#a tale of time city

[quietflorilegium]

“Don’t you miss all the other androids?” “Not at all,” said Elio. “The only time I met another android, I became extremely irritated with the creature. I confess I wished to hit it in the face. It is the one occasion on which I have felt those strong emotions that you born-humans seem to feel all the time.” “Don’t you feel anything?” Vivian said. By now they were walking briskly and they were nearly at the corner into the hall. “Don’t you even feel happy?” “No, but neither do I feel sad,” Elio said. “Amusement I do feel, and much contentment. The alarms and fusses of generations of born-humans keep me entertained all the time.”

Diana Wynne Jones, "A Tale of Time City"

[chelshiart]

elio, play 'merry-go-round of life' from howl's moving castle

[aura-oracle]

A Tale of Time City is my favorite book. I wish there was more content about it here and other social media. It’s an excellent book. Let’s talk about anything in it. Any theory or lore or knowledge they have to learn or cool futuristic inventions. Also, I wonder how do you make a butter pie?

[deconstructthesoup]

All right, I thought the concept of Ayda introducing Fig to Lapin as her stepdad was insane

But imagine the hilarity that'll ensue when Sofia finds out that La Gran Gata is in a very spicy relationship with a character from the collection of fairy tales that Iga's been reading to the kids

[witchlingcirce]

Shout out too @heronsthornx on TikTok because this is the most accurate representation I’ve seen of there friendship.

Proof:

[farouche-landau]

I clicked "Fire and Hemlock", but actually I read the short story collection "Believing is Seeing" before that. And I think I have vague memories of reading "A Tale of Time City" as a kid, but I'm not certain.

At any rate, F&H is what hooked me.

I'm curious. My first book I remember reading was in the Dalemark Quartet, but oh man, The Merlin Conspiracy? That clicked.

[casualfoxwitch]

Literally SO many things are filmed in my town

[thefrogdalorian]

I think on this fine Saturday afternoon it's a good opportunity to take a breather and remember that there are really no ethical paparazzi pictures. Every single one is inherently exploitative.

Just because photos were taken on a movie set, when someone is 'working,' does not make the practice any less invasive and creepy. Imagine just going about your day, doing your job and having some weirdo snapping pictures of you to sell without your consent for others to endlessly repost online.

There are thousands of pictures of your favourite actor online already. Plenty taken with his knowledge and consent. I'd really like to see more of them on my dash, rather than the creeper shots.

And don't get me started how disseminating these pictures directly leads to people going to said sets. What starts off as admiring how good someone looks has real world implications.

No, hanging around a movie set and disrupting people doing their jobs is not harmless fun or a way to show your appreciation.

If you hang around a movie set, you are a stalker.

Don't tell me that it's okay to take your online admiration for someone offline. You may admire him but he does not, and will never, personally know you. He will never be your friend/boyfriend/daddy. He is a stranger.

The only way meeting your favourite actor is going to happen is at a convention or maaaaaybe a movie premiere if you're incredibly fortunate. You know, places they appear specifically to meet fans (or not in the case of premieres, where the purpose is to promote a movie. Which is also completely understandable if actors don't stop. You are not owed an interaction).

Of course, you cannot help it if you randomly run into someone you admire in the wild. Even then, consider that they probably won't be all too thrilled to be approached in public by a complete stranger. It's up to you to gauge the situation, but remember there is a person at the heart of all of this.

Boundaries and respect are a kindness which deserves to be extended to each and every human being regardless of their looks/talent/fame/wealth.

Fandoms blur those lines a little too often for my liking and I think just scrutinising what you're interacting with, or what behaviour you could be possibly falling down that slippery slope towards is nice to do every once in a while.

I mean no malice with this post and it is not directed at anyone in particular. It's something I cannot help but feel strongly about because I've seen this destructive cycle time and again in fandoms over the years. It's not healthy and it makes us all a little bit more disconnected from our humanity for it...

[isobelline]

What your favourite Dickens novel says about you:

(bear in mind, most of these are severely vibes-based)

The Pickwick Papers: You're most likely gay and have a close group of friends. Your favourite hobby is prank calling your local pizza place. You miss Vine.

Oliver Twist: This is the only Dickens novel you've read or you just really like the musical. You feel extremely sorry for Nancy. You're really attached to your pet(s).

Nicholas Nickleby: You have a strong sense of justice. You either have a travel blog or want to have one. Despite everything you believe that people are fundamentally good.

The Old Curiosity Shop: You're the oldest sibling. You're interested in lost media because you're hoping to find that one cartoon that scarred you as a child. You believe that things aren't what they used to be.

Barnaby Rudge: You've watched at least one major 90s sitcom in its entirety. You love gossip. You call yourself "a little gremlin" unironically.

Martin Chuzzlewit: Oh wow, you exist? Good for you, good for you... You like nature and I mean REALLY like it. You're a completionist. You love Tom Pinch with all your heart.

Dombey and Son: You have daddy issues (duh). You're very lonely but too proud to admit it. You love gothic literature and movies about creepy children.

David Copperfield: You relate to Aunt Betsey an ungodly amount. You like listening to podcasts and imagining that the hosts are talking directly to you. You just love life, man, and all that it has to offer.

Bleak House: You're academically gifted. You know how to knit/crochet/cross stitch/all of the above. In every social situation you're the "mom friend".

Hard Times: You're not like the other girls. You had a steampunk phase. You like to read about famous shipwrecks in your spare time.

Little Dorrit: You love Downton Abbey and/or The Gilded Age. You prefer Jane Bennett to Lizzie. You are on good terms with your parents.

A Tale of Two Cities: You're a centrist. Biopic is your favourite genre of film. You don't like going to concerts because they are too loud.

Great Expectations: There's a good chance you've read this because of South Park. You think Estella deserved better (and you're right). You read a lot of fanfiction.

Our Mutual Friend: You like your characters to be actual characters and not caricatures. You call tell a Cabernet from a Merlot. You have many dating horror stories.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: You've been on at least one ghost tour. You dislike BBC's Sherlock because it is unfaithful to the books. You strongly considered going to mortuary school at some point.

[blackcur-rants]

Ideas for albums the Mechs could have done alongside their already existing ones

01. Cyberpunk retelling of events from "The Shahnameh" wherein King Jamshid and his Chief Engineer Mirdas create a powerful super-computer called the Zahhak to help them run their city...only for it to go crazy with power and absorb all the minds of the people into itself using a virus a la The Acheron before being defeated by the heroic hackers Kaveh and Fereydun (who are probably boyfriends in The Mechanisms Universe, because why not).

02. Film Noir retelling of the Hero Twins wherein they are detectives trying to bring down the Brotherhood of Xibalba crime syndicate society that runs their city.

03. Dickens crossover universe involving Fagin and the DeFarges as rival space pirates, Cartmanay and Twistperpip as polycules, Paul Dombey running a spaceship firm, the Dorrits having to escape from a prison planet, and Miss Havisham as a cyborg with Estella as her adopted daughter/repairwoman.

04. Steampunk crossover AU of all the Bronte works featuring Jane Eyre crushing on Helen Graham and queer tension between either Heathcliff and Rochester or between Heathcliff and Arthur Huntingdon or between Rochester and Arthur Huntingdon.

05. Retelling of a classic Shakespeare play, preferably one that hasn't already been adapted a billion times already.

06. Retelling of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as a space opera about a war between different planets seeking to rule over the same solar system.

07. "Journey to the West" but it's about explorers on an unknown planet.

08. Polynesiian mythology retelling wherein Maui is a biio-engineer who keeps creating whole new planets and ecosystems by accident.

09. Space opera retelling of either "The Ramayana" or "The Mahabharata".

10. Russian mythology retelling about Marya Morevna and IIvan Tsarevic facing down a Koschei the Deathless who's actually a clone of King Cole alongside one of the Bogatyrs who in this retelling is in fact a former Rose Red.

11. Retelling of "Dream of the Red Chamber" wherein the house is a virtual reality computer simulation.

12. Steampunk retelling of "Les Miserables" featuring Javert as a cyborg.

13. Retelling of "War and Peace" with a Rose Red as Napoleon and Pierre trying to shoot down King Cole.

14. Sherlock Holmes but make it Film Noir.

15. Dracula or something Dracula related.

16. Snow Queen retelling.

@lady-asteria @carcosa-commune @cynicalclassicist @miralines @cinderswife

[chelshiart]

in which elio arrives in the nick of time

[official-english-major]

*grabs you by the shoulders while frothing at the mouth* all great works of literature feature themes of love and loss

[rose-of-oz]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE 2024 — Day Eight: Multiverse

Maybe you have multiple ocs with the same faceclaim, maybe you have a friend(s) who have ocs with the same faceclaim that you’ve wanted to do a crossover with, or maybe you want your oc to meet some of the actual characters their faceclaim has played. No matter what it is, it’s time for your ocs to meet their multiverse counterparts!

Featuring all of my OCs who share faceclaims!

Melly Lovelace (Ted Lasso) & Bellemoira Thornvale (Tolkienverse)

Hayashi Lark (One Piece) & Lucinda “Hale” (Teen Wolf)

Victoria “Ria” Santos (Friends) & Marisol Crúz (Sin City, original story)

Mariela Gomez (Wizarding World) & CeCe Gomez (Sin City, original story)

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom,

@auxiliarydetective, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs,

@reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations,

@stanshollaand, @ginnystilinski-reblogs,

@luucypevensie, @ginger-grimm, @oneirataxia-girl,

@arrthurpendragon, @surebrecs, @gabbysdawsons,

@dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @stelstellakidd,

@manyfandomocs, @lapinaquarelle, @partiallypearl, @welcometotheocverse,

@ocappreciationtag.

[artist-issues]

[ouroborealis-charnivore]

Crowley dying in s3

I wasn't sure how to start this meta. I've had this theory with possible (big possible) evidence sitting around for ages and I just didn't know what to do with the information.

After I'd already had this information, I only seen a hand full of others talk about it, but none have touched on it in the same way as the things I've found in my research.

So let's get on with it. For reference I'm going to tag @nightingalecottage and their lovely post here. I really recommend reading it. This theory only saw the light of day because of their post and I told them I would tag them with my meta since it lends a lot to it. And I promised myself that I would finish this for them.

Now for the meat and potatoes. I'll break it all down about how I found this information and how it might lend some theory about possible plot to s3.

This got really long so I put a cut.

-Silly narrator voice-

The facts were these.

To start I was doing research for a fic I'm working on and the details don't matter much but I'd planned to make my 'human' crowley a barrister. I was googling famous barristers for inspiration.

This lead me to wikipedia naturally as you do. And as I was looking over the list I saw this.

After seeing this name on the list of barristers in popular culture I had a mini freakout. Mainly because two things NG is a huge fan of Charles Dickens and A Tale of Two Cities is on the bookclub reading list. And I kept thinking why did this seem familiar and this is why.

A Tale of Two Cities is on the list of books that they recommend we read or were found in s2. So after I stopped freaking out I immediately went to the wiki page for this character. I wasn't too familiar with this book so I wanted to know more. As I was now super invested and intrigued. And found this.

Sydney Carton

I couldn't help be blown away by the similarities here between Sydney Carton and a certain depressed snake demon from s2. Morosely asking Shax on a bench in the first episode "What's the point of it all?"

For some context, in the novel Sydney Carton and his later best friend Charles Darnay share a striking semblance and are easily mistaken for each other. This is how Sydney is then able to make the switch with Darnay in the end saving his life.

This brings to mind of the lore that we know that Crowley and Aziraphale were once long ago one character and split into two. Also with the ideal casting choice that Terry Pratchett wanted one actor to play both roles. That would have been really interesting and funny. Also this plays into our favorite duo MS and DT having not worked together before because they were up for the same roles.

Let's move on to

Charles Darnay

Darnay resents his uncle's views much how Aziraphale resents certain aspects of heaven, but is never able to act on very much.

The note about Darnay being tutor of French made me chuckle considering what we know about Aziraphale being terrible at French. With that whole scene centered around it in s2.

Ok so we all are well versed and familiar with the famous Bastille scene. We all know the one and its clear the inspiration here for it comes from A Tale of Two Cities possibly.

Side note Darnay and Carton are both in love with Lucie here, but I posit that in the case of Good omens, Aziraphale is possibly both Darnay and Lucie. Making him the best friend and love intrest.

Lucie Manette

And finally why does any of this matter and what does this have to do with Crowley maybe dying in s3 you ask?

The one important detail in all of this is that at the end of the novel Carton heroically sacrificed himself to save his best friend and for the women he loves. He feels it gave him purpose and felt as if his life finally had meaning.

Two things here. The scene in which Carton swaps places with Darnay being able to pass as him well enough to save his life. Is very reminiscent of our Body Swap from s1. As well as the idea that in s3 this could also happen, but in the sense that Crowley does it to save Aziraphale's life. I clearly have no idea how s3 will play out.

Now I'm not saying that s3 will be as dramatic as all of this. It is still a comedy at its core. As others have touched on in meta and in nightingalecottage's post there are many little hints that point to the similarities and the idea that Crowley maybe doomed by the narrative. In a way, I personally don't think that Crowley's hypothetical death will be permanent. I just do not see that happening at all. A temporary death I could definitely see and it could also serve to show how much Crowley truly means to Aziraphale. The shock of it would maybe be similar to how Crowley thought he lost Aziraphale in s1 and could be a parallel.

In the end this is all speculation and theory. Either way the idea of it all makes me vibrate and I needed to finally share this with someone else. They wouldn't have recommended this book if there wasn't some sort of meaning here right? And its entirely possible I'm looking in the wrong direction.

Overall there are many parallels and similarities here between A Tale of Two Cities and certain parts of Good Omens, I'm sure I may have missed some and I just wanted to end this now before it gets too long. If you made it this far and have any other theories or something you want to add on to this please feel free to tag me. I release this into the void.