fading

wes nichols | 19 |

[goingwes]

Ed knew going to this fancy school full of wannabe superstars would be bad for their wallet. Especially considering how tight it had gotten with her mothers’ conditions. But a little indulgence like a record or two wouldn’t kill her, especially if she resisted buying take-out. Or just only got it when she was hanging out with Wes, and he paid. “I figured my dorm mate probably doesn’t appreciate me blasting shit like Opeth and Brutus every night, so I should expand my collection of more chill tunes.” Ed explained, shrugging.

Wes. Ed would try to remember. At least if he was a rich rising star type he wasn’t too cool for a game of pick a record with the random person who went to his college. “I’m down.” They turned back to the vinyls, starting to flip idly through the sleeves to find a cover that would catch their eye, “so guessing you’re an indie pop kind of guy then?” Ed asked with a hum, glancing back for a moment.

         while wes would like to think that his musical range is about the widest at darden college ( despite knowing hardly anyone on campus that well ), when ed references two of the bands that they listen to, wes has to fake a laugh like he knows what they’re talking about, though he does tuck the two names away to look up as soon as he gets home. 

          “i don’t like to necessarily limit myself.” wes shrugs, but he nods his head at the same time. “i love indie pop for sure, and if i had to pick one genre to perform for the rest of my life it would probably be that, but my musical preference is pretty broad.” turning towards the jazz section he’s already filtered through, he points in its direction, adding: “i love jazz. and i like variations of jazz, when electronica is incorporated i think the sound can be really special. couldn’t say a bad word about r&b or rap, even though i’m not an avid listener, and while i don’t think i’ve ever been caught buying a country album i don’t hate the genre.” he explains, not realizing how detailed he’s actually making his answer when she likely doesn’t care all that much. “music is about the passion you put into it and i can appreciate how almost any genre can be passionate and elicit an emotional response.”

        “all that being said, i fucking hate classical music.” he frowns, eyes darting over to the section in particular like it has personally offended him. “i’m trained in it and my mother would like to say i’m the next vladmir horowitz, it’s the bane of my existence. there’s no passion, it’s all technique.” 

[goingwes]

𝄞

Darcy was used to practicing well into the night.

It was a necessity that came out of double majoring, her only free time occurring after class, rehearsal, and/or work. However, they hadn’t yet begun the rehearsal component of their schedules. Darcy had therefore been able to arrange for essentially an unpaid violin tutoring session with Wes in the early evening that day.

The child musical prodigy and the child star had crossed paths during the musical the previous year and an unspoken alliance had formed. In a room full of Musical Theatre Kids, the two had shared some common ground - a major, mostly. And somewhere along the way they’d gotten to talking. It had clicked for her that he was the boy she’d seen on tv as a child, he had likely realized just how good she was, etc. She immediately appreciated that she was better than him at violin, but he was trying. And through their practice sessions together, she could tell he was improving.

She wasn’t as bad at tutoring as she’d been led to believe.

Except maybe she was, because she truly couldn’t keep Wes’ attention on the task at hand. They’d been playing for a hot minute, but there were songs longer than the time that had elapsed. She had been prepared to push, to insist that they get a few more pages in, at least. But before she could his violin was already stashed away and Wes had clearly moved on.

“If they aren’t capable of playing, how are they capable of ordering food?” Darcy reasoned, allowing herself to set her violin on her lap but not yet reaching for the case. She hadn’t fully given up on their practice session.

“There’s no better use for them to be put to than playing the violin. I think you should tell them that.”

Her stomach, however, had other plans. An unfortunately timed grumble was all it really took to get her to give in, the fact that she’d been dashing across campus all day having prevented her from grabbing a quick bite before they met up. She didn’t acknowledge that it happened, but she also avoided any possibility of eye contact.

Begrudgingly, she acquiesced.

“I’ll allow it. But only as an intermission. And you are, of course, buying. Chicken Tikka Masala, please and thank you.”

        being forced to practice music for hours is something that wes has always had to live with, though usually the orders are coming from his mother, and the instrument of choosing is the piano. but darcy isn’t like his mother, which is why practicing violin around her isn’t as painstaking as it is with the woman that raised him. when he wants a break, she doesn’t deny him ( tease him a little, maybe, but that’s fair ), and her criticism is a lot less cruel as well, which is a bonus.

         “hey, scrolling and tapping require a lot less energy. both mentally and physically..” wes counters, pulling his phone out of his pocket and unlocking it to order their food. “absolutely.” wes says, adding her item to the cart and checking out. once the food is ordered, his phone slips out of his exhausted fingers and falls onto his lap, and he smiles, albeit awkwardly, at his tutor who, while he does feel close with, he doesn’t know if she exactly considers him a friend. “sooo, what’s been going on with you lately?” wes asks, not exactly wanting to pry but feeling like he needs to fill the silence with something that isn’t either of them playing violin until the food arrives. 

        “excited about heathers?” he segues, just in case she’s not comfortable opening up about anything else going on in her life. “i don’t think i’m gonna fuck up this audition or anything, but if by some strange phenomenon i end up in the ensemble, count me in on the orchestra after all.” he laughs a little, kicking his feet up on his coffee table. his eyes glance to the door of the apartment for a second, curious if topher might come bounding through the door any second complaining about spencer again. “i’d much rather have you telling me what to do than prance around the stage during the dance numbers.” he scowls a little at the idea of it before shaking his head. “yeah, no. i don’t even wanna think about it.”

[goingwes]

      she didn’t know how she got there. to be fair, venus never knew how she ever got anywhere really … almost like she was a video game character, just appearing to figure out what sort of side quest she was meant to embark on. didn’t really mind it, after all the product of being in her own head brought about a new favorite hot spot –– bass and brews. she was never one for coffee, made her too jittery and she was already like the energizer bunny to begin with, so she opted for ‘cosmic’ tea instead. some sort of special that had luster dust that changed colors ! of course she couldn’t say no; but it had to be iced, always iced. typical new englander. 

      she’d been nursing that very drink in one hand and the vinyl in the other when a voice beckoned her attention. abrupt, so much so that it almost made her lose the iridescent liquid. “oh god, sorry … didn’t scare me,” startled if anything, “i don’t get scared.” should’ve stopped there. the horrors of being long-winded –– and a bit … nervous.  “just caught me off guard is all.” her cheeks did turn the slightest bit pink though, matched the stain on the back of her neck from an impromptu dye job orchestrated in the co-ed bathroom the evening prior. fortunately, the showers didn’t look like a scene out of psycho. “can i be honest with you ? never heard of him.” cue an apologetic laugh. “i really only picked it up for the cover art. cool right ? ” she extended her arm to hold it between the two of them. “looks like something out of like, i don’t know, a wes anderson film or something.” ironic choice of filmmaker considering, “oh venus, i’m uh … venus like the planet !” gaze shifted to focus on her tied up hands, hastily juggling the items before gesturing towards him. “and you’re …” her eyes narrowed in on him as she tried her best to muster up the name; but she’d already knew who he was. not in the way one would think. she’d actually seen him roaming the quad, so captivated she nearly tripped headfirst into a trashcan; and then a shout from a friend, perhaps ? ‘wes !’ …. wes. she’d certainly remember that name. “wes, right ? listen … i promise you that whole wes anderson comment was not intentional.” a pause, quick given the question that flashed in her mind. “but while we’re on the topic of filmmakers, particularly movies …” she trailed off –– the suspense ! “if you could pick the soundtrack to your life, what would it be ? does mr. castelli make the cut ?” she teased.

       hypothetically, it shouldn’t be startling at all for wes to hear his name when it’s said in the form of wes anderson. the man in question is the reason he’s named wes after all ( though he’s weston and the creative genius’ full name is wesley ), but no matter how many times he’s brought up, it never stops wes from being caught off guard, like someone is saying his name, talking about him. wes smiles and nods, only allowing two seconds of a perplexed look to consume his expression. “they say don’t trust a book by its cover, but i feel like that doesn’t apply to music. cool album art usually equals cool album.” bubbly, that’s the first word that comes to mind when he hears her speak. san pellegrino, no, prosecco -- no, prosecco with a strawberry on the rim of the glass, that’s what she’s making him think of. sweet and intoxicating right off the bat, and he already wants another glass. it takes her a second to remember his name, but her reaction to realizing his name is wes and she’s just mentioned wes anderson makes it worth the wait. “yeah, it’s wes.” he laughs, nodding along. venus not knowing his name right off the bat gives him at least an idea that she might not know who he is, and that always feels better to know when meeting someone, so when she asks him for his life soundtrack ( a question that wes kind of thinks might be a little intimate, something he wouldn’t share with just anyone ), he isn’t actively trying to figure out a lie to make himself sound cooler. 

       “that’s a difficult question to answer,” wes thinks out loud, shifting his body so that he’s fully leaning against the shelves as he ponders how to answer her. “maybe. playing in the background at a house party.” he fantasizes, picturing hearing mystery booming over loud speakers as his imaginary crush walks in through the door. why does she all of a sudden look like the girl he’s just met? he shakes his head, turning to look at venus. “not that i really go to house parties. or any kind of parties really.” he adds, not really sure why. “i think my soundtrack would feature a lot of jazz, if i’m being completely honest. not a whole lot of lyrics, probably, and some classical even though i hate it -- just because i’m forced to play it. it’s a part of who i am, i guess, so it wouldn’t make sense for me not to include it.” what a loaded thing to say when he’d much rather not elaborate, he thinks, so to quickly keep her from reading into it he throws the same question back at her. “and your soundtrack? i’m eager to scrutinize.” 

[goingwes]

🎼

Topher wasn’t exactly the acting type. Unless you could count the last few years he spent in the closet. Though that was arguably not his best performance depending on who you asked. And while the idea of having to perform a medley of Abba’s greatest hits in sparkly bell bottoms brought a shiver down his spine but he knew that this might be the only way he would ever get his boyfriend back. The current window on his laptop was open to non-showtune audition songs as Topher scrolled through the list in search for the least offensive song to his pretentious indie loving ears. ❝ Look, if I ever want another shot with Spencer, I need to do this and a little moral support would be nice. ❞ Topher wasn’t expecting the lead but it would be nice to share a room together again. The power of proximity or whatever. ❝ You know there’s a Green Day musical ? What are the chances they do something cool like that ? ❞ 

         wes immediately softens upon the mention of moral support as it hits him that he never really received that growing up. being told get the part wasn’t exactly encouraging, and that’s what topher needs, even if it means wes working against himself. “okay, okay, you’re right.” wes sighs, holding up soapy hands in defense. “you’re gonna kill it, and spencer’s jaw that you for some reason find attractive is gonna hit the floor...i just don’t want you to be disappointed if it doesn’t work out, you know?” he lies, knowing that the real reason he doesn’t want him to audition is the fact that topher is just more competition. “uhhh,” wes laughs a little, rinsing his hands clean and drying them off on his jeans instead of grabbing a clean hand towel. “considering the track record of this schools past musicals? i’d say highly unlikely.” rounding the counter, he joins topher at his laptop, glancing at the audition songs he’s been eyeing.

        “but you know,” wes murmurs, biting his lip, “both of us being in the musical is gonna make it kinda hard for us to start that band we keep talking about.” not that wes really has the time to be starting a band anyway, nor would his mother approve of the idea if she were to find out about it, which knowing wes’ track record of keeping secrets from her, is likely. 

[goingwes]

Now, Darden college was smaller than Ed was used to. Already, she was noticing that there was a massive overlap in the people she would see at work, in class, and just about in the sorts of places she’d be spending time. It was… Not intimidating. New. Odd to recognize so many people.

But they had to make friends, and the record store seemed like a decent enough place for it. Their record player was a little dinged up from the journey up to California, but it still played, and her dormmate would probably appreciate some more relaxing tunes in the shared space, bringing Ed to the indie pop section. They’d picked up a colourful sleeve with an interesting looking guy on the cover, and someone made a comment from nearby. Ed turns to look at him with a smile and a shrug, “no no, it’s fine.” They say, used to not being known. “It’s Ed. And… To be honest, I don’t know your name either. And I don’t know who Ralph Castelli is, but the sleeve looked cool. I usually just find some random indie pop playlist if I’m in that kind of mood. Glad I picked well, though.”

         it really shouldn’t be a big deal now, considering it’s been just about six years since wes has been famous ( although he wasn’t even relatively that famous, just a loveable child star ), but he always feels a wave of relief wash over him whenever someone makes it clear that they don’t know who he is. he smiles, his normal guard not totally down but at least lowered enough to make the other comfortable. “yeah, he’s got some great songs. bends is my personal favorite.” he points to the first song on the back of the album, shrugging his shoulders. “is that the kind of mood you’re in right now?” he asks, his eyes scanning the racks around them to see if there’s anything else that he can suggest. rex orange county... steve lacy... two door cinema club... but then it hits him that he hasn’t exactly introduced himself yet. “i’m wes,” he says, his shoulders bouncing a litlte. “and you picked very well. i’m thinking you should pick another album based on appearances, and hopefully i won’t know it -- maybe you’ll pick find my new favorite.” he suggests, gesturing at the other titles around them, hopeful that they’ll strike album art gold.

[goingwes]

{ for @darcywarren​ }

        “fuuuuck, can we please take a break?” wes whines, placing the violin he’s been struggling to master for years beside him on the couch and flashing a pleading look to darcy next to him. they’ve been practicing for what feels like hours, but has likely been only about twenty minutes, and wes hates the way he can’t keep up with the girl when they play together. even late at night during orchestra, he finds himself looking across the room as he’s on keys and she’s playing up a storm on her violin, jealousy running through his veins in a way he doesn’t completely understand.

wes doesn’t wait for her to confirm that they can take that break he’s requested, he slips his violin back into its case and rises to his feet, stretching his back in the process like he’s been stiffened by their hard work. “come on, let me order us indian or something. i feel like i’ve been playing music all day and my fingers --” he extends his hands in front of her, wiggling his digits around a little. “my fingers, they don’t wanna play anymore. they’ve lost their momentum, they’ve got a mind of their own and they’re calling it. please.”

[goingwes]

{ open starter !! feel free to reply if you feel it suits your character! }

        going anywhere off campus other than his apartment is a rather rare occurrence. there’s usually just too much going on in wes’ schedule ( or, the schedule that his mother has created for him behind the scenes ) for him to treat himself with a trip out to one of the many different places their coastal town has to offer. but there are some days when he has to venture out, like today, after one of his guitar strings had snapped !! and upon searching through his guitar case for another pair he’d found that he was shit out of luck. so out and about wes goes, to wistful times to pickup fresh strings and spend a little extra time wandering the isles and finding the perfect new jazz album to obsess over.

strings in hand and the jazz aisle scrutinized, wes has found himself in indie pop, a section he secretly hopes that one day his own album will be organized, standing beside someone he’s pretty sure he recognizes, but unfortunately has forgotten the name of. he clears his throat, gesturing at the vinyl in their hands and nodding in approval. “ralph castelli, one of my favorites.” he inserts himself. “you’ve got good taste, uhhh...” he laughs a little, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. “sorry, i totally forgot your name. i know that’s probably really annoying, this isn’t even that big of a school.”

[goingwes]

{ for @spencerxquinn​ }

          there are several reasons why wes and spencer will likely never get along. number one being that they’re both attractive, talented young guys after the same exact thing: the lead in every single theatrical performance at darden college -- and number two being that the other boy has caused significant pain to the closest friend wes has ever made. so having to see him nearly every day, whether it be in the multiple classes they have together, or walking through the quad, or even on social media, wes finds it difficult to not treat spencer with the lowest possible level of respect that he can.

today in particular he’s stuck sitting beside him in film & video studies. his usual seat near the back had been filled when he rolled into class just a few minutes late today, and the only spot available had been smack dab beside spencer, and while there was a moment wes considered turning on his heels and ditching the class for the day, his mothers voice echoed in the back of his mind and without a second thought he was sitting in the open seat. two hours of uncomfortable silence beside the other boy goes by painstakingly slow, but once the class ends and the room begins gathering their belongings, the silence has to come to an end. wes can’t tell if the other boy has been staring at him, or if wes keeps looking over at him so frequently and just happens to catch him looking because he’s the one looking, but for some reason he can’t help but say something about it. so as the room clears out and wes rises to his feet before the other boy, he glowers and turns to him saying: “what, dude? you’ve been staring at me all class. do you need something, or are you trying to read my fucking mind or something? like what?”

[goingwes]

{ for @topherbell​ }

          “are you seriously still considering auditioning for the musical?” wes asks suspiciously, the final soapy wet plate being lifted out of the sink and carefully placed in the dishwasher beside him. “i know you’re really torn up about spencer... but like, a musical, man?” with a half laugh, he closes up the dishwasher, cracks his knuckles and turns to face his roommate slash partner in crime. “you hate musicals. or i mean,” he gestures to the other boy, “at least you have for as long as i’ve known you.” wes won’t admit it, but he does have an ulterior motive in having this conversation with topher. even though his best friend has never shown any interest in acting in the past, and the chances of him nabbing the lead from wes over his ex boyfriend is unlikely, but wes still can’t risk the possibility of the wrath of his mother if he comes back with an ensemble like role. so, even though he knows it’s wrong, wes will do whatever he has to in order to steer the other in the opposite direction. “like what if it ends up being wicked? or mama mia? is that something you can really get behind?” 

[goingwes]

TASK ONE: wes’ stats & schedule 

under the cut you can find the stats i’ve picked for wes!

acting performance: 6  charisma: 3 deception: 3 intelligence: 3 luck: 0 musical performance: 5 persuasion: 0 technical skills: 0 visual arts: 0

[goingwes]

hey hey hey, here’s some things to know about my child star  ☆ wes nichols  ☆

there is a mini bio for him that can be found here, but here’s some extra info too

Full name: weston nichols

Nickname/s: wes

Age: nineteen

Date of Birth: october 29th

Astrology: scorpio

Hometown: los angeles, california

Gender: cis man

Pronouns: he/him

Sexuality: pansexual

Religion: agnostic

Traits: stubborn, impatient, bad tempered, fidgety, selectively charming, moody, fast learner, decently good singer ( but incredible with autotune ), introverted, loyal, the best secret keeper you could ever meet, big hands that are good for piano and guitar ( amongst other things ), hopeless romantic

Likes: messing around on his keyboard, feeling like he has nothing to do, riding shotgun in a fast car, the thrill of a crowd of applause, super tangy oranges, things that smell sweet, when his mother doesn’t text him for more than 24 hours, the sound of jazz music playing next to an open window while its raining

Dislikes: gossips, liars, having to play classical music, the film & tv industry, plane rides, listening to his mother rant about the past, being told what to do -- unless it’s coming from a director

Occupation: Sophomore at Darden College of the Arts, double majoring Acting & Music

Living Arrangements: shares an off campus apartment with topher bell 

Faceclaim: dylan arnold

wes has been acting since he was a baby -- like, a literal baby. like, two weeks out the womb he was playing a baby on screen fresh out of one. ever since then, he’s been acting in some capacity, but when he was thirteen he became an outcast in the film industry due to his mothers nightmarish personality.

once he was no longer working in the industry, he and his mother moved from los angeles to san francisco, and wes switched from homeschooling to private school, attending performing arts schools with the intention of getting into academy of the arts university, also located in san francisco. unfortunately wes’ mothers bad reputation has rubbed off on him, and despite his impeccable gpa and brilliant performance of barry’s monologue from season one episode one barry, he just didn’t cut it. darden had been his backup school, and they welcomed the former child star with open arms! 

acting isn’t something wes really loves doing, it’s just something he thinks he has to do. like playing classical piano, and violin, and doing just about anything his mother tells him to. he’s a bit of a mama’s boy -- not in the sense that he wants to do whatever she says, but feels as though he has no choice otherwise. even though he’s nineteen, he’s still living under the mentality that she is his momager, and what she says goes. 

wes is a rather stubborn boy. he’s deeply set in his ways and standoffish most of the time. a lot of that stems from growing up having to stand behind his mother and let her do all the talking when it came to decisions about his life. another part of it comes from going into high school being quite well known, and not exactly well received. the competition was intense, and while wes did quickly rise to the top, he never really liked the view from up there.

if there is one thing wes is grateful to have been forced to do, it’s music. while he hates the classical piano he’s being trained to perform and the violin he can’t seem to master, he loves making music. his own music. and despite the gloomy disposition wes presents to the world, wes secretly loves and hopes to produce a blend of jazzy bedroom pop that will blow up on tik tok and do numbers on spotify. 

wes is a very talented actor. it’s difficult to tell whether or not he’s just putting on another character, or if he’s showing you the real wes nichols. when he does let you in though, he’s exceptionally loyal and would never do anything to betray your trust, because that’s all he could ever hope for in return.

[goingwes]

tag drop !!

[drkmnel-deactivated20240129]

[dailypaddys]