SPECTRUM: THE RUNDOWN

[eureka]

          𝚃𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙳𝙸𝚂𝙴: 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃𝚁𝙴𝙼𝚈 𝙾𝚅𝙴𝚁?

     𝚀𝚄𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽: 𝙷𝙾𝚆 𝙸𝚂 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃𝚁𝚄𝙼 𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙺-𝚄𝙿? 𝙰𝙽𝚂𝚆𝙴𝚁: 𝙽𝙾𝚃 𝚅𝙴𝚁𝚈 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙻 𝙰𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙻…

                 𝙸𝚂 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴 𝙷𝙰𝙸𝚁 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙶𝙴 𝙳𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂? 𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙲𝚃𝚁𝚄𝙼 𝙳𝙴𝙱𝚄𝚃𝚂 𝙽𝙴𝚆 𝚂𝚄𝙽𝙽𝚈 𝙻𝙾𝙾𝙺

record scratch, freeze frame—
bet you’re wondering how indie darling, 𝒮𝒫𝐸𝒞𝒯𝑅𝒰𝑀, ended up in this situation? let’s rewind…

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

this is just a lil catch-up post, like all the Nat tea in one place! I'll be adding to it over time with synopses of each of the chapters. huge shoutout to @ayzrules for helping me code this post
𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: all the light green text includes links!!! so in the stories section, all the links will lead to the chapter on booksie or blog posts that has the full text. basically wherever the full text is haha

also important; 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 are listed below, so please keep that in mind before continuing!

Spoiler

depression and mental health issues, self-harm, drug and alcohol use, and death mentions

[eureka]

 

𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

♪ 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏𝐒; Natalya Denisova Pendergast had an average, upper-middle class, Los Angeles childhood. Her father was a gallery manager at the Getty and her mother was an independent photo editor. Though she was bright, Nat struggled with her attention and was prone to depression. She began therapy at a young age and continues to be a mental health advocate to this day. One thing that always brought her joy was ballet. She was placed in lessons at a young age and was pre-professional by eighth grade. Her whole childhood was dedicated towards her future career in dance. Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
♪ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐓; With puberty came skeletal problems that were only exacerbated by dance. Nat was forced to drop out at sixteen, thus ending her budding dance career. Coupled with chronic pain, Nat found herself in a dark place. For a while, she relied heavily on painkillers, only to permanently swear off them after the loss of a close friend. The thing that finally helped her move forwards was rediscovering her love of music - only this time through songwriting.
♪ 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄; Despite their own artsy careers, Nat’s parents her pursuing music. She did it anyway. Nat really blossomed in college. She dyed her hair for the first time. She met 𝑅𝑒𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓉𝑜𝓃 𝒟𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓊𝓍, with whom she would share her first serious relationship. She also started her YouTube channel, 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚖_𝙼𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚌, a.k.a. the thing that would launch her future career.

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌

♪ 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄; All her life, Nat has been able to see sound. Her auditory synesthesia creates splatter painting-like images behind her eyelids in response to music. When songwriting, Nat uses it to create complex soundscapes filled with lush instrumentation and layered vocals. This is also where Nat got her stage name - her music making goal is to account for every color of the rainbow; ergo, the full spectrum. "Tones", the nickname Spectrum fans have given themselves, is also a music/color pun.
♪ 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐈𝐓; Nat’s YouTube channel started as a place for her to post class assignments. However, Nat was also experimenting with song and dance covers (something she’s known for). These became the eventual focus of her channel. Her first taste of fame happened when one of her videos - a dance cover of Evanescence’s Going Under, in which she sang live - went viral. Nat went on to acquire a moderate level of YouTube fame, eventually catching the eye of a talent agent at Warner Music Group. Just weeks before her college graduation, Nat was approached with a contract, signing a multi-album contract as 𝒮𝓅𝑒𝒸𝓉𝓇𝓊𝓂.
♪ 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍; There are a couple things Spectrum is known for. First is dancing. Her concerts combine choreography and singing, much like her YouTube channel once did. Another thing she’s known for is her hair, which she typically keeps a blue/teal ombre (aside from that one time she went purple in 2017, only to go right back to blue). She’s similarly known for her fashion sense, which is distinctly dark and “witchy”. Speaking of witchy, Nat has cultivated a strong stage persona as Spectrum, which changes to match the concept of each specific album. This was done to help her keep her public and private lives separate, as well as lend a little something extra to her stage performances. Earlier in her career, she only did interviews and appearances in character, though she’s beginning to relax that a little as time goes on.
♪ 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘; When WMG first signed Nat, they weren’t anticipating her to be a hitmaker. They expected an indie darling like Mitski or Daughter. What they got was the next Lorde. While Nat’s first album (finished within months of her graduation) was critically acclaimed, she didn’t receive much airtime until she released a song for The Shape of Water soundtrack. What the Water Gave Me became Nat’s first #1 hit and was even nominated for an Oscar. However, after winning Best New Artist at the 2018 Grammy Awards, Spectrum pretty much disappeared from the mainstream. Her second album, released in early 2019, was met with mediocre response and basically no radio play. Combined with four years on the road, Nat is feeling more burnt out than ever.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌𝐒

♪ 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐍; Nat’s first album, 𝒜𝓃 𝒪𝒸𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈, came out in late 2016. The concept combined elements of both classical mermaid legends and Eldritch mythos to create an “otherworldly siren” persona. The album received widespread critical acclaim and led to a host of nominations.
♪ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒; Sophomore slump in album form. It was mostly written and recorded while Nat was on her first world tour. 𝑀𝒾𝒸𝓇𝑜𝒻𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒𝓈 was released in early 2019 to…well, the reviews weren’t necessarily bad. Critics were more bored than anything. This album saw Spectrum as a morally grey supernatural entity that preyed upon the hearts of the wicked. Big “step on me” thirst tweet energy. (She’s still technically in this phase at the start of the story.)
♪ 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌𝟑; devilpepe.jpg~

[eureka]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZSETSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ	SYNOPSES
	𝐈𝐆 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 #𝟏; Nat's most recent, pre-story posts a.k.a. Eight Haunting Photos Taken Moments Before Disaster
	𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐏; After coming home to L.A. for pretty much the first time since 2016, Nat buys her first apartment. She’s worn out from touring for nearly four years straight, but she has something to look forward to; her girlfriend, Remy, is visiting soon and Nat plans on asking her to move in. However, Remy blindsides her with a breakup, citing their diverging paths and the lack of attention Nat paid to their relationship when she was on the road. Experiencing true heartbreak for the first time in her life, Nat retreats into her not-yet-unpacked apartment.
	𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐑; In her self-imposed isolation, Nat knows she’s headed towards some dangerous territory, given her history of depression. But does she do anything about it? Well, not unless staying in bed all day and burying her emotions counts. She can hardly bring herself to clean, much less finish unpacking. The only people she really sees are delivery drivers. That is, until she gets a text from one of Remy’s friends, Amani Joseph. The Victoria’s Secret Angel comes over to deliver all the things Nat left behind with Remy. During the course of their smalltalk, Nat accidentally learns of Remy’s recent move to NYC. All of the emotions Nat tried to bury find their way to the surface and Nat’s right back at square one.
	𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐌; Things are getting worse and worse. Even music and dance no longer bring her joy. She hasn’t written a new song in months and her next appearance (as a guest at Coachella) is fast-approaching. Nat takes a shower to clear her thoughts, which only serves to remind her of her past struggles with self-harm. She nearly falls back into dangerous habits when she remembers Remy’s tearful reaction to discovering her scars. Back in the present, Nat’s neighbors check in on her after hearing the screaming from her apartment. The reminder that she’s not alone is the final push she needs to pick up the phone and call her old therapist once again.
	𝐈𝐆 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 #𝟐/𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒; A story in three parts. At her therapist’s urging, Nat tries integrating back into society. She first calls up her parents for a nice dinner out. Next is dance practice with her touring troupe. Though she loves seeing all her friends again, she realizes that her relationship with Remy wasn’t the only damaged by her time in isolation. Finally, Nat has a night out with friends. After coming home a little stoned, Nat decides to finally tackle the pile of laundry at the foot of her bed. While organizing her closet, Nat realizes she’s dancing of her own accord for the first time in weeks. It’s not much, but it is progress.
	𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓; It’s party time! Nat gears up for her first event since the big Breakup. She runs into her old friend, Rio, who introduces her to his protege, Maria. As it turns out, the budding star is a Tone. The pair strike up a quick friendship and Nat promises to dance onstage with Maria sometime. She tries to look for Marcelo after hearing he’s at the party, but it’s been a while since she drank like this and the alcohol is hitting hard. While refilling her vodka tonic, Nat finds herself in conversation with a woman named “Anna” (surprise, it’s actually Chrissy) and maybe spills a little too much about her breakup. Next, Nat finds the illustrious party host herself. Luna drags her out to the dancefloor and treats her to a sample of her new cannabis crop to help Nat forget her current troubles. Unfortunately, that’s the exact moment Amani shows up and asks for a private audience, but she decides to hold off when she realizes what a crossfaded mess Nat is. As she sobers up, Nat runs into Frenchie, and the two discuss heartbreak and how it affects their art. Just as it looks like things are going well, someone shows up with party favors. Nat fights off an anxiety attack, running outside to get some fresh air, eventually deciding to just call it night.
	𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐄𝐑𝐀; Nat’s best friend, Claire, comes over to help her finish moving in - as well as give her a swift kick to the self-esteem. Years ago, Nat helped Claire through her first big breakup, now she’s here to return the favor. After packing away Remy’s things and deleting the pictures off her phone, Nat struggles with the public side of her breakup. Then, the day before Coachella, Nat wakes up to a chronic pain flare up and decides to spend the day in bed. Instead, her manager, Gil, calls to chastise her about THWD's latest article about her. Nat finds herself at the beauty supply store out of spite. Tired of blue, she decides to change up her look entirely, settling on a fiery ombre. While dyeing her hair, Nat’s surprised to find herself singing. It becomes the basis for the first song she’s written in months.
	𝐈𝐆 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 #𝟑/𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 #𝟏; In an effort to take control of the narrative, Gil sets up an interview with Bitchin' Mag. Nat and Eddie do a quick shoot in Elysian Park, followed by a game of Song Association.
	𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒; We travel back to the year 2017 when Nat first met Laurie. His band, Some Serious Side-Effects (or 3SE) were asked to perform a tribute to Fleetwood Mac at the upcoming AMAs and asked their fellow Best New Artist nominee Spectrum to duet with them, seeing as they both built high reputations for their covers. The two acts had always been fans of each other’s works and quickly find themselves becoming friends. We also see a younger Nat struggle with her growing fame and what it means for her and Remy’s relationship.
	𝐂𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀; Back in the present, Coachella goes…Erm, it goes. Nat’s new look isn’t quite so well-received by her team. Combined with the Remy drama the day before, they’re not terribly happy with her. She’s also stuck with one of the worst timeslots at the festival. Even self-proclaimed "#1 Tone" Laurie, who she runs into at the VIP booth, is gonna have to miss it. While talking, he becomes the first person to notice that Nat’s not her usual self. The pair promise to do guest appearances on each other’s stages before the festival season is up. On the second week, Nat gives a lackluster performance; with Remy out of her life, Nat no longer knows who she’s singing to. Instead of pushing her back towards depression, Nat finds the experience motivating. Next year, she tells herself, she’ll be the one headlining Coachella.
	𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 #𝟐; Another flashback story! Vogue meets up with Spectrum 2017, during her stay in London when she was working on her performance with 3SE. What follows is ten minutes of Nat simultaneously terrifying the interviewer and making him fall in love with her.
	𝐈𝐆 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 #𝟒; Coachella, the Billboard Music Awards, and everything in between.
	𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄; It’s finally time for Nat and Amani to have that conversation. As it turns out, Remy might be ready to start talking again. When Nat sees that Remy liked her most recent Instagram post, she nearly texts her first, only to get nervous and put it off for later. While getting ready for the VMAs, Nat starts working more on that song she started before Coachella. At the afterparty, Nat runs into most of 3SE, who joke that Laurie’s not there because he’s picking up girls - which is totally ridiculous because Nat runs into him five minutes later. After learning that he’s a total VALÉRIO and Marcelo fanboy, Nat decides to introduce him to her friends. They also meet up with Maria briefly and congratulate her on her performance. Other highlights include Laurie and Mar exchanging numbers and Rio becoming the first official Spectriana stan. Just before the end of the night, Laurie gets a phone call that seems to shake him hard, but he refuses to talk about it.
	𝐈𝐆 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 #𝟓/𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐓; With the second leg of her tour fast-approaching, Nat makes the most of what little free time she has left. A night out on the beach with her parents buoys her spirits, but one question plagues her; when was the last time she was truly happy? Her mind lands on last July, during the time she was living with Remy. Inspired by her recent adventure with the Rosarios, Nat finds herself working on her first new song in almost a year. It's only then that she bucks up the courage to finally text Remy back.