Creative Corner

Familiars, I like how you did it in AE with the dryads, they were just kind of there and now they're neighbours, and formed a decent relationship just by working out how to live together. If you do get dryads or something like that, well, there's your scrolls. They know it's a Dragon Thing but don't know what, hand it off to Edan's group because it should probably stay with dragons, and whoops now someone's a skydancer. Or someone lost a bag nearby while passing through and now there's a subplot.
Or you make it out as 'ley lines did something weird because of a festival and now someone's slowly changing breed' as there's no reason why someone can't do that.
We got new eye types, dragon DNA is pretty chill with mutations. I mean, in my 'locke with my changelings, their genes show up after they've spent enough time in the coli, and they regard it as a magical ritual that tells them that they're improving. You go home, clean off the mud, and now you've got orca cherub, clearly you're doing good and Gladekeeper says so.

Really, however you end out with it, it'll work well, so see what ideas you like and go for 'em. :O

Fams is cool, but I kinda feel like if they don't fit individually, you shouldn't include them if you don't wanna.

As for breed changes ... They're really weird? I mean, somewhere in the last five years, I stopped thinking of the scrolls as anything other than a gaming abstraction. I consider dragons to be made of magic, so if they change breed, it's because something in their energy shifts to match a different breed. And related to that, I share a similar view on Nocs to what a lot of others have said, that they're able to mimic another breed's magical signature well enough to completely change breed, much more easily than changing breed is for any other kind of dragon. Do they need to have seen that kind of dragon before? Iunno maybe they're just picking up on ambient energy? But also what happened to those Nocs before the roc found em?

@Argenteamoon

Ah, there is an explanation for the roc and the nocs. I'm hoping to write it in the next chapter, actually!

Anyway yeaah. Scrolls are heckin weird. It's why I'm struggling so much honestly.

@Arinemera
@Valishtu
@nwn
@Farwalker

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply!

My actual assumption about the noc roc was that the nocs were laid there like cuckoo eggs, and the roc went welp ok. Given the nature of Nocs, some are definitely basically cuckoos. So I said to myself, who knows what energies were added to their eggs before being abandoned. I look forward to seeing how many of my assumption are correct :3

It makes sense that the group doesn't have many familiars since they're barely eking it out as it is. It would take even more hunting and space to feed animals and dragons. I like the current setup when it comes to familiars just fine.

I personally headcanon that breed changes take a while to progress through, after all a week for Baldwin to go from Pearlcatcher to Bogsneak.

I'm happy waiting for content as it comes out, I don't really have anything I want, beyond more story to read~

@Kaial It's fine if you don't mention familiars in your nuzlocke. It's not like the characters are in a good position for keeping pets as they are now, and the Roc seems like it would be enough for a small clan anyways.

As for breed changes, I agree with everyone else who says that gradual changes are fine. Another option could be to have sudden transformations occur due to the Eleven blessing/cursing a dragon, if you want to involve the deities in your story that much.

@tigressRising

I in general shy away from making the deities a large part in any of my stories - they absolutely exist, of course! And all dragons I've ever written about are aware of that, but I feel they're just far too busy.

But I do work under the assumption that the world is alive with the deities' magic and so on, so I'd imagine these traces of magic are what would spearhead any transformations...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I'm so relieved everyone's been unanimous in their opinions so far!

1: I actually didnt really notice there not being many familiars mentioned and I quite like it the way it is now, so I say keep this formula

2; I think dragons slowly changin breed over time is perfectly all right, it could make things interesting that way instead of the usual "heres a scroll, now your a mirror" or somethign

@Kaial

Do what works for your story.

What kind of story are you trying to write? How relaxed is this nuzlocke? How much worldbuilding and magic system lore do you plan to include?

Because, few things.

This is a nuzlocke. I am a fan of nuzlockes. I expect my heart to be broken, my stress levels to elevate, and for the grim reaper to stalk my favorite characters. I do not expect nor want a lot of cute things or easy changes. I expect hardship and war.

On the subject of war, you are at a perfect point to introduce major antagonists. As a reader I'd expect them to hit now, before the clan has too much prep time.

Assuming you will have a group of antagonist characters to add, each familiar is yet another character to keep track of. If you aren't interested in writing about that many characters, then don't bother. Introduce them as the story calls for more allies or friendly faces. Or to have a cute scene after a big battle.

On breed changes: you are early enough in your story to just breed change the nocs and edit out that they were ever nocs. Clade was a tundra from the start or something.

If the nocs do mimic themselves into another dragon, then they need an example to mimic from.

I'm personally a huge fan ancient clan ruins with beastclan taking residence and a lot of goodies to be scavenged.

You may want to consider magic system. Could, say, a clan mage find and learn the secret to creating breed change scrolls? And in that case, what's stopping them from just breed changing Saerun and child in the name of avoiding certain death? How tough/demanding is breed change magic?

It just depends on what direction you want to go with it.

I was really split on the application of familiars in AE. I loved the bear, the dryads made me cry, but the other ones were hit or miss for me. I feel like you should only write familiars in with this one if you think they're going to be bringing something to the party.

Reading through some of the other replies, I really like the idea of the nocs slowly mimicking another breed so hard they just. Become. It's canon that they'll develop a charge if they mimic a guardian for long enough (granted its only temporary) but what if the change started so young they genuinely thought they were that breed instead of a noc?