#and i reiterate i love what OP said like it's just me scratching a teeny tiny itty bitty little itch

[did-we-imagine]

I really love what you said, there is just one teeny tiny thing I'm gonna nitpick : Toph learned that love is smothering, controlling, infantilizing, negating her right to be her own person. Hence her initial friction with Katara who is somewhat motherly (she had trouble understanding that help doesn't come wih strings attached like renouncing your right to choose for yourself, or your identity to fit someone else's "ideals" (aka her parents' mental image of what the dainty little lady she should be like)). Not just that it was "too kind kindness".

We were cheated from Toko siblingship tbh. 💖 I also think Toph would have vibed with Mai since they suffered rather similar abuse (character erasure, stifling control, lack of boundaries, invisibilization since there is some implication that Mai's parents view her as less important than Tom Tom, and Toph's parents literally hid her existence for the world, I can't recall if it was clearly stated that they did it out of protectiveness or because there was some measure of ableism -which would tie nicely into her friendship/likeness with Zuko-).

thinking about toph saying "that's how i show affection" to zuko. zuko who grew up believing that aggression and anger is one of the only ways to show love until iroh. zuko who learned that even if toph is aggressive, it's not aggressive like azula or ozai.

thinking about toph saying "that's how i show affection". toph who grew up smothered and sheltered from anything dangerous in an attempt to protect to keep her safe. toph who learned that too-kind-kindness it's the only way to love.

thinking about toph and zuko, two kids who learned that there are other ways to show love than they grew up believing.

thinking about toph and zuko, two kids who learned how they love.