You're absolutely right that pets would have fit extremely poorly into the '90s-and-later lives of HL's recurring characters! That's an excellent and insightful point, and definitively ties off that side of that scenario, I think. Thank you.
Now that my attention has been drawn to the presence/absence of animals in the on-screen story universe, I also keep thinking of the past, of hundreds of years of flashbacks without any cat, dog, or named horse. Not even guest stars, supporting cast, or plot points (compared to the horses that reared in FK's "Let No Man Tear Asunder," Matthew's horse Princess in FK's "Dying to Know You," and Nick's dog Ralegh in "Blind Faith," off the top of my head).
I'm not saying that the HL story universe needs more animals! Only that I'm now seeing some places where animals could have been... and where we could place them in fanfic, if we like. Darius was defined by staying put; perhaps he would have had some pets at some times? Tessa and Duncan had apparently been in Seacouver for some time and did not regularly hop continents until she took the curator job in "Band of Brothers;" I wonder if either of them ever wanted a pet in those years. And Duncan has periodically spent very long stretches alone in various wildernesses, plus his island; perhaps an animal's company could have been welcome.
Re: OK, I actually have thoughts on this, but it's not what you think it is.
Now that my attention has been drawn to the presence/absence of animals in the on-screen story universe, I also keep thinking of the past, of hundreds of years of flashbacks without any cat, dog, or named horse. Not even guest stars, supporting cast, or plot points (compared to the horses that reared in FK's "Let No Man Tear Asunder," Matthew's horse Princess in FK's "Dying to Know You," and Nick's dog Ralegh in "Blind Faith," off the top of my head).
I'm not saying that the HL story universe needs more animals! Only that I'm now seeing some places where animals could have been... and where we could place them in fanfic, if we like. Darius was defined by staying put; perhaps he would have had some pets at some times? Tessa and Duncan had apparently been in Seacouver for some time and did not regularly hop continents until she took the curator job in "Band of Brothers;" I wonder if either of them ever wanted a pet in those years. And Duncan has periodically spent very long stretches alone in various wildernesses, plus his island; perhaps an animal's company could have been welcome.
Anyway, just thinking! :-)