. Do youwant me to take care of the cake?” Alice offers.

“That would great! Thanks, Mrs. Coo—I mean, Alice,” Archiegrins.

“And maybe you can ask Veronica or Jughead to help with therest of the food,” Alice continues. “I assume you can handle the music part onyour own?” She raises an eyebrow at him, and he knows she’s trying to seemdisapproving, but she accidentally smirks a little and Archie can’t help butgrin. She totally approves of him.

Archie takes a trip to a craft store to get supplies fordecoration making, and when he returns, Alice has laid out newspaper pages allover the living room floor.

“I won’t have you getting glue or paint all over the carpet,”she tells him. Archie shakes his head, grinning, and takes the supplies intothe living room where the twins are already waiting for him.

“Alright, kids, it’s decorating time!” Archie announces.

Archie is soon very glad Alice put the paper down, asJuniper and Dagwood make a quick mess of things. They start out making paperchains to hang on the wall, but the twins soon get bored of that and decide tomake happy birthday signs. They can’t spell yet, so Archie traces the lettersout for them and then they paint over them. Not very well, but you can stillvaguely tell that it’s supposed to say HappyBirthday Betty. Betty will appreciate it anyway.

Alice walks into the living room as Archie is finishing uphis last paper chain. The room is a mess and the twins have paint all overthemselves.

“I hope you’re going to clean this up, Archibald,” she says.“I’m not giving Polly her children back like that.”

Archie takes the twins to the bathroom to get the paint offtheir hands and faces. They squirm and chatter the whole time, but eventuallyhe manages to get their skin clean. There isn’t much he can do about theirclothes though. Perhaps he should have invested in some art smocks.

He leaves a disgruntled Alice to deal with the clothes,grinning sheepishly as he leaves, promising the twins he’ll see them nextweekend.

A week later, with the help of Alice, Veronica and Jughead,Archie finally has a semi decent party organised.

“Honestly, Archiekins, you really should have put me incharge of the party planning,” Veronica tells him, watching as he hangs the paperchains he made.

“I think he’s done a great job,” Jughead says. Arche giveshim a grateful look. “Betty’s going to love it,” Jughead continues. “Especiallythese posters.” He picks Dagwood’s poster up by the corner. “Good thing you’restudying music and not art,” he grimaces.

“You’re hilarious,” Archie jumps down from the stool he’sbeen using to hang the paper chains. “Veronica, aren’t you meant to be meetingBetty at your place?”

“Okay, I get the message, you want us out of your hair,”Veronica puts her hands up.

“You guys are clear on the plan, right?” Archie says.

“Yes, Archie,”Veronica huffs. “Everything is going to go swimmingly,” she smiles. Jugheadnods in agreement.

Archie exhales. He really hopes his friends are right.

Archie goes to pick Betty up from Veronica’s at promptly7pm. She looks amazing, as always, and her shy smile still gives himbutterflies.

“Ready to go?” he asks her with a smile of his own. She nodsand follows him to his car. “Sorry your mom said you couldn’t have a party,” hesays.

“It’s okay,” Betty shrugs. “Dinner will be nice. If Mom andDad can be civil the whole time,” she grimaces.

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Archie assures her.

They head to the fanciest restaurant in town, since Alicehas insisted on paying for everyone, even Hal. Alice and Polly are alreadyseated at a table when Archie and Betty arrive, and Hal arrives a second later.It’s almost like he was waiting in the carpark for them so he didn’t have to goin and sit with Alice and Polly alone. The two women sit in silence untilArchie and Betty sit down.

“Polly!” Betty gives her sister a hug before sitting downacross from her. Archie takes the seat across from Alice, next to Betty. “Who’slooking after the twins tonight?” Betty asks as Hal joins them at the head ofthe table, between Polly and Betty.

“Cheryl has the twins tonight,” Polly says. “Hi, Dad,” Pollynods.

“Girls,” Hal returns. “Archie. Alice.”

“Hello, Hal,” Alice says with a fake smile. “Shall we order?”

“Yeah, I want to get home to the kids as soon as possible,”Polly says. “Cheryl has her girlfriend over tonight, and it’s not that I don’ttrust her, and I’m coming around on the Serpents since meeting Toni, but I’mfeeling a little anxious.”

Archie’s feeling a little anxious himself, if he’s honest.He’s pretty confident Betty doesn’t suspect a thing, but he can’t helpwondering how things are going back at the Coopers house, and whether or noteverything is going according to plan. Betty must sense his anxiety as sheplaces a hand on his knee under the table, rubbing it softly.

“Hey,” she says gently. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Archie says quickly. “I think I’m going to have a burger.”Betty smirks a little, shaking her head. He knows exactly what she’s thinking. Classic Archie, ordering a burger from thefanciest restaurant in town. At least she finds it endearing.

They haven’t even ordered their food when Polly gets the prearrangedcall from Cheryl. She puts down thephone, looking sufficiently worried, those enormous green eyes almost poppingout of her head. Maybe Polly should consider a career in acting.

“That was Cheryl,” Polly says. “Something is wrong withJuniper, we have to go, right now.”

“Oh my god!” Betty says. “Yes, let’s go.”

“I’ll take you home,” Archie says to Betty.

“Maybe I should go with Polly, maybe I can help,” Bettysays. Maybe there’s something wrong withJuniper wasn’t the best cover story for why they have to leave dinnerearly.

“I’ll go,” says Alice gently. “You go with Archie and we’llcall you when we find out what’s wrong.”

Betty nods and lets Archie take her hand and lead her to hiscar.

“Juniper is going to be fine,” Archie assures her. Bettynods again, and Archie curses himself for making her worry. Why had everyoneagreed to this plan? He’s even more anxious now as he drives back to the Cooperhouse. What if Betty hates him for making her think her niece was in danger.

The house is dark and quiet as he pulls up out the front, andhe almost thinks maybe everyone forgot about the party. He glances up thestreet to see Hal’s car pulling into the street, and then Alice and Polly rightbehind him.

“Let’s go inside,” he says to Betty. Betty nods and takeshis hand as the ascend the front steps. Betty puts her key in the lock andswings the door open and—

“SURPRISE!”

“Oh my god, you guys!” Betty places a hand on her chest. “I’mso surprised!” She looks to Archie smiling. He squints at her.

“You knew, didn’t you?” he guesses. Betty laughs.

“Kind of,” she grins. She gestures to where Cheryl and Toniare each holding a twin, each one holding their hand made happy birthday sign. “Thetwins are terrible secret keepers.”

Archie shakes his head. He can’t really be mad at the twins.Alice had warned him.

“Well, happy birthday,” he says with a wry smile, and Bettygives him a peck on the lips.

“Thanks, Archie,” she says. “I love it. And I love you.”

“Gross!” Cheryl interjects. “If I have to watch one moresecond of this barf-fest I’m leaving. Can we get to the party, already?”

“Why is she invited, again?” Betty asks Archie, as everyonetakes Cheryl’s cue to start up their own conversations.

“Family, or something like that,” Archie shrugs.

“Right, family,” Betty nods, smiling. She kisses him again. “Whatwould I do without them, huh?”

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #prompts filled #a:barchiefanfiction #a:keiraknighted #t:it could stay this simple #fluff #family #birthday #cheroni #fangirlart5 #short oneshot #ratedg #future #established relationship #party

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creativeashproductions · 7 years

Text

Fate // Jughead Jones

Summary: Returning to the town you fled a decade ago following a career failure you never expected to fall in love with him again. You didn’t want to fall in love after the New York love you believed you had. It seems fate wanted to teach you a lesson again.

Characters: Jughead Jones x Reader, Betty Cooper (mentioned), Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews (mentioned), and Reggie Mantle (mentioned).

Words: 2263

Disclaimer: I do now own Riverdale or the characters. I do not own any gifs that appear in this either or images because they’re probably off google images. The gif at the end comes from a youtube video of angst ridden Jughead scenes by the account littlesociopath other wise known as @wallflowerproduction

Warnings: Possible swearing, implied mental and emotionally abuse, fluff and angst.

Author: Caitsy.

A/N: I never actually edit my writing and I apologize for that but I’m way too busy to edit. This is also based on the Hallmark series Chesapeake Shores.

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You were firstly a playwright that had an astounding first play that had your name in the leagues of famous playwrights. You riding the high with your sold out play until a year later your second play was brought to stage. It came with mixed reviews but your fears of failure were hit when your third play was a massive crash with so much negative criticism that barely any tickets were sold after the opening night.

You retreated back to your hometown of Riverdale feeling pathetic. You hadn’t been back in Riverdale in the ten years since you graduated high school. You left behind everything for the big city. Even the boy was your confidant.

When your parents divorced following your mother leaving your barely there father you changed. First your old sister Anna ran when she graduated five years before you to build a new, albeit parentally parallel version, with two kids and a divorce. On graduation day you had your car packed for the rest of your life.

You promised yourself you wouldn’t come back but here you were standing on your family porch watching the kids play in the street. You had been back for three days to hide out with your little sister.

“He’s back in town.” Bella said tucking her legs under herself.

“Who?”

“Jughead.” Bella simply said, “Look I don’t know what happened in New York but Jughead won’t close the door in your face.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” Bella softly spoke.

“I broke his heart.” You sadly smiled thinking back on the day you told him you weren’t coming back. Just remembering his face split your heart in two, “Besides isn’t he happy with Betty?”  

“They barely lasted a month after you left, you would know if you let me tell you that years ago.” Bella sung with a smug smirk.

You were shocked to hear that they had split up. Where you saw Jughead you would see Betty and vice versa. Maybe that’s why leaving was so easy. Knowing was too busy to hang out with you and that distance helped but it still hurt ten years later.

“He thinks I’m a pitiful human.” You grunted tapping your fingers against the chair, “I told him I was going to make it big and never have to come back. Yet here I am.”

“Has Ian called you yet?”

You tensed up remember the man you wasted seven years on both professionally and personally. Ian had been your mentor before it blossomed into a relationship you drowned yourself in. It took a year before your feelings for Jughead faded behind but things didn’t pan out. You caught Ian cheating and realized how toxic he was.

You vividly remember him praising your first play before cutting you down with the way you went about your second play. When you brought up wanting to sent a manuscript out he scoffed and reminded you that you were good but not that good.

“Ian’s part of my New York life. That part is done.” You spat, “I wasted seven years on someone who didn’t appreciate me. God I’m so stupid.”

“Will you tell me what happened?”

“Maybe another day.” You sulked climbing to your feet, “Gram threatened me to get out of the house. She says hiding out with just make the experience worse.”

Your gram was one smart lady and nobody went against her words. That’s why you had your jacket on and phone in your pocket. The first place you would go was Pops for a milkshake that no milkshake in New York could compare to.

“Wants some company?"  

“Don’t you have that coffee shop you attend to.” You winked pressing a kiss against your sister’s cheek, “See you at supper.”

You knew people in town had heard of your return so when you walked in your were prepared to see looks from everyone. Didn’t make it any more comfortable as you leaned into the window with a melting milkshake in front of you.

“Hey hun.” The waiter spoke coming closer, “Would you like a new shake?”

 “No thanks.” You mumbled.

“I’ll take a strawberry one.”

You tensed up looking to see a matured version of the boy that followed you in your dreams. Still wearing that ridiculously endearing crown was Jughead. He had scruff on his face and a little more definition in his body but it was still lanky sardonic humoured Jughead Jones.

“Jughead.”

“Y/N.”

Each of you playing with your hands as the awkwardness set in. What do you say to the person you were once so close with? Hey seemed so…weak but it’s not like you can launch into your latest horror.

“How’ve you been?” You awkwardly asked. Nostalgia set in as Jughead swiped the cherry on your milkshake, something never change.

“Same old when your best friend comes back after abandoning you.” Jughead shrugged with an edge in his voice. You winced, “Especially when you don’t know they’re coming seeing as they changed their number.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No you’re not.” Jughead retorted leaning back, “But it’s not why I’m sitting with you. I want to know if your staying.”

“So you know where to avoid me?” You glared crossing your arms.

 “No. So I can prepare to see you and not let it break me again.” Jughead returned, “Did you know Reggie’s coaching the football team? He lost his football scholarship after a gnarly knee injury his freshmen year.”

 “No!” You gasped leaning forward, “What about Ronnie and Archie?”

  “Together still.” Jughead rolled his eyes, “Archie told me they were thinking of having kids by next year. Their wedding was beautiful.”

“I couldn’t make it.” You admitted looking down at your hand.

“I know. It was opening week for your second play.” Jughead casually interjected as he ate the cherry from his recently delivered milkshake.

“You knew?” You gasped blinking at him.

“I went to your first play.” Jughead said leaning back, “Was going to say hi but you were busy.”

“Critics wanted-“

“No you were busy with what’s his face’s tongue in your throat.” Jughead sneered, “This was a mistake.”

Without a word you watched Jughead abandon his milkshake for the door and you made your second mistake. Not going after him.

You ran in Jughead multiple times the next week before he mysteriously disappeared for a month. You kept busy by staring at the second hand typewriter your father gifted you or helping Bella with her coffee shop. You had coffee with Veronica a few times also.

“You look gorgeous!” Ronnie exclaimed, “How are you not married!”

“Guess there hasn’t been time.”

“Or a certain raven haired man wasn’t in your life.” Ronnie sang sitting down into the chair. She was glowing still in that newlywed stage of her marriage.

 “You look happy. I’m sorry I couldn’t be at your wedding.” You smiled at your old friend.

 “I am.” Ronnie blushed looking down, “It’s okay you didn’t make it. You weren’t ready to see Jughead.”

“It’s stupid that I didn’t go to your wedding because I didn’t want to see how Jughead and Betty were.”

“They were over by then.” Ronnie said waving her hand.

“Bella mentioned that.” You whispered looking down, “What happened?”  

“I think you leaving opened Jughead’s eyes to his feelings for you. Betty couldn’t deal with it and they broke up a month after you fled Riverdale. For little bit she..uh…went all dark no stars Betty again. Went to Stanford, met some guy and now has two kids in Boston.”

“Whoa.” You breathed, “I always thought they would get married.”

“Hm. Archie and I didn’t think so. I was always rooting for you and Jughead.” Ronnie shrugged taking a sip from her drink.

“Where is he?”

“Small book signing in Chicago and New York.”

You embarrassingly had each book that Jughead had gotten published in the years you hadn’t been in his life. There was one you wouldn’t touch though. It was something you would have never pegged Jughead to write about. It was a love story and you knew it was about Betty and it hurt too much to read that.

“Oh.” You mumbled.

“Gosh look at the time.” Ronnie said catching the eyes of someone coming in the door, “I totally forgot Archie and I have dinner plans.”

In a tornado of sophistication Ronnie strode out of the coffee shop your objections falling on deaf ears. It was barely half past one.

“You’re here.” Jughead sighed sitting down in the newly vacant seat.

“This was staged?!”

“Ronnie believes Archie and her planned me into coming here unbeknownst your were here too.” Jughead informed you, “They’re too predictable.”

“I thought you were ignoring me.”

“Once again. I don’t have your new number and by the time I wanted to find you I was being herded to Chicago.” Jughead retorted, “In fact when I broke up with Betty I drove all the way to New York to tell you I loved you but I saw something between you and that Ian guy.”

“You wanted to see me again after I broke your heart.” You marvelled as he blushed a very faint pink as he brushed it off with a scoff.

“Of course I did. I want to know everything about you Y/N.” He chortled goodheartedly, “So tell me everything since you’ve left Riverdale.”

And so you did.

You told him about how you struggled the first few years in New York to get your work onto stage while waitressing when you could. You told him how you met Ian and you were blind to what Ian was doing. You told him how you felt with your plays and how you had wanted to be published but Ian broke you down.

And he listened and maybe that was his second mistake.

In a span of two hours you relearnt everything about each other with that same spark reigniting between you two. Soon coffee turned into lunch dates and lunch dates turned into movie and takeout. It led to staying over and I love you’s. It also led to a regret you knew you would have for the rest of your life.

Six months following your relocation to Riverdale things got complicated. Your mother moved back along with your two other siblings. Anna brought your nephews after their father lost his rights to them. Dylan, like you, retreated after an epiphany got him thinking why he was in a job he hated.

It took time before your family healed and Jughead stood by your side as it happened with resolve to never leave. That’s why when a thick envelope came in the mail with your name you were both confused and elated.

A big publishing head in New York had resent your half finished manuscript back with good reviews and you were getting published.

“Who did this?” You spoke amid the celebratory hugs from your sisters and mother.

 “You didn’t send it?” Anna asked equally confused. It seemed the only one that had an inkling was in fact your mother.

“Who knows you were writing-“

 “Jughead.” Your voice broke as you said his name.

They awed over the fact that he believed so strongly he sent your manuscript in but you didn’t feel that same emotion.

Smiling at the Riverdale folks strolling past you finished placing the books into the piles on the tables outside before sighing. You had reopened the bookstore in the middle of town to bring imagination back into the same town. It was something you had loved growing up and wanted to give young children the same experience.

“Hey babe.” Jughead said pressing a kiss to your cheek. He had been in Toledo visiting his little sister Jellybean for the last week.

“Hey Jughead.” You murmured stepping away from him.

“What’s wrong?” He questioned looking to see you were looking anywhere but him.

“Did you send my manuscript in?”

“They want to publish it?” Jughead grinned placing his hands on your shoulders to combat his excitement.

“They do.” You sighed looking up at him with such heartbreak he was confused, “I don’t appreciate that you did that with out my approval.”  

Jughead was now beyond confused because he thought you would be happy knowing that you were getting published. Something he knew that you didn’t believe you could do on your own.

“It’s just a manuscript.”

  “You don’t understand. You didn’t let me decide about it Jughead. You took that right from me and that’s not okay. I spent seven years in New York living with that and when I got back to Riverdale I promised myself I would never let that happen.”

 “I’m nothing like Ian, Y/N!” Jughead exclaimed shocked.

“I know but what you did is exactly what Ian did to me. He changed my plays by convincing me they needed to change. I didn’t get to decide what happened in my plays and it affected my career.”

“I’m sorry.”  

“I am too.” You cried, “I’m sorry Jughead and I’m going to regret this the rest of my life but I can’t let the time I’ve spent refinding myself and leaving New York be wasted.”

It seemed like earth was just as upset about the break up as both Jughead and you were because it began to pour down. Raising a hand to Jughead’s cheek you pressed a kiss to his lips before heading inside your bookstore already regretting that you had done.

(gif from @wallflowerproduction on youtube via their account littlesociopath

But in the end placing yourself first after those years with Ian was needed.

Forever Tag List

@cityofsobbingfangirls @tas898 @barbidollash @trustnobodyshootfirst @winchesterfanfiction @deanwinchesterisamazing @oh-my-hecky-padalecki @padackles2010 @msimpala67 @deangirl5509 @heyitssilverwolf @therealme13posts @petlaufeyson @professionally-crazed @winterhurricane @tearsandbloodofmyenemies @blackwidow-romanoff @crazybarnes @marvelofcourse @takemetothefictionalworld @destiel67bellarke @ohmy-sammy @fightinthepain @vivabucky @waituntilthedustsettles @daydreaming1393 @cumonbucky @inhumans-of-shield @basicwhiskeyprincesss @soulfull-ofevans @spookass @glitterintheairblog @girl-with-wild-dreams @frickin-bats @darkestgrungeuniverse @shamvictoria11 @buckyappreciationsociety @sammysgirl1997 @fly-f0rever @archer-whovian-violinist @jenn0755 @anamarieswift2194 @unicornofdanger @ifyoudie @jealousbitxh @stormin-thru-glitter @sparklyaura @stilescstilinski @curlyxtomato @katshrev @its-sanaa-k @theoismydad @im-a-light-child @tmriddler @flirtswithdanger @divide-supermarketflowers @arkhamasylumpatient-blog1 @introverted-fandom-human @jennylj16 @potterandbucky @harleenq4life @runs-with-sciss0rs @superhero-lover101 @ridingmoxley

Riverdale Taglist

@n0average @ateliefloresdaprimavera @sgarrett49 @jarchiee @casismyguardianangel @supernovares @juggie-sprouse @an-enigmatic-avenger @leah-khaleesi @rax-writes @shameless-danni @rapunzxl @peetapansneverland @peetapansneverland @sebby-staan @katshrev @zachmantle @30inlovewiththecoco1 @semoremohhh @gilly-grantgustin-the-flash-glee @roses-are-bae @jackyfrost01 @cheytheredhead @my-baby-daryldixon @ladyfairenvale

#jughead jones #riverdale imagines #jughead jones imagines #cole sprouse imagines #cole sprouse #veronica lodge #betty cooper #archie andrews #camila mendes #lili reinhart #kj apa #chesapeake shores crossover idea #agentsofsupernaturalmarvel #fluff #angst #adult!jughead jones x reader #jughead jones x reader

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marnietm · 4 years

Text

full name : marlena elise fitzgerald

nicknames : marnie , mars , fitzy birthday : january 9 , 1998 ( age 22 years ) zodiac : capricorn birthplace : bloemendaal , netherlands hometown : bloemendaal , netherlands ( until 13 years ) & paris , france residence : lenox hill , manhattan , new york city , new york nationality : dutch , french & american ethnicity : dutch , french & belgian religion : catholic ( in name ) orientation : pansexual , panromantic languages spoken : german ( fluent ) , french ( fluent ) , english ( fluent )

family notoriety : grandfather ( paternal ) used the money from his families gold discovery to fund the second biggest international hospitality holding company to date known as fitzgerald corp . grandmother ( maternal ) a french duchess from the royal family that formerly ruled france & current prime minister of france making her the second woman to hold the office in the country . father : jürgen hans fitzgerald ( age 51 years ) was born in hamburg , germany to a businessman & author . the family moved to bloemendaal , netherlands when he was young as his father expanding his company . he went on the get a bachelors from the university of cambridge . after college he’d go back home to germany for a couple months where he’d meet the women he refers to as his soulmate . he’s always been rather busy as ceo of fitzgerald corp. but he made a point to be around his children as often as he could and enjoy the lavish life he & his family was afforded . mother : jeanne slyvie fitzgerald née lenoir ( age 47 years ) was born in toulouse , france to a noblewoman ( duchess ) & model . she followed her father’s footsteps and began modeling as a teen . inevitably moving to germany after highschool to live with her fashion designer boyfriend who she would later leave for his best friend . incredibly excited to be a mother when she turned up pregnant , she’s been a dedicated mother since her children were born & fills her free time with her charity foundation called the slyvie world foundation . brother : name tba fitzgerald ( age 22 years ) was born in bloemendaal . he shares the same parents as marnie and he also currently lives in new york city . pets : chocolate labrador retriever named billie , tan labradoodle named betty

education : the juilliard school degree : bachelors of fine arts in dance graduated : 2019 occupation : professional dancer affiliations : dutch national ballet ( 2003-2010 ) , paris opera ballet ( 2010-2015 ) , new york city ballet ( 2016-present ) , radio city rockettes ( 2019-present ) genres : ballet , modern & jazz

weight : 119 lbs height : 5′9″ hair color : blonde eye color : blue

positive traits : passionate , jocular , intelligent , charismatic , imaginative , observant , benevolent , high-spirited negative traits : querulous , thoughtless , selfish , foolhardy , insincere , grandiose , judgmental , histrionic likes : pop music , beaches , conspiracy theories , sports cars , sparkles , huge bath tubs , pearls , tulip bulbs of any color , complaining , 20th century novels , football , tea , seafood , shirley temples , yacht rides , makeup , cards against humanity , smoking , beyonce , powdered donuts , rainy nights , champagne fountains , laughing , ufc dislikes : video games , public transportation , bugs , coffee , drake , goodie-to-shoes , cold weather , bad fashion sense , dark liquor , remakes , being called a brat , taking medicine , long plane rides , sleep getting interrupted , misplacing things , low quality pictures hobbies : stealing exes hoodies , playing with makeup , ignoring text messages , shopping sprees , reading & writing , going over choreography for hours , facetiming her pets , staying out until 3am , pretending to listen to others , late night joy rides , suntanning , getting her photo taken character inspo : kourtney kardashian , chanel oberlin , nicole richie , elle woods , blair waldorf , naomi clark , regina george & gretchen wieners fashion inspo : romee strijd , emma stone , cher horowitz & fran fine aesthetics : perfectly manicured nails digging for cherries out of a spiked shirley temple , light snooze as a f.scott fitzgerald novel shields your face from the sun , stocking your side of the fridge with avocados , laughter so contagious , petite figure drunkenly sprawled across marble floor , high pitched screaming from across the house , a trail of crystallized tears , chanel bags lining the doorway , untied pointe shoes laying around the house

marlena fitzgerald ( she never really goes by marlena though , she even fills out paper work as marnie ) was born to jürgen & jeanne in 1998 just moments after her twin brother in bloemendaal , netherlands .

the daughter of two beloved public figures in their own rights . both coming from families riddled in success . it was only natural that she be raised with a silver spoon . there was also a certain spotlight that came with her families level of success . she had never thought of it as odd , until she realized her way of life was actually abnormal & other children weren’t getting their picture taken as they were hand-in-hand with their parents on the street . her parents were able to keep a level of normality in their children’s lives though , due to her mother being a stay-at-home mom ( or you could call her your typical housewife ) .

from a young age marnie had an almost obsessive liking for dance . her choreographer always raving to her parents about how quickly she could perfect a routine . it wasn’t until she was about nine years old that her parents realized this was turning into alot more than just a fun hobby for their daughter . ballet was taking up all of her time and what concerned them the most was she didn’t seem to care .

they inevitably decided to pull her from ballet in an attempt to get her to focus on having fun like the rest of the kids her age but marnie was anything but happy with them stripping her of what she loved , feeling like they just didn’t understand it . she would literally cry all night & throw tantrums all day . her bratty behavior soon getting her exactly what she wanted & her parents let her go back to her dance company less than a year after taking her out .

when she wasn’t at dance class or putting on talent shows at home she was at school & to many people’s surprise academics have always come pretty easy for marnie . she was a good student , a little chatty but who isn’t ? there were times she felt left out when it came to her friends who would sent time going to arcades or having sleepovers & she could rarely join because of how focused she was on dance .

when she was thirteen the paris opera ballet was in contact with her mom after she’d posted a routine of marnie’s onto youtube . after a couple flights in and out of france her parents had come to an agreement to move the family for the sake of their daughters future career .

the move was masked in excitement for marnie purely due to her going to the best ballet company in the world , but she was actually pretty nervous to start over somewhere new & also held a bit of pressure on her shoulders to continue to take ballet as seriously because after all her family had moved countries for her .

as she grew older she was able to see the world for what is was , especially the ballet world . she started to lie alot to get what she wanted because if she told people what they wanted to hear , they would give her what she wanted . her favorite lie of all was that she was a virgin when she wasn’t . to this day , she’ll throw that one out there to see if someone will fall for it .

she became a professional ballerina at the age of fifteen .

coming out of highschool she only applied to one school . sure that based on her abilities she would get in but also confident that if she didn’t get in there was nowhere else she had much care to attend . the school was julliard , after three stellar auditions she was accepted and enrolled into the schools dance program . the move to america was one marnie had always wanted to do , so to say she was eighteen years old , wide eyed & eager would be an understatement .

it all became a little overwhelming for marnie & she kinda of just over indulged in everything . she was partying alot , trying new drugs & over all just getting into to things she would’ve never done back home with the watchful eye of her parents on her . it wasn’t until her standing at julliard started to waver due to her behavior that she started to settle down a little . it was around this time that she met a u.s representative at one of her performances & started seeing him . he helped her get back on the right foot with her school with his particular pull but soon after they split ways .

secret check !! so basically she got jealous of the u.s rep she was seeing , seeing another girl soon after her and threatened if he didn’t end this asap that she’d make a statement about how they had an affair which would not only put a damper on his marriage but also his political career due to him being a staunch ( religious ) republican . after she realized that she could get him to easily do as she said ... she may or may not have gotten a little power hungry & kind of just throws her weight around to get him to do things she wants him to here & there . he’s not the only one she’s doing this to though , she recently had an affair with a member of the parliament in the uk and basically blackmailed them with their affair after it ended to ensure certain things slide with her dads company in the uk & she follows through with marnie’s asks in fear that both her husband will find out about her affair but also it come out that she’s not all that straight if marnie were to go to the press . basically she’s the worst kind of hook up , especially if you have some sort of power .

she’s a soiled brat but don’t call her that she’ll have a fit because according to her she has way more layers than that broad stroke . she’s a drama queen when it comes down to it , like big time . she’s perfected the craft of throwing tantrums . flashback to chanel oberlin on the golf course in scream queen fake crying & stomping her feet ? yeah that’s marnie .

also on the flip side of that she’s very chad in scream queens . catch her like “ i can’t date a garbage person “ to someone because they’re not popular enough for her liking .

when she isn’t being a total nightmare though , she’s actually really fun to be around ? she’s playful & loves to keep the party alive . she’s the kind of person who is smiling most of the time and really just wants the vibes to stay positive .

very chatty girl . victim of foot-in-mouth syndrome , big time . she doesn’t try to be disloyal & spill people’s secrets but she can’t help herself . if she has piping hot tea she’s gonna spill it because she doesn’t wanna burn herself .

she is extremely focused when it comes to dance . as of late she’s been a little more neurotic about things than usual because her name has been thrown out into the prima ballerina talks & that’s been her absolute goal for as long as she can remember & she’d also be one of if not the youngest prima ballerina in the world if she was given the honor within the next couple of years or so .

also she’s incredibly intelligent . very deep thinker , despite people often trying to put her into the box of being a ditzy blonde .

very observant girl , who loves to people watch but her observations can sometimes get muddled when she starts judging people a little too hard core .

last but not least , she’s a light weight and very aware of it but still will drink until she can’t feel her body on the right night

#* 🩰 ᵗʰᵃᵗˢ ˢᵒᵐᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸᵇᵒʸ ˢʰⁱᵗ / 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 . INTRO .

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robininthelabyrinth · 6 years

Text

Countless Roads - Chapter 9

Fic: Countless Roads - Chapter 9 - Ao3

Fandom: Flash, Legends Pairing: Gen, Mick Rory/Leonard Snart, others

Summary: Due to a family curse (which some call a gift), Leonard Snart has more life than he knows what to do with – and that gives him the ability to see, speak to, and even share with the various ghosts that are always surrounding him.

Sure, said curse also means he’s going to die sooner rather than later, just like his mother, but in the meantime Len has no intention of letting superheroes, time travelers, a surprisingly charming pyromaniac, and a lot of ghosts get in the way of him having a nice, successful career as a professional thief.

———————————————————————————-

Len’s noticed that there have been more ghosts around recently.

Like, a lot more.

He’s not entirely sure what to do about it.

“Maybe it’s because you’re getting laid regularly,” Julie suggests.

“He was getting laid regularly before,” Nora objects.

“Maybe marriage noogie’s got some extra juicing powers.”

“As someone who was married,” Nora sniffs, “it most certainly does not.”

“Please stop,” Len says to them, pinching the bridge of his nose.

They fall quiet.

“That was sarcasm,” he adds.

“Have you considered that you’re becoming more powerful?” Nora asks.

Len makes a face at that. That does not sound appealing, thanks. “I still only have as much life as I have,” he points out.

“You’re getting older,” Julie says. “You should have, like, less life now, right? Since you’re using it up living it? But instead, it’s like you have…more.”

It has been easier to give extra life to the ghosts, come to think of it. Len hasn’t been so tired out by it recently, even though he’s giving more of it away because there are just so many friendlies around.

“I’m more worried about the fact that your mom said that people like you start to die around this age,” Mick says from where he's supposed to be napping in Len’s lap. They’re on their goddamn honeymoon. Mick needs to relax more.

Okay, okay, the honeymoon’s been going on a couple of months now, but whatever. They’re back in Central – the wedding ceremony was lovely, Lisa was the world’s most kick-ass flowergirl-slash-maid-of-honor-slash-best-man, the officiant rabbi was a Gotham transplant and had the amazing ability to ignore everything but what was going on right in front of him, and the justice of the peace even got over having a gun held to his head enough to clap by the end of it all – but they’d opted for a nice stay-low-at-home vacation for their honeymoon and damnit, Len doesn’t want to let go of the honeymoon mood just yet.

Even if Mick does seem intent on spoiling it.

“I’m fine,” Len says, even though he has noticed an increase in attacks from the unquiet dead recently. Everyone’s noticed the increase in attacks. That’s why they ended up deciding against going to Aruba or Iceland; Mick didn’t want to risk going somewhere where they didn’t have a good supply of friendly ghosts. “I’m not that old yet.”

“You said your family dies when they hit 50,” Mick says darkly.

“I’m only forty,” Len points out. “I’ve still got a few more years. Besides, forget the unquiet dead attacks! There are more friendlies now, and no one’s gotten through the wall yet.”

Even before they got over themselves and gotten back together, Mick was taking advantage of the increase in friendly ghosts, which seem to come in from all over nowadays, to set up a rotating defensive ‘wall’ to protect Len from the unquiet dead. Len would protest, but the ghosts are so happy to help him out. He barely has to do anything for them, though he tries whenever possible to still spread out some life to them where he can.

He is not a necromancer.

“Are we going to go back and take on the Flash again soon?” Mick asks, changing the subject when he senses the downward change in Len’s mood.

Mick’s always known the right thing to say to cheer Len up. “Yep,” Len says, mood lightening already. “We’ll lure him out and set up a big showdown in front of all the cameras, make a big show of it. They won’t be able to deny he exists – or that supervillains like us do – after that.”

“How do we get him to come to a pre-arranged time and place without screwing us in advance?” Mick asks, sounding a touch dubious.

“No idea,” Len says. “Try to steal something really fancy? Kidnap somebody?”

“Let’s call that Plan A and Plan B,” Mick says.

Plan A does not work, so Plan B it is.

They end up kidnapping one of the girls that helped ‘stop’ Len the time before, since apparently trying to steal high-end luxury cars and successfully stealing an intensely modernistic painting worth millions of dollars isn’t enough to catch the Flash’s interest these days.

Len’s not pouting about it, no matter what Mick says.

(Sure, he might've made a comment about certain superheroes getting snobby, but that's hardly pouting.)

“Sorry about this,” Len tells the young woman they kidnap, a doctor of some variety from what Len can tell. “I don’t think vacuum-boy has left his lab in something like a week, so you were my only option.”

“Your only – wait. Vacuum-boy?”

“Long black hair, kinda short, threatened me with a vacuum cleaner gussied up with some LED lights?”

“Uh, I mean, I guess – wait. You knew about that?”

“Well, yeah,” Len says with a shrug. “I have seen industrial strength vacuum cleaners before. Left because I didn’t see any need to finish off the Streak – wait, it’s the Flash now, right?”

“Yeah,” she says, blinking. “Uh. If you don’t see any need to attack the Flash, then...what are you doing now?”

“Establishing my supervillain bona fides,” Len tells her. “Obviously. No one has officially confirmed the superhero yet, which is a pain. Once we have a confirmed superhero, then we can be confirmed supervillains.”

“Just like in the comics,” Mick says gleefully.

“You’re both nuts,” the girl opines, but she’s stopped screaming and she looks a lot calmer now, which was what Len was going for. Slightly incredulous and disdainful, too, but whatever.

“It’s a matter of opinion,” Len says with a shrug. “Any place you’d prefer to be kept?”

“You’re asking me?”

“I really only need you for the video threatening the Flash and naming the place and time,” Len points out. “After that, you just need to sit tight till our fight is over, and you’re good to go. Would you like a nice spooky warehouse or are you more the comfortable coffee shop sort of kidnapee?”

“You’re very strange.”

“You have no idea,” Mick says with a smirk.

Len rolls his eyes at Mick. He’s actually quite proud of that, thanks.

They end up taking her to an unused apartment that Len knows. It’s mostly used by the Feds when they’re phonetapping the local Families, but they don’t have any ongoing stings right now. It’s nice, pleasant, but empty.

Well. Mostly empty.

“Julie, Deena, make sure she doesn’t leave or use the phone,” Len says, and holds out his hands. Each one grabs a hand and shivers into translucence – still invisible to Caitlin Snow, which turns out to be the doctor’s name, but enough power for a decent poltergeisting. They'll keep her inside the room, and if Len knows how to read people, and he does, the mystery of why she can't walk out the open door will be enough to keep Miss Snow from doing anything rash.

“Nora, Rakesh, Eli, you’re with me,” Len instructs, heading down to the car. “Mick, you take George and Betty.”

“I don’t need guards.”

“As back-up, Mick.”

“Isn’t Plan A for us to get captured so we’re confirmed as supervillains?”

“Well, yes. That's not the point. We want to be captured, yes, but we want to be captured in style - well, so long as we don’t end up having to waste the guy. Have some dignity, Mick.”

Mick smirks and pets his gun. “I think we’re probably going to waste the guy.”

“Probably,” Len confirms cheerfully. He’ll learn to deal with a superhero ghost if it makes Mick keep smiling.

Sure enough, the hero shows up to the stand-off and it’s all going well: they’re exchanging quips, fighting in the street – all the police hanging back along with the media to watch with big wide-open eyes as Len and Mick kick the kid’s ass – and then –

Well, that's when it goes wrong.

“Oh, my god,” Nora suddenly shrieks, seeing the kid stumble and rub at his face in what Len would not have taken to be a sufficiently characteristic way to enable someone to identify him under that mask but which apparently works for Nora. “Barry? Is that Barry? Len – you’ve got to stop – that’s Barry – that’s my son –”

“Well, shit,” Len says, and glances over at Mick. They can’t kill Nora’s baby boy, about whom they’ve heard so much over the years.

Guess they're going to have to go for being captured early.

Mick sighs, but nods. “Wanna ghostbusters it?” he suggests. They’ve already learned not to cross their guns’ streams, thanks to some incautious experimenting, but Mick’s not wrong, it would make for a splendid finale to their fight.

“I’ll take left, you take right,” Len says, and they split up, letting the Flash run between them.

The resulting explosion when their guns clash is very impressive.

Len’s very happy he had a few ghosts helping to cushion him when he gets thrown backwards, because otherwise, ouch. It’s totally worth the minimal loss of life it takes to power them up enough to help catch him. Explosions hurt.

“Guess you win this time, Flash,” he tells what had damn well better be Barry Allen under that cowl.

“There won’t be a next time,” the superhero says confidently. Incorrectly, as it happens, but it’s nice to see he has confidence.

They get hauled through the police station in the traditional handcuffed walk of shame. Len’s keeping an eye out on the crowd and sure enough, there he is, Barry Allen, CSI, just like Nora says.

About the right height and size to be the Flash, too.

“You’d better be right,” Len mutters under his breath.

“I’m sure,” Nora says. “Want me to get your guns back?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

It takes Lisa less than ten minutes to break them out of the prison transport with the help of several of Len’s ghosts. No sweat.

Of course, after that, Len can’t just leave it. Nora’s gotten all mopey about her baby boy putting himself in danger and her not able to help, Mick’s incredibly invested in the whole supervillain thing since it’s practically part of their marriage vows – something has to be done.

Some sort of agreement has to be reached, and Len knows just the way to do it. He has a plan.

That plan doesn’t stop him from kidnapping Cisco and his brother the next time he’s in town.

“I need a few improvements,” he says, plopping his gun down in front of Cisco. “And Lisa needs one of her own.”

“You tricked me,” Cisco says sulkily to Lisa.

“I meant it,” she says. “You are cute.”

“And she is a mechanical engineer,” Len says dryly, having heard the entire story from Betty. “Stop judging people by their looks, Cisco – it is Cisco, is it?”

“Yeah,” Cisco says. “And if you think I’m going to –”

“You are,” Len says. “You don’t want something to happen to your brother, do you?”

Once everything is put together, Len examines the new guns and the improvements he’d requested, all in pristine condition since he’d had a ghost alert him every time Cisco tried something squirrelly. The improvements should make the gun harder to track, even by its creator, and Len loves the fact that his ‘cold field’ idea seems to actually be plausible, even if Cisco isn’t entirely sure it obeys the laws of physics. “Good,” Len says. “Thanks for your contribution. Now it’s time for you two to go.”

Both young men gulp audibly.

“So, where would you like to be dropped off?” Len asks, mood lightening because of their visible terror. He’s not usually a ‘better to be feared’ sort of guy, but, hey, he is a supervillain now.

“Uh,” Cisco says, and then, after a few moments when Len doesn’t continue, asks, “Are you serious?”

“Entirely.”

“It’s not like a ‘drop off by the hospital or the morgue’ sort of thing, is it?”

“Not unless you really want to,” Len says. He hopes not; he refuses to go anywhere near the city morgue, for obvious reasons. He has enough ghosts. Besides, it’s not like Cisco didn’t give him everything he wanted. “How about ice cream?”

“What?”

He drops them off at Friedlander’s Ice Cream Parlor and buys them each a cone.

Social niceties and sheer shock keep them there long enough for Len to get away.

Sure enough, Len’s four blocks away before he’s passed by a familiar crackle of lightning. The Flash is no doubt looking for a man in a parka, not a man in a hoodie reading a magazine in the nearby park with a cute girl on his arm.

“Cute,” Len says, shaking his head at the passing superhero.

“Let’s go get that armored car,” Lisa says, lifting her head from Len’s shoulder, her eyes twinkling. “You promised you’d get me a nice necklace, Lenny.”

Len’s not exactly expecting to be kidnapped by an angry speedster mid-heist, but he’s not exactly surprised, either. Some people take a spot of kidnapping and ice cream so personally.

It doesn’t matter. Plan Ally-The-Flash is officially a go.

“You kidnapped Cisco,” the Flash snaps.

“Good to see you again, Flash,” Len drawls. “Or should I say – Barry Allen?”

The Flash frowns, shifting uneasily, then crosses his arms. “I don’t know what you’re –”

Len decides to have pity on him and nods. On his signal, Julie yanks back his cowl, sliding her ghostly hands all the way through the suit, up and down from toes to top, her ghostly interference disabling all the electronics that might serve to record or broadcast this conversation. She probably cops a feel, too, but Len's not going to hold that against her.

“Barry Allen,” Len says, smirking. “I knew it.”

Barry yelps and lifts his hands to his cowl. “You knew already,” he says accusingly, though he does sound somewhat bewildered by that fact. “But Cisco didn’t tell you; he says you didn’t even ask – how did you do that bit with the cowl? Something with Cisco’s improved guns?”

“You can’t blame Cisco for improving our guns,” Len says, ignoring the original question. “I put him in a tight spot.”

“Same kind I’ve got you in right now,” Barry replies, rallying.

“Can’t really stop me now that I know who you are,” Len points out.

“I could speed you to my own private prison where you’ll never see the light of day,” the kid replies cockily.

Len’s eyebrows go up. “Now, now,” he says, shaking his head. “That’s not at all the Barry Allen I’d been hearing so much about.”

“You mean Cisco? Because –”

“You know what I like about this part of the woods?” Len says musingly. “It’s dark, there’s a full moon out. Perfect haunting weather.”

“Haunting? What are you talking about?”

“Ghosts,” Len says.

“Ghosts,” Barry says skeptically. “You believe in ghosts?”

“Says the man who runs at Mach 3,” Len says.

“…point,” Barry concedes. “So, you mean, like possession and raising the dead and stuff?”

“No, not possession. That’s mediums; they’re weird. And raising the dead is necromancy, and I am not a necromancer.”

“Oo-kay,” Barry says. “Sure. No one was saying you were, Mr. super judgy about stuff that doesn’t exist. Besides, why are we even talking about ghosts, anyway?”

“It’s actually quite relevant to the situation, I think you’ll find.”

Barry arches his eyebrows scornfully, crossing his arms. “Right. How, exactly?”

“There’s a house in the suburbs,” Len says. “Very quiet, very nice, not far from where you live now. There was a ghost there. Lovely lady, thirty-something, very dead – one stab wound to the chest.”

Barry’s back stiffens. “So you figured out my name and can read the newspapers. Big whoop.”

“Your favorite book as a kid was the Runaway Dinosaur,” Len says. “You have no space to talk about who can and cannot read.”

“…how do you know that?”

“I told you, kid,” Len says. “Ghosts. Specifically, this one.”

He nods permission at Nora, who’s only been bouncing around waiting for her cue. She steps forward, solidifying.

Well, mostly solidifying; she’s not used to having mass. She’s still translucent and incorporeal. But she’s back on the visible spectrum.

“Mom?” Barry croaks.

“Oh, baby,” she says, holding out her arms to him. “My beautiful boy – look how you’ve grown! I’m so proud of you – so proud –”

“If this is some sort of trick –” Barry says, but his eyes are wide and glassy with tears.

“No trick, baby,” she says. “I’m sorry; I was the one who told Len it was you. I figured it out when you were fighting – I had to get him to stop shooting at you, and he wouldn’t listen if I didn’t tell him –”

“You…” Barry swallows. “You can’t be real. Some sort of holographic projection.”

“Len, could you go away for a minute?” Nora asks. “I want to talk to my son in private.”

Len sighs and walks over to a nearby tree. For good measure, he also closes his eyes, covers his ears, and starts loudly humming something. He’s pretty sure it’s “Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This”, but he can’t help his sense of humor.

He starts in surprise when a hand falls on his shoulder, hand dropping automatically to his gun.

“Sorry!” Barry yelps.

Len turns to face him.

The kid’s been crying. He’s one of those unfairly attractive criers, who gets a bit of a red face and tear tracks down his cheeks and maybe a little bit of swelling in the eyes, nothing like the snot-nosed bawling that Lisa used to do when she was a kid. “Um,” he says. “Mom says you can help her – if I wanted to hug her?”

Len refrains from rolling his eyes and pushes the life into her until she shimmers almost solid.

Barry falls into her arms with a choked-off sob.

“Don’t mention this to anybody,” Len says grouchily. “Either of you!”

“Thank you,” Barry says, still clutching at his mother. “Thank you.”

“I told you he’s not so bad,” Nora says, her own face similarly wet.

“I’ll have you know I’m very bad,” Len says. “Liar, thief, murderer, supervillain – probably going to go steal something right after we finish this little chat –”

“I can’t let you keep stealing whatever you want, whenever you feel like it,” Barry objects, pulling away just enough to twist to look at Len without actually letting go of Nora. “That needs to end.”

“Uh, yes, you can let me do it,” Len says. “You just don’t want to.”

“Couldn’t you just stop?”

“No. I’m a supervillain now. I like what I do. The adrenaline, the thrill of the chase – same reason you keep running after guys like me. I love this game, and I’m very good at it.”

“Go play it somewhere else, then!” Barry exclaims.

“I take my ghosts with me when I do,” Len says. Barry’s arms curl tighter around his mother’s waist. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Besides, this city is my home. I ain’t leaving it because you’ve got moral qualms about my chosen profession.”

“Can’t we find a compromise or something?” Barry asks. “I can’t just let you be.”

“I’m not expecting you to,” Len says patiently. “I’m going to keep stealing, you’re going to keep trying to stop me, the best man wins. You make me up my game. I like being a supervillain, but to be a supervillain, you need a good superhero.” He grins. “Like I said. Adrenaline.”

Barry can’t help but smile back. “Yeah, okay,” he says. “I guess I kind of see your point. But one thing – from here on out, no one else dies. If you’re as good as you say you are, you don’t have to kill anyone to get what you want.”

“That’s true,” Len says, and sighs. “Fine, agreed. I’ve mostly given up the killing anyhow, unless they’ve explicitly tried to kill me recently.”

“Really?”

“It just makes more ghosts,” Len says. “There’s been a disturbing increase in them lately.”

“…really?”

Len shrugs. It’s not really Barry’s problem. “So do we have a deal?”

“Yeah,” Barry says. “You don’t kill anyone, I fight you – why do we have to fight?”

“Fun.”

“…having a nemesis who doesn’t kill people would be kind of cool,” Barry concedes. "Not going to lie about that."

“I know, right?” Mick says, stepping out from the trees with a bit of a scowl. It took him a while to find them; Lisa must have insisted on cracking the armored car first. “Just like in the comics.”

“Yeah, just like – holy crap, I’m a living comic book.”

“Are you just realizing that?” Len asks. "Now?"

“It’s not the superhero stuff,” Barry says. “It’s more – I’ve been having this problem – there’s this girl, and I’ve been – wow. I’m an asshole.”

Len arches an eyebrow.

“I’ve maybe kinda been treating her like she’s my love interest instead of a person,” Barry says, wincing.

“Barry,” Nora says disapprovingly.

“I’ll be better now!”

“Good.”

“God, Mom,” he says, turning to pull her in close again. “I just – I’ve missed you so much. Mom. Oh, mom…”

“My beautiful boy,” she says, embracing him in return and kissing his cheek. “My beautiful, beautiful boy…”

Barry sniffs. “Can – will you let me see her again?” he asks Len.

“I was planning on sending her along with you as a good faith gesture on my part of the deal,” Len says dryly. “But if you’d prefer to settle for just a no-killing pact…”

“Wait, what? You are?”

Len shrugs. “She’s been moping a lot recently,” he says, understating the situation. She'd fallen into a depression about eight months into the coma and refused to leave his house for weeks and weeks. “I’ve given her enough juice that she should be able to stick around for a while, as long as she stays invisible – you’ll be able to hear her, talk to her, but seeing her…well, you can probably see her in mirrors and stuff. Ghosts can do that easier for some reason. But not all the time like now, or she'll run out.”

“That’s fine,” Barry says. He’s crying again, little sobs and heaving breaths as he tries to keep control. “That's totally fine. She can stay invisible. I don't mind. Thank you. I can’t even begin - I - just – thank you.”

“Just remember you owe me one,” Len says flippantly.

“I owe you a lot more than that,” Barry says, sounding entirely sincere.

Len hates sincerity. It makes him uncomfortable. He looks around. “Don’t suppose you can give me a ride back to the city?” he asks.

“Oh! Yeah. Sure. Uh, I can only take one of you at a time, though,” he says, glancing at Mick.

“S’fine,” Mick says tolerantly. “I’ll float along.”

“Float – wait, you’re a ghost, too?”

Mick smirks.

“But you’re so solid!”

“Lenny would’ve have trouble marrying me if I wasn’t,” Mick says.

Barry’s nodding, and then – “Wait. Before or after?”

Mick laughs.

#dccoldwave #mick rory #leonard snart #barry allen #nora allen #lisa snart #my fic #deadfic

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artisticsarcasm · 7 years

Text

Turning Tables

Alright this is my first ever Bughead fanfic actually first fanfiction in general written by me so i hope and pray this goes well. Sorry for any mistakes it’s late and i was eager to get this up. ___________________________________

Betty Cooper the girl next door and part time worker for the register. When she needs a ground-breaking story to launch her writing career she sets her eyes on the most feared gang in riverdale and there infamous prince jughead Jones. When she goes undercover to unlock the secrets of the southside she starts to become one of them and starts to long for more than just information but also the affections of the serpent prince himself. ______________________________________

CHAPTER 1 - Internships

“Miss Cooper i must say your resume is very impressive one of the best we’ve ever seen” Betty gave her award winning smile and nodded her head in thanks as the stern women sitting in front of her gave a slight smirk and continued “But I’m afraid there are some concerns regarding your age, as you know these opportunities are usually given to college students not…high schoolers” Betty noticed the woman’s face contort into a disapproving frown.

“Mrs.Jacobs i understand your concerns and why you would be hesitant in choosing me, but i promise i have what it takes to do everything that needs to be done. I’ve been writing since forever, helping my parents run the town newspaper I’ve even had a few side reviews published and can guarantee that i won’t let you down.” Betty’s confidence was beginning to waver she could have sworn the essay she sent was a shoe in to get her chosen despite her being younger than most who applied for this particular intern opportunity. It got worse as the stone faced women stared downward at her notepad as she scribbled something off to the side. When she looked up again she sighed.

“Alright Elizabeth here’s what i’ll do for you,” she paused a moment as if reconsidering her offer but continued none the less “Though you’ve written side reviews for your parents paper i want you to go a step further, I want you to Write out a full fledged article. I want you to dig deeper than you ever have and write a story good enough to catch our attention and the towns, send it to us we’ll review it and get back to on whether or not you got it.” Betty did her best to not let her smile falter and nodded in agreement.

“Okay, yeah i’ll get right on it, no problem, you won’t be disappointed i promise!” she replied a bit too quickly as the lady began to pack up her things.

“I’m expecting it a month from tomorrow” Betty’s heart dropped as Mrs.jacobs voice cut through her spirits. A month, she had a month to figure out something amazing to write about, gather information piece it all together, write and rewrite and edit it and then convincing her parents to approve it and proofread and edit it over again. It took her 3 months to perfect her essay and it had taken her friends Veronica and Archie to submit it behind her back when she would non-stop edit it until she was satisfied and found it perfect, yet she still was too scared to submit it herself.

“sounds great” her voice cracked and even she could tell “thank you so much for meeting with me and for your time mrs.jacobs i really appreciate it” the women gave a small smile in thanks then left out of the library.

Betty kicked a crushed can in front of her as the snow fell swiftly around her. she hung her head low deep in thought. there were plenty of people and stories and lives that could be dug out of the small town but nothing was sparking her interest. she sighed in defeat as she approached her home. Her mom would surely hound her about the interview the moment she walked in. this internship could spark her entire writing career and launch her to the top.

As she opened the door as quietly as possible she kicked off the snow that was caked onto her boots and hung her coat on the rack as she closed the door and locked it. Her mother’s voice rang out.

“Elizabeth! is that you?” Betty sighed and walked into the kitchen where her mother was icing a cake for her Dad’s upcoming birthday. her mother always liked to test out different cakes in order to make the perfect one she often times either gave the extra ones away or threw them out hence not coming out how she liked.

“hi mom” her mother gestured towards an empty chair for her to sit in and she complied.

“so how did it go? did you get it?”

“Not exactly” she sighed. her mother stopped and placed the icing tube down on the counter. she turned towards her and raised and eyebrow urging her to go on. Betty told her what happened about how she had write an article and have it flawless in a month, and how she had no idea what to do.

“Betty, sweetheart, you’ll think of something i know you will” her mom prompted “you have to get that internship do you know how good that will look on your college resume”

“i know mom” she exclaimed as she got up from her seat “i’m headed over to pop’s i told veronica i’d meet her there after i came home” her mother’s lips formed a thin line in disapproval. Betty knew her mom wasn’t a fan of the Lodges but Betty didn’t care when it came to her mom it seemed she wasn’t a fan a lot of the families in this town.

As she walked into pops with the familiar ringing of the bell she smiled over towards her brunette friend and sat down at their usual booth. “Ah lo and behold my amazing best friend who i know scored a college level internship has finally arrived! i already ordered your favorite strawberry milkshake in celebration.” Veronica smiled proudly until she saw the frown on betty’s face “what’s wrong? you did get it didn’t you?”

“They weren’t sure if i could handle it so they gave me an assignment or a final test of sorts to see if i really have what it takes” she went into the details of how she couldn’t think of a single thing to write about or investigate, and Veronica went into a rant about how unfair, and idiotic they were and how her essay was the best ever. Betty calmed her down telling her it was okay and suggested they toss some ideas around.

“how about fashion do’s and don’t?”

“Veronica i already told you no fashion columns i’m no good at those!”

“How about you look into the blossoms see what they’re hiding!”

“absolutely not! That’s like asking for a death wish and plus the blossoms are too predictable they are the most known family on the northside it would be predictable to do yet another article on the blossoms” suddenly the bell rang again signalling another customer and veronica groaned loudly when she and betty saw who.

“those damn serpents, why do they have to come to our side of town!” veronica fumed. The southside serpents the most known gang in riverdale and known as a band of no good heathens looking for trouble especially the younger ones who show there faces around pops and the northside more often, and there in the middle of them all with his crown shaped beanie to fit his title was the serpent prince himself. Jughead Jones. his dad ran the gang and did a hell of a good job of it. His infamous son was a mystery to most. all anyone ever heard or knew of him was all the trouble him and his gang caused.

And that’s when it hit her, her prized story coming to mind.

“Veronica shhh” betty did her best to silence her very outspoken friend “i think i know what i want to write about”

Veronica switched her attention back to betty full force “don’t shh me i have a right to state my opinion!” she huffed “anyway what have you come up with?”

Betty bit her lip as she turned towards the serpent’s table and she immediately regretted it as her bright green eyes clashed with stunning stormy blue. she quickly turned away and answered in a low whisper “The Serpent prince himself” Betty hardly had time to stop her flamboyant best friend as she slammed her perfectly manicured hand on the table.

“Betty Cooper i think not!” she shouted turning all heads in the diner towards them. Betty pleaded with veronica with her eyes to stop being so loud and making a scene. Veronica caught it quick and stood up and pulled betty out of her seat. she dragged her to the door as she told her “we’ll see what Archibald has to say about this!” but it was too late betty had already made up her mind. Her story was going to be one of the biggest in riverdale. The inside scoop on the serpents and the truth behind there mystery prince. she was already forming an idea of how she’d sneak off to the southside and convince Jughead Jones to help her.

“sounds like bad news betts i agree with ronnie” Veronica gave a victorious smile and betty rolled her eyes as he tossed his football from one hand to the other.

they were currently at Archie’s house while his dad was at work sitting on the front steps. When Archie had seen his girlfriend dragging Betty and nagging he knew he was in for an earful. Veronica gave him her version of the story of how betty needed a great topic to write about, and told him her “horrendous” idea.

“you’re just saying that because she’s your girlfriend!” Betty said as she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes towards him.

“am not!” he laughed “i’m serious betty those serpents are bad news and you know you can get carried away when it comes to your writing, you should keep it on the north side where you at least know your way around” Veronica was nodding in agreement which only made her more upset.

“Are you guys serious! the whole point of this paper is to dig deep into something i don’t know about, to add risk to my writing, i want venture out into unknown territory, i want this paper to be so amazing and unexpected and different from all the others i’ve ever written”

“I’ve heard he’s killed a man” Ronnie tried to protest.

“probably a rumor, but we’ll never know what’s true about him or what him and his gang is really like unless i do this”

“oh yeah!” Veronica replied sarcastically “because your just gonna waltz onto southside all like ‘hey guys i need to write my paper for my internship can you spill all of your secrets to me so i can expose them’ that sure is gonna work Betty!”

“i can go undercover!” at that point both of her friends were laughing at her and it made her blood boil “Fine then! go ahead and laugh but when i get my story you’ll see who’s laughing then!’ she began to walk back to her house as veronica and archie called out to her but she wasn’t listening. when she got inside she avoided her parents and ran to her room and started to plan how the hell she was going to get in with the Jones boy and his gang.

#riverdale #bughead fanfiction #betty cooper #jughead jones #serpent!jughead #serpent!betty #betty x jughead #bughead #fanfic

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thewidowstanton · 4 years

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Evelyn Carnate, burlesque artist, producer and director

Known as ‘The Shapeshifting Showgirl’, Evelyn Carnate is the current Miss Burlesque UK. With acts ranging from the playful to the powerful and unpredictable, the neo-burlesque performer has been on the scene for five years. She has a naughty sense of humour and can play everything from sweet and subversive to sensual and downright twisted.

Evelyn is also a director, producer and teacher and one of the founding members – along with Lilly Snatchdragon and ShayShay – of the all-Asian cabaret collective The Bitten Peach. All the proceeds of its show at the Underbelly Festival in 2019 went to Rose Thorne’s Cabaret vs Cancer charity. Evelyn now appears in CvC’s fundraising event Ashes to Ashes – a cabaret tribute to David Bowie – at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club in London on 26 February 2020. She chats to Liz Arratoon.

The Widow Stanton: Where are you from? Evelyn Carnate: I’m now from London but I’m actually half Thai, half English. I grew up in Thailand in Chiang Mai. I went to an international school so that’s why I have this kind of American accent. [Laughs]

Are you from a showbusiness background? I was always obsessed with dancing; I did a lot of ballet and all kinds of dance. I did so much that my parents ended up sending me to a full-time ballet boarding school in England for a few years. It was Arts Educational School in Tring.

Had your family moved here by then? No, my dad is from Bristol but he moved to Asia over 30 years ago and never came back. My family have always been in Asia so I came back on my own.

Did you get straight into burlesque? Oh no, not at all. After dance school I went back to Thailand, then came back to London for art college. I trained as a theatre designer at Central Saint Martins in London. And then I did acting classes on the side and I went, ‘Oh, shit! I’m an actor!’. [Laughs]

So how did you move into burlesque? After graduating from art school, I then did drama school in New York – the William Esper Studio – right in Manhattan. So in my second year of studying I ended up living in a circus studio in Brooklyn – The Muse – and that’s where I fell in to cabaret. It was a training space; a big warehouse for training and they also did shows. Because I was at drama school six or seven days a week I couldn’t really do circus. I really wanted to do aerial but I had no time. I would help out at the shows and directed my little projects there when I had time. Then I saw burlesque and thought, ‘Yeah, I could do that, I could strip’.

Who did you see that inspired you? Oh, some of my flatmates did it. They would do these little showcases so I saw burlesque there and then I started going to the dive bar shows and cabaret clubs, such as The Slipper Room, Nurse Bettie, House of Yes, Duane Park and the Bowery Poetry Club. And all the underground, like alternative New York performance-art shows. And then someone recommended me to go see Jo Boobs at the New York School of Burlesque. She’s a really famous teacher. She runs the school and is a very incredible lady. So I did her beginner course and that was it. We did a showcase and it was just so exhilarating.

You must have real body confidence, which not everyone has… Yeah, I guess also from the dance training my body wasn’t… I didn’t really think about it. I was used to getting changed with other girls and guys and being backstage, you know, in skimpy leotards. I mean if I had to speak onstage without a script I would be very scared… doing stand-up comedy terrifies me more than being naked. [Laughs]

I love your name Thank you. I really love Lulu, the play, and I was reading it and there’s one part where he calls her ‘You little devil incarnate’. And I thought, ‘Ah, Evelyn Carnate! OK!’.

How does it feel that you’ve won the UK title? I feel very surprised but in a good way. [Laughs] I haven’t really done competitions. They’re very popular in burlesque; it’s a good way for newcomers to get in. I once did another one when I was first starting out, which I won. It was the Alternative Cabaret Battle. I went with an existing act, but for the UK competition I had to prepare a lot; a lot of work went into it. Many people helped me with costumes and polishing the act. I’m happy that an alternative performer won. I’m quite proud of that because I did think they would go for a more classic traditional performer.

So tell us about your style; you call it neo-burlesque… I’ve never worn a corset in any acts yet! So my style… I really love characters, I love stories, so all my acts have quite different characters and even when I’m doing classic I need a clear image and story behind it. I am, in quotes, The Shape Shifting Showgirl, so I do go from really classic slow striptease to quite strange performance-art burlesque. And sometimes people don’t actually recognise that I’m the same performer. I’ve had that a lot: “Oh, you’re the one that did that act? You look so different.” I really enjoy that.

Do you design your own costumes? Yes, because I did theatre design I really love sketching costumes. I sketch all of them but I’m not super-skilled at making so I go to professional people. For this one (pictured with green fans), a lot of people helped me… there’s this amazing lingerie designer called Rosie Von Boschan. It’s the second time I’ve worked with her; her work really inspires me, I guess because it’s not the classic burlesque look. It feels more true to my style and taste. She made the lingerie for my traditional act for the competition and Bourgeoisie made my dress. We had to submit two categories of acts, one traditional and one, they call it ‘unique’. I did my subversive pink fan dance that goes a little bit wild for that. [Laughs]

Why did you set up The Bitten Peach? I co-founded it with two amazing performers, Lilly Snatchdragon, who is a trustee of Cabaret vs Cancer (pictured right below), and ShayShay (centre below). Lilly is a drag queen and burlesque performer and ShayShay is a drag performer. We all had our ideas before of doing an Asian show. I wanted to do an all-Asian burlesque show. I read some things about The Forbidden City in San Francisco, where they would do all these revue shows with Asian performers. That was very inspiring and I just thought, ‘Where are all the Asian burlesque performers? Like, let’s gather them up’.

I planned a little show with Lilly, which never actually happened! Before that, Lilly was working on Polly Rae’s show at the Hippodrome in London, and she had these ideas of doing a big Asian extravaganza with like, lion dancers and traditional things, and was going to get me involved as a producer. ShayShay had already done an Asian show, Lunar New Queer. Lilly and ShayShay met up and decided to do The Bitten Peach together and then they brought me on board.

So, we’re the three founders but we’ve also launched a mentoring programme for new Asian cabaret performers; we call them Peach Fuzzes. We help develop their acts and they debut at a Bitten Peach show. We’re making the programme a bit more official this year. I teach burlesque as well at The Cheek of It! School of Burlesque and Cabaret. And I recently opened my own studio in Hackney Wick, where we will be launching The Bitten Peach workshops for Asian newcomers. The info will be on our website.

Does The Bitten Peach have a regular venue? We’ve been everywhere; at all the kind of iconic LGBTQ venues like The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Glory… we move all around and we’ve done a variety of styles, like club nights and theatre shows, more classic cabaret; we do everything. What can you tell us about Ashes to Ashes? All the acts are set to David Bowie’s music; original Bowie tracks, no covers, featuring Bowie from every era. It’s hosted by Benjamin Louche, another Cabaret vs Cancer trustee…

Rose Thorne adds: What a night we have in store! This is the fifth annual Ashes to Ashes show at BGWMC and is very much our cabaret family showing love for Bowie and recognising the influence he’s had on so many of us. Among many others, we have amazing burlesque from Demi Noire, circus from the internationally renowned Andromeda, and, of course, the sound of Bowie from Keith Ramsay, seen recently at Southwark Playhouse. We have a Bowie raffle, badges and our exclusive officially licensed Bowie merchandise. We encourage our audience to dress up and sing loudly! Best of all, every penny raised will support Cabaret vs Cancer.

How is the burlesque scene doing in general? Evelyn: There’s a lot of crossover with burlesque and drag now, which really excites people. I mean drag is so popular now because of RuPaul’s Drag Race and also it’s a lot more diverse than it used to be, especially after The Cocoa Butter Club was founded by Sadie Sinner. She started a regular showcase for performers of colour and Lilly and I and ShayShay have done that. That existed a few years before Bitten Peach and that was definitely an inspiration and has completely changed the way cabaret is cast. It has become much more exciting and diverse.

Can you pick out a highlight from your career? Definitely the Underbelly show for Cabaret vs Cancer. It’s the biggest thing we ever did; there were 22 performers… there were group numbers… and we raised almost £4,000. Also because Lilly’s father passed away a few years ago from cancer and it was really important for her, it was so nice to do it for her as well.

Do you have any particular ambitions? Definitely more Bitten Peach. We’re really on a high right now. We didn’t even expect it to grow so fast, we just thought: “Oh, let’s just get together…” Sometimes I think people think we’re some big organisation but it’s just a few of us like, with our laptops in a coffee shop. But we’re making another full theatre show for March that ShayShay’s writing and directing, and we’d like to do more theatre and theatrical things that we could also possibly tour and get more audiences, especially Asian audiences in the UK and Europe.

Evelyn appears in Cabaret vs Cancer’s fundraising cabaret Ashes to Ashes at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club in London on 26th February 2020.

Pictures: Corinne Cumming; Claire Seville; Juliet Shalam

For tickets to Ashes to Ashes click here

To donate to Cabaret vs Cancer click here

Evelyn on Facebook

The Bitten Peach’s website

Twitter: @Evelyn_Carnate @cabaretVScancer @bittenpeachuk

Follow @TheWidowStanton on Twitter

#evelyn carnate #bitten peach #cabaret vs cancer #ashes to ashes #david bowie #lilly snatchdragon #shayshay #burlesque #burlesque interview

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bigyack-com · 4 years

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Anastasia Mann: All in the Details

Anastasia Mann has never been one to follow a path laid by others. As a child actress in 71 movies, she was always more interested in helping the director create a great performance than in the actual acting. At her first job in the hotel industry as a corporate sales director for Hilton, she created an incentive program that rewarded loyal customers with special corporate rates. The program was a first for the industry and is still in effect today.

Free Luxury Travel Newsletter

Like this story? Subscribe to The Dossier Luxury Travel Advisor’s only newsletter, covering unique destinations and product news for affluent travelers. Delivered every Tuesday & Thursday. When she moved to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, she was a groundbreaker once again, serving as the first female director of sales and marketing at any major hotel in the country. Leadership was clearly in Mann’s DNA; when she shifted to the travel industry side of the business it was as the U.S. president of a London-based travel management firm. Her hotel and airline friends, however, who knew her independent mindset, kept encouraging her to put out a shingle of her own and she did that by opening Corniche Travel in a key West Hollywood locale on Sunset Boulevard. As for those encouraging buddies? They donned overalls and laid carpeting and painted the walls to help her make it feel more like home. That was a fortuitous start and in her first four months alone, Mann generated $5 million in revenue. Corniche Travel was on its way and growing at a rapid pace as her former corporate accounts — including Getty Oil, ARCO, MGM and CBS — came on board. Her book of business was also fueled with many, many celebrity clients, entertainers, politicians and writers. Getting the Los Angeles Dodgers’ travel account was a major coup and the first time in history the team used a travel management firm. That was 33 years ago and what is still ever-present is Mann’s uncanny ability to envision what people need from a trip. It’s her innate attention to the details to bring her clients’ visions to life that has been the key to her success. So has the fact that her knowledge of the world is vast; after almost 50 years in the travel industry, Mann has visited 147 countries.

An affair with Africa: So great is Mann’s love for the destination, she launched Anastasia’s Africa, which operates separately from the travel division with its own dedicated team of Africa experts. Here, she is seen at the Great Plains Conservation, Okavango Delta in Botswana, Southern Africa. Today, Corniche Group is a $35 million enterprise comprising three divisions: Corniche Travel (leisure and corporate), Corniche Entertainment (handling meetings, incentives, conferences, and entertainment services for them), and her personal favorite, Anastasia’s Africa. As always, though, Mann’s vision for her business is a bit different from the norm. Her biggest concern these days, she says, is the proliferation of so-called “luxury” brands; her pet peeve is the misuse of the word “bespoke,” a British term traditionally reserved for custom-made suits. Her mantra is that what is luxury for one person is not necessarily luxury for someone else. The value of travel is not about the cost of a trip, she believes, but rather what the experience brings to the customer. “Luxury in Iceland or in Bhutan is going to be very different from luxury in New York or Paris,” she says. At Corniche, Mann’s focus is on detailed crafted itineraries to destinations where the crowds do not follow. She believes clients should visit the iconic sites in the world but is careful to balance those places with visits to less-traveled locales, as well. Last summer, for example, when a friend said she wanted to revisit Venice, Mann advised her to go to Capri instead. Mann believes the biggest threat to a meaningful travel experience is overtourism; she prefers sending clients to remote spots in Spain and Portugal, in shoulder and off-season, wherever possible. And, of course, to Africa. (More on that later.) Corniche is a big player in the luxury travel arena; however, Mann firmly believes she and her team should do whatever is possible to realistically work within a client’s budget so they have the best possible experience. Every client should be given her team’s full attention, no matter the size of his or her budget. Though she has hobnobbed with Cary Grant and enjoyed her first-ever martini with President George H.W. Bush, she feels that no piece of business is unimportant, and every client is worth your time and best effort. In fact, from the very beginning, Mann built her business by treating all customers equally, be they stars or their assistants seeking to book a weekend in Hawaii. “I never tell someone I’m not going to take their business,” she says. “Everybody deserves a great vacation, and I want to give them the most luxurious experience they can afford. And I know that 25-year-old assistant taking her first trip can one day become my biggest corporate client or plan a three-generation safari worth $100,000.”

Redefining “Travel Agent”

Mann from the very beginning brought a unique and forward-thinking approach to the role of the travel advisor. Thirty years ago, the industry thought of travel “agents” as order-takers who simply delivered whatever the customer asked for. And indeed, she recalls the night at the Beverly Wilshire when a buffet for 1,000 really did run out of shrimp in 20 minutes as the travel agents in attendance wrapped them up in napkins and put them in their pockets to take home. But even then, she envisioned the kind of travel advisor we see today, knowledgeable and skilled, offering that true special service that comes from listening to what a customer hopes to achieve on their vacation, and offering professional — and honest — advice. To that end, she has represented travel advisors on commissions and boards in California and around the world. She was a founding member of the California Travel and Tourism Commission and chaired the international board of directors of the Travel & Tourism Research Association. She’s been the president of the California chapter of HSMAI; a founding member of MPI and a PATA board member. She is the founding chairman of the West Hollywood Visitors and Convention Bureau and participated in a Trade Mission to the Soviet Union. She was also named as a representative to the historic White House Conference on Tourism, and, for the past 30 years, has served on the Board of Governors of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism.

Mann at the Real Alcázar in Seville. These days, though, Mann leaves much of the advisory board roles to her executives and employees and focuses more on training and mentoring her own advisors and others in the industry. Corniche now has 25 full-time travel advisors and 10 independent contractors. As she hired each one, she emphasized that Corniche is a business, and that their role is to advise and guide and provide great service to their clients. Beginning with that great mix of corporate and leisure business from day one, Mann has always strived to have her corporate clients become leisure clients and vice versa. “It’s about being able to create experiences that are memorable and life-enhancing, where the client will be in awe,” she says. “You have to talk to people and understand their expectations and guide them into an experience you are confident will make them happy. And you have to be honest; I’ll say, ‘On the budget you have, you really are not ready to go to Africa. You will have to wait.’” Today, Corniche Travel’s business is about 80 percent corporate and 20 percent leisure; the Africa division is about 90 percent leisure. The corporate clients bring volume and an upper echelon of C-level executives who fly first class and stay in luxury properties; these customers frequently book their personal vacations through Corniche, as well.

Congressman Adam Schiff (above) of California presenting Mann with the District Woman of the Year honor in 2018. Mann advises that while a good business itinerary is built around proximity to the meeting place, a great leisure vacation begins with a great hotel, no matter where in the city it is located. “The hotel is your centerpiece, where you wake up in the morning and go to bed at night; it’s your home away from home,” she says. “If you have to spend 10 minutes extra to get somewhere, that doesn’t matter; it’s the hotel that is critically important to your experience.” Her takeaway? “Be sure to invest in a really fabulous hotel, where you are the center of their attention.” Another key part of the Corniche Group is Corniche Entertainment, which works with corporate event planners and travel companies to provide full planning services. Corniche Entertainment also provides top artists for live performances as well as produces concerts; it even oversees and directs artists’ careers. Its roster of entertainers includes the Latin jazz/R&B bandleader, singer, composer, master percussionist Louie Cruz Beltran; blues artist Betty Bryant; and singer Carol Welsman; as well as the acclaimed comedian Mike Marino.

A Special Love

Mann has been enamored with Africa since her first visit there in 1980, and she speaks of her visits, and of the Anastasia’s Africa division, with real love. She recalls walking down the airline steps onto a dirt taxiway at dawn on that first trip and watching a huge dustball in the distance transform itself into a giraffe as it got nearer and nearer. As the giraffe ran past she stood there agape — and she was smitten. “It was chilling and exciting. I was frozen on the spot and in awe; I was transfixed,” she says. “Apart from my late husband, for whom I had the same reaction, Africa is the love of my life. I’ve tried to talk everybody into going there, and all my advisors into selling it.” So great is her love for the destination, she launched Anastasia’s Africa, which operates completely separately from the travel division with its own dedicated team of Africa experts who share her passion and knowledge of the destination. The company, which provides highly customized experiences, works with outside travel businesses and pays travel advisors a 15 percent commission. “I truly want every person on this planet to give themselves the gift of seeing Africa for themselves,” she says. Success stems from passion; Anastasia’s Africa sold approximately $12 million worth of trips in 2019. In addition to leisure trips and larger groups — including one three-generation family that spent $350,000 last year — Anastasia’s Africa organizes corporate trips and events. Several years ago, it ran a corporate safari for 100, using small luxury lodges and negotiating traversing rights throughout the Sabi Sands, a rare opportunity indeed.

The Business of Travel

Moving into 2020, Mann’s focus is on taking care of existing clients to enhance their travel opportunities. New business tends to come through referrals, brought in by those who know Corniche’s strong attention to detail. Customer satisfaction is of paramount importance to Mann. Case in point: A top executive at Corniche, Jonathan Cowley, has the title of “vice president of sales and client services.” At this point in her career, with so many satisfied clients and many team members who have been with Corniche for almost 40 years, Mann’s priority for 2020 is to take care of what she has. “I’ve never been motivated by money,” Mann says. “Sure, I’d love a Gulfstream. But that’s really not the way I look at this business. Once you get to a certain place in life, you can be comfortable making enough income to just maintain everything you have.” With rents and wages on the rise in Los Angeles, and other expenses going up, as well (especially in an agency that pays 100 percent of its employees’ health insurance), she examined each expense line for potential savings. In the end, she also re-evaluated and increased client fees for the first time in years.

Globetrotter: Here seen in Seville, Spain, Mann has a great knowledge about the world, having visited 147 countries. Her marketing efforts last year and into 2020 include a dedicated focus on the Corniche Club, a beautiful color magazine she sends out to 12,000 top clients, and posts online, three times a year. It’s also distributed to about 500 travel advisors at other agencies who have requested it. These advisors, who have heard Mann speak at industry conferences and met her at local events see Mann as a mentor, and that falls right in with her key values. “It’s important that all of us share information and knowledge, so that we all support our industry in an educated manner,” she says. Still, there are many things she hopes to do and see in 2020. She would like to try a Ponant cruise and is looking forward to the new Pendry Hotel scheduled to open on the Sunset Strip in a few months. Looking further down the road, even after 50 years in the business, she really doesn’t have an exit plan. “My business consists of my employees, who are truly my family, and our clients, whom I love. They are my first consideration when I think about the future,” she says. “I know at some point I have to be decisive. I would only hope for a match with a person who shares our ethics and values.” Her tips for other travel advisors? “Travel is a wonderful, but extremely low-margin business. Making a living at it requires a focus on the numbers,” she says. “You can’t just expect to get into the business to travel for free. You have to really know your stuff and be able to connect with partners, to build the relationships that you can carry with you. It takes a service mentality, experience and knowledge, good taste and honesty.” Another key tenet at Corniche? “Equally important, always treat your suppliers with respect.” At her two offices, she mandates that everyone come out when a supplier comes to call. “They are taking time from their own busy days to come by and meet you, and the day will come when you need a favor and that face-to-face relationship pays off,” says Mann. That indeed played into her own experience: There was that day when President Bush called to say he and Barbara wanted to sail for just one leg of a cruise itinerary, not for the entire voyage. Mann knew who to go to to make that happen; she called an old friend who was the head of a cruise line and got the approval for the Bushes to board at one port and get off at the next. To top it all off, she had martinis delivered to their suite in memory of that very first martini he had shared with her in 1974. It’s clear there’s a lot of glamour and history to Mann’s travel career but carrying through to this very day are the core beliefs she’s had since the very beginning. “I was very into the details way back then and I still am today,” she says. “At Corniche we’re still all about taking care of our clients, and I am still all about taking care of my Corniche team.”

More Glory: Mann has also been honored by ASTA’s prestigious Diamond Award.

Corniche Group

Chairman & CEO: Anastasia Mann Headquarters: West Hollywood, CA Annual Sales Volume: $35 million Divisions: Corniche Travel, Corniche Entertainment, Anastasia’s Africa Number of Advisors: 25 plus 10 ICs Affiliations: Signature Travel Network, ARC, ASTA, SKAL, TTMA, TTRA, CLIA, Four Seasons Preferred Partners, Marriott STARS, Marriott Luminous, Langham Couture, PROST, West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, NARA, Visit California, Cal Travel, Los Angeles Vendors

Americans Show No Signs of Slowing International Travel Questex Travel Publications Team Up To Create Cruise Central Defining Luxury at The New York Times Travel Show Black Tomato: The New Experiences That Travelers Are Seeking Read the full article

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drrus · 6 years

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Shiela Walsh: It's Okay Not To Be Okay

At 17 years of age, I started my radio career. Back then - the early 1980's - my first radio gig was the Sunday Morning Gospel Show on CJBQ in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. In those days the show consisted initially of George Beverly Shea, Kate Smith and others in the similar genre. Little did I know then, just how influential Christian music would be in my life as a friend slowly started introducing me to other artists I could play during the show. One of those artists included Shiela Walsh. I suddenly found myself discovering the world of Contemporary Christian Music. It's interesting how God works as I've moved from promoting her music on radio, to having an opportunity to promote her new book here. It's Okay Not To Be Okay: Moving Forward One Day at a Time by Shiela Walsh is due for release in October 2018. It is my honor and privilege to welcome Shiela Walsh as a guest post author on this website. The material found here is reposted from her website, with permission from Shiela Walsh. Enjoy! Dr. Rus Guest Post Shiela Walsh is a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and bestselling author with more than 5 million books sold. She is the author of the award-winning Gigi, God's Little Princess and In the Middle of the Mess. She is cohost of LIFE Today with James and Betty Robison and her Wednesdays in the Word program, with more than 100 million viewers. Walsh is a popular speaker and Bible teacher around the world. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Barry, their son, Christian, and their three pups, Belle, Tink, and Maggie.

It’s Okay Not to be Okay: Excerpt the Introduction I wish I could take my twenty-one-year-old (recovering-from teenage-acne) face in my hands and tell her, “It’s okay not to be okay, I promise.” Would she have believed me? I don’t think so. She was determined to get everything right. It started with a photograph. I was cleaning out drawers the other day and found an old photograph under a roll of Christmas paper. I sat down on the sofa and studied the picture. I’m in a white dress and a graduation gown, twenty-one years old, graduating from seminary. My hair is short and dark. It had taken about three years to recover from my experiment with a perm that left me looking like a pack of dogs had assumed my hair was lunch. In the photograph I’m smiling, confident, ready to take on the world for Jesus. My heart aches. There’s so much I’d like to tell her. “Moisturize your neck! You’ll thank me later!” If I had only ten minutes, I’d cut to the chase. I’d tell her this will not be the life she imagined. I’d tell her that she will disappoint people and they will disappoint her, but she’ll learn from it. I’d let her know that she’ll fall down over and over again, but rather than understanding the love of God less she’ll get it more. I’d let her know her heart is going to break, but she’ll survive and it will change how she sees people, not as causes to be saved but as people to be loved. I’d let her know that sometimes the night will get very dark, but she will never be alone even when she’s absolutely convinced she is. I’d let her know that she’s loved. I’d tell her to get rid of her punishing list of things she thinks she needs to get right. I lived so much of my life with a list of things to change, to do better—if not on paper then in my mind. I think most of us do, and the message is always the same: we can do better. We’ll not only join the gym, we’ll go! This new diet plan will work and by summer we’ll be bikini ready. (Note to self: don’t you dare buy a bikini. Even if you’re thinner, things are not where they used to be and no one but your loving husband needs to know that.) We’ll start that read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan again. (Last year I got to May 7 and got distracted, and by the time I realized it, I was a whole Leviticus, fifty-three Psalms, and Romans behind.) We’ll recover from the overspending and be financially responsible. We’ll cook wholesome, nutritious meals for our family and sit down at least five nights a week together at the table. We’ll reduce our television watching and read more books. But sometimes the messages carry much more weight. This marriage will work. We will get out of debt. Our children will come back to Christ. We’ll eat better to save our lives not our waistlines. I don’t know what your internal list looks like, but if it’s anything like mine it usually serves to let us know where we’ve failed. Lists are written when the kids are asleep or you’ve had a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee. The trouble is, the kids wake up and that impossible woman you work with gets louder and more obnoxious by the minute and no amount of coffee is going to help. And what about our spiritual lives? That can be the most judgmental list of all. When we assume that God’s love is based on our behavior we’ve set ourselves up for a devastating fall. I’ll pray more. I’ll share my faith at work. I’ll read my Bible from Genesis to the maps in the back of the book. I’ll trust God without questioning. So, why did I title this book It’s Okay Not to Be Okay? These words might sound a bit like a bumper sticker to you, but they don’t to me. I want you to know that these words were fought for. They could sound like the waving of a white flag, six words of surrender, but they’re not. For me they are words of victory! I’ve let go of beating myself up trying to live a life that Jesus never asked me to live. The life my “fresh out of seminary, determined to save the world, to love the unlovely, get nine hours of sleep every night and never let God down” self tried to live for so long. I don’t know where you’re at in life as you read this, but if I could sit down with you for a while, I’d say, “Take a deep breath in and hold it for five seconds, and then let it out. Again. Again.” Then I’d tell you that it really is okay not to be okay. That’s why Jesus came. I gave my life to Him when I was eleven years old. As I write, I’m sixty-one. That’s fifty years of falling down and getting back up. Fifty years of trying to be worth loving. Fifty years of doing the same things over and over, hoping they’d turn out differently this time. (Yes, I do know that’s the definition of insanity.) Here’s the great news: It’s also fifty years of the faithfulness of God and this beautiful invitation from Christ: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. (Matt. 11:28–30 Message) What a lovely place to start again, side by side with Jesus, learning to live freely and lightly. I read an old Chinese proverb that said, “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second-best time is now.” I like that. Those are hope-filled words. They say that we get to start again and again and again. No matter what’s true in your life at this moment, I want to remind you that God loves you, right now, no matter what’s going on around or inside you. These words may fall flat for you right now if you find yourself in an unfamiliar place, a difficult season. Perhaps you’re facing the end of a marriage and you either feel like a failure or that you’ve been betrayed and abandoned. You may be facing an empty nest and have no idea what your life should revolve around now. Perhaps you have lost a loved one and the very idea of moving forward not only seems impossible, it feels wrong. You may think, I’ve done this before. I’ve tried to start again and it didn’t work... Or perhaps, if you’re honest, you are just too tired to try. I understand that. I’ve been there. I’d like to simply say, gently, you were made for more. You are worth fighting for. Christ thought you were worth dying for. Would you be willing to open your heart to the possibility of moving forward, one day at a time? Life rarely offers quick fixes; it’s a process, and God is in it with us, all the way. He doesn’t look for perfection in us; He sees that in Christ. You don’t need to be okay because Jesus has made you all right. He’s paid the bill in full. He’s covered our “not okay-ness.” Okay doesn’t live here, but Jesus does. All He looks for in us is a willingness to take the next step. Read more here: Take the First Step Part One Take the First Step Part Two It's Okay Not to Be Okay - Available from Baker Books - Click Here Much love, Shiela Walsh Special thanks to Graf-Martin Communications for connecting me with Shiela Walsh.

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