Surprise elementals!

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Some ranty videos here: • Rants
The entries of the surprise elemental illustration competition. This is possibly the longest video I have uploaded, but it seemed rude not to include every entry.
Find the video in which I set this challenge here: • Lindybeige audience en...
N.B: a mix up of names! The works by Laurynas Milinis and Jobbe Smit got their artists' names swapped around by accident. Sorry about that.
Lindybeige: a channel of archaeology, ancient and medieval warfare, rants, swing dance, travelogues, evolution, and whatever else occurs to me to make.
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Surprise elementals!
/ user "Lindybeige"

[@NathanK97]

he was secretly hoping the fire was a light beige

[@Tymdek]

xD

[@cornbreadisbetterthanpizza6866]

The real reason it failed those many years ago.

[@ExBruinsFan]

NO ONE expects the...Canadian Inquisition! See? Told you so.

[@gulgaffel]

6:10 to be fair it did state: you will NEVER see it coming.

[@arturmizuno]

holy shit, Illuminati

[@Captain-Obvious]

I really liked that hand drawn crumbled paper entry. Great artistic skill Zhong Gao! excellent work. both subtle and deceiving. All the elements of a perfect surprise attack camouflaged as something mundane and otherwise uninteresting. You sneaky artist you. Good job!

[@Poynting_Vector]

I really wanted someone to send in an picture of the periodic table with a new element Ah, the element of surprise.

[@gramursowanfaborden5820]

it would be highly reactive...

[@entropyzero5588]

+danpaladin12 That was literally the first thing I thought of when he stated the contest^^ Kinda sad that nobody sent this in :/

[@jackalackb17]

if i was to create a surprise elemental in game i would probably roll dice to determine a specific element on the periodic table. SUPRISE! you come face to face with an argon elemental! the first thing you notice is that its very noble! (chortle)

[@wanadeena]

"Now, don't be alarmed, it's just a ball of string." AAAAHHHHH! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!

[@OlaftheFlashy]

1:56 - 2:06 "You don't see that everyday." You do on Deviant Art. (or Tumblr.)

[@ChrissieBear]

The blue woman was the surprise elemental, not you!!!!!

[@Liggliluff]

I think you should call her, the surprised elemental

[@XpVersusVista]

nope, the sewing machine was the surprise elemental all along! They never had a sewing machine to begin with, but the surprise elemental mind controls someone into doing something others would never expect and turn itself into the necessary object (in this case a sewing machine) to make this surprising act happen! Thus it rightfully deserves the title of a true surprise elemental.

[@Totally_not_Kelkel]

"This box contains a Suprise Elemental. ... You will never see it coming." This one was so clever, because you quite literary will never, see it coming. XD

[@ScientaEstVox]

A surprise elemental is a funny thing, and I don't think any of these really did it justice. Its not like fire, or water, the common "elements" of fantasy, which are pretty easy to create a good enough looking creature out of it, all is fine as long as there is a reasonable amount of its corresponding element is present. A surprise elemental though, would have to encapsulate that idea, make it sentient, and do everything with it. Gazing upon a surprise elemental would not just be a moment of surprise, and then, well that's it, it would have to move with surprise, manipulate with it. I imagine a good surprise elemental would learn to cloak each action it takes, so the next, taken in the material word, would be just as jarring as the last. Surprise tho, is very much a subjective thing too, so the elemental would need some form of empathic ability as to sense their prey's thoughts, and feelings. It would surprise their quarry in a way that is very personal to them, striking them in ways they did not believe was a possibility. Seeing a surprise elemental would be a funny thing, because when we hear that word, "Surprise Elemental" we would already be imagining its form in our minds, it would use that knowledge against us, probably even presenting itself as something very uninteresting, but then we would have to ask ourselves again, would a surprise elemental always be surprising, or could they set up surprises? Well, elementals typically always take the form of their prospective element, and as we have seen, also use it for everything. Surprisingly enough, I think our elemental would be bound by laws, preventing it to never be not surprising, unless everyone at that moment was expecting a horrible amalgamation of tentacles, instead they get a frail woman, or a pot, that would probably be surprising enough to be in element. It would have to quickly change, either keeping its form, but having surprising strength, or able to move without appendages, or it would transform into something else entirely. Eh, things I think about anywho.

[@meganhumble1120]

This is actually very similar to the description of my surprise elemental that I wrote in the email to Lindybeige! Other possible forms I thought of were a red dragon that attacks, subdues, and tickles you; a big, muscly, hairy man that patently straight men are overwhelmingly attracted to; or a friendly exploding puppy. The woman with the tentacles was just the easiest form to draw. Maybe once you've seen her once or twice and you're expecting tentacles, the elemental might appear as a woman again and surprise you with boobies.

[@keithlarsen7557]

I'm the one that made the elemental that has the lost name. I don't really care, because I'm just happy to be a part of a Lindybeige video.

[@ehababdelkarim5186]

Me Drinking morning coffee. then he says Emanuel Axelson is..... 38 I laugh uncontrollably while choking on my last sip of coffee

[@SnakeMan448]

I got a nostalgic high from this, remembering the parts of Art Attack and SMart where they looked at the art people sent in.

[@Papperlapappmaul]

Huh, nobody sent in a picture of a pulsar? I mean what could be more surprising than a sudden gamma ray burst that ignites the atmosphere and kills all life on the planet in the blink of an eye?

[@entropyzero5588]

I don't think a pulsar will fit into your average dungeon though ;) (Then again, I'd be *very* surprised to find one, so…

[@hamstsorkxxor]

+Entropy Zero A pulsar is actually only a few kilometers in diameter, so it wouldn't be beyond conceivable to find one in a sufficiently gargantuan dungeon. Size-wise it's possible anyway. The mass bit might take a bit of explanation.

[@Papperlapappmaul]

hamstsorkxxor That's the beauty of a pulsar: It doesn't even need to be in the same solar system in order to turn a flourishing planet into a lifeless rock. If you were to find one _inside_ a dungeon you're gonna have to deal with very interesting relativistic effects. (Assuming the radiation and gravity don't affect the dungeon itself and don't kill the adventurer immediately.)

[@hamstsorkxxor]

+swiss Placing a pulsar in a dungeon behind a poorly locked door sounds like a way for a angry DM to kill some annoying munchkins "You open the door, only to be confronted by a 1,7 stellar mass pulsar in a pocket dimension. You get instantly vaporized for a number of reasons to complicated for you character to understand"

[@trolleymouse]

I liked the handed rock idea ... rather clever, actually.

[@UberMangaka]

Lindybeige learning about faded neutral colors and how they can take on other hues based on contrast of adjacent colors amuses me.

[@bonusduckmann9997]

2:28 is freaking gold wow

[@MaxWellenstein]

This was absolutely delightful. Definitely need to include a surprise elemental in my next game.

[@PaulCrowleyinMKE]

I like to think _I'm_ a surprise elemental in your game.

[@MaxWellenstein]

Well, yes. Shhh!

[@frymaster9850]

I once played a D&D campaign with all those things you said at the end of the video. Are group accidentally destroyed its food source and made everything in the town age faster, killing everyone.

[@rotellam]

I like the black hand coming out of the ground.

[@WardancerHB]

So the winner is Humble. That's how it should be.

[@fiddlefingers5316]

With your narration, the scene with the three adventurers in the cave containing the beige coated woman very much reminded me of a Monty Python skit. Bravo.

[@anton2maa]

William Selby's "armlike creature" and "mind controller" actually look like the one and the same thing. From the concept, I can gather that the creature can make portals...sort of. Well, maybe not portals, but he puts his hand into a surface and this same hand can resurface on another location. Doing so, it can surprise it's prey by attacking from literally nowhere.

[@Schenkel101]

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Surprise Nation attacked.

[@taltamir]

7:50 I am pretty sure the woman is the suprise elemental, and she is surprising you the reasoning is that she appears human, but her reflection shows her to be a monster under an illusion

[@ThibautVDP]

"nobody e-" 'expects the spanish inquisition?' "oh bugger"

[@just_ethanj02]

2:28 got a good chuckle out of me, you're a clever lad Lindy

[@rheinlandfilmchannel]

I shit you not, yesterday by pure accident i watched the clips of Monty Python's Spanish Inquisiton for the first time in my life and today this... Damn you Moirai

[@andreikarakozov2531]

Watching 9 years after... Has anyone else noticed that the picture with Lindy himself is an hommage to the Aragorn sitting in the Prancing Pony scene from The Fellowship of the Ring?

[@willhall1874]

Perhaps nobody has ever been attacked by a piece of modern art, but even so it remains an assault on the eyes.

[@MrKoiking1]

The winner reminds me of that thing from one of the men in black movies. It was just a mass of tentacles that disguised itself as an underwear model.

[@RobLucci3]

How about this? A surprise elemental is a creature that is inert until someone is even mildly surprised in its vicinity. It then grows stronger because the all the "surprise" has made it stronger, or rather added to it. It then proceeds to activate and influence and weaken the minds of everyone around it in order to make them susceptible to being surprised after which it causes hallucinations or something like (in order to surprise more people) that causing it to grow stronger. Its end goal is to keep the victims alive for as long as possible in order to gain strength. I guess its form would just be a shimmering mass of chaotic hallucinations which everyone would view differently.

[@Pillowcase]

that sound late at night is actually scary.

[@petersmythe6462]

I feel like my idea of a surprise elemental wouldn't really be directly visible. It would be visible through its effects on your mind. So for example, when you open doors, making you see and feel them opening straight falling upward into the sky. I.E. It is an illusionist. It uses shock, fear and suspense to break down the will of it's enemies, eventually driving them to think they are insane, or possibly even do something suicidal (perhaps voluntarily). Some of them might simply become so jaded that someone stabbing a sword in their eye would not be noticeable until they realized that they were actually dying. Speaking of which, perhaps it could even make someone think they were suddenly mortally wounded. I.E. It widdles away at their ability to distinguish reality from the torments of their own mind. Of course, since it is itself incorporeal and not directly visible, it is difficult to kill, or even find, by non-magical means. A powerful surprise elemental might perhaps have the capacity to effect multiple individuals separately over considerable distances and without direct contact, making it a formidable enemy indeed. It's likely that the dwelling of a malevolent surprise elemental would be filled with the remains of adventurers and soldiers who simply were driven to kill each other or themselves due to the illusion being created of betrayal or a non-existant enemy.

[@MalloonTarka]

+Peter Smythe So, basically the demon in Oculus?

[@frankharr9466]

That thind with the fire was pretty surprising. And I should have known.

[@StarshadowMelody]

"A dungeon with a happy workforce and thriving economy, a viable food supply and ventilation - that would be a surprise" I was gonna say "So Silph Co.?" but that doesn't quite hit all the marks, no in-built food supply...

[@largehoman]

You know what would be really cool as a surprise event. So the party’s going along adventuring, and then you role a die to randomly select one of the players and tell them “You’ve just woken up at the inn, the bender you went on last night got out of hand and it looks to be about mid-day, you should probably go downstairs and meet up with the party.” And just see how the players react. That player has been controlling a surprise elemental the whole session, who is about to make its move on the party. Could possibly have the elemental do something before the reveal, maybe stab the spoony little bard in the side

[@stcredzero]

I like the one with the Napoleon hat. See also the element of surprise from Grant Morrison's run on the Doom Patrol. It was a miniature 737 looking thing with bird legs that lived in a man's torso that was a birdcage.

[@ronaldjoy4149]

Well done with the charm of making (Excalibur) reference, sir!

[@B13102409]

AHHHH well, I tried xD Lots of good pieces, Thanks for showcasing my drawing anyways :) Good luck with the video!

[@Gsaror]

every psychopath and sociopath is a man possessed by a surprise elemental, because their victims never saw it coming. (also because I like the idea of you never being able to guess if someone is a surprise elemental or not)

[@TrueLore]

I believe the Surprise Elemental in the portrait that contains Loyd is not Loyd, but the woman (as seen in her reflection).

[@plasmathunderdx]

You know a lot of these ideas would be good for a horror game.

[@sirslam2414]

POCKET SAND! YAHAAAA

[@DarkWr4ith]

A lot of these are really incredible, very cool.

[@urdnal]

0:34 That's from Excalibur!

[@Mazer2721]

Why isn't the mirror mirroring the image of the woman? Is it a magical non-mirroring but still reflective high-polished surface?

[@cygil1]

This channel is getting closer and closer to nerd "Blue Peter". Except you couldn't get away with 2:06 on "Blue Peter."

[@juleswoodbury2387]

man if i ever win one of these my wish is going to be the rise and fall of the roman CULTURE yes the republic included. and we would have a video of lindybeige rambling without a script for an entire decade!

[@matthewgammon1303]

If I chose a topic it would be: Breakfast cereals over the past 200 years. Including what your favorite one would be (not one you grew up with).

[@AdrenalineJunkieXL]

I am extremely alarmed by that "ball of string"

[@riccardomoscatello2030]

Yess! do another drawing challenge!! I promise i'll have glowing fire in it

[@EndrChe]

ARE YOU SEWING!? Brilliant!

[@Squigglyline52]

To be the guy coming along and telling you something you probably already know I think the fireplace/you sewing picture was meant to depict the reflection of the woman on that shield, but all blue and monstery, implying SHE was the elemental and was, in fact, suprised. So that.

[@francisaje]

Surprise elemental - Lindybeige wearing blue and red

[@x537k194a1353]

Yes that was A banana noone expects the banana - soraka

[@botchamaniajeezus]

the one that hides behind the pot is the best

[@kb9whf]

The "book cover" picture looks similar to one of the drawings found in The Sandman Comics.

[@hellfiresiayan]

6:13 was right. You never saw it coming.

[@willkenny5687]

So, this is the one time where you actually expected the Spanish Inquisition?

[@junkelist]

you expect me to believe that no one thought of doing Cilla Black!?

[@DeathLordFhyeg]

lol did you get the empty room one? "You will *never* see it coming". See what he did there? You will NEVER see it coming, because it's not coming XD

[@EbeJay1]

This was wildly pleasant

[@whiskeyfur]

1:09 DUDE, totally, totally wrong there.. nice job.

[@FantasyfanXD]

My elemental made the thumbnail, well now I HAVE to subscribe.

[@bullseyedustrunescape5951]

1:08 I think the chap they're startling is... you.

[@RLDragonStrider]

I regret not entering honestly.

[@UndeadGary]

We already have surprise elementals. They're called Mimics!

[@boethius61]

I think every piece of modern art attacks me.

[@ZemplinTemplar]

Lovely little contest. :-) I particularly liked the Lindybeige sewing painting, even if it didn't fulfill your original rules. Nice work by the author. BTW, would you mind if I actually used a Surprise Elemental as a potential supernatural monster in an RP I'm working on ? I have a rather interesting idea for it myself... Oh, and if you ever make another contest like this, I might contribute. :-)

[@LordGangrel]

I'd love to hear about a "surprise plane". 90% of the adventurers end up dying of a heart attack in the first week.

[@THESOGGYSPONGE]

this was extremely entertaining

[@superseantendo]

the use of axes or what about 2 shields on the battlefield?

[@axelbengtsson8195]

Still think the Napoleon-goose is the best one... Dang it's good.

[@EC-rd9ys]

This should've been an episode on the office

[@Alyenbird]

If I was to draw a surprise elemental. I would have it be a very small floaty thingy, like a dust mote or mosquito-sized dot. Something that would be for all intents and purposes unnoticeable by all but the most alert of adventurers. This elemental would then cast illusions based upon whatever would most surprise each adventurer. Whether that be a flash of light and a loud bang, or a familiar person suddenly appearing out of nowhere bare-arse naked... whatever would get the biggest reaction out of the target.

[@TheRadicalOneNG]

I gotta give the animated gif points for getting me.

[@oxfd611]

By any chance are you a great student of "Monty Pythons Flying Circus"?

[@rikcloesen7714]

The guy with the beer can is costarican. The more you know.

[@ryandawson4815]

What I'm doing to surprise my pathfinder party is recently an evil druid who is also a thrall of a vampire stole their dog sled with the supplies on it and so they're going to find it by scrying one of the dogs and then teleporting over there and so what's going to happen is they'll see the dog sled as if it's covered in snow but the druid actually just used snow shape to make a replica of it and when they approach it the druid will use geyser while in animal form and then we'll see how it goes from there.

[@VanAleph]

Aren't mimics basically surprise elementals?

[@fsedb1]

Why are all of these physical creatures. I figured that some would go for something less tangible. Something that embodies the emotion of surprise would effect a persons emotional state without a physical presence. It would be something that only the person effected would be able to perceive as it would be only in their mind. The goal of such a creature would be to scare the person so severely that they have a heart attack and die.

[@lindybeige]

Yes, but the challenge was to draw it. A figure manufacturer would want to sell a figure of it.

[@fsedb1]

Ah, that makes a lot more sense.

[@jackarmstrong8790]

How well is your RP. Mine is actually pretty good in my opinion.

[@jackarmstrong8790]

Btw I'm actually Canadian.

[@General12th]

no u

[@edwardc8039]

3:38yes I think it would be

[@julian0rebel]

The image with the grey light source had the mirror image drawn incorrectly. The arm that was bent should be on the right side of the mirror, not on the left side.

[@Luxpulcher]

Surprisingly, Surprise elementals look just like Ben Stein.

[@Kronecraft]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO

[@paununs8719]

Emanuel Axelson is the best!

[@yes1sir1no1sir]

Bugger! I knew i had something i had to do.

[@devinm.6149]

Did anyone else notice the small gingerbread like man in the leftmost cobblestones of the hearth?

[@Calemad]

Lindy what's your favorite rpg class to play as?

[@vivianstanshall8121]

is the "you gotta light mac? " a bonzo dog band reference?

[@PeterLerkaram]

In the fireplace scene, is the relaxation of the lady incorrect?

[@scarecrow2097]

Is he going to do another competition? And if he does how can someone join?

[@joshualin5476]

This is gold

[@upyr1]

I thought the elmental was reflected in the shield - anyhow you should use the fire place one as a cover

[@2kingsmagic34]

Please do a video on flaming arrows

[@Alexaflohr]

Wow, I didn't see this coming.

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Cotati]

re: fireplace painting...there is a design along the stone work...what is that?

[@SuperMrMuster]

How about a "Figure of Speech" next?