An oddity I saw in anthro worldbuilding

[ClearDragon]

Part of my stories take place in anthro worlds. They kinda lean towards furry I guess....
But anyway I found out about something I consider strange.
So in Beastars and an anthro themed novella, Species capable of flight need a license to fly? Huh, to me thats the same as needing a license to walk!
Needing a license to fly an aircraft makes sense, but if someone has wings and the natural ability to fly, they should just fly!
I guess its because I'm in America and have the idea of freedom and the concept of overregulation being bad?

But for my own anthro worldbuilding I had never even thought of flying species needing to have flying license!
I also don't feel any need to add it to my writing, among other popular things that I'm not going to write about.... Although I am looking at the implications of an all anthro world, and slowly farming my own anthro version of earth.
That concept is just odd to me.

 

[pmmg]

I cant imagine that would be a popular law/policy of any place with flying people. My guess is, it would stem from some sort of oppression.

 

[Queshire]

*shrug* I've never seen a series with that so it's pretty niche. Still, I can see a sort of logic to it. Considering the sort of momentum involved with flying you got a higher chance of injuries from any sorts of collisions while flying.

 

[ClearDragon]

I cant imagine that would be a popular law/policy of any place with flying people. My guess is, it would stem from some sort of oppression.

Thats what I was thinking, it seems oppressive.

 

[ClearDragon]

*shrug* I've never seen a series with that so it's pretty niche. Still, I can see a sort of logic to it. Considering the sort of momentum involved with flying you got a higher chance of injuries from any sorts of collisions while flying.

My idea is to treat it like how I experienced being taught to swim. I didn't get any sort of certificate, but I was in a swim class run by certified life guards. I also never needed a license to swim. For my worldbuilding I'm gong to have flying teachers needing to be certified but regular flying people can just fly when they learn how. Also the families can teach their young to fly at home too.

 

[pmmg]

Well...flying does have a lot of possibility for something fatal to happen. But birds can figure it out...

I can see adults having to teach kids, cause things like updrafts, and low pressure pockets are not intuitive.

 

[ClearDragon]

Well...flying does have a lot of possibility for something fatal to happen. But birds can figure it out...

I can see adults having to teach kids, cause things like updrafts, and low pressure pockets are not intuitive.

Yeah, I'm going to go with that.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I think it also very much depends on what age people learn to fly at.

If it develops at the same time as walking, then it's silly to require a license for it. However, if it's something that you only develop once you're a teen or adult, then it makes a lot more sense. Especially if it requires a lot of practice to do so.

It could be oppresive, but if it's something difficult that you can only learn at a later age, then it's just sensible. After all, you have all the skills you need need to technically be able to drive a car once you're above 12 or so. But that doens't mean it's a good idea to just let everyone on the road without at least somewhat checking they know what they're doing.

As an example, there's the teleportation spell in Harry Potter (whatever it's called). You're only allowed to use that after you've passed an exam of some kind. And that makes perfect in-world sense in that it's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Everyone is still capable of learning it, but there's limitations for safety reasons. Flying doesn't have to be that different. After all, you can't just go skydiving in our world without a license, and that's basically just falling out of an airplane, which is less work that flying.

 

[ClearDragon]

I think it also very much depends on what age people learn to fly at.

If it develops at the same time as walking, then it's silly to require a license for it. However, if it's something that you only develop once you're a teen or adult, then it makes a lot more sense. Especially if it requires a lot of practice to do so.

It could be oppresive, but if it's something difficult that you can only learn at a later age, then it's just sensible. After all, you have all the skills you need need to technically be able to drive a car once you're above 12 or so. But that doens't mean it's a good idea to just let everyone on the road without at least somewhat checking they know what they're doing.

As an example, there's the teleportation spell in Harry Potter (whatever it's called). You're only allowed to use that after you've passed an exam of some kind. And that makes perfect in-world sense in that it's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. Everyone is still capable of learning it, but there's limitations for safety reasons. Flying doesn't have to be that different. After all, you can't just go skydiving in our world without a license, and that's basically just falling out of an airplane, which is less work that flying.

I understand that. I still am thinking of making it in my anthro world that you need a license to fly an aircraft, but people with the natural ability to fly are mostly home taught and don't need a license for natural self flight.

 

[Nim]

If you are writing in a world where air-travel is as ubiquitous as it is in ours, I can see requiring winged folks to get a license or something else that requires them to undergo mandatory safety education to be sensible. For instance, in our world, most people flying most types of drones are required to get a license. To my understanding, this is less for user safety and more for the safety of other fliers. I can see your winged people getting hit by planes if they weren't educated about fly lanes and where they could not safely fly.

 

[Berenike]

I cant imagine that would be a popular law/policy of any place with flying people. My guess is, it would stem from some sort of oppression.

In terms of oppression, I’d think it would be the airborne who would be doing the oppressing. If anyone is familiar with Root, the board game and TTRPG, the avian faction in that world has a superiority complex and is frequently the strongest faction in the woodland at any given moment. They see birds (excepting corvids, who are a separate faction) as “above” the other races, both figuratively and literally.
It would make sense for those who can fly to be the oppressive upper class that is inherently more special than the earthbound. In that case, they I doubt they’d have a license requirement, but maybe there would be a caste system within the flyers that determines acceptable altitude and landing spots or something.
Just spitballing.

 

[ClearDragon]

If you are writing in a world where air-travel is as ubiquitous as it is in ours, I can see requiring winged folks to get a license or something else that requires them to undergo mandatory safety education to be sensible. For instance, in our world, most people flying most types of drones are required to get a license. To my understanding, this is less for user safety and more for the safety of other fliers. I can see your winged people getting hit by planes if they weren't educated about fly lanes and where they could not safely fly.

I understand about getting hit by planes. I think there would be regulations about flying too high or too low. As for testing and such, I'm thinking it would be similar to my experience with my swim class. The instructors had teachers license but after completing the class I could then just swim. I would think there would be a flyers certificate, but it wouldn't be like a license.

 

[ClearDragon]

In terms of oppression, I’d think it would be the airborne who would be doing the oppressing. If anyone is familiar with Root, the board game and TTRPG, the avian faction in that world has a superiority complex and is frequently the strongest faction in the woodland at any given moment. They see birds (excepting corvids, who are a separate faction) as “above” the other races, both figuratively and literally.
It would make sense for those who can fly to be the oppressive upper class that is inherently more special than the earthbound. In that case, they I doubt they’d have a license requirement, but maybe there would be a caste system within the flyers that determines acceptable altitude and landing spots or something.
Just spitballing.

Hmm, perhaps so. I've never heard of that game though....
I already was going to rout of stronger species being naturally having more power anyway, my anthros are on the furry side I guess. If I'm understanding the definitions right, they have more animal attributes then human. Like maybe some species just have natural aggression and are allowed to beat each other up in the street and its considered normal for them.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I already was going to rout of stronger species being naturally having more power anyway,

It's a common trope. Interesting thing is that when I look at humans as a species, this is totally not the case. We're not the strongest, or fastest species out there. We have terrible camouflage. We can't climb to save our lives. We're pretty terrible in terms of design really. We only have 3 things going for it that helped us climb to the top of the food chain.
- We have amazing endurance. We finish last in most sprint races. However, we can keep running where other species would drop dead. No land based animal can beat us in a 100km race.
- We're smarter than everyone else. Because we suck at doing anything, we've developed tools and ways of outthinking all other species.
- We're very social. We can live in groups, and even very large groups. Which helps us hunt dangerous stuff and even enables us to live in larger communities.

 

[ClearDragon]

It's a common trope. Interesting thing is that when I look at humans as a species, this is totally not the case. We're not the strongest, or fastest species out there. We have terrible camouflage. We can't climb to save our lives. We're pretty terrible in terms of design really. We only have 3 things going for it that helped us climb to the top of the food chain.
- We have amazing endurance. We finish last in most sprint races. However, we can keep running where other species would drop dead. No land based animal can beat us in a 100km race.
- We're smarter than everyone else. Because we suck at doing anything, we've developed tools and ways of outthinking all other species.
- We're very social. We can live in groups, and even very large groups. Which helps us hunt dangerous stuff and even enables us to live in larger communities.

Yeah, interesting point. My idea is an anthro bear still has all the strength and toughness of a regular bear, but also human like intelligence. I imagine a being like that would be pretty unstoppable. Also I was considering having anthro dragons, and those would be super apex among apex!
But also intelligence opens the possibility of reasoning and deescalating conflicts. At least it should, I've met people who really are totally unreasonable!

 

[ClearDragon]

OK! So just today I found out that in the UK and various other former British empire countries, you have to have a TV license! I don't mean a license to broadcast TV, but to watch TV! So yeah, how are those places considered free countries? One of the stories I was talking about did take place in the UK, so I guess that explains it.

I'm now totally going for flying people being able to just fly around! If writers can influence culture, maybe I can encourage more freedom in the world.
Like the part of the US where I live, I don't even need a license to carry a handgun if I wanted! Try pickpocketing in my area and see what happens to you! More power for individuals, less for the government! That sounds good to me and thats what I'm going to portray!

 

[pmmg]

They need to dump their TV's into Boston harbor.

I don't know... A lot of countries do strange to stuff. I dont know why I have to property tax on a house I've already paid for. What can you do? Sometimes its just which hill do you want die on. One way or another, their gonna get their taxes. They'll just call it something else.

 

[ClearDragon]

They need to dump their TV's into Boston harbor.

I don't know... A lot of countries do strange to stuff. I dont know why I have to property tax on a house I've already paid for. What can you do? Sometimes its just which hill do you want die on. One way or another, their gonna get their taxes. They'll just call it something else.

True, for now at least.

 

[Queshire]

...
Yes.
Other countries do things different.

 

[Rexenm]

Sometimes its just which hill do you want die on.

Chucking TVs, dropping pianos out windows, or anvils for that matter. All things you need to put a collar on. Stick it between a rock and a hard place.