The Flower Children is a group consisting mostly of Ares' closest friends. They're highly peace-oriented individuals, led by a council made up of
at least three members
( once the group accumulates enough members to allow this ) - five if the group grows.
They're easily recognizable by the
flowercrowns they're wearing
( baubled && preserved ), made by Ares individually for each member
( they can choose not to wear them at all times, but it's known that Ares loves seeing them do so, at least at formal meetings ).
The Flower Children strive to keep peace in the Caves
&& act as helping hand to all those who need it.
Despite the Rank-System hinting at a Monarchy, the group is actually a mix between a direct
&& a parliamentary democracy.
Ranks
Total: 
- 2 ⋄ 
- 1 ⋄ 
- 0
Bonded Couples: 0
The Council Members
The
Council Members make up the
High Council which leads the group for the most part. The group strives for a democratic system, allowing the members to vote on decisions, but the
High Council stands above the group to represent it.
Ares ⋄
⋄
⋄
Flowercrown: Pink Roses
Destiny ⋄
⋄
⋄
Flowercrown: Black Magic Hollyhocks
The Knights
While the title may hint at a rank of fighters,
The Knights actually make up the main force of
The Flower Children, though they do not fight.
All members of the group above the age of
four cycles are welcomed into this rank once they've proven their loyalty
&& devotion with a large
ceremony.
Finn ⋄
⋄
⋄
Flowercrown: Night Bloom Water Lilies
The Princes && Princesses
This rank is for all young Gembounds, who are too young to be
Knights or for those who have yet to prove their loyalty completely.
Children are highly cherished in the group
&& celebrated for their potential of bringing more peace upon their world. They're also admired for their pure, uninfluenced view of the world.
Ceremonies
The Crowning
This ceremony is held when a member rises in rank - a
Prince/Princess becoming a
Knight or a
Knight becoming a
Council Member.
It's characterized by being held on a field of flowers
&& the member(s) being celebrated being awarded a new
flowercrown.
All members are supposed to attend
&& congratulate the honored member, as well as being encouraged to say some kind words about them in an open round
&& encourage them to do even better in the future.
The Bonding
When two or more members decide that they want to stay together forever, whether they feel platonic love or romantic love for each other, they may request a
Bonding ceremony.
The whole Group attends the bonding, showering the bonding Gembounds with kind words, good wishes
&& presents. These can be as small or as big as those who are giving the gifts desire - the gifts are given away anonymously, though. The gifts are brought to the
Council Members before the start of the ceremony, out of sight of the bonding Gembounds.
During the Ceremony, the bonding Gembounds may choose to strengthen their bond by casting
Sensorial Link, though it is definitely not needed.
The bonded Gembounds often exchange one or two flowers of their flowercrown with those of their mates, to openly symbolize their love. This is a habit adopted by the Princes
&& Princesses as well, exchanging flowers as a taken of childhood love long before the age needed to request a bonding ceremony
( four cycles ).
The Honoring
This Ceremony is held when a member died/is dying. They're put abed in a field of flowers
( those adorning their flowercrown ) while every member is present
&& leaves the dying Gembound a gift or plucks a flower to lay it beside them
( a flower from their flowercrown ).
The
Knights && Members of the
High Council hold vigil while the soul of the dead Gembound departs.
Princes && Princesses are not allowed to enter the flowerfield during this time, younger <b<Knights</b> often volunteer to keep them away, giving the higher ranked
&& older members time to say goodbye.
The Crowns
The Crowns visibly denote the rank of each
&& every member. They
have to be created by one of the current
Council Members to be valid. As mentioned before, they're all made using
Bauble && Preserve, making them look like halos
&& being everlasting. They're made to match the colors of each Member's Gem.
The
Council Members wear the richest crowns. They glow the brightest, though not enough to be unpleasant to the eyes.
All
Council Members have crowns with different colours
&& flowers to set them apart.
The
Knights wear rather sparse crowns, symbolizing their humbleness
&& being aimed more at practical use
( aka not being annoying && a pain to wear ) than at showing off. They still glow, but fainter than those of the
Council Members. They're also highly personalized, with colors
&& the flowers matching the wearer.
The
Princes && Princesses wear small crowns. They don't glow but are generally made using brightly colored flowers.
