Hello everyone! Second place for the latest Bimonthly Twilestia Contest was taken by fluttermoontree with her classic-styled Twilestia fic In Your Dreams. Second place prize includes an interview about her story, so here's a window into her writing process and a hint at what's to come for her Twilestia storytelling:

1. You only joined the website quite recently. What inspired you to sign on, and what made you want to write a Twilestia romance as your first story?

I’ve had a lot of free time recently, and this year my interest in FiM sparked again after not having watched it since 2015. I’m not sure why, but I’m glad it did! I noticed the closeness between Twilight and Celestia in the show, and stumbled upon a few fanarts that made me think of what an interesting relationship it was. I guess that led to finding FimFiction itself, and my curiosity about this ship peaked when I read the works of others, and it did get me thinking. I used to browse the site without an account but I made one just so I wouldn’t lose track of the fanfics.

It’s weird but I never thought I would ever write fanfiction! Of any kind, Twilestia or otherwise. But the more I read, the more I got inspired. I roughly planned out In Your Dreams one insomnia-fuelled night, and left it aside as it wasn’t getting anywhere. Then I saw the posting for the contest and decided to just finish it and send it to the competition anyways.

I guess Twilight and Celestia’s romantic dynamic is similar to a personal project of mine in a novel I’m writing about a princess who’s unexpectedly thrown into power and made immortal, and her personal guard. So experience with writing that helped with this story too!

2. What was your favourite moment from your own story? Are you happy with how it turned out overall?

It might seem inconsequential but when I re-read it later, I was pretty happy with this line:

‘“SHE’S GOING TO KILL ME!” Twilight freaked, her voice briefly raising the entire library into the air and smashing it down as terrified birds flew out of it.’

I was re-watching The Crystal Empire (Season 3) the other day, and found this very scene (of the Golden Oak Library momentarily defying the laws of physics when Twilight freaks out) in Episode 1! I guess I’m happy that I was able to involve a similar over-the-top reaction in my story.

3. What were some influences in writing this story? Do you have any particular favourite fan fics or other pieces of media you think people should check out if they liked your story?

Some influences in writing this story were all the wonderful fanfics in this group that helped me get my own idea of the dynamics between Twilight and Celestia. I read a lot of fanfics before I started writing. I found this one very recently which my fanfic holds many similarities to, especially in terms of the premise! It’s very well written and gave me the giggles. It’s Correspondence by Friendly Uncle. It should definitely be checked out by anyone who liked my story.

A favourite of mine is Ascent but warning– this one really gave me the feels. I also really like The Sun and the Stars Prompt Collab! I haven’t read it all yet, but it’s really comforting to read in my downtime.

4. What's your writing process like? Do you plan your stories out, and what do you do to get started on writing?

My writing process for most of my work (fanfic or otherwise) is to first haphazardly write down every detail about an idea I’ve been thinking about. Once I have it all down I’ll organise it into a rough plan or layout for each chapter and the events that occur and with phrases I might want to use. Then I’ll get to writing! After I finish and edit a chapter the last thing I do is go back and check the grammar. Ezn’s guide was invaluable when it came to editing In Your Dreams.

To get started, I jot down bits and scraps of phrases or ideas that have been floating around in my mind. If I find a larger story in any of them, I try to develop it. In Your Dreams was written in a really short span of time (in one day), but it was already planned out so it wasn’t too difficult to complete.

5. What is your favourite thing about Twilestia? Is it an OTP for you, or just one of a few different ships you enjoy? Do you have any other ships you like to ship with it?

My favourite thing about Twilestia is the layers of complexity that are in their relationship, whether romantic or otherwise. Especially in regards to immortality and power, as was the theme of this competition. Personally, I love slow-burn romances and Twilestia gives a lot of opportunities for those to be written– though In Your Dreams is rather condensed, I would love to write a Twilestia story like this soon!

But ultimately, Twilight and Celestia truly have a relationship like no other– Celestia must have seen so many ponies just come and go in her time as ruler, but Twilight is truly special to her. It is also just so wholesome and full of nuzzles! Though I do enjoy other ships I’d say it’s particularly special to me. I like to ship it with Fluttercord (another of my favourites) as both ships have a theme of unlikely romances and the barriers of immortality, and friendship turning into something more.

6. How did you feel about the reaction from your fans? What were some of your favourite comments and why?

The extremely positive reaction from fans surprised me! I didn’t think my story would get such good reception and such kind comments, because I’d rushed it and was really unsure about it. It was also my first ever fanfic which added to that uncertainty. I was so happy to find it got featured and that it was on Equestria Daily as well– unexpected but in the best way possible!

My favourite comments (it’s so hard to pick) were people telling me how much they enjoyed it and that they’d like me to write more. It was so sweet of everyone and really encouraged me to continue! I guess people liked the mix of comedy and romance in this story, so now I know what I’ll be writing more of! In particular, I chuckled at people’s reactions to Spike’s involvement– “Poor, innocent Spikey-wikey just got introduced to his mom’s private self insert fantasies. Traumatized barely begins to describe it”.

It’s weird because normally I write really sad, heavy stories. I guess publishing this fanfiction showed me that writing lighter stories is a lot of fun and that it’s doable!

7. Who is your favourite character to write and why? Are they different from your favourite character on the show, or in fan fic?

I haven’t written much but I’ll admit it, Twilight is my favourite to write. Her (rather neurotic) reactions can make for comedy gold, but it also means she can have really good character development. I’d say Discord too (he’ll be around in my next fanfic), his chaotic nature in general has a lot to work with. The princesses as well– they have such a complex backstory and personalities that are a little glossed over in the show, but that’s why we have fanfiction! I’ve truly seen such inspiring works of art based on them. I guess I like characters that we don’t know much about so they can be explored and fleshed out.

In the show, my favourite characters are Fluttershy, Twilight, Discord and the Princesses– the latter three for similar reasons as to the one I’ve given above. As for Fluttershy, it’s because I relate to her a lot in ways that are both direct and indirect. I think she’s characterised very realistically. I also love episodes involving Applejack and the Apple Family! They’re usually entertaining and comforting to watch.

8. Do you have any plans to keep writing fanfics after this? Can we hope to see more Twilestias in the future from you?

I definitely will keep writing fanfics. I have a comedy/ romance in the works starring the Princesses and the Mane Six, which involves Twilestia! I enjoy writing Twilestia a lot, and might do a few more shorter pieces first before I try a longer Twilestia story. I’d love to put out some more Twilestia stories, and I will! If there are any more competitions I’d submit again for those too– it was fun to write for this one, and at the end of it we all get new Twilestia stories to enjoy!

Thank you to fluttermoontree for the interview, and to everyone participating in the Twelfth Bimonthly Twilestia contest for your quality stories and judging. The contest for the next two month cycle should be starting up later this week, so look out for that in your feeds!

Thanks for hosting it and to everyone involved, I look forward to the next one!

Nice

I’m looking forward to your upcoming stories.