#chav bobby

[shuffleoflove]

roadman boggie edit + my edits of said edit

[queenmolina]

like if julie and the mandem has gone too far

reblog if it needs to go further

[defultuser]

britverse masterpost aka julie and the mandem

luke 

yorkshire

lowkey talented but some undiagnosed adhd plus lack of care for anything thats not music means no one notices.

canon style but the cut off hoodie make many frequent appearances. aways trying to take his blaser off even though teachers don’t let him 

spent some time working at maccies and subway but keeps applying to new places try new things 

came out when reg hit him with a saucepan and he called it “pan on pan crime”

reggie 

a roadman

could be smart but not really trying, just at school to see friends

enemies to lovers with bobby. 

works at pets at home

accidentally came out by posting a bbc news article about something lgbt on his public insta rather than his anonymous one

bobby 

irish and/or chav

 gifted burnout kid already even though its only year ten. 

starts kinda chav style slowly evolves into whatever the hell he wants - slightly dark academia/ canon style.

works at toys r us / an off brand toys r us. he’s the giraffe 

came out by correcting a museum’s lgbt exhibit forgetting he was on a school trip and not out

alex

RP

parents are rich tory aholes but hes mid rebellion at the moment so hanging out with all the kinds of people they hate, not so subtle crush on willie.

 style is a mishmash of those around him, it takes him a while to get comfortable to wear pink but when he does he loves it. 

was made to apply for leadership by his parents, does not do his job (i don’t know what i’m doing how am i meant to help the year 7′s)

works at waitrose 

came out during his gcse drama cause he forgot his lines and made a joke about liking Willie (person and Brit meaning)

they all have a complicated relationship with the school uniform. [x] [x] 

flynn 

manchester

enemies to lovers with carrie, plays sport to compete (read flirt) with carrie 

applyed for leadership to compete with carrie is now responsible for charity events of something like that.

willie 

(did we agree birmingham) 

art kid

runs a tuck shop from his bag to compete with caleb

is aware of alex’s crush (and if he starts helping in the drama department no says anything about it)  

always covered in paint, volunteers at primary school to teach crafts after school

trying his best to set up a GSA at the school (mixed results so far)

julie 

american (it does not matter that this takes place in the uk we don’t replace madison) 

luke pisses her off in every class thats not music - she actually likes him in those classes

in on all the drama, gossips with willie during their shared art class about it, 

teachers favorite, although they wish she’d find better friends than the phantoms. 

prefect, head of house.

volunteers at charity shops 

carrie 

lowkey essex girl  

netball girl, centre and head of the team

always competing with flynn

is going to make the most out of high school. 

skirt rolled as high as she can get it, always in her netball hoodie.

 student leadership sports role (like sports captain or whatever you’d called it)

helps at her dad cricket club and is passive agressive to the rude customers 

nick

west country

kinda popular but nice

plays a sport and is good (either cricket, badminton or football) 

super smart so all the teachers love him. 

was a prefect maybe even head boy.

kayla

art student buddy with willie but she doesn’t care for the rest of the gossip, but she finds flynn and carries flirting rather entertaining. 

southern coastal town/city cornwall/dorset way (personal headcanon but no one has said otherwise yet)

works at a care home/ teaching workouts to old people 

trevor 

popular singer

always away for work so never sees his kids (bobby and carrie)

has a hot tub and lets the kids host parties at theirs. 

caleb

(did we agree scottish)

runs the corner store from which hes banned the whole group

also works at the hgc (now a spoons), and plays accordion

 (hes somehow everywhere always annoyed at the phantoms)

shops at waitrose and bullies the staff while he does 

britverse 

the phantoms busk on the local high street, definitely get in trouble more than once.  

julie flynns and alex’s drama teacher is definitely queer and everyones favorite teacher, 

the bright lighting guy is a tech drama student, while the kid from the orpheum is an alevel drama student that helps in their class,

they all did dofe.  

all help at open evening to various degrees of success. 

these are the classes they took.  

non-uniform  day is about as successful as you’d expect and is always for the same few charities. 

They meet as following : 

As kids - Julie meets carrie and bobby  primary school - bobby meets Luke, Julie and carrie at a different school meet Flynn  Year 6 (camping trip) - Julie/flynn fall out with carrie, all meet Luke  Year 7 - carrie meets Kayla, Luke meets reggie  Year 8- reggie falls in with the wrong crowd but Luke saves him - he still acts like a roadman though from his time with them  Year 9 - bobby joins (after going to a different school for two years) Alex joins and instantly gets accepted by the guys  Year 10 - willie joins the school, carrie and Julie share a music class and reform friendship, willex pining for the whole year after meeting in town.  Year 11 - one big friend group

Edits

roadman reggie artwork

boggie bi flag

stupid deaths

playlist

britverse boggie pride icons

SMAU’s

@queenmolina ‘s smau + sequel

@latinposeidon ‘s character profiles 

the performance part 1 and 2

accidental coming outs

the aftermath part 1 and 2

netball captains are assholes 

julie vs british slang

@defultuser’s open day part 1 2 3 

the investigation of caleb part 1 2 3 

@defultuser and @thegirlfulloffandoms ‘s charity event 

Fics 

coursework

britgate boggie init? 

bobby’s a vampire

britgate fic init

I've Got Friends on the Other Side (The Other Side Being The UK)

St Cuthbert's charity chaos

britgate boggie fic

britgate team: @queenmolina @apples-bees @sapphicflynn @lesducks @latinposeidon @faetalflaw @thegirlfulloffandoms @defultuser @spaceacekid

[theladyfae]

roadman reggie and chav bobby, constantly

[edelgay]

So marisol calls a relationship with a nice guy that wouldn't cheat on you "boring" after macking on Lottie's man and knowing he tried it with all the girls, playing her too. That our female LI this year ? Miss fake intellectual ?

Okay, i'm gonna romance that condescending two faced hypocrite and i will leave her in the dust at the final, let's see how much you like "bad girls" and "playing the game" then, babe

[deuchess]

What drinks would the S2 LIs order?

you fool! you should’ve specified what drinks you meant, cause now i’m doing soft drinks😌

Henrik: there’s a swedish drink called zingo that i think he’d like, it tastes like oranges. if it has to be one in england than a tango or mountain dew :)

Bobby: Irn-Bru. popular and scottish, he loves it. maybe crape soda too? i think he likes a lot of drinks.

Marisol: cherry coke. her chapstick tasted like cherries, so she must like the taste.

Noah: coca-cola. i don’t think he drinks much soda so he hasn’t tried that many. i like imagining him with that red can in his hand, he makes it work :)

Felix: redbull, cause he’s a chav boy

Elijah: pepsi max maybe? or coke zero? something without sugar.

Carl: club orange or san pellegrino

Jakub: lucozade :)

Elisa: maybe like a belvoir? she likes things to be pretty to look at so yeah. she might have a soft spot for like some juice or non-alcoholic champagne if we can consider that a soft drink.

Lucas: i don’t even think he drinks soda. can i just say sparkling water? schweppes maybe.

Kassam: i dont even know how to get him to like me, i certainly don’t know what he would like to drink...

Gary: i’m really unsure of what he’d like, i’m just gonna say ginger beer for him.

if anyone has an idea of what Kassam would like, please tell me so i can change it

[thegirlfulloffandoms]

UK JATP at eurovision

its eurovision season and i would like to bring to floor again the image of britgate sunset curve (Road man Reggie,Yorkshire Luke,Recieved pronunciation Alex and Chav/Irish bobby) performing at eurovision repping the united kingdom.

It would be a catastrophe because Alex is the only one any of the artists can understand,Reggie nearly gets them disqualified for fighting a contestant because he insulted their costume,and they play now or never as an indie ballad.

@queenmolina

[ryder616]

Rewatching A Wanted (In)human

Poor Lincoln. He was doing alright, working his chosen profession and leaving the Afterlife disappointments behind...then the Judge Dredd of Inhumans shows up and all his carefully constructed normality is shattered and he becomes a wanted fugitive overnight, hunted through the woods like a rabid animal.

It’s not all on Lash. The ATCU is very quickly gaining ground on Real S.H.I.E.L.D. in the “who can bungle it worse” competition, but they have an unfair advantage: Malick is pulling their strings so there’s a malevolent agenda underneath it all, combining with the political pressure and the inexperience.

Calling in regular law enforcement to join the hunt for Lincoln is bad enough already - they’re endangering an innocent guy and if he really was the dangerous alien threat they insist he is, they would be endangering the regular cops instead - but involving the general public is courting disaster.

And at the end of the day they have nothing to show for it because they can’t exactly tout like a success their association with a discredited organization that isn’t supposed to exist anymore. Good on Rosalind for seeing what’s actually useful - S.H.I.E.L.D.’s expertise on their side - rather than insisting on something she could sell as a win.

Take Your Daughter to Work Day:

Coulson trades S.H.I.E.L.D.’s expertise for Daisy’s freedom and it’s a pretty good deal, considering it also gives them a better opportunity to keep an eye on the ATCU and avoid yet another interagency conflict. Before that, however, he trades Lincoln’s freedom for Daisy’s and that is less awesome.

Would he have done it for any other agent (with their names in the opening credits)? Probably.

But he’s spent most of S2 being told how not objective he is when Daisy’s involved and openly aknowledging that “she’s as close to family as [he’s] got” (2x22). And here he goes into “I will crush you” mode the second she is threatened. When he chides her for being too close to the Inhuman/Lincoln situation, he might as well speak of himself.

Stuff that crossed my mind:

Another Inhuman hunted through the woods by a pack of heavily armed men...I have to say, a wall of sparks is a much prettier solution to the problem than exploding trees.

Labs indicate oxidative stress, vitamin D deficiency, upper-respiratory irritation. Sounds to me like Jemma could use a long vacation somewhere sunny and well ventilated. So of course she’ll be staying underground with artificial lights and air conditioning 24/7. 🤣

She said she was being hunted [...] -- What does that mean? It means very bad things will happen. Very, very bad.

He’s already scared, paranoid. Ambushing him out of nowhere would have made things way worse. Speaking from experience. And Agent Asshole’s likely still recovering from it. 😈

Hunter is undercover as a chav. 😁

First we drink, then we talk business. [...] Right, ‘cause you guys aren’t hard enough to understand as it is. As someone who’s somewhat familiar with the drunken Brit vernacular, I have honestly heard worse. 😂

Yes, very good. Kill the lights, stand up quickly and head for the exit with your hood up. That won’t look suspicious at all.

Permission to speak freely. -- Do I have a choice? Nope. You’re gonna get an earful, Phil, whether you like it or not. 🤣

Why wasn’t I told [about Lincoln’s tracker]? -- We thought you were a little close to the situation. Not as close as she’d like🤭

Look at all the neatly catalogued Monolith debris. I wonder where they ended up at, especially now that there’s a Flint running around - well, flying from South America with a broken leg - in the present... 🤔

My curiosity faded once fear set in. Ow. 😥 And if anyone can understand how much fear would be needed to kill her curiosity, that’d be Fitz.

So, you’re not doing anything stupid? -- Not yet. True, but give him a minute. He’s about to try to make May open up on her personal life.

You lied to [Bobbi] -- Barely. Besides she knows I’m lying, so it’s not even a lie, really. Works for us now. You know how complicated these things can be. Affairs of the heart. Especially in our line of work. Me and Bob. You and Andrew. If this is Hunter’s idea of subtly fishing for information on the status of Meldrew, maybe he should rethink this undercover business after all... 😁

So how much do you have riding on this bet that I left Andrew? -- A significant sum. -- Well. You lost it. I’m pretty sure I hurled several less than complimentary words at the screen in Andrew’s direction back in the day.

[Lincoln]’ll show. That’s why we alerted the public. He’s got nowhere to hide. You guys must know he’s not really the kind of dangerous that warrants all this fuss you’re making, which means you are ruthless and not stupid... unless you really think he warrants it, which would still make you ruthless but also dumb.

Coulson -- Call me Phil. -- What I can’t call you is POTUS. President Philip J. Coulson...I like it.

Skye. Daisy. Sorry. -- It’s a multipurpose gift. It’s pretty and a reminder. You can call me whatever you want. I hope you know how special you are, Jemma. Last ep she had just fainted and still made it a point to correct Coulson but here you get flowers and can call her whatever you want. The perks of being presumed dead for six months... 😁

John went from stanning Lincoln to full blown panic rather quickly.

I’m...well, it’s just that there’s some of it that’s hard to talk about and...[phone rings]. Dammit, Lincoln, your timing sucks. Jemma was just starting opening up!

It'd be safer if Mack handled the extraction. -- I know, but then he won't come. It's got to be me. -- Your call. -- And where are you going? -- To the beach. What’s with the faces? The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t do strolls?

Apparently during his six months of Desperately Seeking Jemma, Fitz also helped Bobbi with her rehab, in addition to designing the Zephyr One and possibly supervising at least part of its construction. And let’s not forget Daisy’s guantlets - someone must have designed them extrapolating from Jemma’s work on the prototype inhibitors - and Coulson’s prosthetics that, while no match for his future smart hand, don’t exactly look off the shelf. Either the Science Department stepped up in a big way or Fitz literally never slept.

You know, last time we met, you disarmed me with your evasive tactics. [...] No, I got to hand it to you. Makes me wonder what else you got up your sleeve. So. Head of a shady government agency, car enthusiast, and a penchant for punny zingers...Coulson, I think you’ve met your match.

How about I do you a favor and not tell anyone that a tiny, little Asian woman kicked your ass? As long as you keep doing us the favor of kicking wannabe rapists and assorted bad guys’ asses in style! 😎

We're not gonna harvest him for parts, if that's what you're worried about. We're not Hydra. -- You say that now. What do you know. He called it. Then again, when is it not Hydra, one way or another?

A pretty face...with no name, no birth record, no social attached to it. She's one of them. And she works for you, right? Yes. And she can forge all of those documents by herself if needed. So what’s the problem? 😄

You gave me hope, a place in the world. -- Look what happened to it. You know better than anyone, if everything around you crumbles, then you're the cause. Excellent. Let’s waste precious minutes feeling sorry for ourselves while the Gestapo Jr. is closing in.

No, you are not cursed. You are not some horrible thing. I know...because you taught me that I wasn't. You convinced me that I had a purpose, that maybe my life wasn't over, but just getting somewhere. Please let me do the same for you. -- You're wasting your time caring about me. -- I can’t help it. [they kiss] Top notch recruitment drive, Agent Johnson. Perhaps a bit unconventional but I won’t argue with results. 😁 However, I do recall Jiaying helping you do all of that, too. Though I suppose you’d rather not remember that. 😥

Change of plans. Coulson's orders. We're turning him over to the ATCU. And he expected Daisy to go along with it? Did they switch him with an evil clone three seasons earlier?

I assure you that if you insist on taking my agent in, you will start a war. I will devote all the resources and manpower of S.H.I.E.L.D. to crushing your agency. -- It's not personal. I cannot even begin to stress how very personal this is. But you’re new. You’ll learn.

[Leaving] I guess it’s your lucky day. Banks, please.🙄 It’s your lucky day.

You kept the reservation. -- Don’t make a fuss. It’s not a big deal. The deafening sound of a good chunk of the audience swooning says otherwise. 😁

It’s hard to trust them when they are hunting people like me. -- I never said I trust them. -- Good. Don’t. Because we have no idea what they’re really after. No, but I bet you have theories....

Look, I understand this is a personal matter for you. -- So Mack told you what he heard me say? Right, because Coulson needs Mack telling on you to figure you out now. 🙄

It’s Rosalind. -- First name basis, huh? If it’s any consolation, she’s started it.

Mack unwinds shooting pixel aliens (he’s playing some version or other of Halo, just like in S2).

You’re safe. That portal won’t open again. -- But it has to. I have to go back. Indeed. You have to freak out all the shippers. 😉

[obfuscobble]

=camera shows leon and leon’s MASSIVE BOBBIES from above= ooh finally a girl champion, awesome!! lee: =is boy with THE WORST FACIAL HAIR= oh ok i hate your not beard not sideburns and i dislike your self too you look like a ponce and a chav had an unfortunate baby

hop: heh is that your flsh new phone me: MY WHAT NOW. is this like when precure tried to make “twincool” a thing?  is this a reflection of japanese teenagers trying to make kirakira a new adjective for coolness??  i hate it. hop: heh i know you’d never want to miss a match with lee you love him me: ACTUALLY I HATED LEE ON SIGHT SHUT YOU FA— hop: my brother me: ok i guess i won’t hate lee.  if he’s your bro.

LEON KEEPS PORN ON THE TOP SHELF???? GAME FREAK WHAT IS HAPPENING??? “books only adults can understand” i mean i guess this is supposed to be calculus and engineering BUT i’m S E N T

wooloo you are precious i love you i will protect you forever never change you are my light and my life

hop bro if i wanna wade into tall grass and get lost in the sauce let me

how many generations is it and still no voice acting?  is it a budget thing??????

god lee i hate your cloak.  silence, brand.

[shuffleoflove]

totally legit britgate fic that i worked really hard on <3 /j

Hi my name is Robin Dark’ness Dementia Raven Wilson and I have ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) and I drink monster out of lipton bottles and a lot of people tell me I look like Vladimir Dracula (AN: if u don’t know who he is get da hell out of here!). I’m not related to Caleb Covington and I’m glad I’m not because he’s a bit ova nonce and looks like Simon Cowell. I’m not a vampire but I wish I was because then maybe Reggie someone would go out with me. I’m also a chav, and I go to a school called St. Britverse in England where I’m in the sixth form (I’m seventeen). I’m kind of alt (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly black. I love charity shops and I buy all my clothes from there. For example today I was wearing a black shirt with black jeans, red suspenders and a black north face jacket. I was wearing black nail polish, silver rings, black eyeliner and was smoking a fag. I was walking outside St. Britverse. It was raining (but not snowing because it’s England) so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of roadmen stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

“Wagwan Bobby my g!” shouted a voice. I looked up. It was…. Reggie Peters!

“What’s up mate?” I asked.

“Nothing bruv.” he said shyly.

But then, I heard my friends call me and I had to go away.

[queenmolina]

i made the mistake of sending this on the britcourse chat and then i disappeared for like two minutes and came back to this

just thought everyone deserved to see the chaos...

bonus:

@theladyfae @lesducks @latinposeidon @defultuser

[theclaravoyant]

AN ~ for @asdfsweets whose prompt contains spoilers ;) sorry it’s so short, but I hope you enjoy it!

brotp: Skimmons, ship: Simmorse prompt (paraphrased): Daisy and Jemma get drunk and call Bobbi for a ride, and Jemma says something embarrassing.

Rated T for alcohol/drunkenness & sexual references.

Read on AO3

-

Daisy screwed up her nose, giggling madly. She tried to raise the Cruiser to her lips and found her arm uncooperative, but she was so busy laughing at Jemma that she didn’t mind.

“Why are you Southern?” she demanded. “Why- why are you Southern?”

“I’d’know m’ladyy… s’all southern from England, innit?”

Daisy blew a raspberry with laughter.

“What accent is that?!” she cried. “I don’t even know, man! Are you Cockney? Have you secretly been a chav this whole time? Are those the same thing, I don’t know? I don’t know.”

Jemma puffed her chest as if she was proud of this, and spied the two bartenders chatting across the room. Thinking herself quite the sleuth for noticing this, she stage-whispered, obscenely loudly, to Daisy:

“I think we’re slice – I mean cut off. I’ve got too many lime slices in me. Cut.” She hiccupped, and Daisy rolled her eyes. “You’re wasted,” she pointed out.

“You’re wasted,” Jemma retorted.

“No but you’re like… White Girl Wasted.”

“What are you then? Mixed Race Shit Faced?”

“You can’t say ‘cut off’ but you can manage ‘shit faced’?” Daisy raised an eyebrow, and the two of them launched into the laughter of a pair of schoolgirls, with a lot more dips and slurs in it. “Damn, you’re right though. This place is starting to spin. We should call our ride before we forget we have one?”

“Who’s dezi tonight?”

Daisy smirked as she pulled up the number. “Bobbi.”

“No!” Jemma cried.

“Yes!” Daisy insisted. “It’s good though, you know? It’s good. You’d never talk to her in real life. Now you can open your soul! Ask her out! Do itttttt.”

Jemma protested, and Daisy egged her on, over the last of their drinks and during the call to Bobbi as she pulled up outside and as they staggered onto the street. By this point, Jemma’s protestations had become somewhat less coherent, even less protesting, and more… giggly.

“Bobbi!!” she cried, as Bobbi came to meet them with a stern, if slightly amused, expression on her face. She ran up and pressed herself against Bobbi, and Bobbi pried her gently away.

“Hey, boo, love ya but I don’t need these shoes to smell like watermelon ice tomorrow.”

“Good call. She’s wasted, yo,” Daisy insisted. “White girl wasted! Woo!”

Bobbi rolled her eyes, and shepherded the both of them toward the car. They clamoured over each other to tell her stories of their exciting night and shots and bets and a card game and how Jemma had insisted they not play strip poker and that’s when the power of alcohol brought it all spilling out.

“Coz I said it’s not like, yknow, Bobbi, I said –“ Jemma explained. “I said, to really pull that kind of thing off, you know, you need good boobs.”

“Like Bobbi,” Daisy clarified.

“Like Bobbi, right,” Jemma agreed.

“I have nice boobs?” Bobbi asked, strangely intrigued by their story.

“Sure!” Jemma agreed. “They’re so nice ‘n… symmetrical. And at eye level.” She chuckled lasciviously, and Daisy joined in. Bobbi smiled to herself, but kept her eyes on the road as the two girls in the back seat chatted and laughed and showered more compliments upon her, told a few more embarrassing stories, and eventually, were lulled to sleep by exhaustion and drunkenness.

-

(When Jemma woke up, there was aspirin and soda water on her bedside table and beside them, an unmarked card. Curious, she frowned through a pounding headache, and opened the card, to find a photograph of Bobbi, in workout gear, posing in front of her bedroom mirror. Jemma blushed furiously and glanced around, but there was nobody to see it, so she let her eyes drop back to the card, and searched for some explanation.

If you make it out of bed before 9 and want to talk for real, I’ll be making smoothies in Mess 3.

Jemma fell on her alarm clock and rolled out of bed as fast as she could manage.)

[defultuser]

this might be my worst britgate post (and thats saying something) but i had an awful idea and need to hear from everybody else. 

britgate team as britverse characters 

this is not casting a show but instead who (from what you know about them) reminds you most of which britverse characters. 

britgate team: @queenmolina @nickalicious @sapphicflynn @lesducks @latinposeidon @theladyfae @thegirlfulloffandoms @defultuser @spaceacekid @julie-and-the-ghost-himbos

masterpost for reference 

[theladyfae]

sorry to say it but rp!alex is literally the only one aware of his surroundings while walking and talking with the group, like they'll be going past people's front yards with reggie and bobby talking about nonces and all at full volume, and he just cringes a little inside whenever he senses some outsider judging them harshly

[stlplaybox]

A TFN Journey: a story in three parts - part 2

In part 1 of the story of my first Transformers convention experience, I talked about how your attempts to plot a course and navigate a convention can easily be frustrated. But that’s not a bad thing. If you missed it, you can find it here.

In part 2, I want to talk about the people and the moments that you meet them in. Some that have big parts to play, some that are small but by no means any less poignant.

I arrived on Friday and unsurprisingly I didn’t know a person. It was awhile before I spotted a few people I recognised from my online, largely Twitter, interactions. It’s a strange feeling. It’s like seeing someone you feel you know but then you realise you don’t really at all. There are clearly people who know them really well. So I have to admit it made me apprehensive about approaching some of these people.

I remember the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone was coming out of James Roberts’ queue juggling all of his scripts and the various prints I’d picked up from Alex Milne, Nick Roche and Jack Lawrence. She had been in the line behind me and I was pretty sure I’d seen her face at some point on Twitter and that she was probably the same Marian that co-hosted Podcast Maximus. So I opened my mouth, said hi, explained how the podcast was a lovely part of my walk to work. She was lovely and later introduced me to her other co-hosts, Terome and Stuart, who I would not have recognised even though I’d somehow stumbled upon them! I listen to many podcasts but only one Transformers one so it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to express my appreciation for their efforts as I know it’s not easy and can seem thankless. It was a lovely conversation and I regret not having more opportunities to chat with them but that doesn’t reduce its importance. It made future efforts to break the ice with other people I thought I knew that much easier and for that I am grateful.

But beyond the people you think you know there are also the people you’ve never known. I remember sitting there on Friday in the bar, just having finished dinner, and looking up and seeing a sea of people I knew shared my passion but I didn’t know. Opposite me were two blokes and so I shifted over and asked if I could join them. Matt and Bobby were inviting, friendly and warm. They got me a drink and we chatted casually about the weekend ahead. It may have been a small thing but I still remember that first evening. It was my first step on the path to confidently meeting other strangers who also shared my love for these robots.

Something I noticed early during the convention was the amount of parents clearly with their much younger kids. These weren’t collector parents, these were parents of young collectors. For some unclear reason that nagged at me but I did make it a point with my newfound confidence to express how impressed I was and how fortunate their children were whenever I came across one. And then somewhen on Saturday I received the message below from my 15 year old sister.

I remember at the time pausing, being touched by it. But then I had rollout to the podcast panel I wanted to see (something ironic about seeing a podcast!). It was two events on Sunday morning that forced me to revisit it though.

The first was on the lake on Sunday morning when I’d gone for a stroll. I passed someone who had just purchased MakeToys Galaxy Meteor, a toy I’d been eyeing off but couldn’t bring back to Australia. I said to him that’s a nice start to the day. He replied that it was actually for his son. We chatted and he reflected on it as something his parents would have never done for him but he wanted to make sure he did this for his son. I told him how lovely that was and moved on.

The second was @l0rean from Germany. We were lining up to chance getting a copy of the incredibly popular Animated comic. It was big to both of us and we gabbled on about our love for it. She shared her artbook and my jaw dropped at how talented she already was. Along the way she told me she was here with her dad whose English was not great but was indulging her. We got separated (both successful tho!) but later spotted her and her dad and joined them. I told him he how awesome he was and he seemed grateful and jovial about it. Job done.    

But I wasn’t done. Something about it still nagged at me and I don’t like not understanding things. It was between popping over to Resort World to get more quid for the Forge and sitting down on the edge of the lake as the sun beamed down that I tried to dissect this among other things. It was then that my sister’s message hit me. Seeing these other parents with their kids here, supporting and encouraging them, smiling at a fandom they did not quite understand, was a window into a childhood I never had. As much as it reminded me of what I didn’t have, it reminded me of what I did have. I came back home when my sister was young to be a part of her life. I wanted to make sure she had a better childhood than I did. And I’m glad she feels she did. There were things I gave up in order to do that - including living and working abroad. In some ways I may have been to a convention much earlier in life but if I hadn’t been grounded, perhaps I wouldn’t have taken on a hobby that requires a degree of permanence. And I certainly wouldn’t have been at TFNation.

I’m grateful and humbled to see the kindness, friendliness and supportiveness of the parents at TFnation. As someone who likes to be ahead of the curve and be emotionally prepared for most eventualities, it was unexpected but it allowed me a window into my own childhood, my relationship with my sister, and the role Transformers played in all of that.

I can’t begin to understate how much fun my Rodimus outfit was.  There were so many great moments and I feel guilty for not being able to recount them all but one stuck out more than all others. In James Roberts queue (as many things happens there as things do in a James Roberts script!) ran into the two wonderful ladies running around dressed as the Cyclonus (@eabevella) and Tailgate (@passivelyfabail) holoavatars (boy were they awesome at the cosplay night!). They reported to their captain (me!) and honoured me with a beautiful badge that removed the blight of co-captaincy. A swath of photos were snapped and we were even gatecrashed by Tarn (@sneknoodles). Of course, I did what Rodimus would do: I was awesome. I fended off that fusion-cannoned Megatron-worshipping fanatic and all was well. If I had a Rodimus Star handy I would’ve awarded myself one. Quipping aside, I tend to be good with words but I do forever find myself reflecting on that moment and questioning if I sufficiently conveyed my appreciation at their creativity, appetite for fun, and kindness. I hope the photos convey how special those memories are to me.

Then there was Krinsyn (@Krinsyn). An old friend of mine from Melbourne knew her and had unwittingly asked her to keep a keen eye open for an Aussie bogan (chav) Rodimus strutting the halls of TFNation. She found me in the ClubCon hall on the eve festivities and as the words poured out of her mouth, I’d figured out who she was before she’d even finished her sentence. She shares Albie’s infectious enthusiasm and happy-go-lucky smile. I could see straight away why despite the distance and time zones that separates them that they’re good friends. It was a special moment where two strangers closed that mythical six degrees of separation.

Conventions are filled with fleeting happenstances. You teeter on the edge of anxiety, ambivalence, and ambiguity. But the thing at TFNation was that it worked out 99.9% of the time. I crossed paths with a ton of people, heard wonderful stories, and shared fun moments that will forever stay with me. And all I have to thank for those memories was the kindness of strangers.

Up next: Part III - “Sliding Doors”

[burndownthehousetonight]

Fake Lyrics

So, this is kind of a weird post. You know how I write lyrics for a lot of the scenes that show up in my RPs? Whenever I do that, I use a placeholder melody to make sure they would flow with the tune, even if there’s a small stretch to the melody. As per request by @tinyredartist, This is sort of a catalog of the fake lyrics I’ve written and the melodies I used. There are timestamps to know what part I references, or referenced most heavily, in some cases.

IMPORTANT: My music taste is varied and absolutely terrible. Despite the character I write for, I am embarrassingly unknowledgable when it comes to music, so don’t go expecting the lourve down here.

If you just wanna hear the music, you can find a playlist of every song on this list here

Andra Day - Gold

"Tell me all about your violent history 'Bout your scars and all your little fights Take me to the marble gardens Gonna have to beg your pardon But I can't wait another night" (1:09) "But starlight won't look on, or do you want that? Midnight, dusk and dawn will forget all our crimes Give me a taste, just one taste too much Night is over, the day's arrived How are we alive?"  (1:49)

Bobby Caldwell - What You Won’t Do For Love

"Go get our epitaphs engraved And we'll destroy the brand new age Brick and mortar turned to gold Under butchered steel and atomic roads" (0:11)

Natalia Kills - Saturday Night

"Let's die in God-forsaken rays His golden light, our purple haze One night with blasphemy Through the rosy lens of an Oxy craze" (0:35)

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive

"Don't go flagging down that Benz Don't kiss that diamond Cartier Those red flags are dyed with blood from guys who couldn't get away" (0:30)

Macy Gray - I’ve Committed Murder

"I've already died for you, no, no one's got a clue Pick me up at Shana's Tavern and we'll shift to overdrive You can find our stolen kisses hidden underneath my "grave" They can pry it from our corpses when we burn alive" (0:44)

Eddie From Ohio - Twenty Thousand Hearts

"It's all frigid shade for the autumn raids But we're breathing, moving Shattered, but the ceasefire's ordered We're safe, close, and quartered No battle lines are drawn" (0:53)

Marina and the Diamonds - Radioactive

"Kiddo's got a new scar Better sound the alarms He's deliriously happy from that saber-tooth charm" (0:15) "I'll never be your green-eyed concubine I'd kill you, but those muscles looks divine Those hips are mine" (2:25)

Lee Brotherton - Dream of an Absolution

"I can't have the past stay prologue when I'm dying to feel your touch But I can't bear to take replacement With a faker's pathetic clutch" (0:43)

Blue Stahli - Corner

"You ain't the first to rip through this flawless masochistic chest Come give that C4 cradle Lullay and lullay my pain to rest" (1:41)

Heather Dale - Medusa

"You ain't sorry, don't you hide that shit behavior Say your prayers, cause you're gonna meet your savior Was your life worth one night of wasted trust? Your skin'll leather up real nice for a jacket of your lust" (0:47)

Cruel Youth - Mister Watson

“Ms. Manners, save it, we don't need moral crap We ain't gutter trash with hearts of gold, just criminal hacks No point in talking, save that uppity trash We don't need your help, just let us live in white And diamond black “ (0:47)

Sia - Big Girls Cry

“Come on into our summer ocean Bring some friends and we'll cause commotion Take a ride on the wave vibrato I’ve got music and bad moscato Perfect friends and a gold tomorrow” (0:42)

MØ - Lean On

“Nothing left for us here But some ratshit town running backwards Let Godiva’s men curdle up and melt To our last performance Played on jerrycans and revolvers“ (0:15)

Alexa Vega - Infected

“I'm bleeding out, don't come no closer I'm bleeding out, don't come no closer Don't blame me if I bled on your ax When it came from your psycho attacks You ain't Norman Bates, you're just some B-list edgy trash” (0:53)

Ruth B - First Time

“I won't remember this song tomorrow, guess that's how it goes But I'll remember hydrangea blue and bubblegum primrose I won't remember a single note I'm struggling to let out But I'll love this homemade sweet bouquet of emerald clover sprouts” (0:42)

X - Around My Heart

“Falling up the sky Splashed into constellations Floated on 'til they forced me to fall That's how I came here” (0:18)

Stacey Q - Two Of Hearts

"Today, is it gonna be a reminiscence about you? Or is that coin gonna fall on self disgust? I wasn't close to self destruction, I was close to you Dorado ain't so grand without your diamond dust” (0:15)

Sylvan Esso - Die Young

“I thought you were the one hooked on narcotics But I miss your vomit, it's so tragicomic Everything looks ugly under incandescence Hide it under neon, just don't hide your presence” (0:07)

Scissor Sisters - Mary

“Pistol whip me, hack me like a lamb Be my drugged-out viscous high I sponged off your love, destroyed your band Please sleep with me, please skin me one last time

Oh, love you 'til I die.... Oh, love me 'til I die” (0:46)

Huey Lewis & the News - Power of Love

“Take a number, take a seat, Tons of better man want a taste of me I don’t have the time for some guttertrash punk A white trash black-out drunk" (0:57)

Bad Brains - Big Take Over

“Let’s make a show outta my assault We won’t warn them, no chance to knock Slam me down, get me off on the asphalt They’re gonna watch me ride that cock” (0:48)

Bruno Mars - Finesse

“Let’s find out if we’re a match Got a gambling heart Place your bets on if we’ll last It’s all or nothing” (1:06)

A Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song

“The poppies dyed Your hair virgin white You were Ceres’s child But you shriveled in fall” (1:01)

“Your crown of leaves Glistened vibrantly Sweet Persephone, All your flowers were pulled” (1:30)

Amberian Dawn - River of Tuoni

“It’s all gilded golden bile The sweetest chocolate smooth dripping arsenic Take one bite and watch the world Glitch and tear and iridesce into amethyst No one shall ever survive Drowning in your violet blood" (0:35)

Demi Lovato - Sorry Not Sorry

“Drinking fine fine wine and shitty booze Got nothing left to lose Looking pretty like a bruise Miss Violet B ain't feeling half as broken as me So make it hurt” (0:06)

Descendants - Suburban Home

“Gonna need 'bout twenty coffins Come and make your funeral offerings Rest in peace, you splattered chav Pollock made by molotov” (0:33)

The Proclaimers - Sunshine on Leith

“My death approaches, decades of notice No now, no then, just see what happens One more is gone, like daylight and song Changing tides stay calm Riding the path of times arrow's wrath Swells terror and intrigue and grandeur and mystery One straight shot“ (1:08)

((More will be added as more fake lyrics are written))