Flight Rising Discussion

Here's some specific things I've been thinking about. I would love to have some thoughts/opinions on these., and you can treat this as a questionnaire if you'd like!

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What other things have you incorporated into your lore?

I think about Charges alot!! Here's some of my ideas about your questions. - [i]Anything[/i] can be a Charge. Physical, non-physical, whatever. A Guardian can even be their own Charge, though sometimes it's just part of them or part of their body. And other Guardians as a Charge is perfectly reasonable! - Charges are predetermined, which ties into my headcanon/theory about the Search, which I'll put after. So a Charge can die before it's found, not exist yet, etc., and a Guardian will have a difficult time feeling the pull of the Search, or just never experience it at all. - A Nocturne wouldn't feel the pull of the Search because they wouldn't gain a Charge, they might try to decide on something though. - A Charge can have more than one Guardian! But a Guardian can't have more than one Charge, unless the thing itself encompasses multiple things- ie, a forest has lots of stuff in it. - Feelings on a Charge's loss or how much a Guardian tries to protect it/how far they're willing to go varies by dragon. Some Guardians have grown to hate their Charge, either because it stifles them, or because it became someone they couldn't stand being aligned with. Sometimes they find the need to leave it behind, or worse. - Wildclaw Guardian power couple, obviously. - The Search wouldn't end, but the Guardian might just stop pursuing it after a while, and just always feel the pull. And now, my theory/headcanon on the search. [quote]I think it makes sense that, sometimes, rather than being lead directly to their Charge, Guardians are led to the [i]circumstances[/i] that will cause them to encounter their Charge. The urge Guardians feel to encounter to begin their Search is actually a form of clairvoyance. While unable to visualize or fully understand what they feel, they aren't actually led to their Charge; they're led to the moment they find it. This isn't to say they aren't drawn to their Charge, as there is an undeniable energy and pull about it. But their Search itself is fueled by the slight Water magic all Guardians still retain, and the distance so many Guardians have between them and their Charge would make the pull impossible to follow without this ability. Hence, for Guardians with closer or familiar Charges, the urge to begin their Search is next to nonexistent; they can't forsee what's already happened. ([i]A Guardian probably could accelerate their Search by training as a seer, but few would learn such magic for that purpose unless they were desperate. I imagine it's considered inappropriate to tell a Guardian what their Charge is before they find it, due to the highly personal nature.[/i]) [/quote]

I don't have answers to most of these questions, but now all I can imagine is a nocturne raised by guardians feeling the need to Search, but never finding their charge (because they don't have one) and now I'm sad

i'm imagining tumblr kin discourse 'nO dOuBLEs' but like in all seriousness yes i think non-living things can have multiple guardians

A guardian/wildclaw pair; [img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/d9254e5d01733c36bdda8d4ec5634f48/tumblr_nr9mx8pj5p1rtrljio1_500.png[/img]

[quote name="TheBreadCrumb" date="2020-10-12 16:27:53" ] I don't have answers to most of these questions, but now all I can imagine is a nocturne raised by guardians feeling the need to Search, but never finding their charge (because they don't have one) and now I'm sad [/quote] I hate how this is generating ideas -_-

@tytytytytytyty1

- Can a guardian have more than one charge at a time?
One Guardian, one Charge.

- Can a guardian get a new charge after losing an old one?
See above. Some Guardians might take on a fake one to mitigate their grief/ingrained shame at losing their Charge, but they won't ever have another true Charge.

- What if a guardian has an aging charge and knows they will die soon?
+ Would they try to prevent it? Accept it? Freak out and panic?
This is completely up to the personality of the individual. They're a species, not clones, so obviously not everyone would react the same way.

- Are there any rules on what can be a charge?
+ Does it have to be a whole thing, or can you have part? This specific flower petal, that tree limb?
I don't think there are any rules, but personally I try not to get TOO weird with it I say, as if I've decided on Charges for more than one of my Guardians. Something just feels wrong to me about having a Guardian's charge be a specific flower petal, or someone's toenail or whatever, but I can't think of any good reasons why this COULDN'T be the case.

- Can a charge have more than one guardian?
+ How poorly or how well would this work out for the charge?
+ What if the charge is another dragon?
Yes. Again, results may vary depending on individual personalities and the general circumstances. Worst case scenario, the two Guardians fight to the death over who ultimately has the Charge.

- Can two guardians have eachother as charges?
Yes, but considering how many possibilities there are in the world, this is pretty rare.

- What happens if a guardian has the same wildclaw as a mate AND a charge?
+ Wildclaws want to fight for their mate, guardians want to fight for their charge...
Awwww.

- How do you guys feel about a guardian having a concept as a charge?
+ Personally, I've tried this one out and I think it's kind of interesting. Peace, Deimos, and Monstrosity in my lair are all based on this idea
I'm not totally against it but I think it's weird and I can't personally figure out how that would even work?? It wouldn't ever happen in my idea of canon, but if you can make that work convincingly... cool.

- How long can a search last?
+ Can a guardian's search end without a charge?
Searches last as long as they take. Their premonitions/senses/etc. (I like the "slight clairvoyance" theory posed here) won't take them on a wild goose chase, it'll be as direct a route as possible, but with the size of the world and the potential for a Guardian and their Charge to be displaced from each other in time as well as space, it might take days or it might take decades for the two to finally meet.

- Are charges predestined or decided on contact?
+ If predestined, what happens if the charge dies/is destroyed before the guardian finds it?
Predestined, and the funny thing about that is, if the charge dies before the guardian gets there, it wasn't really predestined at all, was it? Some quirk of The Universe makes sure that "predestined" means they WILL meet at some point. They have to.

- How do guardians feel after losing a charge?
+ The encyclopedia page says they feel 'shame' and 'failure' and would rather 'pine away' after losing their charge. How do you think they behave? Do they get angry and seek vengance? Do they try to replace their charge, and can they be successful?
Again, individual personality. I've written one Guardian like this and he carried his dead Charge all the way across Sornieth in hopes of finding a shady necromancer somewhere to bring them back to life. (He did not succeed, and eventually allowed his Charge's body to be cremated and took the ashes as his Charge instead.)

- To what lengths will a guardian go to protect its charge?
+ Is there anything they woudln't do?
Depends on circumstances and personality, but for the most part they will do anything.

- Are guardians willing to die for their charge?
+ Is this seen as the ultimate honorable sacrifice? Or as a failure, because the guardian's death results in an inability to protect the charge in the future?
Individual interpretation. Most would be willing to put themselves in potentially-deadly harm's way, and if they die, well, that's that, isn't it?

- If a nocturne is raised by (or spends too much time around) guardians, will it feel a pull to Search?
+ If so, will the need to Search fade after leaving the company of the guardians?
+ How strong would the feeling be, anyways?
They wouldn't feel a real pull to Search, but depending on how strong their mimic instinct is they might end up with some sort of placebo-effect fake Search. It won't really lead anywhere in particular, and once they've been away from Guardians for a while though they'll realize "...oh. nevermind then."

- How protective do you think guardians are around their charges?
+ I like to think each guardian's level of protection varies wildly
+ Do more-protective guardians look down on less-protective ones as 'lesser'?
+ Do less-protective guardians think the more-protective ones are too high strung?
All of the above. Once again, individual personalities.

I will attempt to answer them!

• Can a guardian have more than one charge at a time? Depends on what the charge is! On an individual level, no. But of something a as a larger whole, sure! So for example, let's say a Guardian has a pond full of fish. They cannot have only 5 of those fish as charges. It's either one, or all of them! I have a dragon that has an entire swampland as his charge. So similarly for him, he cannot just pick which aspects of the swamp are his charge (just a few trees, just this type of animal, etc). It's all of it.
• How does that work? Gain them at the same time? Over time? Also depends. As the swamp grows, those new parts of the swamp are still part of his charge. Using the pond fish example, any new fish added would then be part of their charge too. If the new fish was somehow harmful to the other fish, then the Guardian would go to any lengths necessary to ensure all the fish have a safe space (so most likely making a new pond for the new fish).
• Can a guardian get a new charge after losing an old one? I haven't dabbled with this yet, but I'm thinking almost always no. There could be fringe cases, but I think most often what happens is the Guardian's spirit is broken, and it just slowly fades away during the rest of its days.
• What if a guardian has an aging charge and knows they will die soon? If it is something natural, or at least caused by no one in particular on purpose, then they will still feel a great sadness, but it will not be accompanied by shame and a lacking care to live. The Guardian may still slow down and become less interested in aspects of life, but they wouldn't be as broken as a Guardian losing their charge to something more sudden/horrific.
• Would they try to prevent it? Accept it? Freak out and panic? Depends on the individual. Some may do all they can to find a solution, or slow down the inevitable. Depending on their moral compass, they may even turn to more dark means of keeping their charge alive (dark magics and all that). Others may simply do all they can to create memories during their final days with their charge, making them as comfortable and happy as they can.
• Are there any rules on what can be a charge? None that I have found so far! I think something as broad as "all X species" might not count, but I could see a way around that rule being "all X species [the guardian] comes across". So let's say they have all Faes as their charge. They wouldn't travel the world gathering up all the Fae dragons alive to guard them! They would only do so with those they meet, and most likely they would still be willing to let go of those who have other callings in life, as holding them hostage as a charge is detrimental to them and goes against the whole goal of protecting them and keeping them happy. Honestly there's so many variables in having something so broad as a charge, I might just settle on it not being possible lol
• Does it have to be a whole thing, or can you have part? This specific flower petal, that tree limb? It has to be the whole of a thing, I think? So, like, they couldn't just select only the inner 5 meters of a flagpole. It's the whole pole or nothing. They can't guard just a tree limb, but the whole tree. BUT if that tree limb was already separated from the tree? Then yes! If it can be/is already separated from another object, then it can be guarded. But specific sections of a whole? No.
• Can a charge have more than one guardian? Yep!
• How poorly or how well would this work out for the charge? Depends on the charge and the Guardians involved. I don't have anything like this at current in my lore, but I did in the past. In this instance, the charge was bothered very little by it, at most they were annoyed when their Guardians argued about what was best for him, as the two Guardians did not get along.
• Can two guardians have eachother as charges? Yep!
• What happens if a guardian has the same wildclaw as a mate AND a charge? Oooh, haven't dabbled in this one yet... I think it again comes down to the individuals. If both are stubborn dragons, then it's most likely the Guardian who would eventually give in, as arguing too much is stress on their charge and goes against the goal of keeping their charge safe and happy.
  Now, I actually don't cross-breed the different dragon breeds in my lore. In my headcanon, they either can't (for example, if the size difference is too great between the breeds then it will never happen), or they make hybrids which there's no official art for haha Not to say they can't have mates of other breeds, I just don't have nests.
• Wildclaws want to fight for their mate, guardians want to fight for their charge... Another instance where it would depend on individuals! I could see instances where one has to cave in and let the other fight. Maybe they keep track and take turns. Maybe they compromise and fight together for each other.
• How do you guys feel about a guardian having a concept as a charge? Not something that would happen in my lore. It has to be something physical, that can be interacted with.
• How long can a search last? As long as it takes. But the longer it takes, the more of a toll it will cost on the Guardian. I imagine some maybe go a bit crazy/depressed, spending years wandering endlessly.
• Can a guardian's search end without a charge? Probably, especially if their life is cut abruptly short.
• Are charges predestined or decided on contact? I think it's a sort of instinct thing - a calling. If you've ever seen it, think of how cutie marks are in MLP:FiM. It's something that they eventually discover, and just know it's important to them (like a pony finding their special talent, and earning their mark).
• How do guardians feel after losing a charge? I kind of answered this above, but basically if it's something they actively tried to stop, like a natural disaster or an attack, they would be distraught. Life would no longer have any meaning, and they would simply waste away until they eventually pass. If it's from something more natural, while they would still be depressed and less active than before, they would be far less melancholic and would still live out the rest of their days to their fullest. In fringe cases, either version might even find a new charge.
• The encyclopedia page says they feel 'shame' and 'failure' and would rather 'pine away' after losing their charge. How do you think they behave? Do they get angry and seek vengeance? Do they try to replace their charge, and can they be successful? Perhaps there could be some that seek vengeance, and rarer few who desperately try to replace it (to no avail most of the time). But on average, it's the classic pining away and simply existing for the rest of their life.
• To what lengths will a guardian go to protect its charge? To death.
• Is there anything they wouldn't do? Nope!
• Are guardians willing to die for their charge? Absolutely.
• Is this seen as the ultimate honorable sacrifice? Or as a failure, because the guardian's death results in an inability to protect the charge in the future? It depends. If their sacrifice means their charge survived, and will continue to live, then it is seen as a success and they are honoured. If they failed, then they are regarded with pity and sadness. They would have to do something completely awful for anyone to consider their failure dishonourable.
• If a nocturne is raised by (or spends too much time around) guardians, will it feel a pull to Search? If it is raised by them from a young age, probably!
• If so, will the need to Search fade after leaving the company of the guardians? Depending on the individual and how long it's been, yes.
• How strong would the feeling be, anyways? Strong at first, most of the time anyway. It would eventually fade over time. If they find a charge while the feelings are still strong, they will probably continue to keep their charge. But they most likely won't keep to the same devotion as a Guardian would.
• How protective do you think guardians are around their charges? Depends on the individual! But if there's any immediate threat, think of them like a guard dog haha
• Do more-protective guardians look down on less-protective ones as 'lesser'? Depends on the individual. Some snottier ones might, but most of the time they probably let others behave as they please.
• Do less-protective guardians think the more-protective ones are too high strung? Again, it depends on the individual. I could see a few regarding the more protective ones as high-strung and unnecessarily difficult.

Hopefully it makes sense and there's no massive spelling errors - it's late and I'm tired haha

I'll preface this by saying that all my answers are based on my own headcanon/loose recollection of actual canon.


- Can a guardian have more than one charge at a time?
I've only ever seen "charge" in the singular, although I suppose a single charge could be an entire territory, and the inhabitants therein. I personally have a guardian whose charge is another dragon, but because that dragon and his brother are inseparable, she's accepted that she's stuck with both of them.

- Can a guardian get a new charge after losing an old one?
I don't believe they can. Guardians find it to be a great failure if they fail to lose their charge, even if the circumstances were out of their hands. My Virruk keeps the skull of her deceased charge because she couldn't cope with his death and is in denial.

- What if a guardian has an aging charge and knows they will die soon?
If death is inevitable, I'm sure the guardian would still seek someway to try and prevent it, and failing that, make their charge as comfortable as possible until their passing.

- Are there any rules on what can be a charge?
No rules! Could be another dragon, could be a bauble, could be an entire forest! Anything can be a potential charge.

- Can a charge have more than one guardian?
I imagine there would be some possessiveness at first, but protecting a charge comes above all else. I'm sure multiple guardians can come to some sort of understanding or compromise so that they can focus on their task.

- Can two guardians have eachother as charges?
There is no limit. I don't see why not! It would be very sweet, I think. Or very chaotic depending on if they actually tolerate each other.

- What happens if a guardian has the same wildclaw as a mate AND a charge?
I have a pair like that. Guardian doesn't really mind it much since she is bigger and tougher, plus her wildclaw girlfriend doesn't really want to hurt her, just fight for fun!

- How do you guys feel about a guardian having a concept as a charge?
I think it's a very neat idea, just one I haven't personally tried. Then again, I have plenty of guardians left without charges.

- How long can a search last?
A search can last for as long as a guardian lives and does not have a charge. Perhaps there are searches that have ended with the charge never being found. Such things do inevitably happen, as sad as it is.

- Are charges predestined or decided on contact?
I lean more towards predestined, as the Search is meant to guide the guardian towards their end goal.

- How do guardians feel after losing a charge?
Dejected, absolute heartbreak. If their charge was lost because of another living being(s), I assume vengeance would be on their mind. Some might react with more poise. Others, well, that brings me back to my own guardian Virruk.

- To what lengths will a guardian go to protect its charge?
I believe a guardian would do absolutely everything within their power to protect their charge, perhaps even push themselves too far in the process. Their charge must stay safe above all other things.

- Are guardians willing to die for their charge?
Ideally it wouldn't come to that, but if self-sacrifice is the only way, I'm sure it would happen.

- If a nocturne is raised by (or spends too much time around) guardians, will it feel a pull to Search?
A nocturne might search alongside a guardian and pick various things to be their charge in an effort to mimic their companion, but I doubt they would feel a real pull. Perhaps a fondness for a self-given charge somewhere along the line though.

- How protective do you think guardians are around their charges?
Protectiveness varies from guardian to guardian, and also from one situation to another. For instance, my guardian with the wildclaw girlfriend doesn't feel as inclined to be hovering over her at all times because her charge is strong and fierce in her own right. On the other hand, I have twin guardians that will do anything and everything to scare anyone and everyone away from the land they have as their shared charge.