Bending Arts

Bending is the ability to manipulate an element, and as such, is very significant to all aspects of life in the World of Avatar. There are five known bending arts; four of them bend a specific physical element while the fifth bends the energy within the human body itself. The four elemental bending arts are based on the four classical elements; water, earth, fire, and air, and each is manipulated through certain martial art styles which are reminiscent of the qualities of the element itself. Certain benders are able to effectively manipulate their element with minimum bodily movement, such as by using only their head. In even rarer cases, benders are able to perform their bending without the aid of any physical movement at all, by instead using sheer focus and force of will; a skill known as psychic bending.The fifth bending art, energybending, is unlike the other four in that very little physical action is required to direct the bending itself. The four elemental bending arts are all dependent on the energy, or chi, within the human body, relying on its flow through the body to manipulate a specific element. A person is able to bend when they extend the influence of their chi beyond the body to interact with the environment. Energybending, on the other hand, is concerned with the manipulation of the energy itself and is able to remove or restore one's bending abilities.

***Just because you pick one element does not mean you are forced to be from that respective nation/tribe. You can be a waterbender from the Air Nomad City, or a firebender from the Southern Water Tribe. Anything is allowed, currently.***


Airbending

Airbending is the bending art used by the Air Nomads. It concentrates on speed and evasion, forgoing a strong offense for defense. Though apparently lacking fatal finishing moves, it is the most dynamic of all the bending arts. As the element of freedom, airbenders use their capability to bend unencumbered by the ground or any other environmental factors and use their own momentum as a weapon, evading attacks with astounding agility to tire their opponents out or building up massive inertia for explosive gusts of wind to make their counterattacks finishing moves. Airbenders, when resorting to physical confrontation, are able to harness the immense and intangible power of wind. Airbending's opposite is earthbending, and the confrontational style that serves as its foundation. Airbenders are also capable of flight, as most use the Glider Staff to accomplish this task.



Waterbending

Waterbending is practiced by some people of the Water Tribe. It is not only the most versatile element, but also one of the more unique bending arts, as the first benders did not learn from an animal, but from the Moon.[9] Similar to their element, waterbenders are extremely adaptable and versatile. Waterbending concentrates on the flow of energy and focuses less on strength and more on turning the opponent's own energy against them. While a bender's victory in battle depends on their skill or ingenuity, waterbenders, unlike other benders, gain a serious advantage or disadvantage depending on the amount of water around them, although highly skilled waterbenders can draw water from anywhere; they can draw humidity from the air and bend the water in living things, especially plants. As the element of change, waterbenders can fluidly and quickly alternate from defense to offense, from a wall of ice to a jet of water, turning their opponent's strength against them. The opposite of waterbending is firebending and its relatively stagnant, direct philosophy. Due to its lunar sympathy, waterbending is stronger at night and ineffective during a lunar eclipse or when the Moon Spirit dies. However, to counter waterbending's ineffectiveness during a lunar eclipse, waterbenders gain immense power during the peak of the full moon. Waterbending is the element of change and its season is winter.

Advanced Styles

Healing is a sub-skill of waterbending which involves healing wounds by redirecting energy paths (or chi) throughout the body, using water as a catalyst. On rare occasions, waterbenders may instinctively be able to access this ability without any formal training, and even be able to heal themselves. While healing is a part of waterbending there are certain restrictions that everyone must be aware of - these restrictions are both in what can or cannot be healed at each rank and how many times per thread healing can be done.

Restrictions on Ability
Novice: Novices are incapable of healing, there are no if's, ands, or butts about this.
Adept: Can heal minor cuts and scrapes.
Acolyte: Minor 2nd degree burns. Deeper cuts and gashes, large area healing, closed fracture repair.
Master: Major 2nd degree and early 3rd degree burns. Attatching fingers/toes/noses/ears. Badly broken bones. Internal injurues.
Grandmaster: Lethal burns within a short time frame. Entire limbs can be reattached so long as they're not crushed to powder. Extreme trauma both internal and external.

Amount of Healing Allowed
Novice: None
Adept: Once per Thread
Acolyte: Twice per Thread
Master: Three times per Thread
Grandmaster: Four times per Thread

Bloodbending is a sub-skill within the art of waterbending, which allows a waterbender to hydrokinetically take hold and manipulate the various fluids within an organism's body. The technique is referred to as the darkest and deadliest sub-skill of any of the bending arts, and the only known art to put the user's mental state at risk.



Earthbending

Earthbending originates in the Earth Kingdom, and it demands a special connection with the earth that is achievable with neutral jing, listening, though seemingly doing nothing, and waiting for the right moment to strike. Like waterbenders, earthbenders gain an advantage or disadvantage in battle based on the amount of earth around them, though the conditions are not as extreme. Because of their element's stability and its stress on neutral jing, earthbenders stand their ground, absorbing or intercepting attacks until they completely overwhelm their opponents. Unlike the other bending arts, earthbending's strength equally lies in both offense and defense. Earthbending is in stark contrast to airbending as airbending's emphasis is on evasion and mobility while earthbending's emphasis is on fortitude and strength. Earthbending is the element of substance and its season is spring.

Advanced Styles

Seismic sense is a sub-skill of earthbending that constitutes for physical sense. This skill enables earthbenders to detect vibrations in the ground to perceive objects, people, and other aspects of their environment, essentially acting as sonar, but through the earth.

Metalbending is a specialized sub-skill of earthbending that allows an earthbender to ferrokinetically bend processed metal in a similar fashion to bending regular earth.



Firebending

Firebending is used by the people of the Fire Nation, and is the most aggressive bending art. Unlike other benders who depend on external sources of their elements to bend, firebenders can create fire using their internal heat source in addition to controlling already existent flames. As the element of power, firebenders have to be able to maintain a constant source of energy and balance in battle, unleashing a volley of direct, successive attacks. Firebending's relatively simple and direct style contrasts the complex and changing style of waterbending. Due to its solar affinity, firebending is stronger during the day and at its full power at noon, but completely ineffective during a solar eclipse. When a comet passes close to the planet, the power of a firebender is greatly increased. For a long time, disciplines of firebending were taught to be fueled by hatred, as opposed to the original source. Skilled firebenders are able to fly using powerful jets of flames. A notable feature of special firebenders is an ability to create a hotter, blue fire. Firebending is the element of power and its season is summer.

Advanced Styles

Lightning generation, also known as cold-blooded fire, is a sub-technique within firebending where firebenders are able to produce and direct a bolt of lightning from their fingertips.

Lightning redirection is a specialized technique within the art of firebending that allows a firebender to absorb lightning into their body as energy, then release it in a more desirable direction. The technique was developed by studying master waterbenders, who redirect an opponent's energy rather than oppose it head-on. Lightning redirection has been shown to work well for both natural and bender-generated lightning, and electricity conducted through metal.


Energy Bending

Energybending is the art of bending the energy within one's body. It existed in the era before the Avatar and the four bending arts, though was considered lost. It is a highly dangerous technique; if one's own energy is impure and therefore bendable, the practitioner will be consequently destroyed. Energybending allows the user to remove other people's bending abilities, or restore them after a bender had their abilities blocked.