The 8th Rank - Story Notes (Chapter 5-6) · 3:19am Aug 20th, 2019
I feel like there is a lot to go over on these two chapters, while at the same time it feels like everything is pretty simple and straight forward.
So, lets start with Edmund, who is more the protagonist in these two parts then Gilda is. He provides an interesting outside view on the situation, having been thrown into it without having any idea of what is really going on (something that will come back and bite some flanks in the future). While he's still a griffon, he's not always as self-centered as some of the others (growing up around Ponies can do that to a griff).
It also gave me a chance to really describe Griffonstone. Gilda grew up around it, she doesn't really see it anymore, but Edmund has to deal with just how much of a dump the place is by having it thrown right in his face. The city as described is much bigger then the one we see in the show, mostly because the one in the show is far to small for what it's supposed to be. I kind of picture the place as being somewhere between the worst parts of Detroit and the overgrowth of Pripyat.
Having him encounter Gallus is a bit of a plot cheat (but this early on you can get away with it). It gives him an in to Gilda that he wouldn't normally have and will actually have more effects later on in the story.
The scene with Grampa Gruff was one of the things I really wanted to do with this story. It shows a softer side to him, not always the same cranky ass we see in the show. He does care about the griffs he's helped raise and does want what's best for them. He's can also see right through Gilda, allowing him to cut straight to the heart of the mater. He's also one of the few creatures she looks up to, and really respects, that's why his support means so much to her.
Also, some species of cuckoos like to leave there eggs in the nests of other birds. So for griffons, not having a family to raise you makes you a cuckoo. Gruff, while he never had any kids of his own, raised a lot of otherwise abandoned ones over the years.
The gate to the tow is from the show itself, and seemed to be in far better shape then the rest of the city. Having it be the Crest of the (former) Royal Family seemed like a good use for it, and would explain why it's so grand. It's very much the representation of the ego of the old kingdom, kind of an example of what caused the place to fall apart.
The image for the second flag is based on the one on Griffonstone station, seemed like it would make a good flag (Simple to draw, only a couple colors, and looks good at a distance).
If I had even a hint of skill, I would try to draw up the flags, so if anyone wants to, they can go for it.
Linecast and Linotype will pop in again in the future, as it's always good to have some friendly reports in the wings. Linotype is named after the Linotype machine (as pictured above) which hot metal typesetting of lines of newspaper text, also referred to as Line Casting. To complete the circle, their editor is Etaoin Shrdlu.
Lastly, I do have a Pateron now, and new stories and chapters will appear there before they appear here (this is also true for my none-pony writing as well). I also have a Ko-Fi page to go along with it.
I just want to say that ultra-fluffy baby Gilda made my heart melt.
If he's a Griffin why is his name Edmund
All griffins have usually Scandinavian or Nordic names starting with G. (Greta, Gilda is the diminutive form of Grizelda, Gallus, Gruff, Gustav, etc)
5108861
Because having 20 characters all with names starting with G gets very confusing both as a reader and a writer. It's fine as a small joke, but when it gets to big it becomes unwieldy. You could also argue it represents a culture shift for the griffons that were raised in Equstria.
5108863
Maybe the G thing is from Grandpa Gruff giving all his orphans a G name? Would explain Gallus and Gilda, both half raised by him.
Also, looking forward to more political intrigue and worldbulding. I already messaged you a bunch of stuff a few months ago, so feel free to message me if you ever want some more insight on possible ideas and such.
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Yeah, you gave me some great ideas. :) Some of that is going to be ramping up in the next few chapters as It hink there will be a few unexpected turns coming up :)