look at my face. we've met before

Rocky/ Ezra || Any pronouns || Comic artist || ✡ || INTJ || Self-aware narcissist || Chaotic Bisexual || single-handedly responsible for those sexy Murdoc pics in your phone

[ivylovelace]

murdoc niccals has borderline personality disorder and you cannot change my mind

[respect-false-iconz]

Yes. Absolutely

[fnich-enthusiast]

it's so weird to me that everyone on this website is a human person outside of their weird internet niche so rb this with a random bit of your lore

[ex-riddlecats]

we NEED to make poly shipping more popular. instead of ousting that woman from a canon relationship with one of them for your man/man ship to work, consider keeping her there for 10x the laughter and drama. also, improves viewing experience and increases interest from bisexuals like myself

[carys-the-ninth]

The problem with commercial F/M romance is that it's written by the most heterosexual women alive and reading it you feel yourself slowly suffocating from the Gender of it all like a fish in a eutrophying lake. And what we actually need as a culture is F/M written by insane bisexuals violently allergic to heteronormativity

[bornazombiefrommercury]

gorillaz interview headlines in phases 1-2

[respect-false-iconz]

yikes i forgot to say. i know keith richards is a real person, but im more wondering how he fits into the whole murdoc life thing, his lore and involvement in your personal alt-reality canon haha. so to speak.

also, since i dont feel i said it with my full chest, i really love your stuff!! top 3 murdocs i ever did see (all on equal standing) (hewlett excluded for unfair advantage). i hope life is being kind to you.

Sure! This is even funnier because I usually squint at fan fiction about real people. While doing exactly that. I am literally the kid from Fowl Language comics

I know I'm basically just subverting the universally appreciated found family trope here, but please LISTEN I HAVE REASONS- First things first, Keith's storyline hasn't always been there. It's very recent compared to other things. I got into The Rolling Stones in 2017, at the end of Phase 4 and the first time this idea popped up was after the release of The Now Now, when Murdoc's redemption arc was a hot dumpster fire topic. I was on the one certain Discord server which I don't want to name out loud, people were discussing Phase 5, bummed about everything going on, and someone said it would be a great plot twist if Murdoc had another father somewhere, his real father who'd be a really sweet and nice old fucker. I just sat there, watching the chatroom, thinking of the old magazine articles calling Murdoc "a love child of Keith Richards" and it just clicked. It didn't take long to put 2 and 2 together. Keith's fate was sealed XD I said "I'm gonna do it. I'm so fucking gonna do it, no one would stop me"

Speaking of moral side of the story – yes, I'm kinda skeptical about real-life celebrity fan fiction, so it's a slippery slope. Keith is not my friend, he's not my grandpa no matter how bad I wish he was, I've never met him, so when I'm doing it, I'm doing it with a question in mind: would he like what I do if by any chance; in theory; somehow; he saw it? I mean yeah, it gets awkward at the point where it's implied that he boinked a fictional woman somewhere in September of 1965, but here's the general idea – Keith is supposed to be someone who gives Murdoc what he never had, what no one else except for a parent is able to give, what he needs more than anything else in the world: unconditional love. Guidance. Hand on the shoulder.

Yes, I do feel terrible sometimes because I know for sure that if somebody told Keith that he has a second son he would break down, and I know exactly the reason why. It's too heavy to mention in this post but google has the answers if you want them. I'm doing my stuff with best intentions in mind and with as much respect as possible, so rest assured it will never, ever, be brought up in any of my writing out of respect for his family's privacy. Keith is a good man, regardless of multiple claims from so-called '''true fans''' (personally I think he is a saint – it takes a heart of gold to deal with someone like Jagger for 60+ years, but anyway). He's genuine, straightforward, kinda neurodivergent and I think he deserves to be a good character, not a butt of another joke. Thank you once again <3 Hoping it was at least a bit helpful. I can't let you go without a dorky artwork of Muds, so here you go

[respect-false-iconz]

hello! ive been following ur comic The Code for years and after a hiatus realized that i REALLY wanna get back into it. But I also quickly realized that I'm missing some critical info in terms of secondary characters / OCs, so I'm wondering if you have somewhere I can read more about them?? Nora, Keith, Carol, etc. I'm in love with ur stories and art and if you have any more canon divergences (related to The Code or not) I'd be SO down to read more.

Thank you so much! Honestly I was hesitant to reply because yeah, I have a lot to share, but sometimes you don't know for sure what you can or cannot say, what's already been mentioned and is safe to share, what could be a potential spoiler for the reader and what couldn't. How much is too much?

Whatever lore that I have is mostly stored away in my notes. I never posted it, for better or worse, partially to force myself to do exposition throughout the story; the "show not tell" rule that writers are supposed to follow and many of us are tempted to bypass, because sure thing, you want everyone to immediately see how great your characters are. XD We've all been there.

Another reason… nobody really asked. I don't blame people for not caring about OCs, fan fiction is meant to focus on canon characters; but uhh, how am I supposed to build a world, build a story when the entire cast is nothing but four protagonists? Gorillaz are slightly more than just cartoons – they are a band so, in all honesty, they don't need too much lore. Whatever they have works like this. For fiction, and specifically for comics, not so much. [remember Plastic Beach game? There was a couple of side characters even though it took place on a literal island in the middle of nowhere] Even back in the days when I was a passionate canon apologist, I still had a clear understanding it takes more than just 4 characters to tell a tale. So yeah, ever since the first ever fanfic in 2001 I've been adding bits and blots here and there, all of which boiled down to The Code. My goal was to expand the world, not twist it; I created a parallel timeline and changed some things (okay NOT SOME) so if you're looking at my comics with a lingering feeling that you've seen it all before, you probably have. My canon is essentially canon with mods. THEREFORE, the protags' backstories are more or less the same, with a few subtle changes. One of which, – you guessed it, Keith and Caroline are indeed Murdoc's real parents. But he was raised in Sebastian's house anyway. How? Well, I had to go through several big wrinkly brain times to make it work, but I made it work. It's a heavy read if you want to read it, probably darker than anything I've ever written, but at least 1) it doesn't look artificial, 2) gives Murdoc a 100x boost in redemption arc, 3) fits into his original biography. He's still Murdoc Niccals, the spawn of Stoke.

tl;dr, if you want more information, I have it. Problem is, at this point I have a batch of notes worth of a whole ass wiki, and very little energy. I might post it here with a separate hashtag, or make a blog for it. We have to start somewhere, right?

[lesbianralzarek]

i dont see why i cant start a trend, so here goes. lets try to build back our attention spans. lets try to focus on just one thing for as long as possible. lets not watch those "asmr for people with adhd" videos where they fuck up adhd folks even worse. lets resist the urge to reach for our phones when watching a movie. lets read the articles we reblog, even when theyre boring. i know its hard, i have adhd too, but its worth it. i also know that this hard work doesnt always seem super impressive to other people, so id love for yall to tell me in the tags or replies if youve done something, no matter how small, for your attention span. you deserve to feel like youve taken back some of what social media has ripped from you

[lesbianralzarek]

this art by david horvitz changed me as a person. we're attentionmaxxing this fine hot girl summer

[respect-false-iconz]

Do you ever think about Murdocs relationship with his bother? Wen Murdoc still used to live in Stoke-on-Trent as a kid/teen. And by chance any head canons you are willing to share?

If you don't want to answer that's fine with me. I respect that

I do! I have poked at the high school subject a bit when I was younger, because I wanted relatable stories and Y2K shows like What's With Andy? or As Told By Ginger just. didn't. cut it. I stuggled to see myself in any of the characters, I didn't get the hype so I turned to fan fiction, with a character I could relate to. So yeah, the stories are outdated and lost in time, but there is a cloud of headcanons still remaining. Murdoc and Hannibal are probably supposed to hate each other? It's a frequently used trope, canon as I remember, Murdoc himself stated that their relationship was turbulent, to say the least. But you know me, I like to make things complicated. I see Hannibal as a neutral character, who could be a nuisance at times, but not like, actively hostile. Somebody might say that I'm blunting the edges here, but as the youngest kid myself I've taken a lot of shit from my own brother. Have I ever seen him as an enemy? Not really. We shared the same house, same issues, our interests overlapped, inevitably. Hannibal was a skinhead; skins (we're not discussing that small fraction of skins that should not be mentioned here) had a strong sense of community, so I figure he did see Murdoc as a part of his own circle, maybe cared about him just a little bit. Maybe even saved him once or twice. Actually it's oddly perfect timing that you've brought this up. Like I said, no fics survived my 21st birthday, I lost interest immediately after growing up. But with the amount of newly acquired information (KELLY O'DRISCOLL, ANYONE????), Keith's epic stage dive into the story and filthy rich narrative ground that is late 1970s\early 1980s England, I feel like I'm missing out. Maybe it's time to splash some milk into my Earl Grey, fetch Shawn Lee's OST for Bully: The Scholarship Edition and try again.

[juniper-sunny]

[stereomike]

[luna-azzurra]

Good Traits Gone Bad

Exploring good traits gone bad in a novel can add depth and complexity to your characters. Here are a few examples of good traits that can take a negative turn:

1. Empathy turning into manipulation: A character with a strong sense of empathy may use it to manipulate others' emotions and gain an advantage.

2. Confidence becoming arrogance: Excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, where a character belittles others and dismisses their opinions.

3. Ambition turning into obsession: A character's ambition can transform into an unhealthy obsession, causing them to prioritize success at any cost, including sacrificing relationships and moral values.

4. Loyalty becoming blind devotion: Initially loyal, a character may become blindly devoted to a cause or person, disregarding their own well-being and critical thinking.

5. Courage turning into recklessness: A character's courage can morph into reckless behavior, endangering themselves and others due to an overestimation of their abilities.

6. Determination becoming stubbornness: Excessive determination can lead to stubbornness, where a character refuses to consider alternative perspectives or change their course of action, even when it's detrimental.

7. Optimism becoming naivety: Unwavering optimism can transform into naivety, causing a character to overlook dangers or be easily deceived.

8. Protectiveness turning into possessiveness: A character's protective nature can evolve into possessiveness, where they become overly controlling and jealous in relationships.

9. Altruism becoming self-neglect: A character's selflessness may lead to neglecting their own needs and well-being, to the point of self-sacrifice and burnout.

10. Honesty becoming brutal bluntness: A character's commitment to honesty can turn into brutal bluntness, hurting others with harsh and tactless remarks.

These examples demonstrate how even admirable traits can have negative consequences when taken to extremes or used improperly. By exploring the complexities of these traits, you can create compelling and multi-dimensional characters in your novel.

Happy writing!

[pocketseizure]

“I can fix him” okay but I can fix the narrative. I can recontextualize events and bring out depths of character. I can shift priorities and strengthen relationships and show that anyone can change with enough kindness and support, and that what you admired in him has been inside yourself this whole time.

[butchdykekondraki-moved]

also i think some of you have REAL bad cases of fandom brain sometimes

[a-study-in-bullshit]

"I love you , I'm glad we're friends"

[startupwizard]

i need gorillaz fans to understand that the “lore” or whatever will NEVER be as good as what they were expecting bc gorillaz’ marketing strategy is based completely around hype, which will always result in disappointment. anyone that wants a crazy story is missing the point. the gorillaz characters are supposed to be the artists behind the music, but this isn’t the case at all anymore bc they broke the illusion. they’re basically mascots now. gorillaz was created to satirize the ridiculousness of celebrity culture/worship, not to tell wild, meaningless stories with heros and villains. they destroyed themselves by depending on fan service. complete 180.

[respect-false-iconz]

My favourite headcanon is that Murdoc is the platinum dumbass of Gorillaz, but when Ace is around he has to put on his Grown Up Pants and be the serious one. Someone's gotta.

[respect-false-iconz]

For the sake of clarity, I know Ace is an orphan; there isn't much you can make of what is available in PPG canon, but I'm staying loyal to that. In my canon he's legally an orphan, his parents are alive but they were stripped of parental rights. They are estranged and he doesn't mind not seeing them again.