#commentary: fighting forms

[avatarsymbolism]

sorry if this is an obvious question, but how come firebenders can generate their own fire when earth, air, and waterbenders can only use whatever earth/air/water happens to be around them?

Fire is an expression of chi, not necessarily a physical construct. Water and earthbenders can’t create their element but firebenders can because fire i an outward expression of their chi. 

[avatarsymbolism]

funcomicreader

replied to your photo

“Guy attacks with a firebending style move, Korra defends with an...”

That is not airbending or fire style movement

Ok, I’m going to cave and be smug for a minute just because I don’t have a whole fighting forms category of tags for nothing.

The gif in question: 

The phrasing actually used was

Let’s get to your second point first. it’s a little bit of a blink and you’ll miss it moment, but I was specifically referring to airbending, which Korra does here to cushion the rock being being thrown at her:

As for your first assertion, look at the earthbender’s movements:

Firebenders are more likely to use to use quick agile movements and fast punches like the first earthbending punch that guy does.

Like Zuko here:

And here

And Mako here:

These same tactics also get used by pro-benders because using quick, agile movements is useful in the ring, and Bolin does it a lot:

[avatarsymbolism]

Yoo can I ask you a question? I haven't really watched ALOK much, I was a much more avid fan of ATLA since that's what the local TV aired here; but is it just me or was bending so much more creative in ATLA than ALOK? Just an observation. Iono, it looked as if the benders in ATLA in general were much more flexible with their bending rather than the ALOK benders. Even the way they BEND seemed to lack the finesse of ATLA benders. What do you think?

I disagree. While the argument can be made that bending in ATLA may have been more creative with Katara’s sweatbending and stuff, there is a certain flow to the bending in LOK bending (I’m not sure what else to call it) that ATLA hadn’t quite developed yet. While the benders in LOK look more to conventional as opposed to traditional ways of bending, it should be noted that they also belong to an entirely different society, one that involves not only utilizing different bending techniques, but also does so using combinations that the guys in ATLA couldn’t even have dreamed up by going beyond the standard ATLA formula of “x bending with y style” by using three (maybe even four) bending styles at once y giving us say, to just make up a random example: Korra using an airbending  sort of style to bend water but also using an warthbending stance. (Feel free to check out my bending tags for actual gifs of the different bending styles present in both shows). 

I, however, just want to point out that, before doing my rewatch, I had the opposite impression. Because I hadn’t get analyzed the series, I was under the impression that AT:A once did the “combining bending techniques” only a couple of times while LOK used it a lot more. While this assumption of mine might have been correct, I underestimated just how much bending in the original series combined bending techniques. 

[avatarsymbolism]

For example, when we brought up this iconic question about the source of bending powers originally posed by Serena Williams (the tennis pro and Avatarfan who voiced several minor roles in the series), Ehasz deferred to “Mike and Brian” before offering an answer of his own.

“I’m speculating,” he says, “but, you know, mythology is complicated and when you have people in a world with stories of where power came from, there are going to be different versions of the story and they might all be true. One story may just represent one part of the actual history.”

(x)

[avatarsymbolism]

In “The Fortuneteller,” Aang and Katara start off using the same hand motions for cloudbending as they did for steambending in “Jet.” 

[avatarsymbolism]

Hello there!! I've had this question for a while now and I know you're the one who can answer it. Can firebenders lavabend? And what other things do you think firebenders can do aside from lighting bend and firebend? thank you for answering!

Lava is just molten earth so no. I do like the idea of earthbenders with some firebender lineage having a greater affinity for lavabending but, as far as actual lavabending is concerned, lava is just earth in a different form, thus only earthbenders can manipulate it.

[avatarsymbolism]

What do you think would happen if a solar eclipse and Sozin's comet happened at the same time? Would firebenders be able to bend still?

I’m going to say no since it’s firebenders need the Sun to bend in the first place. 

To use an analogy, the Sun is the match while Sozin’s Comet is the gasoline. You can’t make a large fire without first having a fire.

[avatarsymbolism]

Korra waterbending, airbending, and earthbending with waterbender style arm movements.

But also, that third gif has some nice airbender-esque spin to it,