Oh, that makes sense

[soc_puppet]

I've got an origific plunny I've been sitting on for nearly six months now, just kinda prodding now and again for fun, and tonight I finally realized that the main character is probably autistic, and one of the reasons he really wants a familiar is because they can act as service animals/emotional support animals. I'm not sure that he realizes that's why he wants one (he really wanted one just to have a lifelong companion), but it's definitely a thing.

Meanwhile, the main character's love interest is probably also autistic and/or ADHD and already has a familiar, and is doing pretty dandy if you ask them. I don't know if they realize that their familiar is totally a service animal, but their familiar is totally a service animal (in addition to being a working animal for their job).

Comments

[soc_puppet]

I'm definitely thinking about it, but I need to actually write the darn thing first 😂

(More info:

Ashe thinks it's a cruel twist of fate to have been named so and ended up a fire mage. His father points out that it's a family name, and if it worked like that, he'd have an uncle and a second cousin who were fire mages as well instead of being farmers; and at least it's better to have been named so and ended up a wood mage, or to be a fire mage named rowan, for example. Still, it's poor comfort when Ashe's dreams have gone up in proverbial smoke, kindling to his newfound power. All he wanted was to be a farmer with a familiar, like the vast majority of his family before and beside him, and the gods had instead given him this. He's prepared to make the best of it, even if it's not what he wanted, and maybe he'll find a familiar along the way. If he's lucky. Surely not every fire-attuned magical creature is happier on its own or already bonded, right?

Gale [masc NB] hadn't had any particular dreams before they'd gotten their magic, and with it their familiar. Magic wasn't unheard of in their family, but it skipped around all over the place, granting everything from incredible power to meager skills, with affinities just as random. Gale had prepared themself mentally for just about anything when they came of age, and they're happy with what they ended up with. More than, really. Riley is the best familiar they could have asked for, whip-smart, playful, and loyal, not to mention immune to fire. The rest of their magical talents lent themselves well to animal handling, and when news got around of a phoenix keeper looking for an apprentice, Gale had decided to apply for the position. Now Gale runs the phoenix farm with Riley, their old master having retired with confidence in the skills she'd taught Gale, and Gale is plenty pleased with their life. Or at least they are up until something starts preying on their phoenixes. Luckily, one of Gale's contacts knows a fire mage who might be willing to help out...

I might have to fiddle with some details to make it properly YA, but I'm quite fond of the idea!)

[mecurtin]

I don't know what you mean these days by "properly YA", I just figured young person+love interest= YA, without the love interest it might be Middle Grade.

It could *easily* be a series of stories about different people in this world+their familiars. There's huge potential there!

[soc_puppet]

I've just been picturing the characters as early-to-mid-twenties, and I thought YA tended to have a harder age cutoff? But I'm also not planning any sex scenes, which I think means it doesn't qualify as New Adult, either? Urgh, publishing categories 😵 It'll almost certainly be "accessible" as a YA title regardless.

Honestly, a whole anthology about people and their familiars and especially familiars as service animals/ESAs sounds like it could be pretty damn fun! I'll definitely be giving that some more thought. Still gotta actually write that first story first, though 😉