#the bureau of magical things spoilers

[100hearteyes]

So I speed watched (ten hours crammed into two) season 2 of The Bureau of Magical Things. I know it's for children (also, who cares); I was curious to see if they would give the very obviously sapphic character a sapphic love interest. The answer is they did... but didn't.

They built her side storyline around a character that has all the workings of a love interest – enemies to friends to """lovers""", special concern for each other's safety (going so far as to only being worried about THAT person amongst like seven of them and being ready to go to extreme lengths to make sure they're safe), spend all their extra time together, long stares, dopey smiles, saying the time they've known each other has been memorable, saving one another, making special childhood smoothies for comfort, one of them saying the other looks cute and everyone looking at them like 👀 that's gay 👀, etc etc etc (also, I already knew and love the actress who plays Tayla, Miah Madden, from another show - she's suuuper adorable and very, very talented imho), all without outright "calling" her a love interest.

I mean, google "bureau magical things imogen tayla". You'll see I'm not imagining things. IT'S MADE ITS WAY TO TUMBLR ALREADY.

So you have everyone paired off in actual couples except for two girls who are very clearly romantic but it never gets past the friendship stage, officially. And I get it, children's show, but also??? That doesn't fly anymore??? And it's a pity, because it's an adorable series, definitely something I would be okay with my young kids watching (if I had any), but this really sets it back. Modern TV isn't there anymore.

I mean, they're adorable and VERY CLEARLY romantic, even if the show doesn't make it official. But TV has already reached the era of calling a spade a spade. Even children's TV.

[aspenflame-song]

No actually I'm obsessed with her brother...

[alt-acc-but-its-just-me-again]

this is going on the alt no one looks at- this is too hot of a take

HOT TAKE getting upset over spoilers doesnt make a piece of media shallow or bad or anything, under the guise that the spoilers ruin the whole thing for you and therefore mean the plot twists are the only good part in said media

i dislike spoilers because i enjoy the immersion or “escapism” of it. i love the mystery. i love feeling the world just as the characters do. i love discovering it at my own pace. i love the wonder of experiencing a new world for the first time- second rewatches should be for noticing all the hints and foreshadowing and easter eggs- second rewatches are when i get to feel like god, thats a Treat For Later

but also i totally understand if you Don’t like the suspense and anxiety and enjoy the predictability as comfort but also like- keep that in ur pants!!

getting spoiled for eddies death made me loose any and all emotions i would have felt for that scene. it wasn’t “he sacrificed himself!! oh my god!” it was “he sacrificed himself? i thought that would be later”

getting spoiled for the end of tbomt made me loose so much intrest in the show because it ends in a trope i Really Fucking Hate So Much. but i love the characters still!! i love the world still!! its a great show!! me getting upset over spoilers cant change that!!

its fine if you dont mind spoilers! ill give you spoilers if you want! but i dont want them!! please dont!! consent bro!

on the other hand i hate people who are purposely all like “haha this guy dies i hope you cant watch this show now” and i think They Should All Go To Hell No Matter What

[imayjustbejamesmoriarty]

Speed binged the new season of The bureau of magical things and it's decent enough. Apart from the ending. The ending is awful. Even for a show that is rather loose with the concept of plots making sense, this made absolutely no sense.

[spoiledblogif]

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This is the development blog for the interactive fiction called "The Second Sight", which you can find on itch.io at the link above!

This is my first IF project, although I've been writing original stories and fanfiction for years.

I've included the story description and character profiles from the itch page below the cut.

This blog will be a combination of development info, images and music that I associate with the story, and other musings.

Fair warning, there might be spoilers from the latest chapters here, so I recommend catching up before reading too far.

Asks and submissions are always open.

You’re an urban legend in a county full of them.  When you were thirteen, you were found passed out in the road by one of the local cops. No missing persons report. No fingerprints on file. No memories. Just a name.

Oh, and some bizarre psychic powers.  You're content with simplicity. You like your isolated cabin and helping Carter track down missing persons.  You know that in theory there are more people like you out there, but you've never wanted to look behind the curtain to find out.

However, with the disappearance of a local teen named Casey Powell and a recent attempt on your foster father's life, your serene, isolated life comes abruptly to its end and a new chapter begins.

✤✤✤

The Second Sight is an urban fantasy story, where you step into the role of a psychic whose strange powers have always separated them from others. Those same powers will drag you down the rabbit hole and into a world that is both the familiar and foreign to everything you know. A world filled with magic, witches, fae, demons, and the unknown.

You can immerse yourself in the story by customizing your protagonist's general appearance, choosing how they interact with others, and whether you lean on logic or intuition to problem solve. There are three love interests planned (more may be added depending on player reception and feedback), the genders of which will be selected by the player upon meeting them.

Characters

Jacob Carter

Age: Late forties

Race: Human. Definitely.

Gender: Male

Temperament: Carter radiates grizzled, old bastard energy and despite being the least paternal person in the world, he is your adoptive father. While harsh and aloof on the surface, he is also fiercely protective of you and has bent over backwards to give a decent life to a kid that isn't even his. He doesn't talk about his life before coming to Herman County and you haven't asked him, though that might change soon enough...

✤✤✤

Zander/Zora

Age: Late twenties.

Race: Human.

Appearance: Umber brown skin, black locs, grey eyes

Temperament: Gentle and resolute, Z isn't what you imagine when you think of an agent of the mysterious Magic and Anomalies Bureau. Kind, soft-spoken, and exceedingly polite, Z is Carter's former apprentice and something about them puts the old man on edge.

✤✤✤ Renard/Rowan

Age: Appears to be in their late twenties or early thirties

Race: Human. Maybe.

Appearance: Tall and slender, white-blonde hair, and gold eyes.

Temperament: Playful and flirtatious, talking to R always feels like a game of cat and mouse and you can never be sure which role is yours. Part sad clown, part trickster, and always maddening to work with, the only things you can be certain of with R is that they probably know what they're doing. Everything else is up in the air.

✤✤✤

Unknown aka "The Kestrel"

Age: ???

Race: Definitely not human.

Appearance: Tall, beautiful, elegant, with black hair and black eyes.

Temperament: The Kestrel is a complete unknown. It's impossible to say whether they are a lethal ally or deadly enemy, but either way they are a powerful dreamwalker. You don't know how long they've been watching you, but you're willing to bet that it's been longer than you're comfortable with.

[ansbobcar]

I'm ready to become a part-time lore builder of a fandom if I can't get any answers.

Seriously. Time to do some mental gymnastics again because, I LOVE TALKING ABOUT LORE (well worldbuilding lore) AND MAKING LORE IF THERE IS NOTHING ABOUT IT!!

We're back to looking at the Divine Visionaries again because, what the hell are these administration/department/subdivisions man.

Here are my rankings of most straightforward to least straightforward (in terms of what they govern) and my reasoning, questions, headcanons AND MANGA SPOILERS. Feel free to discuss!

1. MAGICAL ITEMS

It's basically quality control check of any magical tool and also acts like a museum. Very straightforward to guess. It's managing, checking the quality of new, old, or powerful magical items. We also know the most about it I think because Rayne currently manages it (idk why i trust the fandom wiki)

2. FORBIDDEN MAGICAL TEXTS

This is also straightforward. They manage forbidden magical texts from being accessed to the public. But I'd like to think that this department has to ensure that any texts which use magic, such as newspapers and maybe even children's books, abide by their printing laws and don't enter into that forbidden valley. Prevention of more forbidden magical texts is probably one of their main goals. I mean, confiscation of books and materials or clues regarding them will either be stored or burned possibly. Censorship is a possibility.

3. MAGIC SECURITY (FORCE)

Every time I hear security I think of that random post from twitter I think about how the US' whole military like thing is called the defense something or something. AND I THINK ABOUT IT. But you know atleast security makes more sense.

Current headcanon is that the magic police is under their jurisdiction but being called a magic security officer is diff from a magic police officer. The main difference is that magic police focus solely on internal and surface level, local scale magic (and lack-magic) crimes.

Magic Security is a more national/international scale, or something that involves the Bureau directly. Like a war between other magical races or those type of conflicts. The bar to being a magic security officer is much higher than a magic police officer too.

4. MAGICAL CEMETERY

The management of deceased magic users/wizards is pretty straight forward BUT what I'm tryna figure out is:

a) How many official cemeteries are under their jurisdiction? If so is it illegal to bury a deceased wizard's body on your own?

b) Do they only manage the cemeteries? If they don't does that mean that it's a law to contact their department while preparing for a funeral and burial? How early do they have to get involved?

c) Whoever was managing this division when Adam Jobs died was not good at their job. Nvm this guy's body was gone to bits. Still bad management on their part to not scavenge for that bit of flesh left over. Burn the area to the ground if you have to. Fucking Innocent Zero got his body.

5. MAGICAL CREATURES

The only reason I have this much lower than I initially intended is because there are so many fucking magical creatures in this fucking world that it should be one of the biggest ass divisions of the Bureau alongside Magical Items.

a) You need research/encyclopedias on these creatures. What their weakness is and so on, research on magical creatures (probably in conjunction with magical research).

b) Is animal cruelty a thing in this world? It probably is. It better be then there has to be a governing body for that.

c) I feel like for magical magical creatures like Dragons, they have to manage/hand out yearly licenses towards educational institutes to allow those dragons to be used. Otherwise, I think they'll be released to the wild and will be blacklisted from ever owning a dragon. (Animal cruelty act or something)

d) They probably have a national zoo which is used for both research and conservation purposes. Bet there's a bunch of endangered species.

6. MAGICAL RESEARCH

Just like the previous department/administration... this is also pretty broad. (You'll realise a pattern as we go down the list). The way I see it is that every year, they gather statistics and feedback from the people, and come up with 4-6 projects of varying scales to help. These can range from new technology for pre-existing magical tools or making new innovations and tools.

They also do research on animals, plants and probably somewhat manage the welfare of the country slightly.

What I wonder is if it's illegal to do research outside of their department? Or do they allow exceptions, like some company can pitch their idea to the magical research department who then greenlight their thing or not like Dragon's Den.

7. MAGICAL POWER

Orter and Rinka, idk how y'all even do this. Magical Power Admin according to the fandom wiki (which I think took info from the fanbook, but cannot confirm), looks into shit related to power basically (abuse, lack ofs, very magical power creatures).

My problem is that kind of overlaps with magic security just slightlyyy. I also headcanon that the magic police are governed by magic security and magical power.

So far for my fanfic (big spoilers lol):

a) Their main goal is to reduce/prevent the abuse of magic within the kingdom/country.

b) They can make and enforce laws/policies/the legal rules surrounding the use of magic which include giving penalties/punishments.

8. MAGICAL TALENT

What the fuck is Kaldo's job. I get he looks at Divine Visionary candidates before they even get to the final exam but seriously. I would like to think that part of his job is to take note of what kind of personal magic has ever fucking existed other than tryna analyse people. If his department was more like HR, I think it'd make more sense.

His department probably has the least amount of people/staff.

_ _ _

There's probably other departments as well that aren't governed by a Divine Visionary for now. My ted talk is finished. For now.

[isekai-crow]

Mashle 2 Episode 2

Other Episodes-> ep1 ep3 ep4 ep5

This episode was a riot. It was so much fun.

SO many random HP easter eggs and we get some new fun characters!!

Specifically, Margarette Macaron!!

I love them. Non-binary, music magic, and a love of tartar sauce (and a motorcycle in the ending credits!). (It me? maybe.) Despite seeming like an overused Okama-trope, I have hope based on the spoilers I went searching for. I'm so hype for more of them in the next episode.

VA Squee: They're voiced by Koyasu, Takehito!!! The voice of Dio Brando! Touji Fushiguro! Faust VIII from Shaman King! and Clayman from TenSura!!! A very masculine voice that can also take on feminine tones and a perfect fit for Margarette. Manga Spoiler: I wonder if they'll have another va...

Ep 2 Spoilers Under the Cut! Warning IT'S SO LONG THERE'S SO MUCH.

We open in the middle of the decision to execute Mash or not, and Dumbledore, Harry, and Draco having a stand off lmao

We learn that Whalberg/Dumbledore is a famous wizard because he fought with Innocent Zero in his youth.

Does this mean the shadowed Innocent Zero who was called father by Cell War is the equivalent of Grindelwald, and Evil Jesus(Cell War (or cell wall if you wanna be a pun) is Voldemort? (Also is it father or Father lololol)

ALSO, ARE ALL THESE NAMES FROM A RNG OR PUNS CAUSE I CAN'T TELL YET lmao

We get a little speech from Wahlberg reminiscent of one of Dumbledore's speeches, but more importantly, WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RAYNE ALSO BOWING???

Also his protecting the headmaster is a cute touch

I get that he is one of the Divine Visionaries, but is he more important than the others? He's still a student, wait, HOW DO STUDENTS HAVE THIS MUCH POWER IN THE GOVERNMENT?? NO WONDER ITS FUCKED UP??? Did I miss something??? (His reasoning for not wanting Mash dead also being the flashback to Rayne thanking him for taking care of his little brother?)

And of course Mashle can't be executed, so they set they give him a task to delay his sentencing...

The original goal Mash had in the first place, so ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

Them backing the fuck up as Mash punches the floor is fricken hilarious. The best parts though...

1) Innocent Pero / Innocent Gyro - Thats a great subtitle translation choice, because they can't do a straight translation. Mash calls them Innocent Pero, with pero being the onomatopoeia for LICKING something in Japanese (WHATS THAT IMPLYING :EYES:), so Innocent Gyro is a good choice XD

and 2) the scene cuts to the bad guy's lair... which also seems to be shaking...

(I went and installed a gif maker for this >.>)

DON'T TELL ME. IS THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS UNDER THE BUREAU OF MAGIC????? (This is my theory and I'm sticking to it. Season 1 semi-stuck with random Philosopher's Stone plot points and the secret rooms, so it can be a semi-safe bet that season 2 might follow Chamber of Secrets?)

We then jump to an outing at the near by town to celebrate Mash Avoiding Death.

↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ The normal one ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓

Finn is the only actual normal one, WITH STYLE AT THAT, and I love him for it. (However he might also be the target of a Brother Complex and end up on the receiving end if Rayne can get over himself>o>)

The fucking Koalas...

What The Fuck Lmfao. That's all I have to say (but also this is a common gag for Japanese comedians and high school boys so... Still WTF. (This had my Beetle killing himself with laughter))

3 Wizards and a Macho walk into a wand shop and...

And the Macho is the one to get a wand. I'm so fascinated by this. How much damage is this thing going to do when Mash finally yeets it at someone???

The entire second half episode is so cute. Mash is so happy to have friends... I'm so happy for him....

But Also. Poor Finn. Look at these Freaks (affectionate).

YOU'RE ONE TO TALK. But Also Poor Finn.

The last bit. Our introduction to Margarette Macaron.

The fucking... shrimp.

Literally

It took Too Much Time for my ace-ass to realize they're THRUSTING the shrimp into the tartar sauce.

I love them? I love tartar sauce too. It's delicious.

They are so over the top. I love everything about them.

I've added too many photos to this post and tumblr is yelling at me.

So I will leave off with my hype for Rayne vs Margarette in the next episode!!!

↑↑↑↑Imagine me making this same face in anticipation↑↑↑↑

[cataztrophi]

TAZ November Celebration 2: Plant

This is a really short piece for @taznovembercelebration, but I had fun with it, especially since I don't usually write from Magnus' perspective. And since my prompt was "plant" I had to get Merle in there too, of course. Spoiler warning for Balance through The Eleventh Hour arc.

“Merle, keep your freaky sex plants out of my room or I swear–”

“She’s a free spirit! She needs room to roam!”

Magnus started awake as Merle and Taako’s voices echoed off the walls of their dorm. They strode into the common room where he had been dozing, still arguing.

“I don’t give a fuck what the plant needs, Taako needs his space to be completely vine free!”

“What’s going on?” Magnus croaked, pushing himself up in the arm chair. They both rounded on him, and he was hit with a sudden wave of regret for involving himself in whatever this was.

“Merle’s weird plant is invading my room!”

“She’s an ivy, she doesn’t have enough room to spread out in mine!”

Magnus’s twinge of annoyance at their bickering was overruled by a wave of affection for the two of them. Even their arguments felt like home now, and he’d hate to give that up if– If what? If they turned their backs on him once they realized he was a Red Robe? If whatever supernatural force had made him forget his involvement with a group of evil magic users suddenly compelled him to turn against them?

He stood up suddenly, startling his two friends, and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Taako asked.

“I just need to get some air.” He could hear them resuming their argument as the door closed behind him.

Without thinking about it, Magnus found himself heading for one of the moon base’s workshops. They were mostly used to conduct repairs on Bureau equipment, but since Magnus had gotten there the Director had made sure they were also well-stocked with woodworking tools. He stood in front of the stacks of wood for a moment, contemplating, before a sudden idea hit him. He selected a few lengths of cedar wood and got to work.

Carpentry had always just felt right to Magnus. It was one of the few things that could quiet the constant rush of thoughts inside his head. When he was a younger man, he had been variously teased and scolded about his habit of picking up any wood scraps he could find to carve or whittle whenever he had to sit still for too long. Julia had been the first person to notice the way that his focus improved when he had something to do with his hands, and to recognize that he was listening attentively to her even when he was looking down at his project. She’d always kept a well-stocked basket of wood scraps next to his chair for just that reason, and Magnus couldn’t find the words to tell her how much that meant to him. He settled for filling the windowsills of their home with tiny, beautiful carvings he made from those scraps. 

One night, he had come back to the dorm he shared with Merle and Taako to find a small pile of wood scraps next to his favorite chair in the common room. Neither of them ever mentioned it, but he never ran out of little things to carve. 

Magnus wasn’t sure how long he’d spent in that workshop, but he could see the sun just rising over the edge of the moon base as he left with the finished pieces of his work in his arms, ready to be assembled. He talked to Merle about his idea when he came out for breakfast that morning, lured by the scent of Taako’s stonefruit crepes. With Merle’s permission, Magnus put it in motion. 

When he was finished, he stepped back to admire the interconnected system of trellises he had constructed, stained in a beautiful auburn color, with Pan’s pipes engraved into the top of every one. He watched with great satisfaction as Merle coaxed his troublesome ivy onto the structures, which it–she– took to enthusiastically. That was the other thing Magnus liked about carpentry: it let him create things that would stick around to help people long after he was gone. No matter how soon that might be.

[via-ad-insaniam]

I cannot believe that The Bureau of Magical Things had a spoiler in the fucking intro 😂

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Sasaki and Peeps

This was a fun little show, though it's unlikely I'll remember it much longer. It also adapts just the beginning of a ranobe series so there's no real proper ending, and the magical girl was barely in it, but regardless I had a pretty good time.

(spoilers I guess if you're really wary of them)

So the story is about Sasaki, an office worker who gets a pet bird, which turns out to be a reincarnated superwizard and grants Sasaki OP magical powers. Then Sasaki gets involved in three different genres (isekai, psychic battles, and a little bit of magical girls) even though he'd rather just live quietly and comfortably.

It's very much a power fantasy story; Sasaki's power is far greater than anyone else in the series (other than Peeps who is even more powerful), and for the most part Sasaki is able to speak himself out of many tricky situations. Even when things start to fall apart around him (like characters from two different storylines meet up and he gets into trouble because he's told different lies about himself to different people), he somehow manages to stumble out of it alright. But I dunno, I like it and I think it's kind of funny how everyone is super serious about the plot and then this pkmn Larry-looking guy wanders into the scene and casts lightning bolt and saves the day. The tone is light and the characters pretty shallow, but it was fun for a 1 cour show.

For the magical girl, she was in a villain role but as I said she had very little screen time and we didn't even learn anything about her motivation on attacking the psychic bureau. And she wasn't interesting enough for me to check out the source material for her, but I'd watch a season 2 if they ever make one.

My least favourite aspect is that everyone in the group of girls that forms around Sasaki is teenager at oldest (except the one who looks like a teenager but is supposedly 100). And nothing is ever done about it but it's like, you know why this yandere neighbour girl is included in the ranobe.

[100hearteyes]

Honestly, though. Miah Madden. Keep an eye out for her. She's a star.

[talesofstarsandmagic]

Okay, so I guess I should start with a proper explanation for Tides of Change since that will be the book I talk the most about (for now at least).

I would like to say now some parts of this may change in the future. I have only just started draft 2 of TOC and I can almost guarantee that something will change at some point, but that’s just how the writing process goes. Most of this will be sticking around though, it’s just some of the smaller details (probably the tineline lol) I think may change.

So, I guess I should start by setting the scene a little.

The Intergalactic Alliance (IGA) have been the dominant force across the Galaxies for over 800 years. While there are other governments that rule over smaller sections of space, the Alliance is by far the most widespread and powerful, and with that power came corruption. Despite it’s faults, the IGA claims to be the best option compared to the other systems, and most have no reason to question that, even if they also know the Alliance is corrupt.

The Insurgency is the name given to the rebellion groups that were united by Irel Tanik. They are largely viewed as a group of terrorists, but maybe they aren’t the monsters they’re made out to be.

Magic exists in this universe and works around the four states of matter (solids, liquids, gases and plasma). Magic users are called channellers, and not everyone can be a channeller as only some people can channel magic and tech is needed to channel on top of that. I will make a more in depth post on the magic system but this post will be long enough already lol.

Now for a bit on plot and characters.

Aala is the next in line for the Oceran throne. She is the eldest daughter of the current rulers and will be marrying the Priest of the Sun, Veli. She is a talented musician, which is the main way she draws attention to her home world to help grow their tourism industry. She is good at reading people but is not always the best at responding. She is a liquid channeller, and finds water easiest to control, which she will use in her performances.

Aala has a younger sister called Nila. Now Nila has a secret that is only known to a select few, mainly her family. She can’t channel in the traditional sense, but she can see what others can channel, and if they can channel at all. This is incredibly weird, and no one has an answer as to why she has this ability. Unfortunately for Nila and her family, the IGA discover her odd ability and they want her, and when her parents refuse, their planet is doomed (they do have some other reasons for invading as Ocera was uniting planets that had problems with space travel being too expensive to and from their worlds but the Nila thing was the straw that broke the camel’s back).

Aala and Nila are forced to flee their home world when the Alliance invades. This is where the Insurgency and Keryn come in.

Keryn is an Insurgency spy working for the Intergalactic Investigations Bureau (IIB). She knows something odd is happening when she’s given orders that Aala, and especially Nila, are a priority to be found. She contacts Avalis (Irel’s second in command) and he agrees it’s weird, and after a quick discussion with Irel, they decide to get to Aala and Nila first to find out what happened to Ocera.

That’s all the basic stuff! I am so sorry this is a monster of a post lol. I promise they won’t all be this long.

I’m so excited to be sharing this story though! Onto the Horizon means the world to me so I hope other people will like it too.

Feel free to ask questions! I would love to answer, although if it’s spoilers I won’t say anything. I’ll be doing posts mainly on worldbuilding and stuff like that.

But yeah, I hope that all makes sense.

[lunova-rambles]

Just binge-read the “My Aunt Is a Monster” graphic novel by Reimena Yee and it is one of my new favourite graphic novels omg

Like not only is the art (especially the colouring) INCREDIBLE but the story is so good to?? The phrasing/storytelling makes it clear with there is some unreliable narration at times, so before you finish chapter 1 you could be led to believe that it’s like “oh maybe the aunt isn’t really a monster, it’s just because the girl telling the story is blind” BUT NO they make it very clear by mid-chapter 1 that the aunt is, in fact, actually a monster. (The cover makes it obvious, but ofc it could just be misleading.)

I guess this is sort of spoilers, but I’m pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t a twist that there was no magic and everything was real (in-universe). In the forward, the author does thank blind/visually impaired people & their allies for making the world more accessible to the former, so I think it’s great that the main character (Safia)’s disability isn’t used as an explanation of sorts on how the magic is happening

And then there are different POVs too omg I love how they show the different perspectives AND ALSO LITTLE HINTS/FORESHADOWING!! Or a callback technically but I’ll discuss that under the cut.

Side note, I gotta try some dondurma sometime…

!! SPOILERS ahead !!

Just a couple mild spoilers first, Aunt Whimsy is cursed to be a Makara which is a nice way of including some Hindu culture! (The author mentions in their biography that they like to include irl cultures in their work, so props to them!)

Tbh I felt like the ending of the ancient city was a little rushed, though. We’re told that the “scourge” has been released and that they need to go inside somewhere to protect “Paradise,” but then cut to the next scene and they’re outside of the place and there’s no explanation as to how that fits with the ending/epilogue. I understand this is most likely a setup for a sequel, but like, the end and epilogue don’t make it seem important if that’s the case. Other than Hebe having a Makara hand now, though honestly that could just be something she has to live with and left ambiguous.

But MAN can Reimena Yee draw some nice fire omg, any time Aunt Whimsy is in her full Makara form, the colours/line art are so cool!! I’m biased because my favourite graphic novels are in similar styles lol but either way, very neat that certain special pages have coloured Lineart instead of black.

ANYWAY I love callbacks and so in this book, my fav callback is the Bureau of Suspicious Intent’s logo being an apple. This is my favourite kind of callback too, where it’s technically a Chekov’s Gun but the writing makes it seem more like foreshadowing (because the callback itself is a build up rather than just the payoff)!

Idk if they establish that Ms. Cathryn bakes apple pies before they reveal she’s ex-Bureau (since they mention it after), but if they do, then that’s the first lil breadcrumb

Yee also shows a gold apple on Hebe’s journal/notes when she’s first introduced, but tbh I didn’t recognize it as an apple because of the style/size lol it was kinda just a blob

Then they introduce the Bureau with the gold apple logo but make no mention of it!! So it’s a callback that works only in a graphic novel since it’s a visual thing!!

so on the cruise ship, you can start to catch onto the ploy about to happen just because there is a suspicious amount of people wearing gold [apple] accessories… 👀 *squints eyes*

ALSO the other great callback is Lord Fauntleroy being a stowaway on the ship/adventure! I think his is a good example of the more overt Chekov’s Gun where they make a note several times that he sheds and call it out again when Hebe gets allergies (without explicitly saying he tagged along)! You can infer pretty easily what’s gonna happen since there’s a panel where they mention leaving Fauntleroy outside yet the taxi driver notices the fur, but it’s nice that it isn’t really mentioned until Hebe’s allergies (since, realistically, the characters would not think Lord Fauntleroy is there).

Anyway I love books and have been on a graphic novel binge 😍 hoping one day I can make one myself or use it to practice visdev work!!

[statementfrom-halfway-down]

I posted 395 times in 2022

That's 45 more posts than 2021!

12 posts created (3%)

383 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@bluejayblueskies

@tired-beholding-bitch

@starfleetrambo

@hellyeahgerrymichael

@thepunkmuppet

I tagged 99 of my posts in 2022

#tma - 62 posts

#the magnus archives - 54 posts

#jonathan sims - 24 posts

#jonmartin - 23 posts

#martin blackwood - 21 posts

#tma fanart - 17 posts

#jmart - 13 posts

#the magnus archive fanart - 10 posts

#fanart - 9 posts

#the magnus pod - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 129 characters

#i also made a full list a long time ago explaining each of the fears in terms of astrology and made a full birth chart for myself

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

maybe i’m just not seeing them but there is a Severe Lack of theories about TMAGP and how Control inspired jonny !!

(this is your spoiler warning for both TMA and Control in their entirety btw)

so Control is about a federal bureau that investigates things that violate the laws of reality, and in the game there is an entity called the Hiss that invaded reality. the player gains abilities by finding objects that are imbedded with power from another dimension

the main character of Control accidentally unleashes Magic Spooky Powers when they were a kid with their brother, with what looked like an ordinary object, and was then chosen to succeed their deceased predecessor in the FBC

sound familiar yet ???????

12 notes - Posted November 3, 2022

#4

decided to make a TMAGP bingo sheet w my predictions !

40 notes - Posted November 23, 2022

#3

hey yall, so i just barely dragged myself out of being homeless and now my car decided to break down. i know im not the biggest creator on here, but if you enjoy my content sending even a dollar to @jasper-elijahhhh on venmo will help me out a lot :•)

82 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#2

everytime i see someone say ‘jmart’ my little creature brain goes “ah yes. jom and artin.”

137 notes - Posted April 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

the lightless flame should have always been my priority, but i lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship. i’m sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the cult and its followers but most of all to Diego. the only thing that matters right now is the Desolation and our ritual, and that’s where i’m going to focus my attention

287 notes - Posted October 8, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[zackmartin]

THE BUREAU OF MAGICAL THINGS | (2.06) mirror image

[ansbobcar]

RINKA LORE TIME/FUNFACTS [part 1 of idk]

I'm realising I can't squeeze her entire backstory or shits into the span of this fic so here's some stuff I barely expanded upon in the fic in no particular order becuz I lowkey forgot.

There's some spoilers for my fic but they're kinda minor (no big reveals lol)

1. Tsurara's Incident on the Coast (EP 18)

Back when Tsurara became Divine Visionary, her magic output was almost unparalleled… yet incredibly uncontrolled. She was given the task of following Rinka do her usual spring cleaning because Kaldo was sick of her being cooped up in her office all the time. Nothing went wrong until she completely froze over a seaside town after an emotional outburst since Rinka was doing most of the heavylifting.

And subsequently, (big headcanon time), Tsurara's evil eye drew out the maximum output of the hell she brought to the seaside town. Maybe unleashing Nifelheim.

Fortunately, the townspeople were evacuated as per protocol and Rinka utilised Tranquilier (100% guaranteed calming spell) to pacify Tsurara's outburst after getting close enough to block the evil eye's ability to negate/supress magic and considerably reduced her magic output from continuing and casting.

"It's okay, Tsurara," the woman had finally caught the young teen in her embrace. Even amidst the almost absolute zero, the teen realised the pale woman hadn't shivered for a moment as she did. "Focus on me." Her heartbeat was slightly faster than usual, and she breathed a bit heavier from the constant pace she had kept to reach her amidst the sea she had slid into. Yet like last time... "You're still warm," her voice trembled into the collar which was now sullied by her tears. How could someone like the Blood Cane afford to keep herself warm for a waste of space like Tsurara Halestone? Nothing seemed to make sense and did at the same time. Who wouldn't be worried for her suddenly running off amidst a snowstorm? "There there," slowly patting her back, "We've all been alone in a cold, dull place before. It's alright to take small steps with new things," Rinka uttered like a lullaby. "There are many burdens with being a Divine Visionary, especially for someone who holds a passion for magic yet cannot fully appreciate them." "Wasn't your goal to create the best heat retaining fabric the world has ever seen?" A nod was felt at her chest and she chuckled at her soft response. "I can't make them now, the previous head's projects are still up for discussion... I feel like it will never pass..." "Have you tried scouting for parties interested in your ideas and asking for the feedback from the masses during winter? I'm sure they would be thrilled with your ideas," finally utilising Tranquilier on the girl. "You can ask Kaldo for help or even the officers under mine or Ryoh's leadership about materials they need improvement. It's our job to help you as well." "If it takes many little steps, it can be worth it."

Rinka did not sustain as terrible of a damage as a few months prior, however, she was still injured, almost sustaining Frostbite if it wasn't for her incredibly warm disposition (body-heat) while carrying the girl back to the Bureau.

2. Ryoh's Godfather status

Although Ryoh's only canonically 5 years older, she's treated as his goddaughter over a sibling for a few reasons.

He's the only person she listened to when she got sick. Rinka tends to hide the fact she's sick from people until it's too late but Ryoh usually manages to pick up on it before it gets to its worst point and lets her be taken care of by his wife back at their house. As a teen, this happened rather often, like every other week since she worked overtime frequently.

In Ryoh's eyes, Rinka is a baby. A rebellious teen even. Her cool beauty archetype persona breaks when she's around Kaldo and Renatus. She tends to act like an idiot with them, their annoying asses (who teased her a bit too much for being just slightly older than her by a year and two) make her patience run thin and nonexistent.

This was at Ryoh's and her mother's suggestion to keep her from going insane at the office after witnessing her being unable to work like when she doused herself in a crazy dose of an amnesia (identity removing memory) inducing potion and regretting it completely once it did it's intended purpose.

As a result of this, Ryoh sort of felt responsible over her (since it seemed to be completely avoidable if he had talked and connected to her a bit more) and assumed a paternal figure in her life in order to guide her both emotionally and physically. After all, it's no secret that her relationship with her actual father, Sears Onoji, wasn't the best judging by the fact her mother won complete custody over her after their divorce.

She stopped working overtime frequently after she had to rehabilitate and recover for 2 months in Meliadoul's Clinic due to suffering major injuries and frequently losing blood at unsustainable rates.

I also thought of retconning Ryoh and his wife (I will figure out a name for her one day) like their love story but I got lazy. Anyways, Rinka's friends with her and sometimes gets babied by her. (His wife is 27 lol.)

3. Renatus and his nickname

Renatus came up with her nickname because her hairstyle at the time was so 'gloomy and depressing, like spilled ink and milk'. She was also incredibly animated and contradictory in her actions and appearance.

After all, she smoked high quality cigars for who knows how long and was a heavy drinker. Yet she completely denies being a chronic smoker and drinker in public and around those younger than her. Which caused her to completely abstain from both when Agito came along event though by the time he joined she was of legal age to drink.

Thus 'Inky Droopy Looney Rinka' or just 'Inky' sometimes was born.

Nobody else has caught onto the name because it's either a mouthful to say and rude or they don't get the origins of the name.

Around the office people either refer to her as Rinka or Miss Ontarin, since her last name is extremely uncommon.

4. Her relationship with Agito

Initially, I planned for her to actually hate him because he was a creep (like who tf has such a high death count?) but in reality she finds him relatable and annoying. And also hates the fact that she can't beat him up because he would probably take it completely wholeheartedly without properly reflecting on himself.

But I can guarantee you they had bad first impressions of each other.

Rinka doesn't mind reaching out to people to help them (like she's done with almost everyone else that came after her) but Agito rejects it. Her first kind offer was rejected extremely violently which she was immediately given an apology for and then hounded to discipline/punish him. Due to her own experiences, she doesn't find this very comforting and Renatus becomes the mediator in their reactions.

Like how he rejected her proposition of bringing Renatus along

“But there haven’t been any reports about environmental destruction,” Tsurara recounted still stumped by this case. “Then shouldn’t Agito try asking the other dragons at the intersection? It would save on time,” she suggested, holding onto a heat retaining object. Silence permeated through the room as the dragon turned towards her. “The elves do not particularly… enjoy my presence,” attempting to hide the grin that suddenly widened at the thought. “After all…” “Do you need us to follow as well?” The Blood Cane tried to alleviate his discomfort. He was crucial for the task at hand. Irreplaceable. “We can go as a group if needed, I can carry everyone as,” she stopped as Hippo-tan drooped on the table and with suppressed calmness, the Dragon Cane held her hands. “Please use a translation or universal language spell, miss.” “Are you sure?” “Yes.” “Do you need me to bring Renatus along?” “It’s fine. Please use the translation spell you taught me.” With a hint of dejectedness, her hand dropped back to her side with little control as he let go. She let out a sigh, “Alright.”

(EP 19)

The tension from their earlier days has settled to that of a rather peaceful coexistence where she's willing to compromise her hesitancy to be violent to be more clear. They've probably argued a few times simply because Rinka takes care of Darren's school affairs. Since Darren is able to fluently speak more than just Communication Draconic, Agito has a big interest in her as his assistant but she's not really.

Plus she's stern with Agito because he tends to slack off on his duties even with a Professional Dragon/Pet 'Hippo-tan'. But the worst he gets is being fed honeyed Sashimi and served that for dinner.

_ _ _ _

Ik I forgot Sophina but uhhhhh I haven't thought of her this deep yet.