I'm in need of some help portraying Luna and Celestia. I'm having a lot of trouble keeping them, (Mainly Luna) cannon to the show, because there's so little facts we know about them. So, I'm asking for something to help me keep them in character. Like maybe a bio or personality summery, I don't know, something along those lines. If anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated.

I suppose the Princesses, as characters, can be rather flexible so it comes down to your personal preferences or what you need for your story at times.
That’s not to say they are completely blank slates.

Luna can clearly be a little harsh at times and is probably the more successful of the two in a military or combat roll. At the same time there is quite a tragic past attached to her that might make her more companionate to villainous characters. Many other attributes can be attached to her if you personify her as the living personality of the night, associated with secrets, hiding, tricks of the mind, fear, wonder, navigation and awe. Certain illicit activities as well if you’re aiming for that kind of fic.

As for Celestia it is very common for her to be portrayed as hiding the heavy burdens she carries or having a deep brooding guilt over what she did to her sister. While common this is somewhat contradictory to what is shown in the show as the few times she is shown alone she seems rather content and fairly happy. I also like to point out she is in fact a bit of a troll. Not a malicious one but… well, it’s probably better if I just show you the clip.

I like this mischievous side to her very much and recon being an immortal goddess figure she probably likes to teas the mortals around her a bit having lived long enough to realise how silly some of their base reactions and assumptions are. You could go back to the heavy burden thing at this point showing how desperately lonely she is but once again I think she’s lived long enough to deal with it at this point. Unless she cheats by erasing/sucking out/otherwise discarding painful memories. I do think she would take comfort in the few other immortal or long lived beings around her including dragons and the like but interactions with them seem to be low in the show.
On a side I, while not a fan of her, really don’t like how some authors discard Cadence as not a proper alicorn for some reason or another. I think the season three opening episodes support me well in the opinion that she’s only weaker because she’s younger.

In the end it’s a choice on your part and all of this is only opinions and speculation on my part, nothing truly official. However you choose to portray them I hope this helps. Good luck with your story!

500500 Thank you so much. This will be a great base to write the characters around. Really, thank you for taking the time to wright all that.

500671
No problem. I’m not a particularly experienced writer but I like to think of myself as a bit of a philosopher, a thinker. Empathy can be a powerful tool when used right. Putting yourself in the boots of a character be they hero, villain or bystander is something I find rather fun to do so it’s what I use to write my stories.

Again, I wish you luck with your own writings.

Edit: P.S. Love the opening to your profile page!

500674 Thanks, and I think I'm the opposite of you. I think about the plot of a story first, and then try to base the characters around it. I just can't seem to imagine myself as someone else unless I have seem them quite a lot. (At least more than one full episode)

P.S. I like your's as well. (You can be surprised now!)

500488

Overall I see Celestia as taking her role as head of state very seriously and always trying to do what is best for Equestria, even at her own inconvenience (e.g. she admits to the mane six how much she hates the Grand Galloping Gala but goes anyway because it is one of the obligations of being a ruling princess.) She also appears unwilling or unable to kill, which is why she turns the 'irredeemable' into stone statues. SHe also much prefers to work via proxies (Elements of Harmony) when she can. I have taken this as an indication that she may not be as powerful as everypony assumes her top be. She takes the decorum of her office very seriously, but has a playful nature and loves the little 'gotcha' moments because that is probably as close to intimate interaction she can get with her subjects - as long as it doesn't make the crown look bad. In my own stories I had a hard time getting into her head, so to compensate I went all out and am writing a story all about her inner mental life in a rather severe crisis: Relic. (Warning: dark premise!)

Luna is more of an easy read as her flawed past makes her more vulnerable and thus more accessible. My first two stories were basically Luna stories (The Vacation Crew and The Good of the Many.)

Both sisters keep a certain distance from mortals, probably because they have loved and lost many times, and so refrain from having too deep emotional entanglements because of the pain. Celestia's taking on of Twilight as a pupil is still (at least from the way Twilight reacts to any communication from Celestia) something she has kept at foreleg's length. Such a lonely life (especially when Luna was still NMM). This is why in my stories I have Celestia admitting to impersonating common ponies just to be able to get normal social contact. See Incognito for a short but extreme example of this idea!

Well, I hope this helps.

Regards, and please please treat Celestia with respect. She deserves it in my book!