I wish the LOK fandom talked more about Opal Beifong’s childhood, specifically with regards to how she must’ve felt as the only nonbender (pre-harmonic convergence) in a family of earthbenders. Like how did she feel being the only grandchild of Toph, the first metalbender, who couldn’t earthbend? I’m sure Su and Bataar Sr. would’ve showered her in love and affection anyway, but as the only nonbender AND the only girl among four other brothers you can’t tell me she didn’t feel angry or insecure about her position, especially in Zaofu, surrounded by metalbending and metalbenders.
Can you imagine young Opal jealously watching her brothers train in earthbending and metalbending? Can you imagine Opal trying her very hardest to make a rock move, but nothing happening? Can you imagine Opal watching Wing and Wei play together, Huan make his art, and Bataar Jr. bring metal designs to life while she stands by? Opal is depicted as getting along very well with her family, including Toph, and she even is the first to extend an olive branch to Lin, but I wonder what would have happened if this hadn’t been the case?
Give me Opal Beifong running away from Zaofu multiple times as a child because she “feels like she doesn’t belong”
Give me Opal running crying to her parents because her brothers formed a “Earthbenders only” secret hideout.
Give me Opal Beifong having to tell grandma Toph the news that her little brothers, Wei and Wing, earthbent for the first time while she still hasn’t been able to move a rock.
Give me angry Opal, who can’t stand to see metal sculptures and rock formations all the time anymore because it just reminds her of what she isn’t.
Maybe one day Opal just decides she has enough, and leaves Zaofu for good. It breaks her heart to say bye to her family and everything she’s ever known, but she leaves and travels a bit, and she feels like she can properly breathe again without all the metal around. She spends some time in the forest with Toph, goes and explores Republic City, etc...
And then she finds out she’s an airbender. Opal’s spent her whole life feeling like she couldn’t measure up as a Beifong or an earthbender, and all of a sudden, she’s an airbender?
Give me Opal experiencing cultural whiplash when she starts her airbending training. She throws herself into it of course, but she’s not used to meditating, being vegetarian, or many of the air nomad traditions. It’s all very confusing, because wasn’t she supposed to belong here? Why does it not feel right?
Give me Opal coming to the realization that yes, she is a Beifong, and yes, she is an airbender, and she is allowed to celebrate being both at the same time. Give me Opal who learns not to define her worthiness over her ability to bend earth, metal, or air, and who realizes her family bonds surpass any bending ability at all. That’s how I want to see Opal being so consciously dedicated to her parents and family, so much so she’s ready to break air nomad tradition to save them when they are in danger.
