Oh man, I have so many thoughts.
What I See:
I kind of talked about this in the other thread, but I think my vision of Flinterforge is as designers. People with big ideas who have the gumption to bring those ideas to fruition. I think Flinterforge is more about the nurturing of ideas, it’s about people wanting to bring something new into this world and that’s the most important aspect. I also think that many Flinterforge choose one or several mediums of creativity that they use to engage with their ideas, and these mediums are very personal and very important to the Flinterforge.
I don’t think all of the skills a Flinterforge has are “practical.” There are many Flinterforge who haven’t touched a power tool in their lives. Some people are artists, some are writers, musicians, etc. Others are scientists or engineers. It’s not about having skills but also having a purpose, a design, to use them for, as well. The folks who are, for example, carpenters, are also architects. The tailors are also costume designers. Also, going along with not everything having to be “practical”, I think more of a focus is on the joy of creativity than the result. Not everything is going to save the world, and that’s not the sole point of creating.
There’s always a yearning to do more, to be more creative, and that’s something each Flinterforge has to harness within themselves. There are creatives in every guild, people with the skills to make certain things, but it’s about how Flinterforge engage with creativity that defines them.
There’s a really poignant quote from the Guide, “You seek not only to see new light, but to create it. To do what has never been done. And to do what has been done, even better.” To me, that’s the goal, chasing some beautiful new idea and seeing it through. In many different ways, not just by building or inventing.
A long time ago, before we even knew Neithernor was a thing, I talked about the Flinterforge guild home being a makerspace, essentially. And I honestly still kind of, conceptually, see the guild that way. Or something akin to a massive artist’s salon. I see us as a gathering of creatives who are excited about making new things, developing our next big project. And I connect infinitely more with this image than I do this image.
Oh, also, on the subject of the elements… I’ve never seen Ore as literally ore? To me, I react more to crystals as a symbolic fit. Because the “ore” is ideas - a raw material that is refined and turned into something great. But I guess that’s manifested as crystals to me because I see them as something beautiful and inspiring, and also mysterious and charged with power. They bring ideas to life.
What I Think Others See:
I think a lot of people see the name and make a strong judgement about the guild as a whole. They see Flinterforge and they think “Oh, well Flint is a firestarter, and Forge is like a blacksmith’s forge, so they’re all blacksmiths who work in a forge.” So everything ends up looking like Tolkien, or imagery about forges burning, and so on.
And I have to admit, there’s a part of me that thinks maybe, no matter how much creative exploration I do, no matter how much gentle prodding of “It’s the Flintershop, not the Forge”, that impression will never change. And I’ve gotta admit, that’s a disheartening thought.