#<- known liar and character smoother

[stormage-writes]

BAM BAM CHARACTER BINGO FOR EMERALD MF

[brciniac]

(  savannah  lee  smith.  ciswoman.  she  +  her.  )  did  you  hear  ?  camilla  bennett  is  stuck  in  stonehaven  for  the  for  the  foreseeable  future  …  they've  lived  here  for  twenty  years  and  are  known  around  town  as  the  brainiac,  though  back  in  high  school  they  were  better  known  for  being  voted  most  likely  to  become  president.  if  i'm  not  mistaken,  they’re  a  twenty  two  year  old  junior  studying  law  (  i  really  hope  that  translates  well  into  their  role  as  an  archivist  in  the  ‘new  world'  ).  according  to  my  records  they  were  originally  on  the  trip  because  it  would  look  good  on  their  transcript  —  which  checks  out,  given  they’re  intelligent,  adaptable  and  conceited.  if  you’re  ever  trying  to  find  them,  your  best  bet  is  to  start  at  bell’s  bookstore  and  listen  for  someone  humming  vienna  by  billy  joel.  oh,  and  don’t  forget  to  try  calling  out  cami  or  picturing  plaid  skirts  matched  with  knee  high  socks  and  a  tight  ponytail;  the  scent  of  a  freshly  opened  book;  facial  expressions  providing  enough  evidence  of  internal  monologue  with  a  silent  tongue;  the  excessive  push  to  do  better  despite  being  the  best  you  can  be.  let's  hope  the  chaos  doesn't  get  to  them.

✗     𝖲𝖳𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖲𝖳𝖨𝖢𝖲

full  name  :  camilla  penelope  bennett.  age  :  twenty  two.  birthday  :  september  18th,  2002.  astrology  :  virgo  sun,  taurus  moon  +  aries  rising.  gender  +  pronouns  :  ciswoman  /  she  +  her.  sexual  orientation  :  bisexual  +  biromantic.  spoken  languages  :  english  +  french.  height  :  5'7.  tattoos  +  piercings  :  'stay  gold'  along  the  outside  of  her  left  arm,  sunflower  on  her  right  ankle  +  cartilage  (bar),  daith  and  belly  button.  allergies  :  lactose  intolerant  +  peanuts.  addictions  :  n/a.  drug  /  alcohol  use  :  both  socially  but  rarely  uses  drugs.  family  tree  :  jonathan  bennett  (father),  violet  bennett  (mother).  character  inspo  :  spencer  hastings  (pretty  little  liars),  rory  gilmore  (gilmore  girls),  monica  geller  (friends).

✗     𝖡𝖨𝖮𝖦𝖱𝖠𝖯𝖧𝖸

a  patient  child,  a  child  that  her  parents  never  thought  would  enter  the  world,  but  that  never  stunted  any  sense  of  love  they  had  for  their  daughter.  that  was  their  pride  and  joy,  someone  that  they  held  close  to  their  heart.  father  holding  her  up  to  show  everyone  in  his  agency  while  mother  would  pride  herself  with  photos  are  her  office.  camilla  bennett  knew  nothing  but  the  spotlight,  from  the  moment  she  was  wrapped  tightly  in  a  bundle  and  put  into  the  arms  of  her  mother.  

it  didn't  help  that  growing  up  meant  everything  was  a  competition.  if  cami  was  tired,  her  father  was  more  tired  from  running  an  agency  with  himself  and  only  himself.  if  she  had  a  headache,  her  mothers  body  ached  since  giving  birth.  once  old  enough  to  push  back  to  their  ideals,  she  was  no  longer  the  daughter  of  their  dreams;  they  saw  her  as  someone  they  needed  to  compete  with.  bringing  home  the  best  grades  in  the  class  wasn't  enough  because  she  could've  studied  harder  and  gotten  extra  points  if  she  dedicated  herself  enough.

she  tried  to  be  the  best  daughter,  bringing  him  the  best  grades,  having  outstanding  recommendations  and  even  joining  every  extracurricular  that  they  wanted  her  to  join.  she  was  burning  herself  out  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  struggling  to  stay  awake  during  the  days  and  drinking  coffee  late  into  the  evening  so  she  could  get  extra  hours  of  sleep  in  the  evenings.  but  it  never  seemed  like  it  was  enough,  her  father  saying  her  last  goal  could've  been  smoother  and  her  mother  critiquing  every  landing  she  would  make  during  gymnastics  or  ballet.

anxiety  became  her  best  friend;  biting  down  on  nails,  pulling  at  the  skin  that  was  chapped  on  her  lips,  pulling  at  her  cuticles  and  having  to  suck  the  blood  afterwards.  busying  herself  with  multiple  things  was  the  only  thing  that  could  support  the  internal  storm  brewing  …  that  was  until  she  hit  a  full  burnout.  having  fainted  in  the  hallway  at  school  due  to  dehydration  and  stress,  causing  her  parents  to  finally  get  forced  into  their  roles  of  parental  figures  …  and  mandatory  family  therapy  for  camilla  to  open  up  about  the  stress.

despite  having  to  take  many  steps  back  (no  more  ballet,  no  more  debate  and  drama,  no  more  working  overtime  and  studying  in  the  backroom),  she  didn’t  hesitate  to  submit  her  application  for  college  the  moment  she  was  able  to  with  her  transcript.  and  it  also  didn’t  stop  her  from  applying  to  one  of  the  most  competitive  programs  :  pre-law,  with  the  hopes  to  continue  into  their  law  program  and  follow  in  her  fathers  footsteps.

pre-law  had  been  something  that  she  fully  enjoyed,  even  though  there  was  so  much  to  do.  with  her  parents  constantly  checking  in,  there  was  obvious  worry  that  she  would  overwork  herself  once  again;  being  on  the  student  union,  debate  club  and  working  as  a  tutor  as  well  as  in  the  schools  bookstore  halftime  —  but  the  difference  between  then  and  now  …  cami  felt  in  her  element  and  did  not  find  herself  overstressing  over  the  small  things.

signing  up  for  the  trip  wasn’t  something  that  was  shocking  for  someone  like  cami;  although  the  panic  began  to  set  in  the  moment  realization  set  in  that  they  were  on  their  own.  cuticles  once  again  beginning  to  become  sore  from  picking,  anxiety  rising  as  each  second  passes  and  overworking  herself  seem  like  the  only  way  to  actually  handle  the  situation.

✗     𝖢𝖮𝖭𝖭𝖤𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲

confidant  /  person  [  0/1  ]  :  heavily  based  off  meredith/alex  or  cristina/meredith  where  these  two  are  closer  than  best  friends.  platonic  soulmates  that  know  that  there  is  never  going  to  be  judging  of  the  other.  these  two  are  each  others  rock  and  they  listen  and  don’t  judge.

the  one  that  got  away  [  0/1  ]  :  based  off  normal  people.  these  two  have  always  had  feelings  for  one  another  but  their  timing  is  constantly  off.  if  one  isn’t  in  a  relationship,  there’s  a  situation  stunting  them  from  actually  being  together;  right  timing  is  never  there  for  an  official  title,  but  that  doesn’t  stop  them  from  grasping  onto  each  other  when  there’s  a  moment  they  can  both  fall  into  the  sheets  and  act  like  things  are  fine

sibling  -  like  friendships  [  1/?  ]  :  cami’s  an  only  child,  this  person  would  definitely  be  someone  that  takes  cami  under  their  wing.  they’re  protective  of  each  other  but  they  also  know  when  to  keep  things  secret  to  one  another  for  their  own  sanity.

competitors  [  0/2  ]  :  think  rory  and  paris.  they  are  unlikely  friends,  and  most  days,  they  aren’t  friends  but  they  push  each  other  in  the  best  ways;  a  friendly  competition  that  pushes  them  to  be  the  best  they  can  be.

ex  friends  [  1/1  ]  :  serena  and  blair  coded  …  cami  is  a  very  flaky  person  once  her  anxiety  kicks  in  and  this  person  was  someone  that  she  loved  dearly,  however  that  didn’t  stop  her  from  pushing  them  away.  details  can  be  plots   /   mari  flores  !

other  plots  i’d  like  :  exes  on  good  terms,  exes  on  bad  terms,  friends  /  enemies  with  benefits,  friends,  people  that  she  tutors,  roommate,  first  love,  unrequited  crush  (on  either  side),  enemies  !  

[whoisleft-rp]

CONGRATULATIONS TO BREE //

// FOR EARNING THE ROLE OF EMMELINE VANCE

Please send your blog to the main within 24 hours, familiarize yourself with the FAQ, and check the blogroll for who to follow and tags to track. Your FC change request has been accepted & your application will shortly be posted in full on our members-only application archive. We’re so excited to have another character from you!

Fast Facts:

Socially, Emmeline adopted the same strategy that had done so well for her in primary school. She was quick to join in her housemates’ conversations about complex magical theory and always willing to listen to a fellow Ravenclaw run on about whatever topic held their interest at any given moment. She joined any and all of the clubs that would have her and made friends with students outside of her house as well. She even joined the quidditch team her fourth year and became something of a celebrity in her house. For a while, it looked like everything was coming up Emmeline.

Emmeline’s greatest strength is her adaptability. Even now, years after deciding she would live solely within the magical world, she can still navigate muggle society with ease and grace. It’s what’s allowed her to be a part of so many different friend groups, even if only on the fringes. She had a much smoother transition her first year at Hogwarts than many of her peers because of her easy going nature. It comes out in different ways, for one, Emmeline is a fantastic liar, able to improvise on command and come up with a plausible explanation for just about anything. 

It took Emmeline a while to realize that her wand was just reacting to the emotional turmoil within herself. Just because she had seen her parents’ divorce coming did not mean she had no feelings to process about it. In fact, it turned out she was angry. She was furious with her parents for taking so long to do what she’d always known they needed to do. As soon as she admitted that to herself, her magic started slowly coming back under her control.

Rumors:

The Good; “Emmeline Vance is always down for a good time.” Emmeline may have been a late arrival on the party scene, but what she lacked in experience she’s always made up for in enthusiasm. Emmeline will never say no to one more drink, one more dance, one more hour at a party.

The Bad; “Emmeline Vance is a fair weather friend.” While Emmeline wouldn’t describe herself as such, it’s true. She’s not one to stick around when things get tough, and she never gets close enough to anyone to really be any kind of support system.

The False; “Emmeline Vance doesn’t take anything seriously.” In fact, Emmeline takes a great many things seriously, including maintaining the illusion that her life is effortless. To an outside observer, it looks like Emmeline has it all, and that’s the way she likes it.

[normal-thoughts-official]

Do u think magnus's character has any flaw? Like something that u don't like about him? Your least favourite thing about him?

daiudhsaiudhaisdsajdsa i swear to god pasta, if i didn’t know that this was you i’d have thought that this was bait

anyway, alright, imma start this one by saying that i don’t think of “flaws” in a, like, maniqueist sense of the word, if that makes sense. a “flaw” to me doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, nor is it something that is your fault, in the christian guilt sense of the word. you know? so i just want to make that clear, i’m not condemning magnus for anything here. so i’m taking “flaw” here to mean common behaviors or personality traits that hurt others, your relationship with others, or yourself

so in that sense, i think that magnus’ greatest flaw is his struggle to communicate honestly

again, i’m not condemning him. hell, i identify with him a lot. throughout the whole story, we see magnus faking smiles, saying that it’s okay, that he’s not upset, trying to hide how he feels. he lied to alec about being alright with the loss of magic, he didn’t want alec to know about his past, he constantly pushed himself beyond his limit, almost depleted his magic a thousand times, etc. he always tried to hide when he was feeling unwell, and he struggled a lot with communicating what he wanted, what he didn’t want, what he could and couldn’t do, what his limits were

and that hurts his relationship with others, as well as himself, a lot, so i consider that his greatest flaw in that sense. i mean, it’s not like he’s that great of a liar, alec is just a dumb bitch and i remember tearing my goddamn hair out at how blind he was, but still, it’s hard to guess when you are still navigating your first relationship and you haven’t known each other for very long. and things could have been a lot smoother for the both of them if magnus didn’t struggle so much with opening up

one more time in case it wasn’t clear: I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS HIS FAULT. at this point we all know that magnus does that as both a result of his abuse, be it from Camille, Asmodeus, or the shadowhunters in general - whom all taught him that his needs weren’t important and pushed him until well beyond his physical and emotional limits, wore him out, tore him down, and built that as the default, as Magnus’ normal - and a defense mechanism (because if he’s not vulnerable, he can’t be hurt; if he doesn’t open up about the sides of himself that he doesn’t like, about his imperfections, his fears, and everything that might make him difficult to be with, maybe people will like him, and he doesn’t want to be alone). so saying that this makes magnus a bad person, or a liar, or a bad partner, or whatever, is just ridiculous. especially because the person most hurt by this tendency of magnus’ is himself. he hurts himself and puts his own wellbeing on the line constantly, he hides and he feels alone and like no one will understand him. he struggles to form close relationships because he never opens up, and he doesn’t get the emotional support that he craves because he can’t allow himself to let the weight off his own shoulders. and it hurts his relationship(s) (because obviously this is not just about his relationship with alec, it’s also about his relationship with Raphael, whom he’s always taking care of but rarely lets him do it back even when he wants to, whom he’s always protecting but can’t be fully honest about his fears with; with Catarina, with Ragnor, with Dot, with basically everyone close to him, because he has unlearnt how to let people give back to him. and that also means that he gets into a lot of bad relationships - romantic, friendly, or even just working relationships - because if the other person isn’t interested in reciprocating, well. they just won’t and magnus will take it), because people feel like he doesn’t trust them, or end up hurting him unknowingly, or struggle to know where the limits lie even when they want to respect them, because it’s kind of trial and error until you learn his telltale signs 

so, yeah. that’d definitely be my #1 priority for him to work out in therapy lmao just. relearning to trust and to be honest and to listen to his own needs (because i do get the feeling that, after so long, he’s kind of unable to realize when he’s pushing himself too far until he’s too exhausted to keep going. and that doesn’t only apply to his magic and his work, but also to things like realizing that small things upset or hurt him, or that maybe he’s too tired to deal with a certain problem right now, or to ask for help or even a shoulder to cry on when he’s sad) and express them. and then learn to not take anything less than reciprocity. to put his own needs beside the needs of others, not behind, to let others care for him too. let magnus bane go to therapy 20forever

im not sure if that answers ur question since u said something that i dont like about him, which i think there isn’t really lmao but that’s definitely something that he needs to work on, for his own good above anything else

[thanksjro]

The Prequel

Eugenesis has a prequel, in the form of a 13-page comic called Liars, A-to-D, laying out the groundwork for what’s to come. If the title sounds familiar, it’s probably because it was reused in the first MTMTE storyline, covering issues #1-3. Roberts likes a little recycling, he does. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

The art is more or less on-par for what one might have seen in the original cartoon, only it’s black and white. There’s a few points where the posing gets a little funky, but I can still tell who’s supposed to be who for the most part, and that’s pretty impressive for a colorless Transformers comic. Quality isn’t the crispest, but that’s most likely due to the scan I have.

This comic starts with a cold open, stating that 56 million years ago, the first Cybertronians sprung from the metal of the planet- the narration calls it “spontaneous evolution” and that it “just happened.” The narration seems to have trouble grappling with the vast number of chance events that go on, covering the “spontaneous" eruption of Mt. Hilary that lead to the Autobots being repaired and restored after four million years on Earth.

Oh, hey, Prowl.

Then we contrast these things that “just happened”, with something that, in the narrator’s opinion, didn’t “just happen”; at the signing of a treaty in the far-flung year of 2302, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Springer, and Soundwave are all at the pulpit, with millions of spectators looking on. Suddenly, a whole city street just shows up out of nowhere, and full of ‘bots who are scared out of their wits. The event is brushed off as “spontaneous materialization”, but our narrator- who’s been revealed at this point to be Ultra Magnus, if the art is anything to go by- doesn’t agree. He certainly hopes that this isn’t what this is.

BOOM. 12/21/12, just like I said it would happen. And hey! It’s James Roberts! That guy this blog is following through these writings. Good to know he’s actually here now.

I tried looking up Matt Dallas and Graham Thomson, but didn’t get much on either of them. I’m guessing they didn’t do a whole lot in this vein after this publication.

Star Saber is in this, apparently. Can’t wait to see him, and what he’s bringing to the table. I, truthfully, don’t know a whole lot about Star Saber, outside of the IDW comics, so I’m genuinely interested to see what he’s like.

Our first shot within the prequel proper is of space debris floating over the planet Cybertron, with a weather report. That tells me something’s going to fall out of the sky at some point. Call it a hunch.

I’d call it “understanding foreshadowing as a concept”, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well.

We cut to a television broadcast of Galvatron, who’s encouraging ‘bots to join the Decepticons. It’s a hell of a recruitment video, being broadcasted everywhere, even underground, where the Autobots are hiding. There’s even a call number. Chromedome asks Prowl if he should give it a ring, but Prowl doesn’t seem to think that’s such a great idea.

For some reason, Prowl has this little ring floating above his head in these panels, and I keep reading it as a halo. As far as I know, he’s not dead, so I don’t know why this is happening. Unfortunate framing against the background, perhaps, but the backgrounds in this scene are all pretty blocky, so that doesn’t make a ton of sense either.

Oh, hey, Chromedome. How’s the hubby? You’re looking very Headmaster-y today.

Meanwhile, at the recording studio, it’s revealed that Galvatron wasn’t making that call to action at all- it was a puppet, all part of a rig set up by Soundwave, in the light of Galvatron not having spoken to anyone in ages, presumably in some sort of comatose state.

Now, surely I mean an actor when I say puppet, right?

No. No, I don’t.

I love how awkward everyone looks here. You have the guy with the clap board, who’s obviously never used one in his life, just standing off to the side waiting for some direction, the guy working the puppet who looks like he’s about to drop their great leader’s torso on national television, and Gun Guy. Soundwave really knows how to pick ‘em. I know it isn’t an ideal situation, but a little more upper body strength on the puppeteer would make things go a lot smoother.

Also, hot tip: if you have to use the word “subjugate” when talking about your cause, that means you’re on the wrong side of history, my dude. No non-evil group would ever use that terminology. I know the Decepticons are still cartoonishly evil at this point, but geezum crow, that’s a bit on the nose.

We get another weather report, then check in on our dear Prime, Rodimus, who’s in the middle of an exorcism- his own, to be precise. It doesn’t go anywhere, and Kup interrupts him having what looks like a seizure as he tries fruitlessly to get Unicron out of his body.

Meanwhile, in Helex, what was supposed to be a routine surveillance mission isn’t turning out so hot. The Autobots and Decepticons are at a standoff on a bridge. It ends poorly for just about everyone- some guy gets his head blown clean off! Sixshot is about to make a killing blow, when he’s crushed under a massive chunk of space metal.

Up in the skies, an Autobot ship is being chased by everyone’s favorite time-traveling pals, Cyclonus and Scourge. Scourge is looking extra boaty today.

…Cyclonus, you’re also a fly-boy. You’re arguably more of a fly-boy than Scourge is right now, because you actually look like something that can fly. This is after Headmasters, so I suppose we can forgive him being a little stupid.

While they’re being attacked, the Autobot ship picks up the signatures of thousands of unidentified objects, and then is immediately pelted with tons of metal falling out of the sky.

Foreshadowing! It’s never let me down. And hey, it’s that space metal that squashed Sixshot.

The Autobot ship abandoned, Cyclonus and Scourge head of the surface of the planet to regroup. Scourge asks who was aboard the ship, and when he’s told it was Nightbeat, Fastlane, and Cloudraker, he gets spooked.

And then he explodes.

I’m right there with you, Cyclonus. I don’t know why that happened, either.

The following day, Rodimus is in the lab with Perceptor, taking a gander at one of the larger pieces of space metal- they’ve sussed out that it’s the core of Moonbase 2, which was lost eons ago. The odd thing is, it’s covered in writing that isn’t Cybertronian. Something fishy’s going on. Rodimus tells Perceptor to store the moon core at Eocra for now, and not to tell the high council anything just yet.

All pieces in place, I suppose, we head back to the odd scene we left at the treaty signing, where the city street popped into existence without warning. The pedestrians on said street are taken into custody, where they’re questioned by way of police brutality. They claim to be from 2013, and then the sci-fi jargon hits hard and I couldn’t really tell you what it means.

What I can glean from this, however, is that maybe storing the moon base core in Eocra wasn’t such a hot idea.

The 2013-era ‘bots are thrilled to not be in their current year, seeing as they were witnessing the end of the world when they were transported. Now, remember, this comic takes place in 2302, so something’s clearly going on here. Are they lying? Suffering from time-sickness? From a parallel universe? We’ll have to read the novel to figure that one out. Still, our narrator has a bad feeling about all this, and Ultra Magnus goes down to visit Primus, where they store the memory banks of all the survivors of the war, lamenting that there are so few “true” ones left. True survivors include, but aren’t limited to: Rodimus, Perceptor, Soundwave, Sludge- a dinobot- Galvatron, Ultra Magnus himself, and Wheelie, whose canister seems to have some sort of caveat.

Well, that can surely only mean good things.

In the postscript- yes, not an epilogue, but a postscript- we summarize what’s just happened: the accounts of multiple spontaneous events, and the promise that the past will come back to haunt us. Fun stuff. We’re left with a final look at the symbol that was left on the moon core, which will surely play into the story to come.

I also have, at my disposal, the script that Roberts wrote for Liars, A-to-D, which, as far as I know, is the first comic script he’d ever written.

Because I have access to the script, some of the more interesting details are made known. Hey, guys I found Star Saber- he was the guy I thought was Ultra Magnus, and is actually the narrator. Whoops. I suppose that would explain why he was presented in this comic on the title page. In my defense, there’s only one good shot of his face in the whole comic, and they have very similar heights and shoulders.

Star Saber, I am so sorry. That one’s completely on me.

The script allows us to figure out who some of the lesser known characters are- for example, the ‘bot holding the Galvatron puppet up is named Pounce. Get some more bicep curls into your workout routine, Pounce.

We can also get a little insight into scenes that we otherwise wouldn’t.

He’s reciting the Primal Pentechurch here, for his exorcism. This can probably be decoded. Neat!

I can also put some names to the Autobots that are featured in the Helex standoff, including Quark. No, not that one. Different guy- this one turns into a hover-car.

His character description is actually in the script, addressing the artist, Matt Dallas. It’s pretty in-depth, like the sort of direction one would give for an art commission of their OC, which I suppose it is in a way.

Little fact about myself: I went to college for film production, specifically in script and screenplay writing. I know a thing or two about scripts. You typically don’t do this within the script itself, but rather in the character bio, because it can mess up the pacing of the script-to-screen ratio; one page of script amounts to roughly one minute of screen time. Now, this obviously isn’t the exact same thing, seeing as it’s a comic script, but it stuck out to me.

Still, for a cherry script, it’s not bad. And, after all, I didn’t study for comic scripting, so what do I know? I’m just some asshole on the internet, I don’t get paid for this.

Oh right, I can figure out what the hell happened to Scourge; there was apparently a bomb inside of his chest, that he decided to set off right in front of his buddy Cyclonus. No mention as to WHY this happened, though. We’ll have to save that question for the novel proper.

Right, that happened. There’s a lot of unintentional vore in the UK Transformers comics.

In the script, the names on the cabinets don’t exactly match up with what’s seen in the comic. Wheelie isn’t mentioned at all- one has to assume the comic’s inclusion of him is a little jab at the character for being what some might call “annoying”. Sludge also isn’t listed, but Prowl and Nightbeat are. Their cabinets might be hidden behind Star Saber, and therefore out of shot.

So, final thoughts: this script was… okay. Roberts clearly knows what he wants included, and makes his vision known, perhaps a bit too strictly in places. All in all, completely serviceable, did everything a script is supposed to do, but nothing amazing. And that’s fine! I’d honestly be worried if the script here was on par with what we got seven years later. Writers are supposed to grow and improve.

But now it’s time to prepare ourselves for the prose writing. Up next- Eugenesis!

[robot-unicorn-attack]

☽ NYX, 24

“ I’m the bad guy....duh. ” — Billie Eilish

Real Name: SOLANA PHYRE (”SOL”) 

Agency: ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ (Lava World)

FC: Duckie Thot

Unicorn Name: U-800 [+]

Place of Birth:  Ambrym, Vanuatu -  largest city and capitol of LW's largest planet; Vanuatu An over-populated city crawling with illicit dealings and even more dubious people and intentions. Police and other enforcers prowling the streets that are overrun with more civilians than there are of cops. But nevertheless, they don't take shit laying down. Sol grew up just down the causeway from her family's mechanic shoppe ahem chop shoppe She was thrown into the family business since she was able to light a welding torch - which happens to be verrrrrry early on and she took to it right away. She knows the ins and outs of the city she called home; having to know 'em in order to outrun the cops as well as conducting illegal underground above ground races

Appearance: Within the first few months of Sol signing onto ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ; she underwent surgery - after much begging and pushing from the agency. Ocular implants aren't as widely consumed as one would assume. However, they aren't rare either. Hell, 𝕿𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙's own Ice Queen, Snow, had diamonds implanted into her irises. ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ felt it was a great idea to really sell the villain route of Nyx.

(What better than to make them tremble in fear just from your gaze alone? And to be able to see it from the track? Brilliant!)

They might have well had the conversations with themselves with the amount of input Sol gave. But, she gave in; secretly thrilled at the idea, though she'd never give ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ the satisfaction.

Piercing, molten gold eyes now stand out against her skin. The molten of her gaze almost glows in anticipation and when she's in the throes of passion and excitement. They dull, almost as if gold could tarnish, when she's expressing darker more sinister thoughts. It's in those times you should watch your back. However, she rarely lets it slip that she's concocting any sort of illicit activities and therefore - you should always be wary. 

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer," as the old proverb states.

Swarthy skin as smooth as supple leather, but tough from living in LW as well as with the amount of time spent hunched over a blow torch and welding machines. Skin which takes on an almost ethereal sight when the light hits her just so and she is obsidian in the flesh. Typically her raven locks are worn long. However, when she was younger and growing up she could be seen sporting a buzzed style or her natural fro-curls. Due to ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ's villainous projection of Nyx, she continues to keep it long and straight for the most part - and then varying forms of the aforementioned. 

Wardrobe: Black glitz & glam spiked heel to your face. Blacks, blacks and more black. With gold, silver and red splashed throughout. Sol is typically the poster child of all that Lava World fashion has to offer. While she's out and about, mainly strongly influenced by ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ and their contract with the woman, she is seen donning either high fashion pretty clothes as she refers to them, or the counterpart of high fashioned battle / racing gear [ you know, leather or fabric pants, jackets, tops - and of course some stunning kickass boots? that's the one ]

Places most likely to be found: Most likely can be found in the stables with Uuie; or getting her mechanic on - legally or illegally especially if there's an upcoming race. Otherwise, she likes to live it up as much as she can with her "free time". She can be spotted at any bar or nightclub with her siblings living it up or if it's mandatory - a promo event that her agency sets up.

People mostly likely to be with: Her siblings; Hugo, Ember and Pele. As well as her fellow teammates; Flame and Widow. She does still keep in contact with some of her old racing buds from the underground scene.

Strongest character trait: Ruthless

Public Image: cut-throat. ruthless. brutal. aloof. cold and calculating. the bad guy. the one you hate to love and love to hate. a true villain. what is she gonna do next? and will it be legal? very much a tabloid trashcat lol

Racing Strengths:  tenacious. knows the limits of Uuie like the back of her hand - oh that's new - so she knows how to run him and the courses to the best of his abilities. she likes to think that she can easily adapt to a multitude of situations - whether it's due to a new steed, new course, even new teammates cough cough yrah right

Racing Weaknesses: pushes herself and Uuie to the limit. focused on winning, no matter the cost - except for in the case of Uuie as of late - she's grown soft with him

Personality: arrogant. headstrong. over ambitious. stubborn. sharp witted. silver tongue. quick reaction. an absolute instigator. somewhat of a bully. edgy and irritable. determined. observant. intuitive. confident. cunning. questionable motives for sure. untrustworthy - duh. sneaky. incredible liar. knows she's talented and takes it a bit too far. highly intelligent. nasty bitch. party loving animal. ruthless. aggressive. charming. cut-throat. brutal. aloof. cold and calculating. the bad guy. the one you hate to love and love to hate. a true villain. very much a tabloid trashcat lol hardworking. super handy. think female villainous tony stark she is also quite the lil cocky genius. she adores being center of attention - all the more challenging to get away with things - not to mention, being petty and subtle not so subtle in her tone and actions with others is so lovely~ will absolutely get inside your and her own head. ruthless. cunning. talented. hardworking. handy. can assemble and disassemble any and all unicorns and horses that cross her path after spending a few hours with it. can say the same for literally any other mechanical device / equipment. worries about stupid shit - specifically shit that she makes up in her head - ruthless. motives and means are questionable at best. shifty, shady lady. crass - sometimes doesn't realize it - it's just in her nature. insomnia is a real thing.

Biography: Sol grew up in a racing household. Well, kinda. Coming from quite a large, working family, Sol has never been one to shy away from hard work and working towards her goals. No matter the consequences. Her father used to race - unofficially, of course - but before then he was a mechanic. Constantly working on the horses. His father had owned and ran a shop specifically for the racers of Lava. Along with some shady chop shop goings on at the same time, and outta the same shop. Since her father and grandfather were so close, she was there everyday - learning the ins and outs of the . . . family business. Which only furthered her passion with the sport.

So, as soon as she could ride, her pops helped her get a rig of her own totally not stolen and they got to work building it up from the base it was literally a chassis. The majority of the work fell onto Sol's shoulders because not long into starting, her grandfather passed and her pop was thrown in jail not for long, but still .

Sol, being the eldest of her siblings, she hauled ass to complete her stallion, that she aptly named Frankenstein - yeah she was well aware that wasn't his name, but she liked it waaaay better than adam bleghh. The next day after his completion, she took him to an underground track where there was talks about races took place and positions won cash. Competing in her first race went . . . smoother than she anticipated. However, that isn't saying much seeing as how she not only lost but Frank was nearly destroyed when the ground shifted beneath him and they toppled to the ground, his large frame landing on top of her - effectively breaking her right arm.

After that point, she was constantly rebuilding Frank - eventually having to scrap him when there was no longer anything to rebuild and continue the same process over and over again. To say that Sol got in the experience of racing is an understatement. The amount of race time she put in rivaled that of the older crowd who'd been attending these events for years even before Sol was born.

Winning the races came after. The money going back into the family's food and shelter. But a few times, more often than not, the first place went to Sol for reasons outside of the stats of her current beast. No one could really prove it. And it wasn't like others participating weren't conducting similar measures of their own - it was just a blow to the pride when they believed that this . . . kid was the cause of the sabotage.

Fast forward a few years and Sol's name was known on the beat as the mechanic with wicked stats and even more wicked intentions. Winning unknown underground races was no longer thrilling for her anymore. Especially since no one posed any serious threat to her. Either because they all sucked or because they were too chicken shit to attempt, she couldn't be sure. But either way, she didn't like it. The only one to give her a run for her money was the now infamous Widowmaker. But since signing on with ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ, the scene has been . . . lacking.

Sol was excited for her long time friend and rival. Though she never could brush off that pang of jealousy she felt for being left behind. Regardless of her age.

It wasn't until she was 17 that things were beginning to look up for the eldest Phyre child. She'd just won a race - one that took place under and around the ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ agencies recruitment station and stalls where they house the unicorns and horses, ya know to add a lil spice to game. Well, their antics and noise drew the attention of the cities police enforcement as well as agency members. Sol was skilled enough to bolt, not lucky enough to get away. Turns out, ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ had been keeping tabs on the girl for awhile now - not to mention Widowmaker spoke highly of her - that they asked for her to join them. Unofficially as of the time, of course legality purposes and all bleghh.

Having known who exactly who she was and the family she stems from, they knew the exact role she was going to play within their agency. And since Sol had no issue conducting . . . less than legal means, they continued and played up that strength of hers ***though they would never admit out loud or publicly that what the rumors posted are true in any form of the word / i mean what ?***

Since her signing with the agency, Nyx has been the ever fan favorite villain. Her ruthlessness on and off the track knows no bounds. ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ has never been one to shy away from the drama or the dirty and the nasty and having Nyx's villainous tendencies, that she will do anything she has to in order to get what she wants, slip out into the public, well, oops, oh well

Nyx’s image and her skill with her Uuie have brought her moderate success. As of late, however, she's been quite worried about whether or not the agency is going to drop her - that she's not a fan favorite anymore. Which to be honest . . . she's still a favorite - the kind you wanna hate and love it. She’s good, no doubt, but she’s no Snow or Supernova. Which honestly, she never expected to be - they have waaaaay more experience than she ever will, but still~ However, with the currently rising Flame, with wins and popularity, she is in her right to worry some. Though, it's nowhere near where her imagination takes her. So, she has decided to go off script for the time being - continuing her tasks passed down through the agency - but also making sure to keep up her own appearance. Anything to get what she wants. Nyx doesn’t take no for an answer, so she’s going to do whatever it takes to get to the top. Even if it means exacerbating all the rumors of foul play that already surround her.

She's painted as the villain, right?

Might as well give them what they want . . .

Relationships:

Snow -

Sky -

Ice -

Supernova -

Sunbeam -  

Flower -

Flame -

Nyx -

Widowmaker -

Playlist:

lucky you | eminem ft. joyner lucas

rap god | eminem

killshot | eminem

'till i collapse | eminem ft. nate dogg

lady in red | jolin tsai

el chapo | the game

don't be nice | watsky

punchin' bag | cage the elephant

mess around | cage the elephant

ride | zz ward

raise hell | dorothy

wicked ones | dorothy

monsters | ruelle

copycat | billie eilish

bad guy | billie eilish

all the good girls go to hell | billie eilish

dangerous | royal deluxe

unstoppable | the score

natural | imagine dragons

control | halsey

beekeeper | keaton henson

paint it, black | ciara

Headcanons:

As Nyx; she's expected to be a villain - always; that includes when out in public and at events. She has to play the part and well, be villainous. She doesn't mind, but also doesn't want to lose fans cause she's playing at being a bitch to them. Apparently, the die hards don't care, cause she's constantly in contact with them.

knows quite a few die hard fans by name and can spot them outta the crowds. she's a lil weary of a few of the more stan-y of them.

has kicked some of the creepy fans ass; which only helped solidify her Nyx role . . .

hasn't dated anyone since signing onto ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ | has had quite a few fuck buddies though - even having a buddy for each day of the week at one point. has toned it down however to just 2 - gotta satisfy that appetite

does have quite the lil crush on Flower; mainly because of how similar she sees them. Not to mention, she's such a cutie. Anytime they're together or near, she likes to tease the girl~

she likes to tease and make others uncomfortable regardless - it's just sooooo much fun

even though she can adapt to any horse / unicorn thrown at her, she has her fav; Uuie - she's sentimental that way

so she resorts to just makin' adjustments and any mods she can get away with

doesn't really like it when the agency throws a new horse at her while Uuie is undergoing repairs - but deals; begrudgingly

listens to music loudly while she's working / training etc. to the point where it makes it extremely difficult for her to hear anything else going on around her

insomniac

really, realllllly skilled in mechanations of all sorts

constantly in contact with her siblings - actually pretty close with them

they run the family business without her while she's off "being a super villain"

her father is still in prison and refuses to give up any information on his "alleged" illegal activities

he's kinda the big dog on site; has quite the following and is extremely proud of his oldest daughter and what she's become

looks up to her teammates; Widowmaker and Flame - though will NOT admit to the latter of the two; because she feels like it makes her look and sound weak and she canNOT have that

taken a play from flower's app has merch of her own team, specifically her own shiit; cause she's vain and LOVES how she's portrayed. what's wrong with having a small room dedicated to ʟᴀᴢᴇʀ cough cough herself

actually loves playing the villain; it isn't too far off the mark from who she really is

she's a lil more . . . lively than her villainous counterpart think harley quinn type lively

when she's Nyx; she hardly speaks - not really needing too - but when she does, expect, cool, acid tones to drip from her lips; sultry and cabaret sounding - while her normal tone is actually more city slang and more bubbly

sleeps in the nude OR an oversized shirt that typically hangs off one shoulder there is no in between

Family/Other Characters:

Baskara Phyre [ grandfather ]

Kiran Phyre [ father ]

Aithne Phyre [ mother ]

Hugo Phyre [ brother ]

Pele Phyre [ sister ]

Ember Phyre [ sister ]

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kzombi3/rua/

[takingcourage]

The Start of Forever - Part 6

Pairing: Drake x MC

Word Count: 2,100

Series Summary: The wedding has passed and the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria are free to begin their lives together away from the constraints of court. While honeymooning in Texas, they’re confronted with questions from their past that raise implications about their future. (Slight AU)

Chapter Summary: On the final night of their honeymoon, the newlyweds decompress and come to some conclusions. 

Author’s Note: Unless inspiration strikes, this is the final part of this miniseries. I love these characters dearly, but I’ve really struggled with this story ever since it accidentally became an AU. I ended up rewriting huge chunks of it to the extent that my original ending just no longer worked. As belated as it is, at this point I’d rather bring the story to an end than risk not finishing it at all. Thanks for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy. : ) 

Jena was speeding.

At first, Drake thought he was imagining it, but the sign they’d just passed confirmed that his wife was breaking the law. He snuck another look across the dashboard and sucked in through his teeth at the number. Even in miles, the figure was pretty damn high.

“Geez, Wittman. Do you think you’re driving fast enough?” He managed to keep his tone light in spite of his surprise at her negligence.

Jena glanced toward the passenger seat before scanning the speedometer. “Nine you’re fine, ten you’re mine,” she quoted. “Do they have that saying in Cordonia?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t make a habit of speeding.”

She knew he didn’t. He’d more than proven that during their languorous drive the afternoon before. He knew it was probably that experience which had prompted her to take the driver’s seat today. He liked to savor the time he spent on the road; his wife liked for the trip to be over as soon as possible. It was probably a good thing that neither of them had to do much driving in Cordonia.

“Well, it’s beside the point. I’m only going seven over. I’m sure any cops between here and Dallas will let it slide.” Her thumb rubbed the cruise control button idly. “I’m just ready to check into our hotel and have the night to ourselves.”

“Me too.” He settled a hand on her upper thigh with a reassuring squeeze. In spite of that morning’s horseback excursion, there was a crackle of tension between them. Maybe it was just his guilt speaking, but there was something his wife wasn’t saying. Her breathing was too precise. Jena could mask her feelings when she needed to, but he’d become pretty good at sensing when things were off. 

Regardless, he knew she wouldn’t want to talk about what was bothering her while they were still in the car. She had a habit of staring at him with a sometimes-uncomfortable intensity when they had serious discussions. In light of her decision to break the laws of the road, he didn’t think it was wise to distract her while she was behind the wheel. Instead, he held her jean-clad thigh, thumb transmitting the message even when the rest of his body could not: I love you. We’ll get to the bottom of this.

Two hours later, they were checked in to their downtown hotel and were well on the way to the promised room service, hot tub, and drinks -- though not in precisely that order.

Jena sat cross legged in the middle of their hotel bed, posture more befitting a schoolgirl than a duchess. As comfortable as her stance might appear, Drake could tell that she was anything but relaxed. Between her small hands, she clutched a tall bottle, holding onto the glass as if she expected it to sprout legs and try to run away from her. 

He removed his shoes and took a seat against the headboard, his long legs stretched out by her side. She ran a palm along his shin, absently. Even in her distracted state, her presence was still a comfort to him. 

“It’s probably a good thing we didn’t end up running away last night. With the blue laws in this state, I don’t know what we would have had to do to get a proper drink,” she noted, cracking the seal on the whiskey before taking a long sip. She extended the bottle toward Drake and he eagerly received it. The oaky liquid coated his tongue, and he felt the tension in his shoulders relax as it ran down his throat.

He nodded gratefully. “I needed this.”

Jena shot him a knowing look, her arched brow mocking him for stating the obvious. The liquor store had been her first stop as soon as they’d entered city limits. She had thrown open the car door with an eagerness that told him neither one of them was making it through the night completely sober. 

Jena stared past him, gaze resting on the abstract painting that hung above his head. He studied her face as her manicured nails clicked an uneven tempo against the silence of the room. Her features were still, save for the shifting of teeth as she nibbled her bottom lip. Tonight, the action wasn’t meant to allure -- it was subconscious. A sign that she was anxiously trying to situate everything that had happened into navigable patterns within her mind. 

He’d seen this look too many times before. He hated seeing it again. Even more than that, he hated knowing that he was the cause. 

“I’m really glad that things with your mom ended as well as they did today. Whether or not she said it, I think that the visit meant a lot to her.” Jena’s eyes remained trained on the picture, though her hand had settled against his shin once more.

Drake’s words cut into her musings, “I think so too. But Wittman, if I’m completely honest, I care a lot more about whether or not our relationship is okay. You haven’t been quite yourself the past two days.”

Her gaze dropped suddenly as she lifted a hand to brush the implication away. “I was just anxious about everything with your mom.”

“You may be good at schmoozing royalty, but you’re a terrible liar.” Seeing the indecisive tug at her lips, he continued. “I know you weren’t in the best of moods last night, but I could have sworn that I was the one you were upset with.”

“That’s because I was upset with you.” Even though he’d expected it, the admission still stung. He reached for her, but she shook her head and held back, as if afraid that the contact would distract her from the task at hand. “And that made really angry with myself.”

“Why would you be angry?”

“Because I can’t believe I got into this mess.”

Drake’s heart plummeted. “Mess?”

Her eyes took on a metallic sheen, silver and piercing. “I just thought I was better than this. I love you, Drake. So, so much.” Her gaze softened several degrees. “I have confidence that you and I can make this work, but I have to do better. I can’t keep panicking every time something doesn’t go the way I expect it to.”

His pulse shuddered at the raw admission, and he could no longer stand to be separated from her. “Jena.” At his motion for her to join him, she shifted closer. Drake gently pulled her toward him, her knees bumping into his upper thigh. She settled there, legs touching even as she maintained some distance. “This was a situation you should never have been put through. If I had it to do over, there are a hundred things I would change. But nothing that happened was your fault.”

“I accused you of lying to me when that wasn’t true.”

“You never said that, Jena.”

“I thought it.”

“Even if you did, It was a fair critique. I should have been more honest going in.”

“I just so scared. I know what deception does to a marriage, Drake. I can’t stand the thought of that happening to us.”

His response came before he’d even had opportunity to consider her words. “It won’t. We’ll learn from this and we’ll be honest with each other.”

“You say that, and I know that you mean it, but saying it doesn’t solve anything. I mean, you wanted to protect your mom and your first instinct was to do it by hiding the truth. How do I know you won’t do the same thing to me if you think it will protect me?”

“You’re not my mom, Wittman. I’m not afraid of the truth breaking you the way I thought it would break her.”

“I think sometimes you underestimate what people are going to be able to handle.” 

Her uncanny stare bored into him as he mulled over the words, unable to deny how many times he had underestimated her in the past. “Maybe I do.”

“And as much as I appreciate having you on my side, you’ve got to be able to trust me. Our trip to your mom’s might have run a lot smoother if I’d known what I was getting myself into -- not that I blame you for the way things went --” she clarified quickly. “I just had very different expectations going in.”

“That’s another thing we need to start being honest about.”

“Yeah.” Her agreement was halfhearted. 

Drake held off speaking and passed her the bottle, hoping that she might elaborate. Instead, she thumbed the smooth glass rim. 

“Is anything else bothering you?” he asked finally, seeking the fingers of her free hand with his own. 

“Just that I can’t believe I yelled at my mother-in-law this morning. I’m fairly certain that’s not on any list of approved techniques for meeting new relatives.”

“If you hadn’t done it, I would have. I think she had it coming.”

His words produced the inkling of a smile, but it quickly disappeared as she gnawed at the plump bottom lip between her teeth. Drake’s first impulse was sympathy, but his second was something far more selfish -- something primal that made him want to forgo the conversation in favor of another form of communication.

Forcing himself to keep a straight head, he turned serious again. “I never meant to hurt you. I was only trying to protect my mom and I wasn’t thinking about how that would affect you. Will you forgive me?”

“Of course I will.” She squeezed his hand softly and his heart leapt, spurred on by the words as well as the gesture. “Will you forgive me for being angry with you and making things worse with your mom?”

“I’ll always forgive you.”

She smiled -- the first genuine smile he’d seen since they left the cabin. “I love you, Drake.” She edged closer to him, pulling his hand onto her lap to stroke his long fingers with her own.

“I love you so much, Jena. Thanks for putting up with everything I’ve put you through.”

Her eyes rolled -- a response he didn’t even want to begin analyzing -- before she turned reflective. “In spite of everything, I’ve enjoyed our time here. I’d go back to that cabin in a heartbeat.”

“I would too. But I’ve got to be honest with you,” her gaze flicked to his with rapt attention. “This isn’t how I pictured spending the last night of our honeymoon."

Jena raised one eyebrow, the hint of a smile passing over her features. “Then it’s a good thing we’ve still got time to change the ending.”

His thumb settled on the soft curve of her lower lip, ghosting over it gently as her skin trembled with anticipation. He was leaning in to kiss her when she pulled away from him, though he quickly understood that the maneuver was intended to deposit the whiskey safely on the nightstand. The task complete, he had her complete attention, and she his.

Before he knew what was happening, Jena was in his lap, hands steadying his face as she kissed him halfway to oblivion. With measured force, his teeth skimmed the fullness of her lip, prompting a groan that was at once contented and longing. His hands found their way beneath the hem of her shirt and she shivered at the pleasurable contrast of his calluses contrasting against the smoothness of her skin. 

The warmth from the alcohol had set in some minutes before, but it was nothing compared to the fire that consumed him at her touch. Every nerve ending was on edge, desperate for contact -- for the closeness that was unique to her. Even as he tugged her nearer, she pressed against him, yanking the cotton away from his chest to touch him uninhibited. 

As she leaned away to toss the shirt aside, Drake caught his breath. How did I ever get so lucky? 

The question was driven by so much more than just the rapture of her touch. It was the commitment and the understanding they had found in one another. It was the knowledge that, whatever might stand in their way, they would face it together, no matter what facing it entailed. It was the pang of complete adoration that shot through him as their eyes met in the lamp light. 

“I can’t believe I get to spend forever with you.” 

“This is just the start, Walker.” 

[wannawrite]

Call Me, Okay?

Hotshot's Junhyuk X Reader part one • you're a young producer from another company ( well i kinda envisioned it's your parent who's a well-known producer etc but you're the kid who studies abroad etc and you're coming back for this project. I know you could live with your parents but... your house is very far etc ) • Junhyuk takes an immediate dislike to you • but it's all good in the end • ft. created character love interest! trainee Jae Yong + Hotshot sons woAh first Hotshot scenario too wuu huu. Tysm for requesting anon, hope you like it even though ^ was confusing 😬 there isn't enough Hotshot, please support them even though Sungwoon is in Wanna One and Taehyun is debuting in JBJ !! - admin L IM SORRY I GOT THIS OUT SO LATE IM SORRY IM SORRY __________ It was the longest and most tiring flight you had taken, all you wanted to do was fall into a nice, deep sleep but no, you had to deal with so much paperwork first. And with a jerk. Coming to produce a song with a fairly popular group was any newbie producer's dream come true and you considered yourself lucky to have parents well established in the industry to pull some strings. Maybe your dad just tugged on the wrong one. According to their manager, all the Hotshot members had been anticipating your arrival, eager to start working on a new song for their half finished album. It was a great honour and responsibility for you to hold but you were glad for the opportunity and new friends. Hojung, Timoteo and Taehyun seemed the most welcoming and excited about your arrival. San was a tad bit more reserved but you figured it was just his personality. However, Junhyuk had completely ignored your presence, he seemed agitated and annoyed. You were appalled by his attitude towards you yet you couldn't blame him. When their manager had informed them that you would be staying in their spare room ( their manager's room but let's say he's gonna take a break for awhile ), Junhyuk looked so angry you swore his jaw was going to crack from all that clenching. Once you all were dismissed, he stood up and stormed out so harshly you could hear the soles of his shoes slapping even from far away. Taehyun could only manage to shoot you an uneasy smile and reassure you that it was only a temporal thing and that Junhyuk would come to his senses. That was a week ago. You had comfortably moved into 'your' new room in their dormitory, and since you lived with them, grew closer as friends. You also bonded well with some other trainees at Ador&Able / Star Crew Entertainment. ( i hate their new name i'm sorry, ador&able for life ) With the new friendships found and new music to be produced, you tried to push aside Junhyuk's hatred he channeled to you. Of course, that was impossible. As much as he hated you, he was around you almost every second of the day. While they were practicing, brainstorming for lyrics, trying out new beats, you were constantly with them. Every time, you could feel the intense stares Junhyuk shot at you, he also minimised contact with you. Timo had to give you his number for work purposes since he was so salty. You really couldn't understand. Why was he being so unprofessional? Perhaps the fact that you lived with them made it worse....... whatever, I'm sure he has his own reasons. "Y/N, hello! We're going out to grab a coffee, would you like one?" Hojung offered, beaming as you fumbled with the sound system. Your train of thought was broken by the maknae's sudden question. Still, you nodded and thanked him gratefully. San's steady rap could be heard from the next room so only him and Junhyuk were around. You smiled at his verses, appreciating how much smoother they sounded proved he had been working hard. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Junhyuk entered. He sighed when he saw that only you were present but sat down on the sofa anyways. "Hi," you greeted, not really expecting any reply. To your surprise and probably to his too,  he answered with a, "Hello, Y/N." The way your name rolled off his tongue effortlessly made your heart flutter and heat rise to your cheeks. It took awhile for you to calm yourself down. Minutes of awkward silence ticked by. Then, Taehyun burst into the room, coffees in hand. "We're back!" He announced. San joined the rest from the other room, seemingly happy with the arrival of coffee. "Hey, you didn't get one for me!" Junhyuk exclaimed but not in a serious scolding manner. Hojung shrugged. "Oops, sorry. Must have ordered wrongly." "It's okay. Junhyuk, you can have mine, I don't really need one right now," you said, pushing your cup to him. Junhyuk's eyes widened significantly. "Serious? It's okay though! It isn't your fault." The tips of his ears tinged red, he fiddled with the rings on his finger. "I'm fine, really." You dismissed it with a flick of your wrist, shoving 'your' cup of coffee into his hands. He managed to crack a small smile, the first one directed to you. Things did improve from there. ... Just not as much as you wanted. He still avoided you and limited contact, occasionally smiling at you before disappearing someone else and not returning for at least a couple of hours. You just assumed it was his personality. He worked fine when it came to the song but it didn't seem like he was interested in making friends. Pity, he seemed like a nice person. Well, at least you had grown close with the rest of the boys and with some of the other trainees you bumped into regularly at the studio. One of them was called Kim Jaeyong, he was a trainee. Jaeyong seemed nice and acted friendly towards you, he often complimented your producing skills although they had yet to be honed. He also always found an excuse to spend more time around you so it was no surprise when he asked you out on a date. You tried to keep in on the low for his sake but Taehyun managed to bewitch you. Initially, he squealed but quickly quietened down when he found out the name of this trainee. He dragged you into another room urgently. "Do you know how much of an asshole Jaeyong is sometimes? Why? Y/N, why?" Shock was written all over your face, was Jaeyong a liar? How could he have acted so well? Maybe it was a misunderstanding.....

“Out of all people, Jaeyong. Oh my god.....but I won't stop you. It's up to you, okay? Just don't do anything stupid. Make sure to put him in his place if he steps out of line," Taehyun warned before leaving, he looked like he wanted to kick Jaeyong someone There was even more protest when the rest of the group found out. San found it ridiculous, Hojung looked like he wanted to punch Jaeyong and Timo just shook his head in disappointment, sighing. "Out of all the great people here, Y/N, it had to be Jaeyong. I have nothing against that kid, he just needs to learn his place sometimes," he grumbled. Junhyuk was the only one who wasn't exactly expressing anything emotion about it and a part of you sank. Why had you wanted him to pay attention to you in the first place? "I think we should all support Y/N. We don't get to make any decisions, Y/N does. Let's help her if she needs any? Okay? Y/N, if you ask me, I can help you a lot with hair and makeup," Junhyuk finally suggested. You smiled at that, at least someone was being supportive but you couldn't help but feel a little disgruntled he hadn't sided with the rest of his friends. Sure, Junhyuk was attractive enough to make you fall for him immediately but it was that cold exterior he put up that intrigued you to no end. You knew how caring and sweet he could be sometimes and lately, he had been showing a tiny bit more of that side to you. You wanted him to open up to you too. Your arms wrapped around Junhyuk's wide shoulders as he leaned against the couch. "Yay! At least I have someone who supports me!" His face turned red and it was hard for him to look you back in the eye with a genuine smile on his face, you supposed it was because he wanted the redness to fade. Hojung's lips curved into a smug smile, he sauntered out of 'your' room with a skip in his step. "Goodnight, Y/N!" His fellow bandmates sighed before chorusing their respective good byes and heading off to bed. Leaving you with a mind filled with jumbled thoughts. 

I SPLIT IT INTO PARTS BC I WANTED TO GET SOMETHING UP BUT THE REST AREN’Y EDITED FULLY YET I’M SORRY

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 17th November 2019

Three consecutive weeks and we get eight, seven and now NINE new arrivals! This week isn’t even an album bomb week, either. I’d say I fully expect the charts to cool down and for Christmas music to start coming back but I have no idea. I’ve predicted a slow week for two weeks in a row and I’ve just been greeted with more and more nonsense coming at me, so I’m not even going to try and speculate here.

Top 10

The top five often doesn’t reflect that movement within the charts, and this week is no exception as everything in the top four hasn’t moved, and for a sixth week, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I is at the #1 spot.

I expected “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa to drop off after the debut but surprisingly, it held on, showing a lot of initial longevity here at number-two, the runner-up spot, although I could very much see this grabbing the #1.

“Ride It” by Regard featuring Jay Sean is still at number-three this week.

Also not moving at number-four is “South of the Border” by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B.

At number-five, we actually have a new arrival and our biggest of nine debuts this week, J Hus’ “Must Be”, his lead single from an upcoming project, album, mixtape, what have you. It’s his first solo single since he was released from prison in April this year, and we’ll talk more about Hus and his music later, but just for now, it’s his eighth UK Top 40 hit and it’s pretty great.

Now, there is some impact of this important top-five debut of course, although “Memories” by Maroon 5 climbing up two spots to number-six is a direct result of J Hus’ high new arrival.

The real impact is seen within the rest of the top 10, as “Circles” by Post Malone is down two spaces to number-seven.

Also down two spaces to number-eight is “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez, which is falling off a tad quicker than I thought, although it could easily rebound.

Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” featuring Ariana Grande is also down two spots to number-nine.

Meanwhile, at #10, Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises” is dropping down one space to the final spot here, but not near fast enough.

Climbers

Unless you’re a diehard fan of “The Last Time” by the Script (which is up six positions to #32 off of the album release, which should actually be incredibly disappointing for the band), there’s nothing to speak of here.

Fallers

Fallers on the other hand... well, it’s been a while since we’ve done this. Let’s split it into two vague genre sections: pop, rock and EDM vs. Hip-hop and R&B. First, let’s focus on the first section, as “Lights Up” by Harry Styles is down seven to #23, “God is a Dancer” by Tiesto and Mabel is down six to #26, “Liar” by Camila Cabello is down five to #29, “Post Malone” by Sam Feldt featuring RANI is down nine to #30 (Thankfully), “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi is down six but I have no idea how it’s still on this bloody chart anyway and “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber flops down six spaces to #35. None of these drops are exactly disastrous for the artists here, although the drops for “10,000 Hours” and “Lights Up” seem worryingly premature. In terms of hip-hop and R&B, we have “Be Honest” by Jorja Smith and Burna Boy finishing its run down eight to #25, “Follow God” by Kanye West flailing down 12 spots to #27 whilst it’s not even Top 40 in the US, “Tell Me” by Krept & Konan featuring D-Block Europe and Ling Hussle down 14 off of the debut to #37, “Take Me Back to London” by Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy and remixed by Sir Spyro featuring Aitch and Jaykae down five to #38 (Typing that each time takes about 20% of my overall writing time), and finally, “Floss” by AJ Tracey featuring MoStack and Not3s is down 12 spaces to #39.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

There are no returning entries, and honestly none of these drop-outs are ones I’m worried about or unfortunate drop-outs, because none of these songs are really worth mentioning. Let’s cover these in order of how little I care for them. “Orphans” by Coldplay, dropping out from #32, is a great lead single yet it’ll definitely rebound next week as the album Everyday Life is released, “Kiss and Tell” by AJ Tracey and Skepta is the only one here that really worries me as it’s out from the debut at #31 (It could still rebound, but perhaps this just isn’t catching on), “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston is okay but it did have a respectable run before dropping out from #34, “G Love” by Krept & Konan featuring Wizkid dropped out from #28 but that song doesn’t exist anyway, neither does “Graveyard” by Halsey out from #40 for that matter. “Break Up Bye Bye” by the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (Specifically the... Frock Destroyers?) featuring uncredited vocals from Perrie Edwards is out from #35 as expected since the season’s finished, “Look at Her Now” by Selena Gomez monotonously hums its way out of the charts from #39, as does the regrettable “Playing Games” by Summer Walker out from #36, and finally, we have the detestable “Thumb” by M Huncho and Nafe Smallz out off of the debut at #30. I’m frankly kind of disgusted we ever let this chart in the first place.

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Better Half of Me” – Tom Walker

Produced by Cam Blackwood and Mark Ralph

We all know singer-songwriter Tom Walker at this point. His debut album, What a Time to be Alive, went #1 and already produced two singles: “You and I” and “Leave a Light On”, both of which are inoffensive, boring guitar-pop fluff. This is his third UK Top 40 hit from this record and I’m not expecting anything close to any good or God forbid interesting from it... and, yeah, I’m right. The song’s a guitar ballad with Tom Walker singing in his nasal voice over some generic instrumental with piano and guitar with no attempt to even make it sound rich. The whole mix sounds really cheap, especially the transition from the pre-chorus into the chorus. Speaking of the chorus, Jesus Christ, Tom, have you been listening to Lewis Capaldi? It’s almost funny how Tom puts so much force into that part and it feels like a really inorganic warble and just sounds pretty gross overall. The lyrics are pretty sweet sometimes, though, I especially like the first verse. Otherwise, yeah, this is boring, milquetoast trash.

#36 – “Pump it Up” – Endor

Produced by Endor

Who’s Endor, you wonder? Well, I was wondering that too, so I looked it up and I found that Endor is a fictional moon in the Star Wars universe, known for its endless forests, savannahs, mountain ranges, and a few oceans. Okay, no, I’m kidding, obviously, but this dude seems pretty obscure, he wasn’t even on my first page of results for the term “Endor”. He’s not from Star Wars, he’s not from the Hebrew Bible, and he’s not a nation from Dragon Quest either. He’s a British house DJ who’s been releasing stuff since 2015 and became a self-proclaimed “Champion of the underground” before finally breaking out in the mainstream with this single released September this year on Defected Records, obviously his first UK Top 40 hit, and I mean it can’t be that bad if he’s latched on for so long with an underground fanbase. I mean, Skream likes him, and I like Skream, so it can’t be that bad.

Well, that wasn’t Skream, but it was interesting. It starts with some crowd cheering and the main hook coming in, which is delivered in a fun way (It kind of has to be, it’s just “Pump it up, you’ve got to pump it up, don’t you know?” for two and a half minutes), before the drums and the keys come in, and then the bass, and slowly it becomes a pretty fun, vibrant banger, with a pretty anti-climactic first drop but the way the 808 (or in this case, possibly 909) is modulated here is especially cool, and I love the cheesy Eurodance synths in the drop as well, and the second drop has a cool glitchy effect I really like. This isn’t bad at all, in fact I’d argue it’s pretty good house, it’s just that I wish there was more stakes here, because it just feels weak and at times empty.

#34 – “Gangsta” – Darkoo and One Acen

Produced by AJProductions

Okay, well, I’ve actually briefly heard this song on the radio, but I don’t know who Darkoo is, so naturally, I had to do some research again, and I found out she’s a female singer and rapper in the same vein as her male contemporaries who makes UK trap or drill music (I can’t really tell the difference a lot of the time if there is one, to be honest). I can’t really find a great comparison off the top of my head to a rapper she resembles in the mainstream currently stylistically, but that shouldn’t matter. Darkoo blew up three months ago with the song “Rover” (or “Keys to My Rover”) and this is her big first UK Top 40 crossover single with One Acen, who we know from their collaborations with people like Hardy Caprio. I believe this is One Acen’s second UK Top 40 hit, though I might be missing one. The most important thing is: is the song any good? And well, it’s okay, but Darkoo doesn’t sound any different from her counterparts, female or male, and has very little character, but to be fair, she’s not exactly helped by this absolute crap guitar beat, with a clap that I’d like to ask a lot of questions, and chipmunk vocals echoing her lazy interpolation of “Strike a Pose” by Young T & Bugsey. Darkoo’s vocals have constant stuttering put onto them as well, while One Acen’s vocals are a lot smoother, and don’t sound bad at all, especially the start of the first verse, but I can’t pay attention to anything else when the beat is mixed this awfully that it’s genuinely giving me a headache! The bridge is pretty cool, especially the strings and the gang vocals that elevate it, but everything fades out afterwards and hence it just sticks out like a sore thumb. This outro sounds like someone put a piano beat’s MIDI through a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time soundfont.

#28 – “Don’t Rush” – Young T & Bugsey featuring Headie One

Produced by GRADES

And that’s all for anything resembling anything other than UK trap (Excluding another upcoming new arrival), as I guess the last song was kind of R&B. Young T & Bugsey are rappers I had a pretty uninteresting first impression with although I liked their second hit single, “Strike a Pose”, as that had a lot of energy and groove, and a pretty great feature from Aitch, who has yet to impress me since if I’m honest. Headie One is someone who I was also initially bored by, but he did win me over with “Both”, a banger I still listen to due to its menacing guitar line and gorgeous soul sample. This is Young T & Bugsey’s third UK Top 40 hit and Headie One’s fourth, and I’m actually expecting some quality here... and well, I have no idea what that 80s-sounding synth and guitar sample is in the intro, but if that’s original, then this producer needs more attention because that sounds fantastic. It just transitions into a pretty dull Afroswing beat though, with none of the groove that “Strike a Pose” had. In fact, this is just “Strike a Pose” again, but now Young T and Bugsey have separate verses instead of one shared verse, and there’s no humour to this one and just feels like a bunch of filler bars. Only one line made me laugh here and I’m not sure if it was even intentional or not, but on their last single, Aitch was hilarious, sure, but both Young T and Bugsey delivered some equally sleazy lines. Here, I’m just bored by everyone, and Young T sticks to one flow for his verse (For the most part). Bugsey shares his verse flow with his chorus, so the whole song just kind of meshes together. Bugsey introducing Headie One with the same grandiose synth riff that was in the intro is a pretty fun idea, but it’s not worth it because Headie One is boring too. At least it’s professionally mixed, which is better than most of the more B-list UK trap that charts in the second half of the top 40.

Edit: Nevermind lol the bass is clipping throughout the chorus. Also realised I never talked about the line that made me laugh. In the first verse, Young T might have interpolated MC Smally and if he hasn’t, he’s used the same inflection and that’s hilarious to me.

#24 – “ROXANNE” – Arizona Zervas

Produced by Jae Green and 94skrt – Peaked at #1 in New Zealand and #27 in the US

Now for our only diversion from UK rap, but still vaguely in hip hop, Arizona Zervas, an R&B singer-songwriter who was starting a humble career before suddenly, TikTok found this song and now he has a global hit single. His live shows are pretty prolific for such a new artist... I am a bit weary of Arizona Zervas being a bit of an industry plant because this song blowing up so quickly is all too convenient, especially considering he got the playlist placement within three weeks. I don’t know, and I don’t care, it’s his first UK Top 40 single. Is it any good? No. I listened to the whole song and just sat there thinking what I could talk about... which is nothing. I guess I like the splashes of guitar and the... oh, for God’s sake, whistling? Sigh, well, the lyrics are questionable at times, and the second verse is pretty obviously ripped off from somewhere, and the guy sounds whiny and infuriating. That glass breaking sound effect is pretty corny as well. Also, Drake did the “Shake and Bake” / Ricky Bobby joke nearly exactly 10 years ago, Zervas, and he didn’t sound nearly as gutless saying it... wow, Drake sounding tougher than you really is an insult. Sidenote, why is “BedRock” five gruelling minutes?

#18 – “Down Like That” – KSI featuring Rick Ross, Lil Baby and S-X

Produced by S-X

From here on out, we only have British hip hop to talk about and now this is a name I didn’t expect to see... YouTuber and semi-professional boxer KSI, who after winning against Logan Paul, stated he would be working more on his music (He said this in a Good Morning Britain interview with Piers Morgan, by the way) and I didn’t expect this so soon, but here it is. It’s not KSI’s first time charting, it’s actually his second UK Top 40 hit after “Lamborghini” peaked at #30 in 2015, but he seems to be taking music more seriously now and without all the nonsense diss tracks he released (most of which genuinely charted), as he’s got his highest-peaking single yet and some pretty high-profile features from Rick Ross and Lil Baby, as well as relatively unknown British rapper S-X, who also produces the track. It’s his first UK Top 40 hit, but Rick Ross has a lot more (The information for this on his discography page is messy, scattered and often non-existent so I’m not bringing up specific numbers) and it’s Lil Baby’s third. I’m not expecting anything great from these guys, but I’d like to be surprised.

I wasn’t. S-X sounds pretty flat against the menacing piano line, especially when he gets into the falsetto but this beat isn’t bad, especially with the distorted vocal sample, although the vocals here are typically pretty muddy, which is expected considering a YouTuber recorded them. KSI is the lead artist but he doesn’t really give much of an impression, although his Dragon Ball Z reference was a nice touch, I guess. Rick Ross comes in with ad-libs about being the biggest in the game, and I always love a M-M-Maybach Music tag but his verse but is non-existent. Lil Baby sounds confused and initially off-beat, with his flow ending up sounding pretty janky, as he also refers to Rick Ross as “the biggest” and his verse sounds like it abruptly stops mid-sentence. Somehow, KSI had the best verse here, as the American rappers didn’t really seem to know how to adapt. Good beat, though.

#15 – “Paper Cuts” – Dave

Produced by Ghosty

I’m tired of writing these introductions at this point, I have to write nine of them and explain everything and... ugh. Okay, this is Dave, we all know him if you read the series, he’s a UK rapper who’s very introspective and typically one of my favourites. This was marketed as the first time he would rap on a drill beat, which has me wondering how well he’ll fare on a track he didn’t actually produce (He usually does self-produce). It’s his first lead single since the #1 album, PSYCHODRAMA, and 15th UK Top 40 hit. I am a bit worried for the upcoming record though, if there is one, as he’s been keeping himself busy with pretty lacklustre features and a mediocre Top Boy soundtrack single. Regardless, is this new song any good? Well, Dave sounds pretty Dave here, talking about his past with his typical flow and contrived wordplay about Anakin from Star Wars and Red Bull, as well as an awfully misguided tangent about Megan Thee Stallion. Dave sounds really awkward here, which is odd as not only is this beat great and eerie but it’s also pretty much in his wheelhouse. This isn’t bad, but I feel there are people who could have made this a lot better and more organic or even just hyped up as the song as it is, it’s a slog and wildly uninteresting, despite only being three minutes. Good beat, though.

#13 – “Netflix & Chill” – Fredo

Produced by Kirk Beats

Fredo? Oh, come on, he’s one of the least interesting guys! Okay, well, he’s a UK rapper all the same and he can be pretty funny and wild when he wants to, like on his #1 hit, “Funky Friday”, with Dave, and even “So High” with MIST where MIST was just dead weight. Overall, I just find him okay most of the time, but it’s his seventh UK Top 40 hit and without any features, I doubt I’ll like this... and you know, maybe I’m wrong actually. This guitar line is pretty slick and the vocal samples are cute here, and the chorus is actually pretty fun with Fredo actually singing for once... although his vocals are awfully punched-in here. Jesus, that sounds unprofessional, but otherwise the trap beat is pretty cool, and his flow in the first verse is constantly switching and his style of casual, careless braggadocio is actually clicking with me here. His second verse is surprisingly long and despite him lazily repeating some of his bars throughout the verse, his bars can be pretty funny. The mixing is strange here, especially vocally, and I left this feeling conflicted if anything. Again – good beat, though.

#5 – “Must Be” – J Hus

Produced by JAE5

Finally, it’s the last song and probably the best one, to be honest, but I’ve already talked about the chart placements and all that nonsense, so let’s discuss the song – because it’s really freaking good! Okay, so perhaps some context here: J Hus is a pioneer of the genre ‘Afroswing’ and a pretty respectable rapper as well, although I personally didn’t like many tracks from his first and so far only studio album Common Sense. In June 2018, Hus was arrested for carrying a knife in Stratford and after changing his plea from not guilty to guilty, served eight months in jail. During this time, he would deliver a verse for Dave on “Disaster”, which is one of both rappers’ best songs. I think the most powerful statement I’ve heard from J Hus is when he was asked why he had a knife, because he responded, pretty simply, “You know, it’s Westfield”.

He was released on 5th April, 2019, to much rejoicing from his fanbase, the British rap community and his colleagues but since his release, he’s actually been pretty scarce – he made a guest appearance hours after release at a Drake show in London, and has done some features for Skepta, MoStack and... Ed Sheeran, but there hasn’t been any solo material until now. This is his massive comeback single, and, yeah, it’s great. Let’s talk about the lyrical subject matter here first and get that out of the way: J Hus is singing about paranoia and trauma he experiences now due to his time in prison and his roots in gang violence, giving him a tough exterior that isolates him from everyone else. Both the chorus and the end of the first verse sum it up pretty well.

If man slip, get up, dust yourself off / Everyone F off, yo

The second verse dives into being “Guilty by association” and with an incredible rhyme scheme, Hus mostly talks about how if someone dares even talk to his enemies, they will become an enemy, and how he doesn’t trust people anymore, but also interesting touches on how young black men struggle to fit into society without resorting to rapping or being a gang member, although he doesn’t do this in a serious manner, and is actually pretty humorous wordplay and just general turn of phrase.

I think he’s an opp, but I need confirmation

All that doesn’t matter if it’s not delivered well... and of course it is, with that groovy bassline and synth embellishes in the intro thanks to JAE5, and a funky trap beat with cute pitch-shifted chipmunk samples and a freaking sax loop just coming in whenever it wants to. In fact, the instrumental feels pretty frantic initially, but the second half of the first verse is just beautiful. After the epic drum fill, some grandiose, sweet-sounding synths come in and it’s just gorgeous. J Hus has a lot of charisma even if he tends to mumble in the first verse, but his voice is just so sonically pleasing to me, man, I could listen to him all day. Well, this is miles ahead of the rest of the rap here, and that outro with the string composition in the background might be one of my favourite musical moments of the year. Welcome back, J Hus. Glad to have you back.

Conclusion

Well, it should be obvious that J Hus is taking Best of the Week for “Must Be”, with Honourable Mention probably going to Endor for “Pump it Up”, although it isn’t that great. Dishonourable Mention goes to Tom Walker for just being boring with “Better Half of Me”, but I think Arizona Zervas is taking Worst of the Week for the sappy, gross “ROXANNE”. I don’t even want to try and make sense of what’ll happen next week. Interestingly, we’re going into the Christmas season with a lot of hip-hop on the chart, although we know most of this won’t survive the Winter and... well, you know what happens in Winter. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings and I’ll see you next week!