tushanshu | 001

Entry tags:

001 - Video

[The girl on the screen is tiny, likely barely more than 12. Her arms are folded across her chest, and her eyes, pale, seem to glare at the screen.]

[. . . Kind of. There’s also something a little off about that glare. It doesn’t quite seem to focus like a glare should.]

Okay, so whose bright idea was it to put dirt on some of the turtle shell, but not all of it? If you’re going to put dirt on a turtle in the first place, you should at least not be stupid about it and finish it off.

Also, what kind of turtle are we talking about here? Is this a turtle-duck, or a lion-turtle, or what? I tried to ask one of those kedan guys, but they wouldn’t tell me.

[A small smirk, highly self-satisfied.]

Guess they were still sore.

[She shrugs.] Anyway, name’s Toph for anyone who cares. You’ll learn it soon enough.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh wow, were you really?! [Her head pops back up and she can't hide her excitement at that statement. Only one of the coolest battles in recent history she learned from the White Lotus, that's all.] I mean, uh- you shouldn't worry, time has stopped for us while we're here and if when we get back it will be like we didn't miss a single second.

[Her mouth moves to one side of her face as her eyes go flat.] Or at least that's what they tell us.

[She's really regretting leaving that "sort of" hanging in the air now. Why wasn't there an easy way to explain this?] Yeah, as you can tell a lot of things are different here and a lot of people show up from other worlds.

And other times.

[This girl is kind of a geek. And it would really amuse Toph . . . if it weren't quite so weird.]

Other times?

[Because let's get to the bottom of what's really important here.]

[Why did Korra have to open her big mouth?]

Yeah, different times on different worlds. Like ours.

[Nope, she can't avoid it so best to just shove it out there. Taking a deep breath to level herself out Korra gave her statement matter-of-factly.]

I'm the Avatar.

[There's not a ton of stuff that honestly and earnestly can take Toph off guard.]

[But this would be one of them.]

I . . . What?

[And that sets her mind off spinning. Maybe this one's from the past. Like . . . the distant past. But like most kids, she's had to study Avatar history, and she can't remember one named Korra. And the way she reacted to hearing Toph was about to face the Fire Lord . . .]

You're . . . from the future.

[A sudden thought, seizing her brain in a stranglehold:]

Aang. Aang didn't . . .

[Korra gives a small nod at the future bit and quickly chastises herself mentally for doing so. In a single moment, Toph's expression and words did what Amon had been striving to achieve.

Never had she felt guilty for being who she was until this moment.]

Like the cycle of the seasons.

[Her voice was quiet and she was hoping that echoing Tenzin's teachings would give her the strength to keep her tone steady.]

Edited 2013-06-02 22:50 (UTC)

So . . . the Fire Lord . . .

[Toph's face falls away from the screen.]

He won.

[If Korra had been drinking anything it would have been spewed all over her console. Thankfully this time she wasn't.]

What?? No, no! I mean he- I thought you meant... [How Korra missed that Toph was referring to the battle and not the realization of Aang's passing she will never know. Somewhat relieved Korra's tone lightens.]

Aang and Zuko actually founded Republic City, where I was living before I got here, and it's pretty much the capital for all the nations.

Edited (Pretend I can type. Please.) 2013-06-02 23:24 (UTC)

[Argh. Her heart almost stopped beating, she was hit with a sandbag of guilt and grief and anger, and for what? Toph's head snaps back up, brows thunderous.]

Don't SCARE me like that! Geez! [She stalks a few paces off screen, hands thrown up into the air, probably not realizing that Korra can't see her any more.] Aren't you supposed to be, like, all love and peace guru or something??

[There's a sharp sound of rock crashing against rock as Toph works that out of her system . . . and then the sound of a released breath.]

Everyone has to go sometime, so what are you getting all sad and freaking me out for?

. . . Those two couldn't even build a birdhouse, let alone a city.

[Those words actually comfort Korra and she leans back into her chair with a smile. For some reason Korra expected that Toph would be at least a little more delicate in her younger years and that was a mistake. All that spit and vinegar that called itself Lin had to come for somewhere after all.]

Yeah, I guess everyone does. Sorry, I just figured you probably didn't want to know about that.

[That tidbit about Aang and Zuko construction skills get a chortle out of her.] I'm sure they had help from their friends.

[Speaking of help...] Oh yeah, I don't know if anyone's told you yet but we're having a bit of a food shortage on the turtle Tu Vishan. So if you need some extra or run out of the juulan the kedan gave you I always have extra. Turns out a lot of people here don't like sea prune stew.

[Still offscreen over here. Just as well, Korra -- you can't see the face she's making.]

Thanks. I'll . . . keep that in mind.

[And put it out of mind if she can. Ew.]

Same goes for you, you know? Not the sea prune stuff, but . . . yeah. If you need extra space or whatever. There's three levels to this place. It's stupid. I'm used to sleeping out any more.

[A pause, and her voice softens a little.]

Yeah, I guess it's weird . . . knowing I'm talking to Aang's reincarnation and stuff. But I'm okay with it. As long as he had a good life . . . that's all that matters.

. . . But I don't want to know about me. It's enough I'm still awesome in your time, whenever it is. Okay?

Sure thing, I’ll keep my trap shut. And yeah, you're definitely still awesome. [Seriously, the greatest earthbender of all time. Age difference or not, Korra was finding Toph to be very likeable. The less sticks in the mud on the turtle, the better.]

Soooo, where did you come up with the nickname “twinkle toes” anyway? [Nope, she couldn’t stop herself from asking that. Not after hearing an older Toph refer to Aang as such.]

[Her voice sounds like she's grinning again. The feeling is mutual; Toph likes this one. Meanwhile, she continues to talk from the side of the screen; she probably hasn't grasped that she can't be seen from over there.]

Light on his feet. Like . . . too light on his feet. First time I met him was in an earthbending arena, and he challenged me to a fight. I didn't know he was an airbender at the time, and he kept just . . . skipping around. I'd bend a rock at him, and he'd just fly out of the way. Never really took anything head on.

He was like that for a while, learning earthbending. Didn't want to confront anything.

So it just kinda stuck, even though he's a lot better now.

[Korra' holding nothing against Toph's wanderings since it's probably boring to just sit and talk without being able to see the console.]

It's so hard to see him as being that non-confrontational. I mean you have to be for earthbending. [And firebending. Toph must have really hit it out of the park to teach Aang the element opposite opposite of his personality. But that nickname was definitely coming up the next time she spoke with him.]

Your bending will probably be a little off since it's your first day here. Don't worry, it happens to everyone and should be fine tomorrow or so.

[Concealing her excitement is pretty difficult. Finally another bender who hasn't threatened her well being!]

I know. He didn't want to confront anything. Something about airbending, I guess. He'd rather flow around something than hit it. So annoying to try to get anything done.

But like I said, he's a lot better now.

[There's a flicker of hesitation on Toph's end before answering the next part -- or at least silence.]

Actually . . . it's my second.

Ugh, airbending. [Even though Korra could airbend, that didn't mean she was liking the idea of attempting to master it on her own.]

Oh. Did you sleep all day like I did? [Never had Korra slept that hard for that long. Fourteen hours is a lot, but when you're drained from arriving in Keeliai it sure doesn't feel like a lot.] Either way you just missed our mini-apocalyptic extravaganza.

[And how lucky Toph really was. Not being able to see the falling fires would have been pretty detrimental. Even seeing them didn't make it too much easier.]

Nah.

[The word is casual, but Toph is not. Even if she'd wanted to sleep, she couldn't have. The kedan had assured her that her bending would return, but Toph hadn't trusted it. She wanted to feel it for herself; had to feel it for herself. She sat on the floor of the apartment they'd deposited her in with her space rock clutched in her hand, willing it to bend. She hadn't even explored her apartment until the first flickering glimmers of her bending had returned, refusing to grope blindly around the unknown, enclosed space. Only as her bending returned had she done some quick exploring, making a quick round of the area before succumbing to the needs of food and sleep.]

[But all this is not something Korra will get from her readily.]

Did a little exploring after my bending came back, though. Things are pretty messed up.

What happened, anyway?

[Korra's surprise at Toph's lack of sleeping on the first day is all over her face and now she felt a little guilty about not having to hide such a thing. How weird it was to not have someone be able to see you, even if they were off screen since a person with vision would be able to return at any second.]

Messed up is a good way to put it. [And then she shrugged boredly.] Oh you know, blazing molten lava covered debris from space falling all over Keeliai in a kind of hailstorm with some of it containing evil ghosts that possess people and shoot lightning at everyone in sight.

Or as the superheroes around here like to call it: Tuesday.

[That earns an outright laugh from Toph. Though the rest doesn't sound so great. Fortunately it's at this point that she wanders back into view.]

Seriously, though? That's like . . . apocalypse or something.

[Or maybe Azula. But they need Sokka to make that bad a joke.]

[A small grin as an idea strikes.]

How good's your earthbending?

Sure felt like it, gonna take forever for the clean up to get done. [And for homes to be rebuilt. Not fun times.]

I've mastered earthbending, firebending, and waterbending. Still kinda working on air. [Kinda is the operative word.]

Well, I can't really help on the airbending, but I bet we could make a killing on cleanup.

[Your earthbending is mastered, Korra? She'll be the judge of that.]

[Flabbergasted Korra is glad you can’t see her face Toph.] I destroyed probably half the streets in three sectors to save people, making them pay me for it after that would be a terrible idea! [Yeah, she kind of ripped up streets doing some earth surfing to get around. And deflect satellite debris. And to reinforce foundations so whole buildings wouldn’t fall.

Doesn’t stop Toph from charging, but Korra’s so not on board with that.]

Oh wow, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. We’re not the only benders here. Tarrlok and Amon are both Northern Water Tribe. Be careful of Amon his bloodbending is bound at the moment by some kind of magic, but he can take away someone’s bending with it. He’s done it to me before. [And Toph’s daughter, but Korra promised not to mention any of that.] I know how important bending is to you. [Because it’s pretty darn important to Korra too.]

Tarrlok is at odds with his brother and has helped me stop a revolutionary war Amon was starting. But he’s got some dirt on his hands too. [She gives a hollow laugh.] Not the good kind of dirt either.

[Korra. You're not going to be one of those prissy Avatars, are you? :| Toph might not be able to see it in your face, but she can so hear it in your voice.]

You couldn't charge for the stuff you didn't mess up?

[And a thoughtful nod.]

Someone called Tarrlok said something earlier too. Asked if I'd talked to you. . . . What's so bad about him?

And . . . you can't take away bending.

Yeah, but the kedan aren't exactly eager to get help from foreigners. [Kind of like how they were blaming Korra for the whole turtle wide disaster as she was saving them.] They'll probably just wait for it to get fixed for free.

[News of Tarrlok's mention of Korra to Toph was interesting. If anything she assumed Tarrlok was just going to hole himself away until someone dragged him out of his suite.] Well, like I said Tarrlok gave us an edge over Amon that got us to stop his equalist anti-bending campaign. We never would have known Amon was a waterbender if he hadn't, so we exposed Amon and saved Republic City from the war between the Equalists and the United Forces.

[A sigh at this point because Korra's still a little conflicted about this part.]

Before that though, Tarrlok was on the council and was placing innocent non-benders under arrest claiming them as equalists. No one could legally do anything about it, but someone had to do something. So I confronted him and found out the hard way that he was a bloodbender, one that could bend without a full moon. He imprisoned me so I couldn't tell anyone and keep his seat on the council. I escaped and he got captured by Amon. [Oh the irony.] Tarrlok's bending was taken away by Amon's bloodbending and that's when he knew that Amon was his brother.

[A pause.] Since Amon has always worn a mask.

[The more times she recounted whole ordeal, the more Korra just felt sorry for everyone involved. Excluding Amon.] So yeeeah, it's really weird. Not exactly what I was expecting to happen when I first came to Republic City to learn airbending from Tenzin.

[Putting her cheek in her hand Korra looked at the unfocused eyes of Toph.] Bloodbending has a come long way since it was discovered. Unlike Tarrlok, Amon doesn't even need to move to blood bend.

[Mmkay, so this is a lot to absorb. Toph takes it in, frowning slightly. Corrupting Korra can wait a minute.]

. . . You're sure you're not just out to try to break my brain?

[Because dude, having a whole series' worth of info thrown at your head is no small matter.]

I'm still having trouble with the whole bloodbending-taking-bending thing. I mean, it's impossible. [But still that small frown.] Right?

[Obviously it is possible, or Korra wouldn't be telling the story, but that doesn't mean it's something that's easy for Toph to accept. Bending has always been part of her core, something that's absolutely base to her personality and thoughts. No one she's ever heard of has ever had their bending taken away. She'd like to believe it couldn't be that easy.]

[More frowning.] And who'd he learn bloodbending from, anyway? Katara couldn't -- wouldn't.

. . . The old woman?

[A small laugh before:] I promise.

[Patient Korra is patient, she'll totally wait to answer any questions.] Nope. It's the real deal. Psychic bloodbending doesn't do it the same way that the Avatar's energybending [A term she and Qilby came up with.] works, but the end result is similar.

[Katara teaching bloodbending was just as unthinkable to Korra as it was to Toph.] No, Katara would never do that. No, actually their father Yakone taught them the kind of psychic bloodbending without a full moon that he himself had perfected. Or at least Amon picked it up. Tarrlok still has to do the motions, but still, without the full moon...

[A beat.]

This was after Aang took away Yakone's bending and cast him out from Republic City. I witnessed that from Aang's own memory.

001 - Video

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video; OMG I CAN'T

Video; O_o

Video; Let me know if I let out too much and I can totes edit

Video; You're good! <3

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video;

Video; So bitter she's apparently breaking my html tags.