#watchling lifecycle and existence in general

[tidesfate]

Do watchlings have to grow through infancy or juvenile stages or are they born / created exactly as they are? Do they need to be cared for in those early stages of emergence or are they already self aware and capable of independence?

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Am I going to use this question as an excuse to talk about the "life cycle" of Watchlings (and Watchers?) Yes.

Watchlings and Watchers start as eyes within Moras mass, no different then other ones. They can scry, see, do all the things its eyes need to do. Much like these eyes can become containers for memories removed from its whole, they can become what will eventually be Watchlings/ers. These eyes that shall become them are slowly filtered memories and knowledge, basically nourished until they begin to glaze over. When ready, they will fall out of the lids, and the lid will either seal up, grow a new eye, or become something else.

These shed eyes sit within pools of Apocrypha brine, often attended by either tendrils or an actual manifestation of Mora itself. It does take time, an indeterminate and not set amount, for these eyes to 'form'. Their matter slowly congeals around them from the inky fluid they rest in, also in part supplied and aided by Mora itself. It forms into flesh, tentacles, and more eyes until eventually they gain consciousness and awaken.

Visually at first Watchlings and Watchers do not display any difference from one another. While Watchlings will not get much bigger then they are when they are "born" (I do like to think they have slight size differences amongst each other, but not vastly so), Watchers will continue to grow as they consume knowledge and information. And their size can get massive, as some have been seen floating above buildings in Apocrypha easily the size of one of a small house.

The infancy / juvenile stage of these beings are not the same as mortal creatures. There is a learning curve where they are generally weak and must figure out how to use their limbs and powers, but for many this passes quickly. Some this may take longer then others, but if Apocrypha had any true time to it I'd compare it to a day, a week at max. During this time Mora will provide some manner of care for them just by its presence being around, though these pools are not anywhere where anything besides itself and it's most trusted creatures can enter.

Their more true juvenile stage is one of curiosity- exploring their world, asking questions, touching and examining things, just in general learning. These creatures come from Mora, and Moras truest nature is curiosity. In turn, this is their most immediate nature as well. By learning they grow, quite literally sustaining their selves on such. How long this stage takes depends on the individual, and only truly ends when one finds what shall be their purpose or is given it. Though this curiosity will never truly disappear, much like it never does for Mora.

Given that they are also born from eyes filtered with knowledge and memories, they do innately have awareness and intelligence even in earliest stages. Not all will have the same, but they all have some manner of knowledge to them immediately. Also much like Moras eyes may exhibit different personalities, the Watchlings/ers exhibit this trait too. All are born with some facet of Moras own personality to them. The more common personality traits of Mora you will see more Watchlings/ers have, but you will find those that also have parts of the rarer aspects of Mora too.