Important Elemental Affinity Clarification

So, it seems to me that we've had a lot of people that are mis-reading the beginner description for the fire elemental affinity. Fire, being one of the more difficult elements to master, in fact, does NOT allow you to "conjure a flame out of nothing" until you are an apprentice level.  The entire text of the description of beginner fire is here:

<i>At this level, existing fire can be controlled to a minor degree, such as changing the direction or size of the flame, though it is difficult to keep control over it if it is too large of a fire and if one is not careful, it can quickly get out of control. As well, order to start a fire, the user must focus their energy to generate heat on something combustible, which is often the hardest thing for someone new to the element. A beginner fire user will only be able to create a small flame themselves, and only on something able to be fairly easily burned (not damp wood, but dry grasses). A beginner is also able to cauterize their own wounds with the extreme heat they are capable of producing from within, though this heat may not be used to affect anything or anyone else save themselves yet as it is not known how to control it in that fashion.</i> 

Which means, these are the things that you can do as a beginning fire user: 

1) Slightly move an already existing flame in small, uncontrolled manners.
2) Struggle to light the smallest amount of dried brush aflame (ie. "something combustible) - and this is the HARDEST thing to do for a newbie
3) Cauterize one's OWN wounds 

I'm not sure where the misinformation is taking place, but anyone that uses their beginner fire skill incorrectly will not be able to gain XP for that use in a thread.

So now you know.

Want a Thread? Click Here! Multiple options! Private Message the Calico Account or Reply Therein!  

I always think of it as that a beginner can have some sort of control of heat, so that when it comes down to making an actual fire, it's just putting a lot of heat into some combustible things in hopes of lighting it up, if that helps people understand? For cauterizing one's own wounds that's pretty much the same; using a lot of heat to burn it close, instead of actual flames.

Here at Sverige, custard eats you!
-Scarlet Ink

That is a pretty correct understanding. More heat, less actual "fire" at beginner.

Mostly, I wanted to bring it up because a) there are always a LARGE quantity of users that take the fire element and b) it's been brought to my attention that people do use this incorrectly time to time and as I can't read each and every thread, I don't always see it xD

Want a Thread? Click Here! Multiple options! Private Message the Calico Account or Reply Therein!  

A tip from ol granny Heddy the firelady!

Heddy, even back at beginner (and you can look up her older threads where she did this) always always always makes a proper firepit for the fire, with good dry fuel all stacked in a neat pile and dead grasses and leaves stuffed in it and stones around the whole affair - the whole nine yards. She literally spends hours going and gathering up wood to pile up and let dry so that she can practice. And Heddy always got xp for her fire use even at beginner. ^^ And she stiiiill does it. If she's gonna play with fire, she makes a firepit. None of this dangerous spontaneous stuff, younguns!

So, basically, spend some time and words ICly actually setting up a place to practice your fire (or water or other magic or physical skill, w/e), and then spend a post or two making the spark, and let the fire grow naturally because of the fuel you've prepared for it. Then you can do the cool flame things, and not worry about being out of bounds.

Firepit yes, flames out of nowhere no.