Hi miss raven! I just read your post about adding familiar lore in twst, and I think it would be a fantastic addition. If you want to elaborate, which characters do you think would have a familiar, and what would that be? Do you think that the equestrian club would form a contract with vorpal, samson and tempest, or the other critters they interact with (hedgehogs, rabbits, birds, squirrels etc), or wouldn't be the type to have one? I also feel like a some of the cast have animal motifs in their designs/event outfits, such as epel and ace. Would that be an indicator for a matching familiar?
Thank you!
[ Referencing this post! ]
Mmm, that’s a tough one 🥲
If I’m being entirely honest, I feel like Twst would give at least every dorm leader a familiar just for marketing purposes. They’re the faces of Twst, so they’d sell the most merch collectively. If not just them, then the entire cast.
Twst could even have a series of cards that’s centered around the boys and their familiars. The cards would have vignettes + voice lines that go into detail about how they found their familiars, how they made the contract, and what their dynamic as mage and familiar is like.
Ignoring the Twst merch team and its thirst for sales, I feel like villains aren’t typically associated with animal companions. I mean, there’s animals around in some cases, but it usually feels like a clear boss-minion dynamic. One ruling, the other subservient. Compare this to the heroes, who more frequently have animal companions and tend to work with them, play off them, or have a dynamic that extends beyond sharing the same goal. Pegasus gives sass, Flounder is a scaredy fish, Abu is greedy and gets jealous, etc.
It would be a mix of factors that determine which animal is most compatible with the mage, similar to how dorm placement and unique magic is determined. Disposition, life experiences, skill, interests, affinity with animals, etc. If a person shares the traits of an animal (like, idk, cunning Ace) then it could enhance the likelihood he bonds with a certain animal (ie red fox) or an animal with a similar personality (ie a cunning dog, cunning cat, etc.).
I get the sense that a lot of NRC students wouldn’t have a familiar because it gives the sense of being dependent on others. You’re relying on something else, trusting someone else, to augment your power and to be a lifelong companion. NRC students prefer to be independent and to hog the glory for themselves. Presently, I can only really see the Light Magic Trio being open-minded and accepting enough to have familiars. Kalim with a monkey (like Yana had initially planned for) since they’re both energetic, Rook with a bird of prey since he’s a hunter with a keen eye… Silver I don’t associate with a single animal; I see him more as being noncommittal because he thinks all animals are his friends. Samson, his white horse from Equestrian Club, is a potential candidate since it adds to Silver’s princely vibes. Maybe some of the more lowkey or “normal” guys like Trey could have a familiar as well? A meek little mouse or rabbit or such.
It would be really cool to watch some students go through their character arcs and get to the point where they decide they would like a familiar or gain one. That’d be a significant marker of opening up. Perhaps it’d be a good arc to fully realize with a first year so we can watch them really mature and come into their own this way.
I definitely see familiars as being more of a trend at RSA, where openness and cooperation are highly valued. Minajael would for sure have a tiger. Rielle would have some kind of creature that is attached to both the land and the sea. (Maybe a seagull?) Chenya, a hedgehog. Neige, a bluebird or dove.
P.S. Completely unrelated, but I noticed you were a guest artist in Tribbutribby’s Twisted Bimboland 2 ^^ Very cool illustration of lady knights Sebek and Silver!
