OOC: Not going to lie, it feels a bit weird actually getting to write something for Liane, but I wasn't going to let this pass without trying to capitalize on the opportunity to develop her character a bit independently of the presence of her boyfriend and my actual wrestler here. It might not be anything too in-depth or amazing, but I decided it might help to look into some of her family that she's
not on bad terms with. Also as a minor note, I had something else in mind to explain Aaron's absence for most of the CD, but decided to change it thanks to an opening I got from something mentioned in the second CD for Owen Cruze, which helps because it allows me to save something much bigger for Aaron for when I may need it more down the line. Best of luck!
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This wasn’t what Liane Forte was expecting at all.
Then again, when you find yourself kicked out of your house by your own parents and forced to make your own path, sometimes the road will lead you to places and people you never would’ve expected.
Such is the way of life sometimes, especially for someone who’s main goal was simply to make people happy.
The night that Liane first crossed paths with the man known as Aaron Blackbourne was a night she will never forget, for more than perhaps even he may ever know. Before she got up on stage to perform that night, she wasn’t in the best place for someone who wanted to make a job out of people people smile and laugh. Despite the delight she took in what she saw on people’s faces, she was far from happy herself. Her fledgling business of performing as a traveling clown for children’s birthday parties and the occasional gig she could lock down performing stand-up comedy for local clubs and bars, while fun, weren’t keeping up financially with what she had to spend just to be able to keep moving. It was never enough to actually settle down anywhere, and often times just barely enough to stay in a hotel for however long she needed to in order to take care of business. Even if she enjoyed what she did and audiences of all ages loved her, it wasn’t quite the big time just yet, and it seemed like the road to the big stage she desired was constantly hindered by this inability to keep herself in a stable position for even a few weeks at best.
It didn’t help that she was constantly tormented about it by her ‘other half,’ in a sense. She didn’t know if it was some kind of manifestation of her self-doubt or if she was legitimately going crazy, but for many years she always heard this voice inside her head that sounded very similar to her own… if it were laced with the purest of venom, that is. It was almost like her mind had been invaded by a female version of The Joker of Batman fame, grinding her down with criticism and self-deprecation any chance it got so it could find an excuse to simply take over and ‘get some comedic revenge’ on its own terms. She didn’t know if it simply wanted the honor all to herself, befitting of the idea that you are your own worst critic, but whenever Liane was at her lowest, control slipped and this psychotic alter ego took over to terrorize anyone nearby with the harshest of ‘jokes’ and pranks so prone to leave somebody legitimately injured it would make the actual Clown Prince of Crime himself laugh with delight.
After she met Aaron, however, things seemed to change. While she didn’t know the pep talk she’d managed to give him had made him fall for her, she started to feel happier herself whenever he came to mind, making it easier to shrug off her inner demon and find new hope as she pushed forward towards her goal of becoming a professional comedian that got the opportunities to perform on the biggest stages in front of thousands of people, maybe even with a televised audience as well. If it was as simple as being inspired by someone who was in the same boat as her, she would’ve been grateful all the same, but she couldn’t deny how often he came up in her thoughts, especially when she was feeling down about herself. It didn’t take her too long to realize exactly why either: not only she find him cute and handsome and any other lovey-dovey words she could come up with to compliment his appearance, but she could almost feel as though he would understand her more than anybody else ever had, almost like she’d found a true kindred spirit that shared the same ideals even if he walked a completely different path to achieve them.
Whoever said the idea of “love at first sight” was stupid might want to rethink the way they see the world before passing judgment.
This year had given the young comedian more than she ever could’ve asked for, as crossing paths with Aaron again and becoming his girlfriend had been the greatest blessing of her life. The two of them truly weren’t so different: they were both creative people with a flair for helping people to find true enjoyment and inspiration in their lives by opening up new paths they considered lost or closed off to them, they both had their fair share of problems and inner demons (both literally and figuratively in Aaron’s case) but openly shared them with one another not only to gain a better understanding but to also help each other work past them, and they both knew where they wanted to draw the line because this wasn’t a relationship built on the foundation of looks and sex appeal and seeing how much ‘fun’ they could have every single night. The longer they were together, the more they realized how much they truly meant to one another, how important they were in giving each other the strength to fight through their darkest days by being the sunshine in the other’s world, and even if they were both hesitant to take any extra steps forward, it was alright in their eyes because being stable in a world that constantly threatened to drag them into the ‘toxic abyss’ as Aaron always put it was more important than rushing into something that could ultimately destroy everything for them.
“If only a certain someone didn’t have so many bats in her belfry, maybe she’d understand that…”
Getting to travel the country with Aaron for his wrestling endeavors had been a great benefit to the both of them, as backstage access for shows meant Liane always had the best seat in the house to cheer him on and help pick him back up if he needed it, especially since the business often proved far stressful than he would’ve liked at times. In return, she had more opportunities to be able to perform her own routine in new locations and was slowly building up her own reputation in the comedy world, and Aaron was always front and center enjoying every joke she told and finding her comedy to be a better escape from reality than even his own imagination could be at times. It seemed like nothing, from some of Aaron’s self-designed demons going rogue in a power struggle for freedom or her darker half trying to convince her that this love life she’s found herself in was nothing more than a lie that was only going to hurt her in the end, could rain on their parade.
Scarlet Grey apparently wanted to test that theory.
Liane still didn’t understand exactly when or why this woman believed she was head over heels for Aaron, but it was an act that was getting really old really fast. Thankfully, any doubts the voice in her head tried to cast were banished when Aaron made it clear to Scarlet, week after week, that he was already in a relationship that made him happy and nothing she could offer would change that, even if she had no problem standing butt naked before him willing to show it all off. Scarlet never seemed to take the hint, however, and while it threw him off in the ring at first the longer she persisted the more fired up Aaron seemed to be as he used competing in the ring to ignore the mess going on outside of it. But Scarlet’s biggest mistake was trying to drag her into the spotlight hoping she could remove the ‘roadblock’ standing between her and the man she’d become obsessed with. While Liane had ended up banned from being backstage for a time, she did get the chance to give this vixen with a literal punchline and stood firm in wanting to fight to defend her relationship even if Aaron was concerned for her like any good boyfriend would be.
One thing he would come to learn and appreciate whenever all this is settled is that when you mess with a Forte and what’s deeply important to them, you’d better be prepared for the war that followed.
That thought kept running through Liane’s mind as she wandered her way through a department store in one of the Boston malls, specifically the swimwear section. She needed it to be front and center in order to keep her eyes on the prize, because without it she was beginning to have second thoughts about all of this. When she’d made the call to Mr. D to say she was willing to sign any paperwork and do whatever it took to end this nightmare with Scarlet once and for all, she was expecting this to end up being some kind of wrestling match, and Aaron had even started training her to wrestle in the event things came to this as he didn’t want to run the risk that someone as ‘out there’ as Scarlet and as cunning as her partner Ruby Amarant would try to get her involved hoping to capitalize on her inexperience and lack of training. It was a long shot, but with Aaron’s creative line of thinking he wasn’t about to rule out such a scenario and she was willing to prove his efforts weren’t in vain by firing the first shot. She hadn’t, however, counted on Mr. D being talked into a bikini contest in this day and age, especially when SCW themselves were trying their best to distance themselves from those kinds of situations out of fear of backlash.
“I can’t even bikini that this is what we’re doing.”
She chuckled to herself over the pun, even if it was a bit of a stretch, because it helped to ease the stress she was feeling right now about all of this. She’d sounded determined on Breakdown when she formally accepted the challenge, but she knew full well she was stepping well outside of her comfort zone here. At least in a wrestling match she knew what she was getting into, because even if Aaron hadn’t trained her for that possibility living in a family of eleven siblings all with different dreams and clashing personalities created the mold of self-defense she could fall back on if necessary, easing the stress of confrontation if situations like what happened backstage at Under Attack ever arose. A bikini contest, however… Liane had always been self-conscious about her body, feeling it looked awkward considering she was pretty tall and slim but had inherited the wide curves of her mother like all her sisters had. The only swimwear she’d ever worn during family beach trips was a yellow one-piece that was fairly modest, so trying to find an actual bikini to wear was more nerve-wracking than it should’ve been. Add to the fact that she would have to show it, and her body, off for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world… especially Aaron, which made her extremely nervous since despite a few small glimpses here and there (not counting what Aaron wore when he wrestled) the two had rarely seen each other in anything less than their typical clothes since they both felt they were still not ready to take that step yet.
“What did I get myself into? That psycho stalker loves showing off her body and those people always eat it up. How can I even hope to beat that!?”
“When your back’s against the wall, just turn around and you will see~ we’ll catch your fall, just have a little faith sis~”
“Also, the right outfit totes helps, and this should do the trick!”
Liane’s eyes widened as she heard the familiar voices, and even more so when an arm extended past her and placed a small present into her hands. As she turned around, her jaw dropped at what she saw.
“Lina? Liza?”
Even if she could recognize the voices from miles away, never did she expect to cross paths with their owners for quite some time, especially in a giant crowded mall on the weekend of Black Friday of all places. Of the Forte siblings, Liane was the fourth oldest of the bunch, and of those she still talked to and knew would have her back no matter what, two of her three older sisters fit that bill to a tee. Lina was the second oldest and arguably the ‘best looking’ of the sisters if you asked most of the guys, having the kind of body that was just made for being a perfect icon on the runway. While she certainly didn’t mind being a model, her true passion lay in designing clothes instead of wearing them, and it didn’t take long before her unique and creative works of fabric made her one of the most in-demand designers of the entire fashion world. Granted, she sometimes had trouble putting up with pushier models because Lina simply had too big a heart and always puts others’ needs before her own, though she had grown tired of people throwing the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype in her face hoping she’d simply shut up and fall in line. Liza, on the other hand, was considered the ‘biggest shining star’ by their parents and was certainly the one they tried to invest most of their time into, which wasn’t a surprise considering she was a rock and roll prodigy before she was even a teenager. These days she was busy touring with her band, where she was both lead guitar and singer, and Liane could only guess how much their parents were fawning over her accomplishments, but beneath the punk-like exterior Liza was a lot nicer than anyone would ever expect just by looking at her.
“What are you guys doing here? And- and how did you even find me?”
“My band’s in town for a gig this week, and Lina happened to be here promoting her new winter lineup.”
“And you should know that I can find anything in a shopping mall no matter how big or packed it is, even a sister in need of a little confidence boost before she takes down that trashy redhead.”
“Wait, you guys know about SCW?”
“Kind of hard not to brah, considering Lane hogs the TV to watch it any chance she gets. It is funny to see how steamed she gets when she sees you on there, since you kind of got into it before she did.”
Liane couldn’t help but let out a nervous laugh. She certainly didn’t plan on doing that, but it’s funny how the cards fall sometimes. She could even hear that darker voice taking great delight on how they ‘stole’ the dream of Liane’s most athletic sibling, but she tried to ignore that even if it was bittersweet since despite being younger than her Lane tended to use that athletic prowess to bully her siblings around.
“So, where’s this boy you’ve found yourself falling for?”
“Yeah, I’ve been dying to meet him too, especially since you always talk him up and we catch what he can do in the ring.”
“He’s showing his friend Owen around right now, since he’s originally from this neck of the woods. Plus, it kind of makes a great excuse for him to… well, kind of avoid his family.”
“I know he mentions it sometimes when he’s filming… guess it really is as messed up as ours turned out?”
Liane can only nod, knowing that on their own family’s front things had grown a bit messy before she was kicked out, and she could only imagine how things were now. When she’d slipped back home from being driven by her other self’s compulsive desire to wreak April Fools havoc, she did take note of some cracks she thought were starting to form, but it was hard to accurately gauge in the face of her own issue at the time. She did feel for Aaron though… as much as he would’ve loved to spend time with her, being back around here meant his family had desperately tried to make him swing by, especially to meet her, so promising to show Owen around had given him a loophole to dodge that bullet. From what she’d heard and the tiny bit she’d seen, the less time he spent dealing with them when he already had this Scarlet mess that she would hopefully put an end to soon enough on his plate, the better off he was going to be going forward.
“Don’t feel bad Liane. I’m not exactly allowed back home either… got into an argument with mom and dad about the way they treated you and some of our other siblings over what they wanted to do, and when they tried to question what I wanted I just packed up and left.”
“The ‘rents don’t exactly want me around anymore either.”
“But I thought you were their big shining star?”
“Doesn’t mean I had to like being their golden goose. Plus, they didn’t take too well to me admitting I’ve got a thing for our bassist.”
Liane’s jaw dropped at this when she thought back to Liza’s band’s lineup and remembered their bassist was also a woman. She knew Liza was bisexual since they shared a room together and the topic came up a few times before and Liane certainly supported her sister on that front. She shouldn’t have been surprised their parents didn’t want to look at it the same way. As she just shook her head over this, her eyes floated down as she remembered the present Lina had given her.
“I almost forgot… what’s with the present Lina?”
“Well… I had some free time on my hands and knew about this bikini contest you were getting into, and I’d hate to see my sister lose both this and the boy she likes so much to some pale trashy chick who loves trying to shove her ‘beauty’ down people’s throats. Gag! She’s probably going to walk out in some skimpy little thing with no thought put into it and expect her body to do all the work, and that’s just not how you do things.”
“She threw a little something together just for you sis, and we both agreed you could use the confidence boost since you always worried about your look.”
“I don’t know guys…”
“Trust me dude, Lina made something that’s gonna kill it out there!”
“Especially since it’s all you. I made it specifically to totes work with your body so you can flaunt what you’ve got and people can see you, not some oversized assets doing all the work like that Scarlet witch.”
Before Liane could argue any further, her sisters quickly dragged her to the nearest empty changing room and shoved her inside, insisting she at least try it on. The comedian finally gave in with a deep breath as she locked the stall before tearing the wrapping paper off the box. However, she decided to close her eyes as she carefully removed all the necessary clothing in order to put it on, fighting with her own nerves that despite their kindness and good intentions her sisters weren’t going to be as much help with this as she’d hoped. Once she felt like everything was in place, she carefully opened her eyes, and her jaw simply dropped in astonishment.
You look like you’re completely screwed in this contest.
“No… I look… amazing…”
Never before had Liane felt this comfortable with her own body when so much of it was exposed, but she really knew better than to doubt Lina. Even if she wasn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch overall, the girl was a genius when it came to fashion and knew how to do things very few in the industry could match. Not only was the bikini the perfect blend of elegant and very much her, it fit perfectly and showed off exactly what it needed to so her body and what it had to offer could stand out without needing to expose so much that it seemed like she was trying way too hard to use sex appeal to make up for something she was lacking, very much like a certain crimson cuckoo was prone to doing. Not even the voice in her head could override her on this one, because everything just looked perfect and worked so well together. She quickly removed the bikini and placed it back in its box before throwing her clothes back on, and when she finally opened the changing room door Lina was expecting the big hug she ended up receiving.
“I can’t believe you did this for me Lina. It’s perfect!”
“Hey, what are sisters for? Just because there’s some problems in our family, it doesn’t mean we’ve all abandoned one another.”
“You’ve worked just as hard as the rest of us to be happy with who you are Li, and you deserve any help you can get in fighting to keep it.”
Liane lets go of Lina just to hug Liza, remembering all the times they’ve hugged in the past after talking about anything that helped them restore one another’s confidence. No matter what anybody said to them, these were three members of the Forte family that would always stick together and have each other’s backs no matter what. Liane was all smiles as she retrieved the bikini box, looking forward to showing herself off for perhaps the first time ever and showing Scarlet exactly why being “big in all the right places” wasn’t always a guaranteed win when it’s all you had going for you. The sisters all began saying their goodbyes to one another, needing to part ways as Liza was going to be late for rehearsal and Lina needed to meet with a client in regards to some upcoming fashion plans. Before they got too far apart, though, Lina rooted through her purse and pulled out another present that she passed over to Liane, who simply raised an eyebrow in curiosity. She already had the bikini she’d need to do this, right?
“Consider this a bonus gift, and it’s all Liza’s idea.”
“Since we’re weaving a song about building your confidence, that’s to help you use it after this is all set and done.”
Liza couldn’t help but wink as the two of them began to walk away, eventually parting from one another as well. Liane looked confused for a moment as she headed towards the mall exit, gently tearing open the wrapping and peaking inside… only to quickly close the box as her face turned completely crimson when it dawned on her exactly what the rock star meant. Thankfully, she could worry about this later, and she was able to recompose herself when she stepped outside just in time to see Aaron pulling up with the rental car so she could climb in.
“So… how’d it go?”
“Great! I actually think this is going to work out better than I’d hoped.”
Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle and raise an eyebrow at her, but she just gave him that smile she knew he loved seeing and he returned it before driving off back to their hotel. Her mind began heading to a place that was giving her butterflies, but the more she thought about it the more she felt like it might truly be time to take that next step. Scarlet was already forcing her into a position where she was going to have to be comfortable even around her boyfriend relatively close to that base, so she might as well try to make the most of it, right? Besides, part of her felt like Aaron was going to be enraptured anyway once things fell into place, and not because of anything Scarlet believed she could offer.
Liane could feel it now… there was no way this wasn’t going to end up exploding right in that bitch’s face and solidifying once and for all that Aaron was her soulmate, no matter what she thought she could flaunt to get what she wanted without any consideration for his feelings.
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Our scene opens on a place that’s more appropriate than people may realize, and that’s the stage of a theater. Granted, said theater is currently empty, but right now that doesn’t seem to bother the young lady sitting on the edge of the stage staring out into the camera with a smile. Many people who aren’t actually in the wrestling business might be bothered by the idea of being on camera, but Liane Forte isn’t one of those people. Even if this isn’t exactly how she thought she’d end up in this position, she strives for the moment when she can be on camera, knowing that people around the world are watching her and hanging on to her every word. It’s clear from the look on her face what she wants to do with this opportunity, but she tries to suppress it because this isn’t the time for laughs, this is the time for business that’s very personal as far as she’s concerned.
“Since I know I’m not too familiar to a lot of you, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Liane Forte, and up to this point you’ve only seen me pop up backstage at SCW events a couple of times for one reason in particular: I’m in a relationship with Aaron Blackbourne. That’s not all there is to me though… some of you may have been lucky enough to catch me elsewhere, because my real goal in life is to be a comedian, being able to stand on a stage just like this one and make people laugh. That’s the biggest thing that keeps me going in life: the desire to make people happy and put smiles on their faces, whether it’s from telling jokes for them to laugh at or actually being the light of someone’s life. I know, that sounds a little naive considering the world we live in, but somebody had to provide the optimism that keeps people going, and you never know who could see their whole day turn around just because of one good laugh they never knew they needed.
One other thing you should know about me, which might not be that much of a surprise if you’ve ever met any of my large number of siblings out in the world, is that the last thing you want to do to a Forte is try to rob them of something that truly means the world to them.”
Liane makes a hand gesture to the cameraman, and he shifts our view so that we no longer see Liane. Instead, sitting in the front row is Aaron Blackbourne, who turns his head with a bit of a smile towards the camera. Not the first time this week he’s been asked to “look pretty” while being filmed, but unlike the effort Owen Cruze has no doubt presented by now, the look in Aaron’s eyes is one that isn’t as calm and innocent. After all, he knows what’s at stake even though he’s not in a position to do anything about it, but much like Liane has been his biggest fan and supporter all throughout this year even well before she first surfaced on camera for SCW, he’s returning the favor both because of how much Liane means to him and vice versa and as a show of defiance for the woman who thinks what she’s seeing now belongs to her in any sense. Even though she’s off camera, Liane continues to talk.
“I have no problem standing up to people who look down on the comedy world, especially when they don’t understand it, but I also have no problem defending someone who means more to me than some people might ever understand. This guy right now… yeah, he’s handsome, and I’m not afraid to admit that to him and not just because he’s my boyfriend. But the concept of ‘us’ isn’t driven by bedroom antics or lusting over one another’s bodies… we complete one another like pieces of a puzzle. You might think it’s clichéd to say it like that, but the fact of the matter is that Aaron makes me happy in a way I can’t even begin to describe, and I know that to him I’m the sunshine keeping him out of the toxic cesspool he often finds himself trying to avoid when it comes to the nature of what he does or even dealing with certain people. We don’t need to strip each other down every night or even keep the world aBREAST of what we do or don’t do, because a relationship like that rarely has any foundation to stand on in the long term.
Someone doesn’t seem to understand this however, nor does she realize I’m not willing to let go of someone I’m happy with that easily, especially if it means losing him to someone that’s only going to do more harm than good because she doesn’t understand anything other than letting herself be a puppet to her own libido.”
The camera slowly shifts back to Liane, and all traces of her smile have now vanished. In its place is a look that certainly doesn’t match the bright colors of the clothes she’s wearing or the cheerful demeanor she tries to maintain whenever possible. It’s a look that very few have truly seen and will tell you they never want to see again as long as they live. The closest resemblance you can find is an angry dog guarding something valuable that’s ready to attack anyone thinking of getting anywhere near it, and it truly is a terrifying sight that shows how much she means business.
“Do you know why I decided to go through with this even if you think all the odds are in your favor Scarlet? That very reason… I’m not going to back down just because you think you and your friend can threaten me with claims that things will only get worse if you don’t get what you want. You sound like a spoiled toddler throwing a temper tantrum over not getting a new toy, and coming from someone who grew up with at least seven younger siblings that went through that phase, I know exactly what it looks like. Sometimes, you just can’t have it, and how badly you want to probably add Aaron to your list of ‘bedroom conquests’ doesn’t give you the right to think he belongs to you and only you. He’s told you several times over by now that he’s just not interested, and no amount of trying to compare your body to mind is going to change what his heart wants for him. The fact of the matter is that sometimes there’s more to love than just looking good, and the sooner you finally get that through whatever goes on inside your mind, the sooner you can start getting over what’s never going to happen and move on.
You wanted a chance though… consider this your one and only chance to try and prove everyone wrong, and it’s even on your own terms.
I don’t need to stand here and show myself off to make my message clear, and it has nothing to do with ‘being afraid’ of whatever TITillating idea you’re going to bring in hopes of ‘embarrassing’ me. If anything, this shows just how insecure you truly are, relying on your assets and nothing else hoping that it’ll bring you everything you desire. Believe it or not, someone else dear to me who knows quite a lot about fashion and modeling helped me realize there’s a lot more to something like this bikini contest that just seeing how much of yourself you can flaunt, and that’s going to be the reason why your big master plan is going to fall apart before your very eyes. Maybe I am a little hesitant about showing off what I’ve got because it’s just not me… but I’m not afraid to stand up to someone trying to ruin my life and what makes me happy by calling them out on their BS, and if that means beating you at your own game… so be it.
After all, we’ve already established that you can’t handle the punchline coming from me, so I guess the only thing left to you is see this joke you think you’re going to create fall flat. After all… all flash and no substance only gets you so far, and I don’t have to have what you have to know that even a cliché like ‘true love always wins’ holds more weight than you could ever understand. All you wanted was a chance… I would’ve suggested giving Aaron a chance to get to know you first, but even if he didn’t have me in his life you’ve already shown everything we’d need to know, and to make this clear one last time: he’s not interested and I’m not going anywhere.”
Liane carefully makes her way off the stage at this point as Aaron stands up to meet her, the two of them embracing in a gentle and caring kiss as we fade out. No matter what Scarlet wants to believe, this is the picture that holds more power than anything she could claim to offer, and Liane doesn’t need to take off all her clothes to prove it. But if Scarlet really wants to stack the deck in her favor, she’s going to make sure that crimson-haired harlot is the only one serving as the butt of this joke when all is set and done.