Familiar

Explaining the Talking Racoon

Written by Endrise

I want to be clear: I'm not a cuddly cutesy trash-digging chunky boy, I'm a guardian that protects the world from the corruptive forces of evil. Please remember that.

— Garbage

What are Familiars?

Familiars are, well, pretty simple to explain: they're the animal companions of Magical Girls that grant them their awesome powers. Though to explain them in detail would be a lot more, complicated. I think I'll let Garbage explain it:

Familiars are entities born from an omnipresent form of energy in this cosmos, taking on material form to interact with mortal beings. We don't age, need to sleep or eat... Although we are not against the ideas of the latter two.

As beings of such energy, we act as the link between said power and the Magical Girl in question, allowing her to tap into it to fight against evil. However, only so much can be tapped out of us at any given moment, courtesy of the safety of our Magica.

Why the Animal form?

According to Garbage, they like to take animal forms since it's the most "approachable" look to hire new Magical Girls. It allows most to walk around without being spotted, or at least appear harmless. They can shapeshift, so I wonder if they could look like me...

Oh yeah, they're also not here on earth only! Apparently there might be a possibility on some far-off world there's alien magical girls with alien familiars! Although they say those can look far different from what me and my friends might appear like.

History

Familiars date all the way back to like, as far as humans do. For as long we have existed, they have interacted with our kind as companions to what many nowadays: witches, shamans, druids, sorcerers, etc... Anyone that according to the history books might have had either an association with animals or magic.

Granted, as mankind stepped away from the supernatural, Familiars become less popular and the power they tapped in also grew weaker. Something about those pure of heart dwindling in numbers, or just our belief in fairy tales. Or just how corrupt the world hasn't become in the last century.

Either way, the amount of Magical Girls and Familiars as such have been smaller than ever, and it's the exact reason why our own abilities have been so much weaker as well.

Known Familiars

Garbage
Nevermore
Tamamo-no-Mae
Piper

Killing a Familiar

I talked with Garbage about whether or not they're able to be harmed and well... They can, but "killing" them is theoratically impossible. Even if they're turned to dust, they still are part of this great cosmic force. The only downside would be is that they need to make a new body and find their Magical Girl again.

It does hurt though, which must not be the best experience to have.