Poll: Avatar: Bending discussion

[Shadowcreed]

Having seen both cartoons of Avatar: The last airbender and Avatar: The legend of Korra - I decided it's time to put the elements up against each other. Vote for the element that you would love to be able to manipulate and we'll see who gets out on top - and no, you are not the avatar and you can not select more than 1 option- sorry
I'd go for airbending simply because of the versatility of it. You're highly mobile and can punch out quick hits.

additional discussion value:

During the series we've seen subcategories of bending, we've seen the swamp benders bend the water in vines. You might call this a subcategory. Though the real additions for each bending type:
Fire -- pew pew lightning
Water -- Blood bending, naturally.
Earth -- Ability to bend metal.
Air --- ....Yeahhhhh?

So, what do you think should be a subcategory of bending for airbenders?
Might be overpowered but I'd say the ability to slow time for a little while would be appropriate. I'm thinking in the lines of Time-bubbles like the ones Time Shift had in multiplayer, if any of you remember that game.

Bend away my fellow Escapists!

 

[Popadoo]

The subcategory for Airbending is fartbending. Don't question the mighty Meelo.
OT: Depends if I would be in the Avatar world, or just in the regular world with bending powers. In the Avatar world, I'd be an Airbender because they live humble and enlightened lives. In the real world, I'd presume Earthbending would come in the most handy. Then again, if I was an Airbender I could create a glider and go wherever I wanted...

 

[Scrustle]

I don't think time control would be a realistic subcategory of air bending. Time control doesn't really have anything to do with air. The other subcategories have some kind of connection to the overall element. I guess lightening is pushing it a bit in relation to fire, but it's not completely out there. No idea what kind of thing would be a more suited version for air bending though.

 

[Vegosiux]

I guess lightening is pushing it a bit in relation to fire, but it's not completely out there.

Lightning would make more sense with air, actually. Since it's basically an electric discharge, and there's always free electricity in the air.

That would leave fire hanging then, of course.

 

[Scrustle]

I guess lightening is pushing it a bit in relation to fire, but it's not completely out there.

Lightning would make more sense with air, actually. Since it's basically an electric discharge, and there's always free electricity in the air.

That would leave fire hanging then, of course.

True, but I always thought of the relation between fire and lightening is that they are both pretty much pure energy. What we see as fire is the energy released from a chemical reaction, and what we see as lightening is pure energy from an electrical discharge.

 

[Vegosiux]

I guess lightening is pushing it a bit in relation to fire, but it's not completely out there.

Lightning would make more sense with air, actually. Since it's basically an electric discharge, and there's always free electricity in the air.

That would leave fire hanging then, of course.

True, but I always thought of the relation between fire and lightening is that they are both pretty much pure energy. What we see as fire is the energy released from a chemical reaction, and what we see as lightening is pure energy from an electrical discharge.

Ehhhh, I'm not going into that debate, because I am pretty sure I don't want to be put behind bars for boring people to death *snicker*

I can see how that reasoning would make sense, so I'm going to call willing suspension of disbelief there cause those are just tiny details I can get amused by dissecting as opposed to the glaring errors western fiction is usually so prone to.

 

[DoPo]

For airbending, I'm thinking weather control of some sort would be appropriate. But it may be a bit overpowered - after all, bending is normally limited in scope and area - weather change needs a large area to be affected. Alternatively, optical illusions of some sort. That seems more in line - yeah, it's pushing it, but it's on par with lightning, I think.

As for me, I'll take earthbending. Seems quite nice. Airbending is a bit meh and too...monkish. Firebending - what I can brew myself coffee? Next please. Water could be useful but I'll have to hang around more water and earth is just easier to come by.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Air, I want to fly. Earthbending would fuck up the ground a lot, and I don't see any reason that I'd be fighting.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Oxygen has a solid form. Sure its hard to obtain but apparently energy creation/depletion are possible. Would enough air benders be able to create solid air? Water benders can turn water into ice and steam. Consider this for a moment. Yeah. Solid air in your lungs? Sucks to be you. That sounds reasonable to me.

Id take earth. Always seemed the most practical.

 

[Nerexor]

Waterbending. I live in Canada, so lots of available ice/snow/water on a regular basis. Plus bloodbending: Dance puppets, DANCE! MWAHAHAHAHA... *ahem* you didn't see that.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I would be an Earth bender and try to learn metal bending. Once I can do that I just need to buy the coil that the metalbending police are using and then I can hookshot my way around the city!
Ok yes the mayor weakness is electricity (danm Equalist) but I guess I would wear some rubber somehow (not in a kinky way before you asked).

 

[Dalek Caan]

It would come down to a choice between Earth and Water. Both feel more solid than the other two so that would appeal to me. I would probably go with Earth as I feel it would be available more than water.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

My personality is probably more suited to an airbender, but if I had the choice, Id go with water, tropical climate, lots of water here... in fact we're being drenched by a tropical storm as I'm writing this...

As for special air bending, maybe the ability to suck the air out of one's lungs, or keep them from breathing it in.
They could probably breath underwater for a short amount of time (take the air with them) or crash planes, i'm not going to worry if it's overpowered or not because we've already seen blood bending without the use of a full moon so all bets off.

 

[subtlefuge]

You could implode/explode peoples' lungs. It's a bit graphic, and even though I never considered Avatar a kid's show, I got uncomfortable during the blood bending sections. It's very close to, I don't want to say rape, but I can't exactly come up with a better example.

I do think that airbenders should be able to create artificial sounds and voices, since that would just be vibrations in the air. It plays well with the whole misdirection, duck, dodge, deflect, evade style of airbenders.

OT: I really wobble between Air and Earth. Both would be infinitely useful both in and out of fights, both would be incredibly fun.

 

[Zhukov]

I like earthbending, if only because I prefer the look of the movements it involves. Also, because Toph was awesome.

It's cool that they gave each discipline its own style. Spins and twirls for airbending, stomps and thrusts for earth, rapid strikes and kicks for fire. Although I don't think they ever quite nailed water.

 

[Hoplon]

Oxygen has a solid form. Its called dry ice. Water benders can turn water into ice and steam. Consider this for a moment. Yeah. Solid air in your lungs? Sucks to be you. That sounds reasonable to me.

Id take earth. Always seemed the most practical.

Dry ice is solid Carbon Dioxide [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice] not solid oxygen since solid oxygen only exists at −218.79 °C (−361.82 °F) not so much dry as so cold it burns. Dry ice will to but it is at a poxy −56.4 °C (−69.5 °F)

On topic, Air bending. just because.

 

[ZehMadScientist]

Earth bending. I actually thought those sand benders in season 2 were pretty sweet.

But yeah, earth bending would be my pick.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Oxygen has a solid form. Its called dry ice. Water benders can turn water into ice and steam. Consider this for a moment. Yeah. Solid air in your lungs? Sucks to be you. That sounds reasonable to me.

Id take earth. Always seemed the most practical.

Dry ice is solid Carbon Dioxide [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_ice] not solid oxygen since solid oxygen only exists at −218.79 °C (−361.82 °F) not so much dry as so cold it burns. Dry ice will to but it is at a poxy −56.4 °C (−69.5 °F)

On topic, Air bending. just because.

Brain derp. Sorry. Air bending seems to apply to other gases except oxygen though. Nitrogen makes up most of our atmosphere, so an air bender can surely bend a mixture of all these elements.

 

[SomeLameStuff]

Earthbending. Because of Bumi, the mad genius.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

It's cool that they gave each discipline its own style. Spins and twirls for airbending, stomps and thrusts for earth, rapid strikes and kicks for fire. Although I don't think they ever quite nailed water.

Each element is actually styled after a Chinese martial art. Waterbending is Tai Chi

Here's the source video with the elemental/martial styles:



Personally I'd be a waterbender. Ability to "breath underwater" by bending an air pocket would be pretty useful to me. Also Healing (waterbending's legal advanced branch as opposed to Bloodbending)

Also the ability to use water to soften falls, ability to bend my own sweat so I'm rarely without water, ability to freeze water, etc