What are some unique elemental powers/motifs?

[aqua03]

So recently I've started creating doing what I've called "Model Train Worlds" that are settings and characters that I would work on to blow off steam for fun, practice writing/worldbuilding, and general test out ideas even if I never publish anything from them proper. It's been fun to fiddle with and experiment with these types of settings.

One of these "Model Train" worlds I've been thinking of working on would be one inspired by LEGO's "Elemental robots bumbling around an alien planet" type stories like Bionicle, Throwbots, Roboriders and (Kinda-sorta) Hero factory. (Would Ninjago count as a pseudo successor to that type of stories given that it's elemental ninjas bumbling around a fantasy world?)

Anyways, I wanted to have a group of elemental characters/Environments/tribes for this setting, but I don't want it to be a 1 to 1 copy of the elemental sets of the prior inspirations (Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Plants, Metal, Air, and Electricity/Energy for Throwbots. Fire, Water, Ice, Air, Earth, Stone, Light, and Shadow for Bionicle's main ones. Fire/Magma, Plants/Water, Sand/Air, Earth/Rock, Ice, and Metal/Energy.) I know I will have the classic "Fire, Water, Jungle, Ice, and some form of Earth related" Biomes in my world, but I want to be a bit more original than just copying the above listed elements wholesale.

So what are some unique elements would you add onto the classical ones and which comibnation of six or eight elements would you pick if you were tasked with building such a story/world and why?

Thanks for the help and I eagerly await your answers.

[DiegoPalacios]

You could give them elemental combinations related to different themes

For example, the character's powers could be themed around the 4 stations of the year. and combine 2 or more elements accordingly for each station, like summer being fire+sand and winter being ice+lightning, and so on.....

[Hexigate]

Would you mind if I borrow your phrase? Because I do the exact same thing. A part of me thought that spending time on these worlds that I wouldn't really show was a waste of time and effort, but you've given me a great perspective about it all being practice and experimentation. Thanks for that!

A monster-tamer/action series I've been writing started off with the basic 4 elements you see a lot: Fire, water, earth, and air. But as I've been developing the story and the world, it's shifted into something more akin to states of matter: Plasma, liquid, solid, and gas. It would surely open up far more possibilities and ideas than sticking to the rigid elements.

[aqua03]

That could work actually. (I know I was doing something kinda similar for the Dragoons where they were tied to seasons/directions as well for their elements as well) Might toy around more with that idea now that you mention it.

@Hexigate

Amusingly enough, I've toyed around with a similar idea in the past for a different project as well. ALong with another setting where everyone's "elemental powers" are periodic elements also. Might mull that one over as well. (Was debating on having a "Plasma" tribe anyways given how popular that element was in the Bionicle community.)

Also sure, you can use that term as well. Go right ahead.

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(I'm honestly leaning towards having a Fire, Water, Earth, Plants, Metal, Ice, and possibly either light, shadow, or energy/lightning tribes for this setting possibly, but I'm not super sure.)

[AwesomeSoFar]

I've been playing Neo: The World Ends With You recently, and they've got some pretty interesting elements aside from the classic ice and fire stuff. Burst, which is mainly explosions, Poison, Sound, Gravity, Kinesis (which is basically just throwing random shit you find off the street on your opponents) and Time. they make sure to have these more unique elements be rarer than the common ones, which helps them feel special and unique.

[delladz]

Ah ok cool life hack that I discovered when it comes to naming things but being tired of english: I just use a different language lol

And not even the same language, I'll use like swahili, german, and thai in the same categorical theme. I know some works are known to use latin (cough final fantasy cough) and that's a valid but also overused language in my opinion.

But that doesn't really answer your question LOL honestly the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to elemental based abilities would actually be the Pixie Hollow fairies XD I've always thought that was a diverse franchise when it came to categorizing their characters into elements.