Love is Blind...And Bald- An Avatar: The Last Airbender- Toph/Aang Manifesto

[x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com]

Title: Love is Blind… and Bald
Author: x0whitelily0x
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Spoilers: Season Two Spoilers
Note: Short, I know but quality over quantity, right?
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: TLA, or any of the characters. If I did, Zuko would be with the Gaang, Yue wouldn't have died, and Sokka would've kept Foofoocuddlypoops.

 

Love is Blind… and Bald

This isn’t a very long manifesto, due to the fact that Toph has only been around in the second season anyway. Not to mention that they don’t have much private interaction after the first few episodes… It's also my very first, so please be gentle with the reviews ^.^;


Aang- The Reluctant Avatar

At first when we meet Aang, he is no different than any other 12 year-old boy (if with a touch of ADHD). The fact that he had mastered Airbending at such a young age probably should’ve tipped us off that there was more to him, but since it’s a very free-spirited Bending Art, it didn’t sink in. As the show continues, and he still doesn’t display any great maturity or wisdom, it is easy to assume that he really is just like any other 12 year-old boy. When he starts having a crush on Katara, the only girl he’s ever really gotten close to, it’s no surprise. However, it is soon shown that he is suffering from a great deal of guilt and pressure; mainly brought on by the fact that he is the Avatar, charged with the duty of keeping balance in the world, and also that he abandoned his people right before they were wiped out by the Fire Nation. Combined with his naturally peaceful- almost wimpish- attitude, it doesn’t seem very likely that he’d be ready to save anyone by the time Sozin’s Comet arrives and grants Firebenders the power they need to end the war.

Toph- The Blind Prodigy



Toph got a whole lot more character development in one episode than most get in five. We are introduced to her at a secret Earthbending tournament, although her face is familiar from when Aang had a vision of a girl in a fancy dress in a magical swamp. Her parents coddle her and keep her secret from the world, because she was born blind and they think that she’s delicate, so she sneaks out and participates in these underground tournaments whenever she can. She is (arguably) the greatest Earthbender that we have been introduced to, and uses vibrations in the earth to figure out where everything and everyone is, despite her blindness. She uses Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu for Earthbending, as opposed to the rest of the known world, which uses the Hung Gar style (possibly because she had to teach herself how to Earthbend, as her parents would not let her teacher teach her anything too dangerous). The more we get to know her, the more we see that ‘the Blind Bandit’ is far more her than ‘Toph Beifong’ ever was. Strong, independent to a fault, and rivaling Sokka in sarcasm, Toph would seem to be the antithesis to all things Airbender-y.

The Horizon where Earth and Air Meet

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much about TophxAang that would attract people, does there? Other then the fact that they are both 12 year-olds, the similarities simply do not seem to meet. Besides that, they are children. Their concept of romance shouldn’t be much more then, ‘Hee hee, we’re holding hands.’ ‘Ew…cooties…’ (Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating). Not to mention that both of them have developed crushes- Aang on Katara, and Toph on Sokka.

However, they compliment each other almost perfectly, each one covering for the faults of the other. Aang’s natural peacemaking-attitude is able to put up with all of Toph’s barbs and stingers. And when she pushes him too far, he is able to stand up for himself. Through her, he learns endurance and how to fight back, instead of just avoiding something (which is the natural way for Airbenders to fight). This is something very important for him to know, since he is the Avatar and will have to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and end the war. He cannot just keep with his passive fighting tactics if he wants to accomplish this, and he’ll have to tackle this duty head-on as well, with no distractions.

Likewise, Toph learns from Aang that sometimes it is best to compromise. When she was trying to teach him how to Earthbend, he just wouldn’t get it, no matter how hard either one of them tried. She was insistent on using a very aggressive approach, and refused to listen to anybody. But in the end, she does change her methods (if only slightly), and successfully teaches Aang to Earthbend. She even dubs him Twinkletoes, and this is the only nickname that she uses continually throughout the series (she calls Katara 'Sugar Queen' once, and 'Sweetness' another time, but that's it), and he responds to it from the start. They do have a connection, though the nature of it is debatable.


TophxAang in Canon

Admittedly, there is not a whole lot of canon evidence for this pairing. The fact that Aang’s been focused on Katara from day one doesn’t exactly help matters, either. At least with Toph, while she does have a crush on Sokka, hasn’t been showing much of an active pursuit.

However, the two do have their moments. In ‘The Swamp’ episode, when Aang sees his vision of a faceless girl giggling with her flying boar, a lot of fans began to suspect that Katara might not be his only opportunity to have a girlfriend. Especially since this swamp was also where Sokka had a vision of Yue. According to the old man who lives there, the swamp shows visions of people they’ve loved, people they’ve lost. While this might mean that Toph will die or be lost to Aang at some point, it also means that at some point, Aang will love her. It may be familial love, mentor love, or the romantic love us Taangers are hoping for, but he will love her.

Later, when we actually meet Toph, Aang is determined to make her his Earthbending teacher. During a dinner he has with her family and teacher, he keeps trying to drop hints about how talented she is to her family. This does not amuse her, so she keeps using her Earthbending to make him shut up. When one of her little escapades ends up with his face in his soup, he is quick to return the favor.

After dinner, she goes to his room to declare a truce, and the two go outside to the garden to talk. She explains to him about her Earthbending and how she can see with it, and how her parents insist on treating her like a fragile doll. Aang keeps trying to get her to come with him, and after a point it seems like he isn’t just worried about getting a teacher, he wants her to come, and to get away from this place where she isn’t happy. But before he can convince her, they get kidnapped.

After a scene where Toph proceeds to kick the tar out of the kidnappers and their accomplices in front of her father, she then proceeds to be put under more or less house arrest, and her parents refuse to accept the real her. They send the Avatar and his friends away, but before he leaves, this little scene emerged.

Aang: "I’m sorry Toph."
Toph: "I’m sorry too. Good-bye Aang." A single tear runs down her cheek.

It’s hard to believe that this strong, independent girl would allow herself to cry just because she couldn’t leave with someone she barely knew. Aang has begun to mean something important to her- he listened to her complaints and didn’t judge her, and he found the real Toph and brought her out for the world to see, which was what she needed, whether she would admit it or not. As Aang looks out at the Bei Fong’s mansion, and has a brief conversation with Katara.

Katara: Don't worry. We'll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing Earthbenders out there.
Aang: Not like her.

Interpret that however you want, but don’t you think that he means more than just her fighting style? Up until the point where Toph comes running up to Appa with her pack and travel clothes, Aang looks upset and regretful. But as soon as she shows up, his mood is immediately lightened, and he is eager to have her come along- the fact that she Earthbends him into a tree doesn’t damper his enthusiasm either.

Unfortunately, after this episode, Toph and Aang have a noticeable lack of canon evidence. In ‘Bitter Work’ Toph picks on him and tries to get him to teach him very aggressively. But watching her tease him like that is adorable, and it reminds you that they really are just children, even though they have to act grown-up all the time. Their interactions are sweet and funny, and it is clear that they have a relationship that is different that Aang’s and Katara’s or Toph’s and Sokka’s. Whether this will evolve into anything romantic has yet to be seen, but there is always hope.

TophxAang in Fanon 

Taang doesn’t have a very large fanbase when you compare it to some others- like Kataang or Zutara. However, it does enjoy a good deal of popularity and theories. One popular one is that Toph is the reincarnation of the woman whose face was stolen by Koh, due to the fact that in Aang’s vision, he could not see her face. To add to that, Koh was in a swamp-like area of the Spirit World and Aang had his vision in a swamp. There is even a Taang community here on LiveJournal, go look it up!

If you are interested in Taang, here are some good places to go to meet other fans.

Taang fanart clubs:

 

http://tophang.deviantart.com/ - Larger then the one above, and more diverse, but both are worth checking out.

http://tophaang-club.deviantart.com/ - A small but dedicated club, with a lot of good pictures in their favorites.

Taang fanfic communities:

 

http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/36556/3/0/1/ - Another one dedicated to Toph, but more focused on pairings. A good amount is Taang, but there are some Tokka and Katoph as well, so be prepared.

http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/35520/3/0/1/ - This one has a lot of wide range of story types, but all are about Taang! Most are drabbles, so it’s good if you just want to read some shorts.

http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/31980/3/0/1/ - The smallest, and it has a lot of cute drabbles. Good if you don’t have much time on your hands.

http://www.fanfiction.net/c2/38819/3/0/1/ - Dedicated to Toph and her character. There are a lot of well-written stories, but not many are Taang.

Comments

[erinlin.livejournal.com]

Good manifesto! I've always been fond of that pairing.

And just to let you know, you have a broken underline tag somewhere.

[x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com]

I noticed ^.^; Don't worry, I fixed it. Thanks for the support, though.

[zidane.livejournal.com]

(psst...you need to close your underline tag)

[eg06.livejournal.com]

OMG. yes. this is awesome. i've always had this crazy idea that the best pairings fall under "opposites attract", which is why i ship Zutara and Taang. it makes sense. yin and yang. it's perfect!! hah! take that kataang! lol. nice manifesto, loved it.

[sergelia.livejournal.com]

I may not be the greatest Taang shipper ever - even though I'm a big Zutara supporter, I just never felt at ease with Toph ships - but this is one GOOD manifesto. Kudos. You've managed to dig out my love for Taang from its dusty closet. ^^

And one seriously needs to ask himself what was the point of the utter emotionality of "The Blind Bandit" if there was *never* meant to be anything between Toph and Aang.

But, people can argue that she wasn't crying (serious vocabulary shortage here) because she couldn't leave to teach Aang, but because she couldn't leave. I think it was somewhere inbetween, but the "he listened to her complaints and didn’t judge her, and he found the real Toph and brought her out for the world to see, which was what she needed, whether she would admit it or not. " part just swapped me off my feet. Beautiful.


Thank you for this.
Sergelia/Watershade

PHAIL

[(Anonymous)]

This fails at competing with the kataang manefesto.

Re: PHAIL

[raven-mirta.livejournal.com]

Shut up.

Anyway, to the writer, good job! We may still have hope. ^_^

Re: PHAIL

[lunaaddictus.livejournal.com]

Who cares? I like this manifesto. Why does it need to compete with the kataang manifesto? >.> Kataang isn't the only ship in the A:TLA universe, ya know?

Re: PHAIL

[xlovelylightx.livejournal.com]

Hmm... Why am I not at all surprised that your comment is an anonymous one, or that you feel the need to shoot down someone that doesn't agree with you?

lunaddictus is right, Kataang doesn't have to be shipped by everyone, and it's not the only ship with potential, just because it's canon. This is fandom, and everyone has the right to their own interpretation of the show, or the right to express their love for their ship without being harrassed, whether you like it or not. So stop embarrasing your ship and the people who follow it.

[karnimolly.livejournal.com]

I have nor REAL problem with Taang but that it's mainly shipped by Zutarians to keep Aang away from Katara. And that doesn't make it canon. By the way, I don't think your arguments are this striking ô__ò° Toph cried not because of Aang, but because her only chance to ever get away and see the world is gone with him. And Aang is sad because he really came to like Toph. I don't think, this has anything to do with love ó____ò°° Aang gets along with EVERYONE, but with Toph least of all. They are friends, damnit. Is it not possible in Avatar, that there could be a sympathy WITHOUT love? ;___;

In my oppinion, Taang is as canon as Katakka XDXD

[x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know it's not canon. But then, neither is Zutara, Ty Lokka, Jetzula, or any other pairing I ship xD It doesn't stop me from hoping that it'll happen and speculating on it's possibility of becoming canon. But really- to put Taang on the same level as an incestual relationship? Don't you think that's a bit overboard? And so what if it is mainly shipped by Zutarians? Quite a few shippers I know only like Zutara because it opens up Aang for Toph, and there are plenty of Zutara shippers who don't like it at all and prefer Tokka. It's true- at first I only liked it because I was tired of hearing all the Kataang shippers saying that if Aang isn't with Katara, he'd die old and alone. I even jumped at the thought of Ty Laang! But just because that was the first reason I liked it, doesn't mean it's the only reason. After seeing their interaction, and how awesome Toph was, it didn't matter any more if Taang would make Gran Gran snog Fire Lord Ozai! I loved the pairing.

Also- how do you know for certain that Toph was crying because of that? I stand by my belief that Toph would not cry just because she couldn't leave- even if only a little, she wanted to go because it was with Aang. Of course it wouldn't have anything to do with love- they are only 12 years old and just met each other. But that doesn't count out that they could fall in love, and that they definately did have an emotional connection. Even if they are just friends at that point- to make such good friends with someone in such a short amount of time- don't you think that's a little out of the ordinary?

And the fact that Aang doesn't get along with Toph that well is what makes the pairing so interesting to me. Because they each need qualities that the other has- for Toph, patience, compromise, and the ability to think outside the box; for Aang, endurance, aggresiveness, and the abilty to stand up for himself. If he was with Katara, he'd never learn any of those things- not the way she coddles him. Likewise for Toph and Sokka. In my opinion, 'like attracts like' may be most attractive in the beginning, but 'opposites attract' is better for a long-term relationship. /rant

[karnimolly.livejournal.com]

That I put Taang on the same level with Katakka had nothing to do with the incest! o.o Ok, let me say it is as canon aaas... aaas... er... Zutara? XD

I'm a crack-shipper, too (a few of my fav-pairings are Azutara, Jetko and Monkjet) so don't tell me anything about fanon-shippings oTT^TTo

About this "to make such good friends with someone in such a short amount of time" ô_ò You have to admit that this is a lot more intensive with Aang and Katara. They knew each other the same time Toph and Aang got to come to know each other when Katara was ready to LEAVE her tribe without permission. She's ready to risk her life for Aang (see ep.4 "warriors of Kyoshi") and he's ready to risk his life for her ^^°

Gooosh, I'm so sorry that I have to say this, I really hate to argue, but... "opposites attract" is the most false sentence I've ever heard ;___;°°° It's true, if I was together with someone, who was like me (nousy, egozentric and short tempred), we would blow each other up (like Zuko and Katara would do XD), but I wouldn't like my opposite either. It would be too stressfull. There HAVE to be some similarities at the right point and there HAVE to be some differences at the right points.
What I like so much about Kataang is that Katara and Aang are each other's rocks. Wether platonic or not, their relationship bases on so much trust ;___;° And in my oppinion that's the most important thing in a relationship.

You are really free to ship Taang in fanon, but how would you react if I wrote a ship-manifesto in which I'd explain why Azutara is kind of canon? You would wonder. So do I ^^°°

[x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com]

I know that putting Taang on the same level as Katakka didn't have anything to do with incest. What I meant was that it isn't really fair to put a fairly plausible (thought not very likely) pairing on the same level as one that doesn't have a single hope of ever being canon (given that it is a Nick show, and incest = bad for small children's minds. Mine too, if it comes to that). Putting it on the same level as Zutara is much better, tho I personally think that Zutara is much more canon.

Yeah, you're right- Aang and Katara do have a much stronger bond than Toph and Aang (personally, it's always seemed like a maternal bond, at least from Katara's standpoint). Although, you have to take Toph's nature into account. We've all seen that she's a fiercly independent girl- it's not surprising that it'll take more time for her to become close to anyone. Katara is just naturally more trusting. Yet despite her nature, Toph still managed to bond with Aang and become good friends with him.

*shrugs* Maybe complete opposites won't work for you, but they might work for someone else. I've seen many relationships work out between polar opposites, so 'opposites attract' isn't always false. In my experience, it's been better for them in a relationship than if you're with someone too similar. You do need some similartities,- but the differences should outweigh them. That delicate balance between personalities is what makes the relationship strong.

And personally- if you ever wrote an Azutara manifesto, I'd probably end up shipping it by the time I'm finished xD I tend to do that- especially if it's as well written as your comments ^.^ *is all fired up from debating*

[karnimolly.livejournal.com]

"especially if it's as well written as your comments" ;___; I hope that wasn't ironic oTT^TTo I'm from Germany and I know my English is a mess *cries*

Yeah, the prob is that though I kinda ship Zutara, I feel obliged to defend Kataang. And you're Zutarian. So here we stand, Shipping 'gainst Shipping, and like the Zukataang-war will never get any end, I don't think we will come to any compromise ^^°
But at least we can say: We're all Avatarians, and that keeps us together in the end, wether we have Kataang or Zutara as OTP or wether we're crack-shippers or none-shippers ^^°° *hoistes a white flag with "Avatar rulz!" written on it*
<--- *pacifist* >__

[x0whitelily0x.livejournal.com]

It wasn't- I promise! Your arguments were well-thought out and easy to read. Trust me, your English is much better than half the people on the internet >.<;

Ah, so you play the devil's advocate? I commend your bravery in these oh-so-dangerous shipping wars xD Let's face it- if Zutara or Kataang ever did become permanently canon, it wouldn't stop anyone. The debates are almost as much fun as the actual shipping.
*salutes the flag*

[(Anonymous)]

@arguments: I have so much more, but sometimes I'm not able to express myself in English. And I don't think it would work very much, because nothing is harder to change than people's minds ^^
But thx for the compliment ;)

What does it mean to be "the devil's advocate"? ^^° Sorry >.<

Ah, I just don't really like this war. I think it's such a pity that there always have to be fights between Avatarians ;___;° It's just like the war of the Avatar-World: it will never find any end until there comes any Avatar to settle between them XD But as you said, even IF one pairing will become canon, that will not stop the Zukataang-war ^^°

[karnimolly.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I'm sorry. I forgot to log in -.-°°

[xlovelylightx.livejournal.com]

It doesn't really have anything to do with love, no, but it tells us how important Aang has become to Toph. Aang was Toph's first REAL friend, and for her to miss him and her only oppurtunity to be free, is a huge step in their relationship. Especially since they've known each other for a short time, but Aang was the first real person who understood and sympathised with Toph, and liked her for who she was, so there's no wonder why she would be upset.

Also, I would like to say that I DON'T ship Taang to keep Toph or Aang away from anyone else, but because I genuinly feel that they would make a good couple. It is possible to ship another pairing, without the motive of getting one character out of the way, so that another pairing can happen. In fact, I have a friend who mainly ships Taang, but ships Zutara side, and so do many others, so Taang is far from a compensation ship.

And x0whitelily0x is right, it's bit of a stretch to compare Taang to an incestual relationship.

[karnimolly.livejournal.com]

Gosh, it's almost a year ago that we had this discussion x___X

I already debated about all this with x0whitelily0x and because I don't want to argue with anyone anymore, plz read my comment on her answer :]

[kaibasgirl.livejournal.com]

*cough* totally sticking my nose here, but can I just say that the myth of Taangers shipping Taang just to get Aang out of the way for Zutara is a TOTAL LIE?

Because I'm a hardcore Maiko shipper, and the first ship I've shipped since being introduced to the show was Taang. I, quite frankly don't give two flipping hoots about Zutara, and in my opinion both Zuko & Katara could just die. Except that that would make Mai sad, so he can live. Katara can die instead :)

[netbug009.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. I'm more of a tokka person now, but I used to be a major Taang shipper and was always kinda neutral on Zutara. ^^