Poll: If you could bend one element, what would it be?

[SLy AsymMetrY]

Air. You can move and manipulate Earth, Fire and Water. Tear up the ground with the force of a hurricane. Change the direction of fire or remove the oxygen so it burns itself out! I would be able to freeze or evaporate water by changing the temperature of the air. Ultimately, I could create vacuums, where theres no air, nothing could breathe. A powerful vacuum could draw in Earth, Fire and Water. Then i'd reverse the effect shoot everything out like a elemental cannon! Dodge this!

 

[Sparrow]

Pfff. Lightning, obviously. Why try to set someone on fire or bitchslapp them with a piece of rock, when you can one-shot kill them instead?

 

[SLy AsymMetrY]

Earth. Build things, shape jewelry, compact hydrocrabons into oil. the words "Stinkin' rich" spring to mind, plus all the charity work from erecting natural shelters and shizz in developing nations. Transport would be a tad less subtle that air, but subtely went to hell when I started manifesting thrones everytime I wanted to sit down.

Hydrocarbons into oil? I'd take the carbon, a ridulously common element and turn it into diamonds!

 

[Eipok Kruden]

I think people need to first relaise there are rules to this. The topic is based off of Avatar: The Last Air Bender serise which does have a finite amount you can do with each element. Some of the things stated in this thread have been grossley taken out of preportion. So here's a crash course:

1. You need spiritual energy, or chi, to bend elements. This is non-negotiable. You also need to consider that most people have trouble tapping into their chi, which does require a good deal of training to achieve. Think monestary of shao-lin monks. So that would be a good deal of your life dedicated to learning how to bend.

2. Less than 1% of the characters in Avatar know how to achieve complciated bending techniques like metal bending, blood bending, lightning bending, blue flames, etc etc. Think of it in terms of animes such as Naruto or Bleach. You have two factors that determine your capability to bend: the amount of chi you have and your dexterity (for lack of a better term) in manipulating it. Large amounts of chi are used to bend things like metal (because of the large disassosiation with earth) where as bloodbending requires someone to manipulate every molecule in a person's body at the same time on a microscopic level. To say that anyone in this thread would achieve such feats (especially since this is about everyday practical use) is very unlikely.

3. Every bending technique is tied into a style of martial arts: Earth-Hung Gar, Fire-Northern Shaolin, Water-Tai Chi, Air-Ba Gua. Obviously this means that each has a philosophy behind them. As best demonstrated in Ang's (the main character/Avatar/last air bender) training with Toph (Earth bender), Ang had a lot of difficulty bending earth simply because his mind couldn't buy into the philosophies of earth bending (standing your ground versus freedom of movement). Then there are the kata (movements) associated with each element of bending, which are used to make chi flow to the proper points. To say that you could simply create fire in the palm of your hand just doesn't work as you need to focus your chi through these kata. This, of course, does not include very minute bending techniques (such as boiling a cup of water). Essentially, you must believe the philosophies of each bending technique and know the proper kata to perform any major sort of bending, such as shooting fireballs, creating tidal waves, moving large amounts of earth and flying.

Taking these points into consideration, as well as the general topic of conversation, I would choose water. My choice begins with my love for the philosophies behind the bending: flexibilty and fluidity. The tendancy to redirect confrontation rather than create it is something I enjoy more than, say, air Bending which is to simply avoid it. I also live near oceans so the resource is plentiful where I live. I'm also prone to carrying around a water bottle and it has been shown that wtaer is easiest to gather when you already have some being bent. The practical uses are almost endless. I could water my flowers, I always have a CLEAN source of water to drink (as will anyone else with me), I can create a cool environment in the summer (I enjoy the cold), I can make sure any minor injury I sustain is clean of infections or poisons, I'll never need a jacket in the rain, I can put out fires, I can walk over large bodies of water, I could always have a food supply if near a river/stream/lake with fish in it to catch: the list is almost endless.

Finally, someone has explained this. I thought the videos I linked would be enough, but it seems like people just ignored the links and instead went directly into the discussion.

Also, when I said firebenders can create and sustain fire in the palm of their hands, I didn't mean that they can do it on a whim before they've ever practiced anything even relating to firebending. It doesn't just come naturally, it's not like pyrokinesis. You have to channel your energy and you have to control your breathing. Without proper training and without breathing techniques, you aren't going to bend anything any time soon. Ugh.

Anyway, thanks for explaining all that cause I was just too lazy to.

Oh, and another one of the reasons I love Firebending is because I love Northern Shaolin. Hung gar and Ba Gua are cool and all, (especially when Jet Li does Ba Gua, or my old sensei for that matter), but I just love the aggressive nature of Northern Shaolin. Hung Gar is all about good footing, about using your weight and your momentum to your advantage. Ba Gua is all about agility, getting around the enemy, essentially becoming untouchable. But Northern Shaolin is much more rounded, it uses both strength and agility. I like that about it.

Earth. Build things, shape jewelry, compact hydrocrabons into oil. the words "Stinkin' rich" spring to mind, plus all the charity work from erecting natural shelters and shizz in developing nations. Transport would be a tad less subtle that air, but subtely went to hell when I started manifesting thrones everytime I wanted to sit down.

Hydrocarbons into oil? I'd take the carbon, a ridulously common element and turn it into diamonds!

*Sigh* You people desperately need to watch "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Watch at least a few episodes before you comment in this topic.

Water. It's offensive, defensive, can heal, and is just plain elegant. Plus, I love swimming and the ocean and all that stuff... water has always been my element.

(I always chose Squirtle )

No, Water can't heal. Only a few waterbenders can actually heal.

Which means water can heal. That's pretty much all they taught the women to do in the Northern Water tribe (before Katara).


As a side note, I'm amused by how close the poll options are.

If you'd actually watched the show, you'd know how rare Katara's healing powers are. Hardly any waterbenders can do it. Some people don't even believe it's possible.

 

[satsukiyamikisho]

fire with enough control can control earth movements to an extent due to explosive reactions capable of shiftin wind currents by adding a hot front to a cold front and if someone tries to shoot you can control the internal combustion reaction to cause a misfire leading to damage to the person trying to shoot you and possibly can control slight water movements but not as well as if your power was water

 

[satsukiyamikisho]

i chose fire, because it gets the added bonus of electricity
EDIT:and if you could control electricity, you could theoredically make magnetic fields with it, making bullets shot at you basically useless

ohh ya forgot about the electrical aspect of fire bending making fire bending able to control earth through magnetic fields and through combustion and you could just go magneto and not waste time with letting them shoot at you

 

[GruntOwner]

Hydrocarbons into oil? I'd take the carbon, a ridulously common element and turn it into diamonds!

Well yeah, that kinda went without saying for the jewelry and shizz. I was more talking about how to power my subterran sanctums... And possibly enslave the western world.

 

[Azraellod]

given the choice between real elements rather then that stuff the greeks belived in, i would go with oxygen, as it is basically the most abundant element on the planet if i remember my chemistry classes correctly

however, out of what we have, im going to go with fire, simply because it would be nice not to be cold all the time.

 

[Jovlo]

Back on the original topic, remember, what would be the most useful in real life?

- Fire: I'm sure you'd get into a lot of trouble when it goes out of control. You'd probably have to go through a lot of legal nonsense as well, since fire can be that dangerous. I can't think of anything more then cooking (awesome BBQ's), making fires or making light in the dark.

- Air: OK, flying to work should be fun and fast. You could also make a refreshing breeze when it's too hot or, as some people already said, blow up skirts. Very useful element and not as dangerous to use. You'd also never have to use a leafblower ever again.

- Earth: Now this would be very impractical if you lived in a city. Every time you'd bend something you'd make a hole in the road, possibly making the ground unstable and collapsing some buildings in the progress. Earth benders would be forbidden to use their bending anywhere near buildings.

- Water: My personal pick. Water is just so beautiful and fun to play with. It's everywhere: the air, vegetation, in the soil, sewage even (although I don't think throwing sewage around in the town square is a good idea). You'd never have to get wet in the rain, you could skate to work, you could plow snow and always win snow fights. You could dry the laundry very fast (same goes for air and fire, but fire might burn it). You'd make ice anytime to cool down or freeze orange juice into Popsicles. And imagine how awesome surfing would be if you could bend water!
I'd pick water over the rest of them anytime.

 

[TheOnceandFutureKing]

Einsteinium

 

[messy]

Water, it makes up a large percentage of the earth and is easy to create.

Well to be technically true it makes up a tiny percentage of the total earth's mass (waters only on the surface compared with the earth and metal which goes to the core). Although 70% of the planets of surface as a weapon would be handly, or the entire mass of the earth. So on the basis of that i'd go with fire. Espically (in avatar atleast) it can be used to fly (rocket shoes)and name one situation thats not improved with the ability to shoot fireballs

 

[Eipok Kruden]

- Air: OK, flying to work should be fun and fast. You could also make a refreshing breeze when it's too hot or, as some people already said, blow up skirts. Very useful element and not as dangerous to use. You'd also never have to use a leafblower ever again.

You can fly with firebending as well. And you'd never be affected by the freezing temperatures at high altitudes. And, if you wear some kind of super awesome flying suit, you could go even faster since the G forces wouldn't kill you as your body would be protected.

Water: My personal pick. Water is just so beautiful and fun to play with. It's everywhere: the air, vegetation, in the soil, sewage even (although I don't think throwing sewage around in the town square is a good idea). You'd never have to get wet in the rain, you could skate to work, you could plow snow and always win snow fights. You could dry the laundry very fast (same goes for air and fire, but fire might burn it). You'd make ice anytime to cool down or freeze orange juice into Popsicles. And imagine how awesome surfing would be if you could bend water!
I'd pick water over the rest of them anytime.

Not a big fan of popsicles or frozen snacks and I stopped surfing years ago. It doesn't rain much in Los Angeles so I wouldn't need waterbending for staying dry, it never snows in LA, I think my drying machine does a fine job of drying my clothes, and I'd prefer to be able to play with fire than water. So, Fire for me.

 

[IceStar100]

Fire you get it hot enough and nothing stands in your way. Remember the sun.... Yeah.

 

[Jovlo]

You can fly with firebending as well. And you'd never be affected by the freezing temperatures at high altitudes. And, if you wear some kind of super awesome flying suit, you could go even faster since the G forces wouldn't kill you as your body would be protected.

Well flying with fire requires huge jets of flame behind you, and in that case, someone suing you because you burnt down their house in the progress. And since you're making such a deal about only a few water benders being able to heal, isn't being able to fly also very rare for a fire bender? (Now don't go seeing this as a personal attack, it isn't. Seen you reacting rather touchy to other posts so I thought I'd mention this.)

PS: and even in dry, dry LA, there's plenty of water. It's just hidden very well but there's a massive amount of it in the soil. If there's plant life, there has got to be water in the soil.

 

[Aardvark Soup]

Uranium, which actually is a real element (unlike the chemical compound water, a chemcial reaction with oxygen called fire, the variety of different molecules you can find in the earth or the movement of air known as wind). I have no idea what kind of powers it would give me but it would probably be awesome.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

You can fly with firebending as well. And you'd never be affected by the freezing temperatures at high altitudes. And, if you wear some kind of super awesome flying suit, you could go even faster since the G forces wouldn't kill you as your body would be protected.

Well flying with fire requires huge jets of flame behind you, and in that case, someone suing you because you burnt down their house in the progress. And since you're making such a deal about only a few water benders being able to heal, isn't being able to fly also very rare for a fire bender? (Now don't go seeing this as a personal attack, it isn't. Seen you reacting rather touchy to other posts so I thought I'd mention this.)

PS: and even in dry, dry LA, there's plenty of water. It's just hidden very well but there's a massive amount of it in the soil. If there's plant life, there has got to be water in the soil.

Well, the flaw in your argument is that only a few waterbenders can heal. Not every waterbender can heal, not even with an entire lifetime of training. It's something you're born with. Flying, on the other hand, just requires lots of practice. Firelord Ozai (among others) was able to fly because he had spent his entire life becoming that powerful. So, any firebender, given enough time, can fly. Only a few waterbenders can heal.

Also, it wouldn't require "huge" jets of flames. Look at Iron Man (or fighter jets). The size of the flame doesn't matter, what matters is the force created. A good enough firebender would be able to fire a concentrated jet of flames with enough force to make him fly. Sure, it would melt or vaporize whatever is underneath it, but it wouldn't be big enough to destroy someone's house. And I doubt anyone would ever take off in their house anyway. They'd go out onto stone or concrete to lift off.

Uranium, which actually is a real element (unlike the chemical compound water, a chemcial reaction with oxygen called fire, the variety of different molecules you can find in the earth or the movement of air known as wind). I have no idea what kind of powers it would give me but it would probably be awesome.

You've failed to answer the question... Watch the four videos in my first post and then answer the question correctly.

Seriously, enough with people choosing actual elements. That's not what I mean by "elements."

 

[landon13]

imagine what you could do with water!!

you could walk on water

you could make make a giant water best in the shape of neptune to mess with people

you could increase your own strenght bye manipulating you body

you could heal rapidly

you could stop water molecules from moving and make them freeze(the slower a molecule is the colder it is so if it stops its now at absalute zero the point EVERYTHING freezes)

you could rub water molecules to gether to create static electricity or lightning!

you would never nead to drink or shower

you could wak under water

as far as fighting youd be unstoppable

you could create absalte zero ice that could freeze any thing it touches

you could drown people withought imersing them in water

you could tear them appart

make huge towering figures that could destroy all like a hurrican

make hurricans

make huge storms

you could harden water to an extent that you could ride it

this iss why i love water and why it is the most powerfull did i convince you yet?

 

[puppydogvaan]

Fire for pure badassery. Also, you'd be able to draw little pictures in the air at night like you can with sparklers.

That's honestly what i want it for.

 

[Pwnies]

Earth you cud just cover your body with rock armour n bullets wudnt get you thats if you want to kill people.

but the reason id choose earth is cause you get to fly with it aswell just lift a big peice of rock up from underneither you n lift in into the air while ure still stood on it + id make new islands and sell the extra land like lex luther off super man returns exept for mine would be made of earth n i wouldnt destroy america by doing it either

 

[Deadpoolsbrain]

You could use fire to fly I'm sure.