Some questions and some other stuff · 11:34pm Jan 20th, 2016
Dear FIMFic,
So, I really wasn't prepared for that.
When I sat down and typed out the opening for Across the Universe, I honestly thought the best I'd get was a small spot on the Popular Stories page and a few comments about me not keeping my promise to not post anything new until I finished what I had started. Your response, though, literally dumbfounded me. Sure, it's a unique concept of Human in Equestria (or Pony on Earth from another perspective), but I really didn't think you all would love it so much. Everyone who heard the original pitch of the idea said it sounded more like a Luna type fic and confusing since the human technically isn't in Equestria.
Well, here's a big thank you to receiving the story with open arms. I certainly didn't expect it to become that popular.
Now, after reading the comments and checking into some things, I figured there were some questions I can answer here that won't spoil the story I have in mind. Most of them were revolving around the time period I set the human and how it relates to Equestria. So here's a brief explanation on why Jacques is in the middle of the French Revolution (the bloody one) and a few other things.
Why the French Revolution?
Honestly, it's probably one of my favorite times to read about in history. Don't think I enjoy reading about mass hysteria, daily executions of innocent people or the bloodlust of a lawless society. What I love about the French Revolution is how little people have dared to touch on it. As two people noted in the story (rillegas08 and Deimon), I did indeed rip offdraw some inspiration from A Tale of Two Cities, probably the best novel on the subject. It's a great read if you haven't picked it up or were forced to read it in English class like I was, but the way the story captured the violence and anarchy caught my attention.
Even still, it is amazing that though France nearly tore itself apart during the Revolution, they united under a single banner and launched an empire that was arguably the largest in Europe until the Nazi Regime almost two hundred years later. The sheer ability to do that after such a violent revolution has fascinated me, especially since the legendary Napoleon Bonaparte was the one to reassemble France and lead it out of that darkness.*
Now as to exactly what part of the Revolution this is set in, I will not say since it is spoilers, but I will definitely be making references to events in the Revolution as the story progresses.
Okay, but why the Revolution and "modern" Equestria?
The term "modern" really irks me, especially since we think of modern as iPhones, two second YouTube buffering and 280 Mbps internet speed. Equestria has literally none of that, so I don't consider Equestria "modern". To me, Equestria is "timeless", meaning it can pull from wherever in time it wants to suit its needs. To them, apparently a thousand years means they discovered coal power and masonry, not exactly a logical progression of technology by our standards, but then again, it doesn't need to.
As I stated about why I chose the Revolution as Jacques' time period, I chose a setting in Equestria where Luna returned, not pinpointing a specific area of time like after Twilight's ascendance or shortly after Luna's return. She's there because I want her to be there and Celestia is where she is because I think it makes the best story. Whether I am right or not, only time will tell, but I believe what I did was right and that's all that matters, no matter if humans or ponies are further along the tech tree than the other.
Fair enough. So why not have it be about Luna? She's clearly the dream princess.
Sure, Luna is the only one who has shown she can travel across dreams, but this story isn't about crossing from dream to dream. It's about a meeting of two minds under an unusual set of circumstances that makes for an interesting tale. Celestia may have never shown any proficiency in traversing a dreamscape, but if things like the comics and Do Princesses dream of Magical Sheep? are taken at their word, ponies can be aware of things while dreaming, similar to humans.
Also, if it was a Luna story, would it be any more interesting? I personally prefer Celestia because I love her character and design, so me using her over Luna was just a matter of taste, but it shouldn't change the fact that either princess can work in this plot.
Okay, fine. Just one more question; why do they see each other as a human woman or a pony stallion?
This is actually something that bugged me for quite a while when I came up with the idea. To see them as they see themselves came to me after getting particularly frustrated one night and browsing Derpibooru and realizing the answer was in the artwork. Why wouldn't they see each other as they are? Some of the best artwork of the fandom is a humanized pony, which is how we want to see them, what they would look like in our world.
Celestia appearing as a woman to Jacques and he appearing as a pony to her does nothing but allow them to bond more closely. By seeing the dream world according to what they're used to, it means the dream is interpreted differently by each party with only the setting being the common denominator.
And is he an alicorn to her or not?
Yes, he was supposed to appear as an alicorn. I thought I wrote that in earlier in the chapter, but I was mistaken. I will edit that in later.
So when's the next update?
If life gives me a second to breathe, I should have it out later tonight.
And that's where I'll pause for now. If you have any other questions, post them below and I will try to answer them. Thanks again for believing this idea had promise!
Regards,
C.B.
*statements subject to author views, not meant to be factual.
I didn't actually pick this up when it released, but after reading this blog, I have to admit, I'm enticed. I'll have to check this out. French Revolution, eh?
Waiting for next update comet. Keep at it!
Have people actually complain about it not being about Luna?
If I can add my two bits on the "Modern Equestria" part, anything from 40 years before Luna's return to the current season.
I do look forward to the next chapter
Well, I like the idea of them seeing each other as... opposite of what they are... oh you know what I mean. My point is, that it makes sense. In a dream, are you ever really able to make out someone's facial features, or hell, even the shape of their body? Not really, but yet if it's someone you know, you just know that it's them. That's it. So it makes sense that Jacques' sleeping brain would simply give form to Tia, and vice versa for her.
Huh Luna... You choose Celestia is a better choice because we get something new we haven't seen yet.
I can't wait to read more!
New story?!?! Damn notification system! *beats notification system with wrench*
Ill get to that, it's hard to find good HIE storys.
Oh hey, you said my name! I was forced to read Tale of Two Cities in high school, but a) got bored quickly due to Dickens's writing style and b) got tired of the teacher talking about symbolism that I thought was intended to be taken literally. I should pick it up again.
I would argue that having Celestia instead of Luna makes it more interesting, especially with the second chapter and how Luna deals with encountering something in the dreamscape that has never occurred before.