Questions and Answers (WARNING: may contain mild story spoilers)
Q: Why is there a Q & A section, and why should I read it?
A: It’s here to answer a few questions about the story that I didn’t know where else to address. All the questions (except this one, obviously) have been asked by readers, so I figured I’d take the opportunity to answer them here.
Q: This story is pretty neat! When are you gonna do another in this style?
A: Um, probably never. As it turns out, writing a story like this is a LOT of work, and this project devoured pretty much all my free time for more than a month. Maybe I’ll give this style of story another crack someday, but don’t wait around for #2.
Q: Have you written anything else?
A: Yup. All my pony stuff is here.
[Update: Okay, you probably could figure that out on your own. Having that there made more sense when this story was in google docs.]
GAH! Why so many links?
A: Sorry, but I didn’t really know what else to do. I’ve got so many pages I need to tie together, you know? You’ll just have to deal with it, I guess.
Q: How many different story paths are there?
A: Beats me. Lots. There are 18 unique endings, but if you added up all the different ways you can get to each of them... hundreds, probably. Of course, there’s far fewer actual story pages, so many of those paths are gonna cover a lot of the same pages.
Q: Tell me more about brownies and boggies.
A: Well, that’s not exactly a question, but since you asked nicely... Brownies are mythological creatures from the British Isles. In folklore, they are generally described as kindly household spirits, invariably male, who will do household chores at night in exchange for small gifts, usually food. They are very shy and reclusive creatures who apparently seek nothing in life save to serve. The brownies in this story are based entirely on my own memory of stories involving brownies which I was told or read as a child. I make no claims to have researched anything about brownies in historical literature or anywhere else before I started writing.
Boggies... well, I thought that they were also creatures from folklore, but when I did an internet search for them, it turned up nothing. Apparently, ‘evil brownies’ were a product of my fevered childhood imagination.
[Update: Actually, I was probably remembering some regional variant of the boggart. Thanks to Marc for catching the similarity!]
Q: Where did you get the words Ceanntighern and Bhrùnaidh-mòd from?
A: They’re Scots Gaelic for “Head Lord” and “Brownie Assembly,” respectively (though in modern parlance, mòd refers specifically to gaelic musical festivals). Since the brownie legends come from Scotland and northern England, it seemed an appropriate language to use for their ‘strange, guttural tongue.’
Q: So a book you liked as a child was Inside UFO 54-40, huh...
A: Yup. And if you know what that probably means about this story, good for you! Now don’t spoil it for the other readers!
Q: Louis Ponyet? Really?
A: Hey, I thought it was funny. Who cares if no-one else gets it (what are they teaching kids in school these days?) Besides, if Faust can have ‘Filly-delphia,’ then I can have ‘Louis Ponyet.’
Q: Why didn’t you describe the appearance of the brownies/boggies in more detail? I really want to know what they look like!
A: Conservation of detail. Also, its really hard to dump information in CYOA stories; you always run the risk of readers either finding a path that lets them skip the exposition and then being confused later, or one which makes them read the same long, detailed description twice. The important thing is that we can all agree that they’re small humanoids; the reader is free to imagine the rest however they please.
Q: Yeah, but I want to know how YOU think they look.
A: Alright, but let’s get two things clear: first, you’re still welcome to envision them however you like. When you read, you’re supposed to use your imagination, after all. Second, I make no claim that the following descriptions have any historical basis; see my comments about brownies in folklore above.
Brownies are small humanoids, about 6 inches tall. They have squat, spindly legs and arms, ending in disproportionately large hands and feet. Although this gives them the appearance of being awkward and clumsy, they are remarkably fast and agile. Their heads are about twice as wide as they are tall, often wider than their shoulders. They have large, gaping mouths which stretch nearly from one side of their face to the other, and narrow-set eyes topped by heavy brows. The nose of a brownie is little more than a nub when he’s young, but grows throughout his life; elderly brownies have long and spindly, but still very thin and narrow, noses.
At the sides of a brownie’s head sit two large, pointed ears. These ears stick almost straight up, and are often gnarled and irregular. A brownie’s forehead is small and heavily lined. Atop his head sits a small tuft of hair (the only hair they sport above their necks, for brownies never grow beards or mustaches no matter their age), usually jet-black and straight. Despite their predilection for cleanliness, brownies seem to have immense trouble keeping their hair neat; brownie hair quickly takes on the appearance of an impenetrable rat’s nest. As a result, most brownies chose to wear flat caps when going about their work.
There is no doubt that the brownie is, by human standards (and presumably pony standards as well) an ugly creature, but its comforting demeanor and ever-present smile leave no doubt as to its benevolence. They always dress simply, in leather shoes and pants, with buttonless vests and, of course, their flat caps. They seem to prefer earth-tones, but the coloration of their clothing varies from brownie to brownie.
Boggies appear physically identical to their kin, but there is no mistaking the malice of the creatures. Where the brownie will always be smiling and laughing, the boggie grumps and glowers. The closest he gets to a smile is the malicious leer he wears when he knows he’s about to do something wicked. Boggies despise work, and will wear whatever they can force others to make for them. If they have no slaves or servants to make clothing for them, they’ll dress in animal skins.
Q: There’s something else I want to know! How should I ask it?
A: Okay, I made this question up too. Anyway, you could just ask your question in the comments, or send me a PM if that's more your style. If you need to e-mail me for some reason, you can e-mail me at madethisjusttopostponies@gmail.com
Thanks again for reading!
-Chris