#FT. ELIZA

[soundbord]

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 — eliza marquis 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — approaching the laundry room

stepping out of the crowd, their skin is glistening before they've even gotten a chance to take a dip in the pool, glitter and sweat clinging to them. peeling away their cropped shirt from their skin, milo's acting on prior knowledge to navigate through the house, wiping their face. it's when they're almost at their destination, and drop the fabric down once more, that the smallest exclamation of surprise leaves them "jesus fuck, liza." their hand flies to their chest, fingers stroking cold metal in an attempt to slow their racing heart "i almost goddamn trampled you, i'm sor—" no, that didn't sound right. how about..? "...wanna do a bump?"

@finalghost

[secndbest]

𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 : closed for @finalghost 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 : a quick kiki on the upstairs balcony

❝ OKAY, FINE. I'LL ADMIT IT. ❞ her heel had barely made it up the last step when reeve, draped over the landing rail overlooking the crowd, caught eliza out the corner of his eye and called out. ❝ you had a couple of good ideas. ❞ more than a couple, but even with how unlikely either of them were to remember this conversation come morning, reeve had a hard enough time getting his own fair dues to feel comfortable relinquishing much credit. still, with the party stretched out before them— laughter sounding from the kitchen over shots of cherry schnapps, dance floor balloons exploding into showers of glitter confetti, a game of suck and blow gathering on the living room floor— he felt he had to give eliza something.

[aliscntcrres]

Eliza's view of herself was often something Alison found herself curious of. Kept to herself, avoided everyone, always been quite talented at that. All words that implied it was Eliza that decided to keep the other wards at arms length. " Mmm, " She hummed softly, " Pull me into the wings with you next time? " She joked, nudging her shoulder against her's. She was aware of the silliness of it. Alison's role, the way she executed it, in the wings wasn't a place she could work. It wasn't a place she could exist.

Personally, Alison had no idea what she wanted for Woodrow House. Her selfish, thoughtless answer was she wanted it to stay here and continue to be a monument to how her life hand changed and be something familiar she could return to. The realistic thought was that it was wasteful, to pour time and money and people's labour into what would essentially become a time capsule. " That's what we're here to find out. " She assured. " What everyone wants, what everyone can see for this place. And try to come to an agreement that satisfies us all. " Only she currently had no idea what that would look like. A part of her was tempted to bother Mrs Tristan with it, what she wanted.

She watched Eliza in the mirror, not turning just yet. Her posture relaxed a little, glancing briefly to the candle by her own reflection, before back to the brunette. She smiled something small, something genuine in response to her words. Of course she remembered. Alison was a person that so deeply valued her privacy, and the only time that had seemed to bend was when she woke to Eliza's elbows poking into her back. She turned to face the other. " Of course. " Was what she said. Of course. " You know I'd be there for you no matter what. "

she sighed softly, picking at the lint that had clung stubbornly to the old pajamas. "honestly, i avoided everyone. kept to myself. i've always been quite talented at that." for someone so good at being under the spotlight, eliza had a way of disappearing when she wanted to. it used to be quite the frustration for mrs. tristan, who often found her reading a book or sleeping in the most unlikely places in the house, hiding in plain sight for hours on end.

though her relationship with richard could often become confused and disjointed, affected by too many factors and too many opposing feelings, eliza never had such doubts about woodrow. she loved it more than anything in the world. every little corner, every patch of grass, every old window. she always hoped to be buried there, to one day have the wild daises and ivy that sometimes sprout on the garden overtake her grave. how can you let go of your home when it feels like your very soul is meant to be there? “i hope the others see it like that. i don’t think i could bear to let this place go. not now.”

unceremoniously, eliza got up and sat by alison's bed with a smile. "remember when i was six and got all of those nightmares? i would climb into pretty much every bed in the house as long as the person in it didn't kick me out." her favourite had always been alison's though. not a big surprise considering alison was often her favourite, in everything. "i don't think i ever thanked you. for being there. then and now."

[transthadymacdermot]

Eliza interacts with the tenantry. based on this

[melanielocke]

Most anticipated 2024 books!

I am anticipating a lot of books. To keep track of them, I made a 2024 tbr shelf. It has 123 books. I certainly won't be reading all 123, but since I can sort the list by release date it helps me keep track of new releases. Unfortunately, 123 is so many that half of them I don't even remember adding them or what they're about, so I decided to boil it down to 10 most anticipated new books and 10 sequels.

New

Faebound - Saara El-Arifi - Jan 18

Voyage of the Damned - Frances White - Jan 18

Fathomfolk - Eliza Chan - Feb 27

A Botanical Daughter - Noah Medlock - Mar 19

Otherwordly - FT Lukens - Apr 2

The Sins on their Bones - Laura R. Samotin - May 7

Not for the Faint of Heart - Lex Croucher - May 7

The Honey Witch - Sydney J. Shields - May 14

Running Close to the Wind - Alexandra Rowland - Jun 11

Swordcrossed - Freya Marske - Oct 10

Sequels

The Cursed Rose - Leslie Vedder (book 3 of the Bone Spindle, final book) - Feb 6

The Eternal Ones - Namina Forna (book 3 of Deathless trilogy) - Feb 13

Merciless Saviors - H.E. Edgmon (sequel to Godly Heathens, final book) - Apr 16

Heavenly Tyrant - Xiran Jay Zhao (sequel to Iron Widow, final book) - Apr 30

Mirrored Heavens - Rebecca Roanhorse (book 3 of Between Earth and Sky trilogy) - Jun 4

Hearts that Cut - Kika Hatzopoulou (sequel to Threads that Bind) - Jun 4

The Unrelenting Earth - Kritika H. Rao (Book 2 in the Rages trilogy) - Jun 18

The Lotus Empire - Tasha Suri (book 3 in the Burning Kingdoms trilogy) - Jul 18

Celestial Monsters - Aiden Thomas (sequel to the Sunbearer Trials, final book) - Sept 3

Alecto the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir (book 4 in the Locked Tomb series) - release dat unknown, likely late 2024

[g0dcountry]

WHEREABOUTS SECURED: FRAT BOY CONVENTION.   DRUNKENLY STUMBLING THROUGH BODIES & NEON WITH @finalghost

the house is spinning,   people spilling over one another like waves,   crashing,   pressing in.   it smells like sweat,   like something sticky and sweet,   and the music is a pulse in her chest,   in her teeth,   in her throat.   isla’s feet don’t feel right,   stumbling over uneven floors,   but eliza pulls her along,   and her hand is warm,   steady in the madness.   they’re moving through bodies,   through noise,   through the thick of it all,   and isla feels like she’s not quite here,   not quite anywhere at all.   the drink in her hand is a pink blur,   and she tips it back again,   the sugar cloying,   thick on her tongue.   it sticks to her mouth,   coats the inside of her like she’s not supposed to swallow it.

her head tilts,   and for a second,   everything’s slower.   she’s not sure if it’s the drink or the way eliza’s dragging her forward,   but everything seems hazy,   floating.   she doesn’t mind it.   maybe she doesn’t mind anything right now.

“ does it ever start tasting better? ” the words muffled in the chaos.   it’s not a real question.   or a question to begin with.   it’s just noise spilling out of her,   floating in the space between them.   she doesn’t think eliza hears her,   or maybe she does and doesn’t care.   either way,   isla’s mouth is still full of sugar and regret,   like the drink is something she’s not supposed to touch,   but she’s already deep in it. she swallows again. maybe—maybe—it’s enough to make her forget, make isla stop feeling like she’s not supposed to be here. like it could almost be enough to make her stop thinking about how much it hurts to want to be.

[secndbest]

that afternoon, reeve was on a warpath with only two things on his mind : eliza, and the project she seemed hellbent on ruining. maybe, if he allowed himself a smidge of self awareness, he could see the karmic retribution of it all. compared to years of blocked roles and gatekept opportunities, her worming her way into his thesis was nothing. self awareness had never been reeve's forte though, so instead he stormed through the halls, feeling every buzz in his pocket as a personal affront. a group chat ? assistant director ? what was she thinking ?

thankfully it didn't take much to find her. there were only so many places she'd be at that point in the day, and he barely had to raise a finger to get one of her little stalker sophomores to give up which one. the rest of the trip he spent taking breaths and trying to quell his rage, building himself up until he was able to step rather than stomp into the theater. it wasn't possible to starve his anger out completely, but it was enough to dull it to a flicker, to not immediately reveal just how much she was getting under his skin. for people like eliza ( people like him ), that kind of knowledge was power. it was better she didn't have it.

unfortunately, she was really good at pissing him off.

❝ don't— ew— do not— whatever the hell that is, stop it, ❞ he sneered, gesturing with a pointed finger at eliza's doe eyes and false sincerities. ❝ we are not friends. and i am not manic. i just— ❞ contrary to his words, he couldn't seem to keep still, hands moving from pockets to hips to the back of his head to crossed over his chest, over and over again. ❝ —don't want to make this a bigger thing than it should be. so whatever it is you told the sinclairs, you need to call them and tell them you're not feeling it anymore. okay ? ❞ if he knew eliza marquis even a little bit, it would be a fight. what he didn't know was that it was one he'd lost long before he stepped into the theater. not that it mattered ; if she was so intent on getting on his nerves, he would do what he did best and make her perfectly perfect life as much of a drag as he could.

closed starter , reeve aziz . located within the campus's theater .

— " FINISHED WITH YOUR little tantrum ? " eliza hardly acknowledged reeve as she leafed through the hefty contents of a manila folder , her eyes tracing over photocopies of old pictures & newspaper clippings . isla was to thank for the archive of information on monte cristo ( like an all-knowing god , she had an answer to any question ) but she didn't need to tell him that . " take it up with mr. & mrs. sinclair . or would you rather i tell them that you'd happily abandon me on the side of the road before letting me come ? "

stormy eyes of sea finally dragged upward , leveling reeve with a bored stare . she didn't hate him — not entirely . she simply hated his existence . it interphered with the dreamy sphere of perfection she had carved around herself , her future . he challenged her ambitions & squandered her abilities . but , in the end , eliza always got what she wanted . it was the way of things . besides , the young woman would rather die than lose .

her icy eyes softened , rounding like an innocent doe's . with the earnestness of an angel , she batted her lashes & cooed : " everyone's just worried about you , reeve . you're starting to sound a little manic . i only want to help . . . what else are friends for ? "

@secndbest

[little-miss-buffy]

//I got bored, okay?

// ft @thatslayer , ft @wickedlehane , ft @bourbonandheels , ft @safestkittykatintown , ft @doeeyedgilbert

[unproduciblesmackdown]

blade gunnblade !!!!!!!!

via eliza simpson:

There are no words for this true warrior. They kill me. MMM: went in for a post show hug. Me:"ow!" Asia: "oh sorry, that's my bullet necklace." 😳........ 😍

[ahandfulofm0ss]

I got bored, so I made las nevadas alignment charts

(Tagging @cozychamomilechaos cuz the lil guy with purple eyes is her oc)

[soundbord]

𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 —eliza marquis 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 — bonfire

something had been nagging at milo since they'd last spoken to eliza. it was stupid, a joke on her part. if anything, he should've been grateful she was comfortable enough to joke with him at all, even if it was at his expense. he was a drug dealer, it should've been funny. but, over a year of subtle and not-so-subtle jabs gnawed away at them, and monte cristo had a way of dredging up the past. maybe they'd stop playing stupid for the night "you know," he seats himself in front of the crackling fire, putting a good foot of space between he and eliza as he speaks quietly, handing a cigarette over without request "i'm not as dumb as i look." despite their words, the smile they give her is lopsided, disarming. milo would die before they show someone their feelings had been hurt, especially liza "i dunno if you noticed, but i'd never wanna take cam from you." not that he thought camille particularly wanted him "i think you're the best thing she's got. i know i'm not that, but i like to think i do my best." their voice is maybe a bit too quiet for the volume of the chatter around them, but somehow he's certain she can hear him.

@finalghost

[secndbest]

IT ONLY MADE SENSE, her being there. any time something went wrong for one of them, the other always managed to be at the scene of the crime ready to rub it in and capitalize with an all too pleased smile on their face. he steeled himself in the face of her mockery, remaining silent against it save for the sharp, pained breaths through the nose as she slithered closer. how she still managed to reek of vanilla out in the middle of the woods was beyond him, but the stench made his stomach roll.

even her featherlight touch was enough to send his nerves on end again. razor sharp pain raced from his deltoid to his clavicle, forcing an unwanted show of vulnerability through his teeth. in a flash, his left hand gripped the wrist of her right, hard enough for the tips of his fingernails to press into her skin. ❝ need i remind you that you would have died in that cabin if not for me, ❞ he hissed, not even a little bit surprised she had yet to say thank you. were the roles reversed, he wouldn't say it either.

— ELIZA WAS A PARTICLE of dust , floating through the atmosphere aimlessly . without purpose . she'd slowly conceded to the rattling marbles that had replaced her brain — hopeless at holding on to a thought longer than three purposeful steps & two blinks of her long lashes before it was lost to the wind . even now , as she ambled through the winding trees , eliza was without a clue as to why she continued to follow invisible bread crumbs . then , a soft sound ( a hushed whimper , the cry of a pup ) fluttered through her ears , leading the woman further into the dense foliage with fresh intent .

a simper , dark & wicked against her pale , porcelain face , painted kittenish lips as she moved out from the shadows . her arms crossed over her chest , watching the scene silently — a sick sort of delight swimming in the depths of her large pupils .

" sounds like it hurts , " she hummed , a finger lazily pointing to his shoulder before folding back against her arms . " what ? did you try to fistfight our little ghost friend or something ? "

sauntering closer , the anguish on reeve's face becoming ever more apparent — like fine details in a somber portrait — his hulking shadow engulfed her , encasing all but the twinkle of her eyes in muted darkness . " if you need a helping hand , just -- " one arm fell to her hip while the other hovered in the air , inches from his face , as though she intended to wipe one of the budding tears from his red-rimmed eyes . " say . . . " instead , it diverted its course . two fingers lightly pressed into reeve's shoulder , teasing the taut muscles & tingling nerves . " 'please'. "

[bravecmatthews]

where: the holiday inn closed: @paradislost

ever since he’d heard that eliza, too, was back in town, he’d done his worst to avoid her. then, as sudden as it was surprising, there she was. well, kind of.

"what the—" with wide eyes and a grip tightening on the wheel, adrenaline alone kept him from swerving off the road. an accident which, ironically enough, would've sent him right back to the place he had just passed—the hospital now named after a certain dr. angela chen-marquis. growing up, eliza and him both struggling with the loss of a mother was one of the things cole would use to argue that they weren’t so different after all. but whereas eliza’s mother now had a hospital named after her, the town hadn’t even kept the tree on which his mother’s name was carved, cutting it down in favor of public toilets years ago.

unable to shake the jump scare that was seeing the marquis name and startled by the memory of his own mother, cole pulled into the holiday inn parking lot. “sorry, the bar’s currently off-limits; the american association of orthodontists are here for a conference.” of course, why wouldn't they be? “that’s your only bar?” he asked, wishing he hadn’t felt the need to wash it all down with a drink but feeling indulgent enough to do so anyway. “there’s one out by the pool,” the young clerk offered, unbothered and unperturbed.

he stepped outside and immediately muttered, “fuck,” just loud enough to give himself away. “hey,” his lips then pressed together in a futile attempt to hide his feelings, his finding the back of his neck to rub. “hey, i didn’t expect to—” his brows furrowed, shock molding into confusion. “are you staying here?”

[virtuousouls]

“I’m sorry, it was an accident.” (Eliza to anyone)

eve was annoyed by the spill and it must have shown on her face (she was always expressive), but the apology from the other seemed genuine. she just sighed instead. "it's fine. just a spilt drink." her spilt drink that she had just bought. that was now all over the floor. "it needs to be cleaned up." eve looked around, wondering if there were any napkins to mop up the liquid. she was used to little robots detecting spills, not having to do it herself.

[g0dcountry]

WHEREABOUTS SECURED: SAT WITH ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE AND THE OTHER IN THE DIRT, WITH @finalghost

isla’s words slid into the night, soft as smoke, curling around the fire like the things that linger in corners—never seen, but always felt. her gaze didn’t shift from the shadows of the trees, where the dark seemed to stretch a little too far. as if something was waiting there, just out of reach.

“ i wonder, ” she started, the words thick in the air, like they were something old, buried deep, clawing to get out. “ what would’ve happened if it was us who went down that river instead? if it was us floatin' there, waitin' to be pulled out by god knows what? ”

her fingers moved in slow, measured patterns on the log, tracing the rough bark, like she was feeling for something—some pulse beneath the skin of the earth. the fire crackled, but it felt like it was too far away, like the warmth was just an illusion. “ you think you’d a’ jumped in? tried to save me, or would you have let the river take me? just like that? ”

isla let it hang between them, the words sticky and heavy, as if they were both an answer and a question, all at once. the shadows twisted, reached long fingers across the ground, but the moment was still, stretched tight like a wire ready to snap.

[havntedhouses]

At least Maeve wasn't the only one who preferred craziness to stability, it really did get boring quickly. And if anyone that read your future claimed that nothing bizarre or strange would ever happen again, they weren't being honest. Walking a couple steps behind her, she tried not to be surprised when she asked who she was, remembering that technically they had never met even though Maeve knew just about everything about Eliza. It came with the territory of dating Thomas for as long as she had, probably a lot longer than had been wise. Reaching out, she took her hand and shook it firmly with a warm smile. "Maeve. It's a pleasure to meet you, Eliza."

— SHE CLAPPED HER HANDS together in delight, a laugh lilting past rose petal lips. " the crazier the better ! " , she assured her. " given my life so far, it wouldn't feel authentic without at least a little insanity awaiting my future. " eliza shot back the last sip of her drink, shooting her new friend a smile, before she turned on the seat of her chair and slid down.

beckoning for the other to follow, fawn-colored curls twirled down her back as she sauntered to the exit. she'd never been much of a patron of the occult. still, an after-dark tarot reading ( among other potential ooky-spookiness ) was exactly what she needed to spice up her horrifyingly dull night. a chill of excitement prickled along her arms.

stopping just short of the door, eliza turned on her heel, leveling the lady with a curious look. " i don't usually go home with strangers. after all, pretty girls are known to go missing around here . . . " she mused, her hand extending outward. " so i should probably introduce myself. i'm eliza. and you are ? "