Friday DE: Pokemon, daemons, and furies, oh my

[bjornwilde]

Fiction is filled with the companion trope, from Pokemon, to Elfquest, to Codex Alera, to Pern. If you character were given the choice, would they accept a companion? I am thinking less, "they would chose X-type companion" (although feel free to give us this) and more would they chose the relationship? Would they chose one that's more pet like, i.e. an emotional put pretty normal bond, or would they want a more intimate bound, such as telepathic dragons or spirits that are tied to their souls?

As ever, feel free to give as short or long an answer as you'd like, as well as take whatever tangents this topic inspires.

Comments

[i_am_your_host]

I kind of like the idea of Emcee with an animal familiar, or some kind of intelligent, sentient, perhaps telepathic pet. One that's able to communicate, in any case. Given the choice, he'd accept it. But nothing fancy or flashy, preferably a mouse or a rat that he could carry around in his pocket. A small, unobtrusive thing would be useful in eavesdropping or alerting him to danger.

And I am tied to the notion that Floki would want a pet ferret. A telepathic pet ferret.

[bjornwilde]

Ahsoka already exists in a community that is empathetic, at the least, so I can see her choosing at least an empathetic companion or a telepathic one. And I can't help but think of the giant wolves show in the season 04 Rebels trailer for her companion. I blame Dave Filoni and Elfquest for this, although I know his inspiration is Princess Mononoke.

Sam would be all over a close bond with a companion, and if dragons are on the table, why not? I have two questions though; would he impress a green, blue or brown dragon, and how would you contract his name? Using his full name and dropping a couple of vowels to get S'mal maybe? (I think I may have my AU for him for the next AU week.)

Selina would chose a companion. (Don't tell anyone but she is lonely.) She'd opt for a bonding that allowed more privacy though and likes the idea of a ghost or spirit cat that only she can hear. This way the cat can be useful and check out closed rooms and things for her so she always knows what she's breaking into.

Sabine doesn't seem interested. She has enough problems trusting people or letting them get close enough to hurt her. Also, it'd just be one more thing the Empire can take away from her. (This answer makes me sad.)

Chance is good with George, although she wouldn't mind being able to understand him better.

Hank could really use a companion but I don't know if he'd choose one. He is lonely but he both fears and longs for companionships.

More later maybe.

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford currently has one in-bar, in the form of Buster, and there's at least one game where he can pick up a variety of companions. So, yeah. He's down. Depending on the companion and the circumstances, he might be inclined to sacrifice them and run though.

[childofrebellion]

A few of mine kind of have them.

So Yrael/Mogget is Sameth's snarky companion through a good part of canon. In terms of if he had a choice, he'd probably say no thanks.

Cassian also has a canon friend in Kay who's actually kind of like Yrael/Mogget in terms of the snark level but much more personally loyal to Cassian. Given the choice, I don't think he'd choose to have one as he'd probably say someone else would get more from having a partner. This is why its good he has Kay who does for Cassian what Cassian does for other people but doesn't expect for himself which is going, you're my person, I'm taking care of you now.

Charles would love to have a telepathic companion that he could talk to and would understand, he'd be much less lonely.

Quentin already has some pets in canon and with all his secrets, he wouldn't choose one with a closer relationship.

William would like being able to have some kind of connection with horses but I don't know if he'd choose to have only one.

Will S., I think when he was younger, he'd love the chance to have a companion to help him protect his family and later Robin. I don't think he'd choose a telepathic one, but a deep connection.

Moist says no thank you as does Ivan, they have enough people concerned with their lives, a companion would be too much attention.

Demeter, hm, in some ways she already does with her connections to the all growing things.

Tumnus would like to have someone especially in the darker days of the Witch's rule but I thin not telepathic.

[sdelmonte]

I have never been partial to the idea of animal companions. Indeed, outside of Kirk I can't say I have ever had a pup who so much as owned a standard pet. (Yes, like all right thinking people I adore cats, but the imperative to have a pet is not that strong for me.)

But...

My pups tend to have human companions, or be companions. That is, Poirot has Hastings as his partner and sidekick and biographer. Kirk has Spock. Swamp Thing and Constantine have the oddest relationship. Long ago I played Gibbs, Captain Jack's steadfast boatswain. In all these cases, there is never quite an equal footing. Poirot is smarter than Hastings, Kirk always outranks Spock (even if at the end of the movies both were captains), Gibbs is clearly subordinate to Jack, and Swamp Thing and Constantine each think themselves superior to the other. But all thrive on the sort of give and take that exists in the partnerships. And to outside eyes, the imbalance might seem unfair.

Oddly, while in the comics there was a strange BFF-ship between Cyborg and Beast Boy back in the day that follows this pattern - Cy was the oldest member of the Teen Titans and least friendly, Beast Boy the talkiest and youngest and least mature - the Titans cartoon never tried to replicate this. Cy and BB are buds, but there was not a single episode that focused on the friendship. And certainly none that did any "boy and his dog" jokes.

[just_cant_lose]

No, he would not accept a companion. The look on his face sums up his opinion on Other People.

Original ACD canon had him with a right-hand man, of course, but it was a conscious decision by the writers to leave Moran out of the BBC version. And his portrayal by Andrew Scott comes, he says, from the interior knowledge that he's always alone and has always been alone.

So, no.

[cottoncandypink]

But what about his pet giraffe? :D

[just_cant_lose]

THAT'S RIGHT, HIS PET GIRAFFE.

Which I still maintain he named Mycroft. :D

[cottoncandypink]

Can't forget Mycroft the giraffe!

[student_of_impossibility]

Hi.

[death_gone_mad]

Amascut is a definite no. She protests that she is not that cruel.

Fairy Fixit ... I wanna say yes, but there is an implication that her species arose from the combination of a very social insect and an intelligent sentient Cordyceps fungus. She might already have that type of bond, but WITH HER ENTIRE SPECIES.

[inlovewithwords]

Okay, okay, fine. A serious answer.

Eriond has Horse. He would never Choose other than to be friends with Horse.

Evelyn would love the kind of bond mabari and their humans have. This is entirely because she adores Liranan. Not her opinion, but I think Evelyn would be pretty good with a Pernese dragon or a Valdemaran Companion. (She just-- she just wouldn't want a dragon for, uh, reasons that may be obvious. Even if they're very different. Cultural differences.)

Lois kind of would shrug at this. She doesn't much care one way or another. Although if you offered her a Pernese dragon she would 100% take that up. I think she'd also be good with a Firecat from Karse (Valdemar series).

R2 says programming is complicated and some algorithms get all tangled up in each other, why do you think he puts up with C-3PO all the time? Or his humans. Programming like that is dangerous but sometimes increased output is worth it.

Anakin actually does not appreciate this idea. "Except Padme," obviously, but even that is dubious because he'd tell himself he totally wants that but... basically no, he doesn't want anything tied to his soul like that. Partly, I think, because he's not unaware he's Terrible. Also, honestly, he's just not that good at building connections.
(. . . he would totally take a Pernese dragon, though. Who wouldn't?)

Tavi's serious answer: He's very chill with the idea of soulbonds of basically any level. The Marat have them, obviously, with animals. If you gave him a chance at a Pernese dragon he would basically squee, and he's a shoe-in for a Herald in Valdemar. (Furies... are different and also there's the thing and *hands* complicated but.) Canonical Tavi can probably sustain two soulbonds (more than that is untested) if the opportunity or reason arose, but he certainly has no reason to seek one out.

(Also, technically, he is the bondee and not the bonder. Like a horse! Only not a horse. This is something of a Disappointment. Except when it isn't.)

[iprotectyou]

Baze probably wouldn't. The best friend slot in his life is already filled by Chirrut, and they're close enough that he doesn't really need a familiar, even a small one. He'd feel he'd have to protect it.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yo.

(Slightly longer answer: There was an interview recently that described Digimon partners as 'avatars of the soul,' a semi-independent external expression of a different facet of their corresponding Chosen, which is definitely true for Yamato and Gabumon. So it's definitely over on the extreme ends of 'closer, more intimate bonds.')

[genarti]

Enjolras doesn't really have an opinion on the matter? If a soulbond animal happened to choose him, he'd be fine with it once he got over the bafflement, but he's not the kind of person who find it a gloriously compelling idea on its own. And he has enough very close (and very emotionally demonstrative) friends that he doesn't have the I WISH SOMEONE UNDERSTOOD ME RIGHT DOWN TO MY SOOOOUUUL thing; he's got that already, as far as he's concerned.

He wouldn't really see the point of a strongly bonded pet, though. He's not a pet person. A cactus is about his speed for caretaking, and even then it better have instructions and he won't entirely see the point.

Cosette, on the other hand, would be DELIGHTED. So delighted. She's 17, and she loves animals and friendliness and taking care of things! She would be very startled if it were a telepathic soulbond thing rather than an extra special pet, but either way she'd be delighted. And she'd totally go for it in an instant, unless her father or mother or Marius jumped in fast with qualms.

Kazul already had an extremely satisfactory pet princess friend, thank you, and even if Cimorene is now Queen of the Enchanted Forest next door instead, she doesn't feel any need to try to replace her just yet. Nor to add telepathy and soulbonds to that mix. It seems like entirely unnecessary mental clutter for all.

Thor, hmm. Thor's a complicated one! I think actually he would want to talk to the prospective animal/spirit/whatever first and see how it felt about the prospect, unless that were abundantly clear already. He doesn't feel any great need for it, but he'd also find it a potentially fun and useful kind of alliance-and-comradeship. So, tentatively amenable? I mean, he's already got a kinda-arguably-soulbonded hammer, though Mjölnir isn't sentient.

Doctor Dinosaur would love a telepathically controlled Murdersaurus Rex, yes!!! He will also accept pretty much anything else telepathically controlled, non-mammalian, and murdery!!!

If that's not what you're offering, he's not interested.

(And I totally would, are you kidding. I read so much Valdemar and Pern and so forth as a child, and I definitely have an inner thirteen-year-old that's still all about this stuff.)