User blog comment:Echo 1/Elements You Should Not Give Your Characters/@comment-5451714-20130515162152/@comment-2026417-20130516035135

I figure the elements as I state below, since I'm using a similar cast of elements in a novel I'm working on.

Basically, Ice and Water are different. Water is liquid, flowing, and graceful but constantly changing; while ice is cold, hard, and steadfast but easily broken. Both are very different in both battle application and form. Ice may be solid water, but when you see a puddle of frozen water on the ground, most people usually think "oh look a thing of ice. I should avoid this since I could slip." A puddle of water usually triggers the thought "oh, a puddle of water. Perhaps I should avoid it to get wet" or "SPLASH TIME" depending on age and level of fun-loving.

Same goes for Earth and Stone. Earth is more like the moveable ground, such as soil, mud, clay, and other, more shapeable substances in the Earth's crust. Stone, however, is hard, immovable, and near-impossible to shape with your hands. Both have entirely separate uses when being applied by their respective wielders.