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— @expiredwine, lover’s beach, a few nights after.

on paper, adonis and lili didn’t make sense. their mutual connections were messy, to say the least. perhaps it would have been better just to cut ties and keep what little alliances she had clean-cut. except she didn’t want to. not the best mentality, but he hadn’t done anything to her. not even to fitz directly. she wasn’t a perfect person, and she genuinely enjoyed the taller man’s company. hanging out with adonis was usually a lot of talking shit. the newest aggravating thing that marcel had done or the way they had made his life hell. adonis seemed to be one of the few praeditus members who had not had the wool pulled over his eyes. plus, he didn’t hesitate to call the professor on it.

this time was a little different, considering the recent events. lili had half-heartedly chucked the picnic blanket she had nicked from her aunt over the sand. mostly because she didn’t want to deal with the grainy details that always seemed to linger for hours after the beach. ❝            even high as shit, i can’t make out any of those goddamn constellations. they must’ve had some good shit back then. �� not to mention less light pollution and no access to the internet. better imaginations. so perhaps she should give the molly a little bit of a break. ❝ it’s fucking weird, isn’t it ? ❞ she asked, turning on her side to face him. ❝ dupont being… dead. ❞

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as soon as fitz had his sigh performance ready to go, lili’s palm was held out towards him. ever before he was digging in his pocket. it was all pretty routine. a dance they had perfected in all their time making stupid little bets. the munted origami wasn’t a new thing. no, it was another feather light touch that he added. personality, fun: full of life in a way lili wasn’t. she was like moon, mysterious and cold. living life in phases. constantly orbiting the sun. which roughly translated to hanging on the outskirts of a party with fitz.

❝            what the fuck did you do to this ? ❞ the indelicate question betrayed by the fond smile on her lips as she poked at the crumbled animal. he continued lamenting about his french beauty while she focused on smoothing and reshaping the munted bird. her efforts looking worse than the number his pockets had done on it. ❝ you are SUCH a romantic, fitzy. ❞ though lili didn’t care about the theatrics. or the fact she wasn’t his first choice of the night. ❝ could go for it, ❞ paired with a shrug. ❝ after the shitty week we’ve had ? think it’s well deserved. ❞ and he was one of the few people that actually got it. out of those few people, definitely the one she trusted the most.

"how can you call it a strike out when i barely got the chance to bat?" fitz asks with a dramatic sigh. nevertheless, he takes out the very familiar ten dollar bill from his back pocket (he had folded it into a paper crane earlier, but now it looks more like a flattened pigeon) and places it in lili's hand.

at lili's diagnosis of her condition, fitz pauses to consider. "right, right, i do see where you're coming from there, i'm now also questioning if you're the right billboard to sell all of this," he gestures up and down to his body, the sacred product. "so maybe such is life and i have to give up on a french kiss for tonight." he slumps against the wall, contemplating defeat as he takes another sip from his drink. "you're not in the mood to fuck tonight, are you?"

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though fitz had talked her out of waiting around and ambushing her aunt at the banquet, he hadn’t spared the dean from lili’s wrath. just from the throwaway line in some wannabe journalist’s article. he had granted victoria privacy, but not exemption. the argument in her office, which would’ve been quite the show if half the student body wasn’t off mourning, was filled with all the venom lili had been holding in. all the energy spent swallowing down criticism of the dean’s apathy regarding marcel’s disappearance now explosive. she had been volatile.

but now, moving through marcel’s stupid little cottage – through the life she had never asked for – lili was quiet. emotions somewhere between mourning and abandonment. when she first caught the flash of dark hair and familiar perfume that used to a telltale sign of safety, the first instinct was that she had finally lost it! or, more accurately, the cocktail of substances she had consumed were still lingering in her system to play tricks on her. until the figure jumped back with a curse, and it was undoubtedly mari. ❝            real fuckin’ tactful choice of words. ❞ by the look on the other girl’s face, she knew it. ❝ think i left a jacket here. ❞ the lie rolling off her tongue. cards still held close to her chest considering her current company.

location: the groundskeeper's cottage with: @ofcapers

a walk would clear her head. that was what mari decided the next day, after aileen had gone back to her own apartment and she'd spent the better part of the morning frantically checking online for news about marcel. she walked without really knowing where she was going, only that she needed to be somewhere else. when her mind wandered, she recited the poems of emily dickinson to herself, moving on to counting her footsteps when this technique failed her.

the groundskeeper's cottage certainly hadn't been a planned destination, but when she jerked out of her trance, that was where she found herself. mari hesitated, peering over her shoulder to check she wasn't being watched, and entered quietly. only to discover that she wasn't the only one there. "fucking hell!" she jumped, hand on her chest as though to steady her rapid heartbeat. "jesus, you scared the life out of me." her words came back to her, and she winced. "sorry, i didn't mean— i just wasn't expecting to see anyone else, that's all."

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okay, fine, i’ll explore the catacombs with you, but ONLY if we hold hands the entire time we’re down there

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002 DONOR'S BANQUET !

❝ i'm a perfect all-american BITCH, with perfect all-american lips and perfect all-american hips . i know my place & this is it ! ❞

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no god complex. only demon complex. i am going to make everything as terrible as i can on purpose

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lili was far from a technician. it was a lot of googling – then, eventually, caving and fucking some kind of engineering ( or something like that ) major to get the smoke alarm in her dorm disabled. worth it, however, considering the amount she smoked in her room. not to mention the fact she wouldn’t be surprised to find out her aunt had some system rigged to get emergency sos notifications if that stupid alarm had ever triggered in lili’s dorm. dean maddox was a crazy bitch, in the most affectionate terms you could think of.

she watched chan from where she lay on her bed, joint lazily brought to her lips as he talked through the statistics of their deal. whatever. at least someone cared. even if she knew it was to save his own ass above it all. “who the fuck is joyce?” she mumbled, unsure if she actually wanted the answer. “winona ryder from stranger things? don’t really care for it. i’ll take her in beetlejuice or, like, when she was arrested for shoplifting.” even though she was sure he was talking about some much nerdier joyce somewhere else. “not going crazy over the professor if that’s what you’re asking.” chan sucked at small talk. a trait that you’d think would make lili’s hatred for it even worse. surprisingly, the opposite effect. he was perhaps the only person she could watch fumble through a conversation about their summers without interrupting with a ‘ shut the fuck up ’ request. “was fine. nothing that crazy.” an understatement for sure, but she didn’t actually want to talk about her summer. “want some?” the joint held out toward him, though she made no effort to get up.

location: lili's bedroom for: @ofcapers

“this essay’s only going to get you an 88, but you’re still going to average out to a 92 for the semester,” chan says as he places the papers stapled-together onto lili’s desk. “we can’t have you turning into joyce overnight and raising suspicions.” it’s true, chan and lili have been meticulously careful about these acts of academic disintegrity, but that hasn’t stopped chan’s fears that he’s gotten sloppy somewhere that he didn’t realize.

he leans against the door of lili’s dorm room and looks at her, awaiting for his payment in the form that only she could deliver. “how’re you doing, by the way?” he asks. small talk doesn’t come naturally to him, so the words sound robotic coming out of his mouth, but it’s a feat that they’re coming out at all – chan may not believe in courtesy toward his elders, but he sure does believe in courtesy toward your drug dealer. “i didn’t really get to hear about your summer last time i stopped by, what did you get up to?”

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lili raised an eyebrow at her friend’s energetic greeting. ❝           strike out already ? ❞ she glanced to her wrist, pretending to consult a watch that wasn’t there. ❝ i think this is a new record, fitzy. you probably owe me ten dollars. ❞ the same crumbled-up bill they’ve been passing back and forth from bet to bet, no doubt. of course, he mentioned the favour, and lili already knew where he was going.

the red solo cup raised to her lips as he rambled off the plan he expected of her. as if she could possibly drown herself in the jack and coke she held in her hand. ❝ fitz, babe, ❞ she started, shoving the now empty cup against his chest. ❝ i’ve had your dick before. ❞ quickly replaced by the one that had been in fitz’s hand as he approached. ❝ and i’m basically a walking advertisement of someone at their darkest hour. in fact, ❞” she paused, pretending to think. ❝ i think your dick caused it, actually. i was a ray of fucking sunshine before you. ❞ the smirk on lili’s lips hidden by the rim of fitz’s cup as she helped herself to a sip.

OPEN!

for some people, college is about finding yourself. for others, it’s about enriching yourself as much as possible with top-tier academics, collecting as much knowledge as possible in these delicate years where your only job is to learn. for fitz, on this particular night at this particular party, college is about sleeping with as many foreign foxes as possible. what’s the point of being an expat at a university if you aren’t trying to get your passport stamped by as many people as possible? 

in a sea of attractive party-goers, a long-legged french girl is his target, although when fitz tried to talk to her, she seemed interested in very little more than lamenting about marcel’s disappearance and the future of meraviglia. with little luck on his own, he decides to head over to a familiar face to recruit reinforcements. “hey! funny running into you here. party rockin’ in the house tonight, am i right?” fitz says. “while i’ve got ya, i need a favor… see that hottie with a body over there.” he points out the french. “can you go over there, talk her up, and then slip something good about me into the conversation? definitely a lie, though – perhaps about my god-like dick that saved you in your darkest hour?”

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– i'll angel in the snow until i'm worthy .

( sophie thatcher / cis woman / she/her / caper ) did you just see LILITH “LILI” MADDOX walking through the halls? they’re a TWENTY TWO year-old THIRD YEAR PSYCHOLOGY student from SAG HARBOR, NY. rumour has it they’ve been a member of praeditus since they were in their SECOND YEAR. i’ve heard they have a tendency to be IRREVERENT and VOLATILE, but ADVENTUROUS and WITTY, too. well, anyway, you’ll know if you spot LILI again because they always seem to remind me of AN EMPTY NEST AND A BROKEN WING, RED WINE SPLATTERED ON PRISTINE SHEETS, SPARKS FROM A FIRE DANCING IN THE AIR & YESTERDAY’S MASCARA BECOMING TODAY’S EYELINER. just like the rest of us, they have something to hide.

𝑩𝑨𝑺𝑰𝑪 𝑰𝑵𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 . 

full name:  lilith jade maddox . meaning: ghost / night monster . precious stone . nickname(s): lili , lils . age: twenty-two . date of birth: tba . zodiac: cancer sun , tba moon , tba rising . hometown: sag harbor , ny . gender: cis woman . pronouns: she / her . orientation: bisexual . relationship status: single . education: third year psychology major . occupation: ur local dealer . living arrangements: lives on campus so "her aunt can keep a better eye on her" .

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𝑨𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑻𝑰𝑪𝑺 . 

a red stain blooming upon white sheets, damsels can become the distress, icarus flying dangerously close to the sun, sparks from the fire dancing in the air, drowning your struggles in whiskey bubbles, the last pomegranate seeds, happy little pills, making shapes with sparklers in the dark, always a few steps ahead as though being chased by ghosts, sweet bourbon runs through your veins, all those who wander can never be lost, the shift of the temperature as a storm approaches, an eternal crossroads and you chose the wrong path .

faceclaim: sophie thatcher . hair: long , dark hair . slight curl to her hair, which only adds to the Messy, Grungey, Textured Look™️ that she swears she isn’t going for. it’s typically left loose, until she gets annoyed with it and throws it up in some half assed messy ponytail. two braids if you're being spoiled . eye colour: blue . height: 5’6 . style: her & her aunt often butt heads at the way lili presents herself. " it's a reflection on your family and on me! " as if that would make her care at all. they have reached a very interesting compromise. she leans into the dark acadameia style, but her skirts are short & her tights are ripped. she's a mess but she's sexy abt it and makeup: dark eye shadows, black liner smudged around her eyes. she doesn’t often wear lipstick ( does make exceptions but they're rare ) and would die before wearing lip gloss. the best you will get day-to-day is a tinted lip balm. think clinique black honey. signature scent: cherry, but not the artificially sweet cherry syrup/candy notes. more of a bitter cherry. specifically lost cherry bc tom ford bc she Does have money even if she doesn't always act v classy usual expression: resting bitch face ; a smirk rather than a genuine smile ; rolls her eyes without even trying to hide that she’s doing it .  

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𝑷𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑶𝑵𝑨𝑳𝑰𝑻𝒀 . 

label: jerk with a heart of gold . lili kind of sucks. she's got her guard up, she pushes people away, she's selfish. lots of bad things on the surface. deep down, however, she's not a bad person. she just does a lot of bad things. the few that can slip past lili's defences have a loyal friend for life. the desire to find out what happened to professor dupont, even if it means tolerating buckthorn, despite claiming she doesn't care, etc tv tropes: anti-hero, dark-haired aloof girl, the bratty teenage daughter, the rebellious spirit, lady swears-a-lot, good bad girl, deadpan snarker, wildcard, hard drinking party girl, mood swinger . positive traits: brave , adventurous, decisive , witty , resourceful , assertive , spontaneous , protean , adroit , direct , observant . negative traits: abrasive , reckless , bad-mannered , bitter , disrespectful , freewheeling , aloof , fickle , irreverent , cynical , argumentative , moody , irresponsible , destructive . mbti: enfp . alignment: chaotic neutral .

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𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫 . 

christopher maddox had always been the black sheep of his family. every night was another reckless adventure, and each morning another hangover laced with regret. a direct contradiction to his hardworking, straight-laced sister – the dean. real “she’s everything, he’s just ken” vibes. but if ken was a raging dickhead

chris met rebecca on one of his benders. a one night stand turned into a friends with benefits situation. they were just as bad as each other, giving in to every impulse, and encouraging the other to take what was already a bad decision even further. 

the apple didn’t fall far from the tree with their daughter lili. she was an unplanned child, her parents not even bothering to hide their disappointment. with pregnancy came sobriety, for rebecca at least. chris would continue to stay out until late. coming home smelling like liquor, if he came home at all. 

despite being checked out of the family before it had even started, chris got down on one knee when rebecca was six months pregnant. a courthouse wedding just so they could say they were married. 

when lili was born, she was pretty much immediately shoved on her aunt for babysitting. a bender disguised as a honeymoon seemingly more important. 

unfortunately for everyone involved,, they Did come back to collect her eventually. 

growing up, lili quickly learned her parents were not as strict as the other peers’. she could get away with a lot more than the other kids. apathy or intoxication; whatever the reason, she didn’t question it. sneaking out for parties, sneaking people in – it was all too easy to get away with. 

the label of ‘wild child’ came naturally. 

lbr this is probably a cry for attention. she won’t admit it!! as she got older, she started to hang out with a “bad crowd”. her actions getting more and more reckless, skipping school, drinking & smoking more. this will get fleshed out soon soz 

she was sent to meraviglia (and her aunt) as punishment, hoping it would straighten her out. something, unfortunately, not happening. she plays the part well enough to keep the dean off her back, but it's amazing how much you can sneak under the nose of a woman with a million jobs.

her relationship with professor dupont is a tricky one. she finds it amusing to watch him go head to head with the dean, but that’s still her aunt. he knows her secret, but he didn’t tell. every time the professor pushed lili, it was a flip of a coin as to whether she’d take his advice or argue with him. 

she had never asked to be a part of praeditus. didn’t want to be there, and she knew they didn’t really want her there, either. they wanted the dean’s goddaughter but they didn’t want lili. 

navigating the group now that dupont is gone? it’s tricky to say the least. it was easy to pretend the apathy was all she felt when he was alive, but now he’s gone and she can’t cling to that aloofness. he’s not inserting himself into lili’s life anymore, but she can’t let it go. 

though her godmother seems content turning a blind eye, lili has made it her mission to find out what happened. even if that means dragging buckthorn along for the ride.

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❝            careful or the mass hysterics might just turn it into a candlelight vigil. ❞ there were many students that worshipped the ground that man walked on. an unwavering devotion lili could never understand. especially not for a professor of all people. ❝ but i like that way you think, tal. ❞ even in the face of mass hysteria, she could count on the other girl to be on the same page. ❝ maybe i got some good karma left over from somewhere - ❞ unlikely! ❝ - and they'll rock up after i've inevitably lost my lighter in the sand and i could use them for a light. ❞

"obviously, marcy being missing is, like, kinda weird, and i hear that, i really do. but that shouldn't stop us from... y'know, still enjoying the weekend." tallie shrugs. it's still the beginning of the term, no one's that stressed out with classes yet and the weather is nice — it's the perfect time to do something fun. missing professor be damned! "we should have a bonfire at the beach or something and drink."

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SOPHIE THATCHER as NATALIE SCATORCCIO

YELLOWJACKETS (2021 — )

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if guardian angels rly do exist mine is off somewhere drinking vodka straight from the bottle and pretending i don’t exist

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“My money’s on Kie”

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Blank Space (2014) / Anti-Hero (2022)

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