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Forum URL: http://www.eyrie-productions.com/Forum/dcboard.cgi
Forum Name: Symphony of the Sword/The Order of the Rose
Topic ID: 376
#0, Toph question
Posted by McFortner on Aug-23-13 at 10:30 PM
Having seen that quarrians are "cured" of their immunity problem in Asgard, why is Toph still blind?

Just a little thing that has been stuck in the back of my mind for a while now.

Michael C. Fortner
"Maxim 37: There is no such thing as "overkill".
There is only "open fire" and "I need to reload".


#1, RE: Toph question
Posted by Matrix Dragon on Aug-23-13 at 10:56 PM
In response to message #0
Because she's awesome and eyes are pointless. Why would she change perfection?

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter


#2, RE: Toph question
Posted by zojojojo on Aug-23-13 at 11:00 PM
In response to message #0
because the dead can't get sick, but if something never worked, being dead won't help...

-Z


---
Remember kids: guns make you stupid, duct tape makes you smart.


#4, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-23-13 at 11:31 PM
In response to message #2
>because the dead can't get sick, but if something never worked, being
>dead won't help...

Yeah, pretty much this. I've never set out to establish a definitive reason for it, because she's never investigated (she doesn't really care), but I suspect it's because Toph was born blind (as opposed to someone who lost her eyesight to injury or illness later in life).

I doubt there's anything inherently wrong with the quarian immune system at the species level - evolution doesn't work that fast. It's an environmental syndrome, and it doesn't apply in Valhalla. For that matter, there's nothing to catch there anyway.

Out-of-band, it's because her blindness is such an integral part of her character design that she's kind of not Toph without it. That may seem a little heartless, but there you are.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#6, RE: Toph question
Posted by Mercutio on Aug-24-13 at 00:02 AM
In response to message #4
>I doubt there's anything inherently wrong with the quarian immune
>system at the species level - evolution doesn't work that fast. It's
>an environmental syndrome, and it doesn't apply in Valhalla.

The fact that, canonically speaking, quarians can link their suits together and adapt to one another after a period of brief illness makes it pretty definitive that this is the case as well.

The quarians could actually probably walk back to not needing their environmental suits aboard quarian ships; it likely wouldn't be super-hard to do from a purely technical standpoint. But there would be some guaranteed percentage of deaths involved and it would be a very time and resource intensive undertaking, one that they'd then have to repeat if and when they retook Rannoch and had access to the pathogens and parasites they evolved symbiotically with.

Within the context of UF, assuming something doesn't happen to change the status quo ante (such as peaceable contact made with the Geth Consensus or Tali'Shukra coming back from her survey mission being all "Hey, uh, guys? We're the proud owners of an unspeakably ancient genocide machine that we've mistaken for a habitation ring. Go us?") I imagine some conflict eventually arising between quarians who are all 'fuck yeah, lets settle on Halo and stop living like lab specimens' and Rael'Zorah-esque hardliners who declare "Rannoch or Bust."

>Out-of-band, it's because her blindness is such an integral part of
>her character design that she's kind of not Toph without it.

There are ways you can edge around that, but they mostly involve doing some AU contortions that end up being the entire point of the story, which is something UF has done before but would certainly not be called for in this case.

I read a pretty decent Steampunk ATLA AU once where Toph had replacement cybernetic eyes made of metal that she should use her metalbending to pop out of her head and fly around and spy on people with. It was sort of neat.

-Merc
Keep Rat


#12, RE: Toph question
Posted by Bad Moon on Aug-25-13 at 04:09 PM
In response to message #4
>Out-of-band, it's because her blindness is such an integral part of
>her character design that she's kind of not Toph without it. That may
>seem a little heartless, but there you are.

Much like poor Asuka Langley-Soryu can't ever just be a content Bavarian pastry chef. She just aint Asuka without the cray cray.

------
Jon Helscher

Oh God, it was me. I was the grognard all along.


#3, RE: Toph question
Posted by Mercutio on Aug-23-13 at 11:25 PM
In response to message #0
I'm not one of our hosts, but I would like to hazard two theories:

One, she's still blind for the same reason psykers are still psykers, carrying their genetic abnormality beyond death. Toph was created blind, it's part of who she is and who the universe intended her to be, not something that was inflicted on her later in life. The universe is more mysterious than even the Gods know and the plans it has for people proceed even after the point of death sometimes.

Two, Toph could be un-blindificated if she wanted. Even in the absence of magical healing there are technological solutions. She simply chooses not to be. Being blind has never been more than an occasional inconvenience for Toph, as her earth sense gives her an awareness of her surroundings that puts even Daredevil to shame. Maybe she'd like to try this whole "reading" or "TV" thing sometime, but not enough that she wants to completely change something that's so fundamentally a part of who she is.

-Merc
Keep Rat


#5, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-23-13 at 11:34 PM
In response to message #3
>Two, Toph could be un-blindificated if she wanted. Even in the absence
>of magical healing there are technological solutions. She simply
>chooses not to be.

This is probably also true.

>Maybe she'd like
>to try this whole "reading" or "TV" thing sometime, but not enough
>that she wants to completely change something that's so fundamentally
>a part of who she is.

Besides, there are people for that, at least the first part.

--G.
The Valhalla Public Library basically has every book ever as an audiobook read by Stephen Fry. Even though he hasn't read most of them.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#7, RE: Toph question
Posted by mdg1 on Aug-24-13 at 12:42 PM
In response to message #5
I simply assumed it was what THE MATRIX called "residual self-image". Toph is blind because that's how she "sees" herself (no pun intended). She incarnated as her younger form for the same reason.

#9, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-24-13 at 02:10 PM
In response to message #7
>I simply assumed it was what THE MATRIX called "residual self-image".
>Toph is blind because that's how she "sees" herself (no pun intended).
> She incarnated as her younger form for the same reason.

There's an element of that, although they can also control it to a certain extent. The joke in the studio was that Toph's old friends among the Einherjar assumed she didn't actually know she was a teenager again, because she can't see herself in a mirror, until someone finally pointed it out (probably Sokka, probably in response to an act of sexual aggression, 'cause hey, we're all dead now, why keep pretending).

Since Toph knew perfectly well what had happened to her, this presumably led to a variation on the classic "You mean I'm not white?!" scene from the 1989 Pryor/Wilder comedy See No Evil, Hear No Evil. "What do you mean I'm not legal?! This is a scandal! Goodness gracious, do you know how many adjustments have to be made? What's everyone at the club gonna say?"

--G.
"Does Katara know?!"
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#10, RE: Toph question
Posted by Mercutio on Aug-25-13 at 01:07 AM
In response to message #9

>(probably Sokka, probably in response
>to an act of sexual aggression, 'cause hey, we're all dead now,
>why keep pretending).

You're assuming that, in life, Sokka did not provide the genetic payload that eventually turned into Lin, which remains quite the popular theory. :)

I would kind of like this to be the case, if only because I'd like for at least someone among the Gaang to not simply end up the life partner of the first person they ever kissed, and it's worth noting that Suki has been conspicuously absent from 'where are they now' information provided as part of Legend of Korra. That said, I really doubt Nickelodean is prepared to portray kissing cousins onscreen, despite that being perfectly legal for the vast majority of the people in the US. And any kind of polyamory would be RIGHT out.

-Merc
Keep Rat


#13, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-25-13 at 08:17 PM
In response to message #10
>>(probably Sokka, probably in response
>>to an act of sexual aggression, 'cause hey, we're all dead now,
>>why keep pretending).
>
>You're assuming that, in life, Sokka did not provide the genetic
>payload that eventually turned into Lin, which remains quite the
>popular theory. :)

Well... Fine. I can be customer-focused.

(probably Katara, probably in response to an act of sexual aggression, 'cause hey, we're all dead now, why keep pretending).

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#14, RE: Toph question
Posted by Mercutio on Aug-25-13 at 08:46 PM
In response to message #13
LAST EDITED ON Aug-25-13 AT 08:49 PM (EDT)
 
One of these days, sir, I will get the better of you in a contest of wits.

That day is not today.

Suki is totally more Tophs type tho.

-Merc
Keep Rat


#18, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-28-13 at 00:31 AM
In response to message #14
>Suki is totally more Tophs type tho.

"... you can go ahead and let me drown now."

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#8, RE: Toph question
Posted by twipper on Aug-24-13 at 12:46 PM
In response to message #5

>The Valhalla Public Library basically has every book ever as an
>audiobook read by Stephen Fry. Even though he hasn't read most of
>them.

>-><-


...
Think of the royalties, man! If he could ever collect, it would probably put him in the top 0.5% of Galaxies Wealthiest list. :)

Brian


#11, RE: Toph question
Posted by Pasha on Aug-25-13 at 05:03 AM
In response to message #5

>The Valhalla Public Library basically has every book ever as an
>audiobook read by Stephen Fry. Even though he hasn't read most of
>them.

Further proof that UF-Vahlalla is Heaven. That, and the ice cream.
--
-Pasha
"Don't change the subject"
"Too slow, already did."


#15, RE: Toph question
Posted by Zox on Aug-25-13 at 09:11 PM
In response to message #0
Just now, I saw that this thread had a new posting and my brain immediately went:

"Tonight on Toph Gear..."

which could hardly fail to be epic in some fashion.

"You may be able to see what you're doing, Clarkson, but unlike you I have some idea what I'm doing! Now give me the wheel!"


#16, RE: Toph question
Posted by Gryphon on Aug-25-13 at 09:21 PM
In response to message #15
>Just now, I saw that this thread had a new posting and my brain
>immediately went:
>
>"Tonight on Toph Gear..."
>
>which could hardly fail to be epic in some fashion.

Some say that she's the greatest earthbender of all time, and that she's packed by weight and not by volume. All we know is...

--G.
"Ow. OW! I'm on fire."
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


#17, RE: Toph question
Posted by mdg1 on Aug-25-13 at 10:18 PM
In response to message #16
LAST EDITED ON Aug-25-13 AT 10:19 PM (EDT)
 
>>Just now, I saw that this thread had a new posting and my brain
>>immediately went:
>>
>>"Tonight on Toph Gear..."
>>
>>which could hardly fail to be epic in some fashion.
>
>Some say that she's the greatest earthbender of all time, and that
>she's packed by weight and not by volume. All we know is...
>
>--G.
>"Ow. OW! I'm on fire."

Do it! Do it! You KNOW you want to...


#19, RE: Toph question
Posted by dstar on Aug-28-13 at 10:14 AM
In response to message #17
>>>Just now, I saw that this thread had a new posting and my brain
>>>immediately went:
>>>
>>>"Tonight on Toph Gear..."
>>>
>>>which could hardly fail to be epic in some fashion.
>>
>>Some say that she's the greatest earthbender of all time, and that
>>she's packed by weight and not by volume. All we know is...
>>
>>--G.
>>"Ow. OW! I'm on fire."
>
>Do it! Do it! You KNOW you want to...

Actually, _has_ Top Gear done a special (presumably only for local broadcast) set in Asgard?

Because it seems like the sort of thing they'd do.

Shalon Wood


#20, RE: Toph question
Posted by mdg1 on Aug-28-13 at 12:08 PM
In response to message #19

>Actually, _has_ Top Gear done a special (presumably only for
>local broadcast) set in Asgard?
>
>Because it seems like the sort of thing they'd do.

This week on Top Gear:

"Thor in a reasonably-priced chariot"
"Cats vs. Goats... are we just kidding ourselves?"
"And the Stig gets a taste of real horsepower: Sleipnir."


#21, RE: Toph question
Posted by The Traitor on Aug-29-13 at 08:09 AM
In response to message #20
May can finally repay his debt of breakfast to Skuld, too! Everyone's a winner! Except Hammond, because he got lumbered with a beaten-up old Merc luxo-barge in the drag race, but that doesn't matter because Hammond.

---
"Yeah, I'm definitely going to hell/But I'll have all the best stories to tell" -- Frank Turner, The Ballad of Me and My Friends