#so do all the dunebabies

[stitch1830]

I would like to ask several questions regarding Taang, which would be much appreciated.

First, what would be the headcanon for the Dunebabies once all of them reach adulthood?

Second, what would be the headcanon for each member of the family (Toph and the Dunebabies) in regard to their interaction with the new Avatar?

Thank you in advance.

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask! It’s been a while since I’ve thought about my Taang headcanons, so hopefully these will be suitable haha!

For context, my Dunebabies are Lin, Gyatso, Suyin, and Kenji. Boys are airbenders, girls are earthbenders.

Okie dokie! Let’s get into the question.

I haven’t really thought too much about the Dunebabies as adults. My favorite parts of ATLA to explore are the mysterious years between ATLA and LOK when the Gaang are in their prime. Still, it’s hard not to think about the next gen becoming adults, starting their own families, etc.!

For Lin, I typically have her becoming the Chief of Police for Republic City. It’s an emotional day for the Beifongs, but Toph and Aang are very proud of all of Lin’s accomplishments. Not sure about who she’d end up with, but I imagine that she’s in a happy relationship, perhaps with a kiddo or two 0-0. Lin’s got a more lighthearted personality than in the show, but she’s still relatively stoic. Aang jokes that she gets it from the monks lol.

For Gyatso, he really falls into the role of being the airbending master after Aang. He manages the Air Temples, works closely with the Air Acolytes, and is a free spirit that’s flying around all the time. I’d imagine it would take him the longest to settle down with anyone, but it’s a possibility! He’s an absolute sweetie so he’s a catch <3

For Suyin, I see her being this adventurous, city building matriarch. Not sure I headcanon that she’s with Baatar, but never say never with my AU LOL. She definitely gets started on having a family the earliest, from the start she wanted a big, loud, rambunctious family (kind of like the one she grew up with). She loves bossing people around and being a leader/trailblazer, so I think establishing Zhaofu is a great career for her haha!

For Kenji, he’s a bit of a mystery for me. Very similar to his parents, he has trouble staying in one place for long. But since he leans more into his Earth Kingdom heritage/earthbending tendencies more than the Air Nation/airbending tendencies, I think he tries to fight the thought of being this figurehead for rebuilding the Air Nation. He wants to create his own path, and so for a while, he’s out there trying to compete in pro bending tournaments, Earth Rumble events, creating new fighting techniques and all that. Kenji is very close with Toph, so I think he’d turn to her for help/advice, and when Aang dies, he’s always returning home to check in on Toph. Like Gyatso, he wouldn’t settle down quickly, but I can see it happening if he finds the right person!

Tbh, I think all the Beifong kiddos could have their own families, especially because they grew up in a very close family.

When it comes to meeting the new Avatar, I think they all spend a few moments with the Avatar Korra, but they find it so strange because they see/notice bits and pieces of Aang in this little kid. They still miss their dad so much, so noticing these details makes them a little emotional. But, they’re glad that Aang’s spirit lives on in Korra, and they want to honor him by doing what they can to make sure she gets the proper training and is ready to take on the role and responsibility.

Toph knows this is the new Avatar because she can feel all the similarities, particularly with her heartbeat. I think if Toph was emotionally available/able to help with the Avatar search, she would've found Korra pretty quickly just based on the heartbeat.

It's a bittersweet feeling for Toph, and she takes some time to come to terms with it because she misses him so much, but I think when the time came, she would find Korra and train her in earthbending. Partly because she wants to, and partly because she knows it's what Aang would've wanted.

Plus, she'd get to yell at Twinkle Toes again, and she never minds doing that haha!

Okay! I think that's all I got for these questions. Thanks again for the ask, Anon! If I missed anything, feel free to stop by with some more questions. Hope you have a great day :D

......

Send me asks about ATLA, LOK, or anything, really! :D

[theotherace]

Taang Fluff Week 2021, Day 5: Family | @taang-fluff-week

I still have absolutely no energy, so here's a compilation of some of my favourite drawings of Aang and Toph's family from the last year.

[stars-and-darkness]

Everyone stop what you're doing, I just had a breakthrough!

Post-war Air Nomads aren't the Air Nomads of the past. These are people whose ancestors escaped Sozin, and assimilated into the other nations to hide. These are people who've lived their whole lives not only as Air Nomads, but also as EK/FN/WT. So the new Air Nomads would have to accomodate the fact that some of them probably DON'T want to leave the lives they've had up until now entirely behind like they tried to do in LoK, only to be depicted as awful and in the wrong because of Br/yke's AN fetish.

Where am I going with this? An airbending duneboy, with Toph's silky black hair, okay? A duneboy whose hair has been his pride his whole life! He keeps it long, wears it in cool styles ... everything.

This duneboy has to shave his hair once he gets his Air Master tatoos, but unlike Aang & the airbenders of the past, he grows it all back.

(Because dunebabies aren't JUST Air Nomads, they're also EK, and unlike a certain "sweet and innocent" ship, where whether a child was WORTHY of their parents' cluture was determined by their bending, dunebabies are well-versed in both, proudly declare themselves both, and are fully supported by both their parents)

[authorjoydragon]

Okay what are your ATLA next gen headcanons? Can be dunebabies or steambabies.

Oh but stitch I have so many!!! I keep changing this too which is why it’s taking so long to freaking answer you my bad LOL

Aang and Toph have a plethora of children, and sometimes when they visit places they... well they forget to do a headcount. There’s many a times when they have to go back for a forgotten child, and also many times when they realize there’s too many children? “Twinkletoes. That is not our child. We stole someone’s child.”

The dunebabies absolutely destroy the FN palace and it drives Zuko INSANE especially because “Toph why are you encouraging them STOP IT.”

It’s not like Katara and Zuko can refuse visits- they do love seeing their old friends after all- but they have to prepare the whole palace staff for the chaos of the Beifong family.

And yes Aang is so used to his nomadic parenting style that he doesn’t really get it when Katara and Zuko complain that he swapped their kids when he’s trying to leave. “Okay but they’re fine? You act like I can’t teach them fire-bending or water-bending too!”

[gemgirl28]

I like to think that the steambabies might be a few years older than the dunebabies, and the steambabies take big cousinhood VERY seriously. They have lots of important questions for their Uncle Aang and Aunt Toph.

I can kind of imagine Zutara having two kids pretty close in age, and then a couple years later Taang have a kid, and then Zutara have a third kid, and then Taang have a second kid.

Ok so first off yes, and let's talk about why.

So as much as I love Zutara, I don't think they should have been canon at the end of book 3. I mean she was 14! And he was 16! They were all KIDS! I know exactly ONE couple that got together in middle school and have been together since and they are cute and wonderful and an ANOMOLY. LET THE KIDS GROW UP BEFORE YOU MARRY THEM OFF. Sukka should have been the only canon endgame couple and I will die on this hill.

So what does this mean in canon? Lots of pining. So. Much. Pining. *Points to every 150k+ slow burn fic on ao3*

It also mean the gaang gives Katara and Zuko endless shit when they finally do get together because it only took them FOREVER to figure out 1. they have feelings for the other and 2. the other person likes them back.

But as long as it takes Katara and Zuko to figure it out? It takes Aang and Toph EVEN LONGER.

Ok that's not quite true. Toph figures out her feelings for Aang once she's old enough pretty quickly, but he's her best friend and she is VERY in denial.

It takes Aang much longer and when he does he has a panic because holy shit it's HIS OTHER BEST FRIEND and that already didn't work out once.

So basically to sum up, Zutara has kids first because they have their first kid right around the time Taang finally get their shit together admit their feelings for each other.

Meanwhile Sukka just laughs at both couples for how long it took them to get together. However I do see bladebabies (is there another name for Sukka kids? Idk) happening around the time as steambabies (maybe less than a year between the first blade/steambaby) because Sokka and Suki take a hot minute to decide where they are settling down.

And yes, the older cousins are VERY protective of their baby cousins and take their jobs as The Oldest so seriously.

[su-univeralai]

Hi Su! I have a question....

What were Toph and Aang's reactions to all their pregnancies/incoming dunebabies?

Oh boy! This is something I have strangely haven't thought too hard on, but here goes something:

So I HC them popping out babies from a young age, earlier than the rest of the Gaang, which is a shock to everyone. Gyatso is the oldest of all the next gen babies except Azula's daughter, who is three years older than him.

Gyatso: I think Gyatso is born when Toph and Aang are around 18 or 19, and is definitely a surprise. They had been dancing around admitting their feelings for each other until they were 16 and now 2-3 years later, they've got a bun in the oven. They both intended to be life partners, but Toph hadn't considered being a mother, yet. Both were nervous about being parents because Toph didn't have a great time growing up with hers and Aang grew up in a community. But with a lot of help and bothering from Katara, the pregnancy goes well and the Gaang eases their nerves of becoming parents.

T&A = 19

Three years later

Lin and Tenzin: Gyatso begged Nana and Amma for a little brother or sister since he could talk. Toph had always intended to have multiple children once they had Gyatso since she hated being an only child, so now was a perfect time to have a kid. Of course they were shocked when she heard two heartbeats instead of one, and that got them nervous for a new reason. They'd be outnumbered lol. Even as wombmates (lol) Tenzin and Lin fought with each other, making for a rough pregnancy.

T&A = 22, G = 3

Six years later

Suyin: Su was another surprise baby. After the roughhousing that the twins did in Toph's womb, she was good with three kids, but fate had another idea when Su was conceived. Now, in their late-twenties and with the rest of the Gaang popping kids out left and right, they didn't have to worry about Su being younger than the rest of her siblings.

T&A = 28, G = 9, L&T = 6

Five years later

Songa, Kera, and Choekyi: Yet another surprise with becoming pregnant. An even bigger surprise when they realized they had one-upped themselves by having triplets. Aang and Toph had tried having another kid a couple years after Su was born, but never succeeded and gave up. With Gyatso, Lin, and Tenzin now being adolescents, and there being triplets on the way, Nana and Amma roped the three of them into contributing to taking care of the rapidly growing family.

Toph was done with giving birth after Choekyi came out and threatened Aang not to get her pregnant again.

T&A = 33, G = 14, L&T = 11, S = 5

But alas, another three years later Gyun came around.

Gyun: Toph was not happy finding out she was pregnant again. Weren't seven kids enough? apparently not. Even the rest of the Gaang had stopped having kids at this point, but Toph and Aang were making an army of dunebabies - unintentionally of course. Aang was thrilled to be having another kid because their family was starting to become like his childhood, a community as a family, but everyone had the same parents!

T&A = 36, G = 17, L&T = 14, S = 8, SK&C = 3

One year later

MeiLin: They actually conceived MeiLin quickly and was trying for her, wanting Gyun to have someone around his age to play with. By this time, Toph being pregnant was a family affair and everyone took part in raising the family. MeiLin and Gyun are known as Irish twins because they were born within a year of each other.

T&A = 37, G = 18, L&T = 15, S = 9, SK&C = 4, G = <1

Three years later

Tiao Wu: The last surprise, and a difficult pregnancy. Toph destroyed the fighting ground she was practicing on when she felt the heartbeat of Tiao Wu in frustration. Katara had told her that she couldn't get pregnant anymore just a few months ago, but lo and behold, another baby. Aang nervously laughed more scared at what Toph was going to do than worrying about a 10th child. Let's just say that Katara got an angry welcome the next time she and the family visited.

T&A = 40, G = 21, L&T = 18, S = 12, SK&C = 7, G = 4, M = 3-4

LMAO Ok stitch! Here are the reactions of all the children that Aang and Toph have. I think... more than half of them were happy surprises? That's 21 years between the oldest and youngest of the dunebabies

[rllymilerlly]

Do you have any hcs of the dunebabies and steambabies on a playdate or older and hanging out? .O.

Yes I do have some!!

And this is inspired a lot by conversations with @alchemickatara bc they are so big brained.

So Toph and Aang actually have Tae before Zuko and Katara even thought about having kids. But after watching little 1 year old Tae they are like well shoot maybe we should?

So I’m not sure exactly how many Steambabies I think Zutara would have, but I’m think rn 2 daughters: Kya and Mika. So that’s what I’m going to kind of roll with rn

-Katara Aang and Suki would 100% set up play dates for their kids as much as possible. They would also use their ‘play date’ time as spilling gossip time. So please imagine: The Avatar, Captain of Kyoshi Warriors, and the Water Lady walking around in a small farmers market with a baby on their hips, talking shit.

-Kya and Tae are best friends since Kya could walk and talk. (Tae thought baby Kya was boring but now she’s cool). They stir up all sorts of trouble together

-Mika and Kya lets Dhara ‘dress them up’ for formal dinner events. And yeah they sort of end up looking like clowns but that’s okay

-Mika tries to help out Gyatso with a crush he has on a cute little firebender. And that ends in disaster

-As they grow older they all make it their goal to bother their parents as much as possible (at least that’s what their parents start to think). They love teasing them so much and pulling pranks and to their parents dismay they are getting really good at it.

Overall they all grow up very closely knit together. Some even more so than others. And while they do have other friends outside their family, they do favor eachother a little more

[atomic-bomn]

Crossposted from the taang discord

I JUST HAD THE BESTEST OF IDEAS!!!

I WAS ALWAYS WONDERING HOW A DUNEBABIE WOULD BE EVIL AND OR BE BAD AND I JUST GOT IT! I

IMAGINE IN THIS AU THEY MAKE SUB-BENDING REQUIRE A LICENSE DUE TO HOW POWERFUL SUB-BENDING IS, THIS STARTED OFF AS EASY PUNISHMENT TO NO LICENSE BUT AS CRIMES (Why am i screaming?) Got more intense and the war with involving the earth kingdom (Against pretty much all nations) turns more and more against the earth kingdom The Earth kingdom cops get more and more corrupt/Violent agains all benders (Except Earth benders) and non benders alike and one time

They catch a Certain Earth bender Metal bending (Dunebabie) and since he has pledged his loyalty Against the Earth kingdom for their horrific war crimes they view him as a trader and they want to "Make sure he doesnt do it again" (Beat the hell out of him) and they track him to Air temple island in the middle of the night

(And bring crossbows. Firearms come later in the story) And he realizes what is going to happen so he shoos his little sister and girlfriend off (I do nt even have him fleshed out god forbid you think i have them fleshed out either) and they are on the small dinghy questioning/teasing him and And his little sister to play a prank makes a gust of wind which in turn trips one of the officers making the boat lurch and the officer with the crossbow looses control and accidentally lets it go and it launches out spearing through his girlfriend who tried to Shield the little sister But it pirced through her into little sister (Inspired from X men apocalypse) He rushes up to them and in his anguish he uses metal bending to take Little sis's Meteorite Bracelet and spears through the officers necks using the bracelet he puts it under his feet and floats away coincidentally passing by the street/people that told on him and makes a sentimental speech and then makes a sinkhole to envelop the street

Eventually joining A bad group of ther fankids that I Dont have named yet

[getinthering]

Taang Week Day 3: Spirit World

“i believe that i know you”

tw: major character death

@taangweek Day 3: Spirit World

In the swamp, we see visions of people we’ve lost, people we’ve loved, folks we think are gone. But the swamp tells us they’re not. We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion and so is death.

After Aang’s death, Toph leaves Republic City and their family and friends to feel closer to him.  Takes place in 153 AG, some time after Aang’s death.

Read on AO3

[A/N: I should say here and now that in pretty much every ATLA thing I create (except for Modern AU or unless otherwise stated) has Aang/Toph at 16, Katara at 18, Suki at 19, and Zuko/Sokka at 20, because writing for/as children just makes me uncomfortable idk.

This one was frustrating but fun!  I’m a big fan of bittersweet writings so here we are.  I liked Lin/Suyin’s canon dynamic too much to not hc both of them as Taang’s kids, canon Bumi is just very Dunebaby energy to begin with, and I kinda just recreated Tenzin as Tashi for my own reasons.]

She had always thought that Avatars were supposed to live exceptionally long lives.  True, Kyoshi’s age was a great exception no one expected to ever be replicated again.  That didn’t change the fact that Toph had always assumed she would have at least another decade with Aang.  

She felt lost without him now.  Neither had ever been the most present parent to their four children, despite their best hopes and efforts.  He had his Avatar duties, she was Chief of Police.  There was constant rivalry between the kids, which she supposed they both encouraged (perhaps her a little more consciously than Aang), and there was now a large chasm between her and their children.  She knew that Bumi, their first-born, had always felt neglected and left out as the only non-bender in the family, whereas Tashi, their youngest, was the only airbender and thus was taken under Aang’s wing.

Toph’s hands were most often full with their two middle daughters, Lin and Suyin.  They were both earthbenders, both two sides of the same coin, and she supposed that—combined with her stubborn Beifong blood—was the reason they had the deepest feud within the family.  She tried to give them the freedom she longed for as a child, but it only ended with her eldest daughter all but refusing to talk to her, and Toph and Aang having to send Suyin away to live with her parents.

It had been too much for her then, almost ten years ago.  She passed the title of chief of police onto Lin and decided it was time to finally spend some time with her husband.  They traveled for a while, mostly to the Air Temples to check in on his Acolytes or the Earth Kingdom where her family was.  She was proud of her husband for finally achieving all he had wanted, grateful that he had an airbending child to pass it onto.  But she was never one to simply tag along on someone else’s adventures, not even for him.  They struggled to find balance while roaming the world endlessly, just as they had as children.  

By the time they neared their mid-sixties, they had finally settled into a routine they thought they could live with throughout their retirement.  They had a home on Air Temple Island near Republic City.  The kids all had their own lives, their own stability.  Their attention was no longer divided between young children, their careers, their city, their homelands.  It was just theirs for the rest of their lives.

She never expected “the rest of their lives” to be a mere two years.

***

“Mom, that’s ridiculous, you can’t just leave.  You just settled into your retirement!” Bumi insisted over the dinner table where the three of them sat.

Toph sighed jaggedly.  Of course it had been a bad idea to tell them she was leaving.  “No, your father and I settled into our retirement,” she snapped.  “You think I want to just sit around every day by myself?  No!  I’ve spent my whole life on the road and that’s where I belong.” 

(maybe that’s a lie maybe she had been excited about settling down maybe she hated traveling at this point)

“Mom,” Tashi interjected, trying her best to remain calmer than her brother.  “If you’re lonely, you know that Jinpa and I would be more than willing to move back home to Air Temple Island.”

“I’m not lonely,” Toph protested, slamming a fist on the table perhaps too roughly.  “I didn’t have to tell you, and I wasn’t going too, but I didn’t think you’d all be silly enough to try and fight me.” 

“Thanks for that, Mom,” Bumi grumbled.

She spent the next hour fighting off her children’s arguments.  Her mind was made up a long time ago and although she would never admit it out loud, she missed Aang too much to stay anywhere near the city they had helped create.  Every corner burned with memories of him.  Their home echoed with emptiness.  There had even been nights she had bolted up, drenched in sweat, grasping the sheets begging to find him.  She could swear that she could hear him whispering to her, just quiet enough that she couldn’t make out the words.

The only memory of him she could stand to be around now was their children.  She wished desperately to have them all together, for them to be some semblance of a real family in the wake of his death.  But they were scattered—Lin in Republic City, Suyin in Zaofu, Tashi split amongst the Air Temples, Bumi traveling constantly with the United Forces.  No matter how hard she tried, there would never be a way to be connected to all of them at once.  Not here, like this, anyway.

Eventually, Tashi and Bumi accepted that there was nothing either of them could say to keep Toph in Republic City and dejectedly said their goodbyes to her before parting ways.  She kept up the stony-faced façade she had always known best while she finished packing her things, making note for most of them to be sent to her children.  She wouldn’t need them anymore.

She had told the two of them that she was simply returning to the nomadic life she and Aang had shared after her retirement from the police force.  It would be true, for a while; she had plans to visit the Earth Kingdom again, stop in Zaofu to see her grandchildren and tell Suyin of her new search for enlightenment, maybe even see her old friends one more time.

She wouldn’t tell any of them that she was really going to the Foggy Swamp.  They would only try harder to talk her out of it, tell her the swamp was dangerous for an old woman, that she was being ridiculous and irrational.  Really, she had never felt more sure of anything in her life.  Her heart belonged with her family and with Aang gone, it felt shattered.  She was desperate to put it back together before it broke her.  She knew of only one place that could make her feel connected to all of her children and Aang at once.

***

In her mind, Toph had a clear image of what she remembered from the swamp.  She had visualized her new life there over and over.  Stepping into it now, she was blindsided by a chilling feeling she could not quite place, like a wind threatening to barrel her over.

The one possibility she hadn’t allowed herself to dream now coursed through her mind as she ventured deeper into the heart of the swamp.  

(what if he’s not here what in the name of the spirits would she do with herself) 

It was not as if she could go back to her old life.  She would have nothing left to keep her afloat, no hope of ever seeing Aang in this life again.

(maybe she shouldn’t have left maybe the hope was what kept her going) 

Eventually she reached the banyan-grove tree at the heart of the swamp.  Discouragement sinking in her stomach like a rock, she leaned her back against the tree and slid to the ground.  Toph Beifong had only cried a handful of times since her young childhood.  The only person in the entire world who had ever seen her so vulnerable had, of course, been Aang.  Somehow, even from the start, he always knew when she needed him.

(which was fortunate because she would never tell him that)

He would come find her, no matter where she was, wrap his arms around and silently hold her close to his chest until the steady beat of his heart and the warmth he radiated soothed her.   She hadn’t even cried when he died, not properly.  

Now, alone in this ancient swamp, Toph let go of her strength and let herself break.  Sobs wracked her frame.  She could picture how ridiculous she must have looked: a blind, middle-aged earthbender, sitting on a mucky floor, screaming with grief like she never had before.  

She had abandoned her children, her city, her entire life to venture into the Foggy Swamp.  It was supposed to be a Spirit Wild, supposed to be the connection between the two worlds.  But it was foolish of her to believe she would find her husband here; he was the Avatar, his spirit was reborn into a new body, surely there was no reason to find any Avatar in the Spirit World..  

As she let her anguish consume her, slowly icing her to her core, she imagined that this was it for her, the end of her line.  

A flash of warmth spread throughout her right side, a faint but familiar scent wafting around her.  At once, her tears stopped and she jumped, alarmed.  Every muscle in her body tensed as the sensation gradually transformed into reassuring arms around her shoulders.  Everything clicked in her mind as she heard the voice she dreamt of every night, simply murmuring,

“Toph.” 

“Aang?  Aang, tell me it’s you, tell me this isn’t some dark spirit playing a dirty trick,” she gasped, unwilling to trust her senses.

“It’s me.  I’ve been waiting for you.” 

At that moment, she was sixteen once more, sitting side-by-side with a young monk, and she knew that she was home.

[stitch1830]

Hiya Stitch!!! I hope you're doing well!

Who would have the more chaotic household, a Taang household or a Kantoph one?

Hi Ronin, thanks for the ask!

Good question…

With Taang and Kantoph, both couples and families are pretty chaotic. Aang and Toph like to wreak a bit of havoc together and always bring out the fun, “immature” part of each other out. They’d both prefer to just have fun and enjoy their lives. They instigate one another (in a good way), so it creates a bit of chaos.

With their kids, I’d say Toph takes on a more responsible role, Aang is the playful one. But that’s not to say that Toph isn’t playful! She just tones the chaos down just a notch.

With the kids, they have a very open, slightly carefree style of parenting. Their kids explore and go on lil adventures, Toph and Aang try to just let them do their thing and not rain on their parade. Of course, they get nervous sometimes, but they trust their kids and their kids know they can call Taang at any point.

With Kantoph, I think their chaos is a little more tactful. Pointed. They’re not really the pranking type, although there are a few occasions where they’ll instigate something. Usually, it’s them running off to do their own thing away from the crowds. And despite Kanto being pretty mischievous, he’s typically the one that mellows out Toph for the most part.

And with the kids, Toph is the calm, chaotic instigator. After work she typically tries to rest and relax with the kids, but if they’re ever wanting to train or do something that’s a little crazy, she’ll be all for it. But Kanto is trying to be the responsible one and it is a Chore. He freaks whenever the girls nearly get hurt or fall, and he just panics at the mere thought of them hurt or in pain. And the girls think it’s hilarious when Baba is Stressed Out, so that’s just chaos on its own. All the girls are doing crazy little things to get Baba to freak out, and it’s turning Kanto’s hair grey, that’s for sure. Whenever he tries to call Toph over for backup, she teasingly brushes it off until she decides to put her foot down and stop the chaos. Usually, though, she makes Kanto sweat it out for a few minutes longer haha!

My Taang AU has four kiddos, and my Kantoph AU has seven. A little more firepower from the Kantoph side of things, but don’t be fooled. The Dunebabies know how to wreak havoc. Gyatso and Suyin are the “troublemakers” in particular. And Lin typically gets roped into things. Kenji is the baby of the family and can do no wrong ;). Although when he started flying around the city and Toph couldn’t find him… that was a stressful day.

If I had to choose one, I’d say that Taang is a little more chaotic! They have a more open style of parenting that sort of leaves the aunts and uncles stressing out about the Dunebabies. Toph and Aang worry, but they do it in a way that still promotes their kids to be adventurous and curious.

The Kantophlets tend to get tracked down by Kanto and he frets a lot over them (hard to not freak out when there are six baba’s girls running around the city and he’s trying to keep track of all of them!). Because he’s a little more protective and worried, the family’s chaos is pared down just a little bit. I also think I tend to think of the Kantoph household as a little less adventurous? They’re a beach vacation kind of family whereas Taang they travel all the time and go to different, a little more dangerous places. Not saying Taang’s day-to-day life isn’t dangerous, but I think as the Chief and Deputy of Republic City, the danger feels a little more targeted and tangible. So, they try to keep their private life on the down low.

So, there ya have it! Taang family a little more chaotic than the Kantoph family :) Would love to hear your thoughts though, Ronin!

Thanks again for the ask, and I hope you have a great day! :D

……

Send me asks about ATLA, LOK, or anything, really! :D

[stitch1830]

do you have any taang headcannons

Hi Anon, thank you for the ask, and your patience! I've been neglecting my asks, but not today! lol

I do have some Taang headcanons! Believe it or not, they were my OTP back in the day, and they still have a special place in my heart :) But enough chatting. Let's talk about headcanons!

I like to think of Toph and Aang as the people in the Gaang that get together last, but they somehow end up married first (that is, in a Zutara/Sukka/Taang universe lol). They deny their feelings for quite a while because they're best friends, but then they can't ignore it anymore and they start to date! And then a month or so later, they end up married (kind of a What Happens in Vegas vibe haha!) But Toph and Aang are rather chill about this, and they just move on as a married couple LOL.

They settle in Republic City, mostly because they like the area and because they are prominent figures in getting the city up on its feet.

I like to HC that they have four oops kiddos haha! All were happy accidents, and the dunebaby names are Lin, Gyatso, Suyin, and Kenji. The girls are earthbenders, and the boys are airbenders. The babies are pretty spread out, but I like to think that Lin and Su are still born in 120 AG and 126 AG respectively. Helps me keep track of the timelines haha!

The Beifongs have a very busy and hectic life, but Toph and Aang always find the time to be with their family and to travel around the world. As the kids get older, they take them on Avatar business trips more often than not. But when they were little, Toph and Aang typically left them with their grandparents. They liked having their work trips and family trips separate as much as possible in the beginning.

Aang and Toph aren't big on PDA, but I like to think Toph's love language is touch, so she'll often stand close to Aang so their arms touch, or she'll pat his hand or lean her head on his chest for a second. Aang definitely likes to prolong these moments lol.

Aang is an early riser, and Toph isn't. But she's a light sleeper, so even though Twinkletoes gets out of bed quietly, she knows that he's awake and she finds it hard to fall back asleep without Aang there. So she's usually up with him, albeit a lil grumpy lmao.

Aang and Toph are the fun uncle and aunt. They like to wreak a bit of havoc and convince the steambabies or bladebabies that breaking the rules is okay LOL. The other members of the Gaang get a bit of a headache whenever Auntie Toph and Uncle Twinkletoes visit, but they are grateful for a bit of parenting reprieve.

They don't argue with each other much. Well, they do, but it's typically about things that aren't that important. They did argue a bit early on with some of Aang's responsibilities and him splitting his time at home and out working, and it's typically a battle for Aang to have Toph open up to him, but over the years they've been able to figure out a pretty good way to communicate with one another and talk through these issues.

Aang loves to cook, and Toph loves to eat! But whenever she has a hankering for meat, they agree to go out to eat. Sometimes, Aang will cook the main dish and Toph orders a side of meat from some nearby restaurant lmao. That, or Sokka's in town and he cooks the meat while Aang cooks the veggies haha!

Okay! I think those are the main ones I have right now! If you have specific questions about Taang or the dunebabies, feel free to ask another question and I'm happy to elaborate :)

Thanks again for the ask, Anon, and I hope you have a great day!

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Send me asks about ATLA, LOK, or anything, really! :D

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Hey Stitch! Hope you’re doing well my friend!

I kid you not, I finally have some free time for the first time in months and I’m spending it by starting a Taang One Shots “re-read”

WE MAY NEVER KNOW HOW YOU CRAFTED SUCH A MASTERPIECE!

Take care :)

Thea!!! So good to hear from you! I’m glad you’re finding some free time, life certainly does get busy :)

Goodness, it’s crazy to think I’ve been done with that fic for some time now :O I admit I haven’t really written for Taang in a while but I’m still very fond of my lil universe, especially the dunebabies! Those kiddos deserve the world <3

I’m so glad you like that story to this day. Maybe if we find another ATLA renaissance I’ll find more inspiration to write for lots of ships once again! :)

(Of course, I’m always happy to chat, I just have to dust off that universe au and remember all my headcanons hehe)

Anyway, thanks for sending an ask! So lovely to hear from you, and I hope you have a fantastic day!! :D

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Send me asks if you’d like :)

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Fluffy Taang thoughts:

It had always intrigued me how does Toph manages to put all that beautiful hair of hers in that elaborate bun everyday. Also, I think she would be super particular of who’s allowed to touch her hair and who’s allowed to see her how she puts her hair in her elaborate do. One day, Aang watches her do it and he becomes mesmerized by it. Once, they’re together, he begs her to be allowed to help her do it, which she declines but agrees that instead he would help her at night removing the all the pins that holds the style together. So this becomes a routine and then she allows him to brush her hair every night as they prepare for bed. During that time they talk about their day and catch up with anecdotes about their kids or just say sweet things to each other.

You probably have a better HC about this but is the first thing that came to my mind when I saw your emergency call for fluff. Hope it helps! 💚🧡

Nanu! Thank you g this is needed lol. And I can work with any fluffy HC just give me a starting line LMAO.

I agree that Toph's hair is a very personal thing for her, even if she doesn't make a big deal out of it. There's this one ALTA culture post about her hairstyle that makes me HC that there are some things about her childhood and/or family that she cares about enough to maintain in her everyday life. Because otherwise, she seems like the kind of girl that wouldn't care about maintaining her hair or keeping it so long if she resented everything about her family. I also think it's a cute HC that Poppy and baby Toph would have bonding moments where Poppy helped comb through Toph's hair or helped put it up.

So because she has this mini tradition with her mother, I think it makes sense that she cares about who helps put her hair up or even helps her let it down. She definitely has an order to how to let her hair down and take the pins out and she shows Aang all the steps (and his mind is blown by the process because it doesn't even look like there's an order to it when she just does it on her own. It's second nature for her). It takes him a while to get the hang of it, but once he does, they can have a full-on conversation without even thinking about their nighttime routine. Aang likes to take his time so that they can spend forever talking with each other. Toph doesn't mind either lol.

Aang knowing the process helps in a pinch too when Toph is so exhausted from work that she just immediately falls asleep in bed. He always takes the time to let her hair down when this happens, and sometimes she wakes up the next day bewildered that her hair is down, but then is all UwU when she remembers that Aang did it.

When they have little dunebaby rascals, Toph would definitely show the girls how to take care of their hair, but she doesn't expect them to keep it long or up the way she has it. Sometimes the boys want to learn too, but they keep their hair too short for any serious hairstyle tips.

Toph's hair was probably the last thing that she ever changed up, but after years of managing it and busy life, I'm sure she's had to change her hairstyle in a pinch, maybe even chopped it off once or twice because of the maintenance it requires. It's a rare occurrence, though, because the whole family loves the routine. Suyin has been known to throw a few fits whenever Mama changes her hair.

Side note, and it took a lot of convincing, but Toph finally caved and let Suyin play with her hair and put it in different hairstyles for practice. Suyin absolutely loves Toph's hair.

Thank you for the ask Nanu!

Fluffy asks are always appreciated. Cute and fluffy are in my alien DNA (get it? bc stitch is an alien? lmao I'll go now)

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Hiya Stitch!!! I hope you're doing well!

How do you think elderly Taang would handle becoming grandparents? How would they react to their grandchild?

Have a Taangtastic day, pal!

Hi Ronin! Hope all is well, and thank you for the ask!

Good question, and rather appropriate, because it’s been a while since I’ve chatted about Taang headcanons and I miss my dunebabies LOL.

So since it’s been a while, my main dunebabies include Lin, Gyatso, Suyin, and Kenji. I don’t necessarily go into grand dunebaby details because I like the idea of leaving that up to one’s imagination, but I think it’s possible that all the dunebabies grow up to have families of their own.

Su seems like the first dunebaby to have kids, and she probably starts her family relatively young. I think at first, Aang would freak out a bit, only because Suyin is a baba’s girl and so he’s a little overprotective with her. Toph on the other hand would probably know that Su is pregnant before she even realizes it haha! Toph is pretty relaxed about it all, but she makes sure that Suyin is happy about this revelation and whatnot. Having a kid young is tough work, so Toph just checks in with her baby girl.

Overall I think Toph and Aang would be very happy and supportive of Suyin! She doesn’t necessarily live in Republic City anymore, so they don’t get to see her often when she’s preparing for the baby’s arrival. I can imagine that Toph and Aang visit Su once the baby is born, and that’s when it hits them that they’re grandparents.

Aang would definitely get emotional. He’d think about the passage of time, he’d think about when Suyin was first born and what that was like for both him and Toph, and he’d think about the future, how this baby will grow up and how they’ll interact with their aunts and uncles and future children that come along the way. He’d get swept up in all of it, especially when he holds the baby for the first time.

Toph would likely feel the same way. After all, she did marry the sentimental Twinkletoes, his personality rubs off on her just a bit LOL. But she keeps her feelings at bay, and no one really notices that she thinks and feels all the same things that Aang is feeling when they hold their first grandchild. I think her mind would also wander to the thought of the Air Nation being reborn through their family, and she smiles at the thought of Aang’s heritage and culture continuing on as the generations continue.

As far as how they interact with the baby as they get older? Well, Toph and Aang like to spoil their grandkids in things and experiences, mostly to bother the kid’s parents LOL. Toph and Aang love spoiling the kid and they love getting under Suyin’s skin. It’s all in good fun, of course, no boulder are thrown post-teasing/rule breaking session.

Okay! That’s all the ideas I have for now when it comes to Toph and Aang’s first grandkid. If you guys have any HC’s about dunebabies or grand dunebabies, I’d love to hear them! Feel free to stop by my asks, and I’ll get to them eventually :)

Thanks again for the ask, Ronin! Always nice to hear from you, bud :) Hope you have a great day!

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Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

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Hey Stitch, do you have any cool new Taang ideas? Your Taang stories are the best!

Ronin hi! Thanks for the ask, and it's a good question haha.

So I have a few Taang WIPs that I've been uploading to AO3 for a while now, that includes Coffee and Cussin', Appa's Guide to Getting the Girl, and We Could Form An Attachment. They're not done and I'm not sure when they'll be done, but I like to write for them as often as I can.

Other works that are sort of Taang related include Conversations With... and Dunebaby Adventures. They fall under the Taang One Shots Universe, but aren't necessarily in the POV of Toph and Aang.

The goal is to finish all these WIPs and to publish them on an ongoing basis with out a specific deadline. So as fart as multichapters go and longer projects, those would be what I have coming up!

For other stories that are new, I have a few one shots that I'd like to publish soon, but they're still in the early stages of writing and planning. One of the stories that has been in the back of my mind for a while is a modern story of Aang losing his family and living next door to Toph and her mom. It's mainly a story of Aang's growth and his journey with grief, but Toph is right by his side as his best friend and eventual partner :D

The plan is for that story to be a one shot, and like I said, it's still early stages haha.

I do have some potential continuations for Taangst stories like When the Party is Over and Made of Dreams, but I haven't written anything for them.

Other than that, I don't have any multichapters that I'm planning or working on, but that may change soon! It just depends on when inspiration strikes haha. Like, I'd love to do a longer fic about how Toph and Aang began their relationship, but I'm not sure how to approach that story just yet.

But yeah I'm always happy to chat about Taang and even my dunebabies if anyone is missing those Taangy conversations (it's been rather quiet as of late lol)

Thanks again for the question, Ronin! Hopefully this helps give you an idea of what type of Taang stories I'm working on and what's on the horizon :) Hope you have a great day!

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Send me asks about ATLA, or anything, really! :D

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Hey Stitch! Hope you’re doing great! I’ve come with some ideas for TOS! Maybe a chapter with the dunebabies and their grandparents Lao and Poppy? Or maybe since we’ve had chapters with them all visiting the Zoo and the Ember Island Play, maybe a chapter of them all going to attend an earth rumble! I’m fine with whatever you got tho! 🥰 (I’m pretty sure these haven’t been done, but my brain is a complete mess lately so I could be mistaken)

Thea! Hi G so happy to see your name in my asks :) I'm pretty good, keeping busy but having a good time most of the time lol. Hope all is well with you! :)

And what great prompts! I love both of these ideas, and I'm definitely gonna write both. But for now, I've got a fun little story about the Beifongs going to an Earth Rumble Tournament!

Here's the link to the full story on AO3, but a snippet can be found here too!

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The air smelled like dirt and sweat. The noise of the rumbling audience, the cheers of victory and groans of defeat, were deafening. Slabs of earth flew in every direction, making even the act of watching the sport a dangerous spectacle.

Toph Beifong was home.

It had been ages since she was back at Earth Rumble. And how things have changed! No longer was she the rising champion and mysterious legend of the earthbending ring. Well, she still was the champ, but she was also a police chief, a sifu, a hero, a wife, and a mother.

Oh yes, how time flew by.

Despite the passage of time, Toph made it a tradition to come back to Earth Rumble every year to either help crown the champion or to simply bask in the cheers and applause. But after she had Lin, finding time in her busy day proved too difficult for her to justify a brief visit to the arena. So, for a while, the tradition disappeared.

But not this year. No, this year was special, and she needed to attend the event, to have the whole family attend. With a bit of maneuvering and persuasion on the earthbender’s part, Toph was able to secure all the appropriate yeses needed to attend the event.

Not everyone was ecstatic about the prospect of returning home to see a bunch of earthbenders chuck rocks at each other, it seemed.

“I can’t believe I ditched hanging out with Sammen for this,” Suyin whined.

“You act like you don’t spend every waking hour with him,” Gyatso teased.

“Your point is?”

“I’m just saying that that isn’t a good enough excuse. It’s gotta be something dramatic, like me coming home from my nomadic travels to make Mama happy.”

“G, you were in Gaoling. That’s barely nomadic travels. I took off work today for this, so both of you shush,” Lin practically ordered.

Toph groaned as she listened to them whine and complain. “Twinkletoes, control your children!”

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Thank you so much for sending in these ideas, G, and I'll get right to work on another family Beifong story ASAP :) Hope you have a nice day!

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Send me prompts for ATLA ships to write about!