the implication that bending is completely reliant on whether you think you should be able to instead of like…innate laws of the universe pleases me greatly

me bending someone’s bones: buddy they’re practically just limestone I mean it’s on you for walking around full of rocks

I mean that’s pretty much how Toph did her thing:

“There’s bits of metal in rocks. Probably bits of rocks in metal. I can bend the rock in the metal, and that’s PRETTY MUCH metalbending so yeah imma just invent a whole new discipline of bending.”

Actually, things that you could probably rules-lawyer your way into doing:

• Earth: ice is a crystal; bones are pretty much rocks so at worst I can debone you like a fish; dust
• Fire: drawing heat away makes things colder; it’s not airbending if I’m just making warm and cold places in the air; did you know you have lightning in your nerves; it’s not metalbending if I’m just wrapping lightning around this metal rod
• Water: no need for a puddle when there’s any kind of humidity; it’s not earthbending if the rock is damp; bloodbending is illegal but throwing someone’s bladder around inside them isn’t
• Air: it’s not X-bending if I’m just lifting it with air; sounds and voices are just funky air

and of course

• non-bender: gun

Waterbenders: I cast piss your pants