Re: Bending; Which one is best? « Reply #15 on Aug 20, 2008, 7:21am »
This is sort of a difficult question in that it is too general. What does *best* mean? Is it the best for hurting somebody, as everyone seems to be thinking? Or best to live in day to day life, best for helping people... it all depends on what you want to do.
Let's start with airbending. It has the fantastic property of being nearly limitless (on earth) unless one was to create a vacuum. It is also the most rare bending form (as only Aang can do it.) This means that, since it technically doesn't exist in most peoples minds, very few if any opponents would be ready for it. It could also be used to create fantastic tricks, such as creating an army of 'ghosts' using sheets and airbending, which would probably cause a grown man to crap himself. An airbender also has the fasted and most uninhibited form of travel at his or her disposal.
Firebending seems to be the most limited. For instance, it would not work without oxygen, so an airbender could create a vacuum to easily defeat a firebender. Likewise, firebending would be substantially less useful in the rain. In closed quarters, firebending could be a deadly offensive weapon, but it would set the environment aflame too, which could put you at risk for killing yourself. Not to mention, a malfunctioning firebending attempt can result in self-deconstruction (for example, flashy flashy boom man.) Additionally, most firebenders only know how to get their power from hate or rage. The simple stress of being that angry all the time would knock years off your life. It can help you travel, but would exhaust you quickly. On the plus side, you can easily cook with firebending, you are, directly, the most powerful of all benders; a straight shot not only does concussive damage, but burn damage, and if anything catches fire, splash damage.
Waterbending is useful, easily the second most useful. It is the only bending technique that allows the user to heal others and themselves (I assume) which is a great skill. It also gets the Darkest Possibility award, as you can use bloodbending to control other people around you, torturing them by making them kill everybody they know and love. I wonder if it'd be possible to, through blood bending, control other benders and thus their abilities? Anyhow, they are masters of sea travel, and can manipulate not only the liquid, but the solid and gas states as well. This means that during the winter, they are probably neigh unstoppable. In terms of day to day life, you can do neat things like water plants, clean some stuff, work as an amazing firefighter, and probably do some really cool bar tricks.
Earthbending wins for me, though. I disagree that earthbending is the control of carbon (though it does include some kinds of carbon, IE coal, which is pure carbon.) I think it allows control over the spiritual meaning of earth (IE what one might consider geological material.) From a fighters aspect, you can lock your opponent down, crush them, pummel them, defend yourself, AND escape/love quickly. On the day-to-day aspect, you could easily build yourself and others housing, you can create furniture, weaponry, manipulate metal, and (at least Togh and Aang) can use it to "see" people. It really rocks on a day-to-day basis.
Re: Bending; Which one is best? « Reply #16 on Aug 22, 2008, 11:00pm »
I say Waterbending. Water can be in many forms. Water is known as one of the few things that can be gas, liquid, and solid. So therefore, finding and using the liquid in almost anything living or containing water (ex: mud, air) a waterbender can turn into a...I don't know, mistbender or mudbender, not to mention the bloodbenders and vinebenders. Clouds are thought to be airy, but remember that episode where Katara and Aang used waterbending to shape the clouds? If a waterbender can find moisture in the air, they can bend the air, pretty much, if they're talented enough to make the water in such a way that it pushes the air, almost like they would use a piece of paper or something. Waterbending is also deadly. I don't believe it's limited in many ways at all.
Re: Bending; Which one is best? « Reply #17 on Oct 27, 2009, 11:38pm »
I must say that I agree with Tao Shin in that all of the bending arts are the best, in their own way, and also the worst, again in their own way. This question seems more a question of personal preference than of which one actually triumphs over all others in superiority and power and usefulness in day-to-day life and whatever else.
I, personally, can't choose one over the other. I love all elements equally and think each of them beautiful and deadly in their own ways, being parts of Nature which I love and admire deeply and endlessly, and thus I find all the bending arts to be equal.
Earth grows gorgeous, interesting landscapes and such that are needed to house various animals and it's essential for holding Water in lakes and oceans and, my favorite, streams such as can be found in forests and the like. It's also necessary for Man to make his shelter out of or upon, and these landscapes basically grow the food that Man eats. I have a particular affection for Earth because I and others would say it's most like me in personality and I love forests and mountains rather moreso than other landscapes. Earthbenders are very hard to move once they are firmly grounded, difficult to surprise when, like Toph and Aang, they can see with it, and are a blunt, straightforward, and enduring people, not easily defeated or wiped out.
Water is precious, a definite necessity for living, especially in a harsh environment such as a desert. It's required to grow the things that grow out of the Earth, and to give life, granted to also take life away, but so can all elements in their darker aspects. It can be used to grow plants at home to make the home more aesthetically and peacefully pleasing for the owner, and also used itself for its aesthetic and meditative qualities. Waterbenders are adaptable and agile, able to not only accept change, but to use it to their advantage when they have need of it. They are capable fighters and have capable healers as well among them, but are generally calm and peaceful people except when they or their loved ones are threatened and then they are a force to be reckoned with.
Fire warms the body and cooks the food and light the way in a dark area. It also protects the camp and cauterize a wound when bleeding must be stopped and there is no other way. Depending on your religious beliefs, fire can also release the soul from the body so that it can wait for reincarnation, or just to be released into heaven. I hold a particular affection for Fire as well, because I happen to be a bit of a pyro and adore staring blankly into a fire, great or small and tending it to keep it going at least a while longer. The smell of it is also very pleasant. Firebenders are ambitious and aggressive in the undertaking of the actions needed to achieve their set goals. They are action-oriented and, though often a little too quickly, set to work with admirable enthusiasm.
Air is as vital as Water, needed for living things to breathe and thrive. It lifts evaporated Water high up to form clouds and to sooner or later bring life-giving rain to these things that need it to grow and to live. It brings the much welcomed gentle breeze in summer and the first chill of winter to bones so that animals and Man can begin shedding the summer coat, as it were, and switch to warmer clothes to avoid freezing to death. Airbenders are calm, slow to anger, and the most peaceful of the benders, but equally as deadly when the need arises, they would much prefer to harm than to outright kill their attacker. They would make excellent mediators in a minor or major conflict between other benders and amongst themselves and quite a force to be reckoned with in outright war.
To be forced to choose, I would be torn between Earth and Fire. I'm most comfortable on the ground, lying on grass or moss amidst a grove of trees or resting on a mountainside. I love watching Fire when it's safely controlled, since I don't like seeing anybody burned or the elements in conflict, but mostly because I hate seeing anything burned because of carelessness or lack of mercy and compassion.
Chances are, people would say I'm an Earthbender.
Whew, well, after that long posting... Obey your Thirst!
"The divine medium who has descended upon the mortal world."
![[Search This Thread]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author
Logged![[avatar]](http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l34/dreamamuse/zukoa1.jpg)
![[yim]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/yim.gif)
![[image]](http://petitprincepics.googlepages.com/TARPNingAvi.jpg)
![[image]](http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l34/dreamamuse/zukoa2.jpg)
![[avatar]](http://omploader.org/vMmM5cw/katara4.png)