There is much talk about Toph’s inventing metalbending, and she is clearly an absolute genius, but you know what I love about her even more?
Toph’s response to not being able to control sand absolutely perfectly (as in hold up a sinking tower with one hand and fight off a gang of sandbenders with the other) is to work on her sandbending until she’s fully in control of every speck of dirt.
She is so wonderfully stubborn - she pursues bending not as a tool to defeat someone or gain power, but just to prove that she can do it. She’s the basic researcher of earthbending - just keeps pushing the limits of what can be done with no mind to the practical application.
