Strange that you think rats are pests. Anyone who keeps an animal as a pet is an animal abuser. Animals should be with their own kind (with their reproductive capabilities intact), not held prisoner by humans.
“Anyone who keeps an animal as a pet is an animal abuser.” Hrrmmmm…. Sweety, you sound like someone that’s never been stuck in a wilderness and seen some truly vicious animals. I’m glad for that. But sweeping statements are usually called juvenile for a reason. I know several special needs people that have service dogs, police that use K9s, and Mennonites that still farm and log with horses, and many dogs and cats that would starve and die without their humans.
You should be glad she didn’t say,”What if it explodes during the magic infusion process, *again*?”
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Wynter
What does being stuck in a wilderness and seeing vicious animals have to do with keeping animals as pets? Special needs people have special needs… so why should animals have to be slaves because of their needs? You clearly haven’t thought this through. Ever looked closely at a guide dog walking with its “owner”? Completely miserable and looks confused at the same time. No matter how much training they go through they still have no idea their “owner” cannot see. When do guide dogs get to be dogs?
Cats certainly would NOT starve without humans. Humans think they’ve domesticated dogs but the majority would still rip your throat out given the chance. And anyone who calls themselves a bird lover, but keeps a bird in a cage, needs to see a pyschologist. I will say that the cat is the only animal that can be kept as a pet as long as it isn’t a house cat. Never being allowed out to go hunting or climb a tree because the human doesn’t want anything to happen to it is wrong. Better to have a brief taste of freedom than a lifetime of captivity, wouldn’t you say?
What about strays, abandons and rescues from animal shelters? They would be put down if people did not adopt them.
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The Wyrm Ouroboros
Or, having no real fear of humans and turned feral, the cats and dogs become the predators they actually are. You think it’s bad when there are human predators about? Wait until your ‘Free Willy’d canine ‘friends’ make it unsafe to go out — and not just at night, but during the day, because they consider humans of any age to be prey animals. I mean, you’ve gone through all that trouble to set it free to be among its own kind with its reproductive organs intact, right? You wouldn’t shoot them, would you?
Think things through first.
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Wynter
Yes, of course, but if people didn’t keep animals as pets then there wouldn’t be animal shelters or abandoned animals. Rabbits and guinea pigs forced to spend the majority of their lives in boxes because the big human cannot say ‘no’ to the small human when asked if they can have a pet bunny. Rodents in cages biting on the wire to escape; and children are told that Hammy hamster is doing that not to escape but to wear its teeth down because they continually grow. Animals are treated as things (toys, even) but labelled as “family members”.
I spotted a tweet recently where a woman’s dog had 7 puppies and she found homes for them all on the same day. She was so happy. Can you imagine what the mother must have been thinking when her puppies just vanished? No? Apparently neither did the woman or the people she gave the puppies to.
Even if they were released, there would be a lot of issues. There are many cats in modern world that are living on streets anyway, so leting them out is not much problem per se, exept maybe some thoroughbreds. The real problem is that there is so many of domestic cats that it would make lots of city animals starve ( not even mentioning territory fights with cats already living on the streets).
Dogs are much bigger issue, they are mostly to large to scavenge or traverse some parts of cities, and they are potential danger to humans in the area when starved. Most of animals in the city biome are hard to hunt for them as well
And before someone says “just send them into forests” or some other b*ll, there is less and less of areas not affected by humans due to expansion of cities and farmlands. If animals FROM the forest are going to farms and fields, I doubt overloading forests with more predators would help.
Next, there is a lot of animals we rely on to provide us with food, materials and work, even in these modern times. Mutualism is a “natural” interaction (depending on what “natural” means, but that is a whole other issue), after all.
Lastly, to respond to “Animals should be with their own kind (with their reproductive capabilities intact), not held prisoner by humans.”:
I remind you that humans are animals too, and even if we dominate and alter the world around us, we aren’t doing many things that other animals don’t. We are just a lot of them at the same time and on much bigger scale.
Nah, humans don’t fit that criteria, they’re not crazy enough to be her familiar. 🤣
Danalach should get boobies to match her boobies!
… or some furry little woodland creature
… like a large rat, or a fierce mouse!
… or a giant insect.
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Titan
But a Human would be funnier Long-Term, you’d get more jokes out of it
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Sheela
That sure depends on how snarky the Booby is.
No reason why a magic infused critter shouldn’t be able to speak. 😁
There’s a C.J. Cherryh novel set in Kievan Rus where one magic user has as her familiar not the bear her frightening mother chose for her, but an entire pack of wolves.
I swear I have three familiars in my household. *^^*
Do you have any pets, MK?
And I agree rats are about to become a huge, HUGE problem all around the world.
You all forget, with the restaurants having been closed down, they are quite ravenous and will be willing to eat almost anything – even us. O.O
Yep, two cats (rescue kittens) and a dog (unwanted pup). I also have a bunch of pond snails and some tiny fish in an outdoor pond. I actually used to have pet rats. Won’t lie, fantastic pets but very short lifespans.
In San Francisco, small canines and felines escaping confinement tend to be food for the resident raptors, coyotes, and bobcats.
As a result of several decades of trapping and releasing coyotes, parks veterinarians have discovered that well over half the coyotes in San Francisco are related to packs from across the Golden Gate Bridge rather than to packs from the San Francisco Peninsula, whereat one can find pumas and Pacific Coast Rattlesnakes.
21 thoughts on “Elven 00085 | Familiar”
Delta-v
She should have trapped some rats instead. That would have made her a pest control specialist, not an animal abuser. 🙂
Wynter
Strange that you think rats are pests. Anyone who keeps an animal as a pet is an animal abuser. Animals should be with their own kind (with their reproductive capabilities intact), not held prisoner by humans.
anon
oh, so many downvotes on this… the truth hurts, eh?
Agree Wholeheartedly
So many downvotes! Some people can’t handle the truth…
Rallen
“Anyone who keeps an animal as a pet is an animal abuser.” Hrrmmmm…. Sweety, you sound like someone that’s never been stuck in a wilderness and seen some truly vicious animals. I’m glad for that. But sweeping statements are usually called juvenile for a reason. I know several special needs people that have service dogs, police that use K9s, and Mennonites that still farm and log with horses, and many dogs and cats that would starve and die without their humans.
You should be glad she didn’t say,”What if it explodes during the magic infusion process, *again*?”
Wynter
What does being stuck in a wilderness and seeing vicious animals have to do with keeping animals as pets? Special needs people have special needs… so why should animals have to be slaves because of their needs? You clearly haven’t thought this through. Ever looked closely at a guide dog walking with its “owner”? Completely miserable and looks confused at the same time. No matter how much training they go through they still have no idea their “owner” cannot see. When do guide dogs get to be dogs?
Cats certainly would NOT starve without humans. Humans think they’ve domesticated dogs but the majority would still rip your throat out given the chance. And anyone who calls themselves a bird lover, but keeps a bird in a cage, needs to see a pyschologist. I will say that the cat is the only animal that can be kept as a pet as long as it isn’t a house cat. Never being allowed out to go hunting or climb a tree because the human doesn’t want anything to happen to it is wrong. Better to have a brief taste of freedom than a lifetime of captivity, wouldn’t you say?
MateKiddleton
What about strays, abandons and rescues from animal shelters? They would be put down if people did not adopt them.
The Wyrm Ouroboros
Or, having no real fear of humans and turned feral, the cats and dogs become the predators they actually are. You think it’s bad when there are human predators about? Wait until your ‘Free Willy’d canine ‘friends’ make it unsafe to go out — and not just at night, but during the day, because they consider humans of any age to be prey animals. I mean, you’ve gone through all that trouble to set it free to be among its own kind with its reproductive organs intact, right? You wouldn’t shoot them, would you?
Think things through first.
Wynter
Yes, of course, but if people didn’t keep animals as pets then there wouldn’t be animal shelters or abandoned animals. Rabbits and guinea pigs forced to spend the majority of their lives in boxes because the big human cannot say ‘no’ to the small human when asked if they can have a pet bunny. Rodents in cages biting on the wire to escape; and children are told that Hammy hamster is doing that not to escape but to wear its teeth down because they continually grow. Animals are treated as things (toys, even) but labelled as “family members”.
I spotted a tweet recently where a woman’s dog had 7 puppies and she found homes for them all on the same day. She was so happy. Can you imagine what the mother must have been thinking when her puppies just vanished? No? Apparently neither did the woman or the people she gave the puppies to.
D
Even if they were released, there would be a lot of issues. There are many cats in modern world that are living on streets anyway, so leting them out is not much problem per se, exept maybe some thoroughbreds. The real problem is that there is so many of domestic cats that it would make lots of city animals starve ( not even mentioning territory fights with cats already living on the streets).
Dogs are much bigger issue, they are mostly to large to scavenge or traverse some parts of cities, and they are potential danger to humans in the area when starved. Most of animals in the city biome are hard to hunt for them as well
And before someone says “just send them into forests” or some other b*ll, there is less and less of areas not affected by humans due to expansion of cities and farmlands. If animals FROM the forest are going to farms and fields, I doubt overloading forests with more predators would help.
Next, there is a lot of animals we rely on to provide us with food, materials and work, even in these modern times. Mutualism is a “natural” interaction (depending on what “natural” means, but that is a whole other issue), after all.
Lastly, to respond to “Animals should be with their own kind (with their reproductive capabilities intact), not held prisoner by humans.”:
I remind you that humans are animals too, and even if we dominate and alter the world around us, we aren’t doing many things that other animals don’t. We are just a lot of them at the same time and on much bigger scale.
Sheela
This begs the question : What would Danalach have as a familiar ? !! Boobies !!
Bluefooted boobies even ! 😁
Like so : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYmzdvMoUUA
Titan
What if it was a Human?
Sheela
Nah, humans don’t fit that criteria, they’re not crazy enough to be her familiar. 🤣
Danalach should get boobies to match her boobies!
… or some furry little woodland creature
… like a large rat, or a fierce mouse!
… or a giant insect.
Titan
But a Human would be funnier Long-Term, you’d get more jokes out of it
Sheela
That sure depends on how snarky the Booby is.
No reason why a magic infused critter shouldn’t be able to speak. 😁
T3h Ogre
Pretty sure she killed off her potential familiar, here: https://elven.co.nz/comic/elven-00078/
Just sayin’.
Sheela
Oh yikes, that would be one scary familiar !! 🤣
Honzinator
There’s a C.J. Cherryh novel set in Kievan Rus where one magic user has as her familiar not the bear her frightening mother chose for her, but an entire pack of wolves.
Leilani
I swear I have three familiars in my household. *^^*
Do you have any pets, MK?
And I agree rats are about to become a huge, HUGE problem all around the world.
You all forget, with the restaurants having been closed down, they are quite ravenous and will be willing to eat almost anything – even us. O.O
MateKiddleton
Yep, two cats (rescue kittens) and a dog (unwanted pup). I also have a bunch of pond snails and some tiny fish in an outdoor pond. I actually used to have pet rats. Won’t lie, fantastic pets but very short lifespans.
Brother Parvus
In San Francisco, small canines and felines escaping confinement tend to be food for the resident raptors, coyotes, and bobcats.
As a result of several decades of trapping and releasing coyotes, parks veterinarians have discovered that well over half the coyotes in San Francisco are related to packs from across the Golden Gate Bridge rather than to packs from the San Francisco Peninsula, whereat one can find pumas and Pacific Coast Rattlesnakes.