earth: the element of substance

I haven't posted in a while as a result of testing and culmination of schoolwork, especially recently. But I suppose it is appropriate that I focus on the next element in the Avatar world: earth. Why? Because it is the element of strength and substance; something I've needed a lot of in the past few weeks in order to maintain a level head above all of the work I've had. 

The animators based earthbending off of the Hung-Gar style of kung fu, which is characterized by strong, wide-set stances with confident, heavy movements. This perfectly fits the style of earthbenders, who are deeply rooted not only in their physicality, standing strong and aligning themselves with the earth, but also in their tradition. However, one of the main earthbenders stood out from this definition: Toph Beifong.

Toph is a short, 12-year-old girl who is the daughter of a wealthy elite family. However, she was born blind, and as a result, was constantly coddled by her parents, who also tried to greatly restrict her earthbending. She ended up secretly sneaking out every day, learning from "badger-moles" (giant, blind, mole-like creatures that are considered the original earthbenders) the natural, original style of earthbending. Through this method, she became the first human earthbender to develop a seismic sense--feeling the vibrations in the ground in order to "see" and thus defend or attack. In fact, she even proved herself to be able to "see" better than those who actually had sight. She used her newfound abilities to become a child prodigy (unbeknownst to her parents), living a secret life dominating an underground earthbending fighting ring. Eventually, her blindness and seismic sense allowed her to invent a new form of earthbending previously thought to be impossible: metalbending. All at the age of twelve.

As I mentioned already, and as is apparent, Toph is a very unique character. The animators knew this as well, so they decided she needed her own fighting style. They based her movements off of the Southern Praying Mantis style of kung fu, a very rare yet powerful art form that is said to have been created by a group of blind monks. I drew her below performing some of her unique earthbending moves while in battle under her pseudonym "The Blind Bandit." And not only is her fighting unique, but the fact that she turned her blindness, normally a disability, into a superpower, is a testament to the fact that no matter how dire a situation may seem, there is always a possibility for something great to result. You just need to plant your feet and stand strong against whatever may come.

Earth: the element of substance.