SotS ending and THE FUTURE. · 7:15pm Apr 19th, 2020
157 chapters and 2.5 years. As of now, the longest story on fimfiction marked complete, and the fifth longest overall.
Songs of the Spheres has been a massive undertaking. It currently sits as the fifth longest fic on the site at 2.1 million words and has been a part of my life for so long it feels strange to be marking it complete.
But, at long last, it is done. The story about all stories has said what it set out to say, and it has wrapped up. There is nothing left to tell… sort of. But before I get into my final thoughts on Songs of the Spheres, how about I go into my plans for the future.
FUTURE PLANS:
The original idea was to stop writing ponyfic aside from the League of Sweetie Belles entirely. Any of you who watched to the end of 157’s video know this is not the case any longer. What is The Distant Princess? Well, it’s the first book in a series entitled Synthesis. I’m not going to talk much about it now, but I will say that it’s effectively Omniverse VI, and it takes the themes and ideas showcased in the Echo of the Earth chapter and capitalizes on them. The book is completely drafted and some chapter drafts are public on the discord server, but I don’t know when it’ll be published since I’m still waiting for some commissioned work on it. I will ask: the chapters are much shorter here, on the order of 2k words most of the time. Would a once-a-week or twice-a-week update schedule be best?
I may or may not have other ideas brewing in my mind too…
As for the League of Sweetie Belles, I’m not stopping writing it, I’m just putting it on the back burner while I work out these ideas and stuff. I’ve still got plans, don’t worry, and I’m keeping track of all suggested stories. However, due to somewhat-recent personal reflections, I’m likely going to be much harsher with what I allow myself to include in the story. There are a few things in there that I’m embarrassed to put my name on — not because of the writing quality, but more because I think the chapters are promoting themes I don’t approve of. It’s happened multiple times over the course of the story, and I suppose such is the danger of writing using the ideas of others, eh? I’m just going to be more careful from here on out.
Also, I guess I’m gonna put in here that there’s still the Depth in Innocence contest you can sign up for. Sign ups end at the and of the month, so hurry and get your slots!
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/887927/contest-depth-in-innocence
I’ll be making another blog post in a day or two to remind people about this, too.
Anyway, that’s for the future. Now, about SotS itself…
Songs of the Spheres: a reflection.
I’m glad I wrote it. I’m glad it’s complete. It represents a childhood dream of mine to have a story about all stories told, followed, and ended. Apparently fulfilling the dream won’t let me stop writing, haHAH, but at the very least it is a success. My main issue was trying to write other things DURING it’s run. Several of those experimental ideas derailed simply because it demanded so much of my constant care. Now I can finally move on to other large projects. Though I’ve learned my lesson, no more experimental projects! Complete a story before I publish ANY of it! Good ideas, yes?
But I’ve also grown since I’ve written SotS. Most of it was actually written and drafted about a year ago, during summer vacation. The only chapters that weren’t would be the 100th, Different Views of Reality… and Journey. Looking back, I believed different things back then, and pushed for some ideas more than others. I don’t regret having the collapse happen, but maybe there were better ways to handle it. (Scratch that, there definitely were.) In Journey I attempted to address a lot of concerns I had with SotS after looking back on it - my initial fear to discuss religious things, my hesitation to take a stand on certain issue, and my ignoring of the younger generation in the story. It’s too little too late, in many cases, but I wanted it out there to say something.
And then there’s my changing views on what stories mean. Theme is very important to a tale, and I think SotS had many good, intentional themes that asked big questions of readers. But I also look back and realize there was a lot of gratuitous violence that was celebrated, and that even I fell to the “be edgy for edges sake” curse. I still hold that the collapse needed to happen, and there needed to be a price, but perhaps if i’d set the story up differently to begin with… or maybe I’m just trying to have the best of both worlds here, I don’t know.
What I do know is that SotS is, unfortunately, will leave a bad taste in my mouth because of one thing I didn’t foresee. I wrote the Collapse vs Preserve movements as sympathetic in order to cause arguments and discussion among the readers. That succeeded wonderfully. I didn’t realize how much of a toll it would take on me to hear the same arguments over and over again that nobody could ever put to rest. I didn’t foster discussion — I fostered division among people, division that was alarmingly hard for people to move past. And I’m not some crazed troll that likes to watch people scream at each other. I wanted to change the way people thought, not… that. If I had thought for five seconds I could have seen it coming, but… I guess not, in the end.
Still, I don’t regret writing it, or even regret going as far as I did with the story. I think it needed to be hit hard so the themes of SotS could be drawn out and placed in the open. Even with the looming shadow, I do know I got people to think differently — to see stories in a different light, to reconsider what it means to try to have a morality, to examine ideas of religion, politics, right and wrong… And I’m willing to pay the price of having to see a lot of repeated unpleasant arguments for that. It is worth it.
That said, holy cow am I not in the mood to go down that path again. The Distant Princess is going to be E-rated at least in the first book. Let’s not go super dark again for a while, let’s go for the fluff. The world needs more stories without gratuitous violence and excessive injury and pain. (And less sex, too, but that’s never really been a problem for me to avoid outside of LSB.)
So, in the end, I hope you enjoyed reading. Songs of the Spheres has both been a massive drain on me… and a massive relief. It’s such a paradox, and I think the characters would like it that way.
Here’s to wishing them a good end without any stories.
Their last request - and mine - is that if you write stories about them, have the stories be before the Tower fell, or in the previous iteration of MU, or something. The powers of Prophets can’t reach them anymore, this is true… but they want to be thought of as free people, not remembered as part of some continuing story.
Let’s let them have their lives.
-GM, master of Songs of the Spheres
Congratulations, GM. Here's to a tremendous success, and to whatever lies on the horizon.
Ok I havent read anything past like chapter 136? , Hell I'm not even sure right now, basically the last chapter I commented on was the last chapter I read!
So maybe its weird that I comment here but screw it I will do it anyways!
Sots was the second Story on Fimfiction that I read! And it was great! It showed me what writers on this platform where capable of and gave me something to look foreward to every week!
I still remember me getting out of the bus after school, opening up fimfiction and refreshing the page every second until the new chapter would come up! ( sometimes it took a few minutes but still it was worth it for me!)
Sots was a great part of my life, it helped me view a lot of things through a different lense and changed my perpectives on a lot of things, I know it sounds crazy but I wouldn't be the same person today if it weren't for this Story!
And that may not really be in line with all of my negative comments , especially more towards the end of my time reading this story.
But even though I had a few problems along the way I actually AM looking foreward to finishing this story and actually rereading it.
Maybe some of those things that I didn't like/had problems with will be better if I read it all at once , without the weekly breaks!
So all that is really left to say here is: Thank you GM for a Great Story , a great addition to my life and I wish you all the best for the future, I'm exited to what you will bring us in the future!
Congrats on finally finishing.
I started reading near the beginning and really enjoyed it, unfortunately after the collapse I just lost interest and stopped reading. I doubt I'll ever go back and finish it but I'll be sure to check out your next project to see if it has that same magic that SotS captured me with back at the start.
Congratulations.
This. Is art.
Here's the end and I just at the beginning of the 4th arc, honestly when I saw this story first it's length really scared me but I gave it a try and now I'm gonna read it to the end and who knows maybe even reread it one day.
I will echo 5245861's sentiment...
Now, regarding SOTS... it has been a beautiful journey, but most of all, it proved very educational.
We Ponchos are blessed with knowing how God's work actually works, yes, but, at least for those of us that are "Non-Combatant" (living in "mundane" universes/ not blessed with full, unrestricted access to Creation), the knowledge is incomplete, so for me, SOTS filled in many, many, holes in my understanding, and for that, I thank you, it'll serve me well in my work in the great scheme of things, which will help the version of me doing the actual good stuff, for that I thank you.
.
I've been reading it in bursts, and I still have quite a ways to go to catch up. I skimmed a few of the blog posts, and looked at the ending, so I know what'll ultimately happen. I'll still enjoy the journey as I read it though.
I actually named my island in Animal Crossing Merodi, since I thought it sounded nice. I also briefly thought about writing my experience there from the POV of a multiversal explorer who is stranded in that area.
Have you put any thought into a physical printing?I saw the comment on the story about it. It would be a huge undertaking, but even if you did it one Book at a time, I could see it happening. That would probably require more of a community effort, if you want to focus on your writing.Anyways, whatever you write next, I'll be glad to follow it from Day one, and not need to catch up.
I agree with all of this except for the less sex part
However, when it came to how brutal the Collapse VS. Preserve debate got? You may or may not remember how I sent you a comment that your story accidentally became integral to schoolwork awhile ago, I comment I never followed up on despite your expressed curiosity?
I had the germ of an original IP that I had turned into a screenplay for a class project that took concepts quite liberally from SotS. Including the Collapse VS. Preserve conflict. However, this was before the DOOM arc had actually begun. I THINK we just met the Combine. Hell, we may have still been dealing with The Collection! But I read the Spacebattles thread, and frankly saw the flame wars coming. That, and there was something that didn't feel RIGHT about them. It felt less like a cosmic conflict and more like a political debate fought by beings that were Gods. It felt a bit too... concrete I guess you can say. Not mystical enough, considering the centerpiece of the whole thing.
So I changed quite a bit on how it was presented in my tale. One, it was the War of the THREE Queens. There was a third side involved, one that was explicitly the Bad Guy (the Black) for Collapse and Preserve (which were called the Red and Green in my script) to occasionally unite against and make quite clear to the audience that these two factions were GREY in comparison to the obvious Black. Half the issue with the Final War in SotC is that, by virtue of being the only two sides, people could cast one side or the other as the villains.
Another thing I did was make it that the War of the Three Queens had been going on for eons by the start of the story. It was basically a part of the cosmology, and not the central plot like in SotS. Like the Blood War in D&D. The main focus is our group of multiverse hopping adventurers. See, the story is more The Dark Tower than multiverse Star Trek like SotS. The focus is on the journey of a small group of characters, with multiversal nations essentially being interesting backstory and lore and not the plot.
I eventually turned this screenplay into a NaNoWriMo novel if you want me to share via DMs?
Edit: And of course, tell me if you have any issue with the story existing at all. It's an original cast and mostly original setting, with most of the stuff cribbed being ideas for cosmology.
Well, this has caused me to go back to the drawing board for one of my fics, but honestly that's fine. It really just means I have to go back to an earlier idea.
And frankly the idea I just discarded was one I wasn't actually satisfied with, especially given it really was just "tragedy for tragedy's sake". Basically, it would have been "The Tower collapses... and suddenly everyone KNOWS that there was an Omniverse all along! *Cue invasion fleet that had been waiting for the Tower to fall and the New World to no longer be isolated so they can rebuild the Tower"
Yeah, I was probably going to drop the idea as disrespectful eventually regardless of this blog post. Having it spelled out like this just makes it easier.
Are AUs where either the Tower doesn't collapse or the collapse was delayed okay though?
5246771
I approve of it's existence so long as you didn't lift characters directly (the few OC ones that are in there). I hold no copyright or special connection to any of the ideas in SotS, and I frankly don't have the right to stop people from writing fanfics at all. Go nuts.
I would like a link to it, but I'm unlikely to be able to read it anytime soon. And I'm not in the mood to debate about it either so... I'm glad you were inspired. It means I succeeded.
5246780
As mentioned above, I have no right to stop you from making those AUs. However, while I actually approve and encourage you coming up with your own ideas (above), making those AUs I would disprove of. In the words of Aslan, "you are never told what would have happened." It would be as though you were trying to undo the journey they took to get to their freedom, and not only would I not approve, most of them wouldn't either.
I can't stop you, since I don't feel like fanfics can or should be policed like content. But I ask that you don't.
-GM, master of limes.
5246812
I'll DM it to you via Discord. Should note it's not really a fanfic, but an original story with some fanficy elements.
As for the AUs, gotcha. I already have a fic that's a bit far into the works that's KINDA an AU like that? Basically, it's mostly it's own thing, just with the suggestion that it takes place FAR into the future of a Preserve Ending. Basically an Omniverse. It was more background fluff that allowed me to play with ideas like Ka and the Tower (rebuilding of which being an endgame for the villains) as opposed to any serious sequel.
The AUs I was talking about were ideas for having SotS as you wrote it to be integrated into the Omniverse as an isolated Multiverse guarded by the reduced Tower that becomes exposed to the Omniverse after the War of Existence. A big climatic battle would take place in the New World while SotS Lord English tries to enact their plan. All the villains are thwarted, and ultimately most of the New World decides that they want to go for a full Collapse and be once more isolated from the Omniverse. One, because they cannot allow anyone else to make a go at the Tower. Two, because they generally want nothing to do with the Omniverse. Ka may not be absolute in the Omniverse like it was in the First Cosmos and Second Cosmos (Preserve SotS and canon SotS respectively), it still exists to some degree and they want nothing to do with it any further. From there the Time Arc would pretty much be unchanged beyond knowledge that technically there is more out there. Just stuff they wanted nothing to do with.
Being purposely vague on some details in case you or anyone wants to read this (currently none-existent) fanfic, so as to not spoil anyone.
I should note that the original idea had MU joining up with a new state and exploring the Omniverse, but I cut that out after reading the Time Arc and realizing that there's no way in Hell they would wish for anything of the sorts. This blog only makes that more solid.
5246835
Perhaps it could play out with an earlier iteration of the Merodi, in a Secluded Multiverse Cluster (already a thing, basically a sub-multiverse with almost no connections to the greater multiverse), with the Tower that falls being one of the many instances of the Tower that are mere echoes of it? It's specifically noted that Homestuck also takes place more than once, since the Epilogues don't line up exactly with the SotS version of how things play out; I think that comes up in Enchorus.
Also, the Black side you mention sound like they could play the role of the Nihilists, who were admittedly a relatively minor faction.
"But who said that you can’t write a story between chapter 156 and 157?"
"Unless of course, you wrote a story in chapter 157, focusing on meta-time..."