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happy_frog
· 4 years ago
· FIRST
Can't (certain) airbenders literally fly? Or are we not counting Legend of Korra as canon?
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captainjackharknes
· 4 years ago
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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mrfahrenheit
· 4 years ago
yeah but only if they zen as fuck
mialinay
· 4 years ago
Yeah but flying is like, too obvious
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dr_richard_ew
· 4 years ago
Screw the haters, I love legend of korra (minus season 2)
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guest_
· 4 years ago
We didn’t really explore it- but we don’t really know where air benders get their powers. What is “air?” Is or oxygen they bend? Nitrogen? Methane? Something else? Are they actually even bending air or are their powers based on something like gravity manipulation? Do they actually just generate high and or low pressure areas using some non “air” related means?
guest_
· 4 years ago
It’s important to know since for example- if they bend oxygen- there is so much that has oxygen in it. They could possibly have some ability to bend water, or at least separate water into hydrogen and oxygen perhaps. If they control gasses or can alter pressure- they could almost certainly kill a person easily. An embolism of the heart of brain, explode your lung inside your body or easily choke you dead. There are cavities all over the human body- especially the cranium- they could possibly cause your face to literally explode. If they can manipulate nitrogen they could give you many symptoms of decompression sickness- burst capillaries, destroy your central nervous system, cause crippling joint pains etc.
guest_
· 4 years ago
The most dangerous aspect of most explosions is the the shockwave. Most damage from an explosion isn’t the fire and all that. It’s the air which is forced out of the epicenter at high speed, colliding with air in front of the wave and creating extreme over pressures that damage structures and living tissue. As the wave sweeps past a sudden extreme low pressure area is created. This adds to the devastation- things like a human body which have effectively just suffered physical trauma (like getting hit by a car) from the force of the air passing, have had tissues compressed and hollow cavities in the body compressed. Then the low pressure hits and those spaces suddenly expand rapidly- before air from behind the wave pours in to fill the void causing one final shock and pressure change. Those in proximity to an explosion can seem unhurt and die hours or even days later from internal injuries suffered.
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guest_
· 4 years ago
So I don’t know that air-benders need a “thing” beyond air bending if the whole thing in universe and in meta is supposed to be balanced. A powerful air bender would probably be one of the most powerful benders in theory. Air can choke fire, and as stated- air could, if “air” meant oxygen- quite possibly cancel out water bending.
guest_
· 4 years ago
But here’s one thing an air bender MIGHT be able to do as a “special bending.” Water is a molecule. Water benders can move water molecules. “Earth” seems to be defined as from the earth- and it doesn’t seem to be limited to rocks or sand or soil or even crystals and gems. Perhaps earth bending allows carbon to be controlled- but lava/magma is generally not high in carbon and some benders can bend it. Sand is almost primarily non organic- doesn’t contain carbon. So earth benders aren’t likely bending carbon. More likely earth benders are bending silica- which is why other bending takes special talent for earth benders. Not just low silica content/ but because most silica in nature is less a molecule and more a big old covalent structure.
guest_
· 4 years ago
But if earth benders bend oxygen- if they could bend atomic oxygen... in theory they could do crazy stuff. Possibly even create nuclear explosions. But it seems unlikely they just bend oxygen- and it seems that air benders are more limited in what they can actually do, how “big” in scale or how small in scale they can bend- because bending follows natural laws and even though one can “bend” whatever “air” is- natural atmospheric pressure and the properties of air make it somewhat harder to manipulate in somewhat unnatural ways. So I don’t know that an air bender would have much success at more extreme uses of air bending. In most other cases benders seem to be exerting power over a molecule of some sort as opposed to atoms- so it may be that an air bender can’t isolate the atoms of a substance if they are bonded to others in a molecule or other structure. But not conclusive.
guest_
· 4 years ago
Lastly- it’s possible that all bending is not elemental at all exactly. It may simply be that each form of bending is actually the use of electro or electromagnetic fields. That earth benders can exert fields over crystalline non organic structures, water benders simply exert fields over water. Water has very weak electromagnetic properties- but it can be manipulated with powerful magnetism. Fire benders and their light wing bending would be another obvious example of electro magnetism possible- and air benders could be some version as well.
guest_
· 4 years ago
This could possibly explain why there are “synergies” between elements and why a practitioner of on elements can often improve manipulation of their element by studying the techniques of another element.
guest_
· 4 years ago
Lots of theories, little proof. But in theory there are all sorts of bending that water, fire, earth, and air cold do depending on the nature of their powers interactions with matter or energy. In fact- from what we see in cannon, we are given tall sorts of theoretical implications as to what other things these powers could possibly do if their users were skilled enough and thought to use them that way.
guest_
· 4 years ago
We do see between avatar and LOK, in a generation or less the world has gone from essentially a feudal society that was maybe technologically in the 1800’s- to being well into the 20th century in terms of technology and industry. This was largely because metal benders and lightening benders and all the ways that people started to use these bending styles to create things.
guest_
· 4 years ago
So it’s very possible that there is all sorts of bending that each element could do, and they simply never really thought about it or it wasn’t widely known so no one did it. Or someone figured something out but didn’t have a use for it at the time.
guest_
· 4 years ago
Lastly- let us not forget that air benders were classically pacifist nomads who aren’t exactly technologically or culturally progressive. So on the whole you’d think there would be much less development of new abilities by airbenders who’s way of life works for them and is pretty fixed. They don’t really look for things they don’t need and what would they need?
guest_
· 4 years ago
Metal bending didn’t really seem to be a widely known thing in avatar- and that was how long after angs time? So with no air benders left or develop things, air bending is not only already more “behind” than other styles but is penalized by lost time before the air benders made a return in any numbers some time later.
mialinay
· 4 years ago
I don't have anything to add to this but let me tell you, I enjoyed the read and that's exactly the mental stretch/imagination I was hoping for
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snowbeast
· 4 years ago
The fartbender
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catfluff
· 4 years ago
I love how we're on the same wavelength and then @guest_ writes a dissertation
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catfluff
· 4 years ago
Fartbend
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medros
· 4 years ago
Some airbenders can straight up fly.
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iccarus
· 4 years ago
if an airbender farts, can they make that little cloud go directly into someone's nose?
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catfluff
· 4 years ago
Please say yes please say yes please say yes
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mialinay
· 4 years ago
Definitely
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iccarus
· 4 years ago
it'll be like sniping, but without killing, well, it depends on the diet
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