Attention Everyone!
This is a call for help. I need you! There is a matter of utmost importance that I really need some outside input on. Shane has just been initiated into Reimancy and I, nay we, need to pick an element for him. Water, Earth, Fire, Air (unintentionally put them down in the Avatar order there lol) - Shane needs to be able to transmute one of these elements and fortunately, or unfortunately, Shane is an intensely philosophical little dude. Whatever element he gets he is going to take it to heart. I want his element to reflect him and this is where I need the opinions of thread partners and anyone else who reads Shane's posts or think they have a feel for his character. What element do you guys think reflects Shane?
"[Drawing the Fire Nation symbol in the dirt] Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want.
[Drawing the Earth Kingdom symbol] Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring.
[Drawing the Air Nomad symbol] Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns, and they found peace and freedom. [pause] And they apparently had great senses of humor.
[Drawing the Water Tribe symbol] Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribes are capable of adapting to many things. They have a sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."
~ General Iroh, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Earth
So there's Earth. In every fiction earth is always the element of strength and unwieldiness. You know standing strong in the face of adversity. Shane can be like that sometimes. He can be determined especially in the face of learning secrets or magic.
However Shane is also a coward. Yeah, that's right. Shane will run away from 75% of risky situations. In fact most of his life is spent in avoiding risky situations from even occurring in the first place.
Physically Shane has put down roots in Syliras. He is more or less unwilling to leave. He is anchored and it would take a strong force to dislodge him. Like a boulder or a mountain. So physically similar to Earth in that way.
However a strong factor in staying is that he's scared of the wilderness. All of the fierce monsters and evils he's heard of keeps him firmly within Stormhold's walls. So again back to the coward thing. I mean that kind of negates the whole physically similar thing a bit, right?
Fire
So fire - it's all about passion and drive, as Iroh says. He has passion, he has drive or, at the very least, he strives for it. I mean his rules, his code, that seems designed to turn one into a fire but he isn't quite there yet. I think Fire would be good when he hits Competent or Expert. To show his growth etc etc
Air
The con for Earth is a pro for Air. He avoids risky situations and confrontations. He's flighty and evasive. He's creative too. I'd quite enjoy working with air a bit too but I don't really have many pros and cons I can think of for this one.
Water
Water, Iroh says that's the element of change and I have to agree. Water is always moving, always rushing onward. I've always loved water because it is such a powerful natural force. I mean if a water wants to get somewhere it will rip through land to create it's own river. It takes Dams, a miracle of human engineering, to stop it.
However I just don't think this is Shane. It just doesn't seem like him. I dunno why.
So there we go. Couple of thoughts on each element but the main point of this post was to get your thoughts so come on up and tell me. Even if we've never spoke before everyone is welcome to voice their opinions on this. I need you guys and gals out there to help me. So thanks for reading and bonus thanks to anyone who chips in an opinion!