GLITTER & SHINE & SYNTH

rhynna duliar @imperialshq written by mona the world had gotten gritty enough.The only thing left to do in all that dirt was to shine.

[glittergleam]

ofeisley‌:

               THERE WERE A LOT OF MEN AT BARS – that was something eisley noticed in this place. she wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, but she sure as hell knew that her master would hate the fact that she was here. the possessive nature of the man was brutal for the girl who now understood that he only offered her a position with him not to work, but to be his. at least she had a home though… the mansion was beautiful and intricately decorated – nothing like where she came from. there were times where she thought that maybe she should be grateful for what she had, but the girl lost nearly all her freedom. eisley was surprised that she even got that night off. 

               but this woman didn’t seem threatening. she wasn’t offering her a position as a call girl like the man she met earlier either, so that was a relief too. but did she seem lonely? well… eisley was alone in a new place, but she didn’t think that she was particularly lonely. people were always welcomed though. ❝ you’re not prying at all, i like the company… but you’re also right, i’m very new here… it it that obvious? ❞ she smiled lightly up at the woman – admiring that ensemble of hers though she knew that she could never pull it off. her master would put her in similar gowns at upscale events and eisley would always dread those heels and tight waist lines. 

               eyes moved to the bright purple drink, brows slightly furrowing as she wondered what the hell that was before looking back to the other. ❝ it’s my night off, and i’ve never really explored before… i mean- i’ve been to uscru but only with my master, so all of this is new… ❞ after another sip of her water, she offered another smile. ❝ so… are you a performer then? ❞

After most shows, Rhynna retires to whatever privacy she can find. The pressure and presence of the crowd can be overwhelming, especially when they're all focused on you. She enjoys it, but it tires her just as quickly. At this bar, though, the management has been trying their best to hire her on as a regular performer. But she likes her little nomadic lifestyle - likes the different customers, the different venues, the different setlists.

Coruscant alone is a planet that one can live their entire life on and need to see nothing else.

❛❛ It's a little obvious, ❞ Rhynna admits readily. ❛❛ Not a bad thing, I promise. We get new customers all the time. I've just got a good eye for faces. ❞ It's one of her keys to success - networking, knowing who she's met, and remembering what, precisely, she thinks of him. She knows that she can make an impression on people too, so it's not like it's a one-sided interaction. If it's not her reputation, it's her personality, and if it's not her personality, it's her dress. She just wants to be remembered, as self-centered as many people think that it sounds.

The girl's eyes drift over to her drink. Rhynna reaches forward and picks it up, taking another sip. ❛❛ Never been to Uscru on your own? Everyone's first time here is something special, or it should be. That's the whole point of it. A little bit of a fantasy, a little bit grimy, a little bit daring. ❞ There's a glint to Rhynna's look, a warmth and an energy. ❛❛ I'm a singer, yes. This is just one of my stops. ❞ She gestures back vaguely at the bar as a whole, an expansive flick of her wrist. ❛❛ Not even my favorite, but it's quaint. ❞

[redglittercoffin]

Janelle Monáe by JUNO for her new album, Dirty Computer, out this April 2018.

[glittergleam]

ofeisley:

               NIGHTS OFF FROM HER DUTIES AT her master’s home were rare, but eisley never wasted one she had. usually she would go to the city for a treat at a vending cart and sit by the raver while she ate, but since it was a bit late for that, the girl dared to venture into the entertainment district without her master for the first time. during her previous visits she would always have to be practically glued to the man’s side, eyes either focused on him on some inanimate object as to not lead a man on as he’d told her. it was stupid, but she followed his orders. but now? now her eyes were free to wander – to admire all the twinkling lights and take in the music swarming through the air. 

              uscru at night was beautiful… hell, coruscant at night was beautiful. the fires were still a huge situation, but right now all eisley could think about was what she would do first. it took only a few seconds to decide on a hot chocolate if they had any around here. however her eyes were too wide in the wonder of it all to focus enough to find a bar to get a drink. dismissing the thought of a hot chocolate, the girl simply wandered through the floors to look at all the spectacles. luckily enough, she ended at a bar nevertheless. with a clearing of her throat, she hops onto a stool and attempted to look more put together than she was. if she had learned anything from living here: it was that people took advantage of innocents. she might look like a child, but at least she could act like someone who knew what she was doing. 

               for now she just orders a small glass of water, slowly sipping on it as she stared at the endless bottles perched behind the bartender. how did people drink so much? her trance was snapped at the voice beside her though, eisley blinking a few times before looking to the woman with a shy smile. why was she so concerned? did eisley look as nervous as she felt? ❝ i’m okay, i just-… i’ve never been here. i’m not waiting for anyone though… ❞ eyes then widened in understanding, eisley quickly jumping back off the stool. ❝ i’m sorry, were you waiting for someone? was i taking your seat? ❞ smooth. 

Normally, Rhynna tries to reduce the crowd down to just that - a crowd. To pick out any particular people within it only invites trouble, at least in her experience. Unless it's to flirt a little, that is, since she does know when to make exceptions. But most of the time, it's nothing but a mass of people who are there to watch, and sometimes tip, and mostly be as obnoxious and drunk as possible. But life isn't any fun without breaking out of those pre-established patterns, and sometimes Rhynna finds someone who catches her attention.

What's remarkable here, to be clear, is how unremarkable the girl is trying to seem, to the point that it becomes palpable.

She knows all the regulars at this bar, and even some of the rarer customers. And she knows when someone looks a little uncomfortable. After all, sometimes it's her job to make a more nervous customer feel either special - her leaning off the stage and grinning like she's dedicating this song to them specifically - or at least a little more comfortable, depending on how things work out that night.

Rhynna squints at the girl's glass for a moment. It's either water or vodka, and if this girl is knocking back vodka, then she's guilty of underestimating her. But then comes the smile - small and delicate, and all that does is reassure her that she gauged the situation correctly. ❛❛ No, no, not at all. I'm fine standing for a while. ❞ Now that she's not in stage heels, anyway. She would kick just about anyone off of their stool to not have to stand all night in those. ❛❛ First time here, huh? Well, welcome. Sorry if I was prying. It's just - I've got an eye for the regulars versus the people who I've never seen before, and I like to check on the new customers who seem a little more lonely. ❞  

The bartender slides the usual across the countertop towards her - a cocktail that's an obnoxiously bright purple. Tonight it matches the heels she was wearing on stage. She gives him a grin and takes a sip. ❛❛ So what's brought you to Uscru tonight? ❞

[glittergleam]

@ofeisley

She loves Coruscant more at night than any other time. At night, the whole planet glows. Rhynna still remembers that view when the shuttle she was crammed on first landed, all the promise in the neon glitter. Wealth and glamour at first, and then dirt and grime underneath, inevitable. Personally, she's found her place somewhere in between. It's a good place for her, more comfortable than she ever was back at home, but there's always something new coming down the line.

Tonight's been a good night. Lively crowd, some signature numbers, and Rhynna kicked off the heels she likes to dance in, exchanging for a pair of sensible flats. The club's too dark for most people to notice, and anyone who decides to comment about how she shrunk a few inches is going to get a kick in the shins for their trouble.

Either way, she slips up to the bar, giving a grin at the bartender. What catches her eye, though, is the girl lurking in the crowd Out of place doesn't even begin to cover it. Normally Rhynna might look the other way, just ignore it as someone a little uncomfortable with the clientele of the bar. Today, though, she's in a good mood. So she orders a second drink, her grin at its best and brightest, and keeps the questions simple as she moves close enough to grab her attention. Hopefully it won’t spook her, but Rhynna doesn’t personally think she looks that intimidating, all things considered. ❛❛ You okay, sweetheart? Waiting for someone? ❞

[boseman-chadwick]

[glittergleam]

The First Order are everywhere.

Like rats, she thinks, and she doesn’t say it. It wouldn’t do for her to get thrown in jail while getting some air after her first performance of the night. The First Order would probably see that aside as an act of treason. So she’s wise enough to keep her mouth shut and merely roll her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension there. She’s always sore after the first performance of the night, and around the second round near midnight it hits a kind of euphoria. Her teachers back on Chandrila used to describe it as something that only happened in front of a crowd.

A kind of performance delirium, where you’re outside your body but it’s doing all the things you’ve trained it do perfectly.

Either way, she tilts her head towards the sound of footsteps. Her attention shifts down to the toes of her boots, where she always jams the hilt of the datadagger against her ankle every time she goes outside for a break. Then she puts on her best grin, the one that looks good under the lights of the club.  ❛❛ If loitering outside my workplace has become a crime, honey, then that’s news to me. ❞ She folds her arms, casual. ❛❛ Or are you out here for something else? ❞ 

[glittergleam]

✕ … janelle monae … rhynna duliar: now arriving in coruscant. she stands alone and is 29 years old according to their chart. past records show that they are known to be charismatic and fickle, so tread with caution since they are still a singer from chandrila.

meet your local coruscant nightclub singer armed with a killer voice and a knife that could actually kill you if she jabs it into the right place. yes, she knows all the places that would kill you if she stabs you, because you don’t grow up with your family involved in some postwar chandrilan politics and learn nothing at all.

on stage, she’s rhynna duliar, but offstage and with friends, she’s just rhyn.

she grew up on chandrila post-empire. chandrila is generally known to be haughty and intensely political - so much so that assassination attempts weren’t unheard of despite a relatively peaceful reputation to the rest of the galaxy. both of her parents were involved in more than one dissent that turned outright violent.

she still has the datadagger that her father gave her before she left chandrila. it’s her Favorite Knife, among her many knives. she collects them. protip: win her heart by giving her a cool knife that’s hard to find.

why’d she leave chandrila at twenty-two? well, she didn’t really want to get into politics, and her parents were both intensely politically active. if things turned worse, that might make her into a target. so she took advantage of the one skill that she had fine-tuned on chandrila already - performance and singing, and took both elsewhere in the core worlds.

elsewhere became coruscant, where she settled in on the nightclub circuit. she tends to perform at different clubs each night, but frequents a few more than most - so if you like her, you might have a good idea of where to find her. over the past few years, she’s moved from just singing into recording songs and putting them out on the holonet.

doesn’t tend to stay confined to one genre. she probably has some more generically popular tracks (think this track from transistor), but even if it’s been seven years since she left her home planet, she can’t help the vague political leanings so inherent in her culture since the first order rose up. 

so, in secret, she’s written a few songs that criticize the first order and definitely lean towards a resistance-oriented interpretation of the war, and published them under a pseudonym (for style, think of monae’s cold war).

she’s never officially taken a side and seems to be there just to entertain and do her job. it’s safer that way. some people probably won’t like that.

but she’s fun and charming and always smiling. loves to flirt. loves to perform. loves the spotlight, definitely. to her, the galaxy is simultaneously very beautiful and very stupid, and to take either of those away would be reductive.

[witchface]

Visit Original Link

[glittergleam]

tags.

[flawlessbeautyqueens]

Janelle Monae by Tony Duran for LA Confidential