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.
no subject
"Wait, there was a giant creature that attacked last month, and you want to capture it? Why aren't we just putting it down?"
It's possible there's a good reason, so she's asking, but this better not to be pacifist nonsense. She only puts up with that from Aang.
no subject
He starts to raise his hands before realising that physical gestures may be pointless.
"We do still need to weaken it first though so we'll be fighting it either way. If it's too dangerous then we're just going to kill it."
no subject
"Is it a spirit or something?" she asks, doubtful but trying to piece together a rational motive here. "Sometimes if an area gets polluted, the local spirit can have the same thing happen. What kind of creature is it?"
no subject
"While it's possible that the source of the corruption is the sea it comes from, I don't think any of us have the ability to cleanse an entire ocean. If you have any ideas though, I'd welcome them."
no subject
"Yeah, oceans aren't really my thing. These rocks definitely work on the rotting, but we'd have to get a lot of them to the shore first to make a whole trap. Unless you think I could make it with a mix of other stuff."
Despite her skepticism that it's worth their time to try to capture it, Toph gets drawn into the earthbending logistical problem. This is exactly the kind of thing Aang would ask her to do.
no subject
It's a good point. How would they get all this stone closer to the shore where it will actually be needed? He can't expect her to do all the-- well, the heavy lifting.
"There's still time in the month - I think I can organise for some wagons to bring the stone out."
If only Tonio were here, he thinks wistfully.
no subject
It's at least a couple days' normal travel, and doing that whole trek with an enormous boulder is a tall order. Toph can do the impossible if she needs to, but this just doesn't seem like a time she needs to. She's going to save her energy for the apparently inevitable massive showdown.
"I can definitely get them up onto wagons, though."
no subject
He can't keep the hopeful note out of his voice. As much as he's doing this because he believes it's the right thing to do, he's also somewhat excited to face down the creature.
no subject
That's logical and good preparation either way. Toph just doesn't like being boxed into what she's going to do by anyone, even by friends and certainly not by strangers.
no subject
He won't pressure her into the decision. They do have another pair who can possibly trap the creature. William's just in the habit of being absolutely sure of his strategy where possible.
no subject
"I'm Toph Beifong, by the way."
no subject
He starts to bow out of habit (one hand over his heart, one foot sliding back slightly), hesitates for a split second, but then finishes it anyway. Even if it can't be seen, it's best to be polite.
"I'll contact you when I've managed to secure some wagons then," he says.
no subject
"Yeah, yeah. You got it."