The absolute best thing about this fic is the characterisation- it's so solid and the character interactions are so natural that, even with the vast majority of the action happening off screen you still feel the emotional weight of these moments. The focus on a platonic Toph/Aang relationship is just so nice, not because there's anything wrong with Taang, but because the fandom is so saturated with badly written romance that it's just so pleasant to have something different.
It also gains points for being really mature in the way it handles the themes the two characters talk about- there's no overwrought angsting or monologuing, and the disclosures about their hopes and fears feel right in a way that the vast majority of fanfics dealing with those problems just don't.
The wonders of platonic friendships
The absolute best thing about this fic is the characterisation- it's so solid and the character interactions are so natural that, even with the vast majority of the action happening off screen you still feel the emotional weight of these moments. The focus on a platonic Toph/Aang relationship is just so nice, not because there's anything wrong with Taang, but because the fandom is so saturated with badly written romance that it's just so pleasant to have something different.
It also gains points for being really mature in the way it handles the themes the two characters talk about- there's no overwrought angsting or monologuing, and the disclosures about their hopes and fears feel right in a way that the vast majority of fanfics dealing with those problems just don't.