Rent Free Mind of 626

Another one from @twinkle-toph, as delightful as the last of theirs that I rec'd:

The Art of Misdirection (ATLA, 6.5k words, Rated G)

A delicious slice of Tokka. Featuring flexibly-moralled detective!Toph and keeps-getting-roped-into-it sidekick!Sokka and plenty of cloak and dagger shenanigans! But what if the real suspect was the feelings elephant in the room along the way? xD

He’d been her first and only choice for a reason. Not because he was the most charming or the most agreeable (he wasn’t), and not because he had some elite knowledge of noble behavior (he definitely didn’t), but because he was the only choice for her. Even without knowing the stakes, even without being briefed or bribed or threatened, Sokka would have her back. And if everything went sideways—and it might—she knew he’d keep his cool. Or at least scream internally.

Hi Anon :) I fear I can’t ever think of one singular headcanon for those two at a time so here’s a short list of ones I’ve jotted down for the purpose of fic writing this week:

Toph very much abuses the fact that Sokka constantly forgets she can truthseek him. An example of this would be that he’d insist he's fine, and she'll deadpan, "Your heartbeat says otherwise, Snoozles." Every single time, he’ll groan, say something about how she shouldn’t be truth seeking him, and she’ll shrug, waiting for him to fess up on what’s bothering him. (Also, 99% of the time, she just knows something is wrong without confirming with his heartbeat through the ground)

Sokka has an entire catalog of these accommodations he makes for Toph without thinking about them anymore. He keeps walkways clear (despite her not necessarily needing it), describes people's expressions during conversations, and doesn't even realize he's doing it until someone points it out. He’s thoughtful, but it’s merely a kneejerk type of thing with her

Whenever Toph gets injured, Sokka gets quiet. Everyone else thinks he's handling it well until they realize he's skipped meals and hasn't slept because he's too busy hovering and worrying until she tells him to cut it out and that she’s fine

Sokka is the only person Toph consistently lets touch her face. She'd never admit it out loud, but sometimes she'll reach for his hand and guide it there herself when she's feeling vulnerable, though she’d never say it aloud

Toph has no patience for romance in theory, but she's quite sentimental in practice. She remembers every dumb thing Sokka has ever made her, every joke he's repeated a hundred times, every terrible little haiku because he won’t stop coming up with them. She'll roast him while secretly keeping all of it in a little corner reserved for him in her head that’s already becoming overpopulated

Sokka's love language is fixing things and Toph's is making room. Like, he’ll build her things and carry burdens she doesn't ask him to carry, and will anticipate needs before she voices them. Toph, meanwhile, lets him rest, be scared, fail. But she also gives him somewhere he doesn't have to be the responsible one all the time

Neither of them says "I love you" first after fights because they’re so stubborn but they’ll apologize through actions because they both know how much more significant those are to one another. Sokka will cook her something, and maybe Toph will sit close enough that their shoulders touch

Toph either independently finds Sokka’s space sword, or she announces a random trip that they go on and his only task is to ask no questions, only to find that they’re arriving where the war ended several years earlier in order to find the sword

If marriage is in their cards, he makes her a betrothal stone, rather than giving her a necklace, and in return, she’ll make him a ring when it comes to their engagement

Hii Anon!

Thanks for this! Primarily, I write (and think) about Tokka, and it’s pretty much what I put most of my free time into lol. Other ships I participate in are Kanto x Toph, which I think is my second most-written ship on AO3 right now, I love Zuko x Suki and should definitely write more for them. Another Sokka ship I adore is Sokka x Yue—we needed them to have more time :( Suki and Ty Lee also have a spot in my heart; I definitely need to do more exploring in that realm. Oh, and Azulaang. I do love me some Azulaang 🙂‍↕️

Won’t go off on ships I dislike to avoid any discourse lol

But thanks again for this ask (and if you have any recs for any of these ships, let me know hehe)

The hard part about shipping Zuko/Toph and Kanto/Toph is that the nature of Kanto changes depending on what story that I'm writing. If it's the regular verses that I write, then Zuko and Kanto are the same person with an added layer of depth that the persona of Kanto was created solely to be with Toph.

Now, if it's for this other verse that I'm creating, Zuko and Kanto aren't the same person.

Are they rivals for Toph? No, even worse.

"Why would I let my little Kanto be with a mean girl?" "I don't know, a girl that's a little mean isn't too bad."

Working for nobles had its wins and losses; Kanto counted the heaviness of his pockets by the end of the day as a win. The loss was when he inevitably got blamed for being lowborn when his "betters" were treated to their dues. But meeting her was a win. Of that, he was sure. ( or, kanto meets up with someone and comes to a heavy realization)

Check out this oneshot here: [ x ]

They needed to spent more time together 💖

I read bunch of fic and now I hooked on zutoph little fire family.

I love avatar (face/hair studies using the goobers)

Some more toph sketches/practices.

I’d love to hear more about them!! :D

STITCH!!!

You got it, pal! Sorry for the wait, I wanted to make this special for you. ^.^

[Left to right: Tenchi, Chojun, Lin, Houa, Suni, Ying, and Gyatso] Click for better resolution.

My Taang dunebabies:

Tenchi (He/Him) - Airbender

•Age: 27 •Sky Bison: Poppy

The man who carries his father's legacy. Tenchi maybe an airbender, but his teaching methods scream Earthbender.

He named his sky bison after his grandmother - Poppy.

Chojun (He/Him) - Earthbender

•Age: 25 •Sky Bison: Razor

AKA Mr. Tofu, at least that's what his mother calls him. Chojun is a skilled farmer and master gardener. The man has dedicated his life and the Beifong Estate to the growing and harvesting of soybeans.

Despite being an incredibly talented Earthbender, Chojun was bonded to a sky bison.

Lin (She/Her) - Earthbender

•Age: 23

Reserved and headstrong, Lin, is an architect by trade but her real passion is archeology. On any chance she gets she explores and excavates ancient air temple ruins.

Another passion of hers is a certain steamy prince from the Fire Nation. She's calm and collected most of the time until he shows up.

Houa (She/Her) - Airbender

•Age: 22 •Sky Bison: Taro

Pronounced "HWA." Houa is actually named after her grandmother. During their travels, Aang and Toph uncovered old Air Nomad records and discovered the names of Aang's parents.

Born to soar, you would swear that she was a bird.

Suni (She/They) - Airbender

•Age: 20 •Sky Bison: Socks

You can always find Suni with a book or scroll in hand. They work as the Western Air Temple's head librarian.

Ying (She/Her) - Earthbender

•Age: 17

Her goal is to succeed her mother as the world's greatest Earthbender. She is the assistant instructor at her mother's Earthbending Academy.

Gyatso (He/Him) - nonbender

•Age: 15

He has the heart of an Airbender but the sensibilities of an Earthbender. A talent for baking and cooking, Gyatso hopes to become a famous chef.