#the times they're a-changin

[femininomen0n]

The Times They Are A-Changin': A Post-Apocalyptic Office AU

Rating: Mature Pairings: Jim/Pam, Erin/Pete, Dwight/Angela Warnings: non-graphic violence, mentions of death, injury, and assault, general post-apocalyptic misery. Warnings are subject to change- please check the tags and the author's note on each chapter for up-to-date TWs! Summary: Two years after the world fell to pieces, the former employees of Dunder Mifflin and their families now reside in the Schrute Farms Community. Dwight's careful planning and agricultural know-how keeps their stomachs full and the house warm, but other dangers lurk both inside and out of the ancient stone walls that guard them. Between two recent arrivals, brewing unrest, and the struggles of post-apocalyptic existence, life is a far cry from what it once was. The tides of change come for everyone, and their fledgling clan is no exception.

read the prologue and chapter one now on ao3!

[mortalboy]

you can’t watch a single 70s live performance on youtube without scrolling down to the first comment and reading someone’s dead husband’s entire medical history

[auroreliis]

Hey! I loved your Batfam movie night post. If you have the time could you write a fic with the platonic yandere Batfam and a sick reader. Maybe reader refuses to take any medication and the fam has to get them to take it. Or maybe reader is so fevered that they sob when someone (probably Bruce) isn’t holding them. Thanks for your time!!

Platonic Yandere!Batfam

Summary: You're sick

CW: no warnings

(not edited or proofread)

Richard let out an exasperated breath as he paced around in front of your bedroom door.

"Why do they have to be so difficult?", he mumbled under his breath, not intending for it to be heard, but Bruce made out what he said.

Silence filled the room for a few moments, the only noise being Dick's footsteps, before Bruce spoke, "I'll ground them", he begun, before adding, "And I'll take away their phone."

Richard stopped and turned to him, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw hanging low, signaling disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? What exactly will that change? Just force them to take the medicine already!", fumed the younger of the two, clearly worried about you.

"No", said Bruce and Richard slightly leaned forward, as if he misheard.

"No? Why not? Don't you understand that they're sick? They're pale, trembling, weak and-"

"Stop", Bruce's words concluded the argument, "You'll wake them if you continue shouting."

Richard flinched. He couldn't help it.

His heart ached at the thought of you being in pain. It was even worse now that you had refused to take your medicine.

As your older brother, it's his job to protect you, but you're being so difficult.

Although he wanted to continue the argument in hopes of changine Bruce's mind, it was clear that they were done.

His jaw clenched to stop himself from saying anything stupid and with that he stormed off.

Bruce let out a sigh and leaned on a nearby wall. He was so tired. His energy was completely depleted from his worry.

Worry? No, it was more like fear.

Bruce was terrified. You were sick and had refused to take your medicine. He knows how serious certain illnesses can be, but you just refuse to take care of yourself.

You're doing nothing other than proving them right that you need them.

However, he's your father. He would never force you to take medicine. Deep down, he feels like he owes you at least a little freedom of choice, considering that you didn't want to be there in the first place.

His palm drags across his face, not fearing that he'll scratch his skin off, instead ruminating on his further course of action.

A cough made his eyes widen. It was your voice.

He rushed into your room and for a moment you were convinced he was going to trip.

"Is everything okay?", his voice was slightly shaky, as if he were trying to hide how scared he was for you. Going off how swiftly he shut his mouth, one would assume that he had planned to add more questions.

You wanted to nod your head, but lacked the strengh to do that, so you chose to hum in affirmation.

With blurred vision, you saw your father slightly bend forward, presumably after exhaling.

"Can you...", you wheezed, before realising that you lacked the lung capacity to go on.

Your father, however, wanted to hear the rest of your sentence.

"I can. I can do anything you want me to. What do you need? Would you like some water? Should Alfred make you some more soup? Would you like me to read you a story? Should I-", he went through all of his options, carefully observing your body language to see if any of his suggestions piqued your interest.

"...Hold me, please", you finally finished.

His gaze softened and his mouth formed a relieved smile as he exhaled. It took him time to answer, "Of course I can."

So you were alright. That was soothing.

His arms held you tightly, still being careful not to hurt you. The two of you layed there in silence.

Patience slowly ran out and before he could stop himself, he questioned you about the medicine.

His tone was gentle and as quiet as he could make it, almost sounding desperate.

You thought about it for a moment, trying to find the shortest way to confess your thoughts.

"Taste...", you croaked.

"Taste? Does it taste bad?", Bruce inquired, before remembering that you had troubles speaking, "I'll make sure you get some better tasting medicine. Will you take it then?"

You smiled and nodded, satisfied with the current arrangement.

No longer being able to stay awake, you drifted off to sleep.

It had been a few days now. Your condition had improved and you were taking the better tasting version of the medicine.

Today it was Dick's turn to feed you.

He was in a much better mood than a few days ago.

"Here comes the airplane- Come on, open up...", the spoon hovered in front of your closed mouth.

Your eyebrows lifted as you looked at him.

"Dick, I'm not thre-", before you could finish, he shoved the spoon into your mouth, causing you to gag.

While you did cough up half of the soup, the rest definitely made it to the intended destination.

After forcing out a few more coughs, you had finally cleared your windpipe, "WHAT THE HELL, DICK?"

"Sorry! Just had to make sure you would actually take it, unlike the medicine!", his innocent smile almost blinded you.

"What if I had choked?" you retorted

"You know that your big brother wouldn't let that happen", he dismissed your words with caretaker speech.

Your temptation to add a snarky remark or roll your eyes was supressed and you instead continued listenting to your brother boast about various topics which you didn't really pay attention to.

The two of you continued to enjoy spending time with each other, if you could call it that.

Under Dick's and Bruce's care, you always recover quickly.

[boredflautist]

quotes that keep me alive

"all the people are fake, they're made out of metal. But I like you, and that is not fake" -young royals

"I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." -song of achilles

"No one ever says goodbye unless they want to see you again." -turtles all the way down

"I want to be with you. If we have to keep it a secret then... So be it, if thats the only way... But no more secrets between us. I love you" -young royals

"Why does the word 'love' from you hurt me so damn much?" -Only Friends

"I've always thought Ray was my 25th hour, my extra hour. But the truth is, everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. And within Ray's 24 hours, I'm not part of it. I'm not that special." -Only Friends

"If I'm gone, I won't be anyone's burden anymore, right?" -Only Friends

"You were wearing corduroy, acting like a poster boy" -poster boy by Lyn Lapid

"I would recognize you in total darkness, were you mute and I deaf. I would recognize you in another lifetime entirely, in different bodies, different times. And I would love you in all of this, until the very last star in the sky burnt out into oblivion" -song of achilles

"Tell me every terrible thing that you ever did, and let me love you anyway" -edgar allan poe

"The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you... I can't breathe. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me... What can I do? I will do anything that you ask." -anakin skywalker

"If changin' my clothes would make you like me more, if changing my hair would make you care, then I'd grab the kitchen scissors and cut myself to slivers" -jigsaw by conan gray

"'Sorry' doesn't make up for everything you did to me." -heartstopper

"You were my brother Anakin. I loved you." -revenge of the sith

"The truth is what I make it. I could set the world on fire, and call it rain." -red queen

" But isn't it also that on some fundamental level we find it difficult to understand that other people are human beings in the same way that we are? We idolize them as gods or dismiss them as animals." -paper towns

"And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'" -somethin' stupid by frank sinatra

"Tell me it isn't true. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm blind. Tell me you love me. " -shatter me

"I do want to be your friend. I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend." -shatter me

"The truth is a painful reminder of why I prefer to live among the lies" -shatter me

"'Don't ask me questions you already know the answers to. Twice I've laid myself bare for you and all it's gotten me was a bullet wound and a broken heart. Don't torture me,' He says, meeting my eyes again. 'It's a cruel thing to do, even to someone like me.'" -shatter me

"Everything's a game, Avery Grambs. The only thing we get to decide in this life is if we play to win." -inheritance games

"The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive." -the last olympian "You think I didn't fight the same fight? I halfway convinced myself that as long as Avery was just a riddle or a puzzle, as long as I was just playing, I'd be fine. Well, joke's on me, because somewhere along the way, I stopped playing." -the Hawthorne legacy

"When you're ready, if you're ever ready, if it's going to be me - just flip that disk. Heads, I kiss you." His voice broke slightly. "Tails, you kiss me. And either way, it means something." -the Hawthorne legacy

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here" -william shakespeare

"But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all" -10 things I hate about you

"It's just like the novels, side characters end up alone" -footnote by conan gray

"You made us past tense," I said, my voice cracking, "not me." -betting on you

"Because when they write the history of my life, I want it to include you" -red white and royal blue

"My life is the crown, and yours is just politics, and I will not trade one prison for another" -red white and royal blue

"Or maybe it was when I realized the bruises on your neck were fingerprints and wanted to kill them all over again just so I could do it slowly. Maybe it was the first time I recklessly kissed you or when I realized I'm fucked because I can't stop thinking about doing more than just kissing you. Does it even matter when, as long as it changed between us?" -fourth wing

"Oh darling all of the cities lights, never shined as bright as your eyes" -car's outside by james arthur

"I would rather lose this entire war than live without you, and if that means I have to prove myself over and over again, then I'll do it. You gave me your heart and I'm keeping it." -iron flame

"Because pain in the body quiets the pain in your head. It feels good - like a kill switch for your brain" -kill switch

"Then take your punishment like the pathetic creature that you are" -cruel prince

"Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop." -cruel prince

"If you're the sickness, I suppose you can't also be the cure." -the wicked king

"I hate you. I hate you so much that sometimes I can't think of anything else." -the wicked king

"Yes, my sweet villain, my darling god. I will be as sober as a stone carving, just as soon as I can." -the wicked king

"She is my wife," Cardan says, his voice carrying over the crowd. "The rightful High Queen of Elfhame. And most definitely not in exile." -the queen of nothing

"By you, I am forever undone." -the queen of nothing

"Come home and shout at me. Come home and fight with me. Come home and break my heart, if you just. Just come home." -the queen of nothing

"I wasted all those yesterdays and am completely out of tomorrows" -they both die at the end

"For what it's worth, I doubt I will ever like anyone else in the world as much as I like you." -book lovers

"I'd never thought about my favorite color before. It never seemed important. Not until I looked into a pair of ocean-blue eyes and realized that perhaps drowning was a beautiful thing" -powerless

<3

if you've made it to the end good god please get some sleep

[blenderfullasarcasm]

"You haven't laughed in a long time, so I guess I was staring cause I forgot what that looked like."

They're gettin' lunch in Heiji's favorite okonomiyaki place (the one that must have been blessed by somethin' powerful because he's never once run into a case there, even when he's hangin' out with Kudou), because he and Kudou have spent the last few hours figurin' out who killed the jerkass manager at one of the fancy stores a few blocks away. It's already three in the afternoon and they're starvin'. Okonomiyaki is fast, cheap, close by, and, most importantly, murder free.

(Probably. Who knew, with Kudou's luck.)

Kudou's squintin' down at the menu, studyin' it carefully like there's more than ten options. He absentmindedly raises one hand to push up his glasses, but ends up pokin' himself in the nose because he doesn't hafta wear 'em anymore.

Kudou blinks rapidly, surprised, then glances at Heiji like he's hopin' he didn't notice.

Heiji snorts and grins back at him smugly. No such luck there.

Kudou scowls at him and sets his menu down pointedly.

A waitress appears instantly, takin' his movements as a cue to ask if he's ready to order.

Kudou obviously isn't, or maybe he's just in th' mood to annoy Heiji, because instead'a telling her what he wants he glances over at Heiji and says, "Why don't you order for me, hm?" like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

Heiji thinks Kudou should suck it up and get his eyes checked. He rolls his eyes and orders for him anyway. "Two'a my usual, thanks, Tanaka-san."

Kudou frowns and starts to open his mouth, but Heiji's already wavin' him off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Extra green onions on mine, nunna them on yours."

Tanaka jots their orders down on her notepad and shoots 'em both a brief smile before leavin' to take the orders to the kitchen.

"That's not what I was going to say," Kudou says, even endin' his sentence with the stupid Tokyo 'sa' for emphasis, because he can never just let Heiji bask in the sweet, sweet satisfaction of finally bein' one step ahead'a him.

"You told Ran-san you were allergic to 'em to get outta eatin' 'em," Heiji reminds him.

Kudou scowls so hard it's almost a pout. "Maybe I like them now," he argues.

Heiji rolls his eyes. Yeah, right.

"Keep actin' like that and I'll call her back and tell her you're gettin' a kid's meal," Heiji grumbles, then thinks, oh shit.

He probably shouldn't joke about that yet.

Heiji looks up to apologize for puttin' his foot in his mouth, but before he can even open his lips, Kudou cackles.

Heiji can't help but stare, drinkin' in the bright sound of Kudou's voice as he laughs his ass off. He's actually wheezin', the elbow he's got braced on the table the only thing keepin' him from fallin' out of his chair, and his blue eyes sparkle with mirth when he glances up through his eyelashes at Heiji and starts laughin' even harder.

He hasn't seen Kudou laugh this hard in...ever, probably. Definitely not since he returned to his body and told Ran-san everything and she'd told him she needed time. (Kazuha woulda kicked his ass if he'd hidden from her in plain sight and lied to her face for years, so he's pretty sure Kudou's getting off easy.)

Heiji has to join in, even though the joke wasn't even that funny.

...He should probably stop starin' at the curve of Kudou's mouth, Heiji acknowledges to himself as Kudou's laughter starts to wind down.

(He doesn't, though.)

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Kudou asks, once he's finally stopped wheezin' long enough to take a couple deep breaths and suck in some desperately needed oxygen.

Heiji shrugs faux-casually. "Jus' haven't seen you laugh that hard in a minute, 's all. Kinda forgot what it looks like."

Somethin' a little bittersweet flashes behind Kudou's eyes, there an' gone again so quick that Heiji almost thinks he's imaginin' it.

Kudou clearly doesn't want to dwell on it, though, 'cuz all he says is, "Maybe so," before abruptly changin' the subject. "What did you order for me, anyway?"

Heiji smirks at him. "Why don't ya try deducing it, Heisei Holmes-san?"

Kudou's eyes flash again, but this time they're bright with the excited spark of challenge accepted.

---

written for this prompt game

[pehmokoira]

Honestly, at this point, I don't give two fucks about the people outside of the fandom who think we shouldn't fight for this show.

If they don't take the time to try to listen and understand, then I'm not taking the time to explain.

If they don't see the importance of fighting for a queer show, or if they don't see why this particular show is important, then that's their problem.

If they think Taika is a Zionist and fired Guz Khan, I don't have to provide evidence that he's not or that Guz was let go because of different reasons, and I certainly don't have to dig evidence of other actors on the show supporting Palestine.

If they think I shouldn't donate to the renewal campaign, I don't have to give a list of all the other charities I've donated to, or point out all the charities that the fandom has donated to.

I know what I'm fighting for and that's enough. I don't have to convince the people who have already decided they're against us.

Block and move on.

And a reminder that season 2 ends with this song:

Come mothers and fathers throughout the land And don't criticize what you can't understand For your sons and your daughters are beyond your command The old road is rapidly fading Please get out of our way now if you can't lend a hand For the times they are a-changin'

[basedkikuenjoyer]

End Transmission

I swear it always comes back to this damn clown. Crocodile's response is so funny to me and Buggy's expression is so good but the scene as a whole. Vegapunk's transmission concludes here. He's left the world in a panic. Buggy though continues to make the best of opportunities through sheer charisma. Don't forget where we left off last time, this may be a tense relationship but he's somehow worked himself into solidifying the Emperor title. I get the vibe at least CrocHawk are fuming here because they're realizing they have to play ball with Buggy on some level because he's the one with the men's loyalty. That's an important note for this chapter, the power of charisma vs. Vegapunk muddying his own message.

Let that one sit a moment because it won't really play much in the rest of the chapter, but like we often say with Egghead it is an interesting scene to frame the rest with. While Vegapunk's message and the impact of it remind me so much of David Bowie's Five Years, the little lead-in line made another rock music reference worth paying attention to. "The Times They are A-Changin." We couldn't use it as the chapter title because that, in full English, was already one which was confirmed as a reference. 572. Whitebeard giving the final order. Our lead in to the death of Luffy's brother Ace.

We'll talk narrative structure in a minute. Because I want to keep smoking this Whitebeard pack while I have it open. "I failed to make him King." That line, the flashback, the sacrifice...I see why we have that callback. Emeth here ends up being a pretty cool combination of Whitebeard back then and Izo's sacrifice late in Wano on top of the obvious internal parallel with Kuma. Especially when you mix it with seeing Koby's reflections on early chapters this chapter really felt like it was hitting that deep DNA of the series.

And of course, that makes the title interesting this time. "The Time is at Hand." I feel like I'm supposed to be making that connection right now. And honestly? All I've talked about this whole time could work just fine if Luffy simply gets taunted after this like Ace does. For all the pomp and circumstance. All the big ideas of Grand Fleets and mystery interlopers, that could tie it off here too. Are we ready to "untie the knot?" Are these scattered contexts about to make sense and reweave time?

It's not like I can ignore the confluence here. The bulk of the Gorosei are banished. Nami's lament about Atlas & Edison imply Lilith is the Last (goo-, evi-...allied) Punk Standing. Er...laying. You know I just thought "Last Punk Standing" sounded cool okay? The broadcast is donezo. Robonosuke's done his thing. Even cinching up Caribou and the Blackbeard bits. All this happens as the ships come together and the gang is drifting away.

Just saying, feels like the broadcast did sorta serve as this third discrete segment where Egghead takes on a different tone. And now that's settled. We'll have this break and honestly? Next few chapters feel like a total wild card.

[venaue]

" Woah... I've never been to a forest before... Arf! "

[ SR ] Anchor Wilthorne - Golden Frost Festival

( event made and hosted by @the-rini-rush !! )

Voicelines + Extra Images (hoodless version + both w/ out card overlay) under the cut! <3

Voicelines:

" Huh? Fairies that can change the weather..? I thought they could only do that in storybooks... "

"It's kinda sad this event only happens every ten years... Though between you and me, pretty sure it's even sadder that Night Raven hasn't gotten invited for almost a whole century. Heh... "

" They're changin' it from summer to winter, right? Arf! That sucks real bad. I bet it's gonna be so much harder to find places to nap in the cold... Wait- Did I even bring any cold winter clothes to Night Raven?! "

" Forests look so peaceful... I've always wanted to visit one, actually. It's... such a vast difference from what I'm used too... At least- that's what I've gathered from movies and such anyway- arf! "

" Hey, what do you even do at a festival? It's not like I've ever been to one before... "

" ...Even though Aros did up my outfit himself, I seriously can't tell whether it's actually appropriate, or whether he just wanted to play dress up on me... Hmph... "

" Did- arf! Did Aros really have to tie the front of my hood into a little bow... Arf! Well- I guess I can't complain too much, he did make the entire thing from scratch for me... And scritched my ears as an apology for the trouble... A-ack! You- arf! You didn't hear that! "

" I wish Mace would stop making that stupid pun out of my name... saying 'Anchor will thorn' and then snickering immedietaly after got old after the first time... when we were like- five... arf! "

" Oh, Jack's coming? Neat. At least I might have someone to talk to during the event... Lookin' at scenery can only last you so long before it gets boring... Trust me, I'd know. "

" I bet I could bring Xen along and no one'd bat an eye. Grk- not that I'd ever be friendly enough with that thing to pull that off-... Arf! 'Sides- I'm pretty sure it'd peck my eyes out if I even thought about seperatin' it from Yuuto... "

"...There was a pocket in this vest, so I just stuck my phone in it. Pretty smart, right? ...Eh? It doesn't match the outfit at all..? Well- Arf! It's too late to do anythin' about it now! I really thought I was onto something... "

(mb i had so many voiceline ideas this is such a huge block of writing for voice lines of all things omg ...)

--

Extra Images:

[zeroseuniverse]

Hypothetical

WC: 461

Pairing: OT8 X reader (everyone platonic except Chan.)

“I want Seungmin and Lee Know!” She demanded pointing at the two men who had been watching the conversation take place with amused grins. Chan and his girlfriend had been trying to break the group up into groups so that if anything were to ever happen between them they’d each have their own friends from the group.

“What? no I want Lee Know.” Chan refuted earning an offended look from Seungmin.

“Why don’t you argue for me?” Seungmin wondered, making Chan simply look at him with zero expression.

“Because Lee Know doesn’t make fun of my age. And he cooks all of the time. Also you are the exact same as her, why would I separate you two?”

Fair point, Seungmin deemed in his head before watching the argument continue.

“I want Felix.” Chan added, making his girlfriend look offended.

“Oh hell no you can’t take both Lee Know and Felix.”

“Okay you can have Lee Know then.” Chan huffed with a frown, knowing that Felix was definitely closest to him.

“I want Han.” 

“What?” Jisung asked as he walked into the room to get water looking between the two confused.

“They’re picking who out of the friendgroup they get if they ever get into an argument.” Lee Know explained with an amused grin.

“Why not let us pick a side?” Jisung wondere,  making the two scoff.

“No then it’ll be uneven.” She huffed out, making Jisung look at her oddly.

“It’ll be uneven anyway there are 9 of us.”

“Shit!” The two let out in unison.

“And why can’t we just hang out with you guys separately?” Hyunjin asked, peeking from around the corner he had been hiding behind. 

“You can have Hwang.” She said, looking away from the tall boy to the muscular one in front of her.

“No, I insist you keep him.”

“Hey!”

“I can’t have both Jisung and Hyunjin, they're both dramatic, they're worse together.”

“Honestly in what world would you ever get into an argument? You guys are perfect for each other.”Jeongin wondered, also emerging from his eavesdropping spot with Felix.

“I will battle you to the death for Innie.” She said more determined than any of them had ever seen.

“You aren’t getting Innie!” 

And with that the two broke out into a playful wrestle, each of them trying to make it to the maknae but being held back by the other each time.

“Does this mean we get two Christmas parties?”Changin asked casually as he popped out of the cabinet he wedged himself in. 

And with that the group of 8 calmed down from the banter and instead crashed to the floor laughing watching as the tiny and muscular man tried to wiggle himself out of the confines of the wood.

[taylor-swift-bracket]

Battle Of The Bridges: Round 2

The Bolter

She's been many places with

Men of many faces

First, they're off to the races

And she's laughing, drawin' aces

But none of it is changin'

That the chariot is waitin'

Hearts are hers for the breakin'

There's escape in escaping

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?

Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?

Were you writin' a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy?

In fifty years, will all this be declassified?

And you'll confess why you did it and I'll say, "Good riddance"

'Cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn't forbidden

I would've died for your sins, instead, I just died inside

And you deserve prison, but you won't get time

You'll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars

You crashed my party and your rental car

You said normal girls were boring

But you were gone by the morning

You kicked out the stage lights, but you're still performing

🌁Please reblog!🌁

[triflesandparsnips]

I'm not seeing enough deep-dive nonsense about the new Good Omens season 2 poster drop on my dash, and by god that means I must be the one to deliver it.

For those who haven't seen it yet, behold:

...there's a lot in here to go a wee bit feral over, if one was so inclined, and lord knows I love an inclination.

The Obvious Stuff

1. There Was Only One Bed Chair

This is the bulk of the commentary I've seen, and tbh, it's pretty great. "I am bored/busy and ignoring you but also what is personal space, never heard of her, we will not be taking questions at this time."

Notably, however, this is the second time we've seen them back to back-- the majority of the poster art we saw for the first season had them side by side. In both cases they're in a position to face some third thing together-- the difference, perhaps, is that side by side might imply equality of situation, while back to back implies implicit trust that the other won't stab you there.

2. The bookshop

Aw, look at them. Look at it. What a glorious little mess. This is them in London. Arizaphale looks pleased with the situation; Crowley looks bored af but he's also squished up on that one dang chair, so there's a "cat sitting next to you because parallel play and mirroring are the Best Interactions" feel to it.

3. Tea and wine

Arizaphale's got a teacup, Crowley's got a wine glass, this is very Them and indicative of their Vibes. Tbh, I think this is just a nice bit of design work, but it's worth calling out.

4. The outside street

The shop across the way is using a Gothic and reads "GIVE ME" before being cut off. No clue what it means, but it probably means something.

5. The tagline

The previous tagline we got was "Something's going down in the Up" (with that grey feather falling between their black and white wings)-- this tagline reads "Everyday it's a-getting closer."

Easiest interpretation is, oho, we're getting closer to the second season, and gosh there will be some Plot in it. And sure, yes, it works for that too, huzzah. But leaving aside the "it" and what that may mean-- "a-getting" is a fascinating word choice. It evokes similar constructions like, say, the somewhat obscure "Sumer is icumen in" (a song about the changing of the seasons and also encouraging a cuckoo to go lay some eggs in other birds nests if u no wat im sayin eyyyyy)-- and the significantly less obscure protest song "The Times They Are A-Changin'", whose ending stanza is:

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'

Gosh.

Now the Real Fun Starts

This poster is a composite image (as so many ads are), composed of different bits and pieces to form a whole impression -- based on fun stuff like relative pixelation and whatnot, you can often tell what portions of an image were there to start with, and what were specifically added in after the fact. How packed this poster is in tiny details -- which is exactly where I would hide fun hints to things -- is generally a cue for me to take a closer look, and I have been, I think, rewarded.

1. The books with legible titles

Zoom in on Aziraphale's book-- he's reading Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. The "two cities" in play are Paris and London, and the book is set before and during the French Revolution.

It's the story of a man who had been previously imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years, and then was released to go live with his daughter -- who he has never met, what with the whole "imprisoned" thing -- in London.

The opening paragraph is:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

The pile of books in the foreground have two visible titles: the topmost one is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (a "novel of manners" that's considered a heavy-hitting romantic classic, and also yes the leads are both prideful and prejudiced and it takes an entire book for them to clear that up) and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (a young adult coming-of-age adventure story about a kid who finds himself on an adventure with a bunch of pirates to discover buried treasure).

Of note: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island also all have note tabs sticking out of them, and are the only books that have them. This is reminiscent of how Arizaphale studied and referenced Agnes Nutter's prophecies.

Some of the books beneath the window technically have titles, but they appear to be about as pixelated as the rest of that section, and so I suspect they're just part of the scenery.

Similarly, most of the books on the background shelves are like that as well, except:

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (A satirical novel set in World War II; Wikipedia briefly explains that "the novel examines the absurdity of war and military life through the experiences of Yossarian and his cohorts, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home." The book also coined the phrase "catch-22," which is a situation someone can't escape because of paradoxical rules-- in the case of the book, you can't ask to be evaluated for insanity so that you can be exempt from flying dangerous missions, because "anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy.")

Iain Banks's The Crow Road (and a first edition, perhaps? I haven't read it, but apparently it's a Scottish family drama about a perfect murder against the backdrop of the 1990s Gulf War. Its opening line is "It was the day my grandmother exploded." The phrase "the crow road" is a euphemism, in the book, for death.)

Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim (Sparknotes says it's "the story of a man named Marlow's struggle to tell and to understand the life story of a man named Jim" -- a young man who goes to sea, makes a terrible and cowardly decision while following his leaders, and then spends the rest of his life haunted by it.)

There's at least one extra, partially obscured title:

It appears to read "THE BODY ------ and ------", which makes me wonder if it's an anthology of murder mystery short stories.

Leaving aside the uncertain book, commonalities between many of these books include:

soldiers, war, and the horrors/absurdities thereof

doubles and parallels

death and murder

a young/inexperienced protagonist thrown in with more experienced/weirder folk

fragmented and out of order narratives, sometimes having to be pieced together from multiple viewpoints

...pirates

2. The strange but noticeable inserts

There are several images that have been inserted into the poster that -- unlike the teacup and wine glass mentioned above -- don't seem to make a lot of contextual sense and are therefore, perhaps, extra information. These include:

a. the three lizard boys

b. the broken smartphone

c. the matchbox with the quote on the side

d. the camera

e. this statuette that seems suspicious

f. this record and scroll that seem out of place

g. the clockface with the missing hand (which may be just for the Aesthetic, but whatever, I'm including it)

What do they mean? No clue. I suspect it will become apparent as we get trailers and/or the actual show.

In Conclusion

Uh.

Look. Design teams can do all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons. All of this could mean absolutely nothing.

But.

Using my magical powers of bullshit deduction, I might look at all this, and that grey feather falling from the earlier poster, and say... well... the war's still ongoing, yeah? So maybe... maybe there needs to be a new angel keeping an eye on things on Earth. Or an eye specifically on Aziraphale and Crowley.

And that would look SUSPICIOUS, right? So this is an angel who's maybe... a little bit Fallen. For the sake of the Mission. Like, they've agreed to sin just a lil bit, just enough to justify being thrown out of Heaven, and they're not actively in Hell because they're, oh, just stopping off, or maybe just going really slowly, or maybe they were sent back up from Hell because they were still "too good" and all that Pureness of Spirit was stinking up the place--

Whatever. Point is, they're on Earth, they're very confused, it sure would be nice if these very Established metaphysical elders could give them a few hints about how to get on. We'd then get to enjoy a Guide to Living a Totally Normal Human Life given by these two disaster dorks, plus whatever nonsense is derived from, idk, various extraneous plot shenanigans, probably involving a Murder and maybe a MacGuffin Maltese Falcon.

And most importantly: this new angel? Wow no they couldn't possibly be a spy because again WOW, what kind of angel would deliberately Fall? Wouldn't that require doing the wrong thing to do a right thing? ...okay maybe, but can it really be wrong if it was done by command? ...well, wait, it surely must be wrong because otherwise the mechanism wouldn't have worked-- but then, wait, which thing was the wrong thing--

And Aziraphale and Crowley would watch this bouncing volley of cognitive dissonance with great interest, also possibly while holding hands.

[dylanlila]

why I didn’t know that you are not only full of love for Lila but also passionate about Bob Dylan. I never thought about Bob Dylan=Lila but now I could not listening to any of his songs of the 60s without thinking about her...

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK 🧡✨🧡✨🧡✨🧡✨🧡✨🧡✨🧡 sorry for the rest of this reply in advance 🌙

i'm ecstatic about this making sense to somebody else... for me it's mostly how both of these personalities are about somebody unsuitable and scrawny and generally unpleasant being elevated to this holy warrior status purely thanks to their mind and their ideas. there is this shape-shifting quality to both dylan and lila where they're simultaneously too young and too old... something about dylan's tone is very lila to me, specifically 60s dylan as you say, because perpetual state of transition is something so integral to lila. you have this equally idealistic and serious youth battling almost clumsy, but not unfounded nihilism. it's literally dylan's face on the times they are a-changin' cover. every description of lila's outbursts of creativity is incredibly reminiscent of dylan's manic writing in the sixties to me, where it isn't even that you want to do this necessarily (lila definitely doesn't, but she can't help it -> it's her basic nature), but your body is too restricting to keep your energy locked inside. boundaries dissolving or whatever. and lila making the deal with the solaras reminds me of dylan going electric. do i think they sold themselves? doesn't matter in this particular context. it's about the controversy of that action. but most of this is in my lila x dylan web weave anyways (linking the version with a little essay i left in the reblogs). my lila playlist is titled sad-eyed lady of the lowlands... i should probably make a dylan only limited edition of that. this doesn't even scratch the surface of what i have to say on the subject, but it's probably just me being delusional about linking two of the most significant figures of my life. aaaaand i am rambling for no reason whatsoever again.

[cowardlybean]

Hey. The Times They Are A Changin’ by @bandtrees and @tigsbitties amiright (muffled face down on the floor)

more (some unsettling things) beneath the cut :3

(Image 3 is my favorite sequence from an animation for TTTAAAC I’ve been working on, so here it is just in case I never finish </3, image 4 is me thinking about Mob’s house. If. That makes sense.)

OH MAN. OH MAN OH MAN. this fic has altered my brain chemistry in a way that has doctors baffled and leaves tragedy in its wake!!!!!!!!! Absolutely a masterpiece I’ve reread it 3 times now and every time I notice a new detail, there’s just SO MUCH CARE put into it. I think I could write an essay about every page of this fic LMAO it honestly blows me away, huge kudos to everyone who was a part of the project!!!!

Especially the multimedia aspects, they were so much fun to find and in some cases decode (Scared the SHIT outta myself with Breathe I think it’s one of my favorites). the youtube videos were so cool as well

Realizing a third of the way in that things will never get better was such a gut wrenching experience, and by the time I realized just how deep the hole Mob dug himself into was it was absolutely too late for anything to happen (the end of act 1 was horrific in the most amazing way. So many things stuck with me: the state Reigen was left in compared to how he was, Ritsu’s “surgery”, Dimple losing his best friend, Shou’s report to the police, Minori’s conversation (if you can call it that) with Mob?? Bone. Chilling.

One of the parts that has been sitting in my gut is Reigen’s fall, where he starts to ramble through fragments of old times. I genuinely thought he was calling out to Mob until just as the same time Mob did I recognized the words and it hit me like a HAMMER. I don’t know how to put it into words but Reigen rambling on like a broken record tore me apart, and then it gets WORSE. I only realized on my second read that the intro of the fic. (Correct me if I’m wrong) IS REIGENS PERSPECTIVE OF MOB SEVERING HIS TENDONS???? Holy fuck. Holy FUCK. The vague semblance of consciousness written there is so deeply unsettling I’m absolutely OBSESSED with it. ESPECIALLY THE FACT THAT EVEN IN THAT STATE HE STILL WANTS MOB TO BE HAPPY (the cheer ^^ mob bit) and idk if I’m interpreting right (this is gonna be so embarrassing if I’m not) but him recognizing the filthy jacket as well. Taking me OUT. AND. AND THE FACT REIGEN NEVER SPEAKS AGAIN AFTER THAT?????? (I could be wrong oops)

The mental states of every character in the fic are written so chillingly well. I can understand how Mob spirals, the anger and grief Tome feels, Shou's spite and anger, Teruki's conflict, Dimple's loss of his best friend, Serizawa's waning optimism, I can't name every character in this fic but they are ALL characterized so well. There's no needless conflict that make them OOC, there's a reason behind every little tragedy building upon themselves and creating a giant disaster that deeply affects the entire cast. Not to mention how its not just the loss of Reigen and Ritsu, but the loss of Mob too. If they were to have died on impact, its unsettling to think that things may have turned out better than this.

There’s a lot of things I wanna say that would basically be restating the fic (dimple losing his best friend, teru shaving, and the irony of ritsu’s powers being taken away by mob) so instead of writing 20 more paragraphs I’ll ask some questions I’ve been mulling over (ofc yall don’t have to answer if it’s revealing too much or smth)

Does Mob actually end up getting investigated or arrested? The formatting of the social media posts and texts makes them seem as if they're evidence and so does the ongoing "interview?" with Shou throughout the fic

In the party, is Reigen saying he doesn't like citrus a reference to the lemon sour :eyes:

I'm probably missing something but im curious about the metaphor around Reigen and a stray cat (hair clinging to Mob's clothes, comparing him to a stray cat finding a place to die, comparing him to a cat outside Serizawa's door)

If I'm not wrong and the "glitchy" sections at the beginning and end of the fic are Reigen and Ritsu's povs respectively, is their mind constantly like that or is it just in the specific circumstances where they have a small burst of consciousness?

last (thats a lie im definitely drawing more fanart in the future) but not least, some notes from when I was re-reading

[spade-riddles]

champagneproblesm asked:

Kinda tells a story when you pick the outro or last verse from each song backwards :

The only thing that's left is the manuscript. One last souvenir from my trip to your shores. Now and then i re read the manuscript. But the story isn't mine anymore

But now we'll curtail your curiosity in sweetness

She's been many places with men of many faces. First, they're off to the races. She's laughing drawin' aces. But, none of it is changin'. That the chariot is waitin'. Hearts are hers for the breakin. There's an escape in escaping OR she fell through the Ice then came black Alive.

But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light

When the truth Comes out it's quiet. It's so quiet .

(I'm so afraid I sealed my fate no sign of soulmates. I'm just a paperweight in shades of greige) Spending my last coin so someone will tell it'll be ok

What if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time.

I pushed each boulder up that hill.

This place made me feel worthless

Your words were just still ringing in my head.

I'm hearing voices like a mad man

Leaving me bereft and reeling, my beloved ghost and me sitting in a tree D-Y-I-N-G

Can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses, cooler in theory but not if you force it to be, it just didn't happen.

The devil that you know looks now more like an angel. I'm the life you chose and all this terrible danger OR she IS here to destroy you

Pick your poison, babe I'm poison either way

Now I want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes and hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons. Even if I die screaming and I hope you hear it.

Only when your girlish glow flickers just so do they let you know i's hell on earth to be heavenly. Them's the breaksThey don't come gently

They said there was no chance, trying to be the greatest in the league.

You hung me on your wall, stabbed me with your push pins. In public, showed me off then sank in stoned oblivion cause once your queen had come you treat her like an also-ran. You didn't measure up in any measure of a man

Cause i'm miserable. And no one even knows. Try and Come for my job

Your arsons match your somber eyes. And i'll still see it till the day i die. (You're the loss of my life.)

Your good lord didn't need to lift a finger.

I am what i am cause you trained me. So who's afraid of little old me?

Am i allowed to cry ?

Go on fuck me up

I did my Time.

All the wine moms are still holding out but it's over.

You'll find someone.

Waving at the ship, fuck it if i can't have him

Left all these broken parts, told me i'm better of but i'm not

Who else decodes you ? or / i chose this cyclone with you

it won't start up 'til I touch, touch, touch you

it won't start up 'til I touch, touch, touch you (fortnight)

Then midnights

I can't find a pulse my Heart won't start anymore

have they come to take me away?

You should find another guiding light

Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first

It's been two thousand one hundred and 90 days of our love blackout. The system's breaking down.

I'd pay if you'd just know me. Seemed like the right thing at the time.

Levitate above all the messes made sit quiet by my side in the shade. And not the kind that's thrown, I mean The kind under where a tree has grown

it's all over, it's not meant to be. So I'll say words I don't believe

There's no morning glory, it was war, it wasn't fair. And we will never go back.

Had to do it this way 'Cause we were born to be the pawn In every lover's game

You say "what a mind" this happens all the Time

It's coming back around.

Break up, break free, break through, break down. You would break your back to make me break a smile

I think it's time to teach some lessons i made you my world. have you heard? I can reclaim the land.

I'm on my vigilante shit again.

But you were on somethin', It was one drink after another, Fuckin' politics and gender roles, And you're not sure and I don't know. Got swept away in the gray. I just may like to have a conversation

So I peered through a window, A deep portal, time travel, All the love we unravel. And the life I gave away

I'll run away

to hide that would be so dishonest. And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it. 'Til you do, 'til it's true

Pierced through the Heart but Never killed.

I feel you no matter what. The rubies that i gave up.

I find it dizzing they're bringing m'y History. But you weren't Even listening.

[dollsonmain]

It has been kind of interesting watching new and/or younger doll collectors that don't know how bad nylon hair can be assuming that any hair that isn't buttery soft is poly.

I used to HATE nylon hair because I'd only experienced the really cheap, nasty stuff up until Kiwi was released, and up until I learned how to fix bad nylon. I can make shitty nylon nicer, now.

They're like "nylon doesn't get all tangled and scruffy!" and yeah it does.

This is mid-grade old Kenner nylon (Fashion Star Fillies). This was the good nylon back in the 80's and these ponies were all in good condition when I picked them up at Goodwill.

To me, it's kind of like younger generations only knowing how to use touch devices like smart phones and not having experience with PCs unless they specifically have a reason to use a PC whereas PCs were the norm before. It's just times-a-changin'.

[lazysublimeengineer]

A curious child, ever reviled By everyone except her own father With a quite bewitching face Splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless Excellent fun 'til you get to know her Then she runs like it's a race Behind her back, her best mates laughed And they nicknamed her "The Bolter"

Started with a kiss "Oh, we must stop meeting like this" But it always ends up with a Town Car speeding Out the drive one evening Ended with the slam of a door Then he'll call her a whore Wish he wouldn't be sore But as she was leaving It felt like breathing

He was a cad, wanted her bad Just like any good trophy hunter And she likes the way it tastes Taming a bear, making him care Watching him jump then pulling him under And at first blush, this is fate When it's all roses, portrait poses Central Park Lake in tiny rowboats What a charming Saturday

She's been many places with Men of many faces First, they're off to the races And she's laughing drawin' aces But, none of it is changin' That the chariot is waitin' Hearts are hers for the breakin' There's an escape in escaping

All her fuckin' lives Flashed before her eyes (And she realized) It feels like the time She fell through the ice Then came out alive