Make Me/Brocky - Week Two

## Maddox's Week One

Maddox was beyond disappointed with his performance during week one. Sure he wasn't one of the eliminated contestants, but he certainly wasn't anywhere near the top. If he were to continue ranking this low he would be eliminated within the next few weeks, and he certainly couldn't let that happen. Thinking he would get a much better placement last week just based on the skills he already had, Maddox has quickly realized that he needs to incorporate the skills he already has into his performances *as well* as developing new skills and improving constantly upon the old ones.

This week he was performing Black Swan's Happiness. It was certainly one of his favourite girl group debuts so he wanted to do it justice, if not do one better. Though there was one immediate thing standing in his way, and that was his shyness. Part of the challenge this week was that all the contestants were mixed up so that there would be trainees from each entertainment company in one of three groups. And of course Maddox was put into a group where he would be the only Prism Entertainment trainee. Confidence in his social skills has always been something Maddox was lacking, it was easier last week since he was training with most of his fellow Prism trainees for years and years, but now that all the trainees were mixed together and he was thrown into a group of people he had no clue about, it was like diving head first into a pool of sharks, at least for Maddox it was.

Pushing his fears and social anxiety aside, Maddox tried his best to form some sort of connection with the team he was put into. For most it may not have seemed like such a big task, but for Maddox it was pushing him too far out of his comfort zone and he wasn't okay with it at all. Teamwork and communication was key if the team wanted to succeed, and Maddox knew that, but whenever he tried to force things people could tell he was struggling with it. The choreography and lyrics he had managed to memorize within a few training sessions, but whenever a group discussion on what was going good or bad occurred, he would fade into the background and remain unheard.

Around the third training session was when he tried his hardest to break free of the molding of fear that seemed to encase him. After all, he had slowly gotten to know the other three trainees in the group. This new found comfort in who he was with seemed to help greatly, he didn't feel like he had to restrain from giving his all in every practice and vocal session. All in all it was making it easier for Maddox to train. He was starting to get hyped for the upcoming competition day.

After a few more days of practice, it was finally the day for the group to showcase how well they were all able to come together as a team to master the given song. Saying Maddox was just a little nervous was a *huge* understatement. He felt confident last week and it didn't go as well. The good thing about starting out low is that he can only go up each performance, or at least that's how he was choosing to look at it. He just hoped that's how the results ended up coming out.

After watching the other teams perform it didn't help to boost his confidence in the slightest, although it did make him more determined to win and do the best that he could. Watching each group go by was enjoyable, and he was especially amazed by Brooke's performance, after all she was his sister and he was going to be biased towards her stage even if it was bad. It wasn't that long before Maddox's group got called up, and when he heard the group name get called he could feel his heart jump into his throat out of both excitement and fear. He *had* to do well this round.

As the team took the stage and the music began to play, Maddox took one more deep breath before his line begin. As he was the first one to sing, he really wanted to make a strong impression as soon as he said "Sometimes, you gotta be bold." As he was taking on the role of Black Swan's main dancer and lead vocalist, he was in the center for quite a bit of the performance so he really had to do his best to show that he was unfazed by the nerves that came with performing on a stage. He maintained a happy and cheerful expression while also keeping himself equally as focused on both the lines and the choreography. All he could hope for was that his movements weren't coming off all too powerful and instead had just the right amount of power and fluidity but he knew at times the former was more evident than the latter.

When the performance was over and the group were in their final stance, the crowd's loud cheers was enough to bring Maddox close to tears. He had to do his best to hold back from crying however but the fan site noonas in the front row most certainly got a good shot of the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. After bowing to all those in the stands, the team left the stage and Maddox couldn't help but be proud of himself for this week's performance.

## Jinnie's Week One

When Jinnie saw the results from last weeks performances she was beyond happy that she was among the top four trainees in the competition. Her hard work was finally being recognized by someone other than herself and for that, she was truly grateful to those who were on her side in the votes. She was also incredibly happy for her fellow Rainbow Entertainment trainee Jaehyung, though with him being first place and Jinnie herself only ranking third, of course jealousy came along with it. A bit of healthy competition amongst fellow Rainbow trainees was never a bad thing though.

Coincidentally, Jinnie was placed into the same group as Jaehyung this week. Seeing it as a chance to outshine him on the stage, Jinnie was content with how the lineup ended up being, that and the added fact that it brought some sort of comfort knowing she was already friends with someone in her group. Along with Jaehyung, Jinnie also had Sapphire from Alpha Entertainment and that one Prism Entertainment trainee, she didn't quite know his name but she knew that it started with an M and that he was the twin brother of Brooke, another Prism trainee. She was sure that would change though once practices commenced. The group was given Black Swan's Happiness as their song for the week, and Jinnie was given the position as the main vocalist.

Being the social butterfly that she is, Jinnie didn't find the first or second practice awkward at all. Being thrown into a group of the unknown may be intimidating to some, but not to Jinnie. She embraced the challenge and was happy to work with her fellow competitors, while obviously trying to prove that she deserves to still be in the top four, and ideally in the first place position. She was thrilled to be given the main vocalist slot in the team, after all it gave her a chance to showcase her vocal skills in a way that she may not have been able to do in last weeks stages. Happiness was a very upbeat song with quite the choreography to accompany it.

Sure Jinnie's stability was great when it came to a slower choreography or a ballad type of song, but in such an upbeat dance she was finding it slightly difficult to stay on key towards the end of the song. She always started out strong and was able to stay on key while singing loud enough not to be drowned out by the track itself, but by the time her high note came around was where she needed the practice. During the time that the team wasn't practicing, Jinnie found herself rehearsing in front of a mirror in her room, trying to maintain stability while dancing at a high intensity so come the day of the performance, she would have no issues.

After almost a full week of practicing, it was time for each group to perform. Jinnie was only slightly nervous. Maybe it was the fact that she placed third the week before, but she was going in to this round with a bit more confidence than the last time. As long as she didn't let the cockiness get to her head and ultimately cause her to screw up, then there should be no issues. She was endlessly working on her stability even outside of the practice room, and it had improved significantly in her eyes. She could at least get to the high note without any problems 90% of the time now.

When Jinnie watched the other teams perform it was quite nerve wracking, after all they were both so good. That's not to say Jinnie doubted her own team, but one couldn't help but to get a little bit intimidated by how well they did. While waiting for their turn Jinnie didn't waste a single moment to make sure she was ready to perform. Loosening up and doing vocal exercises, she was determined to move up to second or preferably first and to do that she needed to be perfect.

It was finally Jinnie's turn to perform, and as she took the stage the butterflies in Jinnie's stomach quickly began fluttering around crazily. Luckily she didn't have the first few lines so she was able to shake off her nerves while dancing to the choreography before it was her turn to sing alone. Closer to the end of the song, Jinnie started to get a little nervous again as she knew her big solo was coming up. Hoping it was showing through her smile and overall joy to be on the stage, Jinnie started the solo off strong. She was no expert in analyzing how she did vocally, but in her earpiece the entirety of her "Shine on me" solo didn't sound bad at all, she just hoped it wasn't just good in her own head.

As the stage came to a close Jinnie was out of breath, after all she did give everything she had into the performance. She couldn't help but have the biggest smile on her face, it always happened whenever she finished a performance on stage. That was one thing that confirmed she was following her dreams and she couldn't wait to see the fan site pictures of her smiling at the end of the performance. It might be a bit conceded to look at her own fan sites but she couldn't help it. As they walked off the stage with the fans' cheers behind them, Jinnie felt a weight lifted off her shoulders and she was even prouder of herself than she was after last week's performances.