app ₪ polychromatic
[series]: Avatar: The Last Airbender
[character]: Toph Bei Fong
[character history / background]: (history)
[character abilities]: (earthbending)
Toph is an earthbending prodigy and at twelve years old has already attained the skills of an advanced earthbending master. Her earthbending allows her to compensate for her blindness by perceiving the world through vibrations in the ground, as well as through the use of her extremely keen hearing. Toph is also notable for being able to bend sand and detect when people are lying, and for literally inventing Metalbending.
[character personality]:
Toph is a genius and a damn good earthbender, and she knows it. She is smug and proud of her talent, but make no mistake: she works hard for her skills. She hates misguided attempts to protect or direct her and naturally rebels against them, and she hates misplaced pity just as much. But although Toph does not consider her blindness a handicap, it has shaped her perception of the world in fundamental ways. She places little value in appearances and judging people for who they are, not what they are or how they look, is second nature to her. Likewise, because of her earthbending, she is not easily tricked: she's basically a living lie detector.
Like the earth she bends, Toph is stubborn, stalwart, and unmoveable--good and bad traits depending on the situation. She is forthright and direct, preferring forcefulness to inaction, but she has a steadiness to stand back and take her measure of a situation rather than charging in without consideration. She has the fortitude to weather any situation, and she is unafraid to face things head-on like a real earthbender, but her pride and stubbornness cause her to butt heads with Katara others on occasion. She'll push people around and ignore their comfort zones. However, take her outside of her own comfort zone--into the air or water, or any other place she truly is blind--and her confidence evaporates.
Because Toph was born blind, her parents have spent her entire life sheltering and coddling her. But Toph is inquisitive and resourceful, and since at a young age she learned to earthbend by studying the badgermoles. She chafed under her parents' restrictions and cultivated a meek, damsel-like face around them to hide her real personality: a tough, brash girl who loves to fight and is really, really good at it. Toph laughs loudly, snores, picks her nose, chews with her mouth open--all conscious behaviors she made into habit when she chose to live her own way. She has a sarcastic sense of humor and takes wicked pleasure in mocking the people around her, and more often than not shows her affection by picking on and roughhousing with the people she cares about.
Her wealthy family tried to raise a well-mannered, noble daughter, and so Toph has the breeding to move around high society with ease. But the real Toph is a down-to-earth girl (literally) who'd rather have what she calls a "healthy coating of dirt" than flawless skin and silk clothes. She loves to have fun, and she loves adventure. That's not to say, though, that Toph refuses anything to do with her family; on the contrary, she loves them and wants to have a real relationship with them. She also has no qualms throwing her family's weight around or even using her helpless blind girl facade as a means to an end.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Book 3, Chapter 12: The Western Air Temple
[journal post]:
[voice]
Ow! Whose stupid idea was it to put some dinky metal box on the ground where anyone can trip over it? Not that this would be a problem if I could "see" right now.
Uh, hello? Sokka? Aang, Katara? Zuko? Anybody? If you can hear me, shout "Earth Rumble"!
[third person / log sample]:
The high elevation of the Western Air Temple was a blessing after the sweltering heat of the Fire Nation, but now that night had set in, it was just on the verge of being too cold. Still, the chill wind felt wonderful on her burnt feet, so Toph slept that night with her window open and her feet jutting out from beneath her blanket. Sharing a room with Katara would normally be irritating, but for once it was sort of nice to put up with her fussing. Toph wasn't used to feeling this disabled on her home dirt. Up in the air was one thing, crossing a flimsy bridge of ice was one thing, but actually being on the ground and not be able to function? It was at times like this that Toph felt her blindness more acutely. She could feel the earth with the rest of her body, but with her feet burned, she couldn't even walk or fight. Thankfully they had Haru to practice with Aang until Katara could totally heal Toph, but how many days would that take? Two, maybe three--or more? One thing was for sure: Zuko was going to be her personal valet for doing this to her.
Toph pressed her hands against the cool tile, feeling her awareness spread past her fingertips, into the stone, and out through the surrounding rooms. She could feel the slow and steady nighttime rhythm of her friends' heartbeats. Two heartbeats from across the hall: Aang and Momo, curled up together in a room that was probably a lot like the one Aang had slept in growing up. Next door, Toph felt Sokka, his snoring loud enough to seep through the walls. Across from Sokka were Teo and the Duke, and in the room next to them, Haru. And in the corner room slept the newest addition to their little world-saving team, Zuko. Katara's uneasy breathing whispered at her from across Toph's own room as the waterbender struggled through a restless sleep. Chill out, Sugar Queen. Nobody was going to get near Aang with Toph around. It's not like she was totally blind; just her feet were.
And as for Zuko, was he an idiot or what? It was almost endearing how hard he tried to get everybody to believe him. Sure, he'd attacked them once or twice...or a few times...or a lot, actually, though she hadn't been part of the gang for most of it. Which was obviously why she was the least biased judge of the whole situation. The point was, she could get a way clearer read on Zuko than she could on his crazy, lightning-happy sister, and he was really making an effort. That had to count for something, right? And if it hadn't been for his uncle, Toph might never have come back after she left that one time. She owed it to the old guy to look for whatever it was in his nephew that he believed in.
Aang had made the right choice in the end, and in a weird way she was almost proud of him. She'd come so far with this group and put so much time and effort and commitment into this cause. She had a student, and he wasn't a half bad earthbender, though he still had a long way to go before he'd ever be as good as she was. He still thought too much like an airbender, but he was tough. He'd be a pretty good Avatar someday, and Toph would watch his back and teach him everything she knew--and even everything she thought up, which was pretty generous--so that he'd make it that far.
They had a firebender now, rounding out their team with all four elements. Things didn't look so hopeless as they had two days before, when they'd barely escaped the Fire Nation capital and their invasion plan gone horribly, horribly wrong. Aang could master all four elements, and then they'd give Flaminglord Jerkface and his daughter Princess Nutso a thing or two to think about. If they stuck together, there was no way they'd lose.
[character]: Toph Bei Fong
[character history / background]: (history)
[character abilities]: (earthbending)
Toph is an earthbending prodigy and at twelve years old has already attained the skills of an advanced earthbending master. Her earthbending allows her to compensate for her blindness by perceiving the world through vibrations in the ground, as well as through the use of her extremely keen hearing. Toph is also notable for being able to bend sand and detect when people are lying, and for literally inventing Metalbending.
[character personality]:
Toph is a genius and a damn good earthbender, and she knows it. She is smug and proud of her talent, but make no mistake: she works hard for her skills. She hates misguided attempts to protect or direct her and naturally rebels against them, and she hates misplaced pity just as much. But although Toph does not consider her blindness a handicap, it has shaped her perception of the world in fundamental ways. She places little value in appearances and judging people for who they are, not what they are or how they look, is second nature to her. Likewise, because of her earthbending, she is not easily tricked: she's basically a living lie detector.
Like the earth she bends, Toph is stubborn, stalwart, and unmoveable--good and bad traits depending on the situation. She is forthright and direct, preferring forcefulness to inaction, but she has a steadiness to stand back and take her measure of a situation rather than charging in without consideration. She has the fortitude to weather any situation, and she is unafraid to face things head-on like a real earthbender, but her pride and stubbornness cause her to butt heads with Katara others on occasion. She'll push people around and ignore their comfort zones. However, take her outside of her own comfort zone--into the air or water, or any other place she truly is blind--and her confidence evaporates.
Because Toph was born blind, her parents have spent her entire life sheltering and coddling her. But Toph is inquisitive and resourceful, and since at a young age she learned to earthbend by studying the badgermoles. She chafed under her parents' restrictions and cultivated a meek, damsel-like face around them to hide her real personality: a tough, brash girl who loves to fight and is really, really good at it. Toph laughs loudly, snores, picks her nose, chews with her mouth open--all conscious behaviors she made into habit when she chose to live her own way. She has a sarcastic sense of humor and takes wicked pleasure in mocking the people around her, and more often than not shows her affection by picking on and roughhousing with the people she cares about.
Her wealthy family tried to raise a well-mannered, noble daughter, and so Toph has the breeding to move around high society with ease. But the real Toph is a down-to-earth girl (literally) who'd rather have what she calls a "healthy coating of dirt" than flawless skin and silk clothes. She loves to have fun, and she loves adventure. That's not to say, though, that Toph refuses anything to do with her family; on the contrary, she loves them and wants to have a real relationship with them. She also has no qualms throwing her family's weight around or even using her helpless blind girl facade as a means to an end.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: Book 3, Chapter 12: The Western Air Temple
[journal post]:
[voice]
Ow! Whose stupid idea was it to put some dinky metal box on the ground where anyone can trip over it? Not that this would be a problem if I could "see" right now.
Uh, hello? Sokka? Aang, Katara? Zuko? Anybody? If you can hear me, shout "Earth Rumble"!
[third person / log sample]:
The high elevation of the Western Air Temple was a blessing after the sweltering heat of the Fire Nation, but now that night had set in, it was just on the verge of being too cold. Still, the chill wind felt wonderful on her burnt feet, so Toph slept that night with her window open and her feet jutting out from beneath her blanket. Sharing a room with Katara would normally be irritating, but for once it was sort of nice to put up with her fussing. Toph wasn't used to feeling this disabled on her home dirt. Up in the air was one thing, crossing a flimsy bridge of ice was one thing, but actually being on the ground and not be able to function? It was at times like this that Toph felt her blindness more acutely. She could feel the earth with the rest of her body, but with her feet burned, she couldn't even walk or fight. Thankfully they had Haru to practice with Aang until Katara could totally heal Toph, but how many days would that take? Two, maybe three--or more? One thing was for sure: Zuko was going to be her personal valet for doing this to her.
Toph pressed her hands against the cool tile, feeling her awareness spread past her fingertips, into the stone, and out through the surrounding rooms. She could feel the slow and steady nighttime rhythm of her friends' heartbeats. Two heartbeats from across the hall: Aang and Momo, curled up together in a room that was probably a lot like the one Aang had slept in growing up. Next door, Toph felt Sokka, his snoring loud enough to seep through the walls. Across from Sokka were Teo and the Duke, and in the room next to them, Haru. And in the corner room slept the newest addition to their little world-saving team, Zuko. Katara's uneasy breathing whispered at her from across Toph's own room as the waterbender struggled through a restless sleep. Chill out, Sugar Queen. Nobody was going to get near Aang with Toph around. It's not like she was totally blind; just her feet were.
And as for Zuko, was he an idiot or what? It was almost endearing how hard he tried to get everybody to believe him. Sure, he'd attacked them once or twice...or a few times...or a lot, actually, though she hadn't been part of the gang for most of it. Which was obviously why she was the least biased judge of the whole situation. The point was, she could get a way clearer read on Zuko than she could on his crazy, lightning-happy sister, and he was really making an effort. That had to count for something, right? And if it hadn't been for his uncle, Toph might never have come back after she left that one time. She owed it to the old guy to look for whatever it was in his nephew that he believed in.
Aang had made the right choice in the end, and in a weird way she was almost proud of him. She'd come so far with this group and put so much time and effort and commitment into this cause. She had a student, and he wasn't a half bad earthbender, though he still had a long way to go before he'd ever be as good as she was. He still thought too much like an airbender, but he was tough. He'd be a pretty good Avatar someday, and Toph would watch his back and teach him everything she knew--and even everything she thought up, which was pretty generous--so that he'd make it that far.
They had a firebender now, rounding out their team with all four elements. Things didn't look so hopeless as they had two days before, when they'd barely escaped the Fire Nation capital and their invasion plan gone horribly, horribly wrong. Aang could master all four elements, and then they'd give Flaminglord Jerkface and his daughter Princess Nutso a thing or two to think about. If they stuck together, there was no way they'd lose.