Part of me can’t believe I’m about to write a character profile blog post for a trash griffon that can’t even speak, but here we are! Important: character profile posts do contain spoilers! If you haven’t read the Gate of Myth and Power trilogy, I suggest you wait to read all character profiles until you finish!
French Fry
Okay, it’s time to confess…I created French Fry because I wanted Chloe to at least have a friend in Magiford besides Ms. Booker and her unnamed co-workers, but when I was plotting the books out I was already DEEP in the clouds of confusion my severe anemia created, so I didn’t want a talking character I’d have to keep track of since that would further tax my brain. So…French Fry plopped into existence!
I’d already known I wanted to do more with the trash griffins–I hadn’t given them as much time and attention as I wanted to in Leila’s trilogy (Court of Midnight and Deception). So I’d been actively looking for a way to fit trash griffins into another story, and when I further planned out Chloe’s powers and abilities, I realized that a trash griffin would be an ideal companion for her as he’s the only supernatural who could actively keep up with her and be just as inconspicuous when she’s swapping forms.
French Fry is the perfect example of his species as he is able to showcase both their surprising intelligence and their frequent bouts of having zero thoughts floating through their tiny brains. Besides Noctus and Chloe’s family, he’s the only one who can track Chloe through her shifts, and can find her anywhere in Magiford.
He shares a similar ability for honing in on French fries, which he likes to throw at the people he loves most. (Sharing is caring in French Fry’s uncluttered mind.) But despite his seemingly simple mind–or maybe because of it–French Fry is able to lull nearly every supernatural into the thought that he’s just a pesky varmint and should be ignored. Noctus and the others don’t question his presence until he pops in on Calor Villa, even though he’s dive-bombed them multiple times in the streets of Magiford.
French Fry does share his love of fast food/sweets with his fellow trash griffins, and he’s the perfect representative of the other Night Court creatures, as he shows they have a will of their own and will choose to make their homes elsewhere even if they do still pop in on Night Queen and her unusual kingdom from time to time. (French Fry is not the only creature to do this, as the night mare living with the Northern Lakes Pack can attest.)
But I think what I love best about French Fry is how deep he does love. He’s the one who tips the scale and helps Chloe grown a spine in the final battle. He checks Noctus to help him with his emotions. And above all, he wants hugs and to share his secret treats with those he loves. He is chaos incarnate, but he loves hard, and he’s going to follow Chloe for the rest of his crazy little life.
Thanks for reading, Champions! I hope you enjoyed this look at French Fry!