cheers to the freakin' weekend! for this week's sleepover meme weekend, we are bringing back honesty hours! please make sure to reblog this post and open your inbox if you'd like to receive questions, which can range from anything silly goofy, FMKs, this or thats, invasive personal matters, as long as they're in-character! the only requirement here is that these questions are answered honestly, duh!
please note: the answer to these questions should be considered private, unless the writer specifically notes that they're public knowledge! think of it as mostly for the community to get to know muse's headspace unless stated otherwise!
featuring: jo marshall & rhys davenport @onwiththeshcw
setting: as part of monsieur thibault bellamy-delacroix's rocky horror production, jo and rhys are in the midst of rehearsing their touch-a, touch-a, touch me number.
jo sighed — and not for the first time that afternoon. she and rhys were meant to be rehearsing their number, but there was absolutely no chemistry between them. nada. zero. zilch. the seats would stay dry if they didn't get their act together, but they didn't want to be the first to extend the olive branch. clearly, she wasn't alone with her way of thinking. they had run through the number at least twice now and each time monsieur bellamy-delacroix looked even more defeated than the last. jo didn't mind doing the bare minimum with almost anything else in her life, but this was big — this was rocky horror, for fuck's sake. she would do it justice. during their five-minute break, jo approached rhys to try and break the ice. she blurted out: "have you ever touched breasts before?" ...okay, maybe she could've come at him a bit gentler. nonetheless, she had already started, so. "i don't need to know what goes on in your four-poster bed, but if you have, i need you to imagine you're in that moment during this scene. you can just-" she gestured to her breasts. "-come at them. really give them a squeeze." the last thing she wanted was to offer up romy and michele to rhys davenport, but it was all for the art. at least, that's what jo kept telling themself.
when rhys had pitched the concept of auditioning for the rocky horror picture show, he did not anticipate that he would actually get cast. but really, it was an honor to be rocky, who was the perfect iteration of the hot and stupid trope. really, no more perfect role could have ever existed for rhys. but, the experience of being in the show, so far, was proving to be more annoying on his schedule than anything else. his pesky understudy kepy showing up at the most inopportune moments, and even his big, sexy number with jo marshall was falling flat.
no pun intended, given that she was rambling on about her tits, or something. rhys hadn't been paying too much attention, which wasn't exactly an insult, but it was hard given how distractingly hot their director was. he would like to touch-a touch-a touch-a touch that for sure. "i don't remember monsieur thibault bellamy-delacroix dying and making you director," rhys snapped. admittedly, he was a little more irritable than usual because he probably hadn't hit his protein goals for the day, yet. "seriously? you're giving me permission?" he rolled his eyes, and then took one hand and cupped her right breast, giving it a firm squeeze. he wasn't going for pleasure, more to prove a point. "this your way of trying to tell me you like it rough, marshall?"
August was stuck in a cardio-adjacent purgatory for longer than he liked to admit. One sneaker braced against the rubber flooring, stretching his hamstring. The brace was gone now — thank God, but the ghost of it still lived behind his kneecap, a persistent reminder of what he could no longer do. He glanced up when Rhys spoke, eyes flickering to the sled.
"Uh, maybe," August answered, a tilt of his head as he considered it. "I'm on a very aggressive doctor says I'm not allowed to be stupid anymore plan." He stood up, not quite committing or retreating. "Leg press should be fine. Just promise that if I fuck something up, you'll haul my ass bridal style to the health center."
normally rhys wouldn't do something to wound someone's ego as much as remove all traces of a plate from the machine, but given august's prior injury, it seemed like a better idea than letting him hurt himself. he stood up from the machine and quickly slid off the plates he'd put on, leaving it back at its normal setting. "oh, you caught me," he took a slug from his water bottle and gestured to the throne in front of them. "this is all an elaborate ruse to get you into my arms by the end of the afternoon."
... seth looked at hollis, his breath heavy and warm in the enclosed space they shared - and hollis swore he could count every bead of sweat lining the brunet's hairline. he wondered if he looked as panicked, as confused, as aroused, as the other. his mouth opened, still sheening with spit, ready to laugh away the thick tension between them when seth spoke first, voice low, "hollis, i -" ...
BUZZT!
all of marijoy's concentration, which should've been focused on the lecture in front of her in the first place, dissipates into nothing - and she's almost annoyed at it, her magnum opus fading in front of her, teeth gnawing against glossed lip until it's bruised red, until she notes the name flashing atop her screen. then that too dissipates, and marijoy leans back into her seat with a grin, thumbs blurring across screen as she texts back.
to: em!!!!!!!ery!!!!!!
OMG
thats when i get out of class!!! i'll run over asap give me like 30min!!!
AN HOUR LATER ...
marijoy's panting by the time she bursts through fabray's door, nearly knocking over two girls on their way out as she barrels past ( and is reminded, briefly, about the great rinky dinks accident of fall 2025 ... oh, how those bodies fell ... ) to scope out emery and willa. she's almost frenzied, barrettes sliding halfway down her hair, tote bag no longer perched upon shoulder but swinging heavily from the crook of her elbow, and it almost looks like she ran across campus. she didn't, of course, because she had the shoo - ster, but she has to look at least halfway disheveled to make up for her chronic tardiness, she thinks. the bewildered looks she gets as she strides across the cafe are worth it, in that way. she slinks into the remaining seat at their table with an exaggerated sigh, bag slung atop the table until its' contents are sliding halfway out. marijoy ignores them in favor of saying, "oh my god, guys - i'm so sorry, i almost ran over like, three different people on campus on the way here, and by the third one i was like, totally convinced i was supposed to be in a meetcute like, strangers to soulmates fairytale, so we started talking - but as i was like, oh my god, this is such a crazy coincidence, he was all like, do you even have a license to ride that thing? so, yeah - sorry, but i'm here now! ready and caffeinated! have you guys thought about what we wanna sing? i was telling em that i think we should do something that's like, vocally big, but i won't lie guys, i think the vocal coach i bought lessons from on temu is ghosting me, and i'm super bummed about it." @socvereign
she couldn't help but smile at emery " yes to that i have the same. every time that i think i've found the perfect mash-up something else just comes along. " she quickly glanced at her watch to check the time before grinning " that sounds perfect actually i don't have anything planned at least for the next 3 hours so we might get some little details done. " at the mention that the coffee was on her she almost wanted to decline before reminding herself that she probably would take a couple others before she left. and she was never one to not leave a nice tip.
" Hopefully she'll agree yeah, I'll just go find ourselves a nice little spot around a window maybe. natural light does miracles for my inspiration. " she grinned and took her coffee before settling on a nice window seat not too close to the door but still in a not too crowded spot.
1 HOUR LATER ...
after ordering 2 more coffees ( this time paid by herself ) marijoy also joined their little table. bringing her usual chaos that willa actually didn't exactly dislike. she usually did like people with spirit and she was definitelt spirited. she took another sip of her 3rd coffee and smiled " i mean vocally big could work but like we do also need to think strategically like what are they expecting ? I do also like up-tempo ... so maybe not a ballad ? but we could do some girl power like what about so what and since you've been gone with a little touch of stronger ? i feel like pink and kelly clarkson could be a fun combo. "
once emery's shift was over, she immediately changed out of her apron and headed to the table where marijoy and willa were sitting. she had a vanilla chai latte in hand and a fresh plate of pastries that she'd taken out of the oven before her shift was up. "i'm just glad you made it."
she reached over to rescue a notebook that had started slipping out of marijoy's bag before looking back down at the growing list she'd been scribbling between coffee sips. there were lyrics highlighted in different colors, and more crossed-out ideas than she'd actually want someone to see.
"i really like what you said about thinking strategically," she said, looking over at willa. "i think it'd be fun to do something upbeat, because i think people are going to lean into the ballad. but... even if we do end up with a ballad, i feel like if we're all excited about what we're singing, it'll come across that way?"
she spent a few minutes looking up chords for pink and kelly clarkson's top hits on her phone, scribbling down more notes. she tapped the eraser against the page before she turned the notebook around so the other two could see. "what about who knew and since u been gone? they've both got that same kind of energy, and they're recognizable without feeling overdone. i think they actually might fit together really well. one starts from a place of hurt, the other feels like finally getting your confidence back. it almost feels like one song picks up where the other leaves off."
she glanced between the two of them, almost shy despite how excited she sounded. "i don't know... i just think it'd be really fun to arrange. and if we don't like it, we can always try something else."
Noemi had only meant to duck in. Grab a coffee, write a little bit, study for her Criminal Evidence class, and get the hell out of there before the bodies started to fill up. They waited patiently in line, headphones around her neck instead of on, the soft sound of Gregory Alan Isakov's Big Black Car playing on shuffle, and her fingers worried at the strap of her bag.
When it was her turn, she looked up just as Emery's words tangled over themselves. "Chill, it's just me," she said. "Oat," she added, a little more gently. The Ibarra-Reiz's lived in a strictly vegetarian home, and while she had been on her own for the last few years in college, Noemi would sneak a chicken sandwich from time to time; there was one thing that remained a constant. Oat milk lattes. "No rush."
Noemi's gaze drifted towards the notebook on the counter. One little thing between them. Besides a shared love of music, the pair had a shared love of songwriting. She peeked her head over the counter, big brown eyes fixated on it. "Anything new?"
emery wasn't exactly the sort of person who publicized her attempts at art. it was too personal, and frankly, she didn't think she was good enough to even bother sharing it with the world. it was why she'd spent so much of her life just existing rather than living it, and emery wasn't really at the place in her life where she felt as if that was something she wanted to change.
noemi, though, was different. noemi-- who was so gifted herself-- gave emery the honor of listening to her work and supporting her through her own struggles with the written word and the agony of a melodic hook. and noemi, thankfully, was standing right in front of her at this moment of stress. emery felt it melt away.
"oat," she repeated, as she typed it into the ipad and began working on making the drink. she pushed the notebook towards noemi and a soft smile slid its way onto her lips. "let me know what you think?" she asked, as she began work on the coffee. "i trust your opinion more than anyone else's."
when he and lucas had decided to audition for the rocky horror picture show, rhys literally never thought that it would actually end in them getting roles. he wasn't sure if the group was desperate, or if they thought the show was in need of some eye candy, but either way, there were worse things for him to do than prance around in a pair of glorified boxers and let everyone fawn over him. so far, he was determined to raise a ton of money for beta rho omega, and wasn't that all that mattered in the end?
as rhys was getting fitted for the costume, insisting that the shorts needed to be tigther in order to not fall down while he was prancing across the stage, rhys was a little surprised to see his understudy stop by. there was a lot of weirdness around that situation, but he was under the impression that the whole understudy thing was just a formality to smooth over ruffled feathers. rhys didn't have much of a greeting for him-- what was his name, again? "you here for any specific reason, or just enjoying the view?"
the library was already beginning to fill by the time emery claimed their usual table, arms occupied with far more than she probably needed. her backpack landed first, followed by a stack of textbooks, and finally a cardboard drink carrier she balanced carefully between everything else. working at fabray's did have its perks, although emery wondered if she'd ever be allowed to put actual butter in something.
she worked through the routine of setting them both up almost absentmindedly. jo's vanilla lavender latte went on the right side of the table. a small stack of napkins sat beside a chocolate croissant. an extra pen she'd borrowed from her own pencil case. highlighters, see-through sticky notes, color-coded tabs... there was a rush in buying supplies, as opposed to actually using them to study. only once everything looked the way she wanted it to did she finally settle into her chair with a quiet sigh of satisfaction.
"hi," she smiled, nudging the latte a little closer. "i figured we'd need sustenance."
new year, new start and as always new chaos. which is exactly what willa witnessed today. freshmen rushing to find their classes, friend groups who had recently started seeing each other again, classes that had started and were already demanding way too much. but thankfully some things stayed the same. which is how she found herself at fabray's one of her favorite places at the moment.
she had just finished ordering her mocha oat milk latte one of the new discoveries she made last year when she tried something new on the menu. when her thoughts were interrupted. " oat please, one of the best drinks added to the menu if you ask me. " she looked around before turning back " it's busy today right ? as if everybody has just discovered this place. but now that i see you i was wondering if you had ideas for songs for the clee club assignment like we still need to get together but it could never hurt to come prepared right ? "
the moment willa spoke, emery's expression brightened in a way it only did when music was the topic of conversation. between the morning rush and trying to remember everyone's drink orders, she'd almost forgotten they were supposed to meet about the assignment. "oat," she repeated with an embarrassed little laugh, tapping the correct button on the register. "right. thank you. sorry!"
she rang the drink through and started to assemble it. her manager was probably going to kill her for slacking, but frankly, she'd been looking forward to this glee assignment. "i'm actually really glad you brought it up," she admitted. "i've been making a little list of ideas, but i keep changing my mind every five minutes."
she reached into the pocket of her apron, fishing out her phone. "i get off in like... twenty minutes? i'll text marijoy and we can see if she can meet us so we can talk about our assignment." her thumbs moved quickly across the screen to shoot her friend a text.
to: marijoy 🌼 @fr3quencies
hey!! ☺️ willa's here at fabray's and we were just talking about our mashup! if you're still free after work, come meet us? no rush, we can grab a table and start throwing ideas around 💛
sliding her phone back into her apron pocket, she looked up with an excited smile. "there. hopefully she'll come join us. coffee's on me. i'll be back to brainstorm as soon as i can!"
🏒 ˚ ﹕ㅤㅤ he'd heard it loud and clear, how he needed to color outside the lines more, how taking three teaspoons of sugar instead of three didn't necessarily constitute as a healthy rebellion, or a rebellion at all. but the idea of college experimentation and hedonism was much easier said than done. especially when he had spent his entire life trying to uphold a certain reputation and standard for himself.
but still, rhys was one of the few he wholeheartedly trusted, would try anything once as long as it was with him, or milo, or conrad. well, most things. " let me get it out now that despite being raised as a bleeding heart liberal, i will not be dyeing my hair blue in solidarity with the marginalized blue-haired baristas, " he deadpanned, mostly joking, doubted that it was actually part of rhys' curated agenda of self-indulgent experiences for him, but he'd rather get ahead of it. there'd be nothing involving his handsome blond-dyed hair that was due for maintenance soon. " but i'd try flirting with one. "
𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼: always busy, always keeping up the princely act, everyone knows that sydney could use a break from the usual humdrum of his loaded schedule. thank god rhys offered to help him be more rebellious! @onwiththeshcw
rhys's laugh was good natured, shaking his head as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "well, there goes the first item on the agenda." his expression settled into something dangerously thoughtful, the kind that syd had probably learned to distrust over the years. "for the record," he began, "i never said anything about blue hair. purple, maybe." he let that hang for precisely long enough for panicking purposes before the corners of his mouth betrayed him. "relax."
there were very few people who got to see this version of him, the rhys who smiled without calculating the repercussions, and the rhys who could tease without worrying about going too far. "flirting, though?" he mused. "that's progress. i'm proud of you." the words were dry as per usual, but genuine underneath. "although i should probably warn you... if your opening line is anything like your political takes, that poor barista's going to transfer locations by the end of the week." he nudged his shoulder lightly against syd's. "come on. let's start smaller. ever skipped class?"
there were very few places on campus where nobody expected anything from rhys davenport. the gym, strangely enough, was one of them. weights didn't care about last names, family expectations, net worth, networking or carefully taught reputations. they either got tossed around like a bean bag or they didn't.
he slid the final plate onto the rack, racked the sled with a quiet metallic clang, and sat up, dragging the back of his hand across his forehead before reaching for his water bottle. it wasn't until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye that he realized someone had stopped nearby. his gaze flicked toward the leg press before returning to his new spotter. "you want to work in?" he asked between breaths, one corner of his mouth pulling into a tired smile, "i've got one more set, but i'm headed to squat next."
tldr: this is a gratuitous rhys gym starter. i googled stuff about gym bros and it could be inaccurate. enter at your own risk.
tl;dr: your muse pops by fabray's. emery is #werking the counter.
money had been tight this semester. it always was, but emery was really feeling it. she didn't want to pick up another thing on her plate, but she knew she couldn't ask her mom for help. she was already on a work-study and as many scholarships as she could have picked up, but there was not a ton out there for girls who almost made the top 20% of their class. so, a regular old boring job it was.
fabray's was busy that morning, and emery had done her best to memorize the new drink specials that the owners had added to the menu, but she was midway through scribbling down a series of lyrics that were equal parts devastating and relatable when her manager gestured over to the line that had formed at the register. swallowing, emery tucked two strands of dark hair that had fallen out of her messy bun behind her ears, painted on her best smile, and stepped up to the ipad. "hi! welcome to fabrays. thank you so much for your patience. what can i get started for you today?" her fingers hovered as she began to type in the order. the words were still stuck in her head, and emery was struggling to concentrate on anything else. she wasn't cut out for this, clearly. "wait, i'm sorry-- did you say oat milk or whole?"
intermission. god's apology for all that is wrong with the world, also known as milo's sacred space. he was often found roaming the aisles past midnight, as if he were a ghost that was trapped within the store. especially since he looked extremely ghastly beneath the fluorescent lighting. each week, he had money set aside to restock on snacks, drinks and the odd trinket perched by the cash register. he'd made a decent display over the years and displays it with pride. his favorite being the miniature rubber ducky in saint rivera's colors, to the extent that each teammate of the titans received one.
currently, he was balancing several bags of chips atop a case with glacier freeze gatorade which the store clerk set aside for him each week. rapport matters! he hadn't the common sense to set the contents down whilst pouring out a slushy... a #CLOWN, and karma for trying the new flavors out with a cupped hand out beneath the nozzle. inevitably, the chips go each and every way with the case of gatorades splitting and rolling out into the aisle. “ CRAP! my gatorade... ” his yell falls quiet with his mourning, shoulders dropping in defeat and lips falling on a pout.
his luck only gets worse with his slushy falling from the tilt and splashing across his favorite pair of joggers, staining them with red 40 and blue 1. “ oh, come on! ” an irritated groan, followed with a muttered, “ you're such an idiot, milo, ” as he smears the slushy contents into the joggers until they become a shade of saturated violet. admittedly, he was neither the brightest nor wisest, with little regard for the mess he'd created in a mere matter of seconds or the innocent bystanders on a late night snack run. after a loss of dignity and many paper towels later, he finds himself crouched against the slushy machine gathering the remaining chunks of slush. he notices a foreign shadow beside him, shoes soon coming into sight. “ just a second, nearly done here. then this stupid thing is all yours! ” a hand raised out to them, half apologetic, half annoyed, 100% embarrassed.
setting: intermission, the beloved convenience store that seems to become a major inconvenience for milo. your muse witnesses the aftermath of his destruction and deals with a slightly irritable milo.
there was a moment of silence before a pair of polished, designer loafers stopped just shy of the growing puddle of melted slush. rhys took in the scene in a single sweep, the scattered bags of chips, the runaway gatorades threatening to disappear down the aisle, the obnoxiously purple joggers, and finally the culprit himself, crouched beside the machine looking as though he'd personally offended the universe. he attempted to not burst out laughing.
"...i'm going to go out on a limb," he said dryly, already stooping to catch a bottle of glacier freeze with one hand before it rolled beneath a display of candy, "and assume this wasn't the plan." without waiting for permission, he gathered another two bottles and set them back into the torn cardboard case before reaching for the nearest bag of chips.
"for what it's worth," he added, glancing toward the slush staining the other man's joggers, "i don't actually think anyone could've engineered a disaster this comprehensive if they'd tried. impressive, really." he stood up, balancing the rescued drinks against one hip before nodding toward the stack of paper towels. "you get the slushie. i'll keep your groceries from making a break for it."
as co-captain of the new directions and someone still living in shame from last year's disastrous competition season, stella firmly believed that it was her duty to ensure that each and every new directions member was taking things seriously. not just in their group rehearsals, but outside of them too.
which was why she'd taken to cornering new directioners in public settings, appearing seemingly out of thin air beside them in a way that might terrify those with a weaker constitution. luckily, her voice alerted people to her presence soon after. that day's opening line? "hope you're excited about this week's show choir assignment," words she delivered with an only vaguely threatening smile.
"randomized pairing mashups - how fun! i recommend booking the choir room for your rehearsals sooner, rather than later, before it's monopolized by other - lesser and non-performance related - activities."
emery was one hundred percent the sort of person with a weaker constitution, and frankly, she nearly jumped out of her skin when stella seemingly appeared out of nowhere. frankly, emery was shocked that stella even knew she was in glee club. had she done something to make herself visible? that was going to have to change, immediately.
"oh!" she supposed that admitting how startled she was would be a terrible idea, but emery clutched the stack of books she was holding and carefully readjusted them against her torso. "i..." oh my god, say something intelligent, emery. "i didn't think i would take up the choir room. i mean, i'm sure there's someone else who needs it more. i was just going to sit in a practice room. if that's okay."
FULL NAME: rhys edward davenport
NICKNAME(S): rhys
NAME MEANING: rhys (enthusiasm, ardor), davenport (from the market town)
AGE: 25
DATE OF BIRTH: november 4th
PLACE OF BIRTH: nantucket, massachusetts
GENDER: cisman
PRONOUNS: he/him
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual
ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic
RELIGION: nahhhhh
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: berry house
SPOKEN LANGUAGES: english, conversational french
PERSONALITY.
LABEL: the heir apparent
POSITIVE TRAITS: charismatic, resourceful, loyal, ambitious, composed
NEGATIVE TRAITS: arrogant, guarded, ruthless, stubborn, emotionally avoidant
LIKES: sailing, expensive whiskey, poker nights, live jazz, tailored suits, ocean air, winning
DISLIKES: incompetence, being underestimated, losing control of a situation, dishonesty, pity
FEARS: failure, disappointing his family, being ordinary, needing someone more than they need him
HABITS: checks his watch when stressed, rolls his sleeves when thinking, memorizes details about people without meaning to, disappears when overwhelmed
GOALS AND AMBITIONS: take over the family business, leave a legacy of his own, prove he's more than his last name
ASTROLOGY: scorpio sun, capricorn moon, leo rising
PERSONALITY TYPE: ENTJ
MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful neutral
ELEMENT: water
ADDICTIONS: achievement, validation, caffeine, blackjack
SOCIABILITY: effortlessly social. can work a room in minutes. significantly worse at being himself than networking.
PRIMARY VICE: pride
PRIMARY VIRTUE: loyalty
WEATHER: a storm gathering over open water
COLOR: navy blue
MUSIC: yacht rock, indie rock, classic rock, jazz
MEDIA: dead poets society, succession, the talented mr. ripley
BEVERAGE: neat bourbon
FOOD: perfectly cooked steak and expensive mistakes
SEASON: late autumn
FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.
MOTHER: victoria davenport
FATHER: edward davenport iii
PET(S): a golden retriever named admiral back on nantucket
ABOUT RHYS.
✦ rhys was born into a life that most people would envy. wealth, connections, opportunity, and expectations came bundled together like the apple care protection plan.
✦ everyone assumes he wants to inherit the family business. very few people have ever stopped to ask if that's actually what he wants.
✦ he learned how to shake hands, make eye contact, and hold a conversation with adults before most kids learned long division.
✦ people tend to assume he's arrogant before they get to know him. sometimes they're right!!! sometimes it's easier than letting people see him!!!
✦ rhys has spent most of his life becoming the version of himself everyone else expected him to be, and he's currently at the turning point of suffering for it.
✦ sailing has always been his escape. when life becomes overwhelming, he'll disappear onto the water for hours and come back acting like nothing happened.
✦ there is absolutely nothing better for him than a juice bar waffle cone. iykyk
✦ despite his reputation, he's fiercely loyal. once someone earns his trust, he'll go to extraordinary lengths for them.
✦ he remembers every betrayal. forgiveness does not come naturally to him. most people see the confidence, but very few see the pressure underneath it.
✦ he knows how to charm donors, investors, politicians, professors, and complete strangers. he has absolutely no idea what to do when someone genuinely cares about him. he wouldn't even know what that looks like tbh.
✦ for someone who always seems in control, uncertainty terrifies him. it's so interesting that he loves to sail because he's confident enough to think he can take on the ocean. he sees it as a challenge.
✦ his favorite day is leg day.
✦ most people see someone destined for success. very few realize how exhausting it is to spend an entire life being somebody else.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
✦ “seven devils” — florence + the machine
the person who knows exactly how dangerous he can be and chooses to stay anyway. this is a connection based on mutual obsession.
✦ “francesca” — hozier
someone he’d choose over his reputation, his future, and his family’s approval every single time. to his own detriment.
✦ “the chain” — fleetwood mac
a relationship built on loyalty, resentment, and an inability to truly walk away. it’s been toxic for a long time, but neither of them want to talk about it.
sullivan vane ✦ “do i wanna know?” — arctic monkeys
the person he cannot stop thinking about and absolutely refuses to discuss. a beginning obsession. sully has been cast as rhys's understudy in the rocky horror picture show. tension is high, and rhys doesn't know why but he's finding himself seeking sully out.
✦ “nothing matters” — the last dinner party
a friendship built on terrible decisions, mutual enabling, and the belief that consequences are a future them problem. someone who also drinks and gambles.
✦ “the view between villages” — noah kahan
someone who knew him before the expectations, before the image, before he learned how to become who everyone wanted him to be.
✦ “movement” — hozier
the one person who can make him forget who he’s supposed to be. it’s a different rhys for this person.
✦ “work song” — hozier
the ride-or-die. no matter how ugly things get, neither of them is going anywhere.
cecelia sinclair ✦ “silver springs” — fleetwood mac
a former lover that rhys has never truly gotten over. years later, there’s still unfinished business. cece and rhys are still friends, but at what cost?
✦ “blood upon the snow” — hozier
someone who has seen the absolute worst parts of him and never looked away.
✦ “the night we met” — lord huron ft. phoebe bridgers
the one that got away. the relationship that still follows him around long after it ended.
✦ “take me back to eden” — sleep token
someone who knew the version of him before everything became complicated, and who believes that he can be a better person.
✦ “call your mom” — noah kahan
the person who keeps showing up for him when he doesn’t think he deserves it.
august bianchi ✦ “arsonist’s lullaby” — hozier
another friend who encourages every terrible impulse and somehow remains one of the people he trusts most. august and rhys have been friends for years, and bring out the worst in each other.
luke shepherd ✦ “hunger” — florence + the machine
luke and rhys are both in the beta rho alpha frat, and are both on the board. rhys is VP and luke is the social chair. both have been cast in the rocky horror picture show which initially started out as a bet but now has become a fundraiser.
FULL NAME: emerson lucia wren
NICKNAME(S): emery
NAME MEANING: emerson (bravery, valor), lucia (light), wren (a small songbird)
AGE: 23
DATE OF BIRTH: may 11th
PLACE OF BIRTH: lititz, pennsylvania
GENDER: ciswoman
PRONOUNS: she/her
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual
ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic
RELIGION: raised catholic, but it's complicated. god is a woman.
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: abrams house
SPOKEN LANGUAGES: english, spanish
VOICECLAIM: a mix of chasilyn and caroline siegrist
PERSONALITY.
LABEL: the best kept secret
POSITIVE TRAITS: observant, empathetic, thoughtful, creative, dependable
NEGATIVE TRAITS: insecure, perfectionistic, avoidant, overly self-critical
LIKES: bookstores, rainy afternoons, recipe cards, voice memos, handwritten letters, farmers markets, acoustic sets
DISLIKES: confrontation, food waste, being put on the spot, unfinished projects, people who talk through movies
FEARS: abandonment, failure, being truly seen, letting people down
HABITS: writes on her hands, hums absentmindedly while working, keeps receipts and ticket stubs, starts songs she never finishes
GOALS AND AMBITIONS: publish a cookbook, release an original album, open a bakery with live music nights
ASTROLOGY: taurus sun, pisces moon, virgo rising
PERSONALITY TYPE: INFJ
MORAL ALIGNMENT: neutral good
ELEMENT: earth
ADDICTIONS: caffeine, songwriting, buying notebooks she doesn't need
SOCIABILITY: friendly and approachable. good in one-on-one conversations, less comfortable in large groups. tends to listen more than she talks.
PRIMARY VICE: self-doubt
PRIMARY VIRTUE: compassion
WEATHER: rain against a kitchen window at 2 a.m.
COLOR: dusty blue
MUSIC: singer-songwriter, folk-pop, acoustic indie
MEDIA: little women, pride and prejudice (the 90s bbc version), zoey's extraordinary playlist
BEVERAGE: vanilla latte
FOOD: fresh bread still warm from the oven
SEASON: early autumn
FAMILY, RELATIONSHIPS, ETC.
MOTHER: rosemary wren
FATHER: carlos flores
EXTENDED FAMILY: numerous aunts, uncles and cousins
PET(S): a rescued black kitten named copy
ABOUT EMERY.
✦ emery has a genuinely beautiful singing voice, but very few people know just how good she is. she's always been far more comfortable behind the scenes than in the spotlight.
✦ she writes songs constantly, on napkins, receipts, the backs of recipe cards, and in dozens of half-filled notebooks, but rarely lets anyone hear them.
✦ her biggest critic has always been herself. no matter how much praise she receives, she's convinced everyone else is hearing something she isn't.
✦ despite her love of music, she never seriously pursued performing because she never believed she was talented enough. songwriting for herself and herself only safer than being seen.
✦ emery's father left when she was young. she doesn't talk about it often, but the absence shaped much of how she approaches relationships. it's always something she writes about.
✦ she is incredibly close with her mother, who works as a chef and baker. most of emery's earliest memories involve standing on a chair in the kitchen and helping mix ingredients.
✦ baking became a form of comfort long before it became a career path. when she's stressed, upset, or overwhelmed, she bakes. she'll show up with cookie boxes or homemade candy if you give her any indication that you'd be into that.
✦ she has a complicated relationship with food and body image, something she's worked hard to navigate while pursuing a career centered around food.
✦ people tend to tell emery their secrets without meaning to. she's a good listener and remembers small details that most people forget.
✦ her notebooks are filled with unfinished lyrics, recipe ideas, shopping lists, and random observations all mixed together. she's not scatterbrained, but she does struggle with organization.
✦ she is far braver on paper than she is in real life. the version of emery that exists in her songs says things she could never bring herself to say out loud. to quote sara bareilles "so my savior of self-defense taught me to sing what i can't say."
✦ if she loves you, she'll remember your coffee order, your favorite dessert, and everything else you've ever told her in a note on her phone.
✦ she keeps almost everything sentimental, ticket stubs, handwritten notes, birthday cards, receipts from important days. her room is full of little pieces of her life.
✦ most people see someone kind, dependable, and put together. very few realize how much second-guessing and self-doubt happens beneath the surface.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
✦ “i miss you, i’m sorry” — gracie abrams
a friendship that ended in a whisper. neither of you really knows whose fault it was, and that’s somehow worse.
✦ “free now” — gracie abrams
someone she loved enough to let go of. maybe they’re happier now. maybe that’s what sucks.
✦ “where do we go now?” — gracie abrams
a relationship stuck in limbo. neither of them knows what this is anymore, but neither can walk away.
✦ “ceilings” — lizzy mcalpine
the person she built an entire future around in her head before reality got in the way. the unrequited crush of all unrequited crushes.
✦ “doomsday” — lizzy mcalpine
someone she knew was bad for her long before she was ready to admit it. something that felt like a ticking time bomb of a relationship.
✦ “all my ghosts” — lizzy mcalpine
the person she compares everyone else to, even years later.
✦ “love song” — sara bareilles
someone who sees her talent before she does and refuses to let her hide behind self-doubt.
✦ “gravity” — sara bareilles
the person she keeps trying to move on from but somehow always finds her way back to.
✦ “between the lines” — sara bareilles
someone who understands her without needing everything spelled out.
✦ “you’re on your own, kid” — taylor swift
the person who watched her grow up. maybe they aren’t as close as they once were, but nobody knows her history quite like they do.
✦ “invisible string” — taylor swift
someone who keeps finding their way back into her life through a series of strange coincidences.
✦ “this is me trying” — taylor swift
the person who catches her on her worst days and stays anyway.
✦ “you are in love” — taylor swift
a relationship that develops so gradually neither of them realizes it’s happening until it’s already changed everything.
✦ “all too well” — taylor swift
the person she never really got over and definitely wrote songs about.
✦ “the manuscript” — taylor swift
someone who unknowingly became part of her story. years later, she’s still writing about what happened between them.