Radiance
Radiance is the force that pushes away from a point, the simplest parallel is Light.
Radiance elementa people show traits of being extroverted and very willing to talk about their past, beliefs, and philosophies, without prompting. When they have had multiple bad reactions to this in their lives, they might be shy, still wishing to be extroverted but fearing it. They are quick to defend those who they perceive as being threatened, sometimes without knowing the whole story. They also like to be the center of attention and do not like brooding or dealing with negative emotions, causing them to attempt to cheer others up very often. They have what most consider to be a natural charisma, and value forthrightness.
At their best, they are charismatic and inspiring. At their worst, they are intolerant, authoritarian, and unflinching in their dogma, quick to point out flaws in others to cover their own.
Wind
Wind is the force of change and large scale chaotic movement.
Wind elementa people have tendencies toward being very adaptable on short notice, both to internal and external stimuli, making them seem very 'random'. They value freedom and embrace change, often believing that this change is necessary for happiness and growth. If this is repressed in their lives they often become 'dreamers', escaping from reality often to fulfill this need, and may seem depressed rather than their usual cheerful and playful, when forced to interact within a 'normal' social structure.
At their best they are cheerful, helpful, energetic and resilient, accepting and adapting to the changes around them easily. At their worst, they are flighty, indecisive, forgetful, and sometimes inconsiderate or emotionally unstable.
Ice
Ice is the force of endothermic change, that which removes heat from objects or the environment, usually causing solidification of water, on earth. Its simplest parallel is 'Cold', or 'Freezing', the process of temperature dropping.
Ice elementa tend to be very calm and difficult to excite or even inspire, viewing things in very 'efficiency based' terms, and are more likely to communicate heavily in terms of observable facts only. They are very analytical, but not often very progressive or creative directly, valuing 'order' to the point of extreme. This value system mixes with their minor element to usually give enough of either Wind's talkative nature, or Water's emotional nature, to make normal communication possible, but the closer one gets to pure Ice, the more effort must be made to interact.
At their best, they are efficient, focused and assistive, facilitating and quiet. At their worst, they are bitter, sarcastic and patronizing, emotionless, and often unhelpful as 'vengeance' for whatever 'wrong' they perceive themselves to have endured.
Water
Water is the force of reactive and cohesive fluidity. change expressed through the movement of matter in ways usually influenced by this cohesion, by gravity, or both. Its simplest parallel is water in its liquid state on planet Earth.
Water elementa value emotions and interact through them primarily, and are specifically expressive about emotional matters. By most definitions of 'realist', the Water elementa person is a very close fit. Having any Ice in them also makes them extremely pragmatic. They react more strongly to emotional disturbances or unpleasant situations than most other elementa. If this is repressed, they often struggle to 'prove' that nothing bothers them, or worse, become obsessed with control to prevent it. Their free flowing nature makes them very capable of nurturing others and adapting to large scale changes, normally.
At their best, they are understanding, nurturing and empathetic, often giving of themselves. At their worst, they are moody, prone to grudges and negativity, spiteful and predatory.
Compression
'Shade' is an old name used for what should rightly be called Compression, the opposite of Radiance. This is due to the association between this force, and gravity, and in turn, the association between that gravity and black holes, which are the closest parallel.
Compression elementa usually appear to be introverted and more interested in collecting information about others than in sharing information about themselves. Their 'absorbing' tendencies often make them very tolerant, but if faced with too harsh a reality, it can result in them becoming very jaded, at a rate faster than most other people. They are usually stable and good in authority due to their ability to handle pressure, but since they are not inclined to 'move', they may stagnate in certain ways. They often are willing and able to spend long periods brooding or contemplating less 'happy' things, which is where many get the reputation for being 'morbid' or otherwise 'melancholy'.
At their best they are tolerant, calming, and quite stable when authoritative. At their worst, they are deceptive, vengeful and vicious, seeking to subvert or destroy that which they dislike.
Earth
Earth is the simple term used to refer to the stability force that is held together by its own mass or that of gravity. It is a force of large scale ordered movement and reactions, but has some small scale predictable movement as well (sand, erosion).
Earth elementa tend to value structure, regime and stability, and tend to communicate simply and expect others to do so as well. When exposed to people with greatly opposing viewpoints they give the impression of being 'simple' or stupid in some cases. Normally they are just being very straightforward. They are very resilient and have strong capacity to weather changes without needing to personally adapt very much, but of course this also makes them a bit stubborn. In emotional matters outside of their control, they often do not bother responding at all, causing them to seem apathetic. In situations directly affecting them, long periods of this may cause their natural quiet empathy to become actual apathy.
At their best, they are solid and dependable, stable and able to weather difficult situations well. At their worst they are surly and resistant to change, sometimes seeking power for the purpose of stopping unexpected changes around them.
Fire
Fire is really the concept of simple excitation by heat of substances, however the term 'fire' itself is relatively accurate in that due to the properties of matter, most superheated objects do react as if they are aflame.
Fire elementa are notably passionate about nearly everything, though whether that passion is a quick sudden blaze, or a steady burn, seems to differ, within a range. They are usually very proactive people, who are not discouraged easily and will keep trying the same method if it seems to be working at all, until they succeed. They also often innovate methods to take on a problem head on, but if this is repressed or discouraged, they often become reluctant to put their all into things even though they still want to, and react strongly to suggestions of doing so. They are usually very forthright, and not scheming, though this does not imply that they are never dishonest or manipulative, just that they prefer not to put too much calculation into such things.
At their best, they are focused and driven, relentless even when cautious. At their worst, they are pushy, easily angered, and intolerant of weakness in others or overly emotional people, despite becoming moreso themselves.
Lightning
Lightning refers to the movement of energy, almost always electricity, across a potential difference. A flow of current or a bolt or spark, are all functionally the same, flowing suddenly and because of energetic differences.
Lightning elementa are very interested in the flow of ideas and concepts of an 'intellectual' type, and seem almost compelled to educate anyone who engages them in conversation. This may be simply regarding their opinions, unfortunately, if they do not have enough actual facts. They also tend to enjoy collecting facts for similar reasons, but are not as good with emotions, which they often consider too subjective, even within themselves. This drive for creativity and sharing makes them engaging leaders, but sometimes causes problems when they consider themselves superior to authority figures, who they may then attempt to undermine.
At their best, they are confident, charismatic, and often do in fact act as leaders or at least figureheads. At their worst, they are arrogant, seeking to use power to manipulate others, often jealous of authority.
For further reading on various other topics and distinctions between elementa, see the links below:
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