#my emotional support jets fan

[12-seconds-to-live]

Laniel.jpg and Charlotte

Pairing: DR3 x LN4 x F1 female driver

Warnings: none, just my happiness with Daniel and Lando

NICE AIRPORT - TERMINAL 1 @15:20

"You look cute today" I stop looking to my phone to look at Lando. Well, that's new

"You say it like it's weird of me using a dress"

"It is" He smiled

"I'm gonna ignore you from now on"

"It's not common, even when we go to parties you use jeans, so, I have a point"

"The real point here is that we are in the middle of the summer and if I put a raw egg on the floor it will cook"

"But what about the jet? It's going to be cold in there"

"I have my enchanté sweater" Lando made a loud gasp "It has cute peaches and it's purple"

"I sent you a full box of my merch last month, mean"

"Cry about it, Daniel thinks that I have a pretty face so everybody is going to see me in the new enchanté collection"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I asked him months ago, even I helped with the design of one of the pieces"

"Well, congratulations. You should look who's coming" I turn my head and a very smiley Daniel Ricciardo was walking to our direction

"You knew?"

"I invited him to flight with us, I know how important you were for him these moths away from racing so I..." I interrupted him with a hug and a kiss in the cheek

"You're the best, Norris" Lando didn't expect that reaction, now he can feel his cheeks burning

I got up and run to Daniel. After Silverstone, I decided to wait for Danny's test with Pirelli. After he finished a call from Helmut Marko was all we need to know that he got the seat for the rest of the season. Even if I have a good relationship with the australian, I organized a few days off with Lando, Max, Nyck, some frineds and myself to let Nyck know that we're his friends and friends support each other.

"It's been only a week, you know?" He said laughing

"I don't care, I'm happy. These past 7 months had been like going on a rollercoaster over and over again so, you know. Even if it's AlphaTauri, you have your way back home, you never left, you just have to travel the world over in search of what you need and then return to find it"

"I know Char and thank you for everything" His eyes got glossy so I hug him "Do you like my design?" He said ponting to his sweater

"No, it is..." I gasp

"Yes, kiddo. Tommorrow a million boys are going to see you wearing the new collection"

"Ha ha, funny, you know that I have my eyes on someone"

"Someone a bit brainless. Hey Lando, I guess you were waiting for me"

"Yeah, let's go"

Once in the airplane

"I have to say that this is a very important moment and pretty faces like yours should be able to broke the internet" I said taking Lando's camera and pinting to them "New wallpapers for your fans"

They looked at each other and start with their goofiness and well... I guess they really missed each other. Maybe Carlos and I have competition.

"We are pretty good looking guys, you know?" Daniel said with a smile on his face

"Even you could use us as your wallpaper" said Lando

"Good offer but nothing can beat my photo with Tom Holland" I said with a side smile and ready to take a nap before we arrive in Budapest

"When are you gonna tell her how you feel?" asked Daniel looking at Lando

"I don't know what are you talking about" he answer looking at the mirror

"Kids, always scared of love"

DRIVE TO SURVIVE EP.4 S.6 NICE GUYS ALWAYS COME BACK

"Hello Charlotte"

"Hi Netflix, can I have some tea? I been walking around doing interviews and stuff and I couldn't finish my lunch"

"Sure, mint?"

"Yes, please" I smile to the interviewer "We can't start, I'll wait for the tea"

"Ok, what were you doing when the news drop?"

"Oh, ha ha, I was with the main character. I can do anything, even work as emotional supporter, PR, car mechanic, you know" one member of the staff approached me with the cup of tea "Thank you"

"How do you feel about this?"

I made a pause thinking and trying not to burn my lips "I think that this a great moment to tell you what happen after Abu Dabi. Well, I sign my contract with McLaren, I was feeling bad about the decision, just for Danny and I spent the night with him and his girlfriend just talking and at some point we got more serious and I just told him and without knowing about Red Bull: What is a home if not the first place you learn yo run from?"

I smiled to the camera "Then he told me about the third driver offer and I felt different, by the time he leave in 2018 I guess that he felt that he was destroying everything and he just needed to slip quietly to the back door without causing to much noise and then not stop running. And maybe that was he needed more than what he really wanted, let go the feeling of wanted to go back and remember what you once had and what you once where "

"But then I told him that it's funny that the feeling of leave home and being far away make us wander our choices but for Danny is something else. He's back home and ready to no longer remember which tale of his past is true and which is an invention. Outside he's the same on the inside he's the same kid that leave Australia looking for a dream"

"I guess he's your favourite person between the drivers" asked the producer

"No, Daniel is my brother and I know he feels the same about me"

📍Budapest

Liked by charlotterjones, daniel3.jpg and 943.501 others

landonorris We’re photographers. We’re back.

📸: @charlotterjones

user1 ARE YOU KIDDING ME. STOP THIS CUTENESS

f1mia need a landan.jpg account plz

charlotterjones This is a piece of art ❤️

landonorris including the photographer danielricciardo our favourite girl

user2 "dude we’re getting the band back together״

user3 we missed daniel button --->

I got inspired! This little story is linked with my current story called (Un)Lost

Hope you like it!

Taglist: @evans-dejong @omgsuperstarg @bibissparkles @hoely-maria @mochimommy2002 @noope306 @eugene-emt-roe @80sloverry @rens-daylight @summerslike11 @matildrry

[disciple-of-owen]

The Southern Raiders: Some Thoughts

Ah, The Southern Raiders: that pivotal episode in which Zuko and Katara bury the hatchet, allowing our favorite Fire Prince to finally become a full-fledged Gaangster. Fans have expressed wildly different takes regarding this episode over the years, so I thought I’d toss in my two cents.

An important disclaimer before beginning: I am NOT anti-Zuko, and it is not my intention for this to be an anti-Zuko post. Having said that, I think it’s important to accept that Zuko’s redemption, magnificent as it is, does not expunge his character of defects. He remains a flawed person to the end of series, and I think much of his behavior in this particular episode is deserving of criticism.

Anyway, let’s start with the moment when Zuko announces to the Gaang that he and Katara are planning to track down her mother’s killer. Anything in quotes is from the show’s transcript, which belongs to Bryke, Nickelodeon, Paramount, and whoever the hell else has their hooks in Avatar at this point.

Aang: “Um… and what exactly do you think this is going to accomplish?”

An important thing to note here: Aang is not starting this conversation with an ‘I’ statement (I think, I feel, etc.). Instead, he is keeping the focus on Katara by asking her to elaborate on her thought process.

Katara: “Ugh. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

A bit harsh, but Katara is experiencing a huge amount of emotional pain with the reopening of this wound. She is in no mood to be questioned (which is not to say that she shouldn’t be questioned) and that is valid.

Aang: “Wait, stop! I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?”

Of all the moments that anti-Aang people disingenuously twist out of context, this is one of the most common. These individuals claim that Aang is belittling and dismissing Katara’s feelings by comparing the loss of her mother to the loss of Appa. This is a braindead take for three reasons:

Aang’s rage at the sandbenders wasn’t just about ‘losing Appa’. It was about being the sole survivor of a horrific genocide and losing the last piece he had of his people.

He puts Katara’s pain on the same level as the pain he feels regarding said genocide. If that isn’t taking her feelings seriously, I don’t know what the fuck is.

The whole reason he is making this comparison is not to determine whose trauma is greater, but to establish that he and Katara have common emotional ground upon which they can build a dialogue.

Zuko: “She needs this, Aang. This is about closure and justice.”

Frankly, I think it’s a bit audacious of Zuko to claim he knows what Katara needs when he’s been on normal speaking terms with her for a total of, what, 30 minutes? Still, I believe his heart is in the right place here.

Aang: “I don’t think so. I think it’s about getting revenge.”

And now, Aang voices his concern. Given how well Aang knows Katara, coupled with Zuko’s use of the word ‘justice’ regarding her mother’s killer, it is not at all unreasonable for him to assume that violent revenge might be on the cards. Katara immediately validates this assumption.

Katara: “Fine, maybe it is! Maybe that’s what I need! Maybe that’s what he deserves!”

I actually love this line; it’s not often that heroes in YA fantasies get to shed all pretense of morality and openly admit that base revenge is what they’re after. It makes Katara intensely believable in this episode.

Aang: “Katara, you sound like Jet.”

Aang reminds us of a vital lesson here: while it’s important to support your friends, it’s equally important to challenge them when you see them going down a potentially self-destructive path. That is what separates being a ride-or-die from being an enabler.

Katara: “It’s not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s a monster.”

Every word here is true, but the Gaang didn’t encounter Jet until he was many years into his unique brand of ‘freedom fighting’. Who’s to say he didn’t start out with Katara’s reasoning? Sokka seems to be thinking along these lines…

Sokka: “Katara, she was my mother too, but I think Aang might be right.”

Katara: “Then you didn’t love her the way I did!”

I have mixed feelings about this line. On the one hand, Katara is a child who has undergone immense trauma, and she has every right to express that. On the other, having trauma does not give you license to be cruel to others. There aren’t any easy answers here, which, again, is what makes Katara’s character especially fascinating in this episode.

Sokka: “Katara!”

Aang: “The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper. While you watch your enemy go down, you’re being poisoned yourself.”

Some might say this line is a bit preachy. Myself, I think Aang is speaking the way the monks taught him to in moments of conflict. Metaphors can be powerful tools for conveying meaning when regular words aren’t cutting through.

Zuko: “That’s cute, but this isn’t Air Temple pre-school. It’s the real world.”

And here we have a deeply problematic comment from Zuko.

Now before the torches and pitchforks come out, let me clarify: I do not think Zuko is an active bigot. At all. It is indisputable, however, that he was brought up in a racist, imperialist society. Let’s take a closer look at what he says here:

“That’s cute, but this isn’t Air Temple pre-school.” What we have here is an example of infantilization; Zuko is essentially calling one of the pillars of Air Nomad culture childish nonsense.

“It’s the real world.” Implying that the Air Nomads’ worldview is simple-minded and incompatible with the world as it is.

Now let’s compare Zuko’s words to what Ozai says to Aang in their final struggle.

Ozai: “You are weak! Just like the rest of your people! They did not deserve to exist in this world!”

“That’s cute,”

“You are weak!”

“It’s the real world.”

“They did not deserve to exist in this world!”

I repeat, I don’t think Zuko is being consciously racist here, and I am certainly not comparing him as a person to his father. What I AM saying is that both Zuko and Ozai were raised on the same diet of Fire Nation propaganda, and that this propaganda still colours Zuko’s worldview to some extent.

Katara: “Now that I know he’s out there… now that I know we can find him, I feel like I have no choice.”

Katara is effectively and honestly communicating her feelings here.

Aang: “Katara, you do have a choice: forgiveness.”

And Aang is seriously engaging with those feelings. Note: he isn’t saying that Katara has to forgive (he is perfectly content with her decision not to forgive Yon Rha at the episode’s conclusion); he is simply pointing out that she does, in fact, have a choice.

Zuko: “That’s the same as doing nothing!”

Not gonna lie, not a fan of Zuko in this moment. And if we ever needed proof that Aang is the more emotionally mature of the two, it comes with the next line.

Aang: “No, it isn’t. It’s easy to do nothing… but it’s hard to forgive.”

Some excellent wisdom, spoken from a place of experience.

Katara: “It’s not just hard. It’s impossible.”

Again, Katara expressing her truth. Again, totally valid.

I’m gonna skip ahead just a bit to when Aang and Sokka find Zuko and Katara preparing to steal Appa, as this is an important moment.

Katara: “Don’t try to stop us.”

Aang: “I wasn’t planning to. This is a journey you need to take. You need to face this man. But when you do, please don’t choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Aang has expressed his concerns, but he has also listened to Katara and recognizes that this is something she needs to do. He provides the use of Appa and offers some final words of wisdom, which have a huge impact on Katara later in the episode.

Zuko: “Okay, we’ll be sure to do that, guru goody-goody.”

Wow. Just… wow.

Katara: “Thank you for understanding.”

We all know how the story goes from here: Katara and Zuko go on their quest, Katara continues to spiral into darkness, and when the big moment finally comes, she chooses not to lower herself to Yon Rha’s level.

So, to conclude:

Thoughts on Katara: People should give Katara a break. Sure, she’s kind of a jerk in this episode, but she is also 14(15?) and dealing with a lot. We can be critical of some of the specific language she uses, but we shouldn’t be critical of her expressing her trauma.

Another point worth noting: while Aang’s advice does play a role in Katara’s ultimate decision not to murder Yon Rha (as per Bryke’s own words), she isn’t just blindly following his recommendations. She spares her mother’s killer, but she does it on her own terms. Which is excellent.

Thoughts on Zuko: As mentioned previously, I do think Zuko’s desire to help Katara in this episode is genuine. Having said that, I also think his judgement is being clouded both by his projected feelings towards Ozai (his own Yon Rha) and a desire to get what he wants (in this case, Katara’s approval). If Katara’s well-being were truly his ultimate motivator, I don’t believe he would have been so dismissive of Aang’s concerns.

Though, to his credit, Zuko does acknowledge in the end that Aang had been right all along.

Thoughts on Aang: In the DVD commentary for this episode, the creators talk about how, in many ways, The Southern Raiders is actually a story about Aang and Katara; that Aang’s words are present with Katara throughout the episode as her shoulder angel, not judging her or telling her what to do, but helping her find her way through the darkness. This is a beautiful (yet realistically imperfect) moment in their relationship, and I am here for it.

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

so I am working - dragging my feet - through natla (1 episode left) and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and commentary:

Iroh: You must use your tact, your empathy-

Season 1 Zuko: [looks back at him]

*

Canon s1 ep3 Zuko: You... are working with Zhao. Willingly.

Show s1 ep3 Zuko: Yes? What's the problem? He is annoying but that's mostly it.

Canon!Zuko: UNCLE! DID YOU PUT SPIRIT MUSHROOMS IN MY TEA AGAIN?! I'M HAVING LUCID NIGHTMARES!!

Other random thoughts:

[Suki proceeds to defy gravity with her fan to impress Sokka]

Me, exasperation incarnate: Suki, I didn't know you were an airbender!

and

[Previous incarnation avatar bashing sesh]

Me: [...] But I love Zuko-Iroh interactions

[The one scene. Zuko is shouting how they can't just ask around. Iroh is offering advice until he gets distracted by street food.]

Me: The fact Zuko stood there for a few seconds trying to figure what this proverb means before he realizes its very much not a proverb - cackling

Second-hand long-suffering friend, who is at the end of her wits after hearing me talk about the butchering of Kyoshi's character for 20 minutes: XDDDD He legit thought rice had sth to do with it XD

there is more but it's more of

Oh no, he is hot.

And oh no he is also hot

Why is every extremist hot?!

Bumi is very bitter. Very.... Jaded.

Aang has no situational awareness: He did not just ask Zhao (Zuko too) to let him go so he can go save other enemies of the Fire Nation. He didn't.

Also. Why the firebender this, firebender that. Are the Fire Nation non-benders saints or something??

Mai casually says Ozai sucks for not thinking Azula is perfect <- Me: I mean she is absolutely right but she would not say that.

Azula's whole. Thing. I felt the narrative was trying very desperately to make her seem competent and clever but the fact that Iroh's thoughts insinuated the frontal attack on the Northern Water Tribe was her idea left me in stitches

But yeah. They nerfed Azula

Zuko - feral, bloodthirsty, a loser. <- Me: Oh my god they captured his essence! Minus the honor thing!

ZUKO NOT SAYING HONOR

THE TRAVESTY OF SOKKA NOT WEARING A DRESS

I WANT SOKKA IN KYOSHI WARRIOR UNIFORM

Katara not having any emotions ::: Aang walks all over her saying he can't support her in her fight against the patriarchy that is actually just Pakku and Yugoda or whatever was happening in the 7th episode: Katara doesn't blow up at him. Sokka calling her a little girl and never actually apologizing about the whole Jet accusation especially when he did the same with the Mechanist. : Katara doesn't blow up at him

Me: sounds fake but okay

At this point when Toph comes along Katara will let her not be a part of the Team (no Gaang just Team Avatar) and not contribute and not bond and NO FOUND FAMILY TROPE

Aang teaching Katara waterbending, Aang not goofing off, No Kataraang (not even a smidge) - something in me shriveled up and died.

Why is Azula soft??????

And why is Ty Lee assertive and forthcoming??? Just?? Why????

And finally, my second favorite:

Azula, trying very hard not to mention Zuko's ludicrous tenacity: Commander Zhao is a great asset... Maybe he needs better resources to showcase his true potential.

Zhao who barely passed his exams according to Jee the gossip queen: Yes, I do need the best resources. Give me all the 'sources.

[istherewifiinhell]

IS FLYING GENDERED?

On the masculine default, typifying gender in genre, and women as the other in the transformers cartoons.

question for the ages

once again i said back in the halcyon days of watching g1 (aka 5 months ago) i was like. Nooooo, decepticon is NOT a gender that's Silly. It's funny, but as a Read Of The Text, I thought it largely unneeded. (The concept came about, as a joke, involving dismissing the bad guys using the same language you would abt women (sexistly) that they're emotional [heh, flighty], vain, and shrill) after all. If in the 80s era there are 5 whole named/speaking woman tfs, its only ever gonna get better from here right? (<- booboo the fool)

anyway

Let's consider the axiom that the assumed default gender is male, that maleness is often seen as LACK of gender, and femaleness and gender variance are the PRESENCE of gender. In certain reasoning and worldviews, of course (See Androcentrism). Then add that, for transformers, the assumed default thing a transformer turns into, is car. (Autocentrism, if you will)

(The most general term for what a tf turns into is "Alt mode" as some of them are not vehicles at all. The other mode is "Robot Mode", whether its humanoid or not)

So I will be laying out why I believe the cartoon iterations support: non standard alt modes = non standard genders. This is in spite of the fact that FIRST lady tfs were all cars. Sleek cyber cars, but still. For whatever reason, (possibly, the reason for everything in tf, toys) they might as well not exist for how woman tf characters presence in the cartoons progressed over time.

And, to be clear, this is a reading of how these works of fiction are created, not a new unified bioessentialism but for robots aliens I'm proposing for like. In universe lore reasons. I hate that idea.

That said, alt modes in order of most to least gender: Spider, motorcycle, flying (in general, with rotors, jets), tank, and then FINALLY, car. (water and space crafts are already too marginal to rank, but they too can be assumed in relation to default maleness, AND that in making one a woman, would still qualify as othering her).

The NUMBER one reason for this is the bizarre need to have an ESTABLISHED woman tf character before making new ones. AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE. With a g1 gender ratio something like.... (counting even the most marginal cases for the ladies) 9:120? (That's a rough count from a quick scanning of the tf wiki g1 char list) Shits dire out here.

The second is, ofc, character design based. cis people [stand in phrase for the hegemonic world view] are not okay, and their opinions about how tf gender must need be depicted visually is. uh? Im not a fan. Size and shape dimorphism in general is a given, and specifically having women tfs as far more humanoid and curvy in specific. Also general cartoon lady face syndrome but, whatever. I think there's exactly one character here who doesn't have "lips" or "lipstick" as a distinguishing factor. I'm so tired.

Third is generally, the idea of The Girl Of the Team. When there's The Girl, she often isn't JUST a normal character, who happens to be a girl. See, of course, the Smurtfette Principle. But in my view there's also a trend to give The Girl "special traits" on top of "Girl", maybe even to directly combat the idea that the Girl Character has no other traits? To stop this from being a General Primer on Woman in Media, my explanatory focus is things specific to the tf franchise.

(A phrase I use for thinking about normative modes [in general, not just the Alt ones] in within the tf universe is "unique transformerdom" or, even more clunkily, "A transformer of unique transformerdom". The excessive verbosity is amusing to me personally. All I mean by it is to have an umbrella term for any of the ways tfs can be made unique from their peers in the non allegorical realities of the fiction).

I could, and do, and greatly want to, speak about this AT LENGTH. But it keeps spiraling away from me. So I'll say for now were looking at ways a character is being depicted different from her peers, not because she is the only woman (which she likely is), but cause she's a different kind of transformer, AND if she's othered for it.

(IN SOME forms of the lore. Being a transformer woman, IS A UNIQUE KIND of transformer unto itself. Let's just say I hate it and move on)

Fourth, is the gender of villainy. There is much to be said about gender presentation of villains, the ways they are allowed to be aberrant. We will get to it. There is also all the tropes specific TO evil women, and the modes of villainy open TO female characters. But a general thing I think impacting the gender ratios of the factions is the how "Good" and "Evil" female characters are written. I'll generalize and call this the "Damsel vs Temptress" dichotomy. (See concepts like the Madonna-whore complex). Transformers, is by and large, an action franchise. Unless special reasons are made, characters who can impact the action– have more screen time, and likely more memorable, and iconic presences. A villainous woman can be unchaste, violent, aggressive. While a heroic woman, even if not a literal damsel are more likely to be in a support role. The secretaries of the action genre: medics and techs.

(Another factor is that tfs are giant robots, and the good guys are often friends with tiny squishy little humans. These make very good damsel fodder, and can be taking up the spots on the roster that might, in a different franchise, go to women. Additionally, while woman characters in transformers overall is an interesting topic. When I say tf women, I'm referring to ones that are in fictionally, transformers.)

SO, now understanding our points of attack/obstacles for getting woman into transformers. (Getting established, gendering the designed, uniqueness of existence, and general villainy). Lets go over those alt modes, and the characters that have em, in more detail.

Spiders

The "Beast Era" (1996) intro-ed the spider ofc. And what don't we have with this one. She's a villain, but shes also misunderstood, the era and design style let to these more organic shapes. And they used them to make sure she was very sexy. She's genre aware, she's quippy, she's an absolute icon. So naturally. She gets ported to other later shows. Which means we just have sexy spider ladies running around when everyone else is a fucking truck and shit.

Her own origin is, well think of her as a "Bride of Frankenstein" to the resident evil scientist, also a spider. She was designed for, and manipulated by him in multiple ways. Her protoform (A blank robot base), was supposed to be one of the good guys (a Maximal), but was reprogrammed into a bad guy (Predacon). Even then, she eventually joins them, for her own reasons. She's not even the first predacon to do so, the difference? Well the characters are a lot more NORMAL about his autonomy. Both of these characters stress that being a predacon is an identity they still see as important. But only the woman is told that really, she is was was always MEANT to be a maximal. And while that's true in a sense. There's also a plot were she's forced (by plot contrivance, not the other maximals) to get corrective robot surgery for it. And when they think she died from, everyone's more sad for her boyfriend than for her. Ouch.

The second spider, in the 2007 show, is now one in a world where she is the only "techno-organic" transformer, hence, she is spider, everyone else is a vehicle. Similar to the first, her narrative is very gendered, but less in the way were, like, I do literally think the first was was experiencing in universe sexism from other characters. Here, they really focus on the "techno vs organic" narrative, and the tragic circumstances on how that happened. In this case its just real world sexist writing.

THIRD SPIDER, (2010), instead of misunderstood and tragic evil, this ones just super mega likes to cause pain evil. She also occupies a strange place between the typic vehicular tfs, and the insecticons. This is because she has a helicopter alt mode, and her robot mode is just, a lady with spider characteristics. And, more than just a passing bug like similarity, she has the power to control the insecticons (you know, cause evil woman mind control). However, she doesn't fit in with them either, as the insecticons are at the most insect like they've ever been, in look, living in hives and that most don't even speak.

They may vary in exact character, relationship to the story's moral conflict, and design. But they stay comfortably established, dimorphised, flirty and flirting with villainy. And bonus points, always, for black widow spider trope.

SO. SPIDERS. Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: ✅️ (Extremely!) Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ Villainy: ✅️

Motorcycles

Tooooo my knowledge the first bike lady was in 2004, and fairly minor, in the actual plot, but rest assured, they did go the previously established woman route, by being pink, though, which one shes named after varies by language. But neither were previously motorcycles. (And yes, there is also this problem of mixing together or swapping out one woman tf for another. As if we have the ladies to spare). Even though motorcycle men also exist, this one just stuck for a bit. Maybe something to do with Those Movies. I think the Gendered Existence of a motorcycle is pretty evident though, general sex appeal, being smaller, the mode of riding a motorcycle is different, more physical and intimate. Mainly this ranks so high for the level of grossness they can pack in. Just how objectifying it can be, particularly with two instances where the human rider is an annoying teen boy. Naturally, I've also never seen a male and female motorcycle in the same room, but the approach to design tends to be different. And yeah most of em are Arcee, who's first alt mode was cyber car, but it's not just her.

Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: ✅️ Unique: ✅️ Othered: Depends on iteration, I do NOT like the way one gets called "tough, for a two wheeler". Villainy: ❌(they wouldn't need to be motorcycles if they weren't making them the Special Girl Autobot, after all)

Flying

General: It just tends to stick out when your one girl is only flyer in the group, even she's otherwise tactfully done. Only flyer of the Maximals, a falcon, only flyer of the dinobots, a Pteranodon.

Rotors

I can barely even figure this one. Maybe it's just a general, aesthetics and use case of the actually vehicles, the associations? None of these ladies (and special case) are very connected otherwise. As previously mentioned, the spider helicopter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

A big one for this is the preschool demo shows, which are rescue team focused. In the first one the only woman on the human response worker team pairs with the helicopter, they mention she does medical at times. The helicopter is male, like the other tfs. But also he's afraid of flying, and while not the first case of a flyer with a fear of heights, their personalities are, pretty different. As he's both fearful AND effeminate, fine as character traits go but, with the tone of humour used, marks him as Other.

In the second, Whirl (pointing to icon) becomes a girl for the first time, now with standard humanized face. I assume as move to keep with the previous show of having a girl one, as there's no human team mates. She's also the only one who really likes rescue school. Aaaand that's all know of her. What more do you want from me.

Helicopters: Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ (milder than some)

But why'd I call this section rotors instead of helicopters? That would be because one of the latest Sole Female TF we just put in everything™ is a VTOL jet with rotors. She'll tend to be the only jet of her type, which is also smaller than the type of jet used for the villains.

And, of course, aside from alt mode, the thing that makes her stand out most in the cartoons? That she's very clearly a comics character. (I find the emphasize that she's "fan created" over done, as it only controlled minor aspects, and irrelevant cause tfs get completely overhauled in new versions all the time). From her design, which is a bit busier than most characters she stars with. And also uses Japanese aesthetic signifiers in ways that I think are a bit misappropriated and untactful. (VERY USamerican comics). Also, when she stars next to a guy, also from comics employing Japanese aesthetic, you can tell its not deployed in the same manner. (E.I she has hair and makeup, he has armor). Either way, her depictions have her either as badass sword lady on mission from god who's constantly getting hit on by an annoying guy. Or have her be from a different planet and has special telepathy.

Do we see how both her gender AND the cultural signifiers are having affects here? That the main woman tf in a series can be a literal alien even among our alien robots, with cultural signifiers they don't have?

Ratings Established: ✅️ (made the comics to cartoon jump) Gendered designs: ✅️ Unique: ✅️ Othered: ✅️ (SO SO EXTREMELY, using methods in fiction and real life)

Jets

I think my association of jets with tf gender is stronger, than some of the above examples, even if there's less reason to it. And why is that? Well, lets get socratic. Here's another question.

Is This All Starscream's Fault?

No. He's not real, he can't do things. But. His legacy as THE main stay transformers character that gets to subvert gender? Yeah. (Sure, the G1 autobots have their own effete, but he's not in every single cartoon they ever made now is he? Plus now that I think about it, he is a FLYING car...)

From the get, he's not a Man's man. He's shrill, he's manipulative and duplicitous, petty and emotional, cowardly and wheedling. He is, of course, the Perfect character. Now naturally, the 80s cartoon was not concerned with your paltry logics. Starscream and his ilk are the jets, but every decepticon can fly. The gun, the cassette player, the camera, the cassettes.

And each to a last, more masculine than he is. Vocally or behaviorally, physically. Every one of them fit the gender expectations more than he does. Even being a small time grunt, is a masculine trait, after all, more so than unchecked ambition. So its not femininity from flying, from jets. But direct relationship, reference, and descendancy from Starscream that makes it. I've yet to see female versions of Jet fire and or the aerialbots, for example.

So what to do when an effeminate male villain was less maltese falcon and more that man has effeminate hips? Well. We had to start getting his ass for being effeminate, explicitly. They made the female clone of him, which yeah, is an offensive joke stemming from the various The Gender Anxieties. (Transmisogyny, homophobia and sexism. General relation toxic masculinity. A heady mix of all and more).

But I mean. It's free girl tf... Once given a name in extra canon materials, she start's showing up in other things. Once you're in books, video games, comics, and most importantly, toys, you're real. And then eventually, her first non clone appearance in a cartoon, and how her presence shaped it.

That being, Cyberverse. Which is a cgi show, you need to know this for reasons of production. Making new models is expensive. This has always been the reason you just make recolours of Starscream and name them different things. Chicken or egg on this one, I don't know, But because CV has Slipstream, and the only difference between her and the generic "male" decepticon jet, is a more feminine face; Suddenly, any random decepticon goon can be a woman.

An absolutely revolutionary take for striving to populate a fictional world with gender parity. By at large it also means they're way more lady villains, and specifically flying model of villain. The show has other woman, but none who get the same androgynous body mold treatment.

Established: ✅️ Gendered designs: Mildly to NO. Unique: By design, no. Othered: Yes for the clone, and Screamer himself, I suppose. No, otherwise. Villainy: ✅️(That's, the whole idea)

Tanks

It needs to be said. Sometimes, when doing things that transgress a norm, anteing up is less subversive. This is another reason why gender variance, female agency and overt sexuality are more common traits of villains. When already defying strictures of society. What's one more.

That's Right. TANKS ARE THE BUTCH WOMAN OF TRANSFORMERS.

Alright. Let me back up. Strika is the stone cold knock out undefeated champ of lady tf designs that, actually has a reoccurring cartoon presence. She is, admittedly, only a reoccurring to minor character.

Her introduction is in another show with techno-organics, this one involved in the struggle between well, the techno and the organic. Strika as we see her, and as the design that will go on to be iterated, is not in her normal transformer body. She has been transferred into a 'vehicon' body. Without a preexisting essence contained in one, vehicons are not considered alive, in the way a transformer is. Visually, they lack the more human body plan, a standard face, feet and hand like appendages.

To further contrast Strika against the two techno-organic woman. Both of them are tall, and slender. Their softer organic shapes designed towards elegance or beauty, whatever your subjective opinion of that result might be. They both have romance subplots too. By the way. Or honestly one subplot and one main plot. Strika. In contrast. Is built like a brick shit house. Her face is. Minimal. And her goal: protecting her planet... by terminating the heroes.

Now, existing as a character that can be referenced for other media, and given the detail that she was a "Famous general", it's off to the races. She makes a wonderful big tank menace that can fill out a background shot, too.

Without her I hardly think we could have Clobber, also from CV. Who is. The true goat. The finest thing, the achievements of all we could ever hope for. A big fuck off woman, gender swapped from a previous male design with minimal faff, with now even more personality and show presence. Friends, wants, desires. Emotions. Thank God for Clobber, Thank Clobber for Clobber. Thank Randolph Heard and Mae Catt for Clobber.

Established: Depends if you want to count that Strika had so much swag they kept drawing/modeling her Gendered designs: FUCK NO Unique: ✅️ Othered: only originally Villainy: ✅️

Cars

So now you have the final piece of the puzzle. In transformers, Autobots are Cars. Yes, there are plenty of autobots that are NOT cars, and there are cars that are not Autobots. But they're exceptions, they're aberrances. They're unique. And Autobots are the norm. They oppose the Decepticons. Decepticons are Villains. And Decepticons can fly. Modal simplified binaries and false dichotomy abound!

And the thing about those original Autobot woman, the one's who largely did not influence all of this? They were cars, it's true, but not like how the men where cars. They've not been designed from transforming car toys, with a shellac of humanoid gender over top. Their designed in the way of human gender. With the car on top.

When the preexisting clause leads to the original designs to be revisited, which, has largely only happened in more recent years. They aren't car woman robots. The cars are literally not part of their bodies, they are additional. Instead of a unifying identity of a robot who is a car, its Arcee and her backpack. Parts of cars get grafted onto their petite lady bodies, and placed anywhere out of the way.

In order to make a transformer a woman, they have to give her a gender, not understanding that that's always been the case. And to give her a woman's gender, she's got to LOOK like a woman, not a transformer. And to look like a woman, she's got to act like a woman. She must be heroic but reactive instead of active, or else, villainous, conniving and or self centered. To be a woman, we must have some other previous woman to explain her presence, or else explain it anew with her unique, strange, or exotic origin. How could she ever be a woman if she simply, existed, looked average, talked average. How could she be a woman if her body is hunks of ungendered car. How can she be a woman if she's everything we expect a transformer to be.

A woman is transgressive, a woman is not normal. Autobots are normal. Autobots are heros. Autobots are men. And Autobots do not fly.

[lunastars21]

Random ramblings of team hooligan because I can

Fang X Bark is a good ship I like it, fang has two hands he can date both bark and Corsen he’s a bisexual motherfucker.

If trip does become a member of team hooligan, her and bean have to have sibling vibes.

The Marvelous Queen is a big fan of gamma, the garage is filled with fucking gamma merch. Fang has to explain each time this isn’t his, it’s the queens.

I’ve seen many oc x fang art, and I am proud to be in that group. But what I’ve noticed is that most have the “talk shit at each other in affection “ route which I also love! But Corsen doesn’t work that way at all.

She spoils the shit outta fang.

This woman just FUELS his ego more. Helps in situations but good lord this idiot jerboa is gonna have the guts to launch him self off a cannon because of her, and bean would join him.

Bean technically has four dads. you got bin, his actual biological dad. Pin, his uncle, Fang the bad influence. And Bark, the good influence! Then you got Lucy, the marvelous Queen and Corsen being his mom figures, and trip being his potential sister! Bean’s got a big family! ^^

I imagine if the hooligans got a super form, fang would be able to summon a billion of corks, big or small, and launch them at his foes with the snap of his fingers! Bark would be able to use ice powers, summon giant icebergs and fire snowballs, maybe throw a giant snowman at enemies hell yeah lets get silly! And bean just summons a nuke, OH FUCK.

If anyone random flirts with fang, Corsen is getting out a fucking rocket launcher you better RUN.

I have a metal Fang by the way ( his names clang ), and he basically has the same goal as metal Sonic, get rid of fang. But he also has a crush on Corsen and calls her his gamer girl, fang and the marvelous Queen beat the shit out of him.

Unsure if I wanna make a metal bark or bean design and what they would be like.

Jet was caught by the authorities once and they showed him his wanted picture…wait..JET THE JERBOA THATS FUCKING FA-

I’d like a treasure team tango 2 please

Fang and Nic have a good relationship in my headcanon because fucking say so, I love positivity, I like some angst but positive makes me go BRRRRR

Metal Sonic is fucking lucky he was dealing with Amy, or fang would’ve beat the EVER LIVING SHIT OUT OF HIS CIRCUITS FOR TAKING HIS BOYS.

Bean angrily punching the wall because he missed the moment of fang caring about them, NEXT TIME FOR SURE

Honey the cat helping Corsen how to girl because she has no fucking clue what she’s doing.

Honey and Fang have a sibling like relationship, THEY are the ones that talk shit about each other but if some stranger talks shit about them they will FIGHT them.

The hooligans have appeared in honey’s magazine because she needs models for her clothes! plus they have her temporary protection so the authorities can’t get to them lol.

I headcanon that in the modern world, the hooligans become a band! All the music with lyrics that you hear throughout the games is just fucking team hooligan! Especially the music in frontiers, Female lyrics is either Corsen or honey, but most of the singing is done by fang, bark has the guitar, bean is on the drums, and the Queen is on keyboard. Some times fang gets the bloody piano out because I know you read Archie if you headcanon fang plays the piano! Lets go!

Fang is known for not only having bad luck, but also being very cartoony, Wild E. Coyote vibes he gives, but whenever Corsen is nearby, his luck increases, so you could say Corsen is his good luck charm.

Fang and bean get scared easily by anything horror related, bark usually has to be there with them to be the “emotional support teddy bear”

-

That’s all for now but you can drop your wholesome team hooligan headcanons too! I’d love to hear them, especially thanks to Sonic superstars for spiking up their popularity! Lets make sure team hooligan is never forgotten again! ^^

[finallydelight]

ASIA ARTIST AWARDS 2022

On December 13, 2022, the 2022 Asia Artist Awards took place in Japan. SVT's Ming hosted the award ceremony alongside Super Junior's Leeteuk. The group took home 3 awards: Hot Trend Award, Fabulous Award and Singer of the Year (Daesang).

Here are some Ming highlights:

○ Carats were delighted to see Seventeen take home one of the Daesangs, but what made the moment even more special was that Ming was the one who announced them as the winners. Leeteuk mumbled a quiet ''Congratulations, Ming-ssi.'' into the mic while she walked up to her members.

○ When the group won the Hot Trend Award, Ming joined them on the stage. She took the place in between Jeonghan and Coups, the two older men fondly looking at her. The three of them were kind of in their own world, the members asking her how she's feeling and telling her that she's doing a very good job.

○ Fans were sad that Ming couldn't join their performance at the show, but a lucky attendee saw the female idol enjoying her group's performance on the side of the stage and sneaked a video of it.

○ After the ceremony, Jeonghan went live on Weverse and praised his younger member: ''We were jet lagged, so it was hard to wait for so long at the award ceremony. I was so sleepy, but there was no place to lie down. That's why I'm so proud of Mingie, she was standing up the entire time, while we at least got to sit down during the ceremony. She did so well today, she was a total professional! I felt so proud watching her from my seat, she was so good. I got a bit emotional, but that was maybe because I was so sleepy (laughs).''

○ Hoshi also took to WeLive to compliment her: ''We (the members) were all watching her and felt so proud that she was our member. Ming worked the hardest today, but she still had a smile on her face even when the ceremony was over. Aah~ she did so well.''

○ Ming was also praised by non-svt fans. Many were impressed by her skills as an MC, saying that she had improved from the previous year. Japanese fans applauded her knowledge in the language as she switched between Korean and Japanese throughout the show without any problems.

○ During the taking of the group picture with all the artists and actors, Ming was seated next to Han So Hee. The actress took the initiative and tapped the female idol on the shoulder. Ming seemed surprised but quickly bowed her head and So Hee did the same. They both expressed that they are fans of each other and will support any future projects. The interaction ended with the women shaking each other's hands.

○ When the group picture was taken, Ming immediately stood up and approached her members who stood at the side of the stage. Mingyu was the first one to notice her and gave her a hug, upon which he saw that she was freezing as she was wearing a dress without any sleeves. He quickly took off his leather jacket from their performance and put it around her.

Taglist: @mystic-luv @cosmicwintr @mythicalamphitrite @billboard-singer @stopeatread @still-astray @sakuurra @multiplums @giverosespls @seongwhaffels @kimhyejin3108 @smoooore

[vanglaggle]

Aaggh whats that progress, it’s the new norm (the new normmm aint the same as the old norm) im the old norm i want normal beer warning warning perimeter reached (bark bark) ugh its your fault i got house arrest, your the one who threatened the school board i gently suggested yelled they stopped brainwashing my daughter that girls arent girls and men arent men sometimes they’re neither or both or furry and dressed like dogs ow janice whats that warning offensive actually that is one of my pronouns also they them and me your…non binary? How do you know that word i learned it at school thats why im locked up the judge agreed to conditional parole what condition wheres my room thats staying here your staying here chaz is part of a new government program to reducate homophobic transphobic racist (door clicks) charlie finally someone normal i-i dont understand your…black did THAT just black whisper your his friend? And boss speaking of when are you coming back to the trophy shop? As soon as i get rid of this, which means i gotta take in that offensive chaz is here to reducate norm in non bonary studies offensive (bark bark) im allergic to dogs its okay billy is an emotional support dog and non binary oh okay then good dog i come here to get away from woke trouble at home? Oh my boy or whatever it calls themself now is thinking of transitioning reggie? Try regina transitioning to what (another fumble) hopefully not a jets fan hey pronoun this one’s for you offensive i cant drink im not 21 yall influence my boy to cut off his junk but draw the line at beer?! Cant do this yes we can (bark) find a way to break him maybe we can fix the country (sigh) i just want normal beer! You know there will be jokes! The new normmm aint the same as the old norm everything’s changin and i dont know when this woke nightmare will end and thank god for elon musk (elon!) and his shitpost memes x is the home for free speech. I almost forgot we’re going to disney world! Make america funny again

hope you know i hate you

[smolpenguin]

I’m not really fan of the hxh movies bc my brain can't shut up about how it doesn't feel like HxH...BUT...this specific exchange after Gon decided to fight Jet to help Kurapika...

...destroyed me.

I MEAN, if you watch the movie before finished the Chimera Ant Arc, the scene is just a nice fan service...BUT, if you finished it, you can see the little parallelism between this situation and what happened in the anime/manga, and how MadHouse decide to break our hearts once again.

One of Gon's close friends' life is in danger (Kurapika/Kaito) and he need to beat/kill the responsable (Jet/Pitou) so save him, but when Gon look at Killua and says his name, the movie take a different route than the Manga/Anime.

Gon wants Killua at his side, to fight with him, to Killua to support him to helps Kurapika. Unlike CA!Killua, Movie!Killua got what his manga/anime counterpart could only wish for and didn’t got.

Of course, in CA, the conflict have A LOT MORE emotional weight but that doesn't change the fact that Madhouse knew that we knows how much this means/will mean to CA!Killua. The scene destroyed me because I can only see Movie!Killua and say "...I really wish that in a future arc, (canon) Killua could fight along with Gon without doubting his place at his side and how much he means to him".

[haunted-the-vagabond]

WHO IS THIS GUY?

Yo!

My name's Ryan, aka HAUNTED THE VAGABOND, aka HAUNTED, aka HAUNT, aka some other nickname that I have gained over the year, like... Fademan Haunt or something, call me what you like!

I'm a 28-year-old, asexual icon who goes by he/him pronouns, and I am a Canadian originally from Saskatchewan, but currently living in British Columbia.

I work as a Radio DJ by day, and I do a bunch of other stuff on the side, like streaming, podcasting, and being a pro wrestling announcer!

Big music guy, beginning to collect vinyl, hoping to get a sick setup soon. I do have a heavy leaning towards rock, metal, prog, punk, and hardcore, but I fuck with a lot of shit, and I'm always hunting for more stuff to listen to, open to all suggestions!

FIVE ALBUMS TO GET TO KNOW ME:

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here: Essential Floyd, everyone talks about Dark Side or The Wall, but Wish You Were Here is where it's at. Best album to put on and get lost in it

Deftones - Koi No Yokan: Top to bottom there isn't a song that isn't a bop or a banger on KNY. From "Swerve City" to "Tempest" to "Entombed", all heat

Pharoah Sanders - Pharoah: If you have a Sunday where you gotta do a bunch of housework, maybe it's raining, put on Pharoah, it's something you'll remember forever

Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?: I'm not a Fantano fan by any stretch, but I gotta thank him for putting me on Jessie Ware. A modern disco album that fucks this hard? That's rare as hell!

Death Grips - Powers That B: "Black Quarterback" is my Fuck Shit Up song, "On GP" makes me emotional, great album

SPORTS

Big sports guy, I'll watch damn near anything from Hockey to Darts, if there is competition, I'm in there.

TEAMS/ATHLETES I SUPPORT:

Hockey: Vancouver Canucks (Main), Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, PWHL Minnesota, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

Football: Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), Seattle Seahawks (NFL)

Baseball: Toronto Blue Jays (Main), LA Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals

Basketball: San Antonio Spurs (Main), Toronto Raptors, Saskatchewan Rattlers (CEBL)

Soccer: Machester United (EPL), Vancouver Whitecaps FC (MLS)

College Sports: Michigan Wolverines (NCAA), Saskatchewan Huskies (USPORTS)

Lacross: Saskatchewan Rush

Combat Sports: Israel Adesanya (UFC), Tyson Fury (Boxing), Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston (AEW), CM Punk, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn (WWE)

Golf: Tiger Woods

Video Games

I like them.

FIVE GAMES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartending Action: Easily my favorite VN, entertaining characters, engaging world, I wanna get lost in it.

Halo 3: ODST: What if the cast of Firefly were in Halo and listened to a lot of Jazz? Yeah, peak.

Transistor: This is a beautiful game, it has a wonderful story and, a lovely soundtrack, a must-play if you love Supergiant games.

Hotline Miami: Soundtracks go a long way to elevate a game, and Hotline Miami is no different. Hotline Miami also boasts some real fast-paced, addictive gameplay. #TonyTime

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne: Gameplay of a John Woo film fantastic noir story, Max Payne is one of the great characters in the medium.

Movies

I watch them.

FIVE MOVIES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

Clerks: Kevin Smith is one of my favorite directors, and Clerks is my all-time favorite comedy.

The Raid 2: If you loved the Raid, then you owe it to yourself to watch the Raid 2, it's just the Raid with a story, and it's fantastic!

Rocky: There are a lot of Rocky films, counting Creed as well, but nothing tops the first Rocky movie, the best top-to-bottom film in the series.

Porco Rosso: Everyone loves Spirited Away or Howl's Moving Castle, and they are right to do some, Miyazaki is one of the GOATs for a reason. But in my eyes, his best film is Porco Rosso. The landscape shots showcase his love of the Adriatic and Italy, the characters are lovely, and the dub, oh my goodness Michael Keaton as Porco is *chef's kiss*

Treasure Planet: Peak Disney movie, hyper fixated on it as a kid, and still love it to this day.

Anime

They alright.

FIVE ANIMES TO GET TO KNOW ME:

BECK Mongolian Chop Squad: This is the quintessential HAUNT anime. Very down-to-earth, simple but engaging story about someone finding their place in the world. In Beck's case, it's Koiyuki becoming this amazing singer/rhythm guitarist, and helping Beck become a premiere band in Japan.

Gurren Lagann: It's mother fuckin Gurren Lagann man, go watch it.

Steins;Gate: The group chat between me and some of my closest homies is called Future Gadget Labs NA, if that doesn't tell you how much this show brought me and my friends together, then I don't know what else to tell you. Never played the VN but the Anime was great!

Samurai Champloo: Life-changing anime, changed my whole perspective on music and my relationship to it. Helps that the show is GAS, with one of the hardest dubs out there.

Eden of the East: Just a straight up solid show with some good movies attached to it.

Fandom Shit

I don't really participate in a lot of Fandom discussion, I just will reblog stuff I like from my interest. An avid fan of D&D, Wrestling, Fighting Games, Hockey, Football, Anime, and a bunch of other crap I'm forgetting about.

So that's me, if you like what you see, hit me up!

[wiiildflowerrr]

5 Seconds Of Summer – The Feeling Of Falling Upwards (Live From The Royal Albert Hall)

'A thrilling concert experience... 8/10'

CLASHMUSIC, 14 April 2023

'Australian bred four-piece 5 Seconds of Summer have kept an adoring fanbase alongside them since their YouTube days of 2011, and their latest record ‘The Feeling Of Falling Upwards, Live from the Royal Albert Hall’ is a love letter to their supporters, both new and old.

Filmed and recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 2022 at an event celebrating the release of their fifth studio album, ‘5SOS5’, this album documents the band’s stunning performance with a 12-piece string ensemble and the House Gospel Choir. Framed as a musical journey across their 12-year discography, the excellent production and instrumentation truly makes you feel as if you were on the ride with them and emphasises how it is completely different to anything they’ve done before.

The screams of their supportive fanbase can be heard as soon as ‘OVERTURE’ starts and they walk onstage. These only increase as the individual members (Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Ashton Irwin and Calum Hood) give their individual speeches throughout the record, and at particularly special moments such as in ‘Older’ when Hemmings’ fiancée Sierra Deaton joined him onstage. With live albums, the worry of the crowd being too rowdy and ruining the listening experience is often there, but hearing the passion of the fans singing back their hits ‘Amnesia’, ‘Lie To Me’ and more was a highlight of the record.

What makes this so unique compared to the band’s other live albums is the impeccable addition of the House Gospel Choir and 12-piece string ensemble. Seeing their heavier electric guitar and drum-led tracks such as ‘Youngblood’ and ‘Outer Space’ adapted to be string-led made me appreciate their musical maturity even more, as it created some beautiful and unique listens. The addition of the choir’s backing vocals and harmonies with lead singer Hemmings, who’s vocals have grown massively in the past 12 years, in ‘Ghost of You’ and ‘CAROUSEL’ added another layer of beauty and intricacy.

The way the band worked as a whole to control the production, with Hood on bass and vocals and Clifford on guitar and vocals as well as drummer Irwin providing fantastic rolling drumbeats in ‘Red Desert’, must also be credited. There were still moments true to 5SOS’ pop-rock core such as gritty electric guitars in ‘CAROUSEL’, ‘Teeth’ and ‘Me, Myself & I’ and all-consuming cathartic releases including ‘Take My Hand’. Hearing fan-favourites such as ‘Jet Black Heart’ played as they would have been done in 2015 is a particularly nice touch for the fans who have been there from the start and wanted to be taken on a nostalgic journey – and what a journey the record was.

Ending on emotive ‘Bad Omens’, one which was unreleased with at the time but is now a fan favourite, the string ensemble and House Gospel choir had their moment to shine as they closed the final minute of the track with a stunning collective outro. 5 Seconds Of Summer can firmly say that they’ve come far on their musical journey and are far from the poppy live shows they’d put on in 2014, growing to be a talented four-piece. If more orchestral live shows are to be put on by the band, I’ll be there in the front row.'

Words: Amrit Virdi

[poeticmoonspirit]

I posted 571 times in 2022

That's 230 more posts than 2021!

89 posts created (16%)

482 posts reblogged (84%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@juldooz-atla

@cobraonthecob

@the-badger-mole

@zutarawasrobbed

I tagged 112 of my posts in 2022

#zutara - 41 posts

#zutara month 2022 - 17 posts

#zuko - 12 posts

#anon asks - 12 posts

#katara - 12 posts

#pro zutara - 8 posts

#zutara week 2022 - 8 posts

#fanfiction - 8 posts

#jet - 8 posts

#jetara - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 86 characters

#when i continue writing my jetara fic im gonna picture jet like this during flashbacks

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Why does everyone say "I wish zutara was canon" lmao have you seen the creators and their writing?? We've got everything we need in fanfics and art—hell, even AMVs! Canon is overrated!

Zutara exists in every way that matters.

96 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

#4

LMFAOOOOO why are they so mad?!?!

Imagine going on AO3 and looking for a fic for a ship that you don't even like at 6 in the morning. Talk about dedication! I love my fans <3

Anyways! I'm going to continue minding my business and writing my stories✍🏾

103 notes - Posted March 10, 2022

#3

I've talked about this on twitter, but the way canon shippers defend their ships with their whole chest is hilarious. You're that defensive because zutara is mentioned? Why? You HAVE canon, you have EVERYTHING, yet you still care about what we ship? It's giving insecurity to be honest. It's been fifteen years and you'd think they'd get it through their heads that zutara fans don't give a flying FUCK about what's canon.

Why would we when our fan content is better than anything Bryke would put out? LMAOOO

109 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

#2

These Things I've Done

"Katara, you're not a monster. You'll never be a monster."

She shook her head angrily, unable to contain herself any longer. "No, I don't think you understand, Aang. I decided to end that man's life today. I did that. Not Zuko, not Sokka, me. And if you can't handle that then you can just kindly fuck off!"

Aang sputtered, "You don't mean that—"

She let out a bitter chuckle, "Oh, I think I do," She stepped closer to the airbender so that they were face to face, toe to toe, "And I won't repeat it."

He was breathing harder now, his eyes wide, unable to believe what she was saying. She was perfect. Katara was always perfect. So innocent and kind. So why was he seeing her so differently now? Why was she acting this way?

"Katara, I think Zuko has corrupted you somehow. This isn't like you—"

She clenched her jaw, pressing her finger into his chest, "Oh, no no no—we are not doing this again. You and I? We are not the same. We've never been the same! You can't tell me how to live my life just because you don't agree with it! I ended that man's life because he killed my mother! I was owed that! And I'll be damned if I let anyone else tell me otherwise!"

"And if you think for a second that I am gonna let you slander my best friend then you've got another thing coming! Zuko was there for me, he's always been there for me! So why won't you? Why can't you support me on the one thing that would give me closure?"

"Katara, the monks always say to—"

"I don't care what the monks said, Aang! I am not a monk! I am Katara from the Southern Water Tribe. I am not you! Why don't you understand that?"

"Katara–"

"I'm sorry, Aang," She gulped, swallowing the lump in her throat, "But if you're going to shame me for killing my mother's murderer then I don't think we can be friends anymore."

Part II Part III Part IIII Part V Part VI

182 notes - Posted August 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

"zk is mostly katara-centric" first off, so what? And secondly, we love them both equally. Katara gets more hate than any of the other characters. As a brown girl, she can't get too emotional. She can't bloodbend because then she'll be "evil", and she can't be nuanced or too complex.

Outside of zks and the occasional Katara stan, who else is gonna ride and die for her character?? Casual fans who don't even remember what happened in the show?? Antis?? Just shut up already, you sound like a broken record.

186 notes - Posted July 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[n0velaes]

name: raven blackwood, pronom: she/her, stage name: midnight shadow, age: 24, sexual orientation: pansexual, faceclaim: tara yummy.

Appearance:

Hair: Long, jet-black hair with deep violet streaks, often styled in intricate braids or loose waves.

Eyes: Piercing green eyes, often accentuated with dark eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow.

Clothing: Prefers dark, Victorian-inspired clothing with a modern twist. Often seen in black lace, leather jackets, corsets, and combat boots. Occasionally accessorizes with silver jewelry, chokers, and fingerless gloves.

Tattoos and Piercings: Has a sleeve tattoo on her right arm featuring gothic and mythical symbols, a nose ring, and several ear piercings.

Personality:

Mysterious and Introspective: Raven has a quiet, enigmatic demeanor that draws people in. She's a thinker and often reflects on the darker aspects of life and art.

Passionate and Creative: She channels her emotions and thoughts into her music, creating deep, haunting bass lines that resonate with the band's gothic rock vibe.

Loyal and Protective: Fiercely loyal to her bandmates and friends, Raven is always there to support and defend them, no matter the situation.

Background:

Early Life: Grew up in a small town with a fascination for gothic literature and horror films. Her parents were supportive but didn't fully understand her unique style and interests.

Musical Journey: Discovered her love for music at a young age and picked up the bass guitar as her instrument of choice. Joined local bands during her teenage years, slowly building her skills and reputation.

The Band: Became the bassist for the famous gothic rock band "Eclipsed Eternity" after being discovered at an underground music festival. The band's dark, poetic lyrics and powerful music resonated with her style perfectly.

The Band (Eclipsed Eternity):

Genre: Gothic Rock with influences from metal and classical music.

Members: Lead singer (Luna Nightshade), lead guitarist (Damien Thorn), drummer (Shadow Reaper), and keyboardist (Evangeline Frost).

Success: Known for their theatrical performances, haunting melodies, and deep lyrics. They have a dedicated fan base and have toured internationally.

Interests and Hobbies:

Literature: Avid reader of gothic novels, poetry, and classic horror literature. Favorite authors include Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and Bram Stoker.

Art: Enjoys sketching and painting, often creating dark, surreal artwork inspired by her dreams and nightmares.

Occult: Has a deep interest in the occult and mysticism, often incorporating these themes into her music and art.

Signature Bass Guitar:

Description: A custom-made, black bass guitar with intricate silver designs resembling vines and skulls. It's named "Nocturne."

Quote:

"Music is the language of the soul's darkest corners. Through my bass, I speak the words left unspoken."

[enchantedreader]

Something I find hilarious about this is that you were SO CLOSE to getting it.

First of all:

The post was about Zuko and Katara’s emotional maturity maybe being a reason behind why people hate the Momtara/Dadko thing. Not about them romantically as a couple, but why fans of the other ships might feel icky.

My post was also a character analysis, because those traits of theirs are independent of them as a couple. It’s because of their circumstances and shared trauma (loss of a parent and the way they were both directly affected by the war compared to other characters). There are a lot of Zutara fans who see their newfound friendship and respect for each other at the END of the show as a good foundation for a relationship after the events of the show.

But since you want to talk about the romance surrounding them, I’ll happily do it.

The majority of the show focuses on Aang’s one sided crush on Katara that she is shown reciprocating about three times maximum. Even if that changed, her last moments with Aang before the finale kiss was fighting (Sozin’s Comet) and him pressuring her for an answer regarding his feelings for her and ignoring her when she asks for more time (Ember Island Players). If the show had given as much time to showing it less as a one sided crush and a more balanced relationship with someone who respected her, people would probably feel different. It’s also not healthy that Aang doesn’t support Katara as she does for him. He is also the only love interest of her’s that doesn’t empathize with her about her mother’s death. And they give him the perfect moment in The Southern Raiders to do so, but he just judges her. Is it any surprise that a lot of women don’t support a ship where the woman is always emotionally supporting the guy and gets none of that in return???

And I absolutely agree that Avatar is not a show with a focus on romance.

So why is the last shot of a show about found family a couple kissing? Remember, they went from yelling at each other to that kiss.

Mai and Zuko are not in love for most of the show, by the way. We know Mai’s had a crush on him since they were kids but they only get together when he goes back to the Fire Nation in Book 3 (The Awakening). During this time, we explicitly see that he can’t be honest and open with her about his conflicted feelings because she brushes him off (The Awakening) or makes insensitive comments due to a lack of tact (Nightmares and Daydreams). Zuko is dealing with a lot of emotional turmoil at the time and it eventually boils over (The Beach) and shows that Mai cannot be emotionally vulnerable in the way he needs. I absolutely believe she cared about him, but she loves the version of him from before his banishment because she doesn’t understand how to deal with the current Zuko. Which continues into the comics, by the way.

And regarding the stuff about June’s teasing?

Uh…

Of the three times June makes the same joke about them together, they only react the last time.

And Katara’s had that reaction before.

When Toph teased her about Jet being her boyfriend, because Katara DID have romantic feelings for him, she got flustered (Lake Laogai and The Ember Island Players). Now, when Toph accuses her of having a secret thing with Haru, she doesn’t get flustered and just responds calmly “Uh… no.” Zuko and Katara’s reactions weren’t them despising or rejecting it, but rather being flustered.

Regarding the “Life Changing Field Trips With Zuko,” Katara’s WAS an exception because it had no narrative purpose.

Aang and Zuko needed their trip to learn firebending for Aang’s battle against the Fire Lord.

Zuko needed to go with Sokka to the Boiling Rock to make sure Sokka didn’t get captured, to rescue Hakoda, and to free Suki. This was for plot reasons because it was the start of Azula’s mental decline and Suki saves both Sokka and Toph in the finale.

Zuko and Katara’s field trip was the exception because it would have made no difference if you cut it out. It wasn’t like Zuko wouldn’t have been able to teach Aang firebending because of Katara’s grudge against Zuko. We saw in The Western Air Temple that she was willing to put her own feelings of hatred for him aside for Aang. Zuko took her to get closure because he had changed and felt genuinely bad about hurting her and betraying her trust. And she forgave him because she decided he deserved it and they became friends after that. Because you don’t jump in front of lightning for just anyone.

Also, you forget one really important thing.

My Momtara/Dadko theory is based on character traits that we see in the show.

Zutara is a ship that we see happening at any time during or after the show as an Alternate Universe ship.

Which is how most ships in the Avatar universe are.

You may disagree with me, but I have watched this show many times and actually over analyze the characters.

Why People Hate Momtara/Dadko

I was in the Momtara/Dadko tag and I was surprised how many people are disgusted by it. But I have a theory on why it bothers some people.

It’s a tag that references the fact that both Katara and Zuko act as the Gaang’s kind-of-parents in the show. But it also points out the glaringly obvious difference in emotional maturity in the group. I think that when people start to acknowledge this difference, it might make shipping either Katara or Zuko with the other members of the Gaang feel kind of gross.

Because Aang and Toph both act very much like children (they’re like 11, so I get it) but, despite the fact that Katara is only 3 years older than Aang, she is MILES ahead of him in terms of emotional maturity. Aang deals with his emotions similarly to someone of his own age, like when Katara yells at him in the Waterbending Scroll and he immediately starts getting teary. That’s a normal reaction for a child, but Katara never yells at him again and shoves her own feelings aside for the better of the group (The Western Air Temple). She is constantly having to calm him down when he gets angry or goes into the Avatar State and always supports him emotionally (despite getting none of that back from Aang). On top of that, Aang doesn’t take responsibilities regarding the domestic chores, so it really makes Katara seem like more of a mother or older sister. 

I also know that people ship Zukka (I don’t, but I know it’s popular) and, while Sokka acts close to his actual age, Zuko has a bitterness to him that came because of his banishment. Zuko even said in The Beach (S3 E5) that he doesn’t deal with the same problems that normal teenagers have. His trauma made him into someone who doesn’t see himself as a normal teen and we see how Iroh’s influence shaped Zuko whenever he is doing something good. Think about how he interacted with Lee (Zuko Alone) or the emotional maturity he shows when he apologizes to the Gaang (Western Air Temple) or when Katara blames him for her mother’s death (The Southern Raiders).

I just thought about that because it would make sense why it seems to disgust people. Because it’s seen as cute or a way for Katara and Zuko to support each other for a lot of Zutara fans (I’m not making a blanket statement, but there is a reason why it’s popular with a lot of us). 

Just a theory.

[vezinabuyck]

@scheifefe learning where my true loyalties lie😌

[adamlowsy]

me and @nikolajehlers

*fleeing from attractive men we see*