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[Look, it's not because of his sentencing that he's making a message like this; he's been meaning to apologize to everyone that he hurt last month. Stupid Jerry and the stupid council had kicked him to high gear, but he definitely doesn't feel forced talking like this. Just. A little anxious and shit, because who wouldn't be?

Maybe it would be better if he just personally reached out to those that were affected, but honestly, some memories around that time are foggy. Kind of happens when you have a splitting headache from your powers while dealing with anger caused by corruption.]

Hey, uh, in case you didn't know, I was the one that destroyed the club building. [Kotone didn't mention it in her broadcast, because she's that kind of person, but he'll own up to it.] Thanks for everyone that's helping out with that, by the way. I'm gonna be working on rebuilding too. Can't have TWAT club without the building, right?

[Ha ha......]

Just wanted to also apologize for everything. Especially if I hurt you, I... I don't remember some of it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen and shit. So, uh.

[.....]

Just wanted to say that.

[SMOOTH AF. Just going to end the feed now.]

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[ Toph scoffs out a laugh. It's not a nice laugh exactly, but she doesn't seem offended either. ]

It's fine, I know it's a big deal for you seeing people. [ She makes it sound like an alien species. ] You probably stumble around like a total baby when you can't see anything.

[Just a bit defensive--]

Yeah, well not all of us have earth powers to guide us if we suddenly lost our vision.

Sucks to be you.

[ That's an easy, off-the-cuff retort, but a moment later Toph relents a little. ]

I have to have my bare feet on solid ground to use it. And I am actually blind all the time.

[ She's not looking for sympathy here, she's just saying: it's not the end of the world to be actually and effectively blind some of the time. ]

[Some of Scott's own defensiveness dies a little as well. He's still not entirely sure what to say here, but uh, guess he shouldn't be a prick. Even if she has super cool earth powers, it still kind of sucks to be blind, right? Like even though he has really destructive eye powers, he can basically only see in red now.

Same thing??? Sure.]

At least we're on the ground most of the time, right? And you must hate flying then.

[ It still kind of sucks to be blind sometimes indeed. Toph typically hates admitting it, but she does still admit it. It's not like she can pretend she can read. Some things just can't be faked. ]

Yeahhh, flying and water. I used to have a hard time with sand, too, until I figured it out. And I have to guess projectiles based on how somebody telegraphs launching them into the air. I'm pretty good at it, but it's still annoying.

Point is, even awesome people like me have things they have to work around.

[...That's pretty cool, honestly, that she can detect projectiles based on how people launch them in the air, but sounds like she doesn't need a bigger ego boost.]

It was either train a lot or sit around being blind, right? And the latter would be really lame.

[ She absolutely doesn't need the ego boost, though she always appreciates the validation. ]

No kidding, [ she bursts out, suddenly emphatic. ] I came up with the form of earthbending I use to 'see' and nobody really believed me as a kid. They always wanted me to sit around and be led everywhere. It sucked.

[He's not supposed to feed her ego but--]

Shit, really? You created that form all by yourself? You really showed them. Their faces must've been hilarious, although, guess that's still the only thing you couldn't catch huh.

You'd think, but there's just something about this little blind girl showing everyone they're wrong about an art thousands of years old that's hard for people to swallow.

Eh, screw them. There's always a bunch of stupid adults that can't deal with change and everything. Or actually admit that we're sometimes better than them.

[Not that Scott's really had anything amazing to contribute back home, but super not the point. He just thinks that he doesn't need the approval of any of his teachers or whatever.]

You got that right!

[ Now that's an attitude Toph can support. ]

What about you? Do you do anything cool with your eye blasts?

[Scott honestly doesn't think he's done that many cool things with his powers. He definitely didn't reinvent the wheel or anything. Course, he can't say that now, not after hearing how cool Toph's been.]

I mean, I blow stuff up with my eyes. Can't be cooler than that.

Sounds like somebody needs to practice more to me.

Practice blowing things up more? [Oh, back to the slight attitude again.] Yeah, I got that covered, thanks.

Not like I can change my powers to do something else.

You're right, better to just go back to blasting buildings willy-nilly and being sad about it afterwards.

[Oh she's talking about control. Right, got it. Great. His favorite topic in the world.]

If you're telling me to try and fully control my powers, I literally can't. You don't think I've been working on that since I got here, with multiple people?

[ Toph wasn't actually intending to talk about control explicitly -- she has no idea how big an issue this is for Scott -- but she can't resist an invitation like that. ]

Oh yeah? What've you been doing?

[ She's legitimately curious. ]

Just... testing them out. [Wow, so detailed!! But Scott starts elaborating, sounding a little more tired this time.] Seeing how long I can keep my blasts going, what they can break through. Aiming and everything.

[A whoosh of air leaves him, audibly heard through the devices.]

Like, I've done better with that sort of control. I just can't turn them off, not without closing my eyes or wearing my glasses. Can't control the intensity either.

Edited 2024-03-11 16:59 (UTC)

[ Toph picks up on his tone more than the words themselves, and nixes her original impulse to say, I can't exactly turn it off, either. She's turned her disability into something amazing, something that defines her and that she's proud of, but it sounds like that is very far from the case for him. ]

... It's really caused you a lot of problems, huh? Not just with the weird rot disease.

[ That has to be true or he wouldn't sound so depressed about it. And look, she can be empathetic when she wants to. ]

...Yeah, it's been a problem for almost a year now.

[Scott appreciates the more empathetic edge to her voice, but strangely, his resignation and exhaustion about his powers has somehow helped? Like a tired acceptance.]

But look, I... I don't want to sound like I'm whining. It's a power and it's a part of me and I'm learning to live with it. There's no point hating the situation I'm in, right?

[It's what Mikey said to him those months ago. He normally can keep it together, but just, bad experience lately and all. Just a small reminder how much things can really suck.]

Good, because I don't put up with whiners, [ she says bluntly, and she absolutely means it. Her metalbending school has a sign out front that reads, Do you need a spanking today? That's just Toph's kind of energy.

But it's not because she's heartless; it's because she sincerely believes the best way to work through something is head on, no matter how many times it takes smashing yourself against the wall. Not coincidentally, it's what makes her such a good earthbender. ]

It's not a 'situation', it's who you are. If you don't like it then it just means you have a lot of work to do.

[...Who he is, right. Yeah. She's not wrong. Funny how she's really able to understand this despite being younger than him, not to mention that this is the first time they really talked. She's pretty cool, kind of inspirational, but he's not saying that.]

...Yeah, it's not like I'm gonna return back to normal. I... this is who I am now. [Mutant. Kid the shoots optic blasts. Apparently 'Cyclops' in the future, if Quentin is to be believed, but that's a different bag of worms.]

Edited 2024-03-17 19:39 (UTC)

[ It wasn't a simple or quick process for Toph to come to the conclusion that she's proud of her disability, that she's amazing in part because of it and not in spite of it. She hadn't wanted to leave her parents and she hadn't totally believed there was something out there for her beyond being undisputed Earth Rumble champion years running until Aang had challenged her.

And Toph can never, ever back down from a challenge. It's an immutable part of her personality that had run right up against her unquestioning status quo a little over a year ago. Now she's world-famous and she's a teacher. A great teacher, and moreover, she enjoys teaching.

She wants other kids, students of any age, to reach the same confidence that she has: not just confidence in her abilities, but confidence in herself. ]

Would you even want to, at this point? What's wrong with who you are?

...The answer better be 'nothing' or I'm tracking you down to hit you.

[Would he ever want to go back to who he used to be? Some moody teenager attending public school back in Ohio? Not really, because he didn't care about his time there, or much of anything, never finding a place to fit in it. Weirdly enough, he started to fit in more when he got the eye lasers, because everyone just felt like a freak like him. Strangely, he was almost normal compared to some.

But also, he's not a huge fan of the whole 'never being able to take off his glasses again.' Always seeing things in red. Maybe hurting his friends. ...But also protecting them. Doing more than he ever could.

It takes a moment for Scott to respond, thoughts swirling in his head, but.]

Geez, uncalled violence. [He sounds a little amused though again, so thanks Toph.] Fine fine, 'nothing.'

[ Reality is the way it is and the sooner you stop crying about it and make it work for you, the sooner you start to really live your life. That's Toph's philosophy, anyway. Maybe he'll never be able to take off his glasses; maybe he'll always have to be careful of not hurting anyone else.

Doesn't seem that bad a trade-off for being powerful to her. ]

Not uncalled for -- I always hit people who're wasting time feeling badly for themselves.

[ Absolutely true. ]

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