I have a ponder. Which personality traits do you think is associated with the different elements? I'm mostly thinking about the classic elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light and Darkness) but if you know of any other elements and their associated traits, feel free to share.
I know Fire is associated with bad temper while Water is associated with calmness. But what about the other elements and are there more traits I've missed?
Please discus.
I'm going to assume that the elements act as a boundary/limit/description for a role because, otherwise, I don't really associate personality with elements, haha.
Personally, for me, I don't think water should be calm and patience. Rather, I think water is volatile, angry, and unforgiving. Sure, it can be calm, but, at the same time, tsunamis and floods wreck and destroy entire cities in the blink of an eye. I also, typically, tend to think that water-elements are more mysterious — withdrawn/reserved.
As for fire, I've always figured it to be very passionate, which would include a bad temper. They would be hot-headed, impatient, and belligerent. Fire types tend to jump to conclusion, probably. I also have this weird thing where I always think fire is very arrogant (prideful), lol.
Air is frivolous — hands down. They're flighty, carefree, and unreliable, lol. They're probably really immature. Playful, maybe.
Earth... I think most people would think Earth is very stable and sturdy — reliable. Patient, nurturing, but not without vices. I always figured Earth to be the element that's most gullible (maybe second only to Fire).
As for Light/Darkness... well, there's always the very stereotypical associations and, personally, I've never made a character based off of them before.
That's just how I would, at this moment, use those elements, but, personally, I look more heavily at what other characters have been submitted and try to create something that would work well against or with the existing characters.
I think the view of the elements depends on the person and how they want said element to be represented. I have roleplays that revolve around the elements and the definitions I give for those characters change all the time. I'll just pick darkness....That's a description I have in my new roleplay. I, at the time I made this, thought of darkness as a practical jokester kind of character. But I also discussed how they can be sad. In another story, I had dark represent anguish and agony - so a very depressing and sad character. Heck, I've even had darkness represent beauty, wholeness, and balance.
Though thought as criminals, people hailing from this nation do not usually have such a dark reputation. They are shady people with many secrets, but they are also quite humorous and witty. This nation is all about living life to the fullest, having fun every second of the way. Laughter and pranks are just a part of their daily life. However, it isn't uncommon to come across a sappy, depressed, or deranged person, either. The Shadow Nation tends to swing one way or the other - you're either happy or you're sad. Most born in this nation have black or gray hair. Their skin color can be either very pale or even greyish-white, but it can also range on the darker side where it almost looks black. The typical eye color is slate gray, but it's not uncommon to see people with deep purple eyes or even rudy red.
It really all depends on what you're looking for. All the elements can have (and should have) multiple meanings. They are like the Zodiac. They are interrupted and viewed differently based on stars, sun signs, etc. So, in my opinion, there isn't a firm answer for this question. Just a bunch of ideas and thoughts from various people. :]