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fandomweekly2022-08-22 09:05 am
iluvroadrunner6) wrote in fandomweekly2022-08-22 09:05 am
Entry tags:
[#148] This is One Unhappy Diva (Original)
Theme Prompt: #148 - Publicity
Title: This is One Unhappy Diva
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 994
Summary: Margo is in hot water with her client.
Margo stands in front of Eliana’s door, taking big, deep breaths as she braces herself. She reminds herself that this isn’t her fault—she can only do so much if Eliana won’t listen to her—but that defense isn’t going to stand up in the face of the pop diva’s scrutiny. Closing her eyes, she reaches for the doorknob and lets herself in.
“Eliana? You wanted to see me?”
Eliana arches a perfectly manicured eyebrow at her through the mirror before turning in her seat. She’s always given Margo the vibe of a giant cat, the type that likes to play with her food before she eats it, and today she seems to be in rare form.
Margo is so getting fired.
“What. The hell. Is this?” Eliana tosses the article forward, showing the exposé released in Rolling Stone that morning. “I thought you were supposed to be my publicist?”
“I am.”
“Then how did you allow this to slip through the cracks?”
She knows what the reporter from Rolling Stone told her when she called about the story. No matter what she pleaded and what bribes she offered, he wasn’t going to stray from the truth. All she could do is try to spin it afterwards.
“I didn’t. He refused to change his piece.”
“Then you make him.”
“Contrary to popular belief, publicists don’t have mind control. They can only help you spin it after the fact, and if I’m being quite honest, you’ve refused to listen to any of my advice when it comes to dealing with the press.”
“Because the press is out to get me, clearly! It doesn’t matter what I do, I always get shit like this!”
Something in Margo snaps. “You made his personal assistant run all over LA for an hour because he didn’t have the ‘right water.’”
“My body is a temple. I refuse to pollute it with whatever might float around LA’s pipes.”
“You spent twenty minutes dragging the names of your peers with trashy, unproven gossip.”
“Just because it isn’t proven doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
“And you became increasingly irritable—”
“Don't say I'm irritable. It really—it really irritates me.”
“—You became increasingly irritable when he tried to ask you the questions that he had given us in advance for the interview and wouldn’t let you talk about whatever you wanted!” Margo’s irritation fully breaks through. “I handed this interview to you on a silver platter! You had the questions in advance! It was with a reputable magazine that would carry weight compared to all your other press! I even wrote the answers for you, you just had to memorize them! You couldn’t even be polite to the person who was doing you a fucking favor!”
The diva stares at her, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Margo places her hands on her hips. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Give me a minute. This is a lot to process.” She pushes to her feet, circling the room. Margo is the center of that circle, and she can’t help but feel she’s being appraised. Either that, or sized up to eat, hard to say which. Eventually, Eliana stops back in front of her, before taking her by the shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“… What?”
“For actually having the balls to stand up to me. You do not know how many publicists are just sniveling weaklings. I’m paying you for your opinions, not to just do whatever I want and roll over when I get angry.”
Margo blinks. “So… you’re not firing me?”
“No. I’m not.” She turns back to her mirror again, reaching for her makeup to finish touching up her face. “So, how do we deal with this?”
“Honestly?” Eliana gestures with her hand as though to say “obviously,” and Margo nods before continuing. “Well, we have two options. We could apologize publicly and personally to the reporter, and start to really recraft your image and how you present yourself to the world.”
“What’s option B?”
She should have assumed that Eliana wouldn’t go for the option that meant she had to be nice. “We spin it in our favor. Take on a ‘boss bitch’ mentality to your image and see who gravitates to it. You will certainly be an acquired taste, but if we balance it with some press about your charitable endeavors, it could still show that you contain multitudes.”
Eliana drops her lipstick to the top of the vanity. “I’ve kept that to myself for a reason. Charity shouldn’t be done to get brownie points.”
“I know. Maybe it doesn’t have to come directly from you. Maybe we leak it and make it appear it’s a spontaneous find. But you need to give them something to show that you’re a well-rounded person.”
Eliana sets her jaw. “Do you think it’s enough to make up for everything?”
“No, but it’s a start.” Margo moves to sit on the arm of the couch nearby. “And I still think you should apologize to the reporter, even if it’s not public. That way, when buzz builds, he’d be more amenable to doing a follow up.”
“I don’t want to reveal all of it. I need some things still for me.”
“Fair. Which organization do you think needs the biggest spotlight?”
“I’ll get you a list. You can pick one and we’ll go from there.”
There’s a knock on the door. “Fifteen minutes, Eliana.”
“Thank you, fifteen.” Eliana turns to face Margo again. Show ready in her costume. As she moves past her, she offers the other woman a smile. “I think we’re going to be good friends.”
When the door closes behind her, Margo turns and collapses back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling of the dressing room. She’s going to have a lot of work ahead of her. Possibly more work than she thought she might.
But hey. At least she didn’t get fired.
Title: This is One Unhappy Diva
Fandom: Original
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Bonus: Yes.
Word Count: 994
Summary: Margo is in hot water with her client.
Margo stands in front of Eliana’s door, taking big, deep breaths as she braces herself. She reminds herself that this isn’t her fault—she can only do so much if Eliana won’t listen to her—but that defense isn’t going to stand up in the face of the pop diva’s scrutiny. Closing her eyes, she reaches for the doorknob and lets herself in.
“Eliana? You wanted to see me?”
Eliana arches a perfectly manicured eyebrow at her through the mirror before turning in her seat. She’s always given Margo the vibe of a giant cat, the type that likes to play with her food before she eats it, and today she seems to be in rare form.
Margo is so getting fired.
“What. The hell. Is this?” Eliana tosses the article forward, showing the exposé released in Rolling Stone that morning. “I thought you were supposed to be my publicist?”
“I am.”
“Then how did you allow this to slip through the cracks?”
She knows what the reporter from Rolling Stone told her when she called about the story. No matter what she pleaded and what bribes she offered, he wasn’t going to stray from the truth. All she could do is try to spin it afterwards.
“I didn’t. He refused to change his piece.”
“Then you make him.”
“Contrary to popular belief, publicists don’t have mind control. They can only help you spin it after the fact, and if I’m being quite honest, you’ve refused to listen to any of my advice when it comes to dealing with the press.”
“Because the press is out to get me, clearly! It doesn’t matter what I do, I always get shit like this!”
Something in Margo snaps. “You made his personal assistant run all over LA for an hour because he didn’t have the ‘right water.’”
“My body is a temple. I refuse to pollute it with whatever might float around LA’s pipes.”
“You spent twenty minutes dragging the names of your peers with trashy, unproven gossip.”
“Just because it isn’t proven doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
“And you became increasingly irritable—”
“Don't say I'm irritable. It really—it really irritates me.”
“—You became increasingly irritable when he tried to ask you the questions that he had given us in advance for the interview and wouldn’t let you talk about whatever you wanted!” Margo’s irritation fully breaks through. “I handed this interview to you on a silver platter! You had the questions in advance! It was with a reputable magazine that would carry weight compared to all your other press! I even wrote the answers for you, you just had to memorize them! You couldn’t even be polite to the person who was doing you a fucking favor!”
The diva stares at her, before crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Margo places her hands on her hips. “That’s all you have to say?”
“Give me a minute. This is a lot to process.” She pushes to her feet, circling the room. Margo is the center of that circle, and she can’t help but feel she’s being appraised. Either that, or sized up to eat, hard to say which. Eventually, Eliana stops back in front of her, before taking her by the shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“… What?”
“For actually having the balls to stand up to me. You do not know how many publicists are just sniveling weaklings. I’m paying you for your opinions, not to just do whatever I want and roll over when I get angry.”
Margo blinks. “So… you’re not firing me?”
“No. I’m not.” She turns back to her mirror again, reaching for her makeup to finish touching up her face. “So, how do we deal with this?”
“Honestly?” Eliana gestures with her hand as though to say “obviously,” and Margo nods before continuing. “Well, we have two options. We could apologize publicly and personally to the reporter, and start to really recraft your image and how you present yourself to the world.”
“What’s option B?”
She should have assumed that Eliana wouldn’t go for the option that meant she had to be nice. “We spin it in our favor. Take on a ‘boss bitch’ mentality to your image and see who gravitates to it. You will certainly be an acquired taste, but if we balance it with some press about your charitable endeavors, it could still show that you contain multitudes.”
Eliana drops her lipstick to the top of the vanity. “I’ve kept that to myself for a reason. Charity shouldn’t be done to get brownie points.”
“I know. Maybe it doesn’t have to come directly from you. Maybe we leak it and make it appear it’s a spontaneous find. But you need to give them something to show that you’re a well-rounded person.”
Eliana sets her jaw. “Do you think it’s enough to make up for everything?”
“No, but it’s a start.” Margo moves to sit on the arm of the couch nearby. “And I still think you should apologize to the reporter, even if it’s not public. That way, when buzz builds, he’d be more amenable to doing a follow up.”
“I don’t want to reveal all of it. I need some things still for me.”
“Fair. Which organization do you think needs the biggest spotlight?”
“I’ll get you a list. You can pick one and we’ll go from there.”
There’s a knock on the door. “Fifteen minutes, Eliana.”
“Thank you, fifteen.” Eliana turns to face Margo again. Show ready in her costume. As she moves past her, she offers the other woman a smile. “I think we’re going to be good friends.”
When the door closes behind her, Margo turns and collapses back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling of the dressing room. She’s going to have a lot of work ahead of her. Possibly more work than she thought she might.
But hey. At least she didn’t get fired.
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