Fandom Meme, 4

[osprey_archer]

4. What are the origins of your penname/username?

Back in junior high, I was obsessed with telepathic companion animals, and on top of reading every single book on this theme I could find in the library, I invented my own setting of an international peacekeeping force composed entirely of soldiers bonded to telepathic companion animals: the infantry got big cats, wolves, bears, etc, while the archers got birds of prey.

(I wonder if I could port this interest into a book sometime. Everyone loves telepathic companion animals, right? Although the whole “Telepathic companion animals are the ULTIMATE BOND” thing would need to undergo some modification to go into a romance novel, where the ultimate bond is presumably romantic.)

Anyway, when I needed a screenname for AIM (God, this is taking me back) and cat_ranger was taken, I made myself osprey_archer instead. After that I just sort of ported it to all my new platforms.

Comments

[oracne]

I would totally read a Telepathic Companion Animal series. I can see it working better if both partners had companion animals.

[osprey_archer]

Yes, there's a definite imbalance if one partner already has a telepathic companion animal to provide them perfect companionship and the other is just bopping around ALONE, poor schlub.

[oracne]

Unless threesome. But that's...weird with an animal.

[radiantfracture]

I would also read this. So much scope.

I like the idea of trying to juggle two powerful bonds of different kinds. Also the added animal/animal and animal/human dynamics. Like when your pets hate/love each other, but huge stakes.

[osprey_archer]

Also imagine the adorable interspecies friendship when the telepathic companion wolf and the telepathic companion fennec fox finally start to get along, and the fennec fox falls asleep curled up on top of the wolf.

"We can never break up," observes human #1, gazing upon the perfect harmony between their telepathic companion animals. "Fox and Wolf won't let us."

[radiantfracture]

Ok I'm already firmly attached to the fox / wolf dynamic. Please write the books.

[asakiyume]

Ditto this.

[oracne]

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[rachelmanija]

I would read that. In practice romances with telepathic companion animals often have the animals function as yentas- they know what their humans need before the humans know.

[osprey_archer]

"I don't NEED a romantic partner," Blake informed his telepathic companion wolf Silver Nose. "I have YOU."

"First of all, humans are not supposed to have a single emotional attachment, they need an entire pack," replied Silver Nose, "which we will definitely start working on, just as soon as we've got this romantic partner thing sorted. Now go talk to her. You thought she smelled nice. Obviously it's love."

"That's not how human love works!" Blake protested. Silver Nose tenderly, lovingly nipped him, hard enough that he started out of his chair, just in time to almost bump into the girl with the sweet-smelling hair.

[oracne]

Yes.

[asakiyume]

HOW IS THIS ALREADY ADORABLE?!

Please make time for this!

[osprey_archer]

There are so many stories already jostling for attention...

We'll see if this one develops any more.

[asakiyume]

I understand; I do. As and when!

[thisbluespirit]

the whole “Telepathic companion animals are the ULTIMATE BOND” thing would need to undergo some modification to go into a romance novel, where the ultimate bond is presumably romantic.

I think that's just where all the shifter stuff comes in! LIke, it's a thing, not much modification needed other than, okay sometimes the telepathic companion animal is human.

MOre seriously, it is a good one. I loved the Indigo series as a teen, largely because the ultimate relationship in it is the protagonist and her bff telepathic wolf Grimya and not the boyf. she spent 7 books trying to track down, because Grimya was, as it turned out, obv. better.

That is an unexpected origin story for your name, though! It's always interesting to hear where people's come from.

[osprey_archer]

I feel like blending shifters + telepathic companion animals might cause some kind of explosion. Can these things go together? SHOULD these things go together? It might make a rift in the fabric of reality.

[thisbluespirit]

It might make a rift in the fabric of reality.

It's probably where they all came from in the first place!

[anna_wing]

I feel that a telepathic bond with Lap-Cat would be a lot of fun for him, and much less so for me.

Food! Cuddles! Let me out! Kill! Let me in! Let me out again! Let me in again! Food! I itch! Why is Scaredy-Cat harassing me! Chase me around the sitting-room again! Cuddles! Leave me alone! Kill! Food!

My name is two words in Quenya and Sindarin respectively, that sound like a name when put together. There was a real Anna Wing, an English actress who is now dead and obviously not me.

[osprey_archer]

Haha, yes, this is definitely one of those fantasy tropes that would be far less fun in real life than it is generally portrayed in a book.

[asakiyume]

I laughed out loud at your lap-cat's telepathic messages, especially the kill parts.

... I had a name in Sindarin that I used for a while! (This is not it, obviously.)

[littlerhymes]

This is the CUTEST BACKSTORY. Little osprey! with your little imaginary peacekeeping force!

I will await the 5 book series.

[osprey_archer]

In retrospect it is not clear to me how the peacekeeping force fed all these ravenous carnivore telepathic companion animals OR whether they would actually add all that much military strength to the force, but gosh darn did I love giving the entire cast telepathic companion animals. I may never have gotten to the point of characterizing anybody in any other way but they ALL had their beloved animal friend.

[asakiyume]

THIS IS MARVELOUS!

I've always wondered, and this is a much more delightful, imaginative story than I could possibly have imagined. I love it.

[osprey_archer]

I was a Lot when I was thirteen, I suspect in a way that you would have appreciated, but still definitely a Lot.