#I love my complicated beifong babies

[mintjuliee]

"It's going to be okay, Su." Lin really cut off Suyin for 30 years just to be this soft on the return. Look at that protective little side-hug :')

[roseeycreates-blog]

✨Numb✨

The Complicated Mother & Daughter Relationship of Toph and Lin Beifong.

Toph is my favorite character from ATLA, which is why I was drawn to Lin. However, by Book 4, I was disappointed in how things unfolded.

Although they eventually patched things up, I think it could have been handled better.

OH! I created this edit because I thought this audio captured their relationship perfectly. (NO HATE PLEASE)

ALSO, here are some of my headcanons about them.

Toph struggled with caring for Baby Lin (firstborn) and often asked Katara, Sokka, and Aang for help.

As a result, Baby Lin was calmer with Katara, Sokka, and Aang than with Toph.

When Toph held Baby Lin, she often had breath-holding spells, making Toph anxious when she's with her.

Lin has Toph's eye color, showing what Toph’s eyes would look like if she wasn’t blind.

Lin and Toph have clashing personalities because they are very similar. She denies being like her mother, but her mannerisms say otherwise.

Both share a love for metalbending and bond over discussing techniques.

Toph sometimes regrets being too strict with Lin.

Toph shows love in subtle ways, like fixing things for Lin or leaving small gifts.

Lin rummages through Toph's things when she feels lonely and misses her.

Lin is protective of Toph, worrying about her well-being as she gets older.

[stitch1830]

Just watched the legend of korra, and was shook when I discovered that toph had children. was shook to realize that lin was only a cute 6yo when toph was pregnant with suyin. Was shook to realize that little lin had to have interacted with pregnant toph, who was probably miserable and tired but had to put on a strong face for her daughter who didn't understand what pregnancy did to your body. Knowing 6yos, they would be very curious to why their mom has a big, moving belly. When her parents visited, I think her parents would hover, especially when she complains about back pain and exhaustion. Was wondering if you had any headcanons about lin and toph's parents interacting with a pregnant toph. Sorry if this is weird, i swear it isn't a fetish. I love the headcanons previous anonymous messages have sent and am on board for the toph-wasn't-a-bad-mom-and-she-was-actually-sweet-and-loving-to-her-daughter boat.

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask, and your patience! But I do want to say that I agree with you completely Toph is a great mama and she raised two amazing girls and they're one big happy family :')

Exploring Toph's journey as a mother is one of my favorite things to explore about her character, mostly because I remember seeing fanart back in the day where she was a mom and I thought it was interesting, only because I never actually thought she'd be one. So to see that it's canon and to look into her journey as a mother (maybe a reluctant one at first, even), it's a great part of her life to go into. Lots of unspoken issues, lots of struggle along the way, and if you prefer a more canonical route where she's a single mother, a lot of found family vibes is usually the avenue I go down hehe :)

But enough rambling, I'm happy to provide some headcanons with Toph and her family with incoming baby Su!

I feel like when Toph tells Lin that she's having a baby, Lin just fires off with a bunch of questions that day, but also throughout the pregnancy. She's always asking why Toph's stomach is getting bigger, is she having a brother or sister, how did the baby get there... all that. And the only reason why Toph doesn't tell Lin where babies come from is because Katara totally 'threatened her' and she partly doesn't wanna deal with the backlash of parents when Lin eventually tattles to her class LOL. Otherwise, she probably would've ;)

If Lao and Poppy are on good terms with Toph, I feel like they visit Republic City a lot, but also Toph and Lin go to Gaoling for long weekends. They enjoy the slower pace of Gaoling and Lin especially loves running through all the rooms. Plus, Grandma and Grandpa have cooks! Toph is amazing, but she wasn't born to be a chef lmao.

Lin loves feeling the baby move once she starts moving. And often, she'll just come up to Toph and put her little hands on her mama's belly to feel the baby. Lao and Poppy definitely melt when they see this haha!

I also think that it would be very common for the Gaang or Toph's parents to see Lin and Toph all cuddled up and napping together. Toph's got an arm around Lin, and Lin's lightly snoring as she hugs her mama's belly.

Poppy always tries to make Toph slow down and relax, and while she's not out there slinging boulders or catching bad guys, she still keeps up a pretty fast-paced day. It leaves her very tired at the end of the day (I also HC that her pregnancy with Su was a little complicated), but she always manages to play with Lin just a little bit before dinner. So, if Toph is ever doing something and she should be resting, Poppy does a bit of nagging to make Toph sit down lmao.

Maybe Suyin was born in Gaoling! Katara had to travel quickly to get to the Beifong home, but all was well because Su took forever to be born. And while they waited for the newest addition of the family to arrive, Lao, Poppy, and Lin spent the day outside in the gardens or out shopping and/or getting snacks. Lin was very spoiled that day, indeed.

Okay! I think that's all I have for Mama Toph headcanons for today. Thank you again for the ask, Anon! I'm more than happy to chat some more about the beloved Beifongs whenever you have questions or requests. They deserve all the love in the world after canon did them dirty LMAO. Feel free to send asks whenever, but until then, I hope you have a great day!

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

[melzula]

Honestly the thought of being the daughter of lin beifong is hilarious but at the same time not? Idk LOL would it be okay to request some brief hcs on being her daughter?? I just love the concept of being a beifong LOL if not, that's ok!! I understand you have many requests and that you're busy, so it's nothing to worry about!! Thank you so much for all the work you put out because it always makes me smile 💖🤩

a/n: I’m going to use the water bender reader from my Mako piece for these hc’s if you don’t mind!

For starters, Lin didn’t exactly plan on having you. You were a uh, pleasant surprise

She never really wanted a family or any of the responsibilities that came with motherhood, but a short lived fling that had only been meant to help her move on from Tenzin led to an unexpected pregnancy and well, now Lin Beifong was a mom

She wasn’t very good at it in all honesty, what with the diaper changing and the sleepless nights and the crying, but she did her best and for the most part you came out okay except for the fact that you had the same anger and raging mommy issues as your mother

Lin had hoped you’d be an earth bender, but instead you were born a water bender like your father (they ended on not so great terms so no she won’t tell you who he is until you’re older and can make decisions for yourself on whether or not you want to meet him). She still teaches you how to fight hand to hand and though you bend water your movements are similar to that of earth bending, making your style very unique

You butt heads often due to how headstrong and stubborn you can be which leads to an arguement almost every other day

Doesn’t matter who you’re dating, in her eyes no one is ever going to be good enough for y/n Beifong. Mako almost got thrown in jail when it was revealed that you two were together

You don’t really want to follow in your mother’s footsteps and become chief of police, but you do often go out of your way to prove yourself to her which just leads to upsetting her instead

Despite what many assume, Lin isn’t completely cold and unfeeling. There are rare moments where she’ll smile at you or carefully dust the dirt off your clothing or help patch you up after a fight. You may not always get along but she does care and will protect you with her life

Lin Beifong is a Mama Bear and you are her feisty little cub, and together you’re a terrifying mother daughter duo

Grandma Toph’s favorite little baby which kind of irks Lin sometimes since you’re basically the same person ?? but whatever you get the Toph stamp of approval

Overall, your relationship is complicated and really something only the two of you understand, but you’ll always have each other’s best interests at heart

[queenmagnusao3]

Regrets - Chapter Seven

AO3 Link - I’m feeling a bit better about this fic so I’m posting an update on here. I’d say this one is almost halfway done now

“Chief! Chief I found something!”

Lin turned from the board of papers and photographs she had set up across one of the walls of her office to see Detective Chen come running into the room, nearly sliding across the floor as he came to a stop. It had been two days and Lin hadn’t slept at all as she flung herself into researching everything she could about the case. Chen held a small black book in his hand.

“What did you find?”

Chen was catching his breath as he handed it over to her.

“It’s a diary. From Jia, the woman who…”

Kidnapped my daughter.

Lin finished the sentence in her head as she flipped through the pages. It appeared to be a diary of sorts. There was an entry that had evidently been bookmarked, most likely by her detective.

“I worked at the hospital part time and was approached by a man to kidnap a baby after it was born. At first I said no but he offered me more money than I make at the hospital in five years. I knew how horrible it was but figured I could just treat it like a job and tried not to think about it too much after I said yes.

The day came and there were complications. I had the opportunity to say the infant didn’t survive. I thought this would make things easier for my boss. But then I couldn’t follow through. I couldn’t hand this perfect little girl over to him. I don’t even know what organization he was from.

I didn’t know who the baby belonged to before I agreed to the job. And I’m ashamed to admit that even after I found out I couldn’t bring myself to come forward. She was my daughter now.

The Avatar’s son moved on and had kids of his own and I saw how busy the Police Chief was with her job. She didn’t have time for a child anyway.”

Lin stopped reading, flinging the book across the room before she damaged the evidence. There was a pressure building inside her and thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. This was undeniable proof that this missing girl was… that her daughter wasn’t…

She slammed a fist down on her desk, the whole thing buckling in on itself as the metal crunched and twisted. Chen didn’t say anything as he stood quietly, waiting for his Chief to gather herself. It took a couple minutes of slow, steady breathing before Lin found herself able to speak.

“Are there any leads on the girl’s location or who may have taken her?”

“No, Chief. I’m sorry. We haven’t found anything.”

Lin walked around her mangled desk and slumped into her chair.

“Thank you, detective. Let me know if you get any leads.”

“Yes, chief!”

He left and Lin carefully picked up her phone from the ground. It only took two rings for Kya to pick up which meant she must have been waiting near it.

“Lin?”

She felt a lump in throat, trying to steady her voice but it still cracked when she spoke.

“Kya, it’s her. It’s really her.”

Lin let out a gasp, quickly pulling her face from the phone and covering her mouth to stop the sob that threatened to open a dam of emotions she was struggling to contain. Kya didn’t speak for a moment and when she did her voice was soft and kind.

“We’ll find her, Lin. I promise. Will you please come home? Just for tonight?”

Never promise the victim’s family that you’ll bring their loved one home safe because that’s not a promise you can always keep. The bitter thought was automatic. The very basics of dealing with missing persons cases. Lin never imagined she’d be on this side of things and yet here she was.

“I’ll be home in a bit.”

“I love you, Lin.”

“Love you, too.”

They hung up and Lin walked to her case board, carefully unpinning a photo of the dark haired girl and studying every inch of her.

Rei.

Her daughter.

 ____________________

The next day Lin was back at the station before the sun had even come up. She had spent the morning in a terrible mood, yelling at anyone that crossed her path and unfairly belittling her own officers for not having more information for her.

She retreated to her office and started reading more passages from the diary they had recovered from the girl’s apartment. There were dozens of passages, mostly the random thoughts of the woman who wrote them. But there were also many excerpts about her daughter.

“Rei said her first word today. I was hoping it would be mama because she’s been so close but instead she’s been repeating the phrase “uh oh” over and over again. I’m not sure when she picked it up but it melts my heart every time I hear it.”

“She’s an earthbender!! I was sweeping the back steps today when I tripped and cursed at the stairs. Rei was sitting nearby and waddled over. She yelled at the stone stairs for hurting her mommy and then proceeded to make a dramatic and sloppy movement with her arms that caused the entire top stair to break away and go flying across the yard. I’m so proud! I’m going to have find someone to teach her pretty soon, though, otherwise she’s going to start doing some real damage.”

“We saw Chief Beifong today and I’ve never been so scared in my life. Rei and I were walking down the street when a bunch of police cars came flying up the street. The car they were chasing lost control and I quickly grabbed Rei and braced us for impact as it came right for us. I felt something wrap around us before we were yanked away. The Chief came up and asked if we were okay before running to the car that had nearly killed us, dragging a couple of bank thieves from within. I didn’t stick around. I just picked up Rei and ran home.”

Lin was frozen as she reread the passage again and again. She remembered that day. She remembered pulling the woman and child out of the path of that car. Once she knew they were safe she hadn’t even paid them another moment’s notice. The date indicated that Rei had been 4 years old at that time. Shouldn’t she have recognized her? Why didn’t she recognize her?

There was a soft knock on her door and Tenzin came in, robes billowing behind him.

“I saw her.”

“What?”

He had stopped dead in his tracks, looking to her in confusion. She got up from her desk and handed him the book opened to the passage she had just read. He scanned the page, slowly stepping back and sitting on the couch she kept in her office. Neither of them spoke as Tenzin sat quietly and Lin started pacing, lost again in thought and a renewed sense of guilt.

She could feel Tenzin looking at her, watching cautiously as she continued to pace back and forth. She always paced when she was upset. He used to joke that if she were a firebender there would scorch marks on all their floors from where she paced.

Lin stopped, leaning against the edge of her desk with her back to Tenzin. They were missing so much of the puzzle. Why had they wanted their daughter all those years ago and why did they decide to take her now?

“Lin… you need to read this one.”

She turned to him and saw that his face had paled. He got up and handed the book back to her.

“I’m so scared right now. It’s been all over that these powerful prisoners have escaped and are trying to hurt Avatar Korra. I didn’t get many details but one of them is called Zaheer. The man who hired me to kidnap Rei once talked about someone named Zaheer. They all still think Rei died the day she was born but I’m still worried. Rei is a teenager and just wants to hang out with friends but I’m so scared something is going to happen.”

Lin’s eyes snapped to Tenzin’s her mouth slightly open.

The Red Lotus.

Before either of them could speak there was a sharp knock on the door. Lin turned to see one of her rookie officers standing there, looking completely terrified as she held up a white envelope.

“S-sorry to interrupt, Chief. You just said to let you know if you got any mail.”

Lin beckoned the nervous officer in and took the letter from her. There were no markings on the envelope except for the words “Chief Lin Beifong” written in a swirling script. She didn’t even bother dismissing her officer before ripping it open.

She scanned over the words a few times before crumpling the paper in her hands, letting out a frustrated growl. She thrust the paper at Tenzin before he could open his mouth. He read the note, backing up slowly, rubbing a hand over his head.

“Bring us the Avatar if you ever want the chance to meet your daughter”

Lin was angry now as she resumed her pacing. Apparently there were still remnants of the Red Lotus that were still loyal to Zaheer and his ideologies. Somehow they now knew that she knew the truth about who Rei was. And they were going to use her daughter to try and get to Korra.

“Do you know where Korra is right now, Tenzin?”

“She went with Asami on a business trip to the Fire Nation.”

It took a few minutes for Lin and Tenzin to figure out where the couple were staying and Lin immediately picked up her phone as soon she tracked down the correct contact number.

“I’ve got food!”

Kya entered the office holding up a couple bags of food. She had been making it her personal mission to do whatever she could to take care of Lin and not add to the increasing amount of stress weighing down the woman she loved. Tenzin shushed her loudly, gesturing to Lin and the fact that she was using the phone.

Kya set the food down perched herself on the arm of the couch.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Korra, but I need you to come back to Republic City. I know… I know. I’m sorry. Korra just… please…”

Kya reached out for her brother’s hand and squeezed it tightly as her heart broke a little at the desperation in Lin’s voice. Korra must have heard it too.

“Thank you, Korra. Please be safe. Come right to the city. I promise I’ll explain everything.”

Lin hung up the phone and collapsed back into her chair again. She didn’t look to them, staring blankly as her thoughts raced.

“Korra and Asami are their way back. They’re going to meet us on Air Temple Island.”

[theotherace]

Current AU, 5

Chief Sokka (Around the time Asha’s born (117 AG). I have a lot of unformed, tangled thoughts about SWT politics I won’t get into here, mostly because, well, they’re unformed and tangled. But yeah, Sokka becomes chief, and Kyoshi Island is now only visited on vacations.)

Baby Mako(to) (I stole another name. Actually, two others, if I picked up correctly. Mako’s the weird-eyebrow-guy in LOK, right? I know he’s named after Uncle Iroh original VA. Anyway, here, he’s Azula’s older son. Born in 118 AG, he’s a firebender, and takes after his great uncle in looks quite a bit, much to Azula’s chargrin. They’re civil, Iroh and her, but never really close. Also, I never really mentioned this, eventhough I mentioned Zuko setting out to find Ursa – of course, he finds her. Things are complicated, after that.)

Baby Kya (Born 118 AG as well, to Zuko and Katara. They’re married at that point, of course. She’s a firebender, I think. A late bloomer, though, and not very intuitive. Hard worker, but yeah, not very powerful. So, in the end, Fire Lord Zuko has a non-bender, a weak firebender and a waterbender (to get her own point shortly) for heirs, and people are not happy about that. So, that’ll probably be a thing.)

Gan joins the Army (Remember Gan? Probably not. I love my OCs. Anyway, he’s Toph’s little brother, and their mother is quite unhappy about him doing what he decides to do, because he was supposed to learn ... the things necessary to take over bussiness. What do the Beifongs do, anyway? Old money? How did they become rich? Still deciding. Could look at comics and wikis, but won’t.)

Baby Pema (That’s the other name I took, though not technically. She’ll actually even marry Tenzin, which is ironic, because I had completely forgotten about this chracter in LOK. Which I’ve never watched, anyway. She’s Ty Lee and Haru’s one and only child, a non-bender, taking after her mother.) 

Baby Ursa (This is just a bunch of kids again. Both her and Pema are born in 120 AG. She’s a waterbender, because I tend to switch names and bending. Some time between these guys’ birth and Mako and Kya’s, Pakku and Kanna die. Also, something with Wan Shi Tong’s Library, maybe, possibly. Anyway, she’s Zuko and Katara’s youngest. Also, apparently “anyway” is the new word I’ve latched onto. The last was “rambling”.)

Baby Kisu (Youngest of Azula and Ichirou. Non-bender. Born 121 AG. I haven’t thought much about him, yet, other than deciding that he’s a bit of a history nerd and Little Iroh’s favourite cousin, honorary or otherwise. Maybe because they’re both non-benders in the Royal Family.)

Iroh dies (Uncle Iroh, of course. This’ll be ... at least twenty years after the war is over, so he doesn’t die young, but also not old-old. Kyoshi was like 200, after all, and Bumi’s at least 110 when we meet him, soo ... Yeah, maybe he does die “young”. By Avatar World Standards.)

Baby Kavi (Who’s the last NextGen kid, I promise. Toph and Aang’s youngest son, an airbender and a talented one, a lot like his dad. He’s born in 124 AG, and they settle somewhere more permanently a few years after his birth; they’re kinda nomadic up to that point, because I figured it would make Aang’s job as the Avatar a bit easier and because ... well, Air Nomads. Toph and Aang also are very freedom loving people, so why wouldn’t they continue travelling, even with the kids.) 

This is basically just babies, but yeah, “Babies Ever After” and all that.

(the one with parantheses)

[howtotrainyouragents]

For the headcanons ask: Alya Cesaire, Mako from LoK, Mack from AoS, and then any character that you really want to answer for but haven't been asked, if you please! :)

Yayy, thanks for asking!! Here’s the original ask game if anyone’s curious. Haha, this got SOO long, but I had a lot of time to kill soo:

Alya Cesaire, my sweet child who might be the only one in the bunch with a brain cell: 

Headcanon A:  realistic:

Absolutely does the dumbest things for the scoop. Nora has every right to be worried because her lil sis is a dumbass,

Her website is so freaking legit (She gets interviewed by legit news sites, like come on!) She has bios, dates, damages, and ongoing information about akuma attacks. She’s building up profiles on Ladybug, Chat Noir, Hawkmoth, and the other superheroes. People are shocked to learn there’s not a whole team behind it but just one very dedicated teenager. She’s going for the Pulitzer Prize.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

So she’s a comic book fan right. She’s as nerdy as they come. She cosplays  (thank goodness for a genius designer friend) and goes to all the cons (thank goodness for a rich friend). She buys all the limited editions. She does fundraisers for kids. And anyone who is a jerk or gives her a hard time for being a girl/kid is gonna get  punched in the face (Thank goodness for a boyfriends who restrain her and then, upon failing, covers for her ass so that she doesn’t get kicked out or grounded).

She loves movies, she loves running outside and exercising, she loves pastries, she loves doing her nails and posting fun videos!

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

She misses Martinique so much. She loves Paris and her friends there but it’s just not the same. The warm weather, the friendliness, the dialect,  her extended family. They moved because of Nora and her dad and mom’s jobs, but ugh whenever she Skypes back home, it hurts so much.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

She and Trixx have a complicated relationship because she’s all about the truth and Trixx is all about the illusions. It takes her a while to get it right and a while to see how clever Trixx is with their words and manipulation. She wanted to ask Ladybug for another miraculous, but learned that she was able to see things in shades of gray rather than black and white because of Trixx and that makes her a smarter journalist

Mako (MAKO, MY BABY!!!) 

Headcanon A:  realistic: 

He’s a little nerd. He always wanted an education and could never get it growing up. So he’s patient, he reads, he studies, he’s a fast learner. Lin Beifong is very proud of him; Tenzin wishes he could switch him and Korra out sometimes.

He’s always going to be the dad friend, always looking out for everyone’s wellbeing  (no matter how bad he is at it), always providing and taking care of the others. He carries photos of his friends(+ferret) in his wallet and shows them to everyone whether they asked or not. He’s uptight and falls alseep in movies and makes bad jokes. He’s an Ultimate Dad

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Now that’s he’s a cop, he loves to treat his friends. Getting them into the secure events, joyriding, treating them to dinner.

He and Asami love to race each other. He’s usually super uptight and worried, but when he’s relaxed, he and Asami have so much fun testing out new Satomobiles. Bolin always referees. Korra used to race too but she’s been banned because she uses her Avatar powers to win. So she just gets to joyride when the others are taking a break.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

It took him a long time to get used to his firebending. He had started training with his mother but after their murders he became too terrified to firebend. It was only when he learned that he could be a probender that he began to learn his powers for real

Learning lightning was the hardest and scariest thing he’s ever had to do. He had to have so much peace and patience, and he just wasn’t there yet. Their probender mentor taught him the skills but he was still so full of rage and grief. It was only on one afternoon hanging out with Bolin and Pabu that he realized there was still  hope and happiness to look forward to. His parents wouldn’t want him to be stuck like this. Fire was ambition. And his ambition was fueled by his love for his brother. He would do anything for Bolin. He took Bolin outside and for the first time he bent lightning. Bolin and Pabu smothered him in hugs and they got his favorite noodles that night.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Make FireFerrets still a thing. I can’t believe we only got one season of the awesomeness that is probending (and all the complicated implications). I wanted Fire Ferrets to last at least for a few more tournaments and have them winning and them being able to use the money to set the brothers up comfortably and for Korra to be able to live a little more independently.

Mack (who literally deserves the world and I will fight you on this) 

Headcanon A:  realistic:

Learned his love of mechanics from his father. He continues to work as a mechanic on the side even as director, as relaxation and to remind him of his family

He also is the only one who is actively learning the traditional SHIELD training protocol for becoming a spy, i.e. learning languages and such. He’s slow at the languages (#Turtleman) but he’s much farther along than anyone else.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Hosts massive video game tournaments online and is a legend in the gaming community. Also, and absolutely is a gentlemen online. Harassment? Pedophilia? Foul or sexual talk? Mack is coming after you and he will destroy you. Only good people allowed. Newcomers and minority groups worship him for this because he makes everyone feel safe and included 

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

He wishes he really did quit SHIELD and went back to just being a mechanic. Everyone likes to tease him about wanting to quit, but he is genuinely so heartbroken over seeing so many friends die or disappear. He has nightmares about the day SHIELD fell. He stayed because he was capable of doing something to help and it was the right thing to do. But selfishly, he wants peace in his life. He wants happiness and normalcy. He doesn’t want nightmares of losing his friends, his love, his daughter

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

He meets up with Bobbi and Hunter all the time. Facetimes them. Plays betting pools with them. Gets drunk. They’re friends for life and F anyone who gets in the way. Honestly he gets a hoot out of their shenanigans and they need him to keep them sane. Also they love Yoyo; half the time they call Mack its because they want to talk to her.

Simmons! Wow, apparently I had a lot headcanons for her. What a good murder child :)

Headcanon A:  realistic:

She doesn’t have a freaking MD, so she’s taken accelerated courses in her spare time in order to be able to pull off surgeries and cleanings and whatnot

She’s the leading expert in Inhuman biology. She’s constantly being consulted but also will sometimes make up crap to get the government  off of SHIELD’s back

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

After Daisy, she’s easily the most dangerous of the group. Not because she can fight (because she’s only moderate at fighting), but because she has no mercy. She will leave you for dead on the operating table. She will fire your ass. She will throw a bomb at you and syringe you full of poison. She might even shoot you, and she will sacrifice herself when necessary. Simmons believes she knows what’s right and wrong and she’s learned to take matters into her own hands, everything else be damned.  

She and Fitz finally get their cozy apartment with the breakfast nook. Everyone visits for brunch on the weekends (Daisy visits for breakfast everyday) and Fitz cooks while she studies because she’s a morning person and it’s a get-up-at-6-workout-study-breakfast routine. She has a study just for herself that’s just full of biochemistry and Inhuman biology stuff. It’s a cutesy English-Scottish apartment (she and Fitz had many rows about how to decorate, more Scottish or more English, and they finally decided on half and half). 

She plans all the movie nights and bakes cookies and family dinner. She has weekly late night talks with Daisy, sitting under the covers of Daisy’s bed. She has frequent date nights with Fitz which ends with lovingly bickering while one’s brushing teeth and the other’s showering for bed. She loves to ramble on about her science to anyone who will listen and Mack loves to listen the most because he just doesn’t like to talk much and it turns out they love the same punk rock music so they just hang out and she gets to talk. 

Coulson and May have definitely become her adoptive parents because her family doesn’t know half of the stuff that has happened to her (she could tell them but she doesn’t want them to worry about her.) Coulson gives great hugs and tells her take a break. May gives her a drink and lets her vent. And when Elena and Deke join, she’s does the same for them and passes on the love she received. 

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Even before she joined Coulson’s team, her family was disappointed in her. Ever since the Academy, they had no idea what she does or what she’s done since. She loves her parents and siblings but she feels so damn distant. She’s like a ghost who only comes for Christmas. Just one of her brothers knows what’s really going on with her and when he first found out, he didn’t speak to her for months.

She’s just been through so much that she’s terrifed of being alone. Going undercover, being stranded on an alien planet, being a servant, losing Fitz (she really needs therapy omg), that she’s just scared to be a alone. She’s English, so she doesn’t usually do visible signs of affection. But after everything she’s been through, she stands a little closer to people, she holds onto whosever arm is nearest, she plays with hair and cuddles and reaches for anyone’s hand just to know her SHIELD family, her true family, is still around. And when they’re not: She still carries around a shiv.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

How about she gets therapy? How about she calls out Fitz for some of his crap because they both know that its healthy to be honest with each other? How about she gets her own storylines where she continues to do science and learn inhuman biology and help others because that’s who she is and that doesn’t make her weak or uninteresting *microphone drop* 

[lokgifsandmusings]

Definitive Ranking of Book 4 Episodes, #3/13

3. 4x10 Operation Beifong

Toph’s mothering skills wow everyone. Zhu Li is the world’s worst saboteur. All the tropes get busted. The spirits give no shits about anything.

Okay. If you’ve been following these definitive rankings, you know that I have one main issue with Book 4: while Kuvira worked very well as a foil for Korra, and a way to externalize Korra’s *internal* struggle, Kuvira in her own right is a little less successful, since everything is framed as being about the Beifongs for her, and that thread gets effectively drop-kicked.

For that reason, I objectively know that “Operation Beifong” is an issue with the whole of Book 4 considered. It’s essentially the culmination of the Kuvira/Suyin tension (which I’d argue is far more important and central than her relationship to Baatar), and the rationale for why she didn’t get her ass kicked by Toph at the end of the episode was more or less, “the script said not to.” I mean “leave it to the kids.” 

See, it had to be reserved in its climax because Kuvira’s downfall had to be saved for Korra. Which is fine; protagonists should be considered first and foremost when writing antagonists. But it also meant that the high-high-high emotional and personal stakes of this episode for the characters were always set to fizzle. In fact, the only tension that paid-off here was Lin working through her fractured relationship with her mother, and even that just ended on the note of Toph saying “maybe if you don’t hate me it’s fine.” Sadly for our unsung hero, that’s the happiest resolution she’s ever going to get.

Oh wait, Bopal forgave each other too. And you can make the argument that this was the climax of Bolin’s maturation arc: we saw him rise to the occasion in 4x07 and take charge in a way he hadn’t before, but his decision to save Zhu Li at great self-risk fully demonstrated his moral fiber. I personally think that he already exhibited these traits, he’s just a bit easily led (giving people apples = helping them...just don’t look to the right or left or ask the deeper questions), but fine.

I guess my real frustration is for Suyin and Kuvira’s characters here, who you could easily view as the primary “actors” of this episode’s A-plot, especially given the number of scenes throughout the season we were given to set up this tension. Suyin gets practically no resolution of any sort from this episode, or frankly this season. She escapes imprisonment, sure, but what it boils down to is that she fights Kuvira and quasi-loses, then flees, only for her moments in the finale to be focused on forgiving Baatar and destroying the spirit gun. Sure, she played her part in taking down Mega Maid and was the one who led Kuvira off with that super-memorable-and-not-at-all-just-a-never-replaced-placeholder line, but I fundamentally don’t understand why so much emphasis was placed on her and her point-of-view in this conflict. And it’s one thing if it’s Suyin telling Korra a backstory to set-up the final conversation, sure. It’s just....consider how many scenes we have to explain away that have *nothing* to do with Korra’s arc, including the entirety of this episode.

I guess it kind of reminds me of the Winterhell plotline in GoT Season 5, where it’s an uphill battle to argue that Sansa was the protagonist because Ramsay had 5 or 6 scenes dedicated to his fraught relationship to his dad. In this case, it’s not that Korra ever stopped feeling like the protagonist. It’s just that if we’re going to have so many non-Korra (and frankly non-Krew) characters cannibalizing our screen-time, can we at least give them a complete story?

I know I’ve talked about how it’s a problem before given Kuvira’s arc, but yeah, it’s a problem for Suyin too. It’s honestly a problem for the entire Beifong clan, since other than Suyin and Baatar’s weird “we’ll get through it” scene, the strife that had consumed their family wasn’t really given any kind of space tp land. They’ll get through it. Nifty.

In my brain, I know that this is a shortcoming of Book 4. It’s one of the primary reasons I feel this season needed a draft #2 (I suspect Bryke would have preferred a longer time-line and a heads up about resources as well). And yet... I love this episode. I LOVE this episode.

No you don’t understand: every minute, every aspect of this episode, I love.

Well, I feel rather tepid about the B-plot actually, so let’s knock that off first. It’s just the planning for an inevitable Kuvira invasion in Republic City. Varrick introduces Asami’s hummingbird suit and I have to assume does all the talking because of the voice actors involved (you *use* John Michael Higgins when you have him, and I’m wondering if Gabriel was limited to a set number of episodes). I liked the instantly photoshoppable blueprints that were held up, but remember thinking how ridiculous this biomimicry was given how completely energy inefficient hummingbirds are. I try to at least make sense of it as a suitable countermeasure to Kuvira’s spirit cannon in my newest fic, though.

(x)

Wu suggests evacuating the entire city in case Kuvira attacks. I guess in fairness they didn’t know the two-week timeline of the planned invasion, so it’d seem feasible to be able to craft that strategy, but you’d think fortifying the borders (with the help of Izumi’s troops, like she promised) would have taken priority. Personally I’d be doing everything I could to keep the fight out of my country’s population center. But it was a simplistic idea to show that Wu was actually concerning himself with the safety of others, and that Mako is an easy-to-impress boyfriend.

Finally, Korra decides she’s going to enlist the help of the spirits to defend the city, and they tell her to fuck right off because even though Kuvira is using vines to her own ends, helping the other side would be just as bad, or something. In other words, the spirits continue to be butts, and the entire thing went a little like this:

At the time this aired, I actually thought this was going to set-up a moment like the trees arriving at Helm’s Deep, but no. The spirits really didn’t want to be involved. Sucks to be human.

Like, all of this was fine. I can nitpick military decisions and engineering details, but it was fine.

It just was heavily overshadowed by the most wonderful, complicated familial dynamics.

The shining star was Lin and Toph, as it should have been. For Lin to be in a place where she’s risking her job (again) to save Suyin and is going to these extreme lengths given where they had started a few years before is nothing but touching, especially given how Suyin is more or less living the idyllic life (her rich-ass mom bought her a city to run, she’s got a loving husband and a bunch of kids, etc.) and Lin is still, ya know...

But her relationship with Toph...just murder me.

Every dang conversation they have with each other is more painful than the last. It’s made so clear how much Lin truly loves and respects Toph, and is just desperate for her approval in some ways, but there’s been so much hurt in how Toph brushed off her feelings over the years and is unwilling to actually state her own (you know you’re an INTP when...), that Lin can’t help but be closed off and sardonic. Then you’ve got Bolin picking at the baby daddy wound, Toph just randomly volunteering the information, and...

Toph: Lin, I can feel your enraged breathing from here. Just say what you have to say and let's get it over with.

Lin: Just get it over with? Yeah, let's not linger on the fact that I grew up without a dad. No need to get all touchy-feely about it. Just one of those things, right?

I have to imagine this was Toph’s general approach to parenting, and gods, Mindy Sterling SELLS the hell out of how deeply Lin feels things but how unable she truly is to express herself. As a brief side-note, I do have to imagine that Lin the detective *did* figure out who her dad was, since she doesn’t react to that information itself, but more to why the fuck Toph is willing to talk to Bolin of all people when it was kept from her previously.

Toph: Hey, I forgave you for all your garbage a long time ago and Su and I worked things out. You're the only one who wants to hold on to this family drama nonsense for the rest of your life.

Lin: Forgave me for what?! And not knowing my dad is nonsense to you? It was pretty important to me. And until now, you would never even discuss it.

Seriously, forgive her for what? Toph, again, just wants to avoid and evade the whole “feelings” piece of this. But keeping in mind that it’s been like TWO DECADES since they’ve talked, for Lin to be able to spit this all out and call her mom out on her dismissiveness is huge. HUGE.

Lin: You know, after Su and I patched things up, I thought, "maybe I should try to reach out to mom." But now that we're together again, I remember why we stopped talking. You make me furious and you don't even know why. And when I tell you, you don't care. Once we save Su, you and I are finished.

Toph: If that's your decision and it makes you happy, then fine.

Treat yourself and listen to the voice acting, because the way Philece Sampler does this little inhale and the break in her voice when she says Toph’s line is tragic, simply tragic.

Toph. Just tell your daughter you fucking love her and you care. You obviously care; you’ve been creeping on her in the swamp for years. And Lin just putting it all these raw emotions out there.

I know I’m gushing, but this is so fractured and so beautiful and if they could just flippin’ COMMUNICATE we can *see* how they care about each other underneath. It’s not a witchy-Repunzelesque mother situation or anything about escaping toxicity, but more a mother and daughter with a Shakespearean flaw that prevents them from having a happy relationship, at great personal cost.

And yeah, somehow Lin finds it in herself to apologize for snapping, and Toph just ends on the whole “if you don’t fully hate me, I’ll take it” note. In one episode we watched 20 years of hurt acted out, and it never felt forced or even a little dumbed down for the Y7 audience as like, Asami saying that she “should” try to forgive the dude that wanted to murder her sort of did (frankly that Hiroshi dialogue was all a little wonky if I really want to nitpick).

The second most important relationship in this episode was, of course, Suyin vs. Kuvira. What’s interesting is that the decision to engage with Kuvira instead of sneak away wasn’t made until after Bolin and Opal decided to go after Zhu Li, so it was a little passive on Suyin’s part, but once that fight started, nothing else mattered. Not a single word was uttered and yet you could *feel* how charged and fraught it was. Which yeah, maybe it’s reading a little too much into subtext, but there is something THERE, damnit.

However, the way Suyin’s entire family operated was just delightful. I love that Huan and Baatar Sr. were never expected to fight, and never shamed for it, and Suyin’s shrug to Lin when Baatar Sr. clung to the side of their cage in terror was just perfect. Yeah, they don’t conform to traditional gender roles, and it goes with no more comment than that shrug. Then Wing's “We can’t let Opal be the coolest!” was hilarious, and just felt...real. The Beifongs feel real, and I think that’s one of the things I appreciate the most about them. Dysfunctional, led by a hypocrite, fractured at the moment, but real. Though full disclosure: I’ve been known to call them “aspirational” in the past, if that’s any indication on why such dynamics appeal to me.

It’s worth noting that Baatar Jr. cleared the lowest possible bar possible in not wanting to murder his sister with his cannon. But fuck Zhu Li; she doesn’t even get a re-education camp. I don’t get Baatar Jr. apology (and I *especially* don’t get Kuvira apology), though given where he ends up (regretting his actions) we could have stood to see just a bit more of his reaction to the ensuing fight between his ENTIRE FAMILY INCLUDING HIS GRANDMA and his fiancé.

I should say the Zhu Li saboteur thread didn’t work super well, mostly because you’d think such a cold, heartless war machine could have thought up a better way to actually make the thing malfunction. Or just not have kept the missing pin on her body. Maybe she want to the Galen Erso School of Engineering Sabotage. But the reveal that she was purposely messing things up (and Bolin’s happy face) was lovely. Her devotion to Varrick is certainly not free of problems, but knowing she wasn’t on-board with fascism and actually jumped at the opportunity to undermine the campaign in a big way? I’ll take it, happily.

I’ll also ignore the possible implication that she only did it to save Varrick from more of Kuvira’s wrath, knowing how he’d operate on his own. Anti-fascist Zhu Li is the only Zhu Li. That’s the 2017 hero we need.

That finally leaves us with the Bopal plotline. I cannot believe the amount of hate that Opal got as this season was airing, but I have to think that on rewatches, especially in this cultural context, her point-of-view seemed a lot more reasonable, as well as her frustrations with Bolin. Yeah, her anger towards Kuvira at the very, very start of the season could be framed as a bit OTT and likely the result of loyalty to her mother (who wasn’t exactly the model of reason then), but after that... like, no! We *know* she’s seen prison camps, we *know* she’s learned about dissenters being dragged off, and when her entire family was captured (and to her own admission quite possibly being tortured or already having been murdered), her boyfriend came back and said he was responsible for it (oh Bolin and your logorrhea), but just wanted to pick up exactly where they were right away. And this was after he outright ignored her in Zaofu when she clearly lay out what was happening. Who the hell wouldn’t be pissed?

Frankly, Bolin should have been suggesting how they could save her family, so when she suggested that he should come with her to fix things, it’s...reasonable, even if high-risk. It would demonstrate that at the end of the day, he does have her back. I really have a hard time finding a fault in that.

I do think her line “he’s been in the polar bear doghouse long enough” was overly reductive. We can tell that the moment he was willing to get himself killed to save Zhu Li is the moment that Opal forgave him. Because it showed that his heart is always in the right place. He just sometimes needs a little coaching, and doesn’t do nuance well. If the people *he’s* seeing are happy, it’s difficult for him to think the campaign is doing something bad.

So really, I have zero problems with it. They were two young adults growing apart in a long-distance relationship, and the fact that this mission placed them decidedly on the same side and Bolin took initiative with it...yeah, it works. Their long-term is uh, well, let’s just hope they don’t find themselves in morally ambiguous situations too much.

Also I don’t want to sound like Opal is the font of wisdom and truth either. She can be bad-tempered, impatient, she can let her emotions guide her (though it never pushes into the hysterical woman trope), she can be biting and bitter and cutting when she wants; she’s a fully realized and fully fallible character. I just don’t happen to think she mistreated Bolin in any way during Book 4’s run.

The Bopal take-away, too, is important: women can assert their frustrations and that doesn’t mean their relationships will blow up. Too often we see narratives where women must stuff it, where their emotional needs are always always on a back-burner to the men that they’re with. It’s frustrating and I’ve had enough of it (I’m in a mood thanks to Supergirl lately), so this is dang refreshing. Bust ALL the tropes, Opal.

Frankly, bust ALL the tropes, Beifongs. That’s truly what makes this episode amazing. The central fight is between two women, one of whom is middle-aged and has children, while her husband and elder son (that isn’t Baatar Jr.) are guarded by her mother. There is a mother/daughter “reconciliation” that still ends with them both shoving their feelings down as far as they can go, though they at least achieved a less hostile relationship. There was the Bopal resolution, there was Zhu Li, not Varrick, taking on the role of the saboteur, and there wasn’t instantly a neat redemption for Jr. because he had one moment of human decency.

Yes, this episode was a little contrived in its existence, and it gave us a bit of a false resolution. But it was packed, exciting, and utterly transgressive, while also delivering a wallop of feels.

#13: 4x08 “Remembrances”

#12: 4x11 “Kuvira’s Gambit”

#11: 4x09 “Beyond the Wilds”

#10: 4x07 “Reunion”

#9: 4x06 The “Battle of Zaofu”

#8. 4x12 “Day of Colossus”

#7 4x01 “After All These Years”

#6 4x03 “The Coronation”

#5 4x04 “The Calling”

#4 4x05 “Enemy at the Gates”

Book 2 ranking/essays found here

[orpelia]

Air: “Out of the Past”

Korra---our resident lil shit---is missing, but it looks like Lin’s already got three new idiots to chaperone.

Book I, Chapter 9 is now my favorite episode! 

(Sorry, Chapter 6.)

Bloodbending

Fuck.

Bloodbending is so dark, so sinister that it’s been banned for decades. As in, it’s literally illegal to bend someone’s blood. 

But dude, that whole sequence where Yakone is basically bloodbending Aang to death?

I was squirming in my seat the whole time.

It’s the sounds that do it for me. Thankfully, there aren’t any bones cracking (I think that’d be too much for Nickelodeon), but the squelching. 

The bulging eyes, the contorted body parts--- 

[Shudders.]

Yakone (and Tarrlok [and Amon])

Turns out my predictions were pretty spot on. [Pats myself on the back.]

Yakone was in fact a bloodbender,

A reminder: he could bloodbend with his eyes. 

Just, let that sink in.

who was terrorizing Republic City’s citizens in the hopes of taking the city as his own. However, Aang was able to put a stop to him with energy bending: “I'm taking away your bending, for good.”

Low and behold, Tarrlok is Yakone’s son---though he doesn’t seem too proud of it---and he tried to resurrect his father’s plans, only he wanted to be the city’s “savior” instead. But like his father, he failed... (for now).

// Edit:

Allow me to explain the “(for now)” bit.

Halfway into Book I, I saw spoilers for Book II and I thought the Water Tribe looking man was Tarrlok. 

I was wrong. That’s not him, and Tarrlok does not come back.

... right?

---07 October 2018

I was so consumed by Yakone, Tarrlok, and their nefarious bloodbending, that I completely forgot about the real villain of the season:

But Amon makes sure we never forget him again:

On the right, Tarrlok is bloodbending; on the left, Amon’s henchmen have fallen prey, but AMON. IS. STILL. STANDING.

Remember the flashback? Aang couldn’t even resist. He had to go into the Avatar State to relinquish Yakone’s hold on him.

Tarrlok took the words right out of my mouth: “What are you?”

Asami (and Mako [and Korra])

Alright, writers. I’ll give this one to you.

The whole “Korra likes Mako, but Mako doesn’t know if he likes her back, especially since he’s with Asami, who recently found out about Korra’s feelings” situation actually worked.

But first, poor Asami:

So far, her character’s been kept in the dark about most things; first with her father, now with Mako and Korra. 

My heart goes out to her because she really doesn’t deserve this, and I wish that she’d found out about the kiss from Mako himself, as well as any other feelings he may or may not harbor for Korra.

Though, I’m not sure how much longer these two will be together... 

After all, their first on-screen kiss takes place in a prison cell, with the boyfriend’s brother peeing in the background.

Yeah, that doesn’t seem to bode well for their future.

Second, while he definitely let his girlfriend fall to the wayside, even I have to admit how palpable Mako’s concern for Korra was:

And I for one thoroughly enjoyed watching his protective (and rather aggressive) side come to the surface:

Finally, I was desperate for that Makorra reunion:

As frustrating as these two may be, I do want them to have a fair shot at a relationship. I just wish the surrounding circumstances weren’t so messy or complicated and didn’t involve hurting other people.

Still, context aside, this was a very sweet moment:

Keep giving us soft moments like this and I may wholeheartedly root for Mako and Korra. Just make sure they do right by Asami first~~

Parting Thoughts

You don’t know how many times I struggled against the urge to watch the next episode. 

That’s how you know Chapter 9 was a good one.

Favorites

Sleepy!Meelo

And sassy!Meelo: “Who is this? It’s six in the morning! This better be important!”

Naga, the trusty tracker: “[Korra praises her.] You came looking for me. Good girl.”

Lin with her new coat (I’m loving the shoulder pads!):

I also admire her dedication to her officers, and my heart broke a little at this scene:

“I'm too late.”

“That monster already took your bending, didn't he?”

The BFF

I think we’d get along fantastically. We already have so much in common!

1. He’s always the third wheel.

2. He’s as subtle as they come.

Do you see the little beads of sweat? Haha.

3. He sometimes (embarrassingly) forgets the little things.

“Your fly was down.”

Can I please request for more scenes with these two? They’d have such great banter! Bolin’s earnestness would bounce right off of Lin’s bluntness.

Mr. Grumpy

Uh, oh. What’s got Tenzin in a tizzy this time?

Well his REM cycle’s been interrupted, that’s why!

Aw, poor ‘ol, sleep-deprived Tenzin.

Quote(s) of the Episode

Toph: Follow me, Twinkle Toes.

Aang: Toph, I’m forty-years-old. You think you could stop with the nicknames?

Toph: ‘Fraid not.

Damn, I’ve missed these two.

Runner-up:

Bolin: [To Mako; trying to pee.] Cover your ears! I can’t go with you listening.

Mako: [Grumbles, but acquiesces; Covers his ears.]

This is a word-for-word exchange my sister and I have had countless times.

My heart:

[Sniffles.]

Remember when the kids were teeny tiny little babies?

Look at them now---all grown up!

40-year-old Avatar Aang Twinkle Toes

Esteemed Chief of Police, Toph Beifong

and COUNCILMAN Sokka

I’m so proud :’-)

Also, tell me why I was expecting these characters to still have their old voices? Hahaha.

When Toph says, “What are you doing here, Aang?” all I heard was:

credits

[stitch1830]

How would taang, zutara and sukka react if any of their kids were verbally/physically bullied or had heard racist stuff said to them about their cultures and heritage? Also, how would they react if any of their kids were kissed without consent?

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask! Always happy to answer questions. I'm definitely not an expert on these harder-hitting topics, so I encourage people to also add their two cents! But, let's see give it a go.

Sukka: Sokka's immediate reaction to bullying and racist comments would be to confront the person, maybe even fight them. He did not risk his life and the safety of his culture when he was a teen for people to treat his kids poorly. I think Suki would be just as furious, but she'd want more information about what happened and what was said. For either situation, I see them going to an authoritative figure (so like a principal at a school) to set them straight. If that route didn't work, they'd take things into their own hands. Again, I think if Sokka heard someone say something derogatory to him or his family, he would go for a more impulsive route and argue back. I don't think he would stoop low and insult other cultures, but otherwise wouldn't hold back punches. As for nonconsensual kissing, I think first the parents would sit their kid down and ask them how they feel, what the situation was, and then probably have the talk about how if someone does anything to you that you don't want, you can fight back. And then Sokka and Suki would hunt the bastard down lmao. (just kidding. sort of).

Zutara: If someone came up to the steambabies and tried to say or do anything that oppressed them, hurt their feelings, or insulted their culture, I think they would channel their mother's fighting spirit and just tell them off. Maybe someone said that SWT food is weird or that all FN citizens are murderers? They fight back and tell those people off. Zuko and Katara would also have a long discussion about things and try to help them understand why people say hurtful stuff, and they would give them additional suggestions on how to deal with the losers (and they would be v proud of their babies for being strong like their Mama). Their situation probably calls for more conversations, just because they're from two very different cultures that considered themselves enemies at one point. Definitely not something either side is going to forget. I think the same would go for kissing without consent... Maybe even Katara takes the girls aside one-on-one and talks about it. She would definitely emphasize the conversation with the girls, because sadly they have to think more about those things than their brother has to.

Taang: I've talked briefly about a bullying situation with Kenji, but let's open it up to all the dunebabies. I don't think the parents would tolerate hearing about any bullying instances or racist comments, but I'm not sure a ton of situations reach their ears. The kids kind of learned to fight first talk later (Toph's idea) so as little bending prodigies (which in my universe, they kind of all are...), they'd whoop the person's ass. After the fact, I bet Aang tries to have a conversation with them, but they're like "I handled it, Baba. It's okay." And Toph is just smirking in the corner. The Beifongs are taught at an early age just to not take shit from anyone, so things usually end up in fights... But I think as they grow older and things become more complicated, they learn to back up their fists with their words. For nonconsensual kissing, I think Aang would take the kids aside and talk to them about this. As a person who's given a kiss to someone who didn't want it, I think he would talk about what he did, why he thought it was okay, and explain how wrong he was. Toph and Aang taught the kids to protect themselves from hurt feelings, and the same would go for protecting their bodies and their rights, if that makes sense.

The short answer is I don't think anyone would tolerate their children being mistreated, and depending on how vastly different the cultures are, it might take a little more talking than 'fighting back.' But at the end of the day, I think almost all of my next gen kids are strong and passionate about their upbringing, and they wouldn't stand for any insults. People also don't come up to them often. Sometimes their parents receive a lot of threats, and that rubs off on them and they feel the impact, if that makes sense.

Those are my immediate thoughts! Would love to hear what you think about these questions. Thanks again for the ask, and have a nice day!

Send me questions, asks, and headcanons about Taang, Zutara, and Sukka!

[stitch1830]

Saludos, Stitcherton! I heard a rumor that you were longing for incoming Baby Beifong asks so I’m here to oblige :D

How do you think Kantoph handled their first pregnancy versus her subsequent pregnancy/ies? Was one easier than the other? Was it Lin who gave her a harder time, or was it Best Boy™️ Jian?

And really, how much do you think Kanto coddled Toph while she was pregnant? Judging by some of our fics, I think it’s safe to say that he was a bit of a chronic worrier when it came to her straining and engaging in any kind of activity that may cause her, or the baby, harm. How do you see a conversation about this unraveling between them?

Twinkles! Why thank you for this, I am always longing for incoming Baby Beifong asks :')

So I usually HC that Toph and Kanto have two kids, both were surprises to them haha. In the AU where Jian is the second baby (but I also like this scenario with Suyin as the second baby!), Lin is very overdue, while Jian was rather early. Just the opposite kind of birth, and the pregnancies came with their own challenges. With Lin, I feel like the newness of it all was the biggest thing that both Toph and Kanto had to overcome. With Jian it was easier, but I can see it being pretty different from when Toph was pregnant with Lin. Perhaps she's more tired but has to run around with Lin, or her cravings are different, or the baby doesn't move as much as Lin did.

I think for the overall pregnancy experience, Lin was a tough baby to carry, but I do HC that Jian's birth was rather complicated, so he does edge out Lin in that regard haha! I also think he was a super tiny baby compared to Lin, so perhaps Toph and Kanto were freaking out at how small he was, but then when Katara told them that his size was perfectly healthy, that eased some of their nerves. Some of them.

And yes! He's a worrywart for sure, and I think it's one of those frustrating but also endearing traits of Kanto. He will be at Toph's side in half a second and will help her so much that she never has to get out of bed or anything. Kanto also seems like the guy that will do whatever Toph wants to do, but he will insist on helping her or coddling her if she lets him. But, we know our Toph Beifong loves her independence, and I think at times, his doting on her is too stifling, and even when he does something simple like giving her dinner, she may just vent and show all her frustration in one sitting because of it.

I can imagine a conversation or two about this, where Toph practically screams at Kanto to quit coddling her because she feels so weak and useless, and maybe Kanto just tells her that he wants to help her and that this is just him trying to make things easier for her. It's been a while since he's had to take care of anyone but himself, and now he has two people to take care of, and maybe he goes overboard a little bit.

They probably learn to compromise, or at the very least communicate about this particular situation, because it's something they probably have very different thoughts on what Toph should be doing while pregnant. I do think that Toph mellows out and with Kanto in particular, enjoys when he waits on her and helps her up and everything. He learns to help her in ways that is less "I'm helping you because you need help" and more "I'm helping you because I respect you and want to."

I think perhaps there were also some complications with the pregnancies, which only made Toph and Kanto a little more on edge about everything. And if those complications did happen and put Toph on bedrest or something, I think that both of them would be a little more wiling and insistent that Toph doesn't overexert herself for the remainder of the pregnancy, if that makes sense. At the end of the day, they just want their baby to be born happy and healthy, so if that means less time on her feet for a few months, I think Toph would comply.

Okay! :D Fluffy Beifong thoughts, my beloved. Thank you Twinkles for the ask, and while I pester you everyday for Kantoph thoughts, feel free to stop by some more because, you know. It's Kantoph :)

I hope your day is as fabulous as you are, Twinkles!

......

Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

[stitch1830]

Dunebaby Character Descriptions

So I made another work for My Beautiful Light Twisted Taang Fantasy called Dunebaby Adventures. But I figured I’d also post the character descriptions on Tumblr for reference. All headcanons can be found in chapter 1 Here.

~LIN BEIFONG~

Lin Beifong is the oldest of four, born in the spring ~120 AG. Her appearance resembles Toph more than Aang. As a baby, she gravitated toward Toph, but as she got older, Lin turned to Aang for more questions or concerns she had.

Lin is a stubborn and independent child, meaning that if she is rubbed the wrong way by someone, she’s going to hold a grudge. From a young age she did a lot of things on her own, so it sometimes appeared to her that she was ignored, but as she got older, she realized that both her parents were there whenever she needed them, they just gave her the space she wanted. Lin also values her parents' praise, so she always tried to do things that would please them.

She often found herself babysitting her younger siblings, especially Kenji. At first it was a nuisance, but all of her siblings looked up to her and asked her for help, and she always helped them.

She’s the smartest Beifong of the bunch and also the calmest. She wasn’t a super rambunctious child, but she knew how to fight others and was a decent play mate for her siblings and cousins. But Lin likes to keep to herself, so if she had the choice of  being alone in her room and reading or playing outside with friends or siblings, she’d choose reading.

Lin butts heads with her mother and Suyin the most, but she always looks up to Toph. She’ll try to deny her admiration for both her parents to maintain her ‘indifferent’ attitude, but everyone knows she looks up to them. Lin and Su argue a ton, but Suyin gets over the fights quickly and will ask Lin if she wants to do something, and Lin will agree to tag along. The reason they butt heads so much is because they have very different personalities and beliefs. Lin often thinks Su is being dramatic, and Su thinks Lin doesn’t understand her perspective, and both are right.

In a nutshell, Lin Beifong is a quiet badass and scholar, and she is not someone who you want on your bad side.

~GYATSO BEIFONG~

Gyatso Beifong is the second oldest of four, born in the fall ~124 AG. His appearance resembles Aang more than Toph. As a baby, he had no parental preference, but growing up, he spent more time with Aang because his airbending abilities made Toph a little nervous (She’d rather have Aang there to monitor him than have her stand there wondering where he was). He loves both of his parents dearly, but tends to go to his father for all of his questions and concerns.

He’s the most outgoing of the group and tries to meet new people and befriend them whenever he has the chance. He always sees the best in people, which sometimes is an issue when he trusts people a little too much. Toph calls him an airhead for that. But he’s a very lovable kid that is always down to play with others and is super inclusive during play time.

Gyatso is the most spiritual of the children. He loves and values his parents’ opinions and beliefs, but he tends to follow his own spiritual beliefs when it comes to how he lives his life.

In the most lovable way, Gyatso is probably the dumbest and clumsiest Beifong kid. He just prefers being outside with friends and playing. He often trips over his own feet, too. That gets a laugh out of his siblings, and he can’t help but join in.

Gyatso doesn’t butt heads with any of his siblings. He often is the mediator of the group, and if anyone asks to play with him or needs help with something, he’ll say yes. He is probably closest with his sisters though. He and Lin share the ‘eldest siblings’ bond so they can relate to each other’s problems. He also feels like he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders (Lin’s responsibility being the oldest and the role model for her siblings, Gyatso’s being a similar role, but also being an airbender has its unintentional consequences). Gyatso and Suyin are the most outgoing and rambunctious of the Dunebabies, so they share that bond (although Gyatso tends to draw the line for certain pranks). They are also the closest in age, so they help each other with school stuff and general life problems together if it only requires sibling conversations.

In a nutshell, Gyatso Beifong is an outgoing, kind kid that will be your biggest fan and advocate.

~SUYIN BEIFONG~

Suyin Beifong is the 3rd child of the Beifong children, born in the summer ~126 AG. Her appearance is a mix between Toph and Aang. She was a complicated newborn and that set the precedent for the type of kid she would be. Suyin is a spitfire kid with a lot of sass and attitude. She’s a Daddy’s girl and knows how to persuade Aang into getting her way. Because of that, she tends to go to Aang for most of her concerns or problems. But, Su gets her loud, opinionated personality from her mother, so there are a handful of things she’ll go to Toph for because she knows she will be more receptive.

She loves knowing everyone’s business (she likes to gossip like her Baba) and is very opinionated. But because of her strong opinions, she’s passionate about what she likes/loves and always stands her ground on her beliefs.

She butts heads with her sister the most, mainly because they have very different living styles. But she easily forgives Lin and her family for grievances, and will go to siblings after a huge fight as if nothing happened. Suyin is closest with her brothers because of their personalities.

Suyin is not the smartest Beifong, but she is the most persuasive. She can convince friends and family (within reason) to have her way.

Her bending style is very fluid. She loves the air, and a lot of her moves incorporate airbending techniques. Because of her flexibility in styles, she is one of the strongest benders in the family.

In a nutshell, Suyin Beifong is an opinionated and passionate kid who knows what she wants but is also a very fluid and improv-oriented bender.

~KENJI BEIFONG~

Kenji Beifong is the youngest of the Beifong children, born in the spring ~130 AG. His appearance is a mix between Toph and Aang. He was a (relatively) easy baby, depending on who tended to him. If his mother took care of him, he was fine. Anyone else had a harder time getting him to cooperate. It’s rather ironic because Toph was the least enthusiastic about having Kenji, while everyone else was excited. And as a baby, Kenji practically refused to go to anyone that wasn’t Toph.

Kenji is a relatively easy going child. He tends to hang around Suyin’s friends, and if she needs his help with pranks, he has little to no objections. He’s a Mama’s boy, so if Toph says or does something, he typically follows her lead. This led to him being a pretty compliant child; all it took for him to agree was if Mama told him (that lasted until about age 7, then he was a naturally mellow and relatively obedient kid).

Kenji is close with his sisters. He has a similar attitude as Lin, so they can talk and understand each other’s grievances. He also looks up to Lin a lot (she’s 10 years older than him). And whenever she babysat him, they would get along really well.  He’s closest to Suyin in age, so he tends to follow her and her friends lead. Him and Gyatso hang out and play, but there is a bigger difference of opinion, which simply makes them not go to each other first for their issues, but they have no trouble going to each other for help.

Kenji grew up wanting to be an earthbender, which made training him at a young age difficult. But he adapted and became a skilled airbender. He is arguably the strongest of the Beifong children simply because he adapted two different martial art forms to meet his needs.

He goes about his day pretty emotionless, but if you rub him the wrong way, he will fight anyone and everyone and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. Kenji keeps to himself like Lin, but if people come up to him to befriend him, he’ll oblige.

In a nutshell, Kenji Beifong is an obedient, mellow kid who will most certainly beat your ass if your toe is out of line.