And so... · 8:23am Jul 9th, 2016
I kinda get how Frodo feels. I know it's no One Ring but...God damn. I started writing this series this series...back in mid-to-late 2012...if I remember correctly. Roughly four years and 10 stories later...it's finally done. I'll be honest when I say that I did not expect this to turn out nearly as big as it ultimately did. As Tolkien once said about his own most-famous work, "The tale grew in the telling." That really does apply to this story at just about every step along the way as I progressed. The story took directions I hadn't originally planned, characters developed in ways I didn't expect, and things basically stretched out way longer than I ever thought I would, for over 1,500,000 words. Dear God, did writing this thing ever take up a huge chunk of my life. It's kinda disturbing, now that I think about how many hours I spent on this.
To be honest...at the end of this...I feel tired. I posted the final chapters while I was in Austin for RTX, which turned out to be great fun. Even after I got back, I've been too worn out by this series' everything to really get around to this blog post, which I'd originally intended to make around Monday or so. I think, for the moment at least, I've hit Peak Pony Fatigue levels. I'm sure it's only a temporary condition, but I'm so worn out that I can't even bring myself to finish reading the chapters stacking up on my bookshelf. It's like finally reaching the end of a long, arduous journey and being hit with all that accumulated stress and fatigue all at once...or maybe it's just extended jet-lag. I don't know...okay...maybe binge-watching every remaining season of Red vs. Blue, which I'd never actually started watching until a few weeks ago, probably contributed to the issue, but I digress...
I do have one more sidestory chapter planned, but that might take a bit to get out as I am currently burned out on pony writing for a while. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks to everyone for your support, your willingness to point out my typos, my plot holes, and the various issues that have cropped up in my stories over the past few years. Some of you are new (in which case, good luck). Some of you have been with me since the beginning (in which case, you have my deepest condolences). The fact of the matter is that all of you have been willing to read my million-and-a-half+ mountain of pony words, which sometimes makes me wonder what the world is coming to. Thank you, all of you. Your support is what has been what kept me going over the past few years and made this one of the few works that I've actually finished.
In appreciation for everything, I have one last Savage Skies Supplementals segment to present to you:
The Secret Lives of Bit Characters:
In Flying to the Future I introduced two new characters...well...several new characters, actually. But these were the two that I really wanted to bring into the story for a while, namely Larksong and Pepita, Fluttershy's children and Dawn's younger siblings. I'd actually mapped out their own development as characters well into the verse's future and their own adult lives. Because I didn't want to extend the story for another 40 chapters (although I think some of you wouldn't have minded that), I left off before we got that far ahead, so I wanted to share my ideas regarding their characters.
Larksong:
My concept with Larksong is built upon the idea that Fluttershy's foalhood was not necessarily the healthiest or most supportive one (I am not caught up on the series itself, so discard canon elements introduced after midway through Season 5) and that the bullying and abuse she suffered at the hooves of her classmates and instructors in Flight School led to her developing into the repressed mare she is at the series beginning, the kind of pony who is terrified of her own shadow. Adding to that, I took inspiration from the episode of Filli Vanilli in the show itself, where Fluttershy is revealed to have an amazing singing voice. From there, I came up with the notion of Larksong.
Larksong, essentially, is my idea of how Fluttershy might have been had she had a supportive and healthy upbringing, combined with an impressive singing talent. Because she has loving parents, a supporting and doting older brother, a super-cool big sister who's more than happy to spend plenty of time with her, Larksong grows up to be outgoing and popular, while still possessing her mother's kind and nurturing nature, which makes her the heart of any group of ponies she's integrated into, like her class at school. In her adult life, she grows up to be a pop star, like Sapphire Shores. Dawn and Scootaloo teach her the Gale King, which she takes to quite well. She develops a new level of mastery in lightning manipulation to add a special flare to her performances while singing (and for self-defense purposes, which enables her to save money on security). Despite her sensational popularity, Larksong doesn't let her fame go to her head and lives quite modestly in Ponyville when she's not on tour, most of the profits from her concerts going to support her brother's charitable endeavors (read below).
I'm probably better off for not going this far, as I can easily imagine that Larksong would turn out a bit Mary Sueish by most metrics. I'm sure the tale of her reaching this point has plenty of ups and downs, but I'm not up to writing it right now (although, if anyone out there wants to take a crack at it, be my guest).
Pepita:
Pepita...well the root of Pepita's inspiration comes from outside MLP for the most part. In part, he was inspired by my own experiences in discovering the wonders of cooking, namely that learning too cook gave me a legitimate reason to play with both sharp objects and fire...
Hell yeah!
...I started watching Good Eats back in high school and began experimenting with recipes, reaching the point where I became the main cook in my family, up until I left for college, although I continue to regularly cook for them to this day. I drew on that for inspiration for Pepita, as well as a certain manga series that has become one of my absolute favorites.
Pepita is a bit slow to discover his cutie mark. From an early age, everypony can see that he loves to cook and he has a lot of talent for it. However, it isn't until his family is on a trip in Manehattan that Pepita discovers his true passion. At one point, he briefly ends up separated from his family and finds himself wandering through one of the city's poorer districts. He's invited in by a low-income family, who are willing to share what food they have with him for a single meal. Seeing what they have to offer, Pepita steps up and uses their cheap ingredients to produce a truly amazing repast, giving the family a culinary experience normally reserved for those a few income brackets above them. Pepita discovers that his true passion is in creating amazing meals using mundane and inexpensive foods, and using those meals to enrich the lives of those less fortunate than himself. Pepita goes on to create a special line of charity eateries that allow the poor to enjoy truly fine cuisine without the cost that usually come with it. His efforts are primarily supported by his sister and the daughter of Fluer de Lis and Fancy Pants.
So, in a sense, Pepita is, at least in part, a pony version of Yukihira Soma, minus the cocky attitude. Again, this is a story that I'm not up to writing at the moment.
So...once again, I have to thank everyone for all your support and I'm glad that you were willing to stick with me for this long. I don't know where I'll go from here, but...well...I'll know when I get there...I guess.
...
...
Okay...that ended on kind of a weak note. I'm still tired.
go ahead and take a break for a awhile man. when your est is over I'm eager to see what you come up with next for a 10 story series.
(partially joking)
But one last question. Did Trixie succeed in master Still Way?
Take a break man, you earned it
congrats on finishing your epic; and that is all i can call this story,
i might have found it late in the cycle; but damn, what a read.
I'm going to be honest, while I and I'm sure many others would like to see more, you require a well deserved break. So take as long as you want, and whatever you decide to do afterwards, I'm sure we will support it.
defiantly time for a break relax and recharge you battery's.
4079712 The next bonus chapter we believe is going to be Sunset and Trixie versus Starlight in our town, so we're gonna find out methinks!
Yo Mog, what's your favorite RT show?
finishing this and thinking about reading more pony stuff is like Gilligan getting off the island and being handed a coconut I'm guessing.
I just had to put this in...
Ahhh, I'm still a couple stories behind from writing in my own stuff... I need to binge read the rest of it soon!
Good job by the way! Many have taken far smaller projects and never finished them.
Yeah I binge read your story's in about what 4-5 days I think. Then I got to the last story and it was just awesome.
You made your OC Dawn Lightwing my favorite OC. And I've only had 2 others.
I can understand your weariness, moguera. It has been an incredible journey, almost akin to life itself (dat exaggaration)! Thank you for writing such an enriching story for us readers. Yes, that wasn't an exaggaration, as I believe that you have just inspired some readers here, as well as me. Thank you.
As for now... have a break! Have a Kit-Kat.
I just read the entire series I'm like three days! Personally I thought it was so awesome! I'm glad I found this amazing story!
Thank you for such an entertaining ride!
Totally got the mention to Food Wars...the weird thing is that season 2 came out at almost the same time as this blog, at least when I watched it on Youtube(On crunchyroll only premiums can watch it, which is kinda bogus) Anyway, I've been following this story for the last three years, and this series really helped me to relax after a long day of state testing, tutor, Jazz band, and swim team. I really enjoyed the various mentions of anime and manga found in this story, also, writing more than a million words is crazy and I have no idea how I will get it all on a folder. All I can say now is, Pls...write more fimfiction, it is severely addicting and I want more. I mean, in the future, when you get over your post-order pony stress disorder.
I know this is about five weeks late of a comment, but that doesn't mean I can't express how much I loved the 10-story series that is Savage Skies. I've had a blast reading it; not even halfway through the first, I got hooked onto the series, and I just finished reading it all today. You, Good Sir, deserve a bucket full of cookies and then some. I don't even care if your hiatus lasts several years (Not to say that I'm not anxious for your return), your work has satisfied me for good while. Heck, on top of that, I learned a thing or two from you.
All that said, when you do come back, I'll be pretty hyped for what you come up with next. Be it anything pertaining to Savage Skies, some one-off, or even another series.
I know you've probably been asked this a lot, but have you ever put any thought into getting the Savage Skies series published? I know several other FimFiction authors have had their stories published for limited runs, like Past Sins and Fallout Equestria. I only ask because I would do anything for a physical copy of each book in this series. I see this series as some of the greatest inspiration I've ever had and it's one of the best series I've ever read. Thank you for absolutely everything you put into Dawn Lightwing and his adventures. I could never thank you enough.
I don't know how the hell I did it but I somehow missed you posting the entirety of the final story. I'm really fucking bummed I missed out on following it chapter by chapter as they were posted.
4079712 I don't think that was ever covered.
I like to think she did.
Getting to be both a stage magician and a Celestial Knight.
😘