Autumn

* Flag
 **Associations** | Melancholy, Introversion, Education, Preparation, Harvest, Hunting

Autumn falls after summer (pun intended) and is followed by winter. During this season, farmers harvest their crops and fruits, and in some parts of the world, children in their primary and secondary education go back to school during this season to prepare for the next year ahead. As the nights lengthen, the superstitious folk worry about the boundary between the mortal world and that of the fairies and ghosts growing thinner, and thus do things to ward them off. Meanwhile, the hunters hunt animals for their food, and harvest festivals are held, thankful for this year and preparing for the tough winter ahead.

Thus, Autumn is associated with **harvest, hunt, preparation and festivals**, as well as **melancholy, introversion and education**.

## Description

Shades of yellow and orange, the color of falling leaves, are the predominant colors of Autumn Guardians, as well as browns and reds, rarely even gold. Maple leaves and imagery of fruits and vegetables and their flowers, especially if the guardian in question happens to have a favorite fruit to eat, are common motifs too, as well as wheat, barley and rice. Autumn flowers that can't be eaten are also popular motifs for these guardians.

Their favored animals are not just found in farms and homes (Some Season guardians have pets, but Autumn guardians with pets have them as their heraldic symbols, like say, one with a terrier dog), but in nature, when they are those found in temperate forests, such as foxes and hedgehogs, and either predator or prey. If these animals come in the colors of autumn, they would be even more popular among guardians of autumn as motifs. For some Autumnals, their favorite weapons tend to be things like rakes or scythes.

### Personality

If Spring Guardians are the optimists, Autumn Guardians are the cynics. For them, anything beautiful and grand they see will inevitably fade away, every opportunity handed to you will be gone, never to return until then, and that the changes that happen in their life are not always for the better (falling leaves foreshadow the winter ahead) and thus, most can be melancholic about it. But with that melancholy comes an introspection that can be useful in all things. Sometimes, when they turn inward mentally, they can reconnect with themselves, balance their emotions and reflect on their past experiences. Thus they come out of their homes more wiser, more accepting of change in their lives, and some have been known to record their knowledge and experiences in and out their introspective periods in books other guardians can read.

Oftentimes, because of their awareness that thing may change for the worst if not for the better, they work to prepare themselves for anything, be it a long winter or yet another enemy attack. They take note of everything that can go right in a battle plan - and anything that can go wrong as well, citing the need to prepare for all contingencies and a Plan B in case Plan A gets shot down. And just as how the harvest is preserved in preparation for lack, Autumn guardians prepare for the worst by preserving whatever they have left aside from literal food: their money, their possessions and even their traditions and skills they learned growing up. So it’s no surprise that they are considered reliable and hardworking (though a bit old-fashioned) by their peers. And of course, they are thankful for what they still have, even if one day, they lose everything.

Both Vernals and Autumnals have views on loss and change that seem to complement each other. They agree on the importance of letting go of the past. If the Autumnal sees loss as something to accept since everything around us is temporary and nothing is ever static, the Vernal accepts loss because it leads to new beginnings. While most Spring guardians start all over again after a loss, Autumn guardians simply rebuild and preserve what they have left, reconnect with their relations and work hard to provide for others, in a way preserving them for tough times ahead. In short, they can remind each other that if they lost something, at least they need to let go of it and begin again with what they still have. A spring guardian who lost a loved one (like a grandparent or a parent) to death may be reminded by his Autumnal friend to preserve the memories he made with them when they were alive, while an Autumn guardian mourning a lost love may be reminded by her Spring partner that she must let go of said lost love and move on to the future, bringing the pleasant memories she made with her.

They are friendly, albeit, introverts, and are shy when they first meet strangers, but then warm up to them after some time (how fast depends on the individual's personality). And as they are aware of the brevity of life, they can be loyal and dependable partners of a fellow Seasonal Guardian or anyone they love. At least they respect the cycle of life and hate unnecessary killings. Each season has at least a few eccentrics, and Autumn's guardians number the most eccentrics of them all. Due to their tendency to look inwards, to think deep or be way absorbed in their work, they can be socially awkward with a few quirks at a first glance. But connect with them and you will learn beneath that is a knowledgeable fellow prepared for the harsh reality he lives in. Who will be reliable, true to you and willing to care for and protect you in hard times.

Their melancholy can lead them to being slow enough to deliberate when action should be taken or take a long time to change their plans, and enemies can use this against them. Also, their awareness of the brevity of life and beauty can twist them to nihilism, pushing them into either an isolation that worries even Winter guardians or a tendency to stop caring about life and well, become apathetic to the world, loathe society, and even turn to forbidden knowledge just to sate their minds, at the cost of basic morality.

(This outline is to help users with character's personalities, it is does not need to be used, but this is the normal outline for most Autumn guardians)

## Powers of Autumn

* Hibernation
* Fatigue Inducement
* Atmokinesis: Mix together the elements to make weather effect of choice...

### Elements of Autumn

* Botanokineses
	+ Harvest Manipulation
	+ Food Manipulation
	+ Fungus Manipulation (Rare)
* Aerokinesis
	+ Wind Generation
* Hydrokinesis
	+ Rain Generation
	+ Fog Generation
* Geokinesis
	+ Burrowing
* Metallokinesis

## Plants of Autumn

Considering autumn is the harvest season, agricultural products, fruits and vegetables are suitable motifs for an Autumn guardian.

* Pumpkin
* Apple - Preference
* Pepper -
* Wheat - Wealth and Prosperity

### Flowers

* Chrysanthemum - Imperial (Japanese), Longevity (Chinese), You're A Wonderful Friend, Cheerfulness and Rest
* Balloon Flower -
* Goldenrod - Encouragement, Good fortune
* Dusty Miller
* Fuchsia
* Sumac
* Amaranthus -
* Dahlia - Good Taste, Dignity, Elegance
* Cornflower
* Celosia (var cristata) - Achievements (Chinese)
* Canna
* Cosmos -
* Gomphrena
* Verbena -
* Dianthus -
* Rudbeckia
* Pansy - Thoughts
* Helenium
* Witch Hazel - Magic
* Japanese Anemone - Forsaken, Sickness
* Sage - Wisdom, Immortality
* Sedum
* Turtlehead -
* Alyssum
* Toad Lily
* Colchicum
* Aster - Love, Daintiness
* Monkshood/Wolfsbane - Misanthropy, Caution
* Red Spider Lily - Final Goodbye, Passion, Sad Memories

### Trees

* Maple - Strength, Endurance
* Birch
* Beech
* Dogwood
* Quaking Aspen

## Stereotypes

* Spring: Keep moving forward to the future, but remember that you will hit tough times along the way, and that you will learn valuable lessons from them.
* Summer: Your overaggressive attempts to be my friend scares me...
* Winter: I...I admire your patience, but not your coldness.
* Mortals: There are some things worth preparing for the tough times ahead
* Wolf Kingdom: Problem with them is that they know only destruction, not preservation.
* Boundary of Rot-Wolves: At least they are learning how to protect just like their fathers used to. But in case they turn bad...