Heyo guys.

I haven't read many Avatar fics, but I am looking for any stories focused on the bending aspect. That is, the learning, combat, intricacies of water/air/earth/fire bending. I don't care who the central character is or what the pairings are. I'm primarily looking for a fic with great prose and great descriptions of bending nuances in any form. Thanks for any reccs.

 

Embers, by Vathara.
It has great exploration of firebending, positing on how to heal with firebending, and then goes from there. It is long and complete.
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5398503/1/Embers
Warning: it is a contentious fic with proponents and detractors, and you may not like the heavy focus on Zuko.

 

Could I ask what makes Embers contentious? I'm mildly interested in Avatar, just finished the first series, and am looking for something in that era of Avatar to read.

 

Spoiler

This is just hearsay, but from what I've been told the Gaang are initially portrayed as being ignorant about cultural customs to the point of angering spirits and the like? Which would have been fine but apparently they never learn from their mistakes and it comes across as bashing their characters. While Zuko is mainly portrayed as understanding of the various customs in general and it's mostly hunky dory for him.

Course, anyone who knows better feel free to correct me.

 

It lightly bashes the Gaang.

Imagine making the world of avatar serious, but you still have the gaang acting like their cartoonish selves. They reap the repercussions.

It's a brilliant fantasy world andthe author did a great job adding to the mythology.

You'll either love it or hate it but warning it has a slow start.

 

The bashing is tolerable, although I found Katara to be an incredible exaggeration of her canon self with all the good bits taken out, but I the endless Zuko worship gets to be grating.

(Also later chapters introduce quite a lot of oc's that range from decent to awful.)

 

TL;DR version of the detractors: In Embers, Zuko is a virtuous god-child who can do no wrong and is always right, while Aang is an ignorant monkey child and Katara is a screeching harpy with no redeeming qualities.

It's a bit of an exaggeration and hyperbole in that, but there's a kernel of truth to it. Honestly, I didn't find it all that bad, but it did grate after a while.

 

Any other good Avatar fics out there? I would love to read Avatar after all this while. I would especially love it if the fic is in Gaang era rather than Korra.

 

See Behind the Mask
Ambition may burn bright, but it would take a fire much darker to ignite a 100-year old genocidal conflict. Burdened with his family's secret shame, Iroh sets forth on the eve of the final battle to save his loved ones from inhuman evil.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Drama/Spiritual - Iroh, Toph - Chapters: 7 - Words: 84,718 - Reviews: 35 - Favs: 62 - Follows: 11 - Updated: Jun 16, 2009 - Published: May 12, 2009 - Status: Complete - id: 5055912

Three Families
Three Families seek the Avatar. Three Families find the Avatar. Three Families use the Avatar. The story of how three sets of siblings are changed by the Avatar, amidst an endless war. AU, Want of A Nail.
Rated: Fiction T - English - Adventure/Supernatural - Aang, Azula - Chapters: 61 - Words: 1,236,700 - Reviews: 388 - Favs: 274 - Follows: 190 - Updated: Dec 5, 2013 - Published: Jul 20, 2011 - Status: Complete - id: 7197056

Offensive Strategy
Funny one-shot with Azula and the Gaang.

And one I'll recommend from the Krew era (with an unnecessarily long summary):

Repairs, Retrofits and Upgrades
Asami Sato can say no. She can refuse to believe that the world is on the edge of something beyond terror and comprehension. She can reject the possibility that grieving for the death of her father is necessary, as he was already dead to her once before. She can close your eyes, cover her ears and convince herself that everything is fine. That she's fine. Through grinding teeth and a belly full of rage, she's fine.

All of these problems, these impossible problems with no solution that involve science humanity was never meant to understand, are manageable. Spirit weapons are a terrifying threat, yes, and the fuel for them literally grows on trees, but she can fix it.

She's Asami Sato, the Engineer. She can fix anything.

It's in her blood.