There are six elements in my world: fire, water, earth, air, lightning, and ice. For each element, there are beings made entirely of that element. I have two issues: One, I'm not sure how to make a humanoid being out of some of the elements, and Two, I need a 'dark' version of each elemental. Help with either would be appreciated.

Ice:
About the size of a human, made completely of ice, with a wispy cloud of frost vapor around it. Color can vary from completely transparent to a bluish-white. Lots of spiky icicle bits, especially on the back and on top of the head, like hair.
Issues: I'm not sure how the face should look, or how the evil version should look.

Fire:
Also about the size of a human, but much less distinctly shaped. Essentially just a swirling pillar of fire that can sprout whatever limbs it needs. Can grow larger, but not much bigger than twice its size without consuming something flammable.
Evil:
The flames are purplish, and it has more of a cyclone-like aspect, and when it creates limbs, they have a more spiky, solid look to them.
Issues: Again, the face. Otherwise, fire is pretty simple.

Air Issues:
Air pretty much is one big issue. >_< Most stories/games/movies that have air elementals represent them as being made of clouds, but I don't like that. For one thing, clouds are mostly water, not air (yes, they are airy water, but still), and for another, I want the air elementals in my story to have a more ethereal quality. Less like a floaty puffy cloud and more like the wind. So I need help with the normal elementals, as well as their evil version.

Earth:
About twice the size of a human, earth elementals are made up of large boulders and smaller rocks bound together with dirt and sand. The fists, feet, head, and torso are each a single stone, unless it needs to grab something, in which case it can split up the stone on its hands or feet. The face is just made up of cracks in the stone it's using as its face.
Evil:
As opposed to the natural earthy colors of the normal part, the evil earth elemental looks like it is made entirely out of obsidian, glistening and black. The face is now made by glowing gems inside the cracks in the head, giving off purple and red light.
Issues:
None, really, unless you want to comment.

Water Issues:
Another problematic one. I've seen water elementals that look like fish people and I've seen water elementals that look like human-shaped sacks full of water, and they both struck me as equally unlikely. Any input would be appreciated.

Lightning:
Seen just as often as nothing more than a floating ball as they are seen in their humanoid form, lightning elementals are the most changing and impulsive. Their humanoid forms grow and shrink constantly, sprouting new limbs and losing old ones. Their face, when they choose to have a face, is made up merely of darker energy than makes up their body.
Evil:
Evil lightning elementals lose much of their childish impulsiveness, becoming much steadier. They are often pure black, occasionally purple or red, with a color different than their body for their face.
Issues:
I'm just not sure if that *points up at it* is good or not.

Wow, bookwyrmnick! These are neat!

Maybe the dark ice elementals are 'muddier' in color, and spikier?

Do the fire elementals have to have a distinct face? If so, maybe their eyes look like glowing coals and their mouths are just darker flames. Just a thought.

I like the idea of just barely visible air elementals that blow from place to place. Maybe you can just barely see their outline. Again, do their faces need to be distinct? Maybe the evil air elementals are more of a gustier wind, less gentle.

Ooh, I like the earth elementals! I can't think of any way to change them...

I can see how the water ones are difficult...hmm...You're wanting them to have a definite shape, right? Maybe they're contained in a thin, transparent skin that holds their form, but they're constantly dripping..? Like the ice elementals, maybe the evil water elementals are just muddier in color.

I like the lightning elementals! Very neat. I can almost picture them perfectly in my mind!

Thanks!

Hmm. That could work. *slow nod* Yeah, I like that. *checks off Ice*

Maybe the fire elementals don't need a face. *thinks* Or maybe they project a disembodied mouth and eyes above the top of the pillar of fire.

Hmmm. Yeah, the good air ones can just be pretty much invisible. Like the Predator, if you ever saw that movie. And the evil ones trade stealth for power, since their whirling about picks up little leaves and dust, so they're more visible.

Or maybe, for the water ones, and I just thought of this, if I'm not going to use clouds for air because I said clouds are water, maybe I can use clouds for water!

You have a very interesting idea!
Here's a random thought for Air: What if that element can collect dust particles, and bind them together to make themselves visible? And they could drop the particles at will, to keep invisible.

Ooh, I like these ideas! That's creative to use clouds for the water ones.

For the wind elementals, maybe they could look like the girls made out of petals in Narnia but with autumn leaves or other objects. Also, a fairy comes to mind for some reason. Not sure why though.

Also, with the ice elementals, snow is an option. I can imagine skinny icicle people with snowflake wings, sparkly white powder sprinkling off.

Have you ever watched Fantasia? In the Nutcraker, there are fairies of different varieties (elements) and I think that could sprout some good ideas. That comes to mind a lot. And music. Don't know why. It just does.

....

Did that even make sense?

Anyway, the faces could be as a normal human face, to keep things moderately simple. The dark elementals could have fangs... And more animal in form. Just an idea.

Also, for fire, could a more lava form be possible or is that too much like earth? Or maybe it would be simpler to make them the same, since they both represent the power of the earth.

Oh listen to me ramble.

With water, you could have the dark versions look more like from a swamp, all muddy and putrid smelling.

Hope this helps! And if you can't find the movie, I'm sure that YouTube or Netflix have it.

Hmmm. Interesting idea, Sir V. Sounds like something they could do, if they need to talk to humans.

Thanks, Milly.

Seabird:
Hmm. Maybe the air elementals, being playful, take different forms in the different seasons. *likes that idea*
Ooh, snow. That's good. *thinks* I'll definitely work it in somehow.
I've seen Fantasia, but I don't remember the fairies. I'll watch it again.

Here's one idea if you want to go a scientific route: What if the air elementals were made up of pure nitrogen?

Interesting idea, Suiauthon. I wonder if that would give them a different index of refraction? That would cause the predator/cloaking device effect mentioned before, which would be really neat. Also, if they were just a different density (say, an air elemental gathers air together to a much higher density than outside its "body"), that would accomplish the same.

I can't tell what the nitrogen particles would be capable of doing without doing some research, but it sounds interesting anyways.

Well, I wouldn't know what nitrogen would do either, but it's certainly a thought. They would be able to change their body composition... And Cephon, the density thing is another good thought.

Hmm. And all that makes them a valuable ally to fire elementals. If you have a partner who can turn himself into a highly condensed pillar of propane... Boom.

LOL! "Super Elemental Team Combo Attack--IGNITE!" *Fwooosh!*


Yeah, not a bad idea. Maybe an air elemental would be able to hold together pockets of different gasses for different uses. Not with an actual container of some sort, but just being able to prevent it from diffusing away. Not certain how many actual uses one could come up with, but perhaps it's something to think about.

Ya'll have some great ideas going on in here.

Its a wonder what will happen when we can color our text. XD

These are really cool, Book. I like how you chose to portray the elements as living beings.

These are really good! Sorry if I repeat something someone else has commented on, I didn't read the posts.

First of all, I don't think faces are necessary. But, if you want them, maybe the one for ice could just be holes carved into the ice, making up eyes and a mouth. It sounds plain, yes, but it's all I can think of...

For the air element, you can either make them invisible (which will give them quite an interesting advantage in battles) or, maybe just describe them as gusts of wind moving so fast, you can barely make out the shape of a human body. I don't know... just some suggestions I came up with at the top of my head.