[hider=Jideh Basrah]
[color=pink][h1]Jideh Basrah[/h1][/color]
Age: 15
Element: Flora (Earth Specialization)
Appearance: [hider=Appearance][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/85/cf/c3/85cfc327c64a28337f197ba5c575651d.jpg[/img][/hider]
Personality: Jideh is outgoing, and contemplative in turns. He tends to burst out into a scene with exuberance, and then go quiet for a span of time. Most people would put Jideh down as a wind user. But they haven't seen him in a garden before, when his energy is directed at the beauty of the earth around him. He can be tender, and nurturing, to a rosebush he happens upon one minute, and then be boisterous, even irritating, to a fellow student he meets adjacent to the aforementioned rosebush. To put Jideh's personality into its core precepts, Jideh is;

Mercurial - Like the plants that he loves to care for, different parts of Jideh's persona bloom depending on the situation. 
	    Jideh is so changeable that he can, in the course of a day, run through the entire emotional spectrum!

Peaceable - Jideh hates fighting, and will jump into a fight to end it, while judging harshly the person who started it. He 
	    believes there is always a choice between calm discussion, and senseless aggression.

Inquisitive - Jideh is a curious fellow who likes to learn by doing, and will usually figure things out just as fast as 
	      somebody who reads a book on the topic. He likes to puzzle things out. Especially word games.

Sensitive - Jideh cares about people, and he cares about what they have to say. Jideh takes everybody at their word, and if 
	    somebody tells him something using strong vernacular, he can take to heart that they believe what they say.

History: Jideh's history is simple. Jideh was born to a loving family some hundreds of kilometres away from the school, and when he manifested his ability to manipulate flora, the family's farm flourished. It was during a dry spell when Jideh nearly died from over-expending his energy that his family realized how much they were using him as a tool for their own gain, and so for his own benefit as well as their consciences, they sent him away to the school. The Basrah family farm still provides food to locations all over the world, and they consider Jideh to be their pride and joy. Their hope is that in time, Jideh will forgive them for their mistake, and that he will return to them even stronger than before, not only to furnish the land, but also to expand the farm and take over as its head. Jideh still doesn't know if that is the future that he desires, but he has come to the Elemental School nonetheless in the hopes that he will be able to figure out what he wants out of life throughout the course of the school year.

Equipment: Jideh has a seed pouch, Swiss Army Trowel, and his father's work gloves. These three things he carries with him no matter where he is.
[/hider]

[hider=Flora Concept Info]So in terms of what flora is... At least to my mind anyway, is the following;

Flora is the domain of existence which encompasses the form of matter that self-replicates and falls firmly into the plantae category of taxonomic organization. This domain also includes the fungi category, however most wielders of flora have a stronger affinity for either/or. To give an idea of the sorts of things that a Flora wielder can manipulate, picture a forest.

In this forest, there are trees, bushes, grass, perhaps. These are all things which can be classified in the domain of plantae and thus are able to be manipulated by a Flora wielder. That being said, places like forests and jungles and meadows (and caves if you specialize in fungi) are where Flora wielders are in their element. As much as a water user would love to be near a lake, or a fire user, near a well, fire, so too do Flora wielders find their strength and comfort in places teeming with plant life. So naturally, Flora wielders despise deserts, mountains, urban sprawls, and anywhere where plant-life is stifled or neglected. There are other conditions which disadvantage a plantae filled environment, such as disease, droughts, erosion, and pollution. Conversely, flora-wielders can improve their environment through gardening, agriculture, horticulture, and collaboration with users of other elements.

So of course now, we have to look at the interactions between Flora and the other elements.

Fire - You'd think that there would be zero compatibility here, but Flora recognizes the need to clear out old dead growth, and to purify the land for new planting. So there's a mutual respect, where Fire understands that Flora provides it with fuel, and Flora understands that Fire needs to be fed so as to allow for continued prosperity.

Water - Again most would say there should be an obvious affinity for water, however Flora knows that water can just as easily drown, erode, and evaporate, and remains cautious. Water on the other hand, is desperate for Flora's attentions because Flora can purify water, and filter out impurities. Flora rather bitterly, realizes that this leaves the impurities with them, and can have rough relationships with Water. Still, the two have a utilitarian relationship that has its highs and lows.

Earth - The Earth is Flora's cradle, and Flora's mother. Unlike the previous two, you would be correct in assuming that Earth users and Flora users go together like PB and J. Because of their close proximity to each other, and their reliance on each other, common is the pairing of an Earth wielder and a Flora wielder. That said, they are vehement in their desire to be seen as distinct from one another. So much so that there is a relatively well-known demonstration performed by these aforementioned couplings in which a Flora wielder will germinate a bean on a tile, and using a spurt of energy, cause the plant to bloom and grow all on its own. The bean will then wither and die over the course of a few minutes. The corresponding Earth wielder will then take a handful of soil and spread it on the dead bean. The Flora user tries to resurrect the dead bean, but to no avail. Alternatively, a sample of soil is filtered of all its nutrients and compared to a sample with nutrients provided from Flora, the difference is quite tangible. The difference between Soil, and Dirt, some say, is the covenant between Earth and Flora. The message is clear; The earth is where Flora lives, but it is not the Earth that gives Flora its essence. That is Flora and Flora's alone.

Light - Flora wielders maintain a similar relationship with Light as the one they have with Earth, albeit with much less confusion over the distinction in elements. Flora usually like having Light around so much it could be viewed as clingy, however if you had to depend on photosynthesis to survive, you might be clingy too.

Blood, Lightning, and Aetherial - Flora could care less about blood, since most everything in the domain has sap, or sugar-water, or other means of storing and transporting nutrients. Flora has a healthy respect for lightning, especially since Nitrogen producing phenomena are very beneficial to the domain of plantae. And much like all the other elements, Flora shrug at Aetherial, coming when called, but indifferent to its use.

What can a Flora wielder do?

Most anything involving plantae's natural functions and the abilities inherent, sometimes exaggerated to magical levels, or manipulated in unnatural ways. It's more beneficial to look at what a Flora wielder can't do.

What can't a Flora wielder do?

-Control any of the other elements, obviously. They can't control Earth, just the nutrient dispersion and absorption from Earth. They can't control Water, just how much of it is absorbed and released through respiration, etc. etc.

-A Flora wielder can't revive something that is dead. Nor can they use Flora magic to kill living plantae which is why Flora rely on Fire users as much as they do.

-A Flora wielder can't create new forms of plantae, only selectively breed, the old fashioned way gardeners do it.

-A Flora wielder can't manipulate plants to grow faster without taking the energy from within themselves or a willing other. If the energy is available and large enough however, they can accelerate growth exponentially and with extreme precision. This is the reason why a) Flora wielders are constantly taking in calories but never grow overweight, and b) Flora wielders tend to accrue large groups of non-Flora friends who can equally take in massive amounts of calories and never grow fat. In short, Flora Wielders are banned from Eating Contests, and are the world's most efficient personal trainers!

So there you have it! I hope this gives a better idea of what my Element idea is, and hopefully convinces you that this can really be a distinct element from Earth! After all,

Relinquo Foliorum Deorum.
I leave the leaves of gods. [/hider] Note: [@Zelosse] has confirmed that Flora is a specialization of Earth, however, he hasn't said no to anything previously discussed. So I'm going to go with it! :D