#metalbending meta

[peony-pearl]

It just gets to me (in a 'YEAH STORYTELLING' way) that Zuko and Azula are hardly ever pleasant with each other, even after Azula brings him home after banishment; because Zuko, still angry and on guard because of both his recent abandonment of Iroh and subsequent self loathing AND his combative nature with Azula bc of how their father's favoritism has eroded his self confidence around her AND how Azula is so used to talking down to him and she probably speaks that way because of how she believes herself to be a monster but she's also naturally more cool headed and confident while he's quick and brash but also, again, Ozai's influence of her as the favorite and golden child keeps them at constant odds no matter what.

And yet, again, how it was Azula that brought him home after it was everything he wanted, but no matter how hard Zuko tried to be the perfect prince, he and his sister were still on two different sides of multiple issues, no matter how much they could have wanted to be siblings. The life Zuko experienced during the worst time of his life began a transformation he couldn't have anticipated while Azula spent 3 years absorbing Ozai's teachings in the Fire Nation with no other family around.

That portrait in the fire, man...

[ghanjrho]

A:TLA; how it should have ended.

Recently, I've been on a deep dive into the A:tLA fandom, specifically the Zutara sphere. And that means I've found a lot of long-form meta on the show, it's ending, LoK, script final drafts, you name it. That's all gone in the brain blender, and here's what came out the other side.

Sozin's Comet honestly doesn't change that much; only two real differences.

The magic rock is gone. Instead, we get a flashback to Guru Pathik, and Aang realizes that he has to let go of his attachment to Katara.

The Maiko/Kataang victory laps in the last 5 minutes are gone. Mai and Zuko get a scene where they wish each other well, but acknowledge that they're over. Katara and Aang have a nice moment where they choose friendship. There's love there, but it's Philia, not Eros.

@burst-of-iridescent has a delightful essay series on Zutara, and the part that sticks in my head is that in the run-up to the finale, Aang and Katara are at their least unified. To wit:

In "The Southern Raiders" Aang is preachy, condescending, and more than a little hypocritical about Katara's plan to take vengeance for her mother. The episode ends with Katara explicitly rejecting Aang's belief that Yon Rha was forgiven.

In "The Ember Island Players" Aang is distraught at the idea that EIP!Katara's statements, namely that Aang is like her brother and she's attracted to Zuko, are true. When he questions Real!Katara about this, he responds to her statement that she's confused about her feelings by kissing her. The kiss is not returned. Again, no resolution is had.

Finally, in "Sozin's Comet Part 1" Katara is part of the chorus condemning Aang for refusing to even consider killing Ozai, no matter how many people are at stake. He runs off from the group, and from there disappears into the Spirit World to get Lion-Turtled. Yet again, no resolution, and the two don't reunite until the tea shop.

Now speaking of the Lion Turtles, I'm actually not opposed to them. Yes, they come out of nowhere to deliver an 11th Hour Superpower that handily spares Aang from having to actually make a choice he disagrees with, but at the end of the day it is a kid's show. Nickelodeon was never going to approve a script where Aang killed Ozai. Throw in a little bit of foreshadowing, and I'm good. It's worth noting here that the story of Avatar Wan was supposed to be covered in A:tLA, which would handily cover that requirement.

Now, for the post-canon. We'll start with Fire.

Zuko is NOT left alone in the Fire Nation. Similarly, Iroh does NOT fuck off back to Ba Sing Se.

Toph and Suki stick around. Suki in her canon role as commander of Zuko's Kyoshi Warrior bodyguard, while Toph and Mai use Toph's lie-detection and Mai's insider knowledge to purge threats to the new peace.

Toph eventually goes back to the Earth Kingdom to start a metalbending academy, but first she needs to make sure that her Sparky lives to be the grumpy old man he was born to be.

While Iroh is correct that for political and diplomatic reasons Zuko needs to be Fire Lord, he also bows to the reality that Zuko is plain and simply not ready to be the Fire Lord.

Zuko went from 4th in line to 1st in line basically overnight, and the 5-ish years he spent as Crown Prince were clearly not spent preparing him to succeed Ozai.

So a teenager with a fairly surface-level understanding of "how to monarch" has to self-Reconstruction the Fire Nation, while paying reparations, without having been militarily conquered.

This is how idealists get assassinated. New Plan!

Zuko is crowned Fire Lord. Iroh is his Prince Regent. It's very clear to all involved that Zuko is the one charting the course forward for the Fire Nation, while Iroh is there to convert intent to action, while teaching Zuko how it's done.

It doesn't hurt that Iroh is one of the Fire Nation's most successful military commanders, so the civil war route is a lot riskier for anyone to attempt.

Next, Sokka

Sokka honestly has a pretty good arc in the post-canon. Nothing I really feel the need to correct.

Eventually, Suki is able to hand off her duties in the Fire Nation to someone else and goes home to Kyoshi Island

It’s still home, but it isn’t the same. Or rather, she isn’t the same.

She never leaves the island behind, but it’s usually a stop on the journey from Wolf Cove to Republic City.

Then, Aang

Aang divides his time between Avatar duties and Last Airbender duties.

Avatar duties involve a lot of sitting in on meetings and reminding people that the ultimate goal is peace.

Last Airbender duties involve a lot of teaching Air Acolytes everything he remembers from his childhood. He gets lucky here, though.

The Airbender Genocide wasn't complete. More than a few Air Nomads escaped the Genocide, and hid themselves away. Some in small villages built in remote mountain valleys, others blended into Earth Kingdom settlements.

Plenty of quarter- or eighth-Air Nomad kids running around with airbending potential they never had the knowledge to develop. Think very early Book 1 Katara here.

The result is that a resurgent Air Nation is being formed, with a culture woven from the threads that survived through relics, the refugees, and Aang himself.

Airbenders are still rare, and it's over a decade before another airbender earns their mastery, but it's not his son and his grandkids when Korra comes around.

Finally, Katara

Katara spends a lot of time traveling. She spends time in the South Pole, helping to rebuild and learning Southern Style Waterbending from the released waterbenders. She also travels the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, doing what she can to solve problems.

There are a lot of problems to solve.

Her travels in the Fire Nation are particularly fruitful; word of the Last Agni Kai has spread, so she is known to be the one that the Fire Lord sacrificed himself for, and who healed his wound.

She and Zuko stay in contact, allowing themselves to have a slow-burn courtship.

After a couple of years she moves to Caldera City and starts getting down to seriously courting Zuko, preparing herself for Fire Ladydom.

The year before Iroh is set to retire as Regent, she and Zuko start thinking about the wedding.

There are a lot of potential traditions to uphold, even just between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation

This goes double for the daughter of the head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Lord himself.

They decide to have fun with it and do everything.

Aang presides over a private ceremony, family/close friends only, that is really just a mutual declaration of love and friendship.

Then come the Southern Water traditions. It's the full gamut, with ice-dodging, sacred hunts and more. In the end, Zuko is an honorary member of the Southern Water Tribe, and he and Katara are wed (again).

There's a diplomatic tour through the Earth Kingdom, stopping at Kyoshi, Gaoling, Omashu, Ba Sing Se, the Foggy Swamp the former Fire Colonies, and ending at the Northern Water Tribe. The language used artfully slides over whether the couple is newly married or about to be married, but overall it works well for the Fire Nation's reputation abroad.

The final act is in the Fire Nation. A full Royal Wedding, a grand affair of state, held at high noon on the day of the summer solstice. When all is said and done, Zuko and Katara now rule alone as Fire Lord and Fire Lady.

Alright, I have more, but I'm tired. Tune in next time for the Fire Nation (extended) Royal Family! featuring Steambabies (Found here)

[theowritesfiction]

‘Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into The Inferno’

I'm finally reaching that dreaded point in my re-watch where I don't really want to continue because the episodes are so good but they're also so painful, and I'm afraid that they might be too painful for me to see all the good in them, but... I guess we'll see.

Everything that needed to be said about Azula's descent into complete breakdown has already been said by @juniperhillpatient in her review. I am not going to sob all over my keyboard retyping the same 100% accurate truth.

Okay, I'll say this about the Sokka, Suki and Toph attacking the airship fleet. Sokka operates far better when he isn't given the time to come up with a plan. Also jeez, but tiny metalbending knight Toph is awesome and frightening AF. Sokka's birthday party plan WAS a really good and inspired one, though.

The Siege of BSS continues to annoy me because of how unnecessary it is. If things worked out as Iroh's prophesized destinies would have you believe, then Ozai goes down, Zuko takes over as Fire Lord, and the FN garrison in Ba Sing Se would end up surrendering sooner or later. Forcing this battle is just killing people who didn't need to die.

Okay, Ozai did get to do a little bit of burning, but it's not like that was a lot, so... can't give him too much? 40 Jerk Points. Also, for taking off his clothes before fighting Aang, like... why? That's very inappropriate. I did not pay to see that. 40 Jerk Points because eww. Also, for mocking Aang while celebrating the Air Nation genocide, Ozai gets another 100 Jerk Points.

As much as I don't like the idea of Azula and Zuko fighting the Agni Kai, I think it's kind of ridiculous to suggest that it shouldn't have happened, because everything has been building up to this, and if you don't recognize that, well, I'm sorry to say that maybe this show's narrative might just be a little too complicated for you to comprehend. I do want to slap Zuko a bit for the 'I think she's slipping' comment, but I think that's mostly sloppy writing. Let's not place unreasonable expectations for Zuko to identify a mental health episode. He DID notice that she wasn't herself. And also, sorry... but on this day, Azula needed to be stopped, for many reasons, also for her own sake.

I have questions about Zuko taunting Azula about lightning, though. Azula has been holding off on lightning bending, probably because she knows it will be redirected. So, does Zuko want her to use it so that he can redirect and kill her? Zuko was already dominating the duel. We have seen several Agni Kai before, and none of them ended in death, but this would have certainly increased the risk of that happening. Because this is mostly a tragic encounter for them both, I didn't want to hand out Jerk Points, but I almost feel like I have to do that here. I'll give 100 Jerk Points to Zuko, but I'm willing to hear more charitable explanations for Zuko's actions here, and maybe I will adjust this score accordingly.

I've already posted my meta about the Agni Kai and cheating, and upon this re-watch I am totally amazed about how right I was with that meta. Azula won the Agni Kai, but was then overthrown in a coup. That's the only right way to read this for people who don't like to be wrong.

Book 3 Jerk Points:

Zuko - 940 Ozai - 880 Aang - 690 Yon Rha - 400 Iroh - 150  Sokka - 110 Roku - 100 Hide - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph, Pakku - 50 Haru - 30

[bolinity]

does bo have any phobias?

❖ || send me a topic to write meta about my muse on!

Canonically, we know that Bolin isn't fond of scary stories — specifically ghost stories, as he tries to get the group to not talk about dark Spirits in s2e2. And you know what? Same lmao I'm also a weenie with ghost stories.

I think yeah scary things like that in general are definitely in Bolin's scared-of wheel house. I wouldn't be surprised if both he and Mako were very light sleepers the first half of their life due to living on the streets. Lots of sounds in the middle of night, needing to stay alert so they can quickly be n the move again — etc etc. I think once they start staying at the pro-bending arena, it takes Bolin a while to actually have a good night's sleep. I wouldn't be surprised of Mako takes a little longer tbh.

Then there's the fear of losing the people he loves, which I'm sure is relatable to everyone, right? That can also be a link to the fear of failure — not being able to protect them by failing.

Once upon a time when LoK was on the Nick website, if I remember correctly, Bolin's description had something about losing to his brother a lot and he has definitely shown his insecurities about being left behind/being useless/not measuring up (like not having something productive to do when they return to Republic City after their trip to the Northern Water Tribe or his inability to metalbend). These are definitely more insecurities than phobias, but I wanted to include them.

[did-we-imagine]

Respectfully disagree as Mako and Iroh II (Zuko's grandson) of the name both bend lightning in TLOK yet they are undoubtedly heroic characters. I have 0 idea about whether Zuko ever learned to shoot lightning or not, though.

While there might be some implicit bias in the first series (as Iroh, the only "good lightning user" uses it in much less relevant plot lines than Ozai & Azula -IMO, since he doesn't even use it during Sozin's Comet-, and Jeong Jeong, the only non royal firebending prodigy to ever be mentioned doesn't ever us it either), it is nowhere comparable to bloodbending which has been outlawed by Katara and shown to be used 99% by villains (aside from Katara). Bloodbending wasn't given 1% of a chance compared to lightning bending.

I did read a meta by another tumblr user who has likened lightning in the first series to the abuse that Zuko is put through and lightning redirection as a way to overcome it. It's an interesting take, but I mostly believe that lightning is just a normal (ok sophisticated, but NOT inherently evil is what i mean to say) sub bending which might get some bad rep because the FN at the time was mostly comprised of bad guys.

The canonical explanation of Zuko's inability to bend it (IMO) is not tied to morality at all. Iroh simply said that his short fuse/inner conflict was the source of his inability to do it. Sure, you could tell me that this is a subtle dig at the 2 resident lightning benders for not being conflicted due to their worse morals, but Iroh, who has better morals than them (by the show's timeline, not pre-redemption dragon of the west Iroh), is still able to do it. I also believe that it might have been a foreshadowing of Zuko's later loss of all firebending as his inner conflict reached its apex, rather than a way to mark Zuko as a moral paragon. Zhao, who is also evil as fuck and pretty close to Ozai in terms of villainy never uses it. It's probably -from a broken 4th wall perspective- just a way to hype up villains and show them as even more powerful than either Zhao or Zuko by giving them this flashy ass technique + heightening the narrative stakes/suspense by using the Worf Effect (as Zuko isn't able to do it himself during the series). Your last paragraph basically hits the nail on the head : aside from what I said before, it's a way to mark Ozai and Azula as being more focused/decisive than Zuko (let's be real, he might even be the most indecisive character in the OG show, he has always been torn between wanting his father's "love" but unable to fit Ozai's criteria, yet also being incapable of fully going against him either (we've had like 2 seasons and half of him still trying to please him even if his attempts were half-hearted at times) instead of owning his desires and ideals being different from his father's (that is NOT to absolve him or deny that he was a villain, but my understanding in that 13 yo Zuko is far far more pleasant/generous/altruistic -though imperialistic- than 16 yo B1 Zuko who is a bad mimicry of the prince Ozai wants him to be).

My 2 cts is that hypothetically, he could have learned how to do it after the end of the series and/or that he allowed the technique to be taught to the grand public (if he had the same stance as Katara on it, he'd simply outlaw it as the fire lord), otherwise Mako wouldn't know how to do : in ATLA it's a super elite technique left for the royal FN fam ONLY. In Kyoshi's comics, it's explained that some random non rohal thief created it or whatever and that he was kidnapped by the royal fam who then kept this sub bending only for themselves. This proves that at the very least, lightning bending is theoretically a sub bending that isn't innate, but actually a teachable skill not tied to good or bad morals and that the royal fam are not its pioneers. 😏

Of course, you could also run with the fairly cool headcanon that Azula healed and created her own lightning bending school just like Toph did with her metalbending academy, contributing to the "vulgarization" of lightning bending. 🤷🏻‍♀️

PS: this is very YMMV, but the fact that the writers were much more at ease with vilifying bloodbending (the sub bending done by brown characters whose country was colonized...A curious coincidence if you ask me) vs the way lightning was still overhyped (even tho the FN was the OG evil colonial genocidal empire) and seen as cool has some unfortunate implications IMO. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I can't be the only one...

who felt like it was implied by the show that lightning bending was somehow a more "evil", "impure" or "cruel" form of bending in line with what bloodbending was made out to be, based on who we know was skilled enough to do it (Azula, Ozai, likely "past" Iroh). Am I?

I feel like that definitely could have been a bias that they chose to lean into, based on what we learned up to and past the point of lightning bending's introduction as well as bloodbending's.

Hama being an unforgiven-antagonist to the Gaang means that bloodbending was going to be framed as an especially awful form of combat from the start. (A form that seems to get implicitly compared in-show to a physical or spiritual violation.) Likewise, Iroh describes lightning bending as "cold fire".

Lightning? Cold? The surface of the sun would beg to differ.

The previously mentioned three from the Fire Royal Family are also the only ones we see and know of doing the skill. Two of them are show antagonists (Azula, Ozai). The other technically starts as an antagonist but eventually becomes someone that we're now supposed to believe views his past self as though they would have been a wrongful enemy of the Gaang and of world peace itself (Iroh). Meanwhile our poor, good-hearted, awkward turtleduck (*snickers*) Zuko, just can't seem to learn how to do it. Even when the time period of LOK comes, he's implied to have still not learned how.

Also, if we are to assume that no forms of firebending were looked down upon in Fire Nation culture, especially post-dragon extinction, then it makes even more sense that a form of firebending that's "harsher" wouldn't be disapproved of and would even be preferred over other forms for that very reason.

Now if true, that leaves the question of "what makes it worse than other forms of firebending?". I'd argue nothing, really. It seems, at worst, to only be faster and more deadly than other forms of fire bending. Like icebending compared to regular waterbending. A cherry on top for Azula seems to be that she looks fantastic and elegant when she aims her fingers at someone/something, and for Ozai, that he can prepare his shots extremely fast.

Of course, it could also have been the other way around and it was the characters that learned the ability who were having something implied about them, not necessarily the ability itself. Maybe even both.

[listless-brainrot]

“Why didn’t any of the prisoners on the prison rig discover metalbending?”

this is a question i’ve seen thrown about a couple of times and one i have been wanting to deconstruct, because there is a legitimate answer, and it’s pretty straightforward, albeit a little complicated.

for some context, the question refers to episode 6 of book 1, imprisoned, where a minor plot point is introduced: earthbenders can’t bend metal. this plot point, however, is then contradicted by episode 19 of book 2, the guru, in which toph discovers metalbending. this question is raised because toph’s discovery means that metalbending is, in fact, possible, and therefore, other earthbenders could possibly have and use this new subset. 

so if metalbending is possible, why didn’t other earthbenders try before toph?

you could just say “oh it’s because the rule was established in book 1, in which the rules haven’t been fully established and/or were made to be broken”, and i think that’s an entirely reasonable line of thinking. there are a lot of concepts in book 1 that were either changed or never followed up on as the series continued. but i believe that there is another answer that lines up well with both atla’s established worldbuilding and the lore.

the answer? because metal is now inherently associated with the fire nation.

let me explain.

the fire nation is a militaristic nation that uses the resources of the nations/colonies they have conquered to fuel their war efforts. as established in book 1 episode 6, haru’s town is specifically used for coal to power their metal ships. in book 1 episode 10, teo’s dad, the mechanist, is used to design metal contraptions that give the fire nation a technological advantage. even before this was established in the beginning narrative, one of the major parts of atla’s opening includes a grand sweep of the fire nation armed troops and tanks/ships, who are all clad in/made of metal.

put simply, metal is one of the main tools of the oppressor. their technological superiority, which is accomplished through the control of resources that are mostly not their own, is what makes the fire nation such a threat. the other three nations, pun intended, don’t have the firepower to stand up against them when their resources are taken and utilized against them in this fashion. 

the war has been going on for nearly 100 years. that’s a long time, and the fire nation has taken countless earth kingdom colonies and have already decimated other nations, such as the air nomads and the southern water tribe. what is one of the first things we see in the very first episode?

a metal fire navy ship on southern water tribe land, from one of the very first fire nation attacks against the tribe and its people. 

this is what makes the smallest of the four nations such a genuine threat.

and the fire nation knows this.

again, going back to book 1 episode 6:

Warden: You will notice, earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth, so if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people, forget them. It is impossible. Good day. 

it’s the fire nation that makes the specific distinction between earth and metal. earth and metal aren’t the same- they are the ones building this inherent degree of separation between the two.

now, remember xin fu, the host of the earth rumbles? remember how he brings it up in book 2 episode 19 when talking to toph:

Xin Fu: Quit your banging. You might think you're the greatest earthbender in the world, but even you can't bend metal.

and then toph immediately proves him wrong?

let me ask you this: where do you think xin fu got the notion that earthbenders can’t bend metal?

besides using firepower, we know that the fire nation utilizes propaganda to paint their own side of the war to establish themselves as a threat to others while making themselves superior. who’s to say that, maybe, in some of their conquered earth kingdom colonies, where the notion of bending metal would give the conquered people an advantage, the notion of metal being impossible to bend was spread by the fire nation throughout the earth kingdom, which would further their terrifying power and, therefore, superiority over those they have conquered?

furthermore, who’s to say that there weren’t earthbenders who tried, maybe even succeeded, realizing that earth and metal weren’t as separate as they thought, but were killed for their discovery? who’s to say that there wouldn’t be consequences for even entertaining the thought, especially in a war where metal no longer belongs to earthbenders? 

how can these earthbenders even begin to try when they’ve seen metal tanks and ships destroy their homes and their people, men dressed in metal taking them away to a metal rig, leaving them powerless in the middle of the ocean, where one can’t even begin to conceive the notion that earth is metal, and metal is earth, when metal is cold and merciless, unlike the earth they used to know?

why do you think the fire nation banned earthbending altogether in some of their colonies?

in short: no one else could’ve learned metalbending.

except for toph. 

why?

because she has something other earthbenders don’t. (no, it’s not seismic sense, though that also may have helped greatly.)

toph never had the inherent association that metal is the enemy’s.

in fact, the people who kidnap her aren’t even fire nation- they’re fellow earthbenders who spited her, which is what drives her to even try. toph is so far removed from the war, so unaffected by it, until she chooses to be a part of it, that she becomes the best earthbender and, therefore, capable of the kind of pure earthbending that allows metalbending to be possible.

toph never had to struggle with the realization that she’s broken such an important rule that gives them all a unique advantage in the war- that metal cannot be bent. instead, she’s rightfully prideful. metalbending was just another step for her while she was on her earthbending journey. 

an earthbending journey that wasn’t even for her- it was so she could teach aang.

she just so happened to find this new ability along the way, and the fact that she even could is because of her very special and specific circumstances. she’s a rich child of the beifongs who learned from the original benders at a young age, lives in a part of the earth kingdom the fire nation hasn’t touched, learned how to use seismic sense, and was still able to practice her bending freely- she even has personal tutors, even if her home life was ultimately stifling.

the fact that she even learned metalbending at all is proof of just how far removed she is from the war, and just how hard such an ability would be to really teach to others, especially those directly affected by fire nation through the war itself.

[balsa-margarita]

My personal theories on metalbending

So - the explanation ATLA offers for metalbending is pretty weird to me, and here's why. Steel (or cast iron, they don't really specify) like the stuff Toph was bending is actually very pure, to different extents depending on how well it's refined, but still far removed from the ore it's extracted from. Kind of odd, though that might just be me.

Therefore I have an alternate explanation. You know what else is in steel? Carbon - an appreciable amount, actually, and yes I'm calling around 0.4% appreciable. (If Katara can bend people's blood and overcome their chi resistance, Toph can bend a little carbon.) And we know earthbenders can bend carbon because of that episode where they throw coal around... so why not make that the genesis of metalbending?

Anyway, that's how I write it. I just think it's neat.

(And yes, that does mean earthbenders can bend hydrocarbons - see Absconditus for reference.)

[the-hot-zone]

Haru’s Bending Style: An Analysis (And Why Jet Would Lose His Shit)

Here’s the thing–Haru has an incredibly distinct style of earthbending, and it goes beyond, “he uses his hands a lot.” To understand this, we have to go to the root (heh) of firebending. Stay with me.

Firebending is based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. On Northern Shaolin Kung Fu:

“The northern styles of kung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks.”

The Northern Style is a dynamic style that places emphasis on legwork and force. It is aggressive, strong, and graceful. There are Ten Classical Forms in the Northern Style, but I’m only going to talk about two of them. 

First, look at this video of Haru clips from the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i32HK_RYuDo

[Video Description: several clips of Haru from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Most of the clips feature his bending. End ID.]

Two moments in particular stand out to me. The first is this:

[ID: a series of five screenshots that show Haru bending. They follow a sequence of movements as Haru bends a large boulder into the wall of a gorge. In all photos, he is in a deep gorge with walls higher than his head. The rocks and gorge walls are rough and textured, and they are the color of sand: tan, yellow, and shades of brown. In the first photo, Haru begins to lift a large boulder from the ground. In the second photo, he swings the boulder around with two arms. In the third photo, he breaks root, leaping a short distance into the air. In the fourth photo, he finds his root again. One hand is extended towards the boulder; the other is closer to his body, palm outward. In the fifth and final photo, Haru has bended the boulder into the wall of the gorge. A cloud of dust and rock fragments explodes from the wall, displaying Haru’s force. One of his arms is extended towards the wall. End ID.]

and this moment:

[ID: a screenshot of Haru bending. Relative to the viewer, he is leaping away. His arms are extended on either side of him, causing a small avalanche of boulders to tumble into the gorge. End ID.]

These two moments offer us, the viewers, a wealth of information about Haru’s style. It tells us that Haru has adapted firebending techniques to earthbend. Let me explain.

Long-range techniques

This is the most obvious display of Haru’s style; he easily bends earth that’s not immediate to him. We see this above, and we saw that when he rescued that old man from the mine--Haru moved a significant amount of earth from a significant distance away, even going so far as to stop fragments of rock mid-air. Once again, in the above images, Haru is moving a lot of rock that’s not close to him, and he’s doing it with his hands. This brings me to my next point--the two forms Haru’s style reminds me of.

Hand movements

The first is Duanda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y28P5cWHPI

[Video Description: a person performs Dun Da and its application. In the application, an additional person fights the first. End ID.]

Duanda (or Dun Da), focuses on close-encounter movements. The above video also displays the Northern Style’s other characteristics: deep forms, legwork, and power. Here’s a moment that stands out:

[ID: two screenshots from the above video: NORTHERN SHAOLIN 第六路短打少林拳 (FORM + APPLICATION). The first photo shows the person in a deep stance, one leg out in a lunge, the other extended behind them. One hand is extended while the other is close to the body. In the second photo, the positions of the hands have switched. End ID.]

Movement for movement, this is almost exactly what Haru does in the first moment from above: his stance and hand movements are incredibly similar. But I’m not done talking about hand movements. Haru’s bending also reminds me of Chuān Xīn, or Chum Sam (heart-piercing strikes). 

Video: https://baksillum.wordpress.com/bak-sil-lum-4-chum-sam/

[Video Description: a person performs Chum Sam. End ID.]

This is due to Haru’s hand movements while bending. The steps of this kata involve the circular movements of the arms. In the latter moment I mentioned above, from the Haru bending video, he throws out his arms and moves them down to bend the rocks behind him. This isn’t circular, sure, but it’s more related to the movements of firebending than earthbending. Additionally, look at this moment from the Haru bending video:

[Imade ID: a screenshot of Haru from the waist up. He is dressed in a brown prison uniform, and he glares at the viewer with narrowed eyes. In his hand he bends three pieces of coal; they hover mid-air. End ID.]

All hands, baby! There is also a moment later on in the Haru bending video where Haru uses his hands in a swinging motion (with his dad), to bend coal. What’s important here is that his hand/arm movements aren’t always forceful and straightly-applied; occasionally, they’re sweeping and graceful--like the Northern Style. In general, Haru tends to use his hands a lot, which is unusual for an earthbender. I don’t think this is because of inexperience–I think it’s because he wanted to bend, was short on katas, and adapted firebending moves. 

Legwork/Leaping

Finally, let’s talk about leaps, or, as I like to call it in terms of earthbending, breaking root. This is seen in both of the Haru bending movements I mentioned above. In the first moment, Haru breaks root before he smashes the boulder into the gorge wall. And, if you look at the last photo, Haru is in the air when he moves those boulders. Let me repeat that: to bend, Haru is in the air. He breaks root! This is highly unusual for an earthbender--but not for a firebender. 

In summary, Haru’s style is a blend of firebending and earthbending--he’s utilizing aspects of firebending to accomplish earthbending. His style is a combination of occasionally breaking his root to apply a powerful force to his attacks; long-range techniques; arm-movements, and traditional earthbending. He’s applying what’s he’s learned from watching Fire Nation soldiers, and it’s fascinating. 

Now. What does Jet think of this?

Ultimately, I think Jet would be impressed by Haru’s bending. Or, more specifically, Haru’s adaptability. One of Jet’s most distinct skills is his adaptability, and Haru’s bending style is exactly that. Haru’s courage and determination to connect with his native element are so admirable. His own father was imprisoned by the Fire Nation, and he most likely faced scrutiny from his fellow villagers (as seen by that one old guy) for even being an earthbender. He had nowhere to go–literally living in a Fire Nation-occupied town. Yet Haru tried his best to learn how to bend; he refused to be separated from his culture. This is seen in his style, which is a bend of earth and fire.

First, though, there’s going to be a moment of incredulity, and anger. Haru was forced to adapt the enemy’s techniques in order to bend his native element. But I think he’d also admire Haru’s determination, and his stubborness to learn. 

The Jet/Haru sparring scene... there would be so much to talk about. Jet recognizing firebending moves coming from an earthbender--that moment alone would be intense. A sparring scene between those two would be legendary, especially if Haru had learned metalbending by then. Haru’s agility and willingness to break root would catch Jet by surprise, I think, but remember: Jet, too, is adaptable. He would have a field day, and it would end with mutual respect and admiration. 

Ugh. I just. Idk man. Jet’s also done a lot of recon on firebenders/Fire Nation soldiers, and so has Haru. But Haru’s willingness to adopt firebending techniques into his fighting style is a decision only Haru would make. They both embody the concept “never give up without a fight” in different ways while demonstrating similar qualities of determination, stubbornness, and adaptability. They have a lot to learn from each other. 

Conclusion? Jetru rights. 

Tagging the ppl who were standing by: @bluberry-spicehead @spooky--suki @spoopykyoshi and @listless-brainrot​ and @nonbinary-crafter-aang​ cause I know you two also ship Jetru.

[caliburn-the-sword]

i forgot to mention that i p r o b a b l y would have been a lot more okay with emma having magic if she had her own distinguished style. i mean i maybe implied it?? but i didn’t say it outright which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the entire tangent i went on in the tags LMAO

anyway when i think of emma and magic, just by going off the whole elements theme they got going on (rumple and gold, cora and trees, regina and fire, elsa) i reckon emma should have had metal. it could maybe be a funky callback to her time as a thief??? but i’m not smart enough to draw on anything there. i mostly just reckon she should have had metalbending because it’s like her having a gun/sword but on steroids. that would have been pretty sick ngl. imagine her getting to a magneto level of asskicking. also would have levelled the playing field while she was learning to use a sword because there was NO way she should have been that good that fast. also you know what?? insert metaphorical stuff about her building her walls and all that, before accepting her magic and building a home with the ones she loves instead. i’m not elaborating or waxing extensive meta on any of this because i’m too tired. i would like to think that this suits her but i reckon i need more time to think and maybe revisit things.

other option is swan themed because she’s the ugly duckling/swan princess, but honestly i see it as hard to work that in without it coming across as really corny and lame lmao

emma made me viscerally uncomfortable from season 3-6 and the reason is because it was like watching a barbarian multiclass as a cleric. like girl stop with the magical energy blasts!! just hit him with your sword!!! punch him in the face!!!!

[aalghul]

i would love to know your thoughts on batfam atla aus if thats okay?

technicaly they all should be nonbenders minus duke who is a meta in main universe but there seems to be a pattern in fandom making dick as water b, jason fire, tim air and damian earth so i wanted to read your thoughts if possible?

Personally, I’m not a fan of this pattern at all. In my opinion, it feels based on their fanon characterizations.

Water: Jason, Damian, Talia (she could also be earth)

Fire/Lightning: Dick (he could be air or fire. I like the idea of everyone assuming he’s air and then boom), Cassandra

Earth: Barbara (became a metalbender as Oracle), Tim

Air: Stephanie, Alfred

The avatar: Duke

Bruce is a nonbender.

[momsopposed2theoccult]

It’s come to my attention that a good majority of people on this website have a really poor understanding of the conflict between Toph and Katara in “The Chase.” As somebody who loves both characters and their friendship, this irritates me. Without further ado, let’s unpack that in what is in theory supposed to be a meta but turned out more like a rant. 

“Katara was hostile towards Toph because the fact that she’s a gender non-conforming girl made Katara uncomfortable because Katara is obsessed with gender roles.”

Alright, so right off the bat this is just... completely idiotic and clearly fuelled by an agenda (and likely also a lot of projection). First of all, how is Katara of “I don’t want to heal, I want to fight!” fame “obsessed with gender roles?” There’s an entire episode in Book One dedicated to Katara refusing to conform to societal norms for women in the Northern Water Tribe! Katara routinely calls Sokka out on his misogynistic bullshit! (Mind you I adore Sokka but he could be a little twerp at times and Katara was 100% right to challenge him on it) Katara is the feminist icon of ATLA! The fact that people act like Katara is some sort of conservative tradwife who loves gender roles instead of the outspoken feminist and political activist she is makes me incredibly angry.

Second of all, Katara was extremely kind and welcoming towards Toph at first. She gently encouraged her to join in with the group as they all set up camp together as opposed to setting up her own private camp. It’s only when Toph refuses to comply with her that Katara begins to get irritated. Mind you, Toph has her reasons for this, something I’ll get to in a minute, but from Katara’s perspective (key word here is perspective) she’s just being an annoying little stubborn, selfish, lazy, anti-social, entitled brat. Of course we the audience find out later that this isn’t the case at all (or at least in theory we should find out later but apparently some people on here skipped that part), but for all her many talents Katara is not a mind reader and has no way of knowing what’s going on inside Toph’s head, nor does she know her well enough yet to fully grasp the context behind why Toph acts the way she does. Katara is somebody who greatly values community and believes in teamwork, so Toph turning down her warm welcome in favour of “carrying her own weight” likely felt like a slap in the face. Not to mention that she’s already emotionally exhausted from having to constantly mother Aang and Sokka. If I were Katara, I likely would have reacted the same way. 

Oh and I agree that the “the stars look beautiful tonight, too bad you can’t see them, Toph” comment was out of line, but it doesn’t make her a horrible person. It makes her a 14 year old, and 14 year olds can be nasty, especially sleep deprived 14 year olds. Katara is otherwise a very kind and compassionate person. Other characters have said worse than that. Hell, Toph herself has said worse than that. That being said, it was a deeply hurtful comment and I do like to imagine that she apologized for it off-screen. 

“Toph is a lazy, entitled, and classist spoiled rich brat who just didn’t want to do chores and expected other people to wait on her.” 

This is another one that makes me roll my eyes and ask if they even watched the show. First of all, the presumption that Toph is a lazy or entitled person is just... laughable. I feel like people forget that Toph isn’t actually an earthbending prodigy in the way that Azula is a firebending prodigy (I could say more about Azula and how her belief that she was the unshakeable prodigal daughter ultimately caused her downfall and how by the end of the series Zuko is arguably a better firebender than her but this isn’t a meta about Azula and Zuko, now is it?). Nah. Toph was a sheltered kid who discovered she had the ability to earthbend, was told that she could never become great at it because she was blind, and in response said FUCK THAT and decided to work her ass off until she was not only great but the very greatest all thanks to her crazy, stupid, off-the-charts nerve, drive, grit, ambition, and desire to prove people wrong about her. Does that sound like a lazy person to you? Believe me when I say that you do not achieve that kind of skill level by sitting around on your ass and expecting to have things handed to you. And entitled? Don’t make me laugh. Toph hates having things handed to her, that’s one of her defining characteristics. 

As for the implication that she’s classist and enjoys basking in her family’s wealth and being waited on...... are you stupid? Did you even watch the show? Toph absolutely despises everything about her parents’ lifestyle. Growing up like that was traumatizing and restrictive for her. We’re talking about a girl who likes to play around in the mud for fuck’s sake. Toph does not care how much money you have. She never wanted any to begin with. She even says it herself; “I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. They gave me everything I could have wanted. But they never gave me what I actually needed - their love.” Not to mention that she easily could have continued to freeload off her parents wealth but instead chose to sneak out of the house and make her own money doing what she did best; disproving people’s assumptions about her earthbending. Oh and I’ve seen someone point this out before but WWE is generally considered a “low brow” activity that “proper” people frown upon and shouldn’t associate themselves with. Toph fucking loved it. I don’t know how seriously people take the comics, as they often miss the mark when it comes to characterization (Toph’s, however, was generally pretty accurate), but there’s a part in The Rift where Sokka asks her when she’s going to start charging people to learn metalbending and she gets all serious and flat out tells him that she will never do such a thing, because money doesn’t matter to her. Sharing her one true passion with the world is what matters to her. Oh and the part where she basically tells a bunch of rich and sleazy businessmen to fuck off and “stop thinking about money and start thinking about people’s lives” is just... *chef’s kiss* Sorry my thoughts here are so incoherent but this take is so piss poor and makes me so angry that I don’t even know where to start. As for “Toph enjoys being waited on” I just- *sigh* Toph has such a visceral and defensive reaction to any implication that she is unable to take care of herself. Like I said earlier, that’s one of her defining characteristics as well as the reason for her behaviour in “The Chase.” Where are people getting these takes?

You wanna know why Toph acted the way she did in The Chase? Well, first let’s recap her life up to this point. Toph was born the blind daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the Earth Kingdom. From day one her parents treated her like glass due to her disability. She was not allowed to leave her house unsupervised, and even then she was only permitted to walk around the gardens of her home. Every day of her life she was pitied, gaslit, babied, ignored, emotionally neglected, and made to feel ashamed of herself. She was not allowed to make any decisions for herself. She was not allowed to do anything for herself. She was not allowed to talk to other children. She had no friends. Other people didn’t even know she existed on account that her parents kept her locked up in her own home and didn’t tell anybody about her because they were so ashamed to have a blind daughter. Flash forward to “The Chase.” Toph begins to set up her own camp separate from the rest of the Gaang. Considering that she flat out was not socialized as a child and hadn’t even interacted with anybody her own age prior to a few days ago, this is understandable. So then Katara comes up to her and asks her why she isn’t setting up camp with the others as if she’s somehow incapable of taking care of herself (again, this is just what happened from her perspective) like she’s her mom or something and it just angers her because she thought she joined this group to get away from all that and she doesn’t understand how friends work because she’s never had one, all she knows is that apparently this girl thinks she isn’t capable of taking care of herself, and that infuriates her because it’s the exact same bullshit she thought she was running away from.

There’s a lot more I could say about this but I’m sick of typing so yeah in conclusion both of these takes are piss poor and I’m sick of having to read them. Stan Toph, Katara, and their friendship. 

[lbibliophile-atla]

What? It’s important to be able to keep your energy up in the absence of... ah... frying pans.

Super important firebending training that will definitely stop Ozai

[authorjoydragon]

I recently read this meta about how it actually makes a ton of sense for Toph to BECOME a cop, but it wouldn’t make sense for her to be a GOOD cop (and ultimately she was not).

When the Gaang created Republic City, Toph probably would have wanted to help out, but I doubt she would have any interest in politics. You know what she is good at though? Telling people what to do. Chasing down bad guys. Physical activity. Yelling at people. Keeping people in line. Telling when people are lying. Metalbending.

So it makes sense to me that she would be all like “Sure, sign me up.”

But there’s just one tiny problem.

What’s Toph not good at? Procedures. Rules. Upholding the law even when it’s not convenient for her.

This ultimately climaxed in her making the decision to cover up her daughter’s crimes, and it was perfectly in character.

You can also see her influence in how the RCPD will destroy entire streets and buildings first and then ask questions later. Toph wants to fuck some people up, but she wouldn’t and she was not good at actually upholding the law.

So yeah, her becoming a cop was not good for her, but it was in character and her ultimately being a terrible cop was also in character.

Hmm… I politely disagree. I don’t think it is in character for her to become a cop. Because Toph hates rules. She hates authority. She hates structure. If someone asked her to be the police chief and uphold the law… she would laugh in their face and tell them to get lost.

If she DID become a cop… of course she was bad at it. That part I do agree with!

Yes, she likes to help. That’s why I headcanon her as perhaps coming in as a private investigator when her specific skills are needed. She likes taking down baddies, but she doesn’t care much for law enforcing otherwise.

But really… I don’t think Toph would want anything to do with police or political work. She tried being an EK ambassador for a while and absolutely hated it (after Aang told her that no, you can’t punch someone you disagree with). I think at heart she would be a job hopper, getting bored and wanting to master something else just because she can. I see her being a metal bending teacher for a long time before getting bored and passing it on. I see her running the Earth Rumble Tourneys for a while, until something else interests her. Maybe she tries architecture for a bit (she does like putting up statues…). I see her traveling a lot, maybe helping the Fire Lord put some snobs in their place every now and then. Nobody else can crack this case? Chief Suki calls on Toph Beifong! I see her helping where she’s needed, but not wanting to be tied down.

Even when she has kids, it’s a new adventure and she kills it, but eventually… staying at home with the kids gets real old real quick. And she’s just itching to DO something. So time for a new job again!

That’s my thoughts on post-ATLA Toph, I truly don’t think she would be a cop.

[stitch1830]

ATLA Q&A

So I got tagged by @mycomfortblanket​ and @dannyurl​ but it wouldn’t let me reblog on the thread so I made a new one lol. Never really thought about these questions til now, so good exercise!

1. What is your favorite character?

Toph Beifong. Need I say more?

2. What is your comfort character?

Hmmm, does Appa count? If yes, then Appa. He’s a good, chill pal. I’d snuggle with him.

3. Which element would you bend if you could?

Probably earthbending. I like the fighting style of firebenders a bit more, but I think that the element of earth has more opportunities and possibilities to adapt the martial art and then also bending the different compositions of earth lol. Plus metalbending is a dope technique and I would love to be able to do that as well.

4. What’s your favorite nation?

Probably Earth Kingdom. Idk, maybe because it’s the biggest nation, so there are lots of different cities to travel to. I can’t really explain why it’s my favorite lol.

5. What makes you love ATLA the most?

Probably just the established world. If I ever try to make up my own stories, creating the setting and space the story takes place in is always the hardest for me. So the fact that there are multiple nations, maps, cities, and cultures associated with the story, and those background details are fleshed out is pretty impressive. And even as a kid I noticed that.

COULD GET YOU ATTACKED QUESTIONS

1. Who is your least favorite character in the gaang?

I think as a kid, I didn’t care for Sokka or Aang. Sokka seemed useless to the team to me as a kid and then all of a sudden he was an expert strategist in my head. And Aang bothered me because he was a bald kid with tattoos lol. Weird for my 10-year-old brain to wrap around at the time. I love both of them now, obviously, and see my flawed thought process as a kid lol. Otherwise, I never cared for Mai or Ty Lee.

2. What character do you think is severely underrated?

Mmmm, idk. No one from the Gaang seems underrated, nor do the main villains. I’ll find realms of the fandom that tend to overrate characters, so I feel like a lot of them get the love and appreciation they need. Even Cabbage Man has support. Like, okay.

Maybe Freedom Fighters? Like, all of the minor ones. They kind of come and go as they please, and they probably need more backstory than they actually get.

3. What’s your least favorite nation?

Again, as a kid I never liked that all the Air nation people were bald and had tattoos. Not the smartest logic on my end lol. But idk, I still prefer the other nations now.

4. What is your controversial ATLA opinion?

I actually struggle to watch the show now as an adult and after reading some fantastic posts on Tumblr about the show’s flaws. Obviously I shouldn’t judge the show based on bad writing near the end or series finale relationships, but I can barely watch it now without seeing the hints of romantic relationships and cringe or just... knowing that the outcome of the show isn’t what I particularly want to see. It’s easier for me to just stay in fanfiction and read about fan theories and then come up with my own outcomes. 

The show used to satisfy me, but now? Not so much. I like, only watch season 2 now if I want to watch it at all, mainly for Toph and because there aren’t as many obviously displays of Aang crushing on Katara.

SHIPPING QUESTIONS

1. What’s your favorite ship and why?

Canon ships only.

JK. Taang. Taang for days. As a couple, I see them having a lighthearted relationship where they know how to balance each other. They are powerful and strong and independent on their own and certainly don’t need to be in a relationship, but they would choose to be together because they add value to their lives and want to be together. They’ve got that classic ��opposites attract’ dynamic that isn’t like “I can’t live without you” feeling, but more like “You help me be better” feel. 

Before finding Taang, I never really shipped Toph with anyone, and didn’t even know she had canon kids until like... the pandemic started lol. I just thought she’d be a badass and wreak havoc on the world and be responsible for only herself. And if I did ship her with a character, it was usually Sokka bc of the angst and canon compliance it provided. But after reading a few Taang fics, there was actually potential for her to be in a longstanding and committed relationship with someone that made sense to me. It was cool to find a ship that opened my eyes to that, because otherwise, I would’ve never assumed or thought she’d ever marry or have kids or anything. 

Tokka is a close second because it got me into reading fanfiction, but idk Taang is just feels so right to me lol.

2. What’s your least favorite ship?

After reading lots of metas, I don’t like Mai/Zuko and Aang/Katara. They just rub me the wrong way now.

3. Do you sometimes self-insert?

As far as inserting myself into a romantic relationship with ATLA characters... No. Not my cup of tea.

I do sometimes create OCs that are just like... best friends with the Gaang and went through their own shit during the war. But they don’t resemble me at all. If anything, they mirror the personality of the character they’re close with, simply because I think friendships where characters have very similar personalities would be interesting. We see a lot of opposite duos, romantic and platonic, and I certainly do the same thing in my life (I have lots of friends where I am not like them at all, but we’re really close). But to see relationships where they act very similar... Interesting dynamic. They probably butt heads a lot and fight a lot, but also really understand what the other needs for help, and... yeah. Those friendships seem unappreciated to me. So I like to make those up lol.

4. What ship would you make canon if you were the creator?

I wouldn’t make ATLA about romantic relationships. If anything, I would emphasize the family aspect of the team, then let fans and audiences decide who works best with who ~after~ the show ends lol. I tend to like endings with open interpretation, and also, just based on my personal life/preference, I think it’s sometimes weird when really really close friends get together in relationships afterwards. Like, I’ll think of those friends as my family, and dating ‘practically family’ is sometimes weird imo lol. Of course, I know why those relationships tend to happen, mostly because those characters are the only ones that can relate to the war trauma they all went through, so I get that and love that aspect of it. 

I would certainly lean in the direction of the Big Three: Zutara, Sukka, and Taang, just by pointing out their dynamic, having them confide in one another, or something of the sort. But no one would like, get together at the end.

My thoughts on ATLA, and I’m going to tag anyone that wants to do this! I’m looking at you. ;)

[runicscribbles]

Time for a little Old Guard/ATLA meta, thanks to @itdans. Tried to figure out what kind of bending the Old Guard would have, both in their positive aspects and the negative when the form goes to its extremes.

Nicky is water, offensive and healing. He’s connected to the spiritual aspects of his element, but quick and vicious when he needs to use it to attack. Water is relentless, life giving but also unstoppable. It always finds a way through. The negative is when he gets too lost in the spiritual when faith conflicts with what's right.  

Joe is fire, passion and creativity but also nurturing at its core. He is the aspect of firebending when it’s the sun, the warmth that gives life. No lightning, he’s all bright red flames, showmanship, and efficient, deadly attacks that take down his opponents before they can even act. The negative is when he makes decisions with his heart and not his head.  

Andy is air, quick and adaptable which is how she's survived so long. She uses her environment and deflection to win with cunning and skill rather than just brute force. Though her element isn’t inherently deadly, she doesn’t use air to kill. It gives her speed and movement, enhancing her skills and her weapons to combine blade and whirlwind in a living storm. Her negative is that she's too disconnected from the world. 

Booker is earth, unyielding, stubborn, and brute force. His style isn't about skill or finesse, it's about power. He’s more defensive, guarding the back, protecting the front line, supporting them. His negative is that he can be authoritarian, so set in his beliefs that he decides what's right for everyone else and unable to change.

Nile is earth, but she's a metalbender. She's about finding new ways to change tradition, to make something unyielding into something malleable. She's just as fierce, as stubborn, as straight forward, as supportive, but she knows how to bend. She is the new heart of her team, a solid home built on unshakable faith in the goodness of people and the goodness they put out into the world. She holds them up when they fall and she always has their back. Her challenge is going to be learning how to let go and to move on from solid physical attachments in her past..

Quynh is tricky, but I settled on waterbender, and not because of what happened to her. She's graceful and dangerous, more an offensive style than air but more subtle than fire and more agile than earth. She was a spirit bender once and a healer, but her time in isolation has corrupted her so she communes with dark spirits and puppets men with bloodbending. 

[nyxelestia]

Not to mention that most of those elements *aren’t* touching the earth when they’re being bent; she can’t ‘see’ them.

Funny thing is, the one she can see would be mud-bending. She and Katara can both bend mud, they just do it differently; Katara makes mud flow, because she’s bending the water. That said, by mass, mud would generally be more water than anything else once it’s that mobile. Toph, bending the clay/earth in it, needs to tug at the earth inside the water. One could argue that mud is when earth “gets into” or messes up water, so mud-bending is just the earthbending of this ‘impurity’ of the water.

Now, how does metalbending get described in the show? What does Guru Pathik describe metal as having in it, when we see Toph bending metal for the first time?

That said, it’s not as if metalbending was actually her first time adapting another element to Earth. After all, she can’t see, she expriences the world through vibrations in the earth...except earth isn’t particularly vibrant. Barring earthquakes, it doesn’t actually move that much on its own, certainly not enough for most people to feel the ripples in it. But you know what does vibrate a lot? What moves a lot? What has ripples in it? What we use to hear the world?

Water and air.

Toph doesn’t need to learn how to adapt from another element because she already does it; she’s been doing it her whole life. She literally started earthbending by feeling it like water, and she actually can’t earthbend without them.

...which is probably why she’s the greatest earthbender in the world.

Avatar: The Last Airbender 1.05 | The King of Omashu