Toph Beifong · 北方拓芙 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fieldtrip) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationlogs2024-01-01 04:28 pm
fieldtrip) wrote in expiationlogs2024-01-01 04:28 pm
Entry tags:
you've seen nothing once
Who: Toph Beifong & OTA
Where: Various places around Aldrip and at various times in the first half of the month.
What: Toph's intro post! Keeping all her TDM threads canon unless otherwise requested. She can be found in the first couple weeks of January fighting monsters, earthbending some glowy rocks, fixing buildings, and also complaining about it being so cold out because she is perpetually barefoot. Also perfectly happy to do brackets if preferred for anyone.
Warnings: None so far!
Toph's number one way of keeping busy is fighting, and right now the area around Aldrip is providing. She's already gotten her explanations in, she's met and harassed a few people, and she's built a thorough mental map of the town and surrounding region. It's not huge, so it hadn't taken more than a few days of walking, her bare feet freezing. She consistently has to stop to try to warm them up with her hands as the rotting snow begins to fall.
Whether it's mid-fight, saving someone who needs it, or appearing to need saving herself as a tiny girl sitting in the middle of the road massaging her feet while monsters creep up, feel free to run across her.
It takes Toph a while to find out about it, but not too long. Of course, she has no idea the rocks are glowing -- she's blind -- but she hears about something called the Lorentia Caves, and she's not going to go check it out immediately? Please.
The caves themselves give her creepy memories of that bloodbending old lady, and she's secretly relieved not to find a bunch of trapped prisoners as she explores, though she eventually feels strongly compelled to leave in a way she finds equally creepy. She can often be found pondering the glowing rocks deep in the labyrinthine tunnels in otherwise absolute darkness like the weird earth creature she is.
Days later, once she realizes how valuable they are in fighting the monsters, she can also be found earthbending tunnels directly to and from the best sources of the crystals.
And, finally, once that's done, Toph sets about testing her earthbending with them directly, frowning at a handful outside the entrance to the cave system. She looks like she's staring intently at rocks until she picks up her hands and makes a few short, deliberate movements, like she's precision striking a target. Toph is far more careful than normal given the strange vibrations they give off.
The pile of glowing rocks creaks gradually into one, much larger rock.
Toph smirks. "Gotcha."
Throughout essentially the whole month, in between fighting and messing around with the glowy rocks, Toph fits in some building repair. She'd been bored at home, and she's certainly not bored now. This place has that going for it.
Although at first Toph had indulged her sense of showmanship about it, it doesn't take long to realize the situation is getting increasingly dire, and she's now perfunctory, almost business-like. The locals start to recognize her and direct her toward the most needed efforts where the rot is weakening critical building foundations.
Toph ends up segmenting out the places subjected to the rot and replacing them with fresh earth and stone, creating an ominous pile of blackened building materials besides the building she's shoring up in a dramatic feat of earthbending. Said earth and stone go flying in coordinated waves with her stomping on the ground, replacing what she's taking out simultaneously, smoothly enough that the building doesn't topple. She's holding it up, too.
The best earthbending is always the parts that sighted people can't tell she's doing.
Where: Various places around Aldrip and at various times in the first half of the month.
What: Toph's intro post! Keeping all her TDM threads canon unless otherwise requested. She can be found in the first couple weeks of January fighting monsters, earthbending some glowy rocks, fixing buildings, and also complaining about it being so cold out because she is perpetually barefoot. Also perfectly happy to do brackets if preferred for anyone.
Warnings: None so far!
1. Keeping Busy
Toph's number one way of keeping busy is fighting, and right now the area around Aldrip is providing. She's already gotten her explanations in, she's met and harassed a few people, and she's built a thorough mental map of the town and surrounding region. It's not huge, so it hadn't taken more than a few days of walking, her bare feet freezing. She consistently has to stop to try to warm them up with her hands as the rotting snow begins to fall.
Whether it's mid-fight, saving someone who needs it, or appearing to need saving herself as a tiny girl sitting in the middle of the road massaging her feet while monsters creep up, feel free to run across her.
2. So you have caves
It takes Toph a while to find out about it, but not too long. Of course, she has no idea the rocks are glowing -- she's blind -- but she hears about something called the Lorentia Caves, and she's not going to go check it out immediately? Please.
The caves themselves give her creepy memories of that bloodbending old lady, and she's secretly relieved not to find a bunch of trapped prisoners as she explores, though she eventually feels strongly compelled to leave in a way she finds equally creepy. She can often be found pondering the glowing rocks deep in the labyrinthine tunnels in otherwise absolute darkness like the weird earth creature she is.
Days later, once she realizes how valuable they are in fighting the monsters, she can also be found earthbending tunnels directly to and from the best sources of the crystals.
And, finally, once that's done, Toph sets about testing her earthbending with them directly, frowning at a handful outside the entrance to the cave system. She looks like she's staring intently at rocks until she picks up her hands and makes a few short, deliberate movements, like she's precision striking a target. Toph is far more careful than normal given the strange vibrations they give off.
The pile of glowing rocks creaks gradually into one, much larger rock.
Toph smirks. "Gotcha."
3. Rebuilding
Throughout essentially the whole month, in between fighting and messing around with the glowy rocks, Toph fits in some building repair. She'd been bored at home, and she's certainly not bored now. This place has that going for it.
Although at first Toph had indulged her sense of showmanship about it, it doesn't take long to realize the situation is getting increasingly dire, and she's now perfunctory, almost business-like. The locals start to recognize her and direct her toward the most needed efforts where the rot is weakening critical building foundations.
Toph ends up segmenting out the places subjected to the rot and replacing them with fresh earth and stone, creating an ominous pile of blackened building materials besides the building she's shoring up in a dramatic feat of earthbending. Said earth and stone go flying in coordinated waves with her stomping on the ground, replacing what she's taking out simultaneously, smoothly enough that the building doesn't topple. She's holding it up, too.
The best earthbending is always the parts that sighted people can't tell she's doing.
3
lo and behold, there's Toph when it's rumbling close enough for her to investigate.]
Figured that was you.
[she stands a little bit away... just in case.]
Long time no see.
no subject
[ Toph perks up when she hears her voice, but her attention is still fully focused on the building renovation she's taking care of. There's a tension to how she holds herself that indicates she's doing more than can be seen.
The section of foundation she's working on settles with a soft whump and a puff of dirt, and she relaxes enough to face her new favorite person. ]
I've been keeping busy. How about you?
no subject
Keeping busy too. Not quite as productive as you... but I manage.
[she's been trying hard not to get too freaked out about the rot on her skin, so... jogging. walking. anything she can do to keep her mind off it.]
You've got to have the best workout ever to be able to lift all that shit.
no subject
[ Toph likes Vi enough that she thinks she can handle the light teasing. It's basically prerequisite number three for being Toph's friend, right after accepting she's awesome and not making a big deal out of her being blind.
For her part, she has no way to tell whatsoever that Vi is affected by the rot. It's easy enough to notice in her element, but flesh and blood is water-based. ]
I'm not literally lifting it, but yeah, staying in shape does help. Bending forms are all martial arts.
no subject
[she has no idea how magic of any sort works, so...]
I would've figured you'd feel the weight of it or something.
[she's usually not interested in this shit, but with Toph it's a little different. the girl's on her level, even if she's younger than her. she actually gets along with people like that.]
no subject
Yeah, but not with my actual muscles. It's more like the rock is an extension of myself, and I can feel how much strain it's under. And the rot parts feel gross.
Which is super weird.
[ Toph has never felt 'gross' earth of any kind before, and hadn't really been aware it was even possible. There's something unnatural about it. ]
no subject
[Vi considers for a moment. looks at the rot again.]
Can you tell where the rot's coming from?
no subject
You know, [ she says slowly, ] it does kind of feel like an underground stream. Like... it's going somewhere.
no subject
Where's it going? You think it's going back towards Rumpitur or something?
[that's where the monster was last time...]
no subject
[ Toph doesn't mean that defensively, though, just as a factual response. A moment later, she proves it by saying: ]
Want to find out with me?
no subject
Sure. I'm not doing anything else right now, and I'm curious now too. Lead the way, Toph.
no subject
Sweet. Let's go. You can tell me if any of it means anything to you. Somebody told me a monster attacked last month? [ she questions. ]
no subject
[her jaw tenses.]
Apparently they'd been feeding Aldrip locals to it before last month. Shit's messed up.
no subject
[ And somebody wanted to capture this creature instead of just killing it? Hello. Hello. ]
From what I heard, it wasn't defeated yet. Right?
no subject
[she shakes her head.]
I think it got away or something. I don't remember people being all excited because it was dead or anything.
no subject
[ That's a rhetorical question. Obviously it's coming back -- this isn't Toph's first time being a sidekick.
She sets off walking so they can start following the trail, frowning. ]
Maybe you should tell me whatever you can about fighting it.
no subject
[she knows it's a rhetorical question, but she's gonna answer it anyway.]
Uh... not sure on that one. General giant monster shit, I guess. Only ever really had to deal with one once before now.
no subject
[ And she means it. ]
Okay, let's start with, what kind of giant monster is it? [ Toph certainly is asking questions like a girl with a mission to fight it. ]
no subject
[she tries to remember the other's accounts.]
A giant sea-thing, I think. I might've heard the word "squid" or "octopus" thrown around a few times? I didn't see it for myself. My... [??????] friend was almost kidnapped and hurt pretty bad, so I didn't go out there.
no subject
[ Toph heaves a sigh. It figures. Where's Katara when you need her? ]
... Is your friend okay? [ She caught the hesitation but wasn't sure what to make of it. Toph cares enough to pack away her grumbly sarcasm and ask sincerely before moving on with questions regardless. ]
no subject
[she sighs at the mention of Caitlyn.]
She's fine. I had to stitch her up a little, but it could've been worse.
no subject
[ Toph's ready to turn this show around and find help for Vi's ????? friend instead if need be. ]
no subject
It's fine. There's probably other people who need it more... she'll just have a scar or two. Which is hot.
[Vi you're talking to a teenager.]
no subject
[ Toph doesn't know what skeptical scare quotes are but her voice is doing it anyway with the amount of dry sarcasm behind it. ]
no subject
[... welp.]
Yeah. A friend. She came from my world, so we've been... [idk what kind of gesturing she's making here] sticking together.