tonight!

milan arora. 38. news anchor @ ABC.

[milanarora]

honorablekeenear​:

After purchasing her first very own apartment (instead of renting) KK made a promise to herself to always have flowers whenever she was home. Thankfully NY wasn’t a long ways from DC this allowed her more time to prep for courses at NYU and look over some legislature. Clad in only a pair of boot cut jeans, Doc Martins and a vintage Brown University hoodie Kyle looked vastly different from her Congresswoman persona. It still allowed her a bit of anonymity, though that was proving to be more and more complicated with her features on MSNBC, CNN, and various social media. “Hm?” Kyle’s brows raised as she was transported from her thoughts. One settled on a sweet memory of her mother with tulips. It was too cold for tulips. Raising her hands in defense, “Don’t look at me about marriage or advice in any relationship,” a string of bad luck on the dating scene had made the congresswoman slightly celibate at the moment. “Oh…no..” shaking her head, “You are woefully unpracticed in the art of curating a bouquet,” KK laughed. “Are you going to an 80′s prom with those colors?” Glancing around the perfectly manicured flower shoppe she nibbled her bottom lip brows furrowed in intense creativity. “Okay…here it is,” holding out the creation to him as a present Kyle explained, “Dahlia…some roses…a few woodland grasses, wildflowers, and eucalyptus, why not only look great but smell great too,” she smiled - as she locked eyes with him a brow raised. Of course he was a news anchor, shit.

.

“ congresswoman! ” he says, pleasantly surprised. anyone who paid attention knows who she is -- kyle keenear. or kk, as he heard she sometimes goes by. just one k away from being america’s guiltiest pleasure, he had once joked in the safety of trusted company, people who would find that sort of thing funny. “ i almost didn’t recognise you, ” he says, accepting the bouquet. “ thank you. ” he twists it around, side to side, looking pleased with himself. if this doesn’t do the trick, then he would have caught his wife in a bad mood. they will have dinner on the same table then spend the rest of the evening separately. but he’s confident that tonight they will fall asleep in each other’s arms -- he just has a good feeling! it certainly has nothing to do with what he picked up on from the congresswoman’s words, which he feels the need to address: “ i find it very hard to believe you have bad luck in relationships if you’re able to put this together just like that. ” no one should end up alone! “ this is the bouquet of a true romantic. ”

[milanarora]

emineav​:

-

She hadn’t been married but it was someone’s birthday party at the office and after hearing people mention getting flowers, here she was trying to decipher this whole thing. “You’re lucky, the person you’re buying flowers for will love you even if you get the wrong type. I’m trying to buy something for a coworker who doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of me right now, and if I screw these flowers up, I probably won’t be getting any closer to being on her good side.”

in that case, he wasn’t lucky at all. it wasn’t a debate on whether his wife would still love him or not, but he doesn’t think she would particularly care. but, for once, he doesn’t want to make this about himself. “ well, if you need any assistance, i’d be glad to help. ” but now he’s curious, because he loves gossip, even if from a complete stranger, and he really doesn’t mean to pry but ... “ can i ask what the beef is with your coworker? because, well, i might be wrong but flowers doesn’t sound like the solution here. ”

[milanarora]

leemalkovich​:

—

Lee stares down at the bouquet in utter British shock — hand to heart, and all. “Oh, I absolutely loathe hydrangeas.” And to the unassuming florist, “He obviously doesn’t know that.” 

“Now that depends, darling — is your valentine a teenage lass?” A hand unceremoniously meets a hip. Edna Mode gives her blessings, upon the way he regards the presented flowers. They might as well be capes. “Pink? Like bloody Peppa Pig?” 

.

what a-- he sighs. no, he shouldn’t say it, not even internally, but if it talks like a duck and walks like a duck ... -- bitch. he looks between the tall man and the florist. all he needs to do is smile, be polite and this moment could be over before it even started. 

“ yeah, but it’s fine. she’s turning eighteen next month, ” he says, genial, playing into the joke. “ sure, sure, there’s peppa pig. there’s also pink panther, which is sexier. ” he shrugs. “ why? you don’t like pink? pink is cool. ” harry styles said so!

[milanarora]

xuanduan​:

Working in customer service for years, yet the little naive and approval-seeking kid inside her still preens every time a customer nod in approval and beam. When the man looks at the flowers, and turns to her with a playful smile, Xuan can only helplessly mirrors, to her great embarrassment. She has to tamp down the childish glee and gestures at the cash register.

"Shall I wrap this up for you now, then? Or we can pot them, if you prefer." Xuan says. "We also have scented candles on sale, would you like to check them out? You'd love them." She wants to scurry along and cut off her own rambling before the bubbling excitement gets the better of her.

When she blurts out a question fishing for the man's identity confirmation, she's already half-expecting him to play coy like most B- or C-listers. Indeed, he does exactly that -- denying and laughing at himself as if that would cover up the smugness in his voice. She laughs, too, eyes curve into thin half-moons. Her hands clasp together in front of her chest.

"You're right. How could I've mistaken you for Milan Arora. You've better beard, better face, and a significantly better head of hair compared to him."

“ please, ” he says gratefully. at her next comment, his smile widens into something a little more knowing, like: of course! you’re not a fan, you just want to sell more things. the things that should humble him, however, usually don’t.

“ where’s your manager? ” he starts off as if he’s having a karen moment, until his gaze lands on her again and chuckles lightly, “ i want to tell them they should give you a fat bonus, or even a promotion! ” he makes a hand gesture, accepting her offer to see whatever products he will probably end up gifting his cleaner.

he makes a face of mock offence, drawing his brows together and forming a little pout. “ hey now, if he overheard you saying those things, he’d be really upset. remember: be kind. ”

[ludomalatesta]

OPEN STARTER !! LOCATION :   NYE EVENT @ HUDSON YARDS

Sobriety isn’t necessarily a goal, nor even a resolution, right now, but general improvement is. She’s been doing well  ( like, really well — ask anyone — )  in terms of cutting her usage down, but it’s New Year’s Eve. 

So, Ludovica finds herself in a familiar predicament: fumbling in her tiny purse for the rolled up $100 bill she’s already made use of tonight, two neat white lines cut up on the compact mirror in front of her. “Where the f– ”  In the midst of mumbling to herself, the chill of a draft against her bare legs suddenly becomes apparent. Ludo throws a careless glance over her shoulder and spots the door hanging ajar. “Close that fucking door please, would you? Come in, go— I don’t care, but it’s freezing. Pick one.” 

[milanarora]

how expensive could she really be? and why was he fucking paying for it?!

in the new year, he needed to get better friends. he follows the directions outlined in the text, smiling and greeting people as he walked past, until the very last turn. he checks to see if he’s in the clear before opening the door and then--

huh? 

he blinks. why does she look familiar? he could not let it show. wherever he recognised her from wasn’t a place he could be acquainted with. before he closes the door, his head pops out to make sure he hasn’t gotten the wrong door. “ sorry, do you want my jacket? ” he offers, then realises he is going to have to ask for it back, hopefully, only minutes later. too late. “ uh, so, my buddy, joel, you were with him earlier. he had an emergency and had to leave-- ” is she doing coke because it was that bad? god. well, who is he to judge. “ --but i can cover him for tonight. ” hopefully it’s just tonight. he reaches for his wallet. “ how much does he owe you? ”

[alandietrich]

     context: new year’s eve @ hudson yard      with: open !!

     Alan squinted, pulling the bottle away from his face as if that would help him read better. After a moment, he let out a light whistle and set it back on the bar. “It’s not American,” he pointed at one of the corners of the label as he shook his head. Normally, he wouldn’t mind, but with the campaign coming up… “I should start drafting an apology right now,” he joked, finally turning away from the bar and taking a generous gulp of his freshly poured beer.

[milanarora]

“ it’s not american! ” he repeats to the bar, bouncing the words back to them with a spin of his own, perhaps a little mocking, but mostly to draw out hearty laughter to match his own. propping an arm up against the bar top, he takes a sip of his own drink, a gin and tonic. “ let me squeeze some juice out of it first: speechwriter drinks beer that is not american, ” he motions his hands to visualise a headline, “ what’s next, samsung over apple? no doubt the viewers will be gripped. ”

[milanarora]

xuanduan​:

Xuan Duan slides her gaze away from scrutinizing the man’s face to the flowers in his hands, her mouth automatically draws up into a friendly grin.

“You’ve a good eye, good Sir. The light blue of the hydrangeas contrast well with both the coral and pink roses,” she says, anyway, putting her scissors into the front pocket of her apron. Turning, she pulls out a branch of pink astilbes, coral bells and sweetspire each, and holds them up to the flowers in the customer’s hand. “We can wrap them with these for you, too. They compliment the hydrangeas and will make an interesting bouquet.”

She knows what she’s supposed to say. Asking for the occasion, the recipient, the meanings behind the gifts, some random comments on the colour combinations, yadi yada yada. She has been working as a florist for a few weeks – she knows the drills. But, frankly, she could care less about that.

She shifts on her heels and narrows her eyes a bit. “Are you Milan Arora from the ABC News?”

“ that’s exactly what i thought, ” he says. why should he pick one or the other, when he could just have both? when she turns around, for a brief moment he thinks that’s the end of the conversation. eyes blink rapidly -- that’s it? it’s as if he was disappointed, since people are usually more interested in him, because when he sees her grabbing other flowers, the look on his face reads: of course.

“ let’s have a look ... ” he takes a step to stand by her side so he could position the hydrangeas and roses in an arrangement he’d like to see. “ i like it, ” he says, looking at the flowers. then, he turns to the florist, a boyish smile on his lips, “ i like it a lot. ”

the question doesn’t come as a surprise -- he prefers being recognised for the news more than anything on his imdb. truth is, he loves being recognised all the same. the curling of his lips comes from practice, as if he’s humble enough to be cool about it. “ oh no, no way. i hate that guy, ” he laughs. “ i have way better hair than him, don’t you think? ” lifts his chin to show off his hairline. 

[milanarora]

avamhollis​:

.

     Watching men struggle had always been entertaining. Milan didn’t seem to be an exception, either. Her order was being prepared and wrapped in the back, so she’d taken a comfortable spot by a column, leaning against her side. “Five years into a marriage and you don’t know what flowers they like?” She looked him up and down and assumed: straight. With a hum, she pushed herself off the wall and approached him, peering at the options from over his shoulder. “Coral.” Pause. “What’s the occasion?”

.

“ ha! if only it were that simple! ” a good-natured laugh leaves him, even spreading his arms open as she inspects him, though it’s a beat too late. always bad with timing. “ the occasion is-- ” he pauses, brows raised as if to say: wait for it... “ --no occasion. ” they’re apology flowers. “ these are: i-picked-them-up-on-the-way-home-because-i-thought-of-you flowers. do you know what i mean? ” she probably doesn’t, but he’ll keep that to himself. “ it’s been five years. i can’t get her the same thing every time. ” it’s said like a humble-brag. “ now, with that in mind, are you still team coral or pink? ”

[milanarora]

STARTER  FOR:  everyone SETTING: a florist in manhattan, anytime 

is someone taking a photo of him? it certainly feels like it. muscles relax, showing the face of someone content. “ five years into a marriage and this still confuses me, ” he says, to the person nearest to him. “ what do you think? these hydrangeas-- ” he holds them in one hand, they’re light blue, “ with the coral roses, pink roses or both? ” he holds the roses in the other, twisting his wrist so they can observe the colour combinations.

[koffeewithkjo]

[milanarora]

— BASICS

Name: Milan Arora  Age / D.O.B.: 37 / 1st August 1984 Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Cismale, he/him, heterosexual Hometown: New York City, New York Affiliation: Media Job position: News Anchor @ ABC Education: Harvard, BA (PoliSci) Relationship status: Engaged Children: None Positive traits: Outgoing, Fun-loving, Generous, Confident, Personable Negative traits: Vain, Immature, Irresponsible, Self-absorbed, Dramatic

— BIOGRAPHY

The Arora dynasty -- their bloodline can be traced back to Indian nobility where their wealth primarily came from land, property and gold.

The decision to settle in America came from Milan’s grandfather. Him and his two brothers decided to branch out and America was the perfect playground for them to build on.

It didn’t come without struggles, finding their place in rich white America wasn’t easy, but they were able to establish their standing through hard work and the help from connections, and now the family are able to enjoy their prominence.

Now they share the blueprint of the typical, American old money family, with a finger in every pie: business, politics, law, entertainment and the media.

Milan’s dad took over the family business, one of the biggest privately owned conglomerates in the world, whilst his mom is a retired actress. They are known for their political and investing activities, creating a network of donors with like-minded individuals.

As a child, it was obvious Milan was never academically driven. He loved to have fun, spend time with his friends, and got distracted too easily. His grades were above average, but he lacked the ambition to excel, to be the best of the best. And that’s where he fell short of expectations.

Harvard was the obvious choice for him, though it has never occurred to him that he was only accepted because of his family name. 

A classic nepotism baby who thinks his hard work is the same as everyone else’s hard work. He did everything the ‘right’ way, started from the bottom and worked his way up to the top, though essentially he has had his foot in the door since birth.

As time went on, it became clear Milan would not follow the path his parents had planned for him. That wasn’t for a lack of trying, however. He wanted to be taken seriously, to be the star of the family and impress everyone with his accolades. Unfortunately, he just loved people too much. Attention, validation. Fame. And so, he went into media. More specifically, the news.

Once he finally reached the screen, the reviews were great. He was loved! He boosted ratings. He started off as a substitute, then became a news anchor, from overnight shows to morning shows, and then finally getting his own morning news slot at ABC as a co-anchor.

His engagement was informally arranged. Milan has always known he would marry Simran. Their families were close, it was talked about openly, as though it was expected of them but it was their choice, and Milan had no desire to let anyone down. Besides, Simran has always been so pretty!

Their relationship began after graduating from Harvard. It started off like a dream, he fell for her fast. But when the time came to announce their engagement, Milan had his reservations but he was determined to make it work. It was clear neither of their hearts were truly in it, but it was convenient.

Simran decided to make it work for them, making their relationship very public, crafting this picture perfect image for themselves. With both of their jobs placing them in the limelight, it was one thing to be good but another to be likeable. People became invested in them, in their relationship and it helped attract viewers and increase ratings.

Milan has always liked this side to her. It makes him feel like they are on the same page. Their families are always about image, intensely so. Rarely does a scandal ever reach the light, and it’s nice to know that this doesn’t scare her off. She has always been by his side, despite all of his fuck ups, and he couldn’t be more grateful. Every now and again, he’s sure he’s still in love with her, but then they’ll fight, or he’ll have a conversation with a total stranger, and he’s back to square one.

For now, however, it works for him but he has bigger goals. Doing the news on ABC is only a stepping stone. He wants the prime time slot at CNN, by himself, where he would be taken a little more seriously. Reporting real news to real people. 

A lot of his critics complain he is only there through nepotism, that he is more of a celebrity than a news anchor (they’re not wrong, he loves a good hashtag), his family have high expectations of him (to achieve more than what he would’ve achieved had he become a politician), so he has a lot to prove and he is starting to feel the pressure.

However, he has made many mistakes along the way, things that could come out and ruin his reputation: drugs, strip club, cheating, friends with gang members. Every day he wakes up and fears it will leak and this has made him incredibly restless. He wants to bury all leads before progressing in his career and with that he’ll need to enlist the help of some friends.

Personality wise, Milan channels the Kardashian spirit. Loves social media. He is Cringe but he is free. He loves attention, obsessed with validation, and loves to be liked. Honestly portrays himself as someone who is super down-to-earth, relatable, one of the ‘people’. In some ways, he is naïve, genuinely tends to see the good in others and has a fairly big heart. He’ll talk to anyone he bumps into on the street, and if they thought of him poorly beforehand then it’s likely they would’ve changed their minds. But he is inherently selfish. If he wants something, he’ll go for it, and if it hurts someone along the way, he’ll simply regret it after.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

SIMRAN - His wife. Most of the details are in the bio but happy to flesh them out a bit more. The general vibe is they have a strained relationship but it’s too late to back out now and it is convenient. To the public, they have a perfect relationship, the kind that people always post like ‘if they break up then true love isn’t real’. At home, they’re hot or cold with each other. They fight and the love is barely there. This has lead to Milan seeking it elsewhere and Simran doesn’t know about it, or if she does then Milan doesn’t know that she knows, and honestly she could be cheating on him too. But it is vital that it doesn’t come out. 

GHOST WRITER - Milan isn’t stupid but he definitely wouldn’t be where he is now without the influence from his family. He isn’t underqualified per se but he has the help of interns, assistants, journalists who write his questions for him beforehand and he rarely goes off script. This could be someone who either enjoys their job or feels very undervalued and feels like they should be in Milan’s spot.

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS - People from high society, influential families, etc. He’s social butterfly, likes to befriend everyone and is good at maintaining all those friendships. A true and loyal friend, someone who will always have your back, and will always show up at your door if you need a shoulder to cry on. That’s why it’s hard when he does eventually fuck up over a stupid mistake. 

Specifically Laurie x Jo or Laurie x Amy vibes. Anything Laurie x March family basically. 

ALMOST - Probably a childhood friend, someone he has known for a long time. Milan has always had feelings for her, and it was probably obvious to a lot of people, including her. I think it’d be spicy if it was unrequited but ofc the decision is UTP. Either way, both of them knew it could never become anything serious because of his arranged marriage, so maybe she thought he was just joking, or never took him seriously, but they managed to stay friends despite it all. He probably will always have feelings for this person. 

EXES/EX FLINGS - Self-explanatory. It could be at any stage of his life up until his marriage around 5 years ago. Could’ve ended on a good note, terrible note, maybe they haven’t managed to end it clearly so keep circling back to each other.

FIRE EMOJI - They’ve been talking in the dms and it could be passed off as friendly, but also not really. Maybe milan is reading too into it. For whatever reason, either on milan’s part or your characters, they haven’t had a chance to meet up yet. But now they’ve finally set a date...

LET LOOSE - Maybe a gang member who owns a club or a bar and Milan trusts them enough to be able to let loose in private, away from the public eye. Maybe they were friends beforehand, or maybe Milan pays them a hefty sum of money, or has even invested.

POLITICIANS - Someone whose campaign he worked on during college, or maybe they didn’t like the way he covered one of their elections, or maybe they want to befriend him to serve him well for an upcoming election.

RIVAL - Someone from a rival network who has a show at the same time as him. They are at each other’s throats. Anyone behind the scenes are aware of this but in front of the cameras they’ll smile and give each other a hug.

YOU DID WHAT - Milan likes to think he is dedicated to finding the right story but honestly he has other priorities. He likes debriefs, scripts, morning meetings whilst he’s getting his hair done. But maybe he stumbled across a story, involving a gang member or someone corrupt in a high position, and your character knows who he is and is trying to scare him into not doing anything with it.

GANG GANG - several ideas for characters involved in a gang:

Someone he met randomly, literally anywhere, and they got on and became friends. The gang member could’ve lied about what they really do for whatever reason and Milan believes it. Maybe it’s some sob story, and Milan gives them like a wad of cash thinking he’s helping them out. Has potential to be very, very funny if the truth ever comes out because he’ll just be like this.

Alternatively, someone who he was friends with but found out about their nature of work and Milan decided to cut ties with them. 

Dealers who will keep quiet but honestly Milan will also want to talk about his day

Other generic connections I haven’t listed above but as always I’m willing to brainstorm anything!