Animal Sidekicks

[night_wrtr]

I've started into my NaNoWriMo story(i've got a few days to make up for!) and immediately hit a delimma. I need to choose an animal sidekick.

Without even thinking, I wrote his companion as a dog. The MC can use magic to see through the animals eyes. Helpful when keeping an eye on someone without actually looking at them. The issue is that I feel like a dog is the most common sidekick around.

Is that boring and typical? Should I go with a magical armadillo or something?

What have you seen the most of, and do you have any recommendations for something you've never seen before?

 

[Cathbad]

If you go with a "magic armadillo", I'm shooting you.

 

[DragonAether]

I think the chose might be driven also by the type of adventures that you main character is going to face and also by the environment, if he will fight in small places avoid birds, if in open fields avoid slow things and so on. Also you can't have a penguin as sidekick if you are in the desert, or if the environment is something more post apocalyptic you could have a shark with arms or something strange enough to fit. Maybe you can use the sidekick to fill some missing skills that the protagonist has.

My stupid suggestions are: an owl that works like a 360° camera, an eagle with razor sharp wings or even a lama with acid spit and last but not least, a penguin soldier.
(hope that the english was correct)

 

[Cathbad]

Concerning animal companions, I actually get upset with stories in which they're treated no better than furniture or minor tools. Animals have personalities. They can be a big part of the story!

 

[Cathbad]

a penguin soldier

Now, that I could deal with!

 

[DragonAether]

Concerning animal companions, I actually get upset with stories in which they're treated no better than furniture or minor tools. Animals have personalities. They can be a big part of the story!

I eat animals...
Cool idea, what about swapping the traditions? An animal with a human sidekick, that would be a revolution. (my cat is biting my foot)

 

[Overread]

A lot depends on the protagonist and the world setting.
You could look at various real world cultures and domestic species outside of the western/european heavy settings and see what's out there. That might give you some real world grounding for more unique animal pets that might then become a basis for an animal companion.

Africa the cheetah has been used as a trained hunting cat (much like birds of prey - they even have those blinker-style hoods)
Asia/China otters and pelicans have been used to aid fishing.

Personally I'd say consider a cow or a pig. Animals that we mostly look down upon as menial, dumb and generally there only for food value. There are not many great tales of mighty cows around!

 

[night_wrtr]

I think the chose might be driven also by the type of adventures that you main character is going to face and also by the environment

Agreed. Not sure on the environment yet. It could be anywhere at this point. I haven't left the main room of the local in, yet. The MC will be doing some fighting, but he is an older fellow so he's going to need some help. The sidekick will at least need to have distraction ability, if it can't attack directly.

 

[night_wrtr]

Africa the cheetah has been used as a trained hunting cat

Didn't genghis khan have pet cheetahs? That has a lot of interesting aspects to it.

 

[goldhawk]

Traditional familiars are black cats and ravens (or crows).

 

[DragonAether]

What about something really cute to distract enemies?
Or a penguin with magic powers, or lasers, or nukes or pinguinity.

 

[Cathbad]

I eat animals...
Cool idea, what about swapping the traditions? An animal with a human sidekick, that would be a revolution. (my cat is biting my foot)

In one of Weis & Hickman's stories, we eventually learn that the wizard is actually the Dragon's familiar!

I'm all for such reversals!

 

[Cli-Fi]

I've started into my NaNoWriMo story(i've got a few days to make up for!) and immediately hit a delimma. I need to choose an animal sidekick.

Without even thinking, I wrote his companion as a dog. The MC can use magic to see through the animals eyes. Helpful when keeping an eye on someone without actually looking at them. The issue is that I feel like a dog is the most common sidekick around.

Is that boring and typical? Should I go with a magical armadillo or something?

What have you seen the most of, and do you have any recommendations for something you've never seen before?

I have flying pigs in mine

 

[DragonAether]

I have flying pigs in mine

Let me guess, the primary function of this sidekick is to be an emergency food reserve.

 

[Tim Murray]

What about Tribbles? They can be cute and deadly, like inject poison from their fur tips.

 

[J Riff]

See-through eyes, I want an Eagle, nothing less will do.

 

[Mouse]

It's not boring, dogs are common in stories because people love dogs. They're awesome. I have a dog sidekick in Shuttered who has a telepathic link with her human. If you go for something daft like an armadillo, readers are likely to go 'where the bloody hell did he/she get an armadillo from?' I do like the bird idea, too, but it's not uncommon. I'd be happy with something like... for example... a mouse, too.

 

[HareBrain]

I have read a book with a sort of magical armadillo/pangolin, and it was very cool and cute. Pangolins are the animal of the moment, though, so that might be jumping on a bandwagon (or in a band-palanquin).

 

[Cathbad]

I eat animals...
Cool idea, what about swapping the traditions? An animal with a human sidekick, that would be a revolution. (my cat is biting my foot)

And feed ur cat!!

 

[farntfar]

Dawn Palethorpe, the lady showjumper, had a clam called Stephod, after the late chancellor.