“No need to apologize, girl.” Veronica said eventually, her words followed by a soft sigh. The actress averted her gaze, secretly hoping that would be it, yet the woman she recognized to be Raven Sweetser’s daughter didn’t give up. It was funny how because of Diva’s dysfunctional family Veronica told herself she shouldn’t miss hers as much– considering how complicated those relations could be. Chocolate orbs were back on the other when V heard her speak again and without a word, she scooted a bit, allowing her to do it herself. Once the charger was plugged in, she took another sip of her tea. “How’s your mother?”
charlotte, always the people pleaser, would not have normally pursued the issue when faced with harsh words, but that deep rooted trait in her had two very specific overrides : the FIRST being anything to do with her photography, that perfect shot was worth whatever embarrassing thing she had to go through ; and the SECOND would be anything pertaining to her MOTHER. she had intended to drop the interaction once her computer was safely plugged in, but the day clearly had other ideas. eyes remain trained on her screen, mouse clicking but not really doing much work because she’s DISTRACTED now. “ you probably know that better than me, ” charlotte says matter-of-fact,“ last i heard she was back in la doing who knows what with i don’t care. ”
Veronica took the sip of her warm, unsweetened tea and let the taste soothe her soar throat. All the while she kept her gaze focused out the window; the world outside the small coffee shop seemed much more interesting anyway. The soft sound coming from the nearby table stole some of her attention and her gaze flickered to its source. Having heard the other’s plea, Veronica first set her cup down and then arched an eyebrow. “Portable laptop batteries are not that expensive. And from what I hear, you could use one.” Remarked she before she let her stern gaze drift away. The brunette took a deep breath before hearing herself speak once again. “If I let you sit here, you’d keep on staring at the screen and miss this beautiful view. If I let you sit here, I would miss it. And we can’t have that.”
charlotte’s smile freezes and drops ever so slightly on her face at the harsh reply. she hadn’t really expected to be told NO, and the nature of the reply ---- well, it reminds her a little of her MOTHER and that’s brings anything but fond associations. as soon as her smile slips, it’s back however, albeit a little more stiff ( the kind she reserves for clients she’s almost certainly going to say NO to ). “ SORRY ---- ” she says softly, closing her laptop at the same time in hopes of making that last FIVE percent of battery last as long as possible ( she doesn’t have very high hopes, the battery’s been going for the last month or so ). “ i’ll keep that in mind for the future, ” she adds diplomatically, “ but since i don’t think i can get one in the next five minutes, can you at least plug my charger in ? ----- PLEASE ? ”
this morning’s coffee run wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he had pictured it to be. one, for this early in the morning, it was already quite hot and humid and two, good coffee was promised and the awful lukewarm beverage that was currently steaming from a cup in front of him didn’t live up to its reputation. needless to say, this didn’t exactly help raise eli’s spirits for the rest of the day. reaching for the cup, albeit reluctantly, he carefully started to sip from the HORRID liquid as he continued to scroll through the washington post app on his phone. he only briefly looks up from his screen as he overhears a muttered curse somewhere beside him, lips curving upwards into a small smile before he turns back to his screen. perhaps he wasn’t the only one who was suffering so early in the morning. ❝ forgot to charge your laptop before leaving, huh? ❞ he utters with a smile as he glances at the other. ❝ you know, they say it’s smart to save your progress every once in a while. ❞ but he reaches for his cup as he speaks, sliding from his seat to make some room. ❝ go ahead, the seat and the outlet’s yours. ❞
“ i ----- i GUESS ; i think it just has a life of its own. ” in reality, the battery is probably going, it’s what she gets for not buying the expensive brand name charger when her last one broke. she offers the man a friendly smile as he starts to move though, dutifully grabbing her laptop and charger to fill the vacated space. “ THANKS though ; would’ve hated to leave. this is really the best section to work in here. ” it’s true, it’s bright and cheery and offers a quick beeline for refills when she needs them --- besides, they definitely have the best cafe au lait within walking distance of her apartment ( and it doesn’t break the bank ). “ i DO back everything up now ---- ” she taps the tiny usb you can barely see sticking out of the side of her laptop, “ guess i learned the hard way about that ---- but i’m still a little paranoid about it. ”
celia’s nearly falling asleep on top of her coffee cup, eyes drooping precariously low as her mind swears that her eyes will only be shut for just a moment. it’s what she deserves, really, she knew the responsibility of taking on a client with a new born puppy, but she’d been so captivated by its cute looks that she’d forgotten how much work it was. she’d ended up staying up until sunrise worrying over the tiny thing.
it’s only when someone speaks to her that she sits upright, eyes blinking wildly for a moment before they settle upon a beautiful girl. for a moment celia doesn’t know what to say, and she almost sputters ( because who just walked around looking that pretty? ), but finally she regains her composure.
“of course!” she chirps, smiling at the other as she grabs her things and slides off the much too tall seat. “wouldn’t want your work to go to waste. don’t forget to save, wrote an essay once and the computer crashed, so i feel ‘ya,” she laughs nervously, waiting for the girl to scoot over.
charlotte is too focused on furiously clicking the SAVE button to notice the small dilemma happening beside her, but she looks over with a cheery smile as her request is granted. her charger is out in a blink of an eye, a bit of scrambling done to get it plugged in as soon as humanly possibly. it’s only after she’s positive her laptop is safely charging that she returns her attention to her new neighbor, “ thank you SO much --- you’re a lifesaver, you have no idea. i swear it decides to die at the most INCONVENIENT times. ”
she has taken to saving most everything on a usb drive ever since that one great meltdown but still, she’s paranoid --- starting from scratch on this particular shoot in particular is something she would GREATLY like to avoid. “ i’m CHARLOTTE, by the way --- ” she adds, attention wavering slightly as she gets a message notification on her screen. “ --- can i get you a coffee or something for the trouble ? ”
renier so often turns down flashy events, and photographs taken at every art museum he works at, that he’s forgotten how good it feels to have his work admired. or, perhaps, it’s due to the fact that he’s been working so independently with customers that he’s been oblivious to the outside world who does like his art. either or, the annoyance that he was feeling towards his movers dissipates quickly at the younger girls rambling, and he offers her a smile in return.
“i’m the artist,” he replies with a nod, gazing down at her for another short moment before turning to his men and motioning for them to get out of the way. renier himself promptly steps aside so that she has a wide frame to work with, and motions for her to go fourth with her picture.
“s’fine, not really an avid instagram user,” he chuckles, just the thought of using the app makes his head spin. he’s already got so much trouble outside of technology, he can’t imagine the head ache it would bring into his life if he did use it.
“renier vitalli, by the way,” he introduces himself, hand outstretched for her to take. “would love to see some of your photos, if you have time.”
“ thank you ! ” charlotte brightens as he gives her the all clear, hands almost immediately moving in a flurry of precise motions. her bag drops temporarily forgotten to the sidewalk, camera raised to her eye and the world FALLS away. it’s exactly how she pictured it, some odd juxtaposition between the lines of the statue and buildings reaching into the sky above. she ends up on the ground as some point, hair splayed against the concrete, lens pointed upward as she works to get just the RIGHT perspective. it’s a little sheepishly that she peels herself back up, fiddling with the buttons as she examines the shots as best she can on the tiny screen.
“ well ---- just to HAVE, if you’d like then. you never know when it might be useful. ” there’s another smile as she picks her bag back up and runs a hand through wavy hair to make sure she didn’t get anything off the street tangled in it ( GROSS ), and then another shifting of movement as she hastens to shake the artist’s hand. “ charlotte, ” she says, “ --- madden. and i definitely have the time. ” the LAST thing she wants is to do right now is go home and dive right back into the freelance shot she just wrapped up, “ it’s the least i can do for your work taking my mind off the engagement photoshoot from hell. ”
he’s looking down at his clipboard, pen tapping against his thigh impatiently as he waits for his men outside to bring in his latest piece. bigger than what he usually does, but certainly one of his prouder achievements. glancing up at the foyer and the curious looks he’s beginning to get, ren grumbles under his breath, annoyed at how slow the movers are working today. stepping outside to check up on them, he nearly shouts when he’s found that they haven’t even moved an inch from the truck yet.
“what’s taking so long? people need to get through. we’re taking up too much room,” he says, then notices the bystander clearly talking to one of his men. “what’s going on?” ren asks, stepping in to hopefully clear up the situation. “sorry, did he say something to you?” he addresses the other, back turned to his workers.
the thing about inspiration is that it can strike and any and every moment ; it’s one of the reason charlotte never goes anywhere without a camera on her. she’s on her way back from a rather miserable freelance gig when she sees IT. the shot is already perfectly panned out in her minds eye, fingers already wandering to the bag with her camera. “ excuse me--- ” she begins, proceeding to try to ask one of the workers bustling around the sculpture. the moment is another one where her anxiety over social interaction and her desire to get that damn perfect shot are at complete odds with each other ; she near about leaves when she seems to get no where with the uninterested mover when a new voice chimes in.
“ oh ---um--- ” charlotte turns to the taller newcomer, brown eyes flicking between the sculpture and him. “ are you the artist ? i was just asking if it was okay to take a photo ? it’s what i do. photos, i mean. i know how some artists feel about photographing work and i wasn’t sure if it was done or not, but well, i just like the contrast of the city context and the way it frames everything— ” she’s rambling, she realizes, and forcefully cuts off her own words. “ anyway, if you let me i can send it to you, if you want. just to have, in case you wanted it for an ad or insta post or something. ”
// OPEN ! // summer days stretch on with little sense of time, the lack of a real schedule making it EASY for them to run together in a tangle of blurry and crystal clear moments. charlotte’s taken to rising early in the summer to try to beat the oppressing heat, however, though her walk from apartment to the cafe she frequents still feels too hot and humid for her liking. even in the summer, she has plenty of photos to sort through and edit, some for clients, some for her own entertainment or pitches. so she slides a bit breathless up to the cafe bar, laptop plucked from her bag and finger deftly working to pick up where she left off. it’s only a few minutes later until she’s rudely interrupted, screen dimming and message popping up on her screen to proclaim the battery is critically low. with a muttered curse she looks around, a soft clearing of her throat evident as she leans toward the other, “ um — sorry, but do you mind switching seats? i need an outlet and — ” she gestures at her laptop screen, “ well, last time it ran dead i lost two days of work. ”
location: some bar where everything smells like leather and there’s edison bulbs. bougie af.
freddie leaned on one elbow at the bad, his glass of whiskey in the other. it was quickly growing warm in the dc heat wave as he swirled it, deep in thought. the day hadn’t been particularly taxing (otherwise he could have been drinking at home), but he felt the energy drain from him faster than anticipated. moments later, he felt a presences in the stool beside him and straightened his posture, sipping absentmindedly from the whiskey glass.
“this heatwave is going to kill us all,” he says in a light, conversational tone. “but at least it’s not an ice age.”
charlotte, to say the least, was NOT fond of the heat. there was probably a good reason she spent four years traipsing around the northeast states and canada, made most of her career photographing a sport played on ICE, and blatantly refused to permanently go any farther south than the capitol city. the bar offers a little reprieve she’s grateful for ; the inside blissfully dark and cool and her cocktail refreshingly cold against her fingers.
she gives a breathy laugh and offers a friendly smile at the man, tipping her glass toward him in greeting, “ to be honest, i think i’d rather have the ice age. ”
hey guys!! i’m lake. char here is an old muse of mine but inspiration for her suddenly came back to me and i’m very excited to revive her again!!
⧼ crystal reed. female. she/her. ⧽ — ❛ is that charlotte madden walking around the streets of the nation’s capital? or are we mistaken her for that celebrity again, wouldn’t be the first time it happened. luckily for us, we can clearly see the difference because she is a twenty-nine year old photographer. after three years in the washington metropolitan area we discovered they are friendly and malleable. let’s hope they stick around to find out more. ⧼ lake. 20. est. they/them. ⧽
BASICS
Full Name: Charlotte Marie Madden
Nicknames: Char, Charzy, Mads, Lottie
Date of Birth: October 10, 1989 (29)
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, CA
Gender: female
Sexuality: Bisexual
Languages: English
Education: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ( photography, journalism, advertising )
Occupation: photographer
daughter of superstar actress raven sweetser and has been trying to run from that pretty much all her life. things weren’t always bad though. in charlotte’s early childhood she looked up to her mother and idolized her even –wanted to be just like her. they acted in a few things together and for a while, things were really good.
however charlotte never had the same love and passion for being in front of crowds and the camera –the love for acting and putting on different personas– that her mother did. she could feel their mother’s time and energy begin to grow more strict and overbearing on her, she tried to fight it, but it seemed no matter what she did she was not good enough nor was she happy.
eventually she gave up. it was a multitude of things: feeling like her mother’s gaze was going right through her, realizing her mother was someone she didn’t want to idolize anymore ( more self-centered, more bitchy, more centered on someone who was a star, the best, instead of charlotte’s mother ). it wouldn’t be long after that her mother would get another big break and charlotte would be fully cast aside (age 13).
it was their father that gave charlotte her first camera after a long tearful conversation about being feeling ignored and neglected. ( ‘oh child’ by robin schulz kinda... like the lyric ‘ oh child, just do what you love, ‘cause you won’t get this life again ’ ouch ). the story goes, charlotte picked up a camera and all but disappeared. poetic, really, that one madden woman would live her live in front of cameras and the other behind it.
armed with a new love and spiteful, charlotte cast her gaze around for something that was as far away from acting and hollywood, and (perhaps with a bit of her father’s help) her eyes landed on sports —in hockey in particular. here was something with a different fast pace from the shuffle of their mother’s whirlwind life. her final piece was shedding her mother’s surname and taking her father’s instead.
charlotte madden did so much better behind the camera than in front and it brought her to the university of michigan - ann arbor and spit her out four years later with degrees in photography, journalism, and advertising, and lucrative connections in the hockey industry. these were connections born of hard work and her sweet and polite personality, a permanent gig through her four years shooting the michigan men’s hockey team, internships with the kings over the summer, close friends on the team who had been drafted, who would be drafted…
four years away at college and mostly away from the drama of her home hold changed charlotte for the better. she became more confident after her confidence had been shattered through her adolescent and high school years due to neglect. she still has fears about not being good enough, but she absolutely loves what she does.
upon graduation, she would bounce around between covering minor league teams going anywhere but HOME before she would take up a part time position with the washington capitols, which would soon turn into a full-time job ( during the season, anyway ) not long after. she has been working with them for three years now.
MISC
charlotte’s relationship with her mother is extremely strained to say the least. when she quit acting her mother tried to get back into it and then ignored her. when she turned to photographing sports her mother was distraught ( ‘because how could someone so beautiful turn to taking pictures of sports of all things’ ), but charlotte was set on the path she saw for herself.
holidays are rough in the madden household to say the least.
almost no one calls her lottie. it’s something that her mom calls her in an attempt to make her feel closer and she will never have good connotations with the nickname. she prefers her full name, but those very close to her have the privilege of calling her char.
kill ‘em with kindness. charlotte’s demeanor is very sweet and polite, but don’t be fooled, she has a spine and isn’t a complete pushover. much of that is practiced, at her very core she’s still very scared of people not liking her —hence why she’s so kind all the time. if people could hear the arguments she gets into with her mother, they might not ever believe it.
charlotte doesn’t tell anyone who her mother is. these days it’s better off that she’s not related to her. she built her own career by herself and doesn’t want people to think that her mother had fucking shit to do with it.
she does freelance work in the summer and during the season as well to help pay her way.
CONNECTIONS !
someone she knew from LA or her childhood? idk.
someone who is actually a big fan of her mother but has no idea charlotte is her daughter
fellow sports fans who maybe like... see her shooting at games??
friends from ann-arbor
this is weirdly specific but someone who has like a stranger crush on her? someone who sees her around frequently and just.... has a stranger crush on her if you know what i mean?
im always a sucker for hockey players that charlotte shoots during games
idk anything really. i am an open book. hmu for fun times.
her little commentary brings an amused SMILE to his lips and rafael’s brows rise upwards in agreement . ❝ i suppose that’s true , ❞ he shrugs . at her response to his suggestion , the older tilts his head at the girl , eyes narrowing slightly in feigned OBSERVANCE . ❝ hm , i agree . you definitely look like a john , but you seem like the upbeat type so .. maybe johnny would work better . ❞
“ hmmm --- ” charlotte nods in thoughtful agreement, “ jonny. without the h. i think it could be quite classy. ” she raises her latte as if in a toast and takes a sip ( ouch ---hot ). “ i’ll go get it changed right after this, never mind what i had planned for the day. ” she checks her watch, gives a glance at the empty drink pick up counter, “ so what name are you avoiding having misspelled? ”
it’s early enough that the place is still quiet and still. one of her regulars, a man with a laptop who always orders the largest possible chair tea and a croissant, is tucked away in his corner table and tapping away at his keys. other than that it’s just eliza and one of the part-timers in the back and the soft thrum of string instruments playing in the background. eyes lift from the news app on her phone when the bells above the door ring and a bright smile overtakes eliza’s face. “morning, char.”
“ keeping the regulars happy? ” asks charlotte, teasing smile on her face ---eliza harper would never do anything BUT the best for her customers. “ how’ve you been? wanna see something? ” a quick gaze around the still sleeping morning crowd confirms she won’t be holding up anyone and she plucks her camera from her bag.
“oh? guess it’s good i didn’t waste my time trying to pawn it off, then. luckily my schedule’s too busy today for a stop,” he joked, the corner of his lips quirked up. “glad to help, though. how do you wear those rings?” bobby had tried to wear a promise ring back in high school - or, really, he’d been forced to by his then-girlfriend, but it hadn’t lasted very long. it never felt comfortable. “just… i’m impressed, that’s all.” he let out a quiet laugh, his head tilted curiously. “do you do it just for fashion’s sake, or do they actually have some sentimental value to them?” as always, bobby couldn’t just do something and go on with his day - he always had far too many questions to follow.
“ not too busy to chase after someone to return it, though. ” charlotte points out with a smile, slipping the ring back onto her finger. she flexes her hands once before one settles on the strap of her back, shoulders rising in a shrug. “ i like rings ---they’re easy and don’t get hidden like necklaces and bracelets, y’know? ” charlotte can appreciate the curiousness this man has, the journalist in her especially can, anyway. “most of them are cheap ---just the one you picked off the sidewalk has any emotional value, ironically. murphy’s law, right? my friend gave it to me as a gag gift --- kinda stupid that i always wear it.” she lets out a shaky laugh and gives the stranger another smile.
charlotte has always loved sunrise even if she didn’t always love rising early. it’s more habit now to rise with the sun and with a mug of coffee between his hands watch pink and orange paint itself across a grey dawn before giving away to early norming. not long after she pulls on a too-large flannel to ward off the coolness of the morning and makes the commute to the little café that has long come to mean so much to her. little bells tinkle overhead and charlotte takes in a deep, sweet breath before making her way to the counter, wide smile on her face. “ g’morning, liza. ”
the tapping of a needle against a small ink - FILLED tube is what pops the fragile bubble of silence , filling the air once again with the buzzing sound perrie loved so much . her small hands add final touches – SHADES and D O T S that she’d like to think other artists would ignore . “ so that’s why you look so familiar , ” even with her suspicions confirmed , she couldn’t care much . “ not much of a hockey fan myself . i’m not from around here though , so maybe i just haven’t beenbrainwashed into like it . ” a blank stare pierces through her client’s skull, eyes saying harshly ‘not my type’ entirely unprompted whilst her hands direct him to the cash register . “ but you – ” she now looked at the photographer with slight admiration . “ you sound like you’re from here . LOOK it too , ” a pause “ but in a good way . ”
charlotte shoots off a last burst of photos though she’s almost positive that none of them will be used for nothing but her own entertainment. a smile tugs at her mouth in amusement as she glimpses at becks’ affronted look frozen on the small screen of her camera. “ i think when you’re canadian, it’s already in your blood. vancouver’s a big city, though. he can get by going unrecognized well enough; just a lil nobody, eh? ” it’s fondness that colors her voice, however, hands lowering her camera to hang from its strap around her neck, one giving becks a gentle comforting touch on the bicep as he passes. gaze lowers to the tattoo artist ( a SWEET looking thing, though charlotte’s always had a knack for not reading people for surface level, there’s this edge to her voice ). “ but i’m vancouver born and raised, yeah— ” confirms charlotte, eyes crinkling with another smile, head cocking to one side in a curious motion, “ and where would you be from? ”
