Review #90 - The Luna Papers · 4:26am Apr 17th, 2017
So, you remember a couple weeks back when I was doing that survey, right? Well, one of the responses for something I should consider adding was an author interview. So, I took a look at a few RCL reviews, thought up some questions, and asked an author I like.
I will also be doing a normal review of the story after the interview:
Note: I will be using (almost) iisaw's famous style of footnotes.
The Luna Papers by CoffeeBean
(Mystery, Slice of Life)
With Celestia out on vacation for a week, Cadance sees a fine opportunity to spend some time with her Auntie Luna, who's now in control of Equestria for that time. She's always known Luna to be a bit... different, but she never thought she'd find herself suspecting her Auntie Luna of trying to take over Equestria again. Is she simply over-thinking things, or is something truly the matter with Auntie?
What inspired The Luna Papers?
Well, I've always loved Luna as a character, and I've always imagined her as being a bit of a weirdo. A pony doesn't spend their nights going through the dreams of others without going a little crazy. Not to mention the whole thousand years in the moon thing. I wanted to write something that explored her... craziness, and I wanted to paint her in a unique light. This story was basically one big character study. I stepped out of a lot of boxes with it, and I ventured into writing about one thing I had always wanted to write about: mental illness. While Luna, in this story, doesn't have a clear-cut illness, it's quite clear she's a bit crazy, and finding ways to show that without it being really dumb was a lot of fun.
Why did you choose to write it in the tone you did?
Well, I went real light-hearted with this one because, basically, I had just gotten done writing a massively depressing story called 'My Only Sunshine'[1]. I was depressed for nearly the full 2 months I spent writing it, and after finishing it, I needed something to lift the clouds.
What made you choose the characters?
I chose Cadance as the protagonist because of 3 reasons. 1: She's adorable. 2: She and Luna are adorable together. 3: She was absolutely perfect for this role.
The story was originally going to feature a castle staff member as the lead, it would follow them as they discover how much of a weirdo Luna is, but I realized Cadance was a thing. Being Celestia's niece made the setup of her suspicions of Luna work all the better, and added a good mystery dynamic to the story.
What was the hardest part of writing it?
Writing Luna as a character. That was easily the hardest part. Finding ways to make her seem crazy without doing the normal, cliché stuff was quite hard. Writing her dialogue was also a fun problem. I wanted her speech to be very unique and somewhat incomprehensible, and doing that was, at times, quite challenging. I had to find a nice mix where the reader could still get what she wanted to say, but at the same time asked themselves "wait... what?"[2]
What was the easiest?
Cadance's character. Her speech and mannerisms just flowed right into the keyboard. I never really hit a hitch with her.
Do you prefer planning a story before you begin writing or having it take shape during the writing process?
Well, I try to plan stories. That never really works. This story would really be the only exception. I sat down for a day and thought and thought and thought, and I got every single little thing planned out, and it all worked out how I planned it, which was odd. Normally, I come up with a beginning and an end, or a beginning and a middle, then wing the rest of it, but with this, I actually had a groundwork, and I followed it. Everything else I've written has either never had a clear path or deviated from the path I carved.
How did you come up with your handle/penname?
I've been known as CoffeeBean for a fair 7 years now. I first came up with the name when I started playing Garry's Mod all those years back, and I've just kept it around because my internet friends have always called me Coffee. And I like the ring of it. And I like coffee.
What's your favorite episode?
The one in Los Pegasus[3]. That shit had me laughing the whole way through.
Who's your favorite pony?
Luna or Celestia. It's both of them.
Why is it you watch MLP/ what do you get from the show?
That's like asking a bird why it flies. I just do. It makes me laugh, and it has cute horses in it.
As for what do I get from it? Joy, I suppose. It's not a light in the dark for me, as I'm overall a really damn happy person, so I guess it just amplifies the happy for me.[4]
Any advice for aspiring authors reading this?
Other than the typical 'don't give up' thing, I'd say listen to your critics. Don't shoot people down when they tell you you've done something wrong. If someone criticized your work, make them into your friend. They will only improve you. People who actually say constructive things aren't doing it because they don't like you, they're doing it because they like your story and they don't want it to fail.[5]
Anything else you'd like to add?
I have one regret in life, and it's not joining this site years ago. If I had actually figured out how to publish my old story 'Beneath The Sun's Surface'[6] I'd probably have 1k followers. Persistence is key, folks.
[1]Have a link.
[2]And it worked, quite well!
[3]This is a typo, it is actually "Las Pegasus." Also, the episode is called Viva Las Pegasus, you know, if you care.
[4]Fun fact, this was intended to be one questions just two different possible phrasings. But, this way works well.
[5]This is actually really good advice.
[6]Unfortunately, this story is rated M, so no link for you 
.
Review
So, this one is a lighthearted mystery fic, with a large amount of slice of life. And now for Luna. As mentioned above by Coffee, Luna is somewhat crazy and has a unique speech pattern. A speech pattern that reflects her learning the nuances of the modern world very well. Luna is also quite mysterious, giving vague answers and barring Cadance from her work, and for good reason which I shall not discuss because of spoilers. And now for Cadance, who strives to make connections with Luna and is inquisitive as to what she is doing. However, this one's true strength comes in their interactions. How Cadance wishes to discover more about Luna, and how Luna seemingly ignores her. How suspicious Cadance gets of Luna's plans, and how odd Luna is acting. It all comes together so well. But, if I am to be honest, I was really expecting a different finale. Not that Luna would do what Cadance thinks, but Cadance would overreact and do something extremely rash. Also, a random side note, while I do like the current epilogue, I somewhat liked the first one more. Sadly, you will never be able to read the first one, so it's really a moot point. Another random thought, whilst editing this I sometimes had the feeling of an adventure fic, so be aware of that.
To conclude, this one's greatest weakness would be audience expectations vs the fic's results. Throughout the first five chapters, it plays up to be this big thing... and then it's not what one would expect. This left an annoying feeling of... how to put it... disappointment. The likes of which that has appeared multiple times in the comments, but eventually gets chalked up to Coffee's chosen style.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended for Luna fans, Cadance fans, and general lighthearted fic fans. (As errant put it so expertly in the comments, this could be an episode).
Yeah, welcome to how I write things. I throw curve balls.
Wow this was a fascinating read!