#lilah's adventures

[book--brackets]

Hi everyone, there’s only around 12 hours left to vote in preliminary rounds 1-8 for Best Fantasy Book. If you’ve yet to cast your vote, check out my pinned post for links to all the polls, and here’s a quick update on books at risk of being eliminated (less than 2% of the vote when adjusted for the 'see results' option) in all the polls:

Poll 5: Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Poll 6: Legacy of Orisha by Tomi Adeyemi

Poll 8: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins, Fables by Bill Willingham

Poll 9: The Hollows by Kim Harrison

Poll 11: The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist

Poll 13: Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams, Starbound by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Poll 14: The Checquy Files by Daniel O'Malley, Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta

Poll 15: The Chronicles of Alice by Christina Henry

Poll 16: Entwined by Heather Dixon Wallwork

Poll 17: The Thief of Always by Clive Barker

Poll 18: Weaveworld by Clive Barker

Poll 19: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Poll 21: Traveler's Gate by Will Wight

Poll 24: Healer Seer by Victoria Hanley

Poll 25: Tales of Alderly by Alan Garner

Poll 27: Guides for Dating Vampires by D. N. Bryn

Poll 28: Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Poll 31: Lilah's Adventures by Sherwood Smith

Poll 32: Knights of Liofwende by Garry Kilworth

[ray-gt]

sleep-in

I've been thinking about the girls again. A quick one because I love them.

___________________________

“Morning,” Lilah murmured.

Dani felt her girlfriend’s large nose nuzzle the length of her spine before her shoulders were enveloped by the soft cushiony press of her lips.

Dani simply groaned in response, rebelling against Lilah’s obvious push to wake her up. She turned further away, burying her face in the pillow and pulling the sheet over her head.

Lilah let out a breathy chuckle before flipping back down with a petulant whine. The bed shook from her movement but Dani was too sleepy and too stubborn to give Lilah the reaction she was hunting.

Just as she felt sleep tickle the edges of her consciousness, Lilah rolled over again in Dani’s direction, chasing it away. She felt the sheet being pulled off her head and she scrambled to grab it. It was laughable how hard she had to pull just to keep it from being pulled away any further. She knew this was just a game for Lilah. If her girlfriend wanted to, there would be no contest. Instead she was content to let Dani, sleepy and disgruntled, try and eventually give up.

“Fine.” She muttered. She let go of the sheet and flopped back face-first on the pillow.

Above her Lilah huffed.

“Dani.” She complained, drawing in out like a child. “It’s 8am! You don’t want to waste the morning. I’ve been up for an hour already.”

Dani didn’t reply. Lilah had a faulty brain that enjoyed getting up at the asscrack of dawn, but Dani’d been up until 2am the night before prepping a new case briefing for the partners at her firm, she didn’t have the same reverence. This sacred space of morning was hers to turn her brain off and indulge in the freedom of a semi-empty mind. The pure physicality of being tired.

When the silence endured long enough for Lilah to realise Dani didn’t intend on replying to or acknowledging her, she let out a long, loud sigh.

That’s ok, Dani could deal with Lilah’s fidgeting.

There was nothing stopping Lilah from seizing the day or whatever it was that people did when they voluntarily got up before mid-morning.

Dani was content until she felt the press of something indenting the pillow around her and then Lilah’s large fingers curling beneath her and meeting below Dani’s stomach.

With a yelp, she was airborne and watched as her precious pillow grew further and further away. As she watched her view was replaced with Lilah’s smug grin.

Her girlfriend looked the opposite to what Dani felt. Was it some magic in giants that meant their equivalent of ‘bed head’ was just slightly tussled? What would be a sagged, tired squint on Dani was a soft low-lidded stare from Lilah. When they made eye contact - Dani dangling above her girlfriend’s face - Lilah’s eyes shone.

“Li,” Dani groaned. Her voice was cracked with the disuse of morning. “You know I’m not a nice person until at least 10am.”

“I don’t mind.” Lilah shrugged.

Dani rolled her eyes.

“How kind. Can you please put me down? I need at least 10 more hours of sleep.”

Lilah pouted. “But I miss you.”

“I’m literally sharing a bed with you.”

Lilah didn’t reply but Dani saw an idea form behind her eyes.

“Ok, fine.”

The hand holding Dani began to move, but instead of it returning her to her pillow, she was lowered onto Lilah’s chest. Then Lilah drew the sheet up to her and rested back.

“You can sleep.” She said at last, grabbing a book and her glasses from her bedside table.

Dani wanted to protest. She felt like she should say something about agency and autonomy, but she was too tired and too comfortable to care. Lilah was letting her sleep-in (which she rarely ever did, regardless of size) so Dani decided to just take the win.

“You’re so needy.” Dani muttered by way of rebuttal. She felt Lilah’s chest vibrate as her girlfriend hummed in contentment.  

Slowly, the rise and fall of Lilah’s chest, the quiet turn of a page, and the rhythmic wash of Lilah’s breath coaxed her back into the sweet embrace of sleep.

(I've been writing a bit of Dani and Lilah stuff offline, and I'm having a lot of fun I fear. You can rad more about them here, or over one AO3 where I've been reworking the story a bit - ray xx)

[dogmovesout]

a confrontation featuring tristan tramp, delilah deare, and scamp tramp. location: lilah’s house, a few days after the talk scamp and tramp shared. @ladylilah // @scamperoo

Days had passed since Scamp had shown up at Tristan’s house and resparked the fight inside of the older man that he had forgotten after waking up the morning after the engagement party. Sure, he had hazy memories of arguing with Delilah and seeing his son for the first time in five years - but the exact details of what had happened during either of those encounters were lost. It wasn’t until Scamp was at his door that he remembered that his wife knew about his return and then he continued on and exposed every other thing that she had been telling the kids and hiding from him. Though the boy had given his own versions of explanations for what had happened, the conclusions that Tristan had jumped to on his own were seared into his mind. No actual amount of logic could be used that would convince him this was not somehow Lilah’s fault. Which was how he found himself, drunk as per usual once more on a day off, pulling into the driveway of his ex-wife’s new home. His youngest daughter’s keychain spun in his fingers as he approached and unlocked the front door with ease. It was around the time of day that Delilah was usually already home from work and Tristan knew for a fact Colette was out with friends tonight, so as he entered the home it wasn’t a surprise to find Lilah sitting on the couch with a pile of paperwork surrounding her on the coffee table.

Perhaps if she hadn’t been so engrossed in going over the latest documents sent by child protective services regarding Perdita and her children, Lilah would have heard the front door opening. Or maybe if she weren’t so used to the sound of her children coming and going throughout her home, she would have realized something was wrong. But as it was neither of those things happened and instead it wasn’t until Tristan was standing at the edge of her living room that Lilah finally noticed him. On instinct she was on her feet, taking a step away from the couch and trying to put herself into a more open space where she couldn’t be cornered. Because though he had yet to say a word and a fight had yet to start, she was familiar enough with this situation to know it was coming. Between the look on his face, the way in which he held himself, and the simple fact that he had purposefully snuck in here without giving her any warning - Lilah knew what it all meant. “What are you doing here?” There was no point in asking the question when she already knew the answer - but anything she could do to potentially stall was worth it. Sometimes yelling was all he needed, if she asked enough questions and got him to speak enough of whatever was on his mind… sometimes that could be enough.

“I talked with Scamp the other day,” is how he starts, taking slow steps further into the living room at first - ones that Lilah matches with her own to keep as much distance between them as she could. A better man would see the way in which she behaved like a caged in animal, being hunted down like a piece of prey. A better man would feel guilty for the fact that his mere presence alone had her already on edge. A better man wouldn’t feel so victorious and righteous in this situation. But Tristan Tramp was not that kind of man. “He told me about your little mommy-son dates… And all about his new job, you know, working for Hopper.”  And it was with that reveal that Tristan acted.

Feet moving with far more agility than they likely should have been able to considering the alcohol in his system, Tristan moved across the room in a flash. The last few steps that Lilah had taken to keep distance between themselves had failed her, leaving her too close to the wall, an advantage from him that Tristan was quick to take notice of. Before she could do anything other than tense up and prepare for whatever blow was coming her way, Lilah found her head slamming into the living room wall with a hand wrapped around her neck and the weight of Tristan’s body pressed into hers to keep her in place. She wasn’t even entirely sure what her offense was this time, but the ringing in her ears from the collision with the wall and the pressure on her neck kept her from being able to ask. Not as if Tristan was giving her a moment to get a word in edgewise anyway.

“How long have you been fucking Hopper again? Or did you just never stop?” His face was right in her own, the stench of alcohol reeking from his breath, as he threw out the accusations. The hold he had on her neck tightened and though Lilah’s own hands reached up to try to pull him away it was no use, her nails digging into his forearm did nothing to stop him. “I gave up everything for you - I took your fucking child and raised her as my own. I cleaned up all your fucking mistakes and this is what I get? For you to just throw me aside and run right back to him?”

Scamp should have expected to see his father’s car in the driveway sometime during the week he was staying there, knowing how insane Tristan Tramp could be, and it was then that the promise he’d made to himself was coming true. He told himself he would never hurt his father unless he first had hurt his mother or one of his sisters, and from the moment he could see through the window of Lilah’s front door, Scamp could tell what he’d swore just a few days ago was already being put to the test. His father was smart enough to lock the door behind him, and Scamp fumbled with his key, swinging the door open swiftly the second it unlocked.

There was so much more he wanted to say but before he could, the front door flew open with a bang and his head whipped around to see none other than his son entering the living area. The sight of Scamp has Tristan loosening his hold just enough without realizing it that Lilah finally can get the upper hand and shove him away, taking advantage of his confused state to push at him hard enough that the man actually falls to the ground. Fumbling away herself in the direction of Scamp, one hand comes to hold at her neck while the other attempts to grab at her son to keep him back. “Go,” she croaks out as best she can, though from the flare of rage she can practically feel radiating off of the boy, she doubts he’ll listen. But she has to try - because this right here, the kids seeing what Tristan was really like or getting involved in all of this, was the last thing Lilah had ever wanted.

The sight before Scamp was one he’d only imagined before, had nightmares about, even. Tristan’s grip was on his mother’s neck, and any forgiving thought he ever had about his father left with the first kick to his gut. Scamp had never been entirely above hitting someone when they were already down, especially not when the job was to finish them off. While he thought he heard an order from his mother to leave, all that rung in Scamp’s ears were the insults his father had thrown at him about Lilah the other day. Every ounce of patience he had then and at the party was gone and spent. With Tristan already on the hardwood, Scamp’s job had become relatively easy: he was used to delivering final blows, when men were already past the point of injury that Hopper considered it safe enough to step in. This was hardly the first time Tristan had ever been beaten up in his life and he knew it likely wouldn’t be the last, but having the blows come from his own son made this different. His drive to fight back was lessened, even just the smallest amount, and it was because of that hesitation that Tristan didn’t stand a chance. His opening to try to get up or to get the upper hand again had passed before he could take it, leaving him on the ground with no choice but to take hit after hit.

Tristan’s body had curled in pain after the first kick, but Scamp was far from finished. Instead of simply resorting to a weapon, he fought with his fists, wanting his father to feel every blow that came from his own hands. He pulled Tristan’s head inches off the ground as Scamp gripped his collar, a sight now familiar after the other day, when this had only been a threat. “I warned you,” he reminded him, his voice low enough that he hoped his mother couldn’t hear. “You stupid piece of shit.” He’d already seen enough fear from his father the first time Scamp had held him like this that he didn’t waste a second this time relishing in the sight now. With a hand still grasping his shirt, Scamp used the other to deliver a punch to the jaw, as he’d promised would come. He’d waited years for this, for an excuse to release his anger physically on the man who had caused him the most pain. Doing this for work had never been the same, as no fight had ever come with the level of anger he felt for his father now. At the first sight of blood from  Tristan’s nose, Scamp felt both a sting of guilt and pain from his fist, but he knew his father should consider himself lucky that the blows were coming from his own son, not his boss. Had Hopper found them like this, he would’ve been dead with a bullet through the head already.

With his eyes beginning to glaze over and swell from bruises blossoming, Scamp knew it was time to stop. From the years of getting people to this state, where they’d barely survive as they toed the line of death, Scamp knew his father would be past the point of no return soon. Had his mother not been standing behind him, likely watching in horror, he would’ve kept going until there was no light in Tristan’s eyes ever again, but he couldn’t leave Lilah with blood on her hands, nor did he want to have to tell his sisters that he’d killed their father. When Scamp had threatened him the other day, Tristan had thought nothing of it, and now he was paying the price for underestimating his son. No words came out of him, any argument he may have wanted to make to defend himself were lost between punches. And then the world went blurry until it finally faded as he passed out, his head dropping with a thud on the ground with absolutely no awareness.

As much as Lilah wanted to close her eyes and pretend like none of this was happening right now, she couldn’t. Not when there was a chance that Tristan could get up and turn the anger that had just been directed at her moments before onto their son. Because despite knowing she would easily be overpowered by either or both men, she refused to not at least be ready to jump in if needed. To help prevent anything from happening to Scamp, even if it meant taking the blows herself, as she always has done. But it seemed that wasn’t necessary. And when Tristan’s head hit the floor and it became clear that this fight was over, only then did Lilah step in. “Sammy,” she starts, her throat still feeling raw as she forced the words out. Bruises would likely be forming around her neck already, but the only concern she gave to that was a passing thought of how she would need to break out her turtlenecks again. She didn’t have time to stop and think or take in whatever damage was done to herself, not with her son standing in front of her with markings of his own across his hands. Stepping forward, she doesn’t hesitate in wrapping an arm around his shoulders and moving to guide him away from the unconscious man on the floor. “Come on, I have a first aid kit in my room.”

As he turned back to his mother, Scamp only then noticed the bright red ring around her neck, undoubtedly from his father’s own hands. He’d only stepped out for a few hours for work, knowing that the possibility of this happening was far too likely for him to ignore when he’d left Tristan’s apartment. How he’d gotten inside and what he’d said to Lilah weren’t questions he could ask now, only taking the arm around his shoulder as permission to embrace her entirely. “I’m so sorry,” he managed, careful as he held his mother tightly, as though she were fragile. He should’ve gotten there sooner, or not even left her in the first place, but what mattered now was that Tristan couldn’t hurt her any more, not while he remained unconscious on the floor. Scamp suddenly felt sheepish, the first sign of embarrassment as he peeked at his father over Lilah’s head, like a child who had made a mess for his mother to clean. “Are you okay? Did he do anything else?” he asked, only taking a step back to examine his mother for more injuries. From the ease with which she’d shoved him away, Scamp had the sinking feeling that this wasn’t the first time this had happened between his parents; he’d already had suspicions back from when he was a teenager, but only now had his fears been confirmed. “I’m fine, Mom, I--it’s nothing,” Scamp assured her, it wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before. “We should get you ice.” Before she could protest, Scamp was already in her kitchen, reaching for the freezer.

There wasn’t a moment of hesitation before Lilah’s arms fully wrapped around her son when he turned to her embrace. One hand reaching up to stroke gently at his hair, a motion so familiar even after all these years, while the other held onto him tightly as if she were afraid he would try to go back and continue this fight. “Oh honey, you have nothing to be sorry for,” she’s quick to correct him, frowning herself as her own guilt begins to grow. He shouldn’t be the one trying to comfort her, that wasn’t how this worked - she was his mother and she was supposed to protect him from moments like this. To keep him away from the ugly truth of who his father was deep down. None of this was supposed to happen in front of him and he certainly wasn’t supposed to be the one apologizing for anything. “I’m okay, really, dear. It was nothing.” Though she knows it was in fact not nothing and that Scamp wasn’t going to believe her for a second, not after having actually witnessed the violence this time around, Lilah wasn’t ready to just admit everything to him. No, the brave front had to stay on. It wouldn’t be fair or right for her to do anything else. Which is why she continued to protest, even when in a flash Scamp was out of her arms and moving towards her kitchen. “No, no - Sammy, I’m fine, really. Don’t worry about me.” Following behind him, Lilah grabs his arm gently as he starts to dig around in the freezer for something to help with her neck. It was a sweet gesture and if it had been anyone other than any of her kids trying to help her, she likely would have allowed it. But this wasn’t the way things worked. She was supposed to look after him, not the other way around. “That wasn’t nothing. This,” she pauses to reach down and take his hand in her own to get a better look at whatever damage there may be. “Isn’t nothing.”

As he pulled an ice pack out of his mother’s freezer, Scamp jerked his own hand away from hers, not a single thought of his on how his fist might be doing while Lilah had wounds around her neck. “Mom, it’s nothing,” he insisted, keeping himself in motion as he avoided her stopping his unwanted help. He’d gotten remarkably good at treating wounds from his time doing it for his coworkers, and knew that the cuts on his hands would be gone within a day or two. His mother’s scars, though, would take more time and care. “Here, you need to put this on,” he instructed, handing her the ice pack, “but keep this under it,” Scamp added, taking a towel off the kitchen counter. He knew his mother wasn’t the kind to accept help from many people, especially not her children, but she was in far worse shape than he was now. She was the one who had nearly been choked to death had he not shown up when he did. “We don’t need to talk about it now, but … we should, eventually.” Scamp knew it would take more than just this suggestion to get his mother to talk about how this had happened, why his father had thought it was acceptable to get so physical with her in the first place, but he couldn’t just pretend like he hadn’t seen this happen. “For now, we need to get him on the porch, and lock the door.” He was turning to the mode that his time working for Hopper had prepared for, seamlessly shifting his focus from his mother to taking care of business. “He’ll be fine. He’s just going to look like shit for a few days, but nothing’s broken, and he’ll recover.” Not that Scamp cared, but he was sure his mother would, as it seemed that she couldn’t stop caring about a man who deserved none of her sympathy.

“It’s not nothing, Sam. None of what just happened was nothing,” she argues, the closest she’s going to get any time soon to admitting that she herself was not okay either. And despite the way everything in her screamed that he shouldn’t have to be doing this, that Scamp shouldn’t feel the need to be helping take care of her right now, Lilah takes the wrapped ice pack and gently presses it against her neck. There’s an instinctive flinch and a small involuntary hiss that leaves her lips at the feeling of any pressure being placed upon the wound, but that’s the only giveaway she is going to show at just how badly Tristan had hurt her. It takes a moment for her to adjust to the feeling of the ice on her neck, slow breaths coming out of her before she ever so slightly shakes her head in disagreement with him. She wasn’t going to vocalize her argument that she wasn’t going to talk to him about this, not wanting to give him any room to potentially decide that the conversation needed to happen now. Instead she turned to look back at Tristan’s unconscious form on the floor and thought over every option they had for what to do with him. “No, the neighbors will question it. And your sister comes home in a few hours, he can’t still be here when she does. I can call one of his friends to come get him.”

As much as he wanted his father to lay outside in the cold, embarrassed when someone undoubtedly came by to find him on the porch, Scamp had to at least respect this one of his mother’s wishes. She had always been worried about what their neighbors had thought of their family when he was younger, and she was right about Colette, though Scamp also thought it might be good for her to see their father like this, after all. “Fine,” he agreed, and while Lilah settled with the ice he’d given her, Scamp went back to Tristan, who still had yet to wake up. He hooked his fists under his father’s arms to drag him across the floor, at least leaning him against the stairs for now. Blood still dripped down his face, and he was certain his eyes would be swollen shut for at least a day or two. Scmp looked back toward his mother and slid his phone out of his pocket, dialing a number he hadn’t needed to use before. “Is this Oogie? It’s Scamp--Samuel Tramp. My dad needs your help.”

[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Pairing: Eris Vanserra x reader

Summary: Y/N is from Hewn city, expecting to get married to one of the horrible lords there. When a marriage proposal from new High Lord of Autumn himself is delivered, her father is more than happy to sell his daughter. And so Y/N is sent to Autumn Court.

She heard the horrific rumors about her husband-to-be, saw him several times in Hewn city and she doesn't expect him to be any different from males she grew up with.

But what if he isn't so bad as they say?

Status: completed

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Part VI

Part VII

Part VIII

Part IX

Part X

Part XI

Part XII

Part XIII

Dividers in this series by @tsunami-of-tears

Taglist: @nocasdatsgay @lalaluch @b0xerdancer @lilah-asteria @talesofadragon @marvelbros-oneshots @acourtofbatboydreams @li0nh34rt @darling006 @coldmermaidhologram @of-outerspace @mybestfriendmademe @melsunshine @rcarbo1 @babypeapoddd @kitsunetori @mollygetssherlockcoffee @littlefantasylover @adventure-awaits13 @elleclairez

Let me know if I forgot someone

[starlighttsv]

Best of both worlds - Paige’s daughter

💌 Syn: Paige is on “the best of both worlds” podcast during her world tour

»»— warnings: none :)

»»— notes: 🗑️😃 but only 1 more fic before i’m done trying to edit these cringy stories 🤗

»»— word count: 1k

»»— pair: paige x daughter!oc || lilah bueckers

Todays the day of filming Flaujae's podcast "the best of both worlds" hosted in Atlanta currently because of overtime Queen of the Court. Lilah is also with Paige but the time of filming the podcast, is a few minutes after her nap time starts and she can never skip naps or she'll be a very grumpy sassy 1 year old. So she's gonna sleep in the room next door and Paige & Flaujae are gonna leave the filming room door cracked so Paige can hear if she wakes up or anything.

"Alright guys now moving on, today's special guest is.....Paige Bueckers!" Flaujae introduces "hey everyone! Thank you for having me." Paige replies

"So I have some questions for you" flaujae starts, making Paige nod and say go ahead.

"What is your favorite basketball highlight of yours?"

"Ooo wait...oh I'm gonna go with when I was shooting the ball and it bounced off the rim, and then straight down in the bucket. I love that highlight"

"I saw that one! That was so dope!"

"Alright, what's your favorite basketball picture of you?"

"The one where I'm looking at the fans screaming after a basket, and there all screaming back at me. I need to get that framed!"

"Y'all heard her, get that picture framed for her" Flau says making her and Paige laugh a little and joke around for a few. "Alright who has more rizz?" Flaujae jokes "oh cmon, I'm the greatest rizzler of all time" Paige laughs making Flau also start to laugh "Alright I'll give you that. People say I'm a flirty person until I'm talking to someone I like" "your just shy or?" Paige cuts in "no it's more of just like I don't want to push it to much." Flaujae adds "oh I get that, I get that"

"You need to give me some tips." Flaujae jokingly says "alright-" Paige starts "off camera, off camera" Flaujae cuts in making Paige agree "Alright alright, a little more serious questions" Flaujae starts "you have a daughter" she adds making Paige nod "what's your favorite thing about her?"

"Ooo uhh, I honestly don't know. Uhh her love for adventure maybe? She loves going to new places, seeing new people, seeing animals she's never seen before. She loves even going on like "road-trips" to the store or gas station." Paige answered "Shes been with you for your whole "world tour" so far, right?" Flau questions "yeah.“

"What was your favorite thing to do with her on your world tour? And what was her favorite thing to do, if you know?"

"My favorite was umm oh our LA trip, we did a lot there. We went to Disneyland, Universal, a few museums, few beach trips, an aquarium vist, plus some more. Lilah's favorite was probably-" Paige stops talking as she hears Lilah walking through the hallway and calling out for her

"Mama" Lilah says, obviously looking for Paige. P takes a quick glance at Flaujae asking if she can bring Lilah in here, making Flaujae do a quick nod giving Paige her approval. "In here baby" P calls out, hearing Lilah start walking towards the filming room.

When she enters and sees Paige, she starts waddling towards P a little faster "good morning babe, how was your nap?" Paige asks, going on deaf ears as Lilah just walks closer to Paige and puts her hands on P’s thighs, a sign that she wants picked up. So Paige leans down and picks her up putting her on her thigh and Lilah immediately cuddles closer to Paige.

"I 100% have baby fever now. She's so cute omg" Flaujae says making Paige let out a chuckle "thank you" Paige says "well she's in here now so maybe she can answer your question. Lil what was your favorite thing we did so far this summer?"

She just cuddles into Paige more "cmon Lilah, I know you have favorites" P tries to convince her "ball and Disney" Lilah mumbles "she said ball and Disney, which translates to all star and Disneyland"P chuckles while rubbing Lilahs back, either to help her go back to sleep or to wake her up. Paige doesn’t really know the answer yet and she doesn’t think Lilah knows yet either

"I was gonna ask her favorite part of all star but looking at her, I don't think she wants to answer" Flaujae softly says, seeing that Lilah is trying not to fall asleep in Paige's arms right now  "she never really wants to talk after waking up, she just wants cuddles and silence to decide if she's awake for the day or not - but she said she loved meeting all the new people and seeing people she already knew again - especially loved seeing Diana, Sue, Breanna, Megan, Angel and Caitlyn, when I asked her." Flaujae nods and says  "so we can count on her to go to UConn" "I mean maybe? But I'm not gonna force her to follow my footsteps." Paige shrugs making Flau nod again "alright I'll move the subject away from your daughter, I got carried away. That's my bad"

Paige laughs a little, "Your good. I love talking about her any chance I get." Flaujae smiles at that and says "you seem like an amazing mom"

"Thank you. I try my best for her." Flaujae nods and then looks at her cards and says "alright we're gonna play a game. I'm gonna name a few of your teammates past and present, and I want you to give me one word that describes them." Paige nods still rubbing Lilahs back, and Lilahs just playing with Paige's chain now, deciding she wasn’t tired anymore.

"Kk Arnold" "goofy"

"Azzi Fudd" "consistent"

"Nika Mühl" "I have so many words to describe her....menace"

"Aaliyah Edwards" "dog"

"And last but not least, Ice Brady" "she icy"

Lilah stayed on Paige’s lap for the rest of filming, still just playing with P’s chain - and once filming was wrapped Paige took lilah to get some food before going back to the practice facility and go over plays with “team paige”

@melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @authentic-girl03

[scorpioriesling]

Hello! Do you think you're going to continue writing part 5 of " invisible strings" with eris? I really loved this series! Thank you

Invisible String - Part 5

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Pairing(s): Eris x reader

Warning(s): Please be advised; this part might not be suitable for all audiences. Proceed with caution.

Summary: You'd taken the nanny position for the royal family over a year ago, not expecting what would come of it or how close you'd grow to the child you cared for. Things became tough for Eris when his wife left him and his daughter, and he found it increasingly harder to raise Riley himself. He soon realizes, you've provided a lot more than the typical job description duties for his daughter... and maybe for him, too.

SR’s Note: My apologies, this took forever for me to finish writing for you all (I've had so much on my plate lately). This part IS SHORT, HOWEVER I'm literally already working on the next part and wanted to give you guys at least what I had done so you knew I was indeed working on it! Lol. I added in the advisory so that younger / uncomfortable readers won't read the series without knowing or expecting potential risks in content to come. For those who enjoy or look forward to content as such -- I hope you are excited! Nonetheless, I hope readers will enjoy this series that came to me in a dream one night. (; Much love to all.

Tags: @mellowmusings @talesofadragon @rcarbo1 @mandziaaa @lilah-asteria @a-frog-with-a-laptop @kitsunetori @dannul @velarisdusk @lamarmotta @paintedbyshadows @i-know-i-can @adventure-awaits13 @acourtofbatboydreams (inbox me or comment if you'd like to be added!)

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ:

The Autumn Court experienced the changing seasons like any other in Prythian. Spring was still spring, there was still snow in the winter -- but, the current state of dreary, grayness that took over the sky and stretched beyond the court's borders was quite the contrast to a usual week in July.

Perhaps, it was a reflection of the inner turmoil seeded in those residing in the Forrest House.

"Y/N," Riley whines. "When will the sun come back?"

You sigh, wondering the same.

"I don't know Riles. I truly don't."

She huffs, her fingers reaching for her the mason jar sitting in the middle of the table. The wilting flower inside has lost the vibrant orange coloring on its petals from last week, now replaced with wilting brown ones.

"My flower is yucky with no sun on it." She frowns. You pat her head as she inspects the plant, your shoulders stiffening when you hear the front door open and close quietly.

"Daddyyyyy," Riley groans. "When is the sun coming out?" She trills, hopping off the dining room chair and making way for the front door. It seems she heard him come in too, as she makes her way toward the foyer.

The two of you had gone the entire week with as little communication as possible -- a whole lot of "yep"s and "mhm"s and nods and short debriefings. Since the whole closet incident from the week prior, you hadn't gotten the courage to talk with him again anyways; he'd been so cross with you, so irritated. Your cheeks heated at the thought, how embarassed you'd felt that night. The shame.

Honestly, the whole thing made you a bit angry.

You take a deep breath as footsteps approach, their hushed, mindless conversation drowned out by your own thoughts clouding your headspace. It's not until Eris is standing right in front of you that you come back to reality.

"Play tea party?"

You glance down, taking in the little one's innocent expression from down below. You give her a soft smile, looking to Eris quickly before returning her gaze.

"I'd be honored, dear -- would you go set it up? I'll come join you in a few minutes. Let me talk to your dad first." Riley nods, skipping down the hallway toward her bedroom. Eris looses a sigh, passing toward the kitchen island and leaning against it before looking to you again.

"So..." He says, folding his arms across his chest. You suck in a breath, prepared to hand it to him -- ask him what the Hell all that disrespect was for, what the deal is with the gowns, what was going on between the two of you, all of it.

But, your eyes catch on the wilting stem in the glass jar still sat on the table. You stall a moment, every angry thought in your head receeding like the tides when you consider what could be a more imortant topic of conversation in this very moment.

"So..." You begin, taking a step toward him. He watches you, his face expressionless, as you continue. "I... I've been thinking. Riley is, almost five, and... well, it is the last week of July..."

He simply nods, as though saying go on without saying it. You can't help but roll your eyes, stepping to stand right across from him in the space between the island and the kitchen counter.

"I think she should be enrolled in school."

His brow twitches at this, the most you've gotten from him all week. It's silent for longer than necessary, almost uncomfortable, so you start again.

"She's asking me things, Eris, that she needs a proper teacher for-"

"No."

You startle, blinking as his face returns to that look of emotionless stone.

"W-what?"

"I said no." He shrugs, staring you straight in the eye like it isn't negotiable.

"...Okay, well, I want you to hear me out." You say, trying to remain calm. "She wants to learn. She's inquisitive, and smart, and she-"

"I know she's smart." He cuts in. You huff, your brow furrowing.

"Eris, you're not even listening to me." You can't help the way your voice pitches, but his brows flatten into a straight line.

"I don't need to hear it, Y/N -- she has you. We can hire a teacher to come here if you want. But no, she isn't going to a public school where Gods know what could happen to her." He says, his low tone rising with each sentence.

You push off the counter, folding your arms across your chest. "She needs the social interaction with other kids her age, Eris. You can't keep her locked up in here-"

"I'm her father," he says angrily, leaning toward you. "I think I know, what she needs."

Once the words leave his mouth, his face softens as though he realizes what he's said and how he has acted. You stand still, your eyes wide as you stare up at him. Never has he acted so defensive, not even with the damned dresses -- but this, this was on a whole different level.

You watch as his expression changes from rage to pure worry, his concerned eyes searching yours in desperation. You can't help but look away, only glancing back when his fingers hesitantly reach for your arm.

"Y/N, I didn't mean-"

"Don't." You yank your shoulder back, sneering up at him. He drops his hand slowly, shaking his head as he fumbles for his words.

"I'm sorry Y/N. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I-"

"You're damned right, you shouldn't have." You said, glaring up at him through your brows. The lump in your throat only grew as you began to feel bad, practically kicking him while he was indeed apologizing.

Maybe he deserved it... a little.

You turned on your heel, making way for Riley's room. He could make dinner tonight. After all -- maybe some pretend tea would do you good.

･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ:

"I need to leave at first light for another trip with the guard."

It'd been a few days since you'd had it out with Eris, and maybe it was good you did; he'd been much more present, insisting on cooking, proving more when he was home, and being more involved with not just his daughter but you as well when he was home in the evenings... well, as much as you'd let him be. You hadn't entirely forgiven him yet, all things considered, and the incident from a few weeks ago hadn't even been mentioned, so the relationship was, awkward. To say the least.

"How long this time." You said it as plainly as you could, trying to ignore the burn of the firepoker upon your heart at the thought of him leaving again. You wished it didn't hurt so bad, wished it didn't effect you so much each time.

"Only three days. A quick trip to Spring and back." He nods assuringly, setting his pack on the dining table and looking to you. Nodding, you awkwardly run your hand along your arm, feeling a bit exposed under his intense gaze. This late in the evening, you knew he didn't tell Riley he'd be leaving (per usual) -- so she'd wake up tomorrow with that lovely realization.

"Ok." You chew on your bottom lip, and Eris sighs, stepping toward you. He reaches for your hand, but sensing your hesitation, he retracts. A look of sadness crosses his face before his eyes meet yours.

"Those dresses... in the closet." He murmurs. "They were Selene's." His jaw tightens at the name, and you swear you stop breathing. This was not the conversation you planned to have tonight.

"She... her family, they pass them down for tradition." He continues. "On her way out, she didn't really care to take them; I mean, she took just about everything else, but." He huffs a humorless laugh, but continues when you don't say anything.

"Anyway... I kept them because." He sighs, his head dropping before looking to you again. "You're right, Y/N. Riley is a very smart girl. One day, she is going to ask about her birth mother, and, well."

He shrugs. "I'm not going to have anything to show or give her that was hers." His gaze drops.

"The only thing I had left was those silly dresses from her side of the family."

Your heart clenches as though you can feel every ounce of sorrow he is feeling in that moment. You reach out, your hand caressing his cheek softly before you can think.

"Eris, I... I had no idea, really, I'm sorry-"

"Please, Gods don't apologize." His hand covers yours, his fingers wrapping around yours as he holds it against his cheek. "I know how it looks, and how it must have looked when you happened upon it." He sighs, his other hand reaching for your waist.

"It didn't help that I handled the situation poorly, either." He admits, sorrowfully looking into your eyes. You gaze up at him, your mouth twisting to the side. "I can't take it back, but I truly hope you can understand how sorry I am Y/N."

You step closer, closing the gap between the two of you as he pulls you into a firm embrace. His hand runs through the strands of your hair, a gentle reminder that everything might, just might, be okay.

･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ:

"Y/N! Another!"

Riley holds out an identical bloom to the one previously in the mason jar to you th efollowing day, her earlier sadness at her father's departure replaced with temporary glee.

"Oh wow! Look -- this one is very vibrant." You wink at her, continuing on the path back to the Forest House.

"Vi...bran...t." She sounds out, examining the stem in her hand. She dumped out the dead flower pre-garden walk, and surely will now want to replace it.

As the two of you approach the front door, you stoop down to grab the few pieces of mail collated there. One envelope of deep mohogany with gold embossing catches your eye -- but, you follow the little girl inside nonetheless and push the door closed.

"We put this in the cup?" She asks, already making way for the sink to gather more water for her jar. You set down the paper pile, giving her all your undivided attention.

"Of course dear," you say, helping her to sit on the counter and fill her jar from the sink. She places the new flower in the glass, beaming at its brilliancy.

"Yay!" She squeals, her little feet kicking with delight. You help her off the edge, carefully transporting the jar to the table where it sat prior.

"We make sure this one has sun," she insists. "So it won't be ugly."

You chuckle, returning to the mail pile and plucking the envelope from the top. Your intrigue only grows when you see it is adressed to Eris, Riley and you.

You don't waste another moment in tearing it open.

Scanning the page, you feel a new kind of excitement -- a flutter of hope in your heart, a surge of excitement through your veins. Every nerve ending is electric within you as your true joy grows, the passionate feeling inside deeper than what you thought you could explain before. You felt, like truly, what you said meant something. Someone cared what you said, and you'd been heard.

"Riley?" You called. Her little footsteps bounded into the room, a look of interest on her face as she took you in and the paper between your fingers.

"Uh huh?"

You grinned, telling her the wonderful knews.

"Your daddy signed you up for school next month, sweetie."

･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ:

[queerliblib]

Happy Sapphic September! Here are some sapphic ebooks that, at the time of making this video, are all available to be checked out right now! You better be quick, though! 

Books featured: Sunburn, by Chloe Michelle Howarth Dead Girls Walking, by Sami Ellis The Adventures of Isabel, by Candas Jane Dorsey The Queer Girl is Going to Be Okay, by Dale Walls Just Friends, by Ana Oncina Cold Girls, by Maxine Rae The Secret Summer Promise, by Keah Brown Yuri Espoir, Volume 1, by Mai Naoi The Stars of Mount Quixx, by S.M. Beiko Girl Haven, Lilah Sturges

[thatacotargirl]

The Daughter of Day (2)

Welcome back to The Daughter of Day, a series exploring a new Court and a triad, because why not!

I hope you enjoy chapter 2 🌟

This story is set after A Court of Silver Flames.

My inbox remains open for oneshot/imagine requests.

Taglist: @fightmedraco @lilah-asteria @acourtofsmutandstarlight

A Reader x Feysand Fanfiction

Reader's POV

It had been over a week since my father had sent a request to Rhysand asking to host me as a visitor in Velaris, and we still hadn't received a reply. I knew it might take a while, with Rhysand being a High Lord and no doubt as busy as my father was most days, but I couldn't help the heavy feeling in my heart that I might be refused and I'd have to carry on living in Day. It wasn't that I disliked my home court - it had beauty to rival even the most glowing stars in the sky - but it was suffocating being trapped in the palace. Every morning I woke with no plans other than to walk the castle walls, hiding from the palace guards who would no doubt scoop me up and take me back to the safe confines of my bedroom if they found me. Every night, I'd fall asleep hoping my dreams would whisk me away to adventure, fun, freedom. Then, I'd wake up, and I'd do it all again.

Rhysand's POV

Rhys sat in his office sifting through endless piles of paperwork with a sigh. Azriel sat to his left, writing furiously into a notebook, his tongue sticking out slightly with concentration. Rhys chuckled inwardly, and rose from the desk, pacing around the office with his pen tapping against his thigh. He was feeling restless and couldn't quite put a pin on why. He was more than satisfied with his life as it was - he had a beautiful mate, a perfect son, a loving family, war had been won, and life was rebuilding. He had defied all odds and had come out stronger, despite the trauma that lingered below the surface. But, in spite of that, he felt like a part of him was missing. Like he had completed the puzzle that was him, his life, but there was one piece that he had overlooked and left the puzzle incomplete.

Shaking his head, he grabbed a handful of letters from the desk and began slotting through them, tossing the occasional one into the trashcan by his desk. Suddenly, one gold envelope caught his eye. He placed the pile back on the desk to hold the envelope with both hands, feeling the power of its author within. That heat, that sun, that all glowing all consuming power could belong to one High Lord, and one High Lord only - Helion. Rhys carefully opened the letter and reviewed its contents.

Dearest Rhysand, It was a pleasure to be hosted by yourself and your wonderful family this week; and the Day Court remains a staunch ally to you and your Court. I write on matters unrelated to alliance. My daughter, y/n, is finding herself lost amongst Day Court. I admit that I may have 'coddled' her, as one might say, but I did so for fear of her life and safety, and out of love. However, she now wishes to experience a world outside of my shining walls. Would you be so gracious as to allow y/n to visit Velaris for a period of time? I ask this as your ally, and friend, as I trust that y/n will be safe with you in your City of Starlight. Yours truly, Helion.

Rhysand was surprised at the request. Helion had kept his daughter hidden in the confines of the Day Court palace for 25 years, and was now allowing her to not only leave the palace, but leave the Court entirely? He shook his head, almost inclined to deny the request. He could not be responsible for y/n's safety, even if Velaris had the lowest crime rate of all Prythian. If something were to happen to y/n within his court, it could result in war and bloodshed. He took up his pen to write his reply, denying the request, but felt himself hesitate.

Rhys knew better than many what it felt like to be trapped. To feel as though your life wasn't your own to live because you were being held against your will, not able to spread your wings and explore, live, enjoy what this world had to offer. He sat as his hands touched the paper and he found his fingers moving on their own accord.

Dear Helion, The Night Court would be delighted to host y/n. She may stay at our River House for as long as she wishes. Please do send word of when we can expect her arrival and we will ensure that a room is prepared. Regards, Rhysand.

Reader's POV

With a sigh, you put away the book that was resting on your lap and head towards your bedroom. The book was a romance, one you had read so many times over that you were sure you could re-write it verbatim, where the protagonist pursues revenge against those who wronged him to win back his one true love. Whilst romance books were your guilty pleasure, a part of you would always feel sad that perhaps you might not get to experience romance like those you read. Although, maybe nobody did, and that's why the books were so popular - everyone pined to be desired in a way that could only be conveyed on the pages of a story, and not in real life.

As you rounded the corridor and headed towards your bedroom door, you were intercepted.

"Y/n, my darling! I have news from the Night Court".

Your head shot up to meet your father's eyes, your own no doubt full of hope.

"Rhysand has offered for you to stay at the River House in Velaris".

You felt your heart jump with joy and excitement. It was finally happening.

"When can I go?", you asked eagerly, already mentally packing your bags with your favourite dresses and shoes.

"Whenever you wish, my sunshine. I will gladly take you myself".

After giving your father a quick hug, you ran full pelt into your bedroom and grabbed a bag from the back of your closet. After packing a small bag of personal items, you gazed around the drawers and closets at your clothes and halted. The beautiful golden sundresses, flowing skirts and cropped t'shirts were perfect for Day Court, but you were almost certain that you might freeze in the Night Court, not to mention that you would stick out like a sore thumb. Feeling a presence enter your bedroom, you turn to see your father make his way to the edge of your bed.

"I will provide Rhysand with a stipend to cover the expenses of you living with them, and some extra to get yourself some more appropriate clothing", he winked. You smiled at him, grateful that your father somehow always knew what you were thinking without you needing to say it. You walk over to him and reach out to take his hand.

"Thank you, for everything", you say, as he pulls you in for a hug.

"Anything for you, my sunshine".

A moment passes and you find yourself wallowed by feelings of guilt. Guilt for wanting to leave the haven that he built for you. Guilt for wanting to explore without him. You were his only child, his pride and joy, and here you were wanting to leave the nest - and leave him behind in it. Sensing your change in emotions, Helion pulls back from the hug to stare sincerely at your face.

"You make me proud everyday, y/n. You have grown into a beautiful, wise, and kind young woman and I am so proud that you are my daughter. I want you to live the life you've always dreamed of, even if that means it isn't here with me. And, no matter what, I will always be here for you when you decide to return".

You can feel the tears falling steadily down your face as you silently sob. Even though this is what you wanted more than anything else in the world, it didn't make it hurt any less.

"Come, let's go now". Helion offers you his hand and you gladly accept it, picking up the one bag that you had decided to bring with you. With one last look at your bedroom, you offer your father a silent nod, and close your eyes as you feel his power surround you both and winnow you away from the Day Court. Away from home.

You arrive with a thump at the steps of the River House you had visited a few weeks prior, and Helion reached up to knock on the giant door. Waiting, you turn to eye to streets around you, watching the citizens of Velaris go about their days chatting happily and laughing. It was dusk by the time you had arrived, and people were bustling their way down towards the main town in search of food and entertainment for the evening.

The door opened and you turned back to see Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, standing before you. Her sister, Elain, stood at her side. Both women were smiling.

"Y/n! Welcome back to Velaris! Come in, come in", Feyre gestures to the house, moving out of the doorframe. You move to enter, but stop when you realise your father isn't following.

"This is where I leave you, sunshine. But know I am always here if you need me, and I will come and visit you in a few weeks to see how you are getting on". You can see through the smile on his face right to the sadness in his eyes.

You feel the tears pricking your own eyes but you desperately fight them back, not wanting to cry in front of Feyre and Elain. You lunge forward into your father's arms and hold him, squeezing as tightly as you possibly can, before giving him a salute and walking into the River House. You didn't trust your words not to give away the tears or beg for him to take you back to the comforts of Day; but it seems that nothing slipped past Feyre, as she reached out to pull you into a hug of her own, Elain quietly closing the door behind you.

"I know how hard it can be to make that first step to independence, y/n, you don't have to fight your emotions for our sakes", she offered, stroking your hair and letting your cry quietly on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so happy to be here, it's just harder than I expected".

You felt a hand rub your back and turned to see Elain, a sincere and kind smile on her face. You offered her a watery smile back.

"Come, let's get you cleaned up and then we can have dinner?" she asked, peeling you away from Feyre and guiding you up the stairs. You could hear commotion behind the various doors of the River House but Elain quickly led you to a door at the end of the hall. She opened it and you gasped, surprised to see that the room inside was decorated in the finest Day Court gold you had seen. You turned to Elain as she smiled.

"We figured it would be hard, leaving home for the first time, so we wanted to do something to help you settle. Helion sent us some furniture from your home and we added the rest, I hope it's ok?".

You nodded, completely speechless. Elain walked past you into the adjoining bathroom and began running you a bath as you emptied the contents of your bag. You placed the items around the room; the make-up on the vanity table, the books on your bedside, and the soft yellow blanket you'd had since you were a baby across the end of your new bed. You carried your few toiletries to the bathroom as Elain closed off the water, the smell of jasmine and honey wafting through the air.

"I hope you don't mind, I used my own bath oils as we didn't know what scent you'd like, but we have plans to go into Velaris tomorrow to buy you everything you need".

"We?", you asked.

"You, me, Feyre, and Mor!", she exclaimed excitedly. Her warming and happy energy made you want to smile.

"That sounds wonderful", you grinned back at her, "I haven't met Mor yet, she wasn't able to make the meeting when I was here last".

"You'll meet her tonight, she's coming to dinner. She's Rhys' cousin and lives not too far from here. She's also convinced everyone to go to Rita's tonight, but you don't have to join if you'd prefer to get some rest and settle in here".

"Rita's?"

"It's kind of like a club, Feyre and Mor love to go and dance, and Cassian usually causes some mayhem there. I don't often go but Feyre asked me to this time, she even went out of her way to get Amren to babysit Nyx instead of me!" Elain chuckled to herself. "I think it might be in case you wanted to come, they have a habit of drinking themselves into a bit of a stupor and might be a bit overwhelming to handle on your own".

"Nyx?", you asked, trying to remember the names of everyone you had heard of in the Night Court.

"Feyre and Rhysand's son", she paused, seeing the surprise on your face. "You know, maybe you should join us tonight if you're feeling up to it, you have quite a lot to catch up on!"

You couldn't help but return Elain's smile. Perhaps this would be a good way to get to know everyone and break the ice. "Sure, I'd like to join".

"Great! I'll let Feyre know and have her find some options for you to wear tonight. Speaking of, I'll go and find you some things to wear for dinner too - back in a moment" she smiled, and left the bathroom.

You undressed and climbed into the bath, big enough to fit at least another 4 of you in it, and sank down into the water, letting yourself soak away the emotions of the day. You couldn't help the smile that adorned your face, in spite of your lingering guilt and sadness at leaving your court behind. You had received such a warm welcome in Velaris and-

You heard a crash outside the landing, someone shouting and swearing, and a whole host of laughter as something transpired down the hall from your bedroom. You recognised the echo of Feyre's laugh and Elain's giggles, as a male - Cassian, perhaps? - swore like a sailor. You could pick out a few words; paint, prank, and glue.

You laughed and sank deeper into the water, regrouping your mind. It had been a busy enough day as it was, and it looked like it was only going to get busier still.

[heavnisyou]

intro to my drs!!

…i have a total of 35 drs at the moment, there will probably be more at one point but i’ll just give you a small introduction to all my 35 drs!!

» better cr (hsmtmts) «

toni marie wilson — sep 12 2003 — s/o; ricky bowen

» fame dr «

amelia lily tomlinson — sep 12 1995 — s/o; niall horan

» 2nd fame dr «

clara van gratie — sep 12 1999 — s/o; gavin leatherwood

» singer dr «

maya claire wilson — sep 12 2000 — s/o; joshua bassett

» 2nd singer dr «

clarissa may horan — sep 12 1991 — s/o; niall horan

» 3rd singer dr «

clarissa jamie payne — sep 12 2000 — s/o; sofia wylie

» actress dr «

cassandra wren evans — sep 12 1996 — s/o; chris evans

» one direction dr «

lilah rory payne — aug 29 1993 — s/o; niall horan

» underground artist dr «

alexi claire wilson — sep 12 1998 — s/o; alec benjamin

» streamer dr «

athena marie simons — sep 12 2003 — s/o; purpled

» criminal minds fame au dr «

alice sofia rossi — sep 12 1985 — s/o; spencer reid

» nepo baby dr «

clara ivy stan — sep 12 2004 — s/o; olivia rodrigo

» 2nd nepo baby dr «

clara marie brosnan — sep 12 1999 — s/o; joshua bassett

» sunset curve dr «

cassandra jade mercer — sep 12 1978 — s/o; reggie peters

» shared band dr «

valentina mystara — sep 12 1998 — s/o; niall horan

» marvel fame au dr «

alice marie lumière — sep 12 1989 — s/o; steve rogers

» fan dr «

casiphia marie rossi — sep 12 1998 — s/o; dylan minnette

» 2nd fan dr «

clara marie wilson — sep 12 1998 — s/o; niall horan

» marvel small town au dr «

clarissa taylor — sep 12 1999 — s/o; kate bishop

» julie and the phantoms dr «

kiara patterson — sep 12 1975 — s/o; reggie peters

» outer banks dr «

emilia jane wilson — sep 12 2003 — s/o; jj maybank

» 2nd outer banks dr «

clarissa cameron — sep 12 2003 — s/o; kiara carrera

» 3rd outer banks dr «

alexandra marie lumière — sep 12 2002 — s/o; john b routledge

» free rein dr «

clara grace wilson — sep 12 2000 — s/o: pin hawthorne

» surviving summer dr «

lily grace mckenna — sep 12 2006 — s/o; baxter radic

» moon knight au dr «

madison spector — sep 12 1988 — s/o; marc spector

» chilling adventures of sabrina dr «

willow vidal — sep 12 1928 — s/o; nick scratch

» riverdale dr «

annabelle andrews — sep 12 2001 — s/o; jughead jones

» criminal minds dr «

bella marie lovelace — sep 12 1989 — s/o; spencer reid

» marvel dr «

madelyn ivanova — sep 12 1958 — s/o; steve rogers

» 2nd marvel dr «

sophia blanca noir — sep 12 2006 — s/o; peter parker (tasm)

» 3rd marvel dr «

clara monroe — sep 12 1994 — s/o; steve rogers

» teen marvel dr «

sofia barnes — sep 12 2006 — s/o; none

» descendants dr «

scarlett — sep 12 1999 — s/o; joshua fitzherbert (oc)

» 2nd descendants dr «

annabella — sep 12 1999 — s/o; harry hook

[motherofdragonflies]

The Elevator Game: A Choose Your Own Adventure Fic

Written by: @motherofdragonflies / bexgowen

Art by: @xfancyfranart

Rating: Explicit

Word count: 95,000

Tags/Warnings: Major Character Death, Choose Your Own Adventure Style, Psychological Horror, Canon Divergent, Post 15x03, Case Fic

Summary: 

The game is simple.

Get in an elevator, alone, and follow the rules. If you follow them correctly, the elevator will rise and when the doors open, they will open onto a world that is not your own.

When his brother goes missing after investigating the death of a teenage girl in a hotel in St. Louis, Dean Winchester is dismayed to discover it involved an internet legend called “the Elevator Game”.

He’s even more dismayed when Castiel—who walked away weeks ago and hasn’t been returning Dean’s calls—shows up, also looking for Sam.

Dean doesn’t want to work with Castiel, and Castiel doesn’t seem thrilled about working with him, either. Can they put their differences aside when  they discover that Sam disappeared after playing the Elevator Game? Will Dean and Castiel play the elevator game and travel to the Other World themselves? Will they find Sam before it's too late? 

The choice, dear reader, is yours. You are in control of the story.

But choose wisely, for once you play the Elevator Game, things may never be the same again.

Excerpt:

“Where did Ali hear about the game?” Sam’s voice asked. 

“She, uh, she loved scary stuff. Horror movies, urban legends, that kinda thing. I think she found it on reddit, in one of those scary story subreddits? I don’t know, I don’t…I don’t like that kind of thing. But, um, she was always talking about wanting to try it but you need a tall building and we’d never been anywhere anyway tall enough until…”

“Until that night. Did you tell the police?”

Lilah scoffed. “I told them. They didn’t believe me.”

“Lilah…what do you think happened?”

“I... I think…I think it worked.”

The audio file ended, and Dean sorted through the rest of the papers from the envelope Lilah had given him. The first page was a print out from a true crime subreddit: Dean recognised it as one that Sam checked constantly. His brother had highlighted a post on the page, one consisting of a single line that was posted four days after Alison and the others had disappeared:

Ali Bleaker played the elevator game.

Frowning, Dean turned to the next page and found that it was an article from a website called “The Ghost In My Machine”, titled “The Most Dangerous Games: The Elevator Game Revisited.”

Dean snorted at the title but read on:

"Some people know it as ‘Elevator To Another World’. For others, it’s the ‘Elevator to Hell’... But no matter the name, this peculiar…game, I suppose—although there’s nothing playful about it—it always said to have the same outcome, as long as you follow its rules to a T: By riding an elevator alone, visiting a handful of floors in a particular order as you go, you can transport yourself to another world entirely."

Dean stared at the words on the page.

Another world.

“Jesus, Sam, tell me you didn’t.”

Once upon a time, Dean might have dismissed the claim of ‘another world’ as something out of a science fiction story. But having visited several other worlds, Dean knew that alternate realities, multiverses—whatever you wanted to call them— were real. He doubted that something as simple as riding an elevator could take you to another world, but the idea wasn’t as far-fetched as he once would have believed it to be.

Snatching up his computer, Dean quickly pulled up the phone tracking site that he’d bookmarked and searched for the location of Sam’s phone. 

He was not at all surprised when the map showed Sam’s phone was at The Millennium Hotel, where Alison Bleaker had died.

Going up at @deancashorrorfest this October!

[book--brackets]

Troll Trilogy by Katherine Langrish (2004-2007)

A secret kingdom of trolls, and their legendary gold, lies in the mysterious shadows of Troll Fell. It is to this eerie and dangerous place that Peer must go after his father's sudden death, to live with his greedy uncles, Baldur and Grim, at their mill. When Peer discovers his uncles' plan to sell children to the trolls, he has to bury his fears and set out to stop them somehow. In a world filled with magic and mystery, Peer has only his bravery, his wits, and two new allies -- a daring girl looking for adventure and a mischievous house spirit looking for a good meal. Their story will become part of the legends and lore that fill this extraordinary land by the sea.

The People by Zenna Henderson (1961-1966)

These are the People.

Marooned on this planet by the crash of their interstellar vehicle in the distant past, The People are never free of a sense of strangeness in this world and a yearning for the home they have half-forgotten.

These are the chronicles of their arrival on this world, their estrangement from it, and their ultimate acceptance of their poignant exile.

The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher (2018-2020)

Orphan Seren Rhys is on her way to a new life at the remote country mansion of Plas-y Fran when she is given a package by a stranger late at night in an empty train station. The package contains a crotchety, mechanical talking crow, which Seren reluctantly brings to her new home. But when she gets there, the happy Christmas she had hoped for turns out to be an illusion--the young son of the house, Tomos, has been missing for almost a year, rumored to have been taken by the fairies. With the Crow's reluctant help and a little winter magic, Seren sets off on a perilous journey to bring Tomos home. An enthralling story of family and belonging set in frost-bound Victorian Wales.

Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near (2013)

There's a dead girl in a birdcage in the woods. That's not unusual. Isola Wilde sees a lot of things other people don't. But when the girl appears at Isola's window, her every word a threat, Isola needs help.

Her real-life friends – Grape, James and new boy Edgar – make her forget for a while. And her brother-princes – the mermaids, faeries and magical creatures seemingly lifted from the pages of the French fairytales Isola idolises – will protect her with all the fierce love they possess.

It may not be enough.

Isola needs to uncover the truth behind the dead girl's demise and appease her enraged spirit, before the ghost steals Isola's last breath.

The New Moon's Arms by Nalo Hopkinson (2007)

Calamity, born Chastity, has renamed herself in a way she feels is most fitting. She's a 50-something grandmother whose mother disappeared when she was a teenager and whose father has just passed away as she begins menopause. With this physical change of life comes a return of a special power for finding lost things, something she hasn't been able to do since childhood. A little tingling in the hands then a massive hotflash, and suddenly objects, even whole buildings, lost to her since childhood begin showing up around Calamity. One of the lost things Calamity recovers is a small boy who washes up on the shore outside her house after a rainstorm. She takes this bruised but cheerful 3-year-old under her wing and grows attached to him, a process that awakens all the old memories, frustrations and mysteries around her own mother and father. She'll learn that this young boy's family is the most unusual group she's ever encountered--and they want their son back.

Finisterre by C. J. Cherryh (1995-1996)

Stranded on a distant planet that abounds with fertile farmland, human colonists appear to be in paradise. But all the native animals communicate by telepathy, projecting images that drive humans mad. Only Nighthorses stand between civilization and madness. When a flare of human emotion spreads to all the horses, chaos erupts.

Three Kings by Freydis Moon (2022)

Ethan Shaw—lighthouse keeper and local witch—lives a charmed life in his chilly, coastal hometown. Blessed with a flourishing garden and a stable livelihood, Ethan can’t complain. But when his husband, Captain Peter Vásquez, brings home a wounded leopard seal after an impromptu storm, Ethan is faced with a curious situation: caring for a lost selkie named Nico Locke.

As Ethan struggles with the possibility of being infertile, insecurities surrounding his marriage, and a newly formed magical bond with a hostile, handsome selkie, his comfortable life begins to fracture. But could breakage lead to something better?

With autumn at their heels and winter on the horizon, Ethan, Peter, and Nico test the boundaries of a new relationship, shared intimacy, and the chance at a future together.

Silver Sequence by Cliff McNish (2003-2005)

Six children leave home and are drawn to Coldharbour - an eerie wasteland of wind, rats, gulls and rubbish. Each of them has a unique gift, but they must learn to use their skills fast. Drawing ever closer in a maelstrom of fury is the Roar, something vast and dreadful that wants to destroy them.

Lilah's Adventures by Sherwood Smith (2012)

When twelve-year-old Lady Lilah decides to disguise herself and sneak out of the palace one night, she has more of an adventure than she expected--for she learns very quickly that the country is on the edge of revolution. When she sneaks back in, she learns something even more surprising: her older brother Peitar is one of the forces behind it all. The revolution happens before all of his plans are in place, and brings unexpected chaos and violence. Lilah and her friends, leaving their old lives behind, are determined to help however they can. But what can four kids do? Become spies, of course!

The Merlin Spiral by Robert Treskillard (2013-2014)

When a meteorite crashes near a small village in fifth-century Britain, it brings with it a mysterious black stone that bewitches anyone who comes in contact with its glow--a power the druids hope to use to destroy King Uthur's kingdom, as well as the new Christian faith. The only person who seems immune is a young, shy, half-blind swordsmith's son named Merlin.

As his family, village, and even the young Arthur, are placed in danger, Merlin must face his fears and his blindness to take hold of the role God ordained for him. But when he is surrounded by adversaries, armed only by a sword he's named Excalibur, how will he save the girl he cherishes and rid Britain of this deadly evil ... without losing his life?

[littlest-w01f]

All Taglists

Since I've posted the new schedule, I thought I'd post the taglists too to make sure everyone knows which taglist they are/ if they want to be added/removed from any of them and I'll make the edits right here (also adding a little synopsis for all the series so you know what they are about)

If you want to be added please comment which taglist you wish to be added to.

General - @lilah-asteria @paleidiot @dee-writes-smut @adalia-jaycee @anarchiii @alwayshave-faith @velarisnightsky444 @minnieoo @mellowmusings @daughterofthemoons-stuff

MAIN SERIES TAGLIST:

Flames and Darkness - @anuttellaa @tuggboatfishin @inloveallthetime

Synopsis: Rheana, Rhysand's adventurous younger sister has always yearned for a mate since she was a young faeling, she found herself with a mating bond that leads her to Eris Vanserra, someone her family has despised for as long as time.

Blooming Flowers - @theskyisbrighthere @mybestfriendmademe @yeonalie @raisam

Synopsis: The Princess of Spring, Evelyn and Rhysand, the Heir of Night were promised in marriage to each other by their fathers to fix court relations, but things took a turn for the worse as they refused to marry.

Meeting in Grey - @sleepylunarwolf @sarawritestories @sheblogs

Synopsis: Born in Hewn City, Novali has felt first-hand how cruel her people can be to anything good, while in the Court of Dreams, Nyx has heard nothing but the worst of the residents of Hewn City, as the Heir grows to the age of maturity his family make their first visit to the Court of Nightmares in a 100 years.

Mini-series:

Little Family (Cassian) - @littlelunatica @journalofthedamned @acourtofbatboydreams

Synopsis: While visiting his best friend Feyre in her art studio, Cassian meets the mother of one of the children there, their bond snapping almost instantaneously.

Lady Bloodshed (Cassian) - @inloveallthetime @anuttellaa

Synopsis: During Winter Solstice, Cassian's mate resurfaces, in the form of an assassin on a mission to end his life.

Light and Shadow (Azriel) - N/A

Synopsis: Azriel finally gets to spend time with the female who Helion always had around him, the one his shadows always reach for.

Fire and Ice (Eris) - @st4r-girl-official

Synopsis: In an attempt at combining power, the Heir of Autumn is arranged to wed the Princess of Winter.

Sunlight (Helion) - @anuttellaa @a-frog-with-a-laptop @lalaluch

Synopsis: Helion asks Rhysand for help when he needs more staff for his libraries, Rhysand recommends someone close to him who wishes to try to leave the House of Winds library.

Siren song (Tarquin) - @slut4acotar

Synopsis: Hearing an enchanting song, Tarquin goes to the depths of the ocean hypnotised, only to be saved by someone he had been raised to beware of.

Jester (Rhysand) - N/A

Synopsis: After becoming High Lord, Rhysand finds himself in The Middle, he catches a Jester's eye who wants his blood and power.

Papillon (Eris) - @rcarbo1 @st4r-girl-official

Synopsis: Eris meets a mythical lesser fairy in the woods, who comes back to see her again.

Lover (Thesan) - N/A

Synopsis: The middle sister of the Vanserras forms an infatuation with Thesan, the High Lord of Dawn

Summer Seas (Feyre) - N/A

Synopsis: For helping the water wraith during Tithe, her younger sister saves Feyre from Spring after her panic.

In the Shadows (Azriel) - N/A

Synopsis: Azriel is used to staying in the shadows, but something about a popular dancer in Dawn makes him want to be seen.

Sample Size (Vanserra brothers) - N/A

Synopsis: A family friend of the Vanserras wants to see just how far the fire in their blood goes, the brothers are far too competitive to deny her test, wanting to come out on top.

Enchanting (Eris) - N/A

Synopsis: After a betrayal by Rhysand, a witch moved back to the autumn woods, not thinking she would cross any paths with the High Lord of Autumn after years of solitude.

Character Taglists:

Rhysand - @yeonalie

Cassian - @yeonalie

Azriel - @fxckmiup @annamariereads16 @saltedcoffeescotch @satorusemepls @fieldofdaisiies

Eris - @fxckmiup @slut4acotar @secret-third-thing @shadowsingers-mate @fieldofdaisiies @st4r-girl-official

Lucien - N/A

Helion - N/A

Tarquin - N/A

Kallias - N/A

Thesan - N/A

Tamlin - N/A

Feyre - N/A

Nesta - N/A

Elain - N/A

Mor - N/A

[dogmovesout]

a dance in the moonlight featuring @ladylilah location: northwest-finnegan engagement party

The shadows were where he had known he’d hide out for the majority of this party - they were a common place for Tristan to slink around nowadays, a skill he had learned from all his years working first at the junkyard and then for Oogie. Under the cover of darkness, it was easy to be overlooked and unseen while having a perfect view of the rest of everything going on around him. Not that there was much that he cared about at this particular event. No, there was only one reason he was here and she had already entered the scene a few hours ago, though Tristan didn’t follow her into the action like he actually wanted. Instead he kept his spot in one of the hallways, sitting in a chair with a hat pulled down to hide most of his face as he appeared to just be texting and paying no mind to the happenings around him. It was the perfect place to set up for the night - the open bathrooms being just down the way, meaning everyone had to pass right by his spot to enter. Little did he care about any of them, though, it was only one familiar voice asking a passing worker where the restrooms were that had him ready to move into action.

He let her pass, just once on her way to the ladies room, and as soon as he heard the sound of the door closing he was out of his seat in a snap. Moving to stand behind where the door would swing open, only a few moments passed before the object of his attention exited and Tristan took an easy step forward to crowd himself right into her space, the gun that he had tucked in his jacket pressed firmly into her back before she had a chance to move. It was instantaneous, the tension that filled Lilah’s entire body and the way her breath all but stopped at the feeling of the pressure on her back and the hand grabbing onto her arm. She didn’t have a chance to speak, not that she even knew what she would say, before Tristan instructed that they walk and began guiding her backwards out a side door that led to a courtyard.

It was as if the outside air smacked Lilah right in the face as she finally came back to her senses. She didn’t dare move a muscle once her ex-husband had stopped them, staring straight ahead and knowing this might be the moment where she died. Everything in her wanted to scream, to kick and fight, and do whatever she had to to get as far the fuck away from this as she could – but that wasn’t an option. Not when she knew Tristan would simply pull the trigger on her the moment she acted in any way he deemed wrong. Or at least, that’s what she assumed - which was exactly what he had been counting on.

So she kept her mouth shut, let him go on and on about how much he missed her and how he loved her and he was going to do everything to win her back, how he was going to change. She stood there and let him press his face into her neck, let him wallow and have his little pity party as he pulled her close against him. It was everything she’d heard before, time and time again during their marriage, but normally there was a full conversation between them. Normally she actually spoke up, acknowledged his words in some kind of way. Normally there wasn’t a gun digging into her back as she used every ounce of strength she had to not break down. A few tears fell past her defenses, rolling down her face but going unnoticed by the man holding on to her.

It was a moment that only lasted at most three minutes, but felt like a lifetime to them both. How it might have escalated, neither would know - for as soon the door opened to a worker coming out to inform them that this section of the property was off limits tonight, Tristan jerked up and looked over towards the man, giving Lilah the chance to quickly step out of his grasp. Walking as quickly as she could back into the mansion, a mumbled apology offered to the employee on the way, she darted back into the fray of the party and prayed that all of the people around her would keep her safe for the rest of the night.

[dinoraye]

Happy (very belated) birthday to my Supreme Fluff, @upandoutcomic !! I’m so lucky to have had you in my life since like, 2016 💖 2016?? Craziness.

Julia is so funny and cool and sweet and I feel so #blessed to be friends with her 😭 We’ve gone on so many adventures together and grown up a lot in our 8-ish years of friendship. Julia’s just so talented and awesome, I always can’t wait to see what she’s gunna do next 💖

I know times have been awful for the past while, but we got each other and we’re going to make it through! I love you Julie chan!!

These are her characters Lilah and Kit 🐱 Those cats are fun to draw!

[storyofmychoices]

It's hard to pick 5 when I write for so many couples! So I'm breaking the list into 2 sections, the first five are the "top" five I'm submitting for @choicesficwriterscreations. They consist only of fics that didn't make my tumblr top 5. After the break there are some other fics that I really am proud of this year which also consist of fics already attributed to my tumblr top 5.

Top 5 for CFWC

💛 Bitten by Love: Vampire!Daenarya feeds on her favorite human. [Blades AU] *I had this silly little idea for a Vampire Blades AU but I love it more than I thought I could and definitely would love to explore it more!

💛 Whispers in the Fog:  Daenarya and Mal both reflect on the journey so far and share a moment too [Blades 1] *I love all versions of Mal x Daenarya but those early moments at the start of their relationship are always some of my favorite to explore. I loved getting back to that.

💛 Neon Glow: Bryce and Olivia enjoy some fun during laser tag with their friends. [Open Heart] *This was in WIP for over 2 years so I'm glad to have finally finished it.

💛 International Day of Women and Girls in Science: Magazine Interview with Olivia, Merida (@lilyoffandoms), and Casey (@jerzwriter) for International Day of Women in Science. [Open Heart] *I've never written an interview style story before so this was interesting to explore with these three beautiful ladies.

💛 Of Leaves & Laughter: Mal and the boys are cleaning up around the orphanage when Mal has an idea to make things more interesting. [Blades—Orphanage Series] *The orphanage is my favorite so I always love writing that series but also I enjoyed seeing a little flashback to Mal's childhood

Bonus Fics:

💛 Autumn's Embrace: Bryce and Olivia find magic in the small moments of autumn. *Because Bryce and Olivia dancing in every day moments is my favorite

💛 Safe: Mal contemplates life as he watches over Daenarya. *I just love them. The mood of this fic is so sft and I just love that for them.

💛 Through the Pain: Emilia takes Jun up on his offer to try the punching bag. [The Deadliest Game] *This is my first TDG fanfic; I enjoyed getting to know Emilia a bit more through it.

💛 Yoga & Pancakes: Emma, Shreya, and Atlas run into Beckett at breakfast and Emma discovers a new Attuned food. [The Elementalists] *I missed Beckett. I loved revisiting him and Emma

These made my tumblr top 5 but I really loved writing them so wanted to mention them again.

💛 Hidden Romance: Lilah makes an interesting discovery at Trystan's apartment. [Crimes of Passion] *Just another silly idea I had that I had to bring to life

💛 The Princess of Parnassus and The Trophy Husband: Daenarya and Mal enjoy a much needed relaxing afternoon while contemplating what comes next. [Blades 2 AU] *This wasn't supposed to be an engagement fic, but I love how it turned out, it seems just right for them...

💛 Adventures with Threep: Three vignettes of Threep's life with Rayden, Mal, and Daenarya. [Blades] *I've wanted to write Pregnant!Threep since book one, so I was excited to finally tell this story, or at least the beginning of it hehe

[oldworldwidgets]

while the city sleeps

ive been thinking about delilah a lot lately (shocking, i know) so when my friends were discussing what their ocs’ companion quests would be like, i decided to write one for her!! for story purposes, the player character here is a male sole survivor named nate. this quest must be completed before delilah can be recruited

2.7k-ish words

you can read this as a make-your-own adventure/quest or just as a story :3

To begin this quest, Nate must enter the Third Rail bar in Goodneighbor between 10pm – 4am. Delilah will be behind the bar, tending to the drifters seated there. When Nate initiates dialogue with Delilah, she will ask if he’d like anything to drink. He answers however he chooses, then asks if she’s heard any gossip or has any work for him, since bartenders have a reputation for knowing these things. Lilah does, of course, and will send him to run a few errands for various Goodneighbor residents. Once he has successfully completely a few of these errands and shown that he can be trusted, Lilah will give him a job that is personal to her.

Her husband, a man named Marowski, had been acting strangely. He’d been keeping things from her, going out at night or coming home late, and just generally acting seedy. Then, a few days before, he hadn’t returned home at all. She requests Nate’s help to uncover whatever shady business is taking place in Goodneighbor and find Marowski. If Nate agrees, Delilah will stress that she is very worried about Morowski and just wants him to stay out of trouble. “Please,” she will beg quietly, “bring him home safe.”

Nate must then question the residents of Goodneighbor, noir detective style. If he leads the conversation by asking about Marowski or his whereabouts, the residents will clam up and give no further information. If he leads by asking about shady business in Goodneighbor, the residents will give a response such as, “Ha! Which one?” Nate can continue asking about shady operations in the town until the residents mention “Marowski’s chem operation,” but they will once again clam up if Nate continues to pursue this line of questioning. One resident will direct Nate to Irma at the Memory Den, who will direct him to Daisy at Daisy’s Discounts, who will direct him to Fred Allen at the Hotel Rexford. For a price (and a guarantee that Delilah will not learn who gave Nate this information), Fred will inform him that Marowski was not only involved in Goodneighbor’s largest underground chem operation, he was in charge of it. The kingpin. Hell, he owned half of Goodneighbor, including the Rexford itself. However, Fred will also inform Nate that Marowski has not been seen in a few days and the door to his office is locked from the inside. Fred will point Nate toward the office and, if Nate successfully picks the lock, he will find Marowski’s body on the floor.

When Nate returns to Delilah, he must choose to tell her one of four things. From 1-4, each option is a more difficult speech check:

The truth: he uncovered the chem operation that Marowski was leading. The pressure of the organization became too much, and Nate found him dead in his office.

He uncovered the chem operation, and Marowski was involved. He was a grunt chem peddler, and he is dead. (yellow)

He uncovered the chem operation, but it seemed separate from Marowski’s disappearance. Perhaps he just ran away?

He did not find anything, but he wishes her well in trying to find her husband. Perhaps he just ran away?

Delilah is very perceptive. Unbeknownst to Nate, each option carries negative affinity weight. Even if he passes the speech check(s), he will lose affinity proportionate to each option’s amount of untruth. 1, as it is the truth, will not affect affinity. If he fails the speech check, the lost affinity will double.

If Nate passes the speech check for 3 or 4, Delilah will accept this answer and thank him for trying. She will then become unrecruitable.

If Nate passes the speech check for 2 or tells the truth, she will thank him thoroughly before giving him the next piece of the quest. If he fails any speech check, she will frown and scoff at him, inform him that she does not believe him, then give him the next piece of the quest.

Delilah will beg Nate to find out what happened to Marowski. If she was not told that he is dead, she will ask Nate to find him. If she is told about his death, she will ask Nate to find out who killed him. She will be crying when she asks this, and Nate can accept or decline. If he accepts, Delilah will give him an unmarked, unplayable holotape that she believes may help. She will tell Nate that Marowski kept it in his sock drawer, and she found it when she was looking for clues as to where he might have gone.

Nate must return to the Rexford and examine the body. He will find that Marowski was shot in the head, and that there is a 10mm on the floor of his office near his right hand. If Nate successfully hacks the terminal on Marowski’s desk, he will find terminal entries with logs of his chem operations, lists of his active runners and Triggermen, and a journal. If he reads the journal entry, he will find five entries locked behind a password. The entries can be unlocked by loading the unmarked holotape into the terminal.

The sixth, most recent entry is a suicide note. The pressure of the chem operation, alongside the ring’s copious amounts of debt that will never be repaid by their customers, was too much for Marowski to juggle. Suicide was the only way he could keep Delilah safe. He wanted to keep her away from his debt and out of the dark corners of his chem operation. The note ends with an apology and an expression of love to Delilah. This discovery prompts Nate to return to Delilah (optional) with this answer if he is satisfied with it.

The other entries, however, contain more information for Nate to uncover if he so chooses. The fifth entry is corrupt and will not open. The fourth details how Marowski’s tentative deal with Bobby No-Nose to get them out of debt had gone awry, and he had been fending off her goons for the week-or-so before his death. He stressed that it was of utmost importance that he stay away from the Third Rail to keep them away from Delilah, who did not deserve to be put in danger because of his bad decisions. The third covers Marowski’s excitement about Delilah. He had been in love with her since he set eyes on her in the Third Rail, and now, she’d fallen in love with him, too. They had just moved in together at the Rexford, which was going to make it harder to keep her out of the line of fire, but it was worth it.

The second entry is corrupt and will not open. The first entry logs Marowski’s concern about his dwindling Triggermen numbers. He started noticing that he would send his men out on runs to acquire or deliver chems, but they would not return. His pool of runners was getting shallower and shallower, yet he had not noticed more people fiending for his chems. Everyone in Goodneighbor seemed perfectly drugged up and satisfied, which struck him as strange – who were they getting their fix from if not from his men? This was not good for his numbers.

After reading these entries, Nate will have three quest goals:

(Optional) Return to Delilah

(Optional) Speak to Bobby No-Nose

Find out what happened to Marowski

Return to Delilah

If Nate returns to Delilah and informs her that Marowski did, in fact, kill himself and present her with his suicide note, she will become inconsolable. “I didn’t want to believe you,” she will cry, “but you’re right.” She will tell Nate all of the red flags/shady things Marowski did that now makes her believe that he was involved with the drug ring. She will thank Nate for his help, give him 500 caps, and send him on his way. Delilah will then become unrecruitable. 

Speak to Bobby No-Nose

Nate may continue to investigate based on Marowski’s entry re: fending off Bobby’s goons after a deal gone wrong. When he speaks to her about it, she will tell him about Marowski’s debt he owed to her and his evasiveness in paying it back. They made a deal about it once, but it went awry when one of Bobby’s men got too bold. Marowski continued to refuse to pay until his death. Still, Bobby maintains her and her men’s innocence. Yes, they were heckling him, but for his money; the dead don’t pay debts. If Nate asks Bobby where he can find another lead, she will flippantly tell him that if he wants information on Marowski, he should speak to Marowski’s men instead of hers.

Nate must then interrogate three Triggermen about their boss. The first will say that he knows nothing and inform Nate that he should stop sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. The second will be “shocked” that Marowski is dead and ask Nate what happened, as if he wasn’t there to get information in the first place. The third will accuse Hancock, the mayor of Goodneighbor.

When Nate questions Hancock about Marowski, Hancock gets gruff and defensive. It’s clear that the mayor did not have a high opinion of the man, likely because Marowski’s power over the Goodneighbor residents threatened his own. He will be avoidant about answering Nate’s questions unless Nate mentions that he’s doing a favor for Delilah, in which case Hancock will be forthcoming with any information Nate needs to “help that poor thing.” With a sly smile, Hancock will tell Nate to “check with the Rexford’s front desk when Clair ain’t around,” whatever that means. The information is discoverable with or without this clue.

After speaking with Hancock, Nate will have four quest goals:

(Optional) Return to Delilah [will trigger same interaction as above]

(Optional) Investigate the Hotel Rexford

(Optional) Accuse the suspect

Find out what happened to Marowski

Investigate the Hotel Rexford

Regardless of what time of day Nate returns to the Rexford, Clair will be stationed at the front desk. Nate must ask her about Marowski, and she will not leave the front desk until he does. She is avoidant and tells Nate that she knows little about Marowski at all – only that he owns the hotel and pays her to run its operations. After this conversation, Nate can return to the Rexford between the hours of 10pm – 4am to find the front desk unmanned. He must hack into the terminal at the desk, where he will discover that every entry on Marowski’s terminal was not an entry but rather an email. The contents of Clair’s terminal are identical to those of Marowski’s, aside from logging her own replies. It also successfully saved copies of Marowski’s fifth and second “journal entries” – which had been private communications rather than journal entries all along – that had been corrupted on his own terminal.

In entry #5, Marowski informs Clair that he has found a way to pay off their debts and get them out of the red: logging each time the hotel lodged a patron who was suspected of being a synth, then sending that log to Bunker Hill weekly. To pay off their debts, Marowski was acting as an Institute informant.

In entry #2, Marowski informs Clair that he has solved the mystery of where their Triggermen are disappearing to. The Third Rail seemed to have found itself a new bartender – Delilah, the woman called herself – who was not happy with the way Marowski’s men were treating her. Over a drink at Delilah’s bar, Marowski offered her a deal: if she stopped killing his men, he would cut her in on the deal. She could deal his chems under the table at her bar and keep a portion of the profits if she let up. She countered: she would stop killing her men if, and only if, they stopped treating her like a piece of meat. That was her only requirement. Marowski agreed in earnest, and the pair shook on it. Then, Delilah requested that he make her second in command in his drug trade anyhow. This took Marowski by surprise, but Delilah explained: she knew that Marowski dealt his chems indiscriminately (ie, to children if they simply asked), which is a detail that would derail his entire operation if let slip to Hancock. She knew about his debt, too, and she was convinced she could get him out of it. She would pose no threat to him, either, if he slipped her into the operation under the guise of her being his newest arm candy. She could accompany him everywhere, attached to him at the hip, and no one would be the wiser. For Marowski, this plan was almost all pros and no cons. At the sacrifice of a few caps per sale, he would get out of debt, keep his secret from the mayor, and tote around a beautiful woman like a gold watch. He accepted.    

After reading the emails, Nate will have one quest goal:

Accuse the suspect

Nate can formally accuse any one suspect he speaks to over the course of his investigation.

Accusing Delilah

If Nate chooses to return to the Third Rail, Whitechapel Charlie will be tending the bar no matter the time of day. Nate must ask Charlie where Delilah is, then buy a beer before Charlie will give him the answer. He tells Nate that Delilah is at her and Marowski’s suite at the Rexford, surely mourning. When Nate returns to the Rexford, he must pick the locked front door to enter. The lobby – and the entire hotel – is empty aside from one dainty figure sitting cross-legged on the front desk. “Sure took you long enough, sugar,” she will say sweetly, twirling her hair and trapping him in dialogue.

This will positively affect his affinity with Delilah, similar to “Delilah loved that.”

Accusing Bobby No-Nose, Triggermen, or Clair

The suspect will become hostile. Before Nate can pull his gun, the suspect will pull him back into dialogue and act disproportionately afraid. “No, I’m sorry, I swear it wasn’t me,” etc etc. Nate is not given an opportunity to respond. Instead, he is trapped in dialogue with the person now standing behind him: Delilah. The NPC he was accusing will run through the door behind her while she speaks. “I really thought you'd catch on quicker, big guy,” she will tell Nate.

This will put Nate at Delilah’s lowest recruitable affinity.

Accusing Hancock

The mayor will nearly laugh in Nate’s face, and when Nate pulls his gun, Hancock will just shrug. “Do what you gotta do,” he will say, “but I’m telling you, you got the wrong guy. Ain’t that right, sister?” Nate is not given an opportunity to respond. Instead, he is trapped in dialogue with the person now standing behind him: Delilah. Hancock will waltz out the door behind her while she speaks, ghosting his hand up her arm and shoulder as he squeezes past her. “I really thought you'd catch on quicker, big guy,” she will tell Nate.

This will put Nate at a low affinity with Delilah and lower his affinity with Hancock.

Regardless of who Nate accuses, Delilah will then explain her involvement in Marowski’s drug ring. She was killing any Triggermen who tried to get in her pants; the extra caps and chems was just a bonus at first. Once she got a whiff of power, she couldn’t leave it behind. After she worked her way in with Marowski, she eventually became more in charge than he was. He eventually became little more than just the face of the operation. She was perfectly happy with this setup, considering it kept her powerful yet still in the shadows (and allowed her to skim caps and chems as she pleased). Unfortunately, Marowski got involved in shit that was too shady for her (informing for the Institute) and she had to end that quickly and quietly. She wrote the suicide note and killed Marowski in a way that looked like the gunshot was self-inflicted, then inherited the ring. She is the kingpin. She had been the entire time. This whole mission was nothing but a wild goose chase.

If Nate asks why she would send him following such an entangled web when she was pulling the strings the whole time, she will shrug tell him that she wanted to make sure he knew what he was getting into with her.

Delilah is now recruitable.