#mag 01

[drawlabs]

“Can I have a cigarette?”

MAG 01 - Case #0122204

Statement of Nathan Watts, regarding an encounter on Old Fishmarket Close, Edinburgh. Original statement given April 22nd 2012. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

[kgcressie]

magnus reference on the elizabeth line???

[consciousphrog]

@vague-magnus-archives

Fuuuuck dude the faeries hollowed me out and are using me as a puppet to go buy cigarettes

[thornsword]

look at me and tell me what you see

[ethan-elliott]

saw the TMA poem today!! /hj

[veilxstars]

For: Kit | @hxesandruin Location: Pumpkin Carving Contest Event: Halloween 1990 Character: Mags

Mags tugged at the oversized sleeves, making sure they didn’t dip into the bowl of pumpkin guts at her side. The suit fit her well enough in length, but the rest of it was comically loose. Julian was broad, and she could feel the extra fabric bunching at her shoulders, the seams far too big to make any real sense on her. She’d managed to wrangle access to it from his office—just for tonight—with the solemn promise to return it first thing Monday morning (and she paid the price, Julian would know on Monday that she had borrowed the suit as his secretary had taken a picture to commemorate Mags' idea).

(She hadn’t counted on the shoes, though, which were far too big even by her low standards of comfort. So, tucked under the slacks, barely visible to anyone who didn’t know to look, were her own scuffed-up combat boots.)

The irony of dressing as Julian—she was telling people it was Atticus Finch if they asked—wasn’t lost on her, especially here at a pumpkin carving contest. This was the sort of thing she would have laughed off as a kid, scoffing at the idea of hacking away at gourds for a bit of seasonal amusement. She'd told Kit she wasn't going to participate, had made that clear from the start. But somehow, he'd worked his way through her usual defenses, his unyielding enthusiasm prying open a crack wide enough for her to slip out of her shell and into the crowd. So, here she was, humoring Kit for the night, because somehow, over the years, he’d worn down her stubborn defenses.

Her fingers, steady as ever, took hold of the carving knife as she settled down next to him on a hay bale, giving him a pointed look. She signed, "You owe me for this," before casting her gaze over the pumpkin she’d chosen. It was knobbly and rough, more personality than polish, and somehow it suited her. She glanced sidelong at Kit, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

[veilxstars]

Mags set the small bouquet down in front of Dorothy with a quiet, purposeful motion. It was a simple mix of lavender and rosemary, nothing too flashy, but enough to convey a sense of quiet strength. She didn’t need to make a big show of it. Her hands moved with a deliberate slowness as she signed, “These might help clear your head. Lavender for calm. Rosemary for memory.” She let the words settle, giving Dorothy the time to read her signs before continuing. “Take them if you want. If not, that’s fine too. I’m just making sure you have something to focus on.”

Mags watched Dorothy for a moment, studying her expression. She wasn’t one for elaborate gestures, but she knew how important it could be to have something tangible when your mind was weighed down. “You’ve got a lot going on, and it’s easy to let it all get too heavy. These can help remind you of the little things. The smell of fresh flowers. A quiet moment, just for yourself.” Her eyes softened slightly, but her tone stayed steady—no pity, just an offer. “Sometimes, you need something small to hold onto, especially when everything else feels too big.”

She stepped back, giving Dorothy space without walking away completely. “I’m not saying it’ll fix anything, but I don’t think you need fixing right now. Just... a moment to breathe, maybe.” Her gaze was understanding, but there was no push, no pressure. Mags wasn’t about to pry into what was bothering Dorothy—she knew better than to force anyone to talk.

Open starter for @cardinalstart

Located in Just Like Heaven Bakery

Taking place after plot drop & prompt 03

Dorothy had known Avalon Rivers, not well enough to be grieving her like she had previously grieved for friends, family, and other loved ones, but enough to be truly shaken over her death. The death of a powerful witch who had been present in the community of Cardinal Hill, and who had been so young and full of potential, was understandably enough to dampen Dorothy's mood - but there was also more to the story. The death of her ex-girlfriend, another witch who had been present in the community, weighed heavy on her thoughts; while she had died many years prior, there were just so many similarities between her death and Avalon's, and Dorothy just couldn't rid her mind of the fact.

"Hm?" Dorothy snapped out of her thoughts as she realised that her company was waiting on her for a response. "Sorry, what did you say?" She slowly came further and further back to reality, though as present as she became, she still couldn't completely escape her haunting thoughts. "I'm just completely out of it today," she extended on her apology with an explanation.

[careydraws]

Shoutout to a fight we ended up cutting from the Suffering Game GN…! That chimera is on vacation and this one is taking the babies on a trip safely out of the way of any careening transport spheres.

Suffering Game will be out in 7 weeks! There's still time to submit your preorder receipt and get a free acrylic keychain from :01!

Bonus tiny mags and merle.

[longreads]

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

In this week's Top 5:

* Dying to seek asylum in Canada (The Local) * The rise of UFC  (Rolling Stone) * Hoarding at the British Museum (The Guardian) * A mystery at Lake Tahoe (Bay Nature) * Dog dialogue (NYT Mag)

Learn why our editors are recommending these stories.

[fruityricecake]

GENSHIN CHARACTERS AS DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILIPINO CLASSMATES

|| FIL AU || Venti, Kazuha, Xiao, Scaramouche, Heizou x reader (seperate)

a/n — i’m back after three whole years :)

hope this post finds my fellow fils :D

01. VENTI // MONDSTADT

Yung pabigat sa groupings // sipsip sa teacher :

“Ang ganda mo today, ma’am.”

Sipsip(1) sa kahit sinong teacher kahit di niya pa teacher.. just incase lang daw para bumawi sa missing requirements niya sa subjects. Siya yung type na magseen lang sa gc kapag nagchachat ka tungkol sa group project sabay go na go mag share ng post sa facebook.

Hindi kayo close pero nakakapagusap kayo kapag kailangan(groupings and more). Medyo may galit ka sakaniya dahil sa pagiging careless niya sa groupings and one time umabot siya sa point na pinaringgan mo siya buong araw tapos naguilty siya and nilibre ka niya kahit siya yung palaging nagpapalibre. :)

Pero despite how he takes his grades and everything, he’s actually a very good person. Siya yung palaging unang nagrereact kapag may kahit anong problema and he’s very good at cheering people up, one interaction na tumatak sayo is when he saw you having a mental breakdown and he came to check up on you.

It was way past classes and most students had already went home. You stayed at school since you were working on something related to an extra curricular and now it was time for you to go home, but you couldn’t help but feel absolutely awful due to the horrible day you had.

You were walking down the stairs, your bag as heavy as ever and your hands holding multiple different items related to your studies. Not to mention, your exams were coming up and you had multiple pending projects so the pressure kept building up. You weren’t only carrying the weight of the things you held, but also the weight of your pressure.

But then, you missed a step on the staircase making you trip and fall. Luckily, you were already close to the floor so you landed on the floor after the staircase and dropped all your things.

“Y/n? Okay ka lang?!” you heard a familiar voice reach out. Then you saw Venti beside you, staring at you with concern. Then, you couldn’t help what happened next. It was like you reached the end of your capacity and finally… you cried.

“huh… Y/n?” people were passing by as Venti stared at you, unaware of what to do. “hindi po ako yung nagpaiyak diyan hahah…….” people whispered to one another, thinking that it was Venti who made you cry. “Huy, ano ba nangyayari sayo?”

“Ikaw kasi eh! Bwiset ka, kung pinasa mo lang yung part mo sa project sana tapos na tayo, sana nabawasan na yung problema ko.. pero hindi! Seen ka lang nang seen, tatanggalin ko na pangalan mo sa listahan ng members, bahala ka dyan!”

After letting you continue your rant and allowing you to cry, he gave you a big hug and bought you ice cream as a peace offering before he said bye.

Safe to say that when you came home, you saw that he finally finished his part in your project along with a sorry message that he sent you under private messages.

02. KAZUHA // INAZUMA

Seatmate sa umaga, tutor sa hapon

“May notes ka sa chem?”

Green flag na pogi na may pake sa acads, musically inclined, na sobrang bait at mestizong chinito, san ka pa?!

Hindi kayo ganon kaclose pero naging magseatmate kayo nung third quarter and you consider each other friends. Madalas siya nanghihingi ng notes sa’yo (sus, paraparaan talaga) and in return, tinuturuan ka niya sa mga subject kung saan nahihirapan ka.

You don’t know why, but it just so happens na kapag si Kazuha nagtuturo sayo ng lesson, gets na gets mo agad. Pero minsan, kapag hirap na hirap and litong lito ka talaga sa lesson,willing siya magstay after class para lang turuan ka, and naging common practice niyo na ‘to for the whole third quarter.

Third quarter lang kayo naging super close and nung fourth quarter hindi na ulit kayo nagusap aw :( not until nung isang araw na nagkasakit ka and sinamahan ka niya sa clinic <3

You weakly coughed, feeling horrible as you bed rotted in your school clinic. You waited for your service to come pick you up and you tried to sleep while waiting but you physically couldn’t get yourself to sleep despite your lack of it.

Then, you heard three knocks, and quickly after the opening of the door. You didn’t even bother looking up, expecting it to be just another staff or a student you don’t know. But you quickly realized otherwise.

“Binaba ko lang bag mo, uwian na kasi.” You turned to see Kazuha. You nodded and observed him as he placed your bag on a nearby chair. He then started leaving right after. “bye y/n, magpagaling ka.”

“Dito ka lang.” You said, almost as a whisper.

But you figured it was loud enough for Kazuha to hear, seeing as he turned to look at you in question. “Wala akong magawa dito, samahan mo muna ako please.”

Surprisingly, he sat down. He sat down and waited for your service with you, and you both realized that you missed each other’s company as you comfortably talked to each other. And in the middle of the conversation, you cracked a joke about your old situation:

“Ikaw nga ‘di mo na ako mahal, hindi mo na ulit ako kinausap.” You joked, laughing at your own humor, but Kazuha paused and chuckled after a few seconds.

“Mahal pa rin kaya kita.”

To this day, you still don’t know if he meant what he said.

03. XIAO // LIYUE

Seatmate mong lowkey lang (katulad ng feelings niya para sayo na lowkey lang din)

“nakikinig nga ako, sabi mo (insert ten paragraph chika essay)”

Seatmate mo nung 1st-2nd quarter sa may likod ng classroom sa may bintana.

Polar opposites kayo kasi habang ikakamatay niyang magsalita, ikakamatay mo namang manahimik, and mostly ang conversation niyo lang consists of yappings mo and yung occasional na sagot niya ng “ah” “oo” “ok”.

Minsan habang nagsasalita ka nararamdaman mo na hindi na siya nakikinig kaya mananahimik ka nalang, pero he’ll assure you na he was actually listening(and if you didn’t believe him he would repeat everything you said word by word) and will ask you to continue talking.

Other than that, surprisingly similar din music taste niyo and madalas kayong nagsh-share ng earphones sa likod habang nagsosoundtrip. Hindi na kayo naging classmates next schoolyear pero madalas pa rin kayo magbatian sa hallways!

Palagi siyang lowkey and tahimik lang pero madalas niya naman pinaparamdam sa’yo na he cares about you through his small actions:

“Hindi ka bababa?” Xiao asked, watching as you hurriedly wrote down your answers on your notebook, cramming as usual.

“Hindi, tatapusin ko lang ‘to, next subject na pala!” You answered and he pulled out his notebook offering you the chance to copy his answers, but you shook your head. “Ok lang, kasalanan ko naman kasi tinulugan ko lang mga responsibilidad ko kagabi.”

“Hindi ka kakain?” He asked again, and your silence was enough to answer his question.

He sighed before keeping his notebook and leaving you to procrastinate. Soon after, he came back and placed the meal you always ordered on your table.

“Ano ‘to?” You asked, staring at him as he sat down next to you.

“Wag kang magpakagutom, kumain ka na habang nagawa.” He told you and you flashed him a bright smile and thanked him before resuming your homework.

04. SCARAMOUCHE // INAZUMA

si pet peeve (ft. fb bakbakan)

“anubayan pumasok nanaman pet peeve ko.”

Hindi mo alam kung ano bang ginawa mo sakaniya pero ever since day 1, puro masamang tingin lang binibigay niya sayo.

Favorite niyong magparinigan sa fb at sa personal kasi bitter kayo bakit ba

Considerate ka magcheck ng papel ng iba pero kapag sakaniya yung papel na chinechekan mo sinisigurado mo na lahat ng onting pagkakamali is mali, walang consider consider dito. <3

Palagi kayong nakikick sa classroom gcs niyo kasi palagi kayong nagaaway online sa gcs at madalas kayong mapagalitan ng class pres at ng mga teacher sa gc D:

Ang mindset niya: ok lang yung siya yung nanlalait sayo pero kapag iba na yung nanlait, he’s going to make sure na hindi na ulit magsasalita yung taong yun.

Y/N L/N : shout out sa pet peeve kong puro lait, di nalang magaral, di na tuloy ako mataasan sa test

You posted in facebook in annoyance after getting into a recent fight with said pet peeve. It only fueled your anger when a certain someone commented on your post.

SCARAMOUCHE : nahiya ka pa, di nalang ako minention.

SCARAMOUCHE : di raw mataasan sa test..? ikaw nga puro parinig sa facebook, di nalang magaral, hindi mo tuloy maidentify yung 3 point difference natin kanina sa AP kung saan mas mataas ako

Y/N L/N : sanaol yapper wala naman kwenta yung sinasabi. chat mo nalang ako kapag nataasan mo na ako sa math boi

SCARAMOUCHE : sus, imagine nagmamagaling sa math, tiklop naman pag lumabas na yung fractions

Your eyebrows furrowed as you groaned in frustration, you hated how you were losing to him!

SHIKANOIN HEIZOU : mga ate ko, uso ang pm

VENTI : shhh nakikichika pa ako, shush ka muna

You were typing your next hate reply when a facebook friend you never interacted with replied to your and scaramouche’s comment.

AJAX : hoy scara feeling ka nanaman, ‘kala mo di ka nireject nung grade 2

You quickly covered your mouth in shock, now you remember why Scaramouche hated you so much now. He was the boy you rejected in elementary!

05. HEIZOU // INAZUMA

kasabay mo pauwi na buraot to the max

“Hoy y/n, penge one-whole”

Sipsip(2) sa teacher and highkey bidabida sa recitation pero you respect him since marunong siya maglead and he gets along with everyone. Medyo makulit pero marunong siya magseryoso, he knows when the atmosphere is sensitive and he learns to adjust very well.

Hindi kayo close nung una pero nakasabay mo siya umuwi nung isang time na magkagrupo kayo sa project tapos madilim na and wala kang mahanap na kasabay pauwi. Tinanong mo siya kung saan siya nauwi bilang last resort and coincidentally same subd. lang pala kayo :O, turns out ok masaya naman pala siya kasama and palagi na kayong nagsabay pauwi.

Talagang mapapatanong kanalang kung studyante ba talaga siya kasi simula nung naging close kayo lahat nalang ng gamit hinihingi niya sayo. Yung partida ang layo layo ng upuan niya sayo pero kapag may test dumadalo pa siya sainyo para lang manghihingi ng onewhole, ballpen, correction, green ballpen, PAGKAIN, etc.

parang ikakamatay niyang dumaan ang isang araw na hindi ka niya binubulabog at inaaasar, pero ok lang kasi kapag napipikon ka na buong araw ka niyang susuyuin tapos lilibre ka na niya pamasahe pauwi :3

“Luh, y/n pikunin talaga.” He says, following you as you walked while ignoring him. You were about to exit school when the rain started pouring. “hoy y/n” He calls out, but you continue with the cold shoulder. “luh di talaga siya namamansin.”

He then hurriedly opened his umbrella and ran to your side, situating the umbrella over both of you as he matched your hurried pace in walking to keep you dry. “bakit badtrip ka nanaman?”

You immediately stopped walking in annoyance and stared at him eye to eye, that question was your last straw. “Nanaman? bakit? Ok Heizou, bakit nga ba? first, puro ka pambibwiset asar ka nang asar, wala kang tigil! Pangalawa, inubos mo yung one whole ko kanina hingi ka nang hingi ng bago, bumili ka na nga! naiinis na ako sayo amburaot mo pati pagkain hinihingi mo hindi ka ba pinapakain ng tama? tapos ballpen, anong klaseng studyante walang ballpen? oo Heizou, matalino na pogi ka nga pero wala kang ballpen! hindi ko ba alam kung bakit andaming nagkakagusto sayo, tapos ikaw naman makangiti ka kapag kinakausap ka ng mga—“

you continued yapping, but Heizou got the memo from the moment you suddenly switched the topic up. “Ah ok, so shortcut, nagseselos ka.”

“Bakit ako magseselos? eh hindi nga kita gusto.” You told him but he just chuckled.

“May sinabi ba akong may gusto ka sakin? assuming ka rin ata eh.” He joked. “Pero oo na, hindi ka na nagseselos, sabi mo yan eh. Pero fyi, wala akong pake dun and walang meaning yung pagngiti ko.” He reassures you.

Why did he even have to say that? you were acting weird, wala ka naman ding karapatan na magselos, but why was it when he said those words you felt relief?

“Tara na, libre nalang kita pamasahe.”

[minispidey]

01: Barbie's Dreamhouse.

Joel Miller x f!bimbo!reader. series masterlist. next part.

01. Flamingo Pink.

warnings: death of your granny, grumpy joel, hyperfeminine reader, uses (Y/N) once, bimbo has boobas and wears a skimpy outfit, suggestive. not beta read (english is not my first language).

summary: you run into some complications while you try to adjust to your new home, good thing a hot dilf was around.

2.2k words.

Joel was cautious in trusting people, but his perception changed when he met a nearby neighbor named Mags, a sweet old lady with shiny gray hair and a welcoming smile. It was just a simple job: fixing leaks, clearing out the clogs, and finishing with some freshly baked oatmeal cookies. Once every two weeks, he'd drop by to talk and catch up with her on his days off. She lived alone and barely had any company besides the pesky rabbits that visited her garden that he had to take care of.

When she told him that she wanted to paint her house pink, of course, Joel helped.

"Y'know, I have a granddaughter. She's the sweetest lil ol' thing, unlike her demon of a mother." she let out a sigh "I'm givin' her this oldie, so I might as well paint it her favorite color."

Mags chuckles, looking up at the dangling chandelier. Joel sets the roller down before wiping his sweat off his forehead with the towel around his neck "You must love er' a lot if you're gonna give her this beauty."

"Of course. If she visits and you happen to come by, I'll introduce you to her. You'll like her. She got her looks from me, don't cha know?" Mags reached out for her old wedding picture, scratching off the dried drops of paint.

"Well, I trust your word."

What Joel didn't expect was that two weeks later, men were pulling out her cold body with a stretcher. He remembered having sixteen cans of pink paint waiting at the back of his truck. And when he went home, he stored them inside a shed, untouched for months.

He quietly mourned his friend's death. No one else knew, not even his daughter.

A couple of months have passed since then. He watched the house practically as it grew abandoned, unfinished. Unwanted.

It wasn't until he saw a pink car parked in the driveway.

"Hi!" you smiled brightly as you handled the dead plants with your hands before throwing them into a trash bin. You slipped off the pink rubber glove and waved your hand around.

Joel looked behind him before back at you, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, you!" as you walked out from behind the fence and he just couldn't take his eyes off you. He scanned your appearance; you definitely weren't dressed appropriately for gardening with your gingham pink tank top with delicate lace trim, wedge flip flops, and white shorts, awfully short shorts. "I live here now!"

You seemed awfully cheery in inheriting a house where your grandma died.

"'Er... you Mags' granddaughter?" he walked closer to you and stopped on the pavement.

"Yeah!" you nodded. "I'm (Y/N). It's so nice to meet you."

Your smile practically blinded him. He shakes your perfectly manicured hand and nods "Joel Miller." he says. "I, uh... was your Granny's contractor."

"Really?" you beamed. "I'm basically picking up where you left off then."

If there was one word that described how he felt right now, it was probably "relief". He knew in the back of his head there was a small possibility of this happening, especially considering how he was never able to give Mags the satisfaction of seeing the house completed.

And now, her granddaughter was here to finish what he had started.

"I didn’t finish what I started. I was supposed to come back and start workin' on the kitchen. And then…"

You lowered your head and let out a sigh. "Yeah... I've always liked Granny's place, so it was nice of her to leave it in my name."

He saw your genuine love for your grandmother and couldn't help but smile. "So, whatcha got there?" he pointed to the plants being thrown out.

"Oh! They're dead." "I can see that."

You smiled and let out a laugh "I'm just gonna plant some seed to grow a couple flowers. The garden is a wreck, the pond has..." you shivered. "Frogs swimming..."

"Frogs?" Joel raised one brow up and looked at the gate of the garden.

"It's the reason why I took so long to move in! Besides the fact, my mom kicked me out. She needs to calm down..."

"So I've heard." he chuckled. "How about I help you with the frogs? It's the least I could do if you're gonna pick up where I left off with the pipes and all."

"Speaking of pipes!" you looked up to him. "I don't think my water is working. Do you think it was disconnected?"

Joel stared at you before clearing his throat. "Well, I'll go check in the back." he walked up to the garden gate and swung it open, revealing the wilted flowers and dead leaves passing by the frog-infested pond.

Meanwhile, you put on your gardening gloves back on, and your ears perked up at the sound of running water and some metal clanking. "Joel?" you called out. You let out a squeal as the gardening hose blasted you with dark water til' it was clear. You kicked the hose away into a pile of dirt, and you sighed.

You wiped your face and stood there wet and dirty. "Joel!" you felt like crying, but your eyes widened as water gushed out the front door. "Oh no..."

After hearing your call, Joel walks back to the front to see you soaking wet and water continuing to flood out of the house. "I think the pipes busted. You alright?" he placed a hand on your shoulder as you shook your head no.

"The water wasn't working this morning... I tried to fix it..." you confessed.

He looked at you, taking note of that detail. It was clear that you had a genuine passion for the renovations, but he couldn't help but find your ignorance concerning. You wouldn't be able to finish something like this on your own without proper help. Not because you weren’t capable, but because you just didn’t know these things.

He sighed and wiped his hands on his pants as he asked, "Do you know how to shut off the water?"

"Oh, um..." you fiddled with your fingers before shaking your head no.

He sighed, shaking his head. This was definitely not going to be an easy restoration. Clearly, you didn't have a whole lot of experience in things like this.

"The water shutoff should be at the side of the house. I can show you." he gestured out to the garden gate. You squirmed a bit at the sight of the frogs while the two of you walked to the shutoff.

"Here it is," he said, pointing to the large pipe with a handle on it. "All you gotta do is twist the handle to the left a few times. Should be a small, stiff movement."

You nodded in understanding. "Okay."

"It'll turn off the water to the whole house." Joel glanced towards you. "I don’t mean to sound rude, but is there any other sort of damage you may not know about? Like electrical issues or anything like that?"

"The electric box?" you blinked twice. "I tried to look at it but I panicked when I saw a dead frog inside..."

He laughed and shrugged. It didn’t take him by surprise. Of course, you'd panic. You were a soft person at heart, and obviously one who wasn’t used to getting under the hood with this stuff.

"I could do a quick check of it if you have any concerns. I might be able to do it quicker than you could if that’s alright."

Joel led you to the garage where it was located and opened it up before pushing the tiny fried frog out of the way with a twig "I'll toss that away later." he paused, looking back at you. "So, do you know how to shut off the main switch?"

"Oh, the blue one on top?"

"Good girl."

You two walked back to the front, and the water stopped already, only a few droplets off the edge of the porch. "Thank you, Joel. You're a lifesaver."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." he said softly. He knew you’d be able to handle the water shutoff, but he wanted to make sure you were still competent enough to complete the renovations yourself. "If you want, I can walk you around the house and give you a list of what still needs to get done."

"Really? I'd appreciate it!"

"Alright. You can follow me around…" Joel walked you inside and began taking you around, listing off the various issues with the house and its needs. It was quite a lot, ranging from painting to plumbing to electrical and structural. He also pointed out spots where you'd likely need to hire a professional— like if a pipe broke or if you needed to replace a roof beam.

When he was done, it made you realize just how intensive the project would be. "Gosh... that's a lot..."

Joel chuckled a little bit as he nodded. "Yeah, it is. Unfortunately, the issues with your grandmother's house go well beyond a simple paint job and replacing some carpets. It’s definitely going to be a big project."

"Crud... oh, crud..." you whispered. "I-I don't have a lot of money to repair it... I only have ten thousand as of now and I got fired..."

Joel felt a pit in his stomach and felt bad in that moment. He had felt so confident in your ability to manage the house that he totally overlooked the fact you weren't exactly flush with cash.

"Wait. How were you going to do the repairs then?"

"I thought I could do it myself and just save up for the materials after I got a job..."

He crossed his arms against his chest and looked at you up and down, still a bit damp from the earlier hose incident. "So you, a woman who appears to be in her early twenties and— I mean… I’m not trying to be rude, but from what I can tell here, someone with little to no experience in things like this, was going to do the majority of repairs on a three-story house on her own?"

"I know it sounds bad," you explained. "But I quite literally cannot afford to have someone else do them."

"And you expected to afford the materials?" Joel asked flatly, trying not to seem harsh. He understood what you meant. You had no money to hire a proper contractor, but also no money to buy necessary materials such as paint and beams. The reality of it was brutal to think about.

"I'm sure I can manage... I think..."

He was stunned at your insistence. You really thought you could do all this alone? Did you not understand the scope of how huge this project was?

"My mom objected to Granny's will which said she was leaving me a ton of money, but until that case is settled, I'm not getting any... maybe I could wait a couple of months..."

"And you'll live here until you get the money? What if you don't? You can't do all of this stuff alone," he said flatly. "A lot of it requires proper equipment that is far too expensive for you to simply buy yourself…"

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"I'll help you."

You paused, looking at him "Really?"

"Really."

"But I don't have anything to pay you..."

Joel paused. He couldn't really say no to you, considering your grandmother had wanted this house to get fixed up for you.

So he finally just shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you keep on saving as much money as possible and try to get a job as soon as humanly possible. That’s all I ask."

You practically pounced on him with a hug. "Thank you!"

He stumbled for a moment, having been taken aback by your abrupt approach. For a while, he just looked around awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

But eventually, he gave in and hesitantly hugged back. He had never been much of a hugger (especially to strangers) but he couldn’t be upset with a girl as beautiful as you. He trusted you.

You looked up at him with a wide smile. "When do you think you can start?"

Joel paused, trying to put some thought into a good time to start.

"Well… considering my previous workload, there shouldn’t be too much to catch up on. So, we could probably start as soon as tomorrow. I've got most of the materials, though, so just let me know where you want me to start and I'll get at it."

"Thank you, Joel. Seriously." you buried your head into his chest. "You are amazing..."

He gave you a little side smile. "It’s no problem at all, honestly. It'll honestly make me feel a lot better not having this place just sit here and collect dust… and mold…" he chuckled at that last bit.

"If there's anything, absolutely anything I can do for you... don't hesitate to ask me..." you raised your head again and looked directly into his eyes. "I'll do anything you want..."

tags: @danaispunk @buckybarnessweetheart @skysmiller @joelsflannel @sweetenerobert @clownd1ck @jhiddles03 @schwytie @femmeanonymelives @redemie

(tags are open! just reply to be added)

[macabresymphonies]

Look, I'm not really on the "Smirk's 14 is back bby" train just yet, but I did notice that Alice of all people has been making some strange jokes all throughout the show so far.

Yes, Alice is like a Family Guy episode, she shoots jokes at mach speed to see if anything lands, but with stuff she's been saying there's seem to be a strange overarching theme of her referencing Entities (or avatars if you prefer). We're not the only one noticing this, Sam very much did too:

TMAGP 06 Sam: Okay firstly, this place is making you really morbid. (...)

I know that she references creepy stuff all around and with Smrik's 14 basically covering each fear on earth we might lean into confirmation bias, but it might be significant in the future so it's better to consider it now than later. With that, let me compile all of Alice's morbid "jokes" so far and how they seem to relate to Fears from TMA:

The Dark

TMAGP 01 Alice: Boooo! Your pathetic addiction to vitamin D will only make you weak.

The Flesh/The Spiral

TMAGP 01 Alice: Listen to me: bones are a lie peddled by Big Milk to keep you buying. No such thing.

The Stranger

TMAGP 01 Alice: Don’t boo me! I created you, and I can destroy you!

The Spiral (specifically mention of molding a person like clay, like in The Great Twisting)

TMAGP 01 Alice: You'll see. Anyway, hurry it up, time to mold you like clay into the perfect government drone for the Office of Incident Assessment and Response.

The Spiral

TMAGP 02 Alice (sardonic): Time isn’t real.

The Spiral (specifically MAG 74: Fatigue)

TMAGP 06 Alice: Have you considered simply bypassing your mouth altogether and injecting the beans directly into your bloodstream? Sam: Great idea. Why didn’t I think of that? Alice: Not enough coffee beans in your blood.

The Dark (very blatantly)

TMAGP 06 Alice: Oh Sam. The sun is the enemy. It rules the world of light but we who dwell in darkness feel only its wrath. Get the curtains.

The Flesh

TMAGP 06 Alice: Then we draw lots and one of you gets eaten at the Christmas party.

The Flesh (again)

TMAGP 06 Alice: “Would you like tea Celia? Coffee perchance? My heart carved from my chest and arranged on a little doily? Please, Celia, cut out my tongue so I can always be there to lick your stamps for you!”

These seem... strangely consistent, whenever she goes her gallows humour bit it's either reference to hating on the sun (light), humorous "I'm baltantly gaslighting you" stuff or reference to eating/getting eaten/cannibalism. Take that as you will, these could be "easter eggs", but they might as well be clues.

[ouroboros-hideout]

RABBLE ROUSER MAG ISSUE 01

Alyona "Aon" Petrova

[hellmartyr]

𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐏 𝐁𝐘 on a molasses afternoon really snuck up on eddie’s guard. reality really was more fucked than fiction, and the extra-dimensional hellspawn weren’t the weirdest part.

      eddie managed a relatively straight face through most of steve’s spiel. it didn’t stretch the imagination to picture buckley’s dry ice delivery of her branded harrington humbling. surreal to witness when his idea of steve was still the gloryhound jock that life served to him on a diamond-encrusted platter of mithril. but as hawkins returned to the twilight zone’s approximation of “normal”, the truth eddie was so sure of before crumbled like an inner city facade.

      when hell literally broke loose, hawkin’s outcast thought he was inches from uncovering the sociopolitical mystery behind the buckley-harrington alliance. it defied the laws of nature, like a parakeet being best friends with a shark. an existential crisis and ichor-soaked resurrection later and now steve even looked different to him. the smugness once a key ingredient in every harrington look, now a jocular smirk equipped with rebuttal with a pointed aim only a true friend could muster.

      eddie tossed his hands up in submission at the drop of sherri’s name. no need to mention that staring off into space while a one-hit blunder chattered in white noise wasn’t the same as a girlfriend. but whatever his friend needed to stave off the sad, sad surrender that was renting frisky material in the middle of the day from blunt judgement in a green vest.

                              ❝ man, the lollipop guild has you whipped, glinda. ❞

ㅤIt was incredibly unfortunate that Steve had missed their comments, though he squinted at the lip-reading that he wasn't particularly exceptional at, even if he was pretty damn sure what had been said at the end. Eddie didn't drop his attitude and the kids were gone before Steve would have been able to kick up a fuss even if he could have found a decent angle to do so, but he nudged his elbow back just for the point of it and pulled a face at going back to the cassette he was trying to rescue.

ㅤ"Uh, no, don't you dare lump me in with you on that imagination shit. I had a date two days ago with Sherri Hall," he offered up with a laugh and a good measure of faux indignance. He didn't mention the fact that he also didn't have Eddie's level of imagination, even if they both knew it. Steve had never considered how that might apply in an 18+ way given all of the Dungeons & Dragons talk all the time, but now.... he really didn't need that, goddamnit.

ㅤHe reconsidered ribbing Eddie about the date thing, because he knew Eddie was getting even worse than usual on the 'Freak' line in town, given everything, and he flicked his gaze sideways to gauge as he took a left with the conversation.

ㅤ"You know I can't ever rent anything from that section on my own account. Robin checks it regularly to make fun of my movie tastes and how much the kids rent on it, so she'd clock it instantly. I'm not setting myself up for that, man," he explained, giving an easy shrug. The 'over 18' section was all Eddie's.

[veilxstars]

For: Esther | @ofgrave Location: Cardinal Hill Cemetery Office Character: Mags

Mags had never been one for sending letters or notes, but there was something about the quiet, steady pace of Esther’s life that made her feel like she needed to say something. It wasn’t that they had known each other for long, but there was a familiarity between them—a sense of shared understanding. Something about Esther’s hesitations, her quiet nature, spoke to Mags.

Mags had spent the morning putting together a small package. She hadn’t wanted to overdo it, just a few things that felt like they might be of use—a bundle of herbs she had dried herself, some candles for the darker nights, and a hand-written note. It wasn’t much, but she hoped it would be enough.

She found the path that led to the cemetery with a familiarity that made her heart ache a little, reminding her of the way things always seemed to become still when she needed them to. The cemetery stood on the edge of the town, a place where the earth held its own silent conversations. She didn’t hurry, letting the cool autumn air settle around her.

Once at the gates, Mags hesitated for only a moment. She had been there often enough in passing, but this time, it felt different. This time, she wasn’t just a visitor. This time, she was here with a small offering.

She made her way to the small, modest building where Esther worked, and before knocking, Mags allowed herself to wonder if she was being stupid. She sighed. Mags knocked softly, waiting. She didn’t have words ready. She never did. But she hoped that she wasn't overstepping.

[ofmdrecaps]

01/05-08/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; OFMD Recaps on Mastodon; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Wee John Wednesdays/Kristian Nairn; Rachel House; Dominic Burgess; Kristen Johnston; Hugo Pierre Martin; Aotearoa Treaty Principles Bill Submissions; Articles; AdoptOurCrew: Call To Action; LettersToSeaForSeason3; Fan Spotlight: Jax/North FL OFMD Cosplay/ Fandom Meet Up; Love Notes/Resources;

== OFMD Recaps on Mastodon! ==

Some awesome news! The absolute sweetest person alive, Lowrah (https://gaypirates.club/@lowrah) has been kind (and brave) enough to join my team and create an OFMD Recaps for Mastodon! She has offered to help crosspost the recaps over to Mastodon (blorbo.social) and manage that which I appreciate so much because I am completely inept at that site! She's also the one helping me with all the alt text (that I am behind at updating tumblr with sorry!) so please send her some massive love if you see her around because she is helping me out so much right now! One thing to note -- Since she's on the other side of the world for me, the recaps cross-posted there will be a bit delayed, so please bare with us :) Thank you so much Laura for all your help! You can check it out here!

Source: OFMD Recaps Mastodon

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= David Jenkins =

David's giving us some interesting updates on the eve of the first cancellation of S2.

Source: David Jenkins bsky

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys was in Auckland recording the first Cryptid Factor show of 2025! For all of you Cryptid Factor fans out there, he's also finally gotten to come in contact with the Sir Ed YETI Expedition backpack!

Source: The Cryptid Factor's IG

= Taika Waititi =

The Golden Globes celebrations were this past weekend and Taika was everywhere!

Source: Loop Mag

Source: Instagram

Source: VasJMorgan's Instagram

= Samba Schutte =

"14 years in LA today✨ Arrived on Ethiopian Christmas with one suitcase and 5 guiding steps I had come up with in my hut while staying in a remote Kenyan village, for my future self who would eventually make it to Hollywood. Hope you’re proud Past Samba🫶"

Source: Samba's Instagram

= Kristian Nairn and Nathan Foad =

Some great news! Wee John Wednesday is back on Wednesday the 15th! This news also has some clown potential, so please clown responsibly everyone!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

Kristian is also going to be attending MegaConLive in Dublin on January 18-19, 2025! Get your tickets at megaconlive.com!

Source: MegaConlive Instagram

= Rachel House =

Rachel House was out with friends looking badass!

Source: Maria Lewis IG

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic is back from the UK and posted some great "Beef" pics from Skeleton Crew. He fits the Star Wars Vibe so well!

Source: Dominic's bsky

Dominic and several of our other cast members live in California so a lot of folks are being affected by the fires. I'll try to post what I can about safety/news but for now, looks like Dominic and family are prepared.

Source: Dominic's Bsky

= Kristen Johnston =

Our "The Widow Evelyn" is now on Bluesky too! Special thanks to @jilliansauers for catching her!

Source: Kristen Johnston's bsky

= Hugo Pierre Martin =

Our friend and crewmate Hugo Pierre Martin is on Bluesky now! HPM's Bluesky

Source: HPM's Bluesky

= Aotearoa Treaty Principles Bill Submissions =

Now, I generally try to keep "politics" out of the recaps because this is meant to be a positive space for the fans-- but I do know that A LOT of our cast and crew are affected by this bill personally so I do want to throw this in there. It looks like you don't actually have to be a resident of Aotearoa to submit your feelings on the bill. Here is helpful linktree with things you can say and how to submit that I tracked down via a post Rachel House reposted.

Source: NZGreenParty

== Articles ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew! You are article maniacs! So many in so little time! Thank you for always sharing!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Bsky

== Call To Action From AOC ==

January 9, 2024 marks the first cancellation of S2 of our beloved Show. Our fan-crew, @adoptourcrew has asked that you help support our show by: 1. Taking Action 2. Sharing your love 3. Showing your pride. In short-- sign a petition, share something about the show, tell the world how it affected you! If you can get the #OurFlagMeansDeath, #SaveOFMD and #AdoptOurCrew in there, that's great too! Show all the new and seasoned fans how much you love the show!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Bsky

== Letters To Sea For Season 3 ==

The Letters to Sea for Season 3 campaign that was being spearheaded by the darling Molly, aka aproperpirate, is finally coming to fruition! Tomorrow is the day the letters should be arriving! Molly had a special message to share re the letting writing campaign!

Source: AProperPirate's Bluesky

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Jax/North FL OFMD Cosplay/ Fandom Meet Up =

Florida crew! One of the Truly Docked members @ladymekaella is hosting a little get together in Jacksonville on Jan 19! Wanna join in? Follow them on facebook! Deets below!

1/19/2025 11am - 2pm, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233

Source: Truly Docked Instagram

== Love Notes / Resources ==

Hey Lovelies, I know 01/09/25 is going to be a very mixed feeling kind of day for everyone. It's the anniversary of the first time S2 was cancelled. It's going to bring up a lot of sad feelings, and you should absolutely sit with those feelings and embrace them. It was a rough time for all of us. There's no shame in feeling that grief again. I know I didn't show it much, but I cried so many times. Seriously, like SO MANY TIMES. My parents asked me if someone whacked me in the face with a shovel (which, thanks folks, I feel so pretty) but it was true-- I was devastated. It was a slow burn for me too because I wanted so very much to keep up hope. Seeing you all really push for the show helped keep me going-- and helped me learn more about how to cope with that kind of grief (and it was grief for so many of us because the show meant so very much-- and changed some of us at our core). No matter how tomorrow makes you feel though, I do want to remind you what came of it. This beautiful community rallied together and did some absolutely AMAZING things this past year (I wish I hadn't been sick this past two weeks cause I wanted to get you some stats). From billboards, to faxing, and calling in to Max, and Netflix, and Amazon, and Apple TV, to raising a SHIT TON of money for SO MANY charities-- to making beautiful works of art and fiction-- to making our cast and crew (not just the actors) feel loved and impactful-- this cancellation brought SO MANY OF US TOGETHER. People stepped out of their comfort zones-- talked to people they didn't know, reached out to streaming platforms and learned to use their voices in ways they'd never done before. We all built our own little communities within the fandom, bit by bit-- and those little communities have spread so much love, and kindness, and made life worth living for so many of us. It's been almost a year for my recaps too-- those officially started on Jan 13th, once again, because of the cancellation, and because of the camaraderie of the crew and all the support we all gave each other. Jan 9 is probably a tough day for most of us, but it's also the catalyst for so many wonderful things, and I'm so very grateful for it in a way. I've gotten to know so many of you, gotten to experience your joy, and participate in your struggles, and vice versa. I've met so many people from all over the world I'd never have once dreamt I could meet-- and I know SO MANY of you have too. This fandom is one of a kind-- and this special show and it's cancellation brought us together. I am still in full clown mode at all times, and I believe S3 is an inevitability, it's just a matter of when-- but no matter when it happens, I'm grateful we got this past year together, and all that came with it. So thank you lovelies. Thank you for being a huge part of my life, and turning it in a much better direction I could ever have thought possible given where I was. Lean on each other tomorrow, okay? We got through this past year together, and we'll get through whatever happens going forward, as a crew. Take care of yourself lovelies, drink some water, and get some sleep. Love you <3

= Resources =

Outside of the fandom in my day job, I work for a company that works with 211's and non profits, and so resources are really important to me. I have a lot I'm aware of, but if anyone has more they'd like to share around, please let me know! I'm happy to spread the word to help people get support they need right now!

For those of you in California or who know some folks who are-- please be sure to download the Watch Duty App, it keeps track and notifies you of nearby fires in real time.

In addition here's some additional info on go bags if you are in the evacuation areas:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brown Issues (@brownissues)

Source: Brown Issues Instagram

Also looks like Airbnb will be pairing up with LA 211 to offer shelter for those evacuated from the Palisades fire. You can visit www.211la.org for more information.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Droege (@drew_droege)

Source: Drew Doege's Instagram

As I hear more resources I'll try to share more in the recaps/on socials. I hope you all are staying safe out there!