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#is this an impromptu q&a where all my secrets come out
smol-bean-buchanan · 3 years
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not marvel related but
i’m playing a very dangerous game being on my phone and drowning in a lot of cough/cold medication right now so apologies for anything i might say or do in this time because i’m solely relying on auto correct to not make me look like a dumbass
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izukyu · 4 years
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𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 - oboro shirakumo x reader.
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this is a suuper late entry for @heroheads​‘s 500 followers writing contest! you’re so lovely and i hope we can talk to each other more in the future mwah.
pairing - oboro shirakumo x reader.
word count - 1.4k +
warnings - none!
summary - who would’ve guessed a run-in with the school’s resident kitten would score you a date with a cute cloud guy?
★ - requests are open!
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chasing after troublemakers was part of a hero's job. providing aid in rescue missions and the occasional patrolling duties were also in the to-do list, regardless, it all paled in comparison to actual action. fighting for the good in the world, protecting smiles - that’s the kind of hero the world needed. the kind of hero you devoted yourself to becoming one day.
except chasing down a cat of all things wouldn’t be something you signed up for exactly.
“get back here!” you called, hoping for the feline struggling to run with your essay in his mouth to answer your pleas.
how come a cat that size could make a swift getaway with five printed pages worth of knowledge? in a way, life didn’t seem to favor everyone, especially the hard-working students starting and finishing their assignments the night before the due date.
karma, perhaps?
arriving at school with ten minutes to spare had never seemed like a better idea before, given your morning so far had consisted of having your acquaintance of a cat snatch the homework you dropped before you could retrieve it. truth being that particular assignment wasn’t anything ground-breaking per se, but still. that was your night you sacrificed to finish the damn essay.
the cunning cat, and his rather odd expertise in school shortcuts, eventually drove you two to a deadend. once the troublemaker was cornered, you squatted, carefully closing the distance between the kitten and your mentally exhausted self.
“no quirk culture analysis for you on this fine morning,” a mewl of protest wasn’t enough to make you give in, instead making quick work to retrieve the severed papers. “trust me, it’s really not worth it.”
while your essay crumbled in your hands, you realized maybe social studies and the upbringing of quirks was a pretty boring subject after all - a conclusion even a kitten could come to.
a sigh slipped past your lips, scooping up the furball in your arms before standing up, “you’re a real mean guy, y’know? my teacher’s not gonna buy the old excuse again,” the rather soft to the touch kitten paid no attention to your scolding, opting for pawing your hand instead - a prison of sorts.
another loud voice busted you out of the impromptu petting session, getting closer which each hurried step that echoed in the hall.
whoever was yelling out what they were having for lunch (seriously, was there any need to shout ‘sushi’ so many times?) seemed to catch the kitten’s attention, who swiftly scrambled out of your grip. the more you thought about it, the more you realized that cat would make a damn good houdini impersonator.
your aggressive pspsps-ing wasn’t enough to catch his attention back again, and you found yourself unable to hide the kitten away in time.
“sushi, geez, don’t scare me like that again!”
surprisingly enough, the first thought that came to your mind was how ‘sushi’ was such a lame name for a pet.
the mystery student crouched down to greet the cat, grinning as sushi nuzzled his palm, “i missed you too, ya rascal.”
“... is that your cat?”
you couldn’t help but snicker as oboro, along with sushi, fell backwards, certainly not expecting a third-party to join in. “oh! well... yeah, it’s my cat.”
after that initial greeting, you straightened your tie, getting on your feet with a relieved scoff. “that little guy is certainly something else, it’s not the first time he’s messed with almost all of my notebooks and homework.”
the sudden movement caught sushi’s attention once again. without a single care in the world, he jumped back to you, to which you answered by picking him up in your arms like before. your attention was clearly somewhere else, and you failed to notice oboro’s confused gaze on you.
“yeah, sushi’s a mean one,” he scrambled to get back on his feet, effortlessly towering over you, “if he can’t find somewhere decent he’ll just pee on me.” which part of his brain told him that would be a good way to carry the conversation?
by some sort of miracle, you didn’t mind the odd confession, “you’re just a mean roll - the bad type of crude, ain’tcha, sushi?” a brief pause consisting of you pampering his cat ensued. it wasn’t necessarily an awkward silence, but there was tension in the air apparently only oboro could feel.
he scratched his neck nervously, “you’re not gonna tell the principal, are you?”
“i’m sure that man’s certain i hallucinate cats in my sleep,” you sighed in defeat, gently pulling your finger away from sushi’s mouth. “your secret’s safe with me.”
almost as if a switch had been turned, oboro visibly calmed down, his once uptight shoulders loosening up. “thanks, i’ll make sure to keep him away from bothering you!”
you hummed in acknowledgment, still too busy scratching behind sushi’s ears. “you’re a second year too right? i don’t think we’ve met each other before.”
oboro adapted to the sudden change of topic rather quickly, “yeah, i’m from class a, kinda hurt you haven’t noticed me before.”
his feigned sorrow made you smile.
“oh, i’ve seen you around. your hair’s not exactly the subtle type,” you pointed out, a giggle crawling out of your worn throat as oboro’s hand instinctively shot up to comb through his hair. “plus, it’s a two-way street, it‘s not like you’ve made any attempts to interact either.”
“i have!” oboro’s eyes shot open almost comically, “remember during last year’s culture festival when someone accidentally spilled their soba on you?”
“oh my god,” you were no longer unable to contain your tittering, soon reigning the empty hall with boisterous, genuine laughter. “that was you?”
“i need to emphasize the accidentally part,” oboro reciprocated your emotion, his smile widening by the second, although the small tinge of pink in his cheeks implied it was more of flusteredness than anything. “you were just - your costume for the show… you looked really pretty, and maybe i got distracted!”
too busy to tease him any further, you made an attempt to contain your laughter, alas, a rather vain attempt. “pretty, huh? i would have never guessed you’d be into jumpsuits and tophats. god, costume design for that gig was a hot mess.”
oboro crossed his arms in indignation, although the twitching of his lips quickly invalidated his serious facade, “well, you pulled it off really well. you should’ve heard yamada after, he tried to scold me for spilling his food, but he was too busy laughing at how red i was.”
“you’re too much, shirakumo.”
he blinked in confusion, “you know my name?”
now it was your turn to stutter, lips moving, although there were no words exactly coming out of them. “o-oh, it is? it’s actually a pretty common surname and, truth be told, it was just a wild guess-”
“hey,” a small voice crack cut his words short, “no, no - it’s okay, i know your name too!”
before you could attempt to bail out of the awkward predicament, an quiet purring interrupted the conversation, gradually becoming louder and louder. apparently, sushi saw it fit to doze off in your arms, no longer in any rush to mess with you or your studies.
a lifesaver in disguise.
“right, the kitten,” oboro seemed to be equally thankful for the adorable disturbance, moving closer to take sushi from your arms. “sorry for all the trouble this little troublemaker might’ve caused you, i’m still trying to find him a home.”
“can’t say he wasn’t a pain in the ass, but i’ll live,” you sighed, patting your shirt in hopes of shaking off sushi’s keepsake. all efforts were in vain though, cat hair doesn’t come off as easily. maybe this time it could serve as an alibi for your missing homework.
‘teacher, a cat tore my homework apart’ had a nice ring to it.
“well, i’ll see you around, loud cloud.”
oboro squeezed his eyes shut as you walked away, sushi nibbling on his arm pushing him off the edge. “wait, (y/n)!”
you stopped in your tracks, turning around to face the gremlin and his awfully cute owner.
“i was thinking,” he started, searching deep inside his heart for his trademark courage or wit, really anything that could save him. “i’m pretty sure my internship’s gonna be really close to yours, so maybe we could go out for coffee sometime?”
the loud ringing of the school bell muscled into your chat, leaving you with no other option than to scream your answer out.
“not gonna ask how you know where my internship is,” you joked, smirking at his own flustered grin. “but that sounds... good actually, maybe you could even help me with the homework handsome sushi over there stole from me!”
as students started to fill the hall, some more eager to get to class than others, your cloud friend snickered, his toothy smile serving as a goodbye, “it’s a date then.”
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★ - check out the rest of my works!
★ - wanna get tagged in my stuff?
general: @brattyquirks​ @quirkless-fics​ @tooloudarts​ @bringingpinkbac-k​ @thewaterlily​ @kittyatemytaco​ @nyantodamax145​ @iachan03​ @imconfusedanditsok​ @nishigo​ @torrpe​ @bakugo-baby​ @lovingshoto​ @yuueimagines​
shirakumo: @witchy-anna​
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breakingpointrp · 3 years
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                                      𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞. the arrival
                   spoiler alert: things get tragic in the end
TYPE: impromptu event
FOCUS: character bonding and plots
DEADLINE: from march 19th to march 23th 
It all happened as fast as bad news get spread. A fight at a group chat lead to a couple of hockey players trying to warm things up. Typical, if you ask me. They’ve always been ebullient ones, always jumping in front of the gun to whatever reasons they thought fitting. “Let’s make a bonfire”, one of them said. And they all decided that it was a great idea. If they only knew...
PART ONE — GETTING READY
The first thing that you do, as usual, is to think weather you’re coming or not. It would be a good reason to meet your friends, if you had them. Now that you think of it, you don’t even know if it was all a folie à deux, a collective hysteria induced by excess of stress, or an actual invitation by someone. Anyway, you pick your outfit after what seemed like years beyond human life, and look in the mirror. Is that really you? You think as you look in the mirror. It looks oddly like someone else. When you blink, it’s gone, you are back to what you looked before. You curse in an ancient language that no one knows but you. 
Before heading out, you decide to bring a few things. First, a place to sit on when you arrive at the far, far region of the infamous GARDENS. Second, something to drink and eat. Third, the key to your room. 
OUT OF CHARACTER — Just for funsies, you can look through the internet and make a moodboard that illustrates what your character is wearing at the bonfire! You should make this a post at your character’s blog along with a quick list of what your character is bringing there. 
As the instructions say, you should bring something to sit, to drink and eat, and your keys. If you want to bring more things, like a map, or a secret compass you bought years ago from a total stranger and never needed to use until now, you are absolutely encouraged to bring as well. 
The post should be tagged as #breakingbonfire and be posted in the “#character-edits” channel of the Discord, so we can all appreciate each other’s posts!!
PART TWO — THE WAY THERE
You start to realize that it doesn’t matter weather you’re going alone or not. As you leave your dorm, everything is silent and empty. You don’t know where your dormmates are, it should be filled with rambunctious youngsters hopping from one couch to another and chatting louder than they should. As you cross the PLAZA DI HAUTEVILLE, you see that everything looks like a ghost town, except for a few faces who look just as frightened as you are. You end up bonding over the fear of getting swallowed by the hauntings of the campus.
As you’re reaching the GARDENS, you see something you shouldn’t. Jaws are dropped, hands are thrust in the pockets and breaths are held. You can’t believe that you are being tied by this person by an unspeakable secret; now you have to choose what to do.
OUT OF CHARACTER — You should plot with other players about who your characters are going with, or if they’re meeting someone on their way to the party. This is a good time to message people who you haven’t messaged before and offer plots with your character! 
This is a good time to plot what is going to happen at the party. You can think about cool plots that you want to write, make a list and show them to other people! This way, everyone can know what you want to write and maybe even brainstorm together a plot that works for both of your characters.
If you don’t know where to start, try here! 
PART THREE — THE PARTY
When you enter the GARDENS, you start to hear a sound. It echoes through the trees, shakes the leaves and is carried by the wind. It’s music. You let yourself be carried away by the smell of smoke, alcohol, food and burnt wood. Everything is nice, for a minute. Everything is nice, you repeat to yourself. The rest of the night carries on as a blur.
OUT OF CHARACTER — Now you just have to interact! Remember to tag all of your starters with the tag #breakingstarters, and post them at the channel “#starters” on our Discord server!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Do I have to follow exactly what is written here? A: No, you don’t! You can do as you like, those are just for the vibes. But if you want, you’re welcome to!
Q: Do I have to make a post with my outfit, etc.? A: No, you don’t! 
We’ll add more questions as they come!
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hey! thank you for everything that you do! you are awesome. im just wondering if you any fic were Stiles is fae? thank you!
We sure do. - Anastasia
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till the moon has taken flight (to the waters and the wild) by WindyRein
(5/10 I 1,426 I Not Rated I Steter)
It's not fair! But he knows already that life isn't fair, doesn't he? He can feel the bitter smile curling his lips.He, if there is such a thing anymore, floats and is torn apart and doesn't exist. (but that would be kind, wouldn't it?)
Bloody Secrets by cywscross
(1/1 I 3,085 I Teen I Steter)
Stiles has silver in his veins.
Peter could’ve done without finding out this way though.
Somewhere to Start by Lissadiane
(1/1 I 3,352 I Teen I Sterek)
Stiles has always known that he isn't quite human - the plant life that tends to sprout around him whenever he gets upset or excited gives it away. He's never really fit in among the regular people in Beacon Hills and is determined to wait it out, go to college, and find somewhere to belong. He's forced to abandon those plans, however, after he desperately agrees to enter into an arranged marriage to save his father's life.
An arranged marriage with an angry, sometimes furry dude with trust issues. It's all very Beauty and the Beast, without the singing candlesticks.
Dance Under the Moonlight by Therapeutic_Steter
(2/2 I 3,440 I Mature I Steter)
Fae!Stiles saving Peter from Pack's stupidity and washing his hands of them. Please?
The Other Side by Green
(1/1 I 3,769 I Explicit I Steter)
Stiles doesn't know anything about his father, only what his mother told him, that he's human. Despite her words, Stiles has had his doubts. So when the queen sends him through the veil, he's nervous and isn't sure what to think.
Seven Years Falling by InfiniteAlexisA
(1/1 I 3,880 I Not Rated I Sterek)
“I don’t mean to!” Derek yelled throwing his hands in the air.“DON’T YELL AT ME!” Stiles screeched, his entire body going up in flames.This is what Derek gets for dating a fire elemental.
we're not so different (you and i) by colferstilinski
(1/1 I 5,621 I Explicit I Sterek)
For many of the fairies that lives here, Utopia is their sanctuary—haven, in other words—and why shouldn't it be? It never rains on this stretch of meadow, the clouds in the skies always pink with interest and it smells like the breaking of spring every dawn and dusk.
Stiles detest it, the least to say.
It’s too much and he hates swinging along with the status quo with the other fairies. Yeah, with their blooming shades of colours and the shimmering, silken tunics they don on and fuck, the limitless sparkles. There’s even a new trend going on with the younger generation where they gather allium blooms to form a flower crown, oh—with added glitter!—and it makes Stiles wants to roll his eyes.
-
Or the fic in which Stiles is a fairy and wants to escape the horrendous, boring world of fairyland to have an adventure. And by adventure, he means meeting Derek. The plant. Or... not-so plant.
Cold Iron by the_problem_with_stardust
(5/5 I 5,641 I Teen I Sterek)
Derek thought the disaster that ended with Kate Argent almost burning down his family home was a relationship worst-case scenario. So, when Dr. Deaton reveals that his current girlfriend is not what she seems, Derek is ready to swear off romance forever. In an attempt to escape his well-meaning (but insanely overbearing) family, Derek volunteers to take over remodeling the small cottage that was left to the Hale siblings in his grandmother’s will. Connemara is nothing like California, and Derek feels like his luck just might be looking up.
salt and a waltz by The Byger (Byacolate)
(1/1 I 7,433 I Explicit i Sterek)
"Not that lubed-up Q-tips aren’t the sexiest thing in the world, but I kinda want to know what it’s like, you know. To be impaled on your huge dick without actually being impaled.”
“It was about to get sexy there, but you shot the mood right in the face.”
In which Stiles is a faerie and Derek is sick and tired of not being able to fuck him.
Don't You Wanna Be My Sky? by WhoNatural
(1/1 I 9,420 I General I Sterek)
Stiles got ratted out by the Realm Guard for sneaking off with Scott a total of seven times before his dad buckled, promising sabbatical once Stiles reached Faehood, and enough Earth culture in the meantime to have him talking like a born-and-bred Californian teenager.
He just didn’t have the tan.
(Or, in which Stiles is a Frost Fae sent to the Earth Realm on the Fae version of Rumspringa and immediately falls head-first into a Coffee Shop AU)
No Love in Idleness by Elpie (Horribibble)
(2/2 I 11,687 I Explicit I Sterek)
Stiles is the sole grandchild of none other than Robin Goodfellow, the most mischievous faerie ever to wreak havoc among the Folk and Man alike. To the people of Beacon Court, he is at best a merry wanderer of the night.
At first, Ser Derek is inclined to agree, but the little bird on his shoulder has quite a bit to say about that.
Trees are always a relief after dealing with people (except when they aren't) by ravelqueen
(1/1 I 15,889 I Mature I Sterek)
Derek Hale decides to become a hermit before he reaches 25. Too bad he picked Beacon Hills as his retirement home.
(Or the one where Stiles is a wood nymph/pixie/human hybrid who falls in love with his new grumpy werewolf neighbour)
Broken People Get Recycled by poemwithnorhyme
(1/1 I 16,389 I General i Sterek)
Nothing is ever just calm in Beacon Hills. No, something always has to go wrong, and this time, it's Stiles' turn in the spotlight. That doesn't mean he has to like it. Post S2 AUFae!Stiles
The Magic's in the Coffee by xxxillusionxxx
(8/8 I 17,596 I Explicit I Sterek)
Ever since the tall, muscled, leather-clad werewolf had begun his daily coffee routine at the Skullery—a horrendous name in Stiles’s opinion, but his boss was a skeleton who thought he was terribly clever—an impromptu competition developed among the baristas.
When Trust is Everything by hellbells
(12/12 I 27,913 I Teen i Sterek)
For a secret to remain true then only one person can know it; if not then it will come out. Beacon Hills is the converging point of several secrets all wrapped up in the supernatural. For Stiles, the unravelling of several will let him find peace, love and safety in the arms of his true mate. The only question is can he trust a Sourwolf and his pack well enough to show his true self.
It just might be the one thing between Beacon Hills and safety!
(Or observe the really awkward distrustful courtship between a Sourwolf and a hidden Fae Mage)
A Little Bit of Sunshine by 100KlicksAway
(21/? I 29,600 I Mature I Sterek)
Stiles woke with a start, dreams of pixies flitting around his head. He’d dreamed… He’d dreamed that he was a wolf? Or…. He wasn’t sure. Something with fangs… His mouth had been dripping blood in his dream, and when he woke, he could still taste the thick copper taste coating his mouth.
Stiles has been working hard for the pack since Scott was bitten. They leave him out more and more frequently, though, until Stiles realizes that he's strictly unnecessary. Then, the pack's activities throw him into danger and he ends up in a shitty situation with no one helping him.
Stiles leaves Beacon Hills. He doesn't care anymore, he just... Needs out.
The Last Chills of Winter by LeeHan
(1/1 I 42,525 I Explicit I Sterek)
“He didn’t magically charm me,” Derek shot back in his defense.“Oh, so he just regular charmed you?” Laura said with a smirk.“What? No,” Derek growled.“Was he hot?”“No! He just—“ He just had a laugh like a sun shower. Fuck.
We Follow Darkness Like a Dream by GreenasCole
(10/10 I 51,106 I Mature I Sterek)
When a mysterious note is left on the Stilinski's door it leads Stiles and his best friend Scott out into the woods on quest for answers about Beacon Hills's most infamous tragedy. After a surprise encounter with a monstrous wolf the two boys are hurled into an ancient and terrifying world, only for Stiles to discover he was secretly a part of it all along. Will he manage to survive the insanity of Fae politics and avoid the enemies that are suddenly crawling out of the woodwork to find a place in this new world? Or will the very revelation of his existence be the catalyst that plunges both worlds into war and chaos? And why can't Scott just stop teasing him every time he catches Stiles looking at their new "friend" Derek too long?
Laughter in the Dark by Starshaker
(13/? I 56,148 I Mature I Sterek)
Stiles is a fae. A trickster spirit with too much curiosity for his own good and a knack for getting into trouble. When he's just trying to help things don't go to plan and coincidences don't seem to end up for the better.Trapped, isolated and aching to get home, though it's better than what Gerard would have had planned for him initially, Stiles learns to deal with his new set of circumstances.
The Fairy's Wolf by kuki
(57/? I 90,602 I Explicit I Sciles)
In a world where non-humans mingle with humans in public schools until they became of age, about high school age, going instead to a specialty finishing school, a young halfling fae fights to stay with his friends. His fear of losing touch with his best friend, a young Alpha werewolf, has the pair pushing their relationship to the edge; and their relationship has the world on the brink of war.
-or-where I apparently ship Skittles hard now, hate myself with this work load on top of my school work, switch up species because f-u that's why, make up mythology, and try to give Derek a nice life.
Where You Still Remember Dreaming by yodasyoyo
(15/15 I 95,612 I Explicit I Sterek)
“What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you Balto.”
“What’s yours?”
“Stiles.”
Derek raises an eyebrow. That isn’t his real name. There’s no way. But now he thinks about it, he has a vague memory of someone, probably Uncle Peter, telling him that with the fae, names have power. “I’m Miguel,” he says.
“Lie.”
“Are you trying to tell me your real name is Stiles?”
Stiles runs his tongue across his teeth and considers Derek carefully. “Fair enough,” he says, “Miguel it is.”
Grabbing his groceries and pocketing the change, Derek turns to leave; he’s nearly at the door when Stiles calls out, “By the way, Miguel, if you’re interested, it’s two for one on bags of kibble at the pet store down the street.”
Derek doesn’t look back, doesn’t hesitate, just raises a hand and flips him off on the way out.
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greywindys · 6 years
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Gorillaz | 2017 in Review
Ayyy happy new year!!! Relative to the entire year of waiting that was 2016, 2017 was a pretty packed year for Gorillaz and consequently, for me as a fan. To sum it up in three words- They came back! (Finally, someone let them out of their cage?) And there was a surplus of content- good, quality content. But there were also some letdowns. Which release falls into which category depends on who you ask. Like, pretty much every move Gorillaz made this year was met with both applause on one side and boos on the other. If I had to pick a word of the year for them, it would be “polarizing.” However, polarizing isn’t always bad, and there were many well thought out conversations, theories and fan content that resulted. Add in some scandal and disorganization and you’ve got a pretty wild twelve months. Under the cut I list some notable and memorable momentz.mp3 of the year, mostly for my own records but anyone is welcome to read.
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Hallelujah Money (1/19/17)
Gorillaz started their year off with what was probably the most polarizing move of the year. Some backstory: January 2017 we still had no idea when the album was coming out. Actually, we didn’t even know IF the album was coming out like, we basically didn’t know wtf Gorillaz was doing. Then, on the day before the US inauguration they drop the video for Hallelujah Money, a video punctuated with Orwellian imagery for a song that sounded like a funeral march. Benjamin Clementine took a prominent role while 2D took a backseat (a trend that would persist throughout the singles) and, after the initial excitement, fans began to complain. “What happened to the fast paced music Damon promised?,” “Where is 2D? This doesn’t feel like Gorillaz?,” “Why do they need to make their music so political?” This only drove other fans to passionately defend the song. There is still no consensus on this song/video other than the agreement that “it makes more sense in the context of the album.” My personal take is that whatever point this video was trying to make is obscured by their backtracking in the form of bleeping out any mention of Trump’s name on the album. Go big or go home. And at this point in the year I think we can say it- Trump fucking sucks, okay? Trump sucks.
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Dylan leaks the album (Mid-March 2017)
This is like, probably my favorite story. By the time March was upon us, we knew the album was coming soon but we still didn’t know when. The album was like a cryptid, rumored but never found. And then Dylan happened. Now to clarify, he didn’t leak the entire album and he didn’t do it on purpose but he did leak more than we were ready for. After the tracklist leaked, fans began googling the songs on video sites like youtube and dailymotion. When one fan google’d “Saturnz Barz” on vimeo, they were met with a mysterious password protected video. A couple tries later (the password was “2017″), they had access to “Saturnz Barz” one month before the album came out. And they found more- “Charger,” “Busted and Blue” to name a few. All of which were uploaded by Dylan Byrne, a lighting  technician connected to Gorillaz who apparently didn’t know his private videos could still be found on search engines such as google. The fandom collectively lost its mind, some with excitement over the new music, others with indignation at fans who dare “disrespect Damon and Jamie” and that those listening to the leaks were going to be responsible for Humanz flopping. It was wild. Oh yeah, and I downloaded the leakz and Humanz didn’t flop. 
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Giant content drop of 2017 (3/23/17)
I use this particular picture of 2D here because I that we, on some level, were all 2D by the end of that fourth week in March. I’m using the “Saturnz Barz” video release date because that’s when it all began. I distinctly remember waking up on that day expecting to listen to a Damon Albarn interview and some new tracks on a UK radio show but by the end of the day we not only had new music (4 tracks, specifically) and the interview but we were also blessed with the perfect “Saturnz Barz” video which featured the band in the starring roles, gave us “the bath” meme (though that’s more of a curse now) AND an upcoming announcement of a “secret show” set to take place the very next day where the live band would play the entire new album. I think this was also the period where we finally learned the album’s name and release date. It was so much. Too much, but a good too much. Everyone felt alive. Phase 4 had officially begun.
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Mocaps (April 2017- present)
Gorillaz debuted many new ways to depict the band this year but by far the most hilariously amazing method was through motion capture, abbreviated “mocap.” 2017 was in many ways the year of the mocap, specifically, 2D and Murdoc mocaps. Mocap Murdoc and mocap 2D graced us with the weather, Deezer ads, app videos, multi-lingual announcements, and even walked us around the Demon Dayz tour. My personal favorite moment was 2D telling Murdoc he fed a stray cat a kinder egg. I also want to give a special shoutout to Murdoc’s wonky eye. There was a time when we were all trying to find meaning in it. Was it an artistic choice? Had Murdoc gone blind in one eye? Was he possessed? The truth is none of the above. It was just, in the true spirit of what the mocaps models came to represent, wonky. I don’t think we all truly gave the mocaps the credit they deserved. In my eyes they are on the same level as the puppets AT LEAST. And I maintain that their potential has yet to be truly realized- Mocap carpool karaoke? Mocap SNL skit? The possibilities are endless.
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Murdoc and 2D answer fan questions....live (4/20/17)
This also falls under the umbrella of the previous moment but I think it deserves its own mention because this was like, peak mocap utilization. Fans were allowed to submit questions that would them be answered by Murdoc and 2D live while we all watched. Their VA’s not only improvised these answers but also finally got the change to live out their personal headcanons. This interview was the first time we ever saw wiggly Murdoc. Much essential information was learned in this half hour event- 2D knows how to make theremin noises! Murdoc said “meme” and “twerk”! 2D sold the geep! Cyborg Noodle has taken to cycling! A lot of you seem to think I’ve been critical this phase which, while totally true, it also makes me think you possibly weren’t aware of this blog at this time because I love this interview and died when it was first released. And then I continued to love each and every subsequent awkward interview they had with actual human interviewers. The first quarter of the year was great (for me).
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Reddit AMAs with the entire band, Noodle, 2D (2017)
I wasn’t an active fan during previous phases but my impression is that they didn’t have as many q&a’s with the band as this phase. The characters were very accessible this phase and, as I’ve mentioned above, at first this was great! But nothing good it forever. The Reddit AMAs, while highly entertaining, soon came to contradict past events and even past answers to earlier interviews. For example, we learned during the band’s AMA that Cyborg Noodle was NOT actually cycling somewhere in England but decapitated and being used as a pot in Noodle’s room. What was the truth? Later on, 2D had his own AMA which was cute but yielded significant nit-picking and criticism from fans including myself. For me,personally, the 2D AMA was the turning point. I didn’t mourn the loss of Cass Browne with other fans until that AMA. The difference in writing was and is glaring. For that reason, I didn’t pay much attention to the Noodle AMA but from what I saw, similar debate over her characterization (or lack thereof) took place. Tbh, I can’t picture a Noodle that types out “YAASS GURL!!1″ (or w/e it was) unironically but...I’m happy it brought joy to some fans. That all being said, regardless of writing quality the AMAs did a great job of engaging the fandom and initiating some interesting conversations.
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Fans miss 2D so much that he gets his own impromptu video (6/8/17)
By far the most frequent concern over Humanz was the “lack of 2D.” It was on Tumblr, Reddit, Twitter, pretty much all social media. Despite this, no one ever expected Damon and Co. do acknowledge this let alone actually respond to it. Then, out of nowhere, 2D makes an announcement on the Gorillaz app and there it is- “Sleeping Powder” an exclusively 2D music video by 2D, starring 2D and some dorky dance moves. It was 2D’s “Dare.” The song was cute and even had its place on the tour set list. And that’s the power of 2D. And everyone was happy until people started joking that “Sleeping Powder” was written in a day and was still better than all of Humanz, and others chastising everyone for “making Damon feel bad enough to write a new song.”
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Strobelite (8/6/17)
I’m not going to get into “Strobelite” too much. If you were there, you know what happened and what it led to (a certain liked Youtube comment and the later, Noodle’s answer during her AMA). “Strobelite” was also hyped up as a the band’s first official mocap video (despite “Sleeping Powder’s” release a month earlier) but unfortunately, was underwhelming to a significant portion of the fandom. Reasons included but were not limited to: no Russel mocap, very little plot, very little Murdoc, rumored cut scenes that DID involve Russel, and, yes, controversial shipping fuel. I don’t think “Strobelite” charted nor do I remember it being involved in any promo. I actually don’t know what happened to “Strobelite” outside of the, um, for lack of a better word,the discussion it spawned. There were also many theories about what Murdoc was doing at the bar. To this day, we still have no answers. What’s the plot for phase four again?
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Gorillaz in Media (2017)
This isn’t exactly a singular moment but I want to highlight it anyways because the length to which they went to make this phase an immersive experience deserves a lot of credit. Not one but two apps were developed, one of which gave fans access to the band’s home and hosted events such as live listening parties so that fans could potentially meet. The other provided new content, art and access to secret concert locations. BUT THEY DIDN’T STOP THERE. With one of their sponsors they were able to construct actual, real “Spirit House” models for fans to walk through. Additionally, the band is accessible through their own music mixes on Spotify, Noodle has an instagram, G Magazine etc. I’m going to fit in the amount of sponsors they had under this category as well because, as annoying as they were to some, it did give us some cool new animation and ads (”We Got the Power” comes to mind, along with the Lenz ad). They put in work, they really did (though the topic of social media  #justice4MurdocTube).
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The Super Deluxe is never released...until it is (September 2017-November 2017)
I forget when the original release date was but what I do know it that it didn’t happen. Phase four slowed down in the latter half of the year, and I think this made everyone hyper-aware of what content was yet to come and that content was the Super Deluxe with *bonus tracks*. But then it never came. It was delayed until October, then October came and it STILL wasn’t there. Finally,in November, orders began arriving and songs were ripped and uploaded. Reactions ranged from elated to disappointed to simply confounded that the the entire thing cost around $400. You could say that it was very polarizing.
Honorable mentions
Humanz being released (I know, why isn’t this on the list? I decided against it because it leaked a week early  so by the time it WAS released mostly everyone had already heard it), Demon Dayz fest streamed live, “Garage Palace” surprise video drop, G Magazine, G-Foot pop up shop steal fanart, Fans strike the fear of god into the Gorillaz team for forgetting Russel’s birthday, Humanz revealed as the fourth album title, Gorillaz announce a TV show, probably more that I’m forgetting.
Anyhow, what a year. I like to stay vague about my personal life here but to keep it simple, despite everything happening the world, on a personal level, it was a good year. I did a lot of growing, got some really great feedback at my field placement, tapped into some new hobbies and recently adopted two cats, brother and sister, whose names I’m still deciding lmao (leaning towards Oberyn and Elia). So yeah...here’s to that. I hope 2018 treats us all well <3.
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takadasaiko · 7 years
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Fallen Series: Bit by Bit
FFN II AO3
Series Summary: One-shots following Robert Svane through his journey to becoming the Revenant Bobo Del Rey. Not written in chronological order. Pre-canon through current events in SyFy's Wynonna Earp.
One Shot Summary: Sometimes choosing to trust can shift a relationship in unforeseen ways.
Notes: Michael Eklund had a sort of impromptu Q&A on Twitter a couple of days ago, and I asked if he could see any fanfic about Bobo, what would he want to see. He said "Bobo and Willa: the treehouse years". While I've already written a couple that included Willa in the treehouse, this is the story that came up out of that tweet. No clue if he'll ever see it, but if he does, hopefully he'll like it.
Bit By Bit
It had been a learning curve for a thirteen year old girl to go from all that the 21st century had to offer to a treehouse in the middle of nowhere. It didn't have running water and it didn't have electricity. She hadn't known it was possible to live like that, but he'd taught her how.
In theory Willa had known that all Revenants were from a time long before what she was used to, but it was something else entirely seeing their leader explain how to work a kerosene lamp or set up a way for her to cook and stay warm with an old school stove that might as well have been from his time. He made sure she had everything she needed: clothing, food, books and drawing paper to keep her occupied. Even company when he had the time and she let him.
Bobo Del Rey was not what she had expected. She had seen him speaking with her daddy a few times and he had always been imposing. Dangerous. A demon. Here, though, he was reserved. A little snarky when she pushed him too far - usually when she threw things at him in a fit of frustration in the earlier days - and strangely respectful. The Revenants that had pulled her from her home had been anything but that, and they had made it very clear what they wanted to do to her. Bobo had been crass enough around them that the change as soon as he stowed her away had only added to the confusion of a teenage girl taken from everything she knew.
Slowly, though, bit by bit, she had come to accept that he wasn't a threat to her. Neither of them had made it easy. He didn't like to share and she didn't trust. It took longer than it should have to ask why he had tucked her away when she had heard him promise the others he'd kill her, and even longer to trust in the answer. Explanations came slowly, though, and those had turned into conversations. He had brought her paper and pencils when he had found out she liked to draw and she had taught herself to fold pieces into little origami animals. There was always a new book before one was finished and she found that he was surprisingly well read.
Everything was a contradiction, both of what she thought she knew about every Revenant in the Ghost River Triangle and what she was once certain was true about Bobo Del Rey, and eventually, with each new glimpse to who he was, she had come to care about him.
She couldn't pinpoint exactly when that had happened. Maybe somewhere during one of their long conversations about a book she was reading or the time that she'd gotten so sick in the cold winter months that she had woken to find herself buried under his coat and Bobo dozing in the chair next to her bed, keeping watch over her. Or maybe it was when he'd finally chosen to trust her with his most dangerous secret.
The evening had started with a strange whim to begin with. Willa wasn't a cook and she knew that, so what had possessed her to try her hand at putting together a few basics she had around the treehouse to make something akin to dinner was still beyond her. She hadn't been aware that she could burn rice until that day.
Willa had gotten things mostly under control by the time the knock came at the door and Bobo entered - thankfully - with what looked like a bag from Shorty's in his hands. "Please tell me you brought alcohol with that," she grumbled, still waving a bit of the smoke out the crack in her window. It was freezing outside, but better cold than suffocating.
Bobo quirked an off-coloured eyebrow at her and set dinner down on the small table and she spotted a liquor bottle in the bag. Willa moved over to the small stash of glasses she kept there and tossed him one, watching him catch it easily and they moved into a ritual that had taken hold at some point in the last ten years that this had been her home. They spoke about the town and how nothing ever really changed. The Revenants and the humans. It had been a long time now since she'd asked about her family. She'd never cared a lot for Waverly and Wynonna…. Wynonna had killed their father. Out of sight, out of mind. She had enough to deal with without focusing on that. And now she needed to put it back out of mind.
"You've never told me how you died," Willa interrupted the lulling silence, pouring herself another drink.
Bobo tilted his head. "I have not," he acknowledged noncommittally, the tone one Willa had come to know meant he had no intention to either, but she wasn't in a mood to let it rest.
"Why? Don't you trust me?"
He shifted at that, his expression guarded. "It's not a happy story."
"Neither is this, but it's the one we live. Daddy always said that Revenants were outlaws Wyatt Earp put down with Peacemaker, so what did you do to piss off my great great granddaddy? Tell me how a man like you became a demon."
She watched him carefully, taking in the small signs of stress in the way his lips twitched downward and how he wasn't quite looking her in the eye. Maybe the story was worse than she expected. "You know, after this long, whatever it is isn't going to scare me," she offered.
"Nothing to be scared of," he answered, his voice rough and deep. "I was a fool."
It was Willa's turn to frown and she reached for the bottle of whisky, topping off the glass in his hand and settling in to wait. She knew his tells and he knew hers, so he knew she wasn't letting this go. Her time in the treehouse had taught her patience if nothing else.
After a long moment he knocked back everything in the glass, poured again, and began to speak. His voice was even as he told her the story of a man by a name Willa actually recognized, but not as an outlaw. Robert Svane's name appeared in a set of letters penned by Wyatt Earp himself. The idea that the leader of the Revenants had been a close confidant and friend of Wyatt Earp's would have floored most people - she expected that it would have left her own daddy at a loss for words if he'd been alive to hear it - but for her it filled in the gaps. Watt had been his friend and he'd shot him, wrapped him up in this curse same as the Heirs. Bobo - Robert - was innocent and everything he was now was what this horrible curse had made him. He was a victim of it the same as her. Of all the reasons he'd given for saving her over the years - some she thought more honest than others - that was the one that felt the most true to her. They were kindred souls, both devastated and beaten down by something so far out of their control, so unfair, that it had nearly destroyed them.
But it hadn't. He had saved her. Despite everything, he had saved her.
He'd stopped talking now, and Willa felt the buzz of the liquor running through her system. She wasn't sure how long his story had taken, but the sun was long gone, leaving them only with the lights the stars and moon gave them.
Silence stretched between them and she reached out, her fingers touching the back of his hand and drawing his attention. "You're a good man, aren't you?"
He snorted at that. "Once, maybe, but not for a long time now."
"That's not your fault though."
"Don't make it any less true."
"This curse… twists things up," she said as she stood, reaching a hand out to touch the side of his face in a way she never had. It drew his eyes on her and she held his gaze. "Wyatt Earp screwed us both."
Willa wasn't sure if it was the trust he had given her or if it was the alcohol and the late night, but she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips, her hand still lingering on his cheek.
He kissed her back, if only for half a moment before he stiffened and pulled away. "Willa," he managed, voice raspy and strained. "You're…"
Those clear blue eyes of his were focused on her and she saw a strange mix of emotions there, all of them conflicted. She pressed her forehead against his. "I'm not a child anymore, Robert. I haven't been for a long time, or hadn't you noticed?" He had. She could see it in his eyes that he had. "I want this. Don't you?"
There was a beat of pause in which she thought she may have misjudged something and Willa had no idea what would come next if she had. She started to step back, spin some lie to cover it, but he caught her hand before she could. He was on his feet his gaze holding her there as he brought a hand up to either side of her face and leaned in. Willa felt her eyes slip closed as he kissed her. Her hands shifted to rest on his sides, fingers gripping his t-shirt there to hold onto him. She had no idea where this would go or how a Revenant and an Earp could possibly make something work between them. All she knew was that they'd both suffered and they were both alone. They had been for too long, but here, in this moment with him, she didn't feel quite so hopeless. She felt alive.
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729renegades · 5 years
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YOU’RE HEAD IS FULL OF STORIES . . . DON’T WASTE THEM!
How to build your expert status with personal anecdotes
Deep in the bowels of a West End theatre, there’s an old seat – long since discarded.
Blow off the dust and you’ll see a faded number. You can just about read it:
“13”.
It was removed from Row Q of the stalls in a refit. But I’m told it’s still there, flea-bitten and ragged. And if you check the underside, there’s still a wooden panel – containing a dent that was made 30 years ago by none other than…
…My head.
It’s true. In fact, if you go to see Wicked, you can ask them – maybe they’ll let you see it?
Because that’s where my head collided (at speed) with the underside of the seat. One fateful night at London’s Apollo Victoria.
I ought to explain…
Back in my student days at UCL, I worked at this theatre. Long before Wicked came along, it was home to Starlight Express – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s tuneless musical where the whole cast is on roller skates, pretending to be the engines and carriages in a kid’s train set.
(Now, if I add that I’m not much of a skater, maybe you can guess the ending?)
I did every job in that place. Box Office. Bar. Usher. Occasional stage crew. And once or twice a month, night-watchman.
Yep, they gave me the keys and a torch, switched off the lights, and left me alone in the place. From kicking-out time at midnight till the cleaners arrived at 6am, I’d be there, rattling around in the dark, hoping all the tales of ghosts were fake – and jumping out of my skin every time the rickety backstage lift moved of its own accord.
Anyway – after a few shifts, word spread front-of-house: “James is on overnights!”
And that was a VERY BIG DEAL!
See, the stage for that show was converted into a giant skating track. It stretched out around the stalls and across the front of the circle. And a small section of it jutted out from the stage, circling the best seats.
Truly, it was one of the best skating tracks anywhere in the world. So anyone would jump at the chance to skate on it, if only they could.
Plus, most of our usherettes were out-of-work dancers who longed to be in the show. They’d have donated kidneys to get 5 minutes’ practice.
So one by one, they made eyes at me – begging to be let in.
And I’m rubbish at saying “NO”!
Before I knew it, I was running an impromptu skating club (that could have got us all fired). They’d come to the stage door with our secret knock just after midnight. Then grab some skates from backstage…hack into the lighting grid…and spend the whole night whizzing around amid the empty seats.
I shouldn’t have joined in.
Definitely, shouldn’t.
I didn’t have their natural dexterity. Or balance. Or training! So I should have sat on the sidelines and watched.
But no. I figured “I can do that”…
…Then found out at 40 miles per hour that I was wrong. I couldn’t!
My first time round the perimeter track, I was crawling at a snail’s pace. Until one of the better skaters zoomed up behind me and pushed me at full force.
I was in serious trouble.
I came flying onto the stage, around the top of a ramp in a semi-circle – on a single wheel.
Inadvertently performing a stunt that the best skater in the show had taken 5 years to perfect.
I made it!
But I was lucky. Quite a few cast members had flown off that section in the past. Limbs broken; careers written off…I’d got off lightly.
Um, except I hadn’t. Because…
Remember I mentioned that bit of track that shot out from the stage? Well I was on it now, all of a sudden. Hurtling, and terrified.
This was a small, tight (and FAST!) bit of track. About 15 feet long, with two ultra-sharp bends that double you back onto the stage in a violent little U-Turn.
And the first bend was approaching, fast.
SITUATION CRITICAL!
No way on earth could a numpty skater like me make a skilled knife-edge turn at speed. Even the cast needed safety barriers to get around it intact. And the barriers were down for the night.
“Shiiiiit!”
Time to weigh up my options:
If I tried to make it, I was going to shoot over the corner bump and sail off the edge. I’d fly 30 feet into the air and land way back in the cheap seats.
Or – if by some miracle I made the bend, I’d have to take the second bend about two seconds later. And that would send me flying smack into a side wall.
And if…by some ultra-miracle…I survived both bends, I’d be flung back onto the stage. Then if I couldn’t stop in time, I’d run straight up a ramp that would throw me into a metal bridge that was dangling overhead.
To be honest, right then it wasn’t looking great!
So – decision time:
Stay on the track and risk a serious organ-squishing injury…or jump now before the bend, to limit the damage?
I jumped.
After 2000 performances of that show, I think I was the first person ever to jump off the track. And definitely first to smash into the underside of Q13.
Whack!
Two minutes later, I came round to that weird mix of intense pain and the merciless laughter of a dozen usherettes.
“Ha ha James nearly died!”
And that’s why the head-shaped dent. It’s my little piece of theatre history.
Anyway – why am I telling you this?
Because there’s a moral to the story. Just as there is with every story – whatever the tale, there’s always a lesson you can draw from it.
In the case of this story, for example, I could segue into any one of these lessons:
“In a split second decision, think damage limitation”
“It doesn’t matter who’s asking – sometimes you have to say NO”
“Be careful who you trust – you never know who’s coming to get you!”
“Don’t assume you can do something just because others can”
“Enthusiasm is no substitute for aptitude and training”
“When you fall, get back up” (I did and became a slightly less rubbish skater)
You see how that works?
Of course, you could just skip the story and get straight to the lesson. But as every preacher knows, stories make it easier to get a point across. They draw your audience in…get them involved, as the story plays out in their mind…so they’re primed and ready for the moral that comes at the end.
Facts and figures or plain assertions will never have that same emotive impact.
So my mantra is, use stories wherever possible. In emails, sales letters, presentations…every type of message can be improved with a story.
… At a social gathering, conversation dries up – it’s awkward. Tell a story.
… A sales presentation is going south – so change tack, make your point with a story.
… That mailer you sent out is bombing. So rewrite it – grab them with a story.
It works like a charm, because we’ve all been told stories from birth. They hook into our DNA, and always will. Technology won’t change this.
“It doesn’t have to be high drama – it just has to make a connection. So you can focus someone’s mind and plant a new idea.”
So where do your stories come from?
Literally, everywhere.
They’re your take on the world. Built on everything you’ve experienced…everything you’ve seen in the news…every tale you’ve heard…every film you’ve seen…every book you’ve read…it’s all inspiration.
From the dinner party tale of your most embarrassing moment, to that epic problem you solved for the client that drove you nuts. It doesn’t have to be high drama – it just has to make a connection. So you can focus someone’s mind on an issue and plant a new idea.
Virtually any business can do this – and should. Because a story in the right hands can move mountains.
Just work back through your life. Find the stories that will hold attention, then think laterally – how can you reflect on it? How can you draw a lesson that establishes you as an expert or thought leader, and changes your reader’s way of thinking – about you, and about their problem?
I’ve built my copywriting business around this. I send an email out to a list of contacts every Friday morning, where I’ll tell a story, draw a lesson and maybe make an offer.
They’re happy to read it, because it entertains and informs. And I get a showcase, where they get to know me and my methods. Win-win!
Try it – you don’t have to be a copywriter. I know people in all industries who use stories, especially through email. A hairdresser… a web developer… an acting coach… a roofer… so why not you?
Take your customers on a journey with you. It’s all there right now in your head, waiting to be released…
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