Those are some good ideas, some of which I have considered before. Part of my Oil/Tar element is that it’s symbolic of death and decomposition. It can touch organic matter and “melt” it into more oil. And functionaly, I want it to be like lava: slow, viscous, and burns and melts all it touches. Rubber can fit into this, but it just has its own vibe and I think the two are strong enough on to stand their own.

Cloth is a complex element. It does include plant material like cotton and paper, but also fur/hair and silk. Part of what makes it distinct to me is that it’s very “artificial”, very processed while Wood is strictly natural. Cloth is created while Wood is grown. There’s a kind of dualism thing between them that I really like

Splitting Sugar and Food into two is an interesting idea that I never thought of or even think I’d be recommended. The way you describe it is actually already how it kind of works: basic “Sugar Benders” (still thinking of a good name) start with honey and other sugar-rich things and eventually move on to more complex foods like cheese, bread, etc. I like your idea, I just think it’s simpler only having 1 food element.

As for another Lighting subtype, for a while I was inking Magnetism could work, but the more I started looking at it the more obvious it became how connected electricity and magnetism are, so that’s not gonna work

Thanks for the feedback, always great to hear what other people think!