#captainfingersmith

[comradekatara]

Regarding Toph's lack of class consciousness and pissing off Katara: I think she became a cop, started a whole ass police force, specifically to piss off Katara. Idk what the beef was, but Toph REALLY needed to annoy Katara over something. It worked very well. Too well. For many years. And then they somehow resolved it and Toph fucked off to the swamp. Do you think that's how events would've gone down in LOK canon?

considering how convoluted and unbelievable "lok canon" is yeah that's probably one of the least bad justifications one could devise to rationalize that insane writing choice. obviously when i said this (and also when i said that toph lacks class consciousness and morals) i was making a flippant joke and i do not actually believe that is true of toph's character. toph does have values, principles, and insights regarding class and morality, and those values do fundamentally contradict her participation in any institution, let alone the "upholding a dehumanizing carceral system through enacting state violence" institution (which, yes, is what all policing is, even outside of the united states, so don't try to "gotcha" me with that in the replies). as i said in my tags, i can't even see her running a "metalbending academy" because i think toph would disagree with those kinds of institutions of education, which are comparatively far less violent then any given police force, but still require a rigid deference to authority that toph couldn't stand, even if she was the one in that position of authority. toph's opinions as a (very wise, insightful) twelve year old could certainly change, but i can't see them ever changing enough for her to betray her past values to such an extent that she basically sells her soul to an institution she clearly hates (see: all these murdled dai li agents). the truth of the matter is that there is in fact no adequate reason for toph to become a cop, and that lok egregiously butchered her character to service their terrible liberal politics for no good reason. alas

#captainfingersmith #asks #toph #lok crit #the second i made that post i was like 'oh god people arent gonna realize that i do actually think toph has values' and then. well. #but i posted it anyway so that's on me

[professorsparklepants]

My thoughts are as follows: Katara - main rapper/sub vocal??, Yue - main vocal, Suki - main dancer/sub rapper. Suki is the leader and Katara is the center. Toph is one of those "golden maknae" kids, she can do everything. They are all iconic visual legends.

Katara's definitely a sub-vocal, since she's trans in this au and their company is run by a bunch of cowards. "Once they let Katara sing in her lower register it's over for you hoes" is DEFINITELY a meme.

Sub-rapper Suki makes sense. In my head she's like, a lower key version of Soyeon, in that she's the leader and producer and the song writer. I also want her to have started out in a regional idol group in Kyoshi with more Earth Kingdom style music (more akin to jpop?), so it makes sense to me that she'd be less familiar with rap in a performance.

Golden maknae Toph makes PERFECT sense. She can do everything and she's an utter BRAT about it.

#kpop au #captainfingersmith #ask

[professionalbooklover]

Tag 📺

Rules: Post 10 GIFs of your favourite TV Shows without naming them and tag 10 people

Thanks for the tag @my-archerboy

I am tagging @depressedrandomiser @gayglitterqueen @captainfingersmith @you-gonna-break-my-heart-covey @nicoleiswayhaught @clarkesbells99 @stony-snark

#this was fun #tv shows #about me #tag #the 100 #greys anatomy #the magicians #the bold type #shameless #the vampire diaries #avatar the last airbender #brooklyn nine nine #one day at a time #how to get away with murder

[captainfingersmith]

Some wee changes

I've had the same avatar and username for like 5 years but I think it's time to switch it up a bit so senseigorgeous is now CAPTAINFINGERSMITH!!!!!!!! It was time.

#personal #senseigorgeous

[comradekatara]

Your art is gorgeous. I am in love with your portrayal of the gaang and the tenderness and detail you put into different variations of them, whether they're older or modern or wearing glasses.

I've been wondering for a while... do you intentionally have Aang's tattoos going forward over his bicep instead of wrapping back over his tricep like in the show? Is it so that they're more visible in some of the poses? It's always beautiful, I love your Aangs so much, I've just always wondered. The detail on your more realistic Aang tattoos is very nice! Part of me has always wanted an airbender tattoo (I probably won't but who knows) so it's always been an obsession of mine.

Anyway, your art is beautiful. And the Halloween Gaang is a slay, I love it so much!!

thank you!!! 💗💗 and lol it’s not intentional i just stopped using references from the show when i draw them bc i feel like i have a pretty good grasp on what they look like by now lmfao. but perhaps not!

#captainfingersmith #asks #i also can never figure out how I wanna draw aangs tattoos #despite drawing these guys every fucking day basically I still haven’t figured out a consistent design for any of them #except for maybe katara and sokka but like. of course they’re the exception

[comradekatara]

I was on twitter earlier (my first mistake) and happened upon some atla tweets, so I read them (like an idiot) and the badness of their takes made me so uncomfortable I came here just to feel ok. Thank you for this oasis. Anyway... Why do Appa and Momo communicate so well if Momo has probably never met a Sky Bison????????? The real questions. A true stumper. Food for thought. They have conversations.

epigenetics

#sky bison & flying lemurs can communicate due to generations & generations of living together #it’s in their DNA & nothing can change that!!!!! #appa&momo #captainfingersmith #asks #also I’m very sorry to hear that you went on twitter #the atla fandom there from the little I have witnessed is an absolute hellscape #you are safe here my child

[comradekatara]

Oh, v important, does the modern gaang watch the frog show?

this question is a lot specifically bc i do not think amphibia could exist without atla like where would anne boonchuy be without katara!!! where i ask you!!!!! but assuming that the frog show exists in a modern au and it is airing at the same time that they are their canon ages in the show...

aang: loves the frog show. he loves seeing anne and sprig get into wacky hijinks together. spranne against the world!!! when marcy was [redacted] he was fucked up for weeks

katara: has watched some episodes here and there with aang. she loves anne a lot but also thinks that she should brush her hair and get new shoes

sokka: wasn't into it at first but then aang showed him an episode with marcy in it and he ended up watching the whole thing because clearly this is a quality show if it features a character as excellent as marcy wu. and then. well. you know.

toph: loves polly. enough said.

suki: as much as she loves aang, she was hesitant to watch a cartoon about talking frogs, because well, she's not a child..... but aang was like "no trust me you'd like this there are so many lesbians in it" and suki was like "hm....okay..... you've piqued my interest....." (she is happy to report that it does indeed contain many lesbians)

zuko: sokka's like "so i think i'm gonna watch aang's little frog show wanna join me" and zuko's like "sure." this was actually a huge mistake on sokka's part, because now zuko won't stop ranting about how "marcy and sasha are both so misunderstood and don't deserve the hate" and no matter how many times sokka is like "i like them????? i think they're both great??????? who hates them??????? who are you talking to???????" he won't stop ranting

ty lee: she doesn't watch tv, but if she did, she would be obsessed with ms croaker

mai: suki showed her a few episodes like "isn't this cartoon about frogs so lesbionic" and mai was like "why do u insist that they're gay this is literally just how girl friendships are?" and suki's like "oh honey....."

azula: she only watches hbo originals, but if she did watch amphibia, she would, of course, be obsessed with general yunan. .......just kidding, it's sasha. obviously sasha

#she would also love yunan tho #sokka loves hop pop because he relates to him on a spiritual level #zuko loves hop pop because of his thespian origins #the gaang and #captainfingersmith #asks #synthesis #aang as their gateway into the frog show #bc he is their collective little brother #aang; sprig; my own – simply some of the most baby brothers of all time #frogshowposting

[comradekatara]

Every time I remember this blog exists I am healed. Thank you. I was reading your thoughts on gaang+ home decor post earlier and the thought of the gaang going to one of those paint-along art classes overtook me. And just how'd they be in any art class. Do you think any atla characters would hang their own art on their wall? I feel like katara absolutely would, zuko would hang it up and take it down and hang it up and take it down in cycles of shame and pride, sokka would proudly display it on his messy desk or maybe the fridge, and idk if aang or suki would... anyway, always a good day when you appear on my dash and I get swept away in this funky little world.

aw thank u that's so lovely <3

i think they would all hang one another's art on the wall!! i always doodle on post-it notes or just any loose paper lying around, and my mom has a whole stack of them that she's been saving ever since i was little (i would say she's insane for this but i do this with my brothers' "art" too so like. i get it honestly), and yeah i see the gaang doing the same (even toph).

aang makes jewelry for his friends, katara weaves colorful tapestries, toph creates weird little sculptures, zuko paints beautiful watercolors, suki writes songs bops & bangers, and sokka will just throw out whatever he's working on at the moment because "it's not good enough" only for whoever he's with to dig it out of the trash when he's not looking and cherish it forever.

#captainfingersmith #asks #the gaang and #rmr when mitski posted a video of her singing 'a burning hill' onto tumblr like 'idk just messing around. will probably delete later' #thats sokka #(also i miss when mitski had a tumblr. i think she deleted a) bc she got too famous and b) bc someone said that she was their former #roommate and that she wrote dan the dancer abt their friend. she said it wasnt true but still i think in that moment she was like #'ok time to delete!' ..... anyway)

[comradekatara]

Lesbians, I seek your wisdom. Did Ty Lee and Azula like... happen?? In any universe? What's the story there? I feel like modern au Ty Lee might have enough freedom to stay the fuck away but is canon Ty Lee okay? Sorry if you've already touched on this. Thank you for continuously blessing us with your forbidden knowledge btw, y'all brighten the world.

well our knowledge is not remotely forbidden, because it is in the text!!!! the whole thesis of this bloggue is that we need to refer to the text when making any sort of claim about said text (in this instance, atla), but thank u for appreciating our Moste Important Work lol

okay so I know a lot of people think that ty lee genuinely loved azula, but I think it’s pretty clearly established in “return to omashu” that she is scared of azula?? and whenever she shallowly praises her, it is definitely to pacify azula and affirm her supposed loyalties. it’s pretty clear that if she actually felt like azula wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her, she would feel comfortable to initiate physical contact or gently tease her like she does with mai. ty lee’s facial expressions when azula isn’t looking are crucial to understanding her character, because she very rarely actually says what she means.

one of my favorite moments in understanding their dynamic is this scene in “the beach:”

ty lee: those boys won't leave me alone. i guess they all just like me too much.

azula: come on, ty lee, you can't be this ignorant.

ty lee: what are you talking about?

azula: those boys only like you because you make it so easy for them. you're not a challenge- you're a tease. it's not like they actually care who you are.

ty lee: *cries*

azula: ok, ok, calm down. i didn't mean what i said. look, maybe i just said it because i was a little [whispers] jealous.

ty lee: what? you were jealous of me? but you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world.

azula: well, you're right about all those things. but for some reason when i meet boys they act as if i'm going to do something horrible to them.

ty lee: but you probably would do something horrible to them. i'm sure they're just intimidated by you. okay, look, if you want a boy to like you just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny.

azula: well, that sounds really shallow and stupid. let's try it.

notice who has the upper hand throughout this entire scene. ty lee a) notices that azula is jealous and rubs it in b) cries on command when azula insults her c) makes azula apologize to her and admit that she was jealous d) denies that azula could be jealous e) literally tells azula (and the audience) that ty lee is being shallow on purpose. ty lee treats azula the same way she treated all those boys. and she’s playing azula just because she can.

meanwhile, azula spends this episode furious about ty lee receiving so much attention from boys. but when azula tries to ensnare a boy of her own, it’s not a boy she actually likes or has any sort of connection with, but the boy she identifies as the strongest, most powerful boy (in terms of status) in the room. she doesn’t actually feel any attraction to him, she just wants the Best one. so it then becomes a question of who is azula actually jealous of when she sees ty lee basking in all that male attention? when azula “makes” ty lee cry, instead of reveling in her tears, she immediately backtracks, apologizes, and admits that she was jealous and didn’t mean it. this is a moment of unprecedented caring and vulnerability from azula. ty lee is still at azula’s behest, but she knows how to take advantage of her situation, how to toy with azula, how to have one over the master manipulator herself. (this is why I say ty lee is the scariest bitch in atla lol)

it all comes to a head when ty lee proves that she loves mai more than she fears azula. azula clearly actually cared about ty lee, had feelings for her, and was shocked to learn that ty lee didn’t feel the same. of course, she later convinces herself that she didn’t care about ty lee on a personal level, and was only using her, but the fact that mai chose zuko over azula and ty lee chose mai over azula (and zuko chose iroh over azula, in the end) completely shatters her.

so as to the question of whether or not anything happened between them, I think that ty lee managed to keep azula at arm’s length the same way she did all those boys on ember island. encouraged her and flirted with her to a certain point, but would have subtly expressed boundaries by pretending to be oblivious, and resorting to violence if she had to. which she finally does, not for her own personal safety, but for mai’s.

#analysis #azula #ty lee #maixtylee #azula&tylee #asks #captainfingersmith #their relationship is so fascinating #bc i feel so bad for both of them #also yeah ty lee loves mai so jot that down

[comradekatara]

Last question: any thoughts on the words of the Lion Turtle? When it's all like "The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void- but always yields to purifying light." Can it apply to other characters? Has Zuko pretty much realized this on his own? I have a vague feeling I've read something of yours about the Lion Turtle before but I can't find it.

i think the post you’re thinking of is by @eternalgirlscout and it’s here! let me know if that’s not the one you mean. 

so this theme - that love and empathy are powerful forces that can triumph over hatred, propaganda and war - is the central theme of the show, right. the lion turtle voices it in order to assure aang that he’s been right all along; this is the value aang holds closest to him and has been afraid to act on. and as you said, it is also what zuko comes to learn over the course of his journey. we love to see a protagonist and deuteragonist come together on their paths! this value is also what iroh learned years ago and what he spent the entire series trying to instill. and we see the value again in the interpersonal relationships formed over the course of the series. when katara chooses to forgive zuko, for instance, she is showing that she understands the power of forgiveness over anger. she lets the black-and-white view that was so hard on her finally wear away. 

the “darkness” that sokka and toph face over the course of their arcs is a little more abstract. it’s less about hate and more about personal demons. sokka’s journey is about pursuing knowledge and innovation as an antidote to ignorance and helplessness. toph’s is about forming friendships and connections rather than clinging to stubborn individualism. when we hear that “darkness thrives in the void,” that makes me think of sokka’s ignorance about the outside world early in the series, and toph’s loneliness. in their isolated states, they aren’t getting the light the lion turtle speaks of. they have to fight their way forward.

#asks #captainfingersmith #not gonna lie i was intimidated when orianne asked me to take this one but i hope i spoke to it well enough! #sokka #aang #katara #toph #iroh #zuko #i love the lion turtle ok #analysis #i love the lion turtle too :)

[comradekatara]

Do you think Sokka (or anyone else) pursued higher education in the Avatar world? And where do you think most characters fall in terms of what we would consider standardized knowledge? Like, we know Toph was tutored. Zuko and Azula had that formal education. Pretty sure everyone else can read. That one archaeologist dude was from Ba Sing Se University or whatever. Also, turning off anons is a nice change. It's already more colorful! Let the cowards show their faces :)

we loved this ask so we answered it together! 

yes a thousand percent! frankly i hope most of them do? it’s indisputable that sokka goes to university and sticks around for yeeeears because he wants to learn everything. toph also goes to school and graduates with high honors. mai somehow already has a university degree at 14 (she got it online) but she does indeed go back for a doctorate (this is obviously a joke so do not hassle us). zuko hires the finest scholars around the world to visit the palace and just talk to him and anyone who wants to join him about their passions, and he makes sure azula gets visits from them, too.

as for the gaang’s education prior to the events of the show. well, aang knows a lot about everything. the monks believed few things were more important than equipping children with a thorough education. aang didn’t learn much about world history, but he had a very hands-on education when it came to participating in other cultures, and of course he learned philosophy and religion, he learned biology, and he learned highly advanced physics. (the first time mai and sokka get a sense of how much physics aang really knows, they are briefly rendered speechless.) helping children engage with the world was one of the air nomads’ most important values. and it’s important to understand that before the war, education was valued much more highly than it was over the next hundred years.

that said, toph got plenty of education from her tutors. she has had more books read to her than some of her friends have ever heard of. if you plopped toph and aang down on a quiz bowl team and made them compete, it would be a close race as long as aang wasn’t brought to tears at the thought of competing with his friend.

i think sokka and katara attended something resembling school when they were kids. granted, as the tribe’s adults left for war, the pool of available teachers depleted and so did the children’s free time to learn. the tribe’s health and security depended on the children doing certain chores, like sewing and laundry, during the time they would otherwise have spent in class. but education was prioritized to the degree that it was safe to prioritize it. the elders of the tribe taught them water tribe poetry and literature and history and art. they studied the languages that their people used in the past (pre-colonialism, that is). sokka probably tried to teach katara math a few times, but quickly gave up when she pelted him with ice. I also imagine their dynamic re: learning to be like that of alice and her sister, in that katara sees sokka reading dense non-fiction texts and wonders “what is the use of a book without pictures or conversations?” but she deeply values her cultural history, heritage, and spiritlore. sokka and katara grew up with the understanding that their people’s history and art defined their culture, and of course they continue to believe this into adulthood.

as for the fire nation. we know that azula, ty lee, and (presumably) mai attented the “royal fire academy for girls” together, though there doesn’t seem to be a fire nation equivalent for high school, even among the upper classes. of course, education and academia is not remotely valued under ozai’s reign. one of zuko’s top priorities after the war is reforming education. we know education during the war was a violent imperialist endeavor, so zuko works closely with aang, as well as multiple representatives from both water tribes and the earth kingdom, to ensure his new curriculum is truthful, peaceful and anti-imperialist. both he and azula were subjected to heaps of propaganda in their schooling (that goes without saying), and the teaching methods were also intimidating and abusive. mostly, aang helps zuko change it. they build up an education system that allows children their humanity and individuality and equips them with the values they need to be good human beings.

and thank you, we totally agree! we don’t plan on turning it on anytime soon

#asks #captainfingersmith #also solid url

[comradekatara]

is Yue not on the straight girl list because she is the MOON and the moon is a sapphic icon or because Yue herself is gay? Along those lines... were Yue and Suki ever to meet...

THE MOON IS A DYKE

YUE IS THE MOON

YUE IS A DYKE

QED

#excuse me......................... #asks #captainfingersmith

[comradekatara]

Oh! Unrelated additional query: who, if anyone, in the modern au gaang+ believes in cryptids? Who IS a cryptid?? While I was babysitting some guy on TV very seriously explained that bigfoot is an alien. I need to deep clean my brain. Can't defend myself beyond that.

i mean, isn’t the blue spirit, like, their in-universe equivalent of a cryptid.... only, instead of only ever being seen from afar, he gets extremely in-your-face. but ya idk enough about cryptids to answer this ask, and chell knows even less. 

#i like the abominable snowman as a concept :) #yetis seem cute #asks #captainfingersmith

[comradekatara]

captainfingersmith replied to your photoset “Zigazow! [[MOR] When my friends and I stick together There’s nothing...”

i think this just convinced me to watch crazy ex-girlfriend wow

oh man DO IT 

#captainfingersmith #one of the best shows of the decade tbh!!!! #watch crazy ex girlfriend all seasons streaming now on netflix doesnt have the same ring to it but yeah. go do that #man it's called required viewing for a reason smh im gonna make a sidebar page

[comradekatara]

Every time I wander onto your blog I gain brain cells. Thank you. Also, regarding these 3am fights behind waffle house between katara and her latest attempt at lesbianism... are there witnesses? are there victors? does it play out like some sort of early-stage trial by combat or a late-stage explosion of pent-up aggression? does toph place bets? does aang cry? I cannot defend my waffle house fight fixation and I will not try, but if you have any flamin' hot takes I would love to be educated.

thank you! i grew up with atla, and when i finally convinced chell to watch it, and then she suggested we make this blog, I was like “yes! finally a place to dump my takes ive had for over a decade!” it’s nice to know that there are actually people who care to listen to them. (though of course there are; an entire generation grew up on this show, and all the gay ones are here.)

anyway, as for the waffle house fistfights, it is definitely an explosion of pent-up aggression. it’s not really about there being a winner. in fact, it’s safe to say there are no winners. just pouring rain and flickering lights and mud on concrete and a bloody nose and scraped knees and spluttering through wet hair and maybe even a black eye—and the manifestation of suppressed teenage girl rage in all its infinitely messy glory.

#captainfingersmith #asks #lol