#PennedPossibilities choose a character. Who has had the most influence / impact on their life?

Anytime I need to answer questions like this, I go straight to Vanyel Ashkevron and The Last Herald Mage trilogy by Mercedes Lackey.

I was already dealing with a lot of self-hate bc of my undiagnosed autism when I picked this book up for the first time. What would have happened to me if I'd had time to internalize my parents homophobia doesn't bear thinking on.

Thankfully, this book got to me first. It's an almost stereotypic example of why representation matters. I hadn't yet realized I wasn't straight, but Vanyel and his chosen family taught me it was okay before my family could teach me that it wasn't.