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How bending works

Simplicitee

Simplicitee

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Plugin Developer
Verified Member
I got bored. So I'm gonna tell you people how bending really works, the science behind it.

First off, chi is the energy all benders possess. Everybody has chi, but for some it's dormant, and for benders it's active.

Little bit of information, spirits are also beings made from chi. This is why they can do things like fusing with humans, teleporting, and why their form changes from influence.

Bending is very simple. The benders use their chi to manipulate the element that it is connected to.

How does a person get bending?
Genetics. Humans in the bending universe have genes that affect their chi. Heredity is the only way these genes are affected, the parents are the only determining factor of what element the kid will be. Two parents of different elements, the kid will be one of the two or have no affinity.

Ok so the gene associated with ability to bend is B, dominant. The gene associated with not being able to bend is b, recessive. Someone has the parents who have Bb and BB. They can now either have BB, BB, BB, or Bb. They would always be able to bend, not including any variations that could occur.

How is a bender's element decided?
For this we need to look at epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of the changes in organisms by modification of gene expression rather than by alteration of the genetic code. Basically it means that certain genes are affected in different ways depending on factors such as the person's environment and how they grow up. This is a big factor for the first year or so of a person's life, and since we don't see any babies bending in the show we can assume that they don't have an affinity for a while, therefore allowing epigenetics to be a viable explanation for how a person gets an element.

How does bending work?
The bender pushes their chi to what they want to manipulate, and then make it happen. Skilled benders can do this without a lot of movement, but movement seems to help with the manipulation. This is why they tire, because they are exerting force and energy to bend.

Yay. You know how bending works. Go be useful.
 
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Vahagn

Vahagn

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Plugin Developer
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Simplicitee said:
How does a bender's element get assigned?
Genetics. Humans in the bending universe have genes that affect their chi. Heredity is the only way these genes are affected, the parents are the only determining factor of what element the kid will be. Two parents of different elements, the kid will be one of the two or have no affinity.
.
Click to expand...
Saying bending is by genetics doesn't help at all because none of the genetic patterns irl can explain how bending is passed down. For example, lets say bending was a recessive gene, Katara and Aang both have 2 reccessive genes for bending. (We will assume that the element they can bend is a different gene.) So,
b b
b bb bb
b bb bb

There is a 100% Chance that all of their children would be benders, and then there is Bumi, before you say Mutation, Mutation has a very small chance of occurring and it if it were to occur how could it occur in so many people in the population.

Spirituality is the most likely the most important key to bending inheritance.

This is explained by why all airbender children are airbenders(with the exception of between 2 different benders). because the Air Nomads were the most spiritual of all the nations. Population is also key. The earthkingdom has the largest population But, it has the least ratio of benders to people.

The theory of how bending is passed down is pretty flawed. All versions of it. Im just saying that there is no 1 way of it being passed down.
 
Loony

Loony

Verified Member
ArchBear_Vega said:
Saying bending is by genetics doesn't help at all because none of the genetic patterns irl can explain how bending is passed down. For example, lets say bending was a recessive gene, Katara and Aang both have 2 reccessive genes for bending. (We will assume that the element they can bend is a different gene.) So,
b b
b bb bb
b bb bb

There is a 100% Chance that all of their children would be benders, and then there is Bumi, before you say Mutation, Mutation has a very small chance of occurring and it if it were to occur how could it occur in so many people in the population.

Spirituality is the most likely the most important key to bending inheritance.

This is explained by why all airbender children are airbenders(with the exception of between 2 different benders). because the Air Nomads were the most spiritual of all the nations. Population is also key. The earthkingdom has the largest population But, it has the least ratio of benders to people.

The theory of how bending is passed down is pretty flawed. All versions of it. Im just saying that there is no 1 way of it being passed down.
Click to expand...
Firstly, you can't compare cartoon genetics to real life ones lol.
Secondly, your statement isn't true. Genetics don't always pass down, and you can often get different genetics from your parents. Ever seen a child with brown hair even though their parents both have blonde hair? isn't likely, but still happens.
 
Vahagn

Vahagn

Staff member
Plugin Developer
Verified Member
Loony said:
Firstly, you can't compare cartoon genetics to real life ones lol.
Secondly, your statement isn't true. Genetics don't always pass down, and you can often get different genetics from your parents. Ever seen a child with brown hair even though their parents both have blonde hair? isn't likely, but still happens.
Click to expand...
Once again, hair color isn't determined by 1 gene its determined by many, aswell as environment.
 
Simplicitee

Simplicitee

Staff member
Plugin Developer
Verified Member
ArchBear_Vega said:
Saying bending is by genetics doesn't help at all because none of the genetic patterns irl can explain how bending is passed down. For example, lets say bending was a recessive gene, Katara and Aang both have 2 reccessive genes for bending. (We will assume that the element they can bend is a different gene.) So,
b b
b bb bb
b bb bb

There is a 100% Chance that all of their children would be benders, and then there is Bumi, before you say Mutation, Mutation has a very small chance of occurring and it if it were to occur how could it occur in so many people in the population.

Spirituality is the most likely the most important key to bending inheritance.

This is explained by why all airbender children are airbenders(with the exception of between 2 different benders). because the Air Nomads were the most spiritual of all the nations. Population is also key. The earthkingdom has the largest population But, it has the least ratio of benders to people.

The theory of how bending is passed down is pretty flawed. All versions of it. Im just saying that there is no 1 way of it being passed down.
Click to expand...
No. Genetics explains it.

You have the gene for bending, Bb. B means they can bend, b means they can't. Dominant is B, recessive is b.

For airbenders, they have done something called selective breeding among their people so that everyone has BB. That way everyone gets bending. Linked to that gene is the gene for which element they can bend which they can also do selective breeding for.

As for when new airbenders appeared, imagine that when harmonic convergence passed and all that crap happened, a wave of radiation blasted through the world, not affecting most people but for some it replaced their inactive gene for bending with the bending one that had the airbending gene linked to it.
 
Loony

Loony

Verified Member
Simplicitee said:
No. Genetics explains it.

You have the gene for bending, Bb. B means they can bend, b means they can't. Dominant is B, recessive is b.

For airbenders, they have done something called selective breeding among their people so that everyone has BB. That way everyone gets bending. Linked to that gene is the gene for which element they can bend which they can also do selective breeding for.

As for when new airbenders appeared, imagine that when harmonic convergence passed and all that crap happened, a wave of radiation blasted through the world, not affecting most people but for some it replaced their inactive gene for bending with the bending one that had the airbending gene linked to it.
Click to expand...
I think you have the wrong idea about how people got bending lol, it didn't have anything to do with a radioactive blast.
Also, bending isn't a gene thing, it's more of a spirituality thing
 
jedk1

jedk1

New Member
Loony said:
Ever seen a child with brown hair even though their parents both have blonde hair? isn't likely, but still happens.
Click to expand...
Technically genetics also have that thing cant remember what its called but like, it doesn't always be dominant. a recessive gene? so grandparents, great grandparents, can be considered here.
 
Simplicitee

Simplicitee

Staff member
Plugin Developer
Verified Member
Loony said:
I think you have the wrong idea about how people got bending lol, it didn't have anything to do with a radioactive blast.
Also, bending isn't a gene thing, it's more of a spirituality thing
Click to expand...
Well if you wanna believe in religion sure.
 
Vahagn

Vahagn

Staff member
Plugin Developer
Verified Member
Wiki says the gene would be recessive, and that its more spiritual and population based.
 
Vahagn

Vahagn

Staff member
Plugin Developer
Verified Member
You are a four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings.
 
MeskenasBoii

MeskenasBoii

Verified Member
Simplicitee said:
Skilled benders can do this without a lot of movement, but movement seems to help with the manipulation.
Click to expand...
Evidence or reason behind that?
Simplicitee said:
This is a big factor for the first year or so of a person's life, and since we don't see any babies bending in the show we can assume that they don't have an affinity for a while, therefore allowing epigenetics to be a viable explanation for how a person gets an element.
Click to expand...
I would theorize that babies don't have any intention to bend their or even aware that they can't. Also, bending is fueled by martial arts movement - so it would be even more difficult to bend anything in that matter. However, I do see some sense and agreement in some degree: imagine how silly and funny it would be if a baby used combustion to vandalize his/her own house with a risk of accidentally kill their parents.

Just for a fact: older age group then babies, which are toddlers, were seen and claimed to be bending once in their lifetime. Notably, seen by Korra when she revealed her bending to the White Lotus at a very young age.
 
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