I mean, it probably goes without saying, but the Found Family trope is so popular because so very many people are so terribly, terribly lonely
I adore the friends I do have immensely but god it would be nice to have like five people living nearby who I could call on for help or to hang out at any given moment
Every great dad knows it is their life’s work to annoy their offspring, and Murdad takes his job very seriously. The most annoying things he likes to do include:
Referring to Noodle as various types of pasta
Linguini, ravioli, rotini, penne, rigatoni, farfalle, tortellini, soba, udon, capellini, manicotti, fusilli, ziti, and macaroni are the ones he uses the most
He even has her in his contact list under ‘Ramen’
When he leaves her notes, he always calls her one of the pasta names
Every time he runs into her while he’s out, he always shouts out a random pasta name to get her attention
If they go to an amusement park, mall, shopping center, etc., Noodle makes sure to stay with the group or else Murdad will wander around screaming pasta names at the top of his lungs
He also likes to annoy Noodle by driving like an old lady
He always makes sure to drive perfectly, following the law to the letter,and even drives a few mph under the speed limit
This drives Noodle crazy, and she calls him a Boomer
To which Murdad responds with a laugh I was born in '66. I’m not a Boomer, love, I’m Gen-X
And then he drives 10mph under the speed limit, which, while not illegal, is still annoying, and Noodle is ready to tear her hair out
Murdad also likes to make his Annoying Murdoc Noises at the end of everything Noodle says, as if she just made a dirty joke
It always confuses 2D, leaving him wondering what the punchline was
He also makes weird noises when he answers her phone calls, just to keep her wondering what he’s doing
Noodle stops calling and switches to texting only
Murdad resorts to spelling out his noises as phonetically accurately as possible
Sleeping anywhere but in her own bed is risky business
Murdad is always watching for when Noodle falls asleep on the couch
He then tips the couch, yeeting her onto the floor and running for his life
He WILL flush the toilet while Noodle is showering
Murdad likes to point out that she’ll never find her name on a novelty keychain, or bicycle plate
Asks her “how was school?” Every time she walks into the room
Calls Noodle from another room, and then doesn’t answer her
Walks into Noodle’s room, then leaves without shutting her door behind him
Sits beside Noodle while she plays on her phone and rapidly and repeatedly pokes her in the shoulder
Ok, I just can’t let this go after that Murdad and Baby Noodle drawing I posted.
Here is my headcanon on how Noodle actually is Murdoc’s daughter
(Probably full of plot holes, but oh well…)
Murdoc meets Noodle’s mother in the late 80’s, after escaping home to follow his dreams of becoming a famous musician.
She was an exchange student from Japan, and met the rock-god-to-be at a pub during her graduation party
It was the cliche love at first sight
Insert humorous domestic living montage
Then along comes Noodle
Murdoc panics, afraid he’s going to turn out just like his father. He starts desperately trying to get his career going
He tries his best to be a good dad, and shares his love of music with Noodle. She seemed to like his bass, so he played it for her often
One night, after a year of failures and an increasingly strained relationship, he looks at his one year old daughter, and knows what he has to do
Murdoc decides to make a deal with the devil
But the devil asks for payment for his services. Pure souls are rare, and he wants Noodle’s
Murdoc refuses, and offers his own soul instead. The devil considers the offer. Twisted souls have their own value, and Murdoc’s has been tormented more than most
The devil agrees, but on one condition. If he can’t have Noodle’s soul, he will take all of Murdoc’s memories of Noodle, and her mother.
Murdoc looks down at little Noodle. If this what it will take to make sure she has a chance at a good life, a life he never had, then he will take it
He reasons that his lady will find him and figure out how to do that paternity thing, or whatever it is to get him back. It would totally work! He’d take one look at that beautiful woman, and they’d fall in love. Then BAM! Noodle would have a rich and famous rock star dad and be set for life!
The deal is made, and Murdoc leaves the apartment that night, brand new bass guitar on his back, a burnt hand, and no memory of why he was in a strange bird’s apartment. He must have been really hammered!
Noodle’s mother tried to find Murdoc, but eventually ended up returning to Japan with Noodle
Shady stuff went down, and Noodle was taken from her for some kind of “program”, while she quietly disappeared
Murdoc spent the next few years struggling with a deep sense of anger and loss that he couldn’t explain
He spent most of his days drinking, getting kicked out of pubs, and trying to scrape together a band
He managed to found a band, but it was so mediocre it broke up in 1994
In 1997, Murdoc ran into 2D, and things started looking up. He recruited Russel, and Murdoc almost had his band. All that was missing was someone to play lead guitar
That was when , in 1998, a FedEx box arrived at Kong Studios, and tiny 8 year old jumped out, and absolutely shreds on her Les Paul!
Murdoc can’t stop looking at this little girl who calls herself Noodle and doesn’t speak a lick of english. There is something so familiar about her!
She’s the piece the band was missing, but it feels like it’s more than that
He feels like he knows her. It makes his heart twist with joy and ache with sadness. It makes him want to scoop her up and cry, and it makes him angry that he doesn’t know why
So Murdoc acts gruff and hard, pushing these confusing feelings away until he can admit that the little sprog is growing on him, and he kinda….sees her as a daughter
(Edited 08.12.2021 because I misspelled a word and made some minor adjustments to the drawing) Just my personal headcanon that Noodle really is Murdoc’s daughter, he just doesn’t remember because it was part of the deal he made with the Devil to be a rock god!
@beebzly Who ordered the Soft Murdad with a side of Noodle?
On a side note, I’m low key mad that we only got to see Murdoc wear a hoodie ONCE, so I drew him in his Phase 1 hoodie!
Need to take a moment and leave the room to go cry over this picture
@radioactive-goo I ’m gonna make you cry a little more by creating a little backstory/scenario for this picture:
The band and some collaborators are standing around in the studio, discussing details for their next video, when Noodle leans on Murdoc with a tired yawn. Without even a break in his conversation, Murdad grabs a throw blanket off the couch, and scoops up Noodle, bundling the blanket around her. He keeps right on talking while everyone else desperately tries not to loose their collective doo doo as they watch Murdoc F-ing Niccals begin gently swaying from side to side, his FedEx Kid resting comfortably in his arms. Noodle is out like a light 10 seconds later and a picture ends up on the internet.
Noodle loves Disney movies, and forces everyone to watch them with her.
No one knows how it started, but one day, Murdoc started randomly playing Disney songs in the middle of practice as a joke.
It got a few laughs and helped make things a little more fun for Noodle. Sometimes he would do it just to annoy her because that’s what good dads do.
He gained 100 Respect Point from Noodle when he burst into her bedroom and started playing (and singing) his rock version of Mulan’s “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You”
He was pretty smug at first when he saw the way Noodle’s eyes had lit up and how she couldn’t stop saying how cool he was.
He later realized that he’d shot himself in the foot when she asked him to make a rock version of her other favorite Disney songs!
Murdoc really didnt want to, but he would just as soon take a vow of celibacy as make Noodle cry, so he begged convinced Russel and 2D to help him.
Noodle ended up with the only ‘Gorillaz version’ of her favorite Disney songs in the whole world.
Every time a new Disney movie came out, more songs would be added to her collection!
Murdad defending his daughter after she calls from the club and says ‘Daddy, He Hit Me’
Murdad: *goes and brings Noodle home*
Murdad: *goes back out*
Murdad: *returns home covered in blood*
Mom Russel and 2D walking in on a blood soaked Murdoc:Murdoc, what did you do?!
Murdad:Had a word with the f***er that Noodle went to the club with.
Mom Russel: Muds! You can’t–!
Murdad: He hither, Russ! He HIT her! I’m not standing for it!
2D:That’s a lot of blood… T-t-tell me y-you didn’t…
Murdad: No, D, I didn’t. You’ve no idea how badly I wanted to, though. I just roughed him up a bit. He’ll live. If it makes you feel any better, some of the blood’s mine. Now go check on her while I clean this off!
…And someone get me the suture kit. I split my knuckles and I may or may not have a shallow stab wound.
i think i’ve recently been baking too much angst, so i’ve decided to write a bunch and bunch of fluff and drabbles—gonna take a bunch of requests if i do get any as well, just give me whatever prompt or summary and i’ll write one of these for you!
here’s just a short one for a start where ash, nooshy and meena are fussing over johnny’s broken ankle while he decides to be a stubborn child. :D
“Honestly, it’s not that big of a deal.” Johnny groaned in exasperation as Meena added what seemed like the fourth pillow to the stack elevating his leg up to a rather respectable height. “I told you I’m fine.”
“You’ve been saying that from the moment you did that failed hand glide onstage.” Ash huffed as she made sure the huge pillow behind Johnny’s back was plenty fluffed up, still angry about the fact that he managed to hurt himself. “You wouldn’t even shut up at the goddamn hospital while they were bandaging you up.”
“It’s just a lil’ sprained ankle—”
“—broken ankle.” Nooshy snapped, correcting him as she basically shoved the thermos of hot tea into his hand. “And you managed to also break a bloody finger in the process, you injury-prone idiot.”
“Right, whatever—you guys are makin’ it seem like I broke a rib or somethin’.” Johnny rolled his eyes as he gingerly took a sip of tea from his thermos (english black tea with honey, Nooshy knew just how he liked it) before recoiling when it slightly burned his tongue. “Honestly, it’s just a broken ankle, it’s—no, no Meena, no more pillows please—it’s not like it’s gonna kill me.”
“If the injury didn’t kill you, we will.” Ash snappishly said as she stood on a tiptoe to place the ice bag over his bandaged foot. “You gave us a massive fright, and you’re never going to hear the end of it from me.”
“Itold you you weren’t ready for that move yet.” Nooshy crossed her arms. “You never listen to me.”
“Sorry,mum.” Johnny mumbled sarcastically, eyes fixated on the cast on his hand as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.
“Why aren’t you drinkin’ your tea? Do I need to spoon-feed you?” Nooshy raised a brow tentatively.
Johnny sputtered. “Wh-wha, no!”
“Then drink up!”
Johnny mumbled something incoherent underneath his breath and cupped his thermos to take small sips of tea out of it, brows furrowed at the excessive amount of care he was receiving. Yeah, sure, he was grateful and all—but really, did they have to make such a fuss about it?
“You’re not even acting like it hurts!” Meena said, starting to sound a little annoyed. “You’re being a bit stubborn—”
“It really doesn’t!”
Ash stuck out a finger and poked Johnny’s foot, resulting in an angry, pained hiss.
“Ow! Wha’ was tha’ for?”
“Ha, see? It does hurt!”
“Look,I’m the one who’s hurt here—I don’t see why I’m the one who’s bein’ berated and harassed instead of bein’ comforted and cuddled.” Johnny crossed his arms, slumping a little against the mass of pillows behind his back and sinking into the nest of fuzzy blankets Ash had placed over him at some point.
“I’d hate to let you know what real harassment from us would look like.” Nooshy replied. “And the reason why is even after you broke your ankle, you decided to act like the bloody hero and dance the rest of your routine through the pain like that would actually make it any better—”
“Well, to be fair, back then I didn’t know it was broken—”
“—we heard the snap of your bones over the music.”
“Now, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”
“Is not. Look, just deal with it—we’re your best friends, we love you no matter how dumb you are, and we basically have an unspoken duty—” Ash grabbed a handful of DVDs from the shelves. “—to take care of your ass while you recover from your broken ankle.” She dumped them onto his lap. “Pick one.”
“Um, well, these aren’t exactly movies that I—”
“Justpick one, goddammit—”
“Alrigh’, alrigh’, geez—” Johnny picked out a random movie from the selection sprawled across the blankets, wincing as Ash sent him a death glare before picking up that one movie. “And you say that you guys are not exaggerating.”
“We’re not, where did you get that idea?”
“But Nooshy, you asked the doctor how long Johnny has to live—” Meena said quietly as she sat down on one of the beanbags situated at the corner of Johnny’s room, her head surrounded by posters of all kinds of musicians, musicals, and movies.
“He could have died, okay? He looked as if he were in the pain of someone hammering his face with a—”
“Look, can we just forget about my ankle, and my finger, whatever this fuss is all about—” Johnny shook his head. “—and can we just watch this movie together? I’m tired.”
“Only if you promise not to hurt yourself like an idiot and then decide to be all stubborn about it.” Ash replied, already jumping up onto the bed beside him and settling down on the seat beside him, stealing one of his blankets just as the movie started.
“Can’t guarantee it.” Johnny replied with a smirk as Nooshy jumped in between them, squeezing herself into the small gap. Meena laughed as she moved the beanbag over to Johnny’s side, eyes already glued to the screen.
“… could one of you get me Takis, though? The spicy ones, if there are any—”
my great-grandfather had to leave italy in the 20′s because he hit a fascist with a tuba, so if you think I am going to take this sitting down you are going to have to catch these hands and also this tuba
Fun story my Great Great Grandma left Germany in the 1920s because she had family in the US and could get citizenship pretty easily and once she was over in the US she then smuggled over 15 jewish families out by forging family documents so now my aunts are currently in the process of trying to tell the real ones from the fake ones because my great gran just died and there are legally over 100 surviving descendants but we know that math is a lil screwy.
Sometimes a family is you, your kids, your grandkids, your great grandkids, and the 15 Jewish families you helped smuggle out of Nazi Germany.
Named Daelynn, she hails from the Western region of Wildemount, though she never clarifies the specific location. Daelynn claims to have a caretaker from whom she was separated from and is searching for. She’s a perceptive child, often reminding others in the party their actions will have unforeseen consequences further down the road. Indeed, she is a child wise beyond her years. Perrich, an adolescent hyena, is her animal companion. The hyena is shown to be loyal and protective of the child, however he can behave like a mischievous puppy. Daelynn has expressed many times her love for the other members of the Mighty Nein, Fjord especially. In “Homeward Bound” Daelynn reveals to Yussa Errenis that she isn’t human.
A young humanoid ranger, a child who has been living in a sprawling wilderness along the Amber Road. They operate in the shadows, a quiet young thing, looting the pockets and carts of those who pass through.
On a particularly quiet day, they discover a half orc caught in a rope trap and, with some hesitation, decide to free them. They suggest the orc be more careful: there are those who hunt monsters in the woods. The young ranger quietly leads them back to their partner, listening intently as the orc voices his thoughts. There’s an occasional question but they never answer.
They soon reunite the half orc with their traveling companion, a blue tiefling. Shy, they stick to the tall grasses. They watch from their hidden position as the half orc recounts his journey and notes the path they were on was not a shortcut as the tiefling had, at one point, sworn by. Then he gestures with his head in the direction where the woods begin to clear and tall grass rises.
There is an exchange of whispers amongst the pair before the half orc approaches and kneels before the grass.
“You’re welcome to join us on the journey.”
The child, like a weasel, pops their head out of the grass, coming face to face with the half orc. They let out ‘humph’, then cower in the thrush.
Back on their rightful path, thanks to the keeper of the Amber Road wildlands, the two continue on. The tiefling and the half orc, on their way to Rexxentrum. The tiefling expresses her concern and wants for the child to join them if, even for a little while, she just feels bad for the small one, being all alone. The half orc offers that perhaps the child had family nearby, however inside he knows this to be false.
Then there’s a sneeze. The two are immediately put on the defensive. Once they see who stands behind them, they lower their arms. It’s the child. She stands on the path behind them, apparently unfazed by their threatening stance. An adolescent hyena is at her side, a single one of her hands stroking their speckled fur.
