The Eight Elements

I'm going to allow everyone (except Humans) to re-choose their Affinity or if they have one at all based on the information I am about to disclose. As an aside, I am adding an entry for Affinity in the forum character sheet, please fill it out with your chosen one or None as applicable.

Air: Those of the Air embody freedom. Freedom of mind, personality, emotion, body, and soul. For this reason by others they can be considered flighty, or at worst, flatly chaotic. It is often said dealing with an Air can be a trying experience, especially for some of the slower elements, as any given Air might either interrupt constantly with random comments, become distracted, or otherwise lose their attention on the subject at hand. Nonetheless Airs are good-natured, friendly folk who have no problems with travelers or strangers to their lands. Their tendency towards sharing and giving also lends them to hosting frequent feasts or parties, often at least once a week, which comers from all elements are welcome to. Airs themselves never come to a gathering empty-handed however, considering it a privilege to bring gifts to their gracious hosts, whether it be more food or entertainment or simply a thoughtful present. There is a great deal of societal expectation on the giving of gifts within Air, as it is considered rude and impolite to not bring a well thought-out gift... taking into consideration the recipient, occasion, time of year, current styles, and any other number of factors. It is the height of disrespect to not bring a present at all, and such a thing almost never occurs save when a true grievance is being expressed.

Fire: The people of Fire are a passionate people. Not to be confused with the energetic nature of Air, Fires rather put their whole heart and being into a thing, whether it be their job, their art, their family, their loved ones, their friends... whatever function of life a Fire is engaged in, they do so fully. This leads to the trend that Fires tend to think with their hearts and not with their heads, but Fires take a bit of pride in that statement, believing it is better to feel and be honest about it then to try and 'temper' that feeling. This is not to say Fires are hotheaded idiots, but rather in any given circumstance an average Fire will prefer to go with their instinct or their gut, rather then sit and consider the situation at length. This passion means that Fires sometimes have a hard time getting along with other elements, as they are quick to anger or bolster, and are unafraid to raise their voices if they feel the desire. By the same token, other elements who know how to match those passions in turn tend to form strong bonds of fellowship with Fires.

Earth: Those of Earth are stalwart, determined, stubborn, and prone to extremes. Some lend towards stability and structure, while others are in a constant state of flux, and in more than a few occasions an individual will flip between the two mentalities. Earth believes strongly in the concept of tradition tempered with experience, seeing the need to be dynamic or progressive but only if a situation warrants it; a sort of passive progressiveness. Earths are the most happy of the eight with things being unchanged in their daily lives; having a static routine that never changes can be a source of great comfort to an Earth.

Water: Those amongst Water are inherently unstable, flowing naturally from one thought or mindset or emotion to the next. This change is never abrupt nor sudden, it just shifts over time, whether that be minutes or years. Waters also innately seek to establish themselves amongst others, in a societal and / or perceived manner, ensuring that they are thought of in whatever light the Water seeks. Someone of Water will also be slow to anger, but having a terrible wrath if it is allowed to come to fruition, and the same in reverse as well; once cold or heartless, they will likely remain that way for some time.

Light: Light is energy. While not necessarily to the extreme of being hyper, someone of Light is energetic in all that they do, from the mundane to the fantastical. They prefer action to thought, motion to rest, and results to theories. A Light is not necessarily reckless, but nonetheless far more inclined to simply do rather than consider possibilities or alternatives before doing. Metaphorically, a Light never seems to run out of energy, and takes great joy in exercising that energy.

Dark: Darkness is the calm stillness. Those of Dark are quiet, peaceful, thoughtful, and wise. A Dark will carefully consider any and all actions to be taken until they are satisfied before taking action. Do not mistake this for procrastination, laziness, or a sedentary nature however; a Dark will act, they just prefer to look before they leap. Darks find great comfort in tranquility, things that are soft, low, and still.

Life: Life is optimism incarnate. The inherent belief that all things happen for a reason and that reason is good. The desire to do no ill towards another, nor cause by action or inaction another to stumble in their lives, whether that be on a mundane every day level or to the severity of their own existence. Lifes by their nature are idealistic, sometimes unrealistically, but ultimately strive in their own ways to better their own lives and all the lives around them, believing that everything should be given its chance to nurture and grow.

Spacial: Those of Spacial are oddities. Unusual people, who think outside of the box, and have a mindset that could be described as alien to others of their kind. It is hard to put a finger on any given quality of a Spacial other than their disparity with everyone else, and that tendency to be off. It's not always the same type of off either, varying from individual to race to age. Spacials do often tend to be those who have great ambitions, relative to their own scale of thoughts, but sometimes those ambitions themselves aren't feasible or even possible.

This post is a great piece of work, but I must ask. What specifically distinguishes light from air? I'm having a hard time drawing a clear distinction from the descriptions.

Gau, from FFVI, would be Air.  By contrast Locke, also FFVI, would be Light.

Or, to use the more popular FF: Cid from FFVII would be Air, but Aeris would be Light.

Or to summarize without using examples; Air is about inconsistency, indecisiveness, sudden action or reaction.  Light is about action, energy, and results.  An Air might do something impulsive, but it will be because the mood strikes them.  A Light will do something impulsive because they would prefer to do then to not, and to hell with thinking it through.