fieldtrip: (134)
Toph Beifong · 北方拓芙 ([personal profile] fieldtrip) wrote in [community profile] expiationlogs2024-01-01 04:28 pm

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!


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.
solitarysoul: (uh?)

2

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-01-01 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The fact that the caves seem to make him want to leave as he gets further in immediately pegs them as trouble to Levi. But as a trouble he doesn't understand or know how to fight enough he's curious to know more about it.

This time he's brought a lantern, though carrying it keeps him from having his rifle in his hands. He's got one of those weird glowy rocks in his other hand as he carefully makes his way further in. Maybe it'll react to something? He doesn't know how these things worked.

Toph probably notices him long before he comes upon her making a new tunnel by what seems to be a vein of the weird things. He stops when he notices her, "Uh. Hi?"

Please don't be a threat, he doesn't want to deal with figuring out how to juggle torch+rock+two handed gun.
drugsnotclubs: (59)

2. toph is a jumpscare

[personal profile] drugsnotclubs 2024-01-01 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[The tunnels are freaky enough, and that's without turning a corner to find a silent child staring blankly at the wall in complete and utter darkness like some sort of shitty horror flick-- Which absolutely works as much as those films don't, sending his heartrate and adrenaline spiking in that half second of realizing a creepy child is just sort of here???]

--Okay, what the hell.

[When he speaks it's flatly in spite of the fact that she scared the absolute fuck out of him by just being a child standing there, outlined by ethereal glowing stones. He lets his hand with the lantern drop slightly.]

What are you doing out here? Lamp go out?

[Also she's a child but. You know so is Ken. So he can't judge by that too easily.]
detonating: (MHA-79-80-027)

1! lemme know if I need to add more or change anything <3

[personal profile] detonating 2024-01-02 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
Likewise, Katsuki has spent the vast majority of his time trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings and keep himself busy. If he sits for too long, it's too easy to get into his own head about... well... everything, and he isn't a fan. All that waits for him there in his own thoughts is anger (normal) and despair (incredibly abnormal). It's better to be productive, proactive and not let it all weigh him down.

It's been made much easier with everything that has started to happen around them. Fighting is what he's good at, and he has no qualms about obliterating some octopus monsters when they try to invade. He's been on the hunt all day, and the explosive blond is in pretty good spirits thanks to his successes. Not much can surprise him anymore... until it does.

Finding a little girl sitting in the middle of the road is odd on it's own--who the FUCK does that, honestly? But then you add in the tentacle monster factor and it goes from being just fucking weird to being ALARMING. As soon as he realizes what's about to happen, Katsuki is in action mode.

"OI, DUMBASS! PAY ATTENTION AND GET THE FUCK OUTTA THE ROAD!!" His voice is deep and rough, sounding just as urgent as it does angry. His words aren't going to get the kid into action fast enough--he thinks, so as soon as he's done yelling to her, he's throwing his arms back and--BOOM!! Pumping explosions out through his palms to push himself forward with great speed, ready to fucking annihilate the octopus that are closing in on her.
solitarysoul: commisioned art (Default)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-01-02 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Heading in, I guess. Trying to see if these rocks do anything different when I get further in. I just didn't want to startle you." He watches the earth move, somewhat perplexed because she doesn't seem to be using any tools.

"Is that some sort of magic?"
detonating: (recadreuse 54)

wonderful u_u

[personal profile] detonating 2024-01-02 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
He definitely loses contact with the ground for a moment there, but the explosions he emits are strong enough that her senses should have no trouble pinpointing exactly where he is in the air. He's thinking to himself 'what the fuck is wrong with this kid?!' as he comes up and lands on her left side. She's got NO urgency, her body language is entirely calm--and that might indicate to Katsuki that this little certain someone is about to open up a serious can on whoop-ass if he weren't more focused on what's incoming. And telling her off even more.

"Clean your fucking ears out, they're explosions! And don't do dumbass shit if you don't like it, dipshit!!!"

One palm comes up, facing out towards the closest tentacled bastard, while the other forms a circle just in front of it. AP Shot will do for this, for more precise explosions. Until she gets the fuck out of dodge, he isn't going to be putting her at risk by trying to pull off bigger moves--even if she's kind of asking for it in his mind. Ain't very heroic to think that way, as Shitty Hair would say, right? BOOM!! It doesn't so much hit the ground as much as it uh... rains thousands of pieces of gore down onto it. A peaceful pattering sound, if it weren't for the flesh and blood. Katsuki readies up for the next shot quickly.
detonating: (awestruck)

[personal profile] detonating 2024-01-02 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
"Says the bratty kid who's just parroting my insults! You got any original thoughts in ther--"

Congratulations, pipsqueak. In the span of just a few seconds, you have actually managed to render the Katsuki Bakugou speechless with awe. First it just starts off as confusion--her stance changes from casual to fighting and from there, what she does is...

Fucking incredible. Powerful. He's no stranger to abilities or powers, obviously--he has his own and his world is full of them, but that doesn't change the fact that he is taken aback as he watches this tiny girl makes the literal earth come out of itself and crash down over the next closest octopus with ease, and then proceeds to crush it with more granite for good measure. Because she ain't fucking around here.

No fucking wonder she was just sitting there like she didn't give a shit. It's because she didn't It's his turn to wait now, Katsuki slowly allows his arms to drop as he watches her work with utmost intrigue--while still keeping his attention in his own peripheral vision. Just in case something creeps in undetected by her... which turns out to be entirely too cautious. Whoever the fuck this little girl is, she knows how to goddamn fight. By the time all of the enemies in the immediate area have been crushed by her sheer power, he's just... he can't even really be mad about how wrong he was about the situation. Not yet, anyway.

This time when he speaks, his voice is even, quiet. The incoming statement is meant for himself than it is for her. "...I stand corrected." A beat, and this time there is a little bit of that awestruck wonder creeping into his voice as he addresses the girl. "What the hell is that power, kid?"
Edited (NEEDED TO ADD WORDS FHGJFHKJ ) 2024-01-02 02:00 (UTC)
solitarysoul: (hmph)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-01-02 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
He'll call it magic and leave it at that. Not magic from his world, but it's not like he understood that well anyway.

"They don't?" He sighs. "Great. That was the only idea I had. I take it you went in as far as you could?"
grappler: ([44])

3

[personal profile] grappler 2024-01-03 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Vi had been out and about a good deal this week, especially trying to avoid the fact that she's sick on her own as well (fortunately her gloves and jacket cover most of it). but she's felt the ground rumbling every now and then... and she wonders if it's that girl she met before.

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.
solitarysoul: (sitting)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-01-03 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"Mm." He can be pretty damn stubborn too.

He follows after her. "What are you doing, anyway? Seeing if a new tunnel would give the same effect?"
grappler: ([147])

[personal profile] grappler 2024-01-04 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[Vi can't help jumping a little when the puff of dirt happens -- she's still not quite used to abilities like this. summoning monsters and other magic isn't so bad. controlling the earth? creepy as fuck but cool.]

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.
solitarysoul: commisioned art (?)

[personal profile] solitarysoul 2024-01-04 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"The crystals? I though they didn't do anything."
theskyaccepts: (fighter)

1

[personal profile] theskyaccepts 2024-01-04 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[Tsuna can fighgt, is the thing. And he also protects. And that usually goes for anyone, so when he sees a girl in the road and a monster approaching, he springs into action despite his fear.

While it might not matter to Toph, there's a flash of Orange as Tsuna lands a power flaming punch on a monster.]


Are you okay?
finalrun: (10)

2

[personal profile] finalrun 2024-01-04 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you know what frostbite is?

[for someone like knives, aided by the power of his gate, such things like sunburn or frostbite were less of a worry for him. although the extreme cold was far from comfortable, he could still travel well enough with the clothes he arrived in except now his cloak different. no longer wearing the one splattered with stained blood. it had raised too many questions when he had moved through aldrip and he preferred not to draw attention to himself when he could help it.

finding toph out here at the caves he'd heard about was almost a surprise. it figured the earthbending girl would end up here at some point or another. he steps over some of the rocky formations that litter the cave's entrance, toeing some of the glowing stone with the tip of his boot.]


Or is that something earthbenders are impervious to? Color me impressed.

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