Brooder

Brooder is the Florian term for anyone whom one counts as a close friend or family member. It may be shortened to 'broo' which is used as a term of affection.

Because of the semi-communal upbringing of babies in the Circle of Love, the Florian idea of family is fluid and choice-based. It usually includes one's birth parents, but the ties with them need not be particularly close. As children grow, their allegiances and preferences may shift depending on their current interests and mood. In the Circle of Love, they get a wide choice of possible mentors and companions, and pretty much anyone who is spending a lot of time in the Circle of Love can become a close brooder for any one child.

As young people grow and begin to live full time in the Circle of Games, their virtual lives become more important in determining the size and nature of their brood, and they start to form ties with people who may be physically remote but share their interests and pursuits.

In adult life, one's mentees, nakamas and followers become an important part of one's brood, as close or even closer than one's children. Since Survivors are obliged by the Antisense Conditionals to teach what they know, relationships arise as a result of their teaching. Redflag Responders particularly may acquire many brooderhoods through responding to redflag emergencies.