Pone my oath! · 8:42pm May 2nd, 2015
So. An update on To See The Light after over a year of silence... yeah things kind of got away from me there. I had a big problem getting this chapter figured out - I'd set up a scene for a big dramatic element involving funerals, hearings about Derpy's eligibility for the role, questions about divorces and parentage and so on and so forth.
Nobles jousting for position...
Don't you hate that sort of thing? I mean yeah, they're kind of bastards, but they aren't idiots, surely? And yet nearly every fiction that deals with Canterlot politics puts in this nobles-as-idiots trope (and yes, I know I'm guilty of the same thing, but I try to make it realistic - self-preservation would dictate that they don't try starting civil wars at the drop of a hat, for instance).
Anyway after some poking from Themaskedferret I decided to go back and have another look at it.
And I dropped the hearing, and the funeral, and the noble infighting, and... just about everything else for that matter. It was dragging. It was boring. It was stupid. Well no, actually some of it was pretty cool, but it killed the pacing stone dead. I wanted to make things happier for a while and give Derpy a good footing for the future, and then move to that future.
So we get a nice coronation, which leads me quite neatly onto something else that I was asked during the writing of this chapter: what inspired the oath?
Anyone with a bit of knowledge about recent British history will probably recognise it. The general form of the oath is very heavily inspired by the oath taken by Elizabeth the Second at her coronation in 1953. I chose this oath in particular because, first of all, it's familiar to me; and second, because it has a very powerful form to it.
Most oaths of office tend to require a single affirmation from the taker, usually at the end of a short list of responsibilities. It's a utilitarian sort of affair, one that works to a degree, but it's somewhat lacking in gravitas.
Of course that might just be my anglican background breaking through a bit; back when I used to attend a real anglican church (wooden pews and everything) they followed the standard order of service as strictly as it could. At several points in that the leader and the congregation have exchanges to affirm faith or as part of prayers. Drop me into the middle of a service and I'll know exactly how long there is left until the end by what response the congregation give next.
It's that back and forth, that affirmation and participation, that drives the thing home in a far more powerful way than merely listening to a list of things you should do and then going "Yep, sure, I can do that". It hammers home the responsibilities, by forcing you to listen for the points where you respond. You have to pay attention.
Whatever the reason, I like the form. So there we go, that's why that particular oath is written the way it is.
Magic.
That's really interesting. I liked the oath a lot, it really did have a sense of weight to it. I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll do next with "De Raptura" Hooves.
I've noticed a bit of what you mention about nobles. I think part of it comes from both a general aversion to those who came into money and maintain status of power as well as seeing far too many political scandals and dirty dealings in the news, in fiction, etc. I'm genuinely interested to see where you go with this one ^^
My take on it is that the typical noble is the pompous ass bureaucrat from "Yes, Minister" instead of the All-Swearing Eye from "The Thick Of It."
I too am sick of the way nobles are written as unbelievably scheming yet too dumb to live. They have basically lived in Celestia's city for a millennium, they love sucking up to her and obsess over her, but they have not yet figured out "acting moderately nice" is something she prefers?
3038263 Yes, this is a perfect analogy! I always figured Celestia basically folded the nobility into the bureaucracy. And Humphrey Appleby fits perfectly as the personality of a noble. That's also why I don't always enjoy hearing the Princesses make constant jokes about how terrible the nobility are. It comes off to me like the senior executives of a company making fun of their employees behind their backs.
3039599 Yeah. It makes her sound like Frank Underwood dismissing someone for being weak enough for her to undermine.
3039733 Great, now I'm imagining Fancy Pants killing a hooker as part of a coverup. I hope you're happy.
3039739 Oh, cheeseburgers....it'd go something like this:
Fancy Pants: What will we tell ponies?
Blueblood: If you've learned anything from this, it won't be the truth! Now let's go bury this dead hooker!