That's what I get for 300+ page chapters I then decide to re-write. 
After Death Creation FAQ [Unmarked Spoilers!] · 2:20am Jul 6th, 2022
I've come to realize that with my infrequent update schedule, important details can be understandably lost in the shuffle. So here's some important information about the story. This will update as events warrant. Be warned this is up to date and contains unmarked spoilers, it's for the readers who have already read the story and need a quick refresher of the main plot points. If you're new to the story, kindly wait until you've read it!
Who or what is Arachnos?
- A self-insert character, since as some characters in the story have said, he/I only know how to be myself. He died in a car crash and found himself in an empty small universe. A mysterious Voice Arachnos nicknamed "Smug" told him that this was his universe to do with what he wanted, and that he would be given the power to create and shape it, suggesting he create a version of Equestria. Arachnos accepted, and was remade into a Demiurge, a nearly all-powerful being who did indeed create a universe with a planet called Equus that would come to resemble the world of My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic
Why "Arachnos?"
- Over a very long and interesting afterlife, he's acquired many names and titles (enough to fill a book). Spiders became his sacred animal, and so when he told a young Princess Luna to call him what she wanted provided that it wasn't offensive, she suggested Arachnos with a grin since he was playing with a spider at the time. He liked it enough to adopt it as his more or less "official" name.
Isn't that sort of the ultimate Marty Stu?
- Yep! Won't even try to deny it.
I write this story as a way of dealing with/escaping from reality, so godlike power in the story is fun. I did try to give him enough flaws to balance it out, but I'm not going to make an argument I can't win. What's that thing in your user avatar?
- Arachnos, a picture I commissioned. That form is supposed to be creepy, as the first time he "wore" it was to intimidate the Lord High President of the Time Lords. He came to like it enough that it's his favorite "Mask" and it's how he's often portrayed in art across the universe.
Wait, Time Lords?
- Yep! There were Time Lords like from Doctor Who in this universe, though they resembled Ponies instead of humans. They were his first sapient species. The President mentioned above got the idea that the Time Lords should merge with all of space and time to become higher beings. The Time Lords cast a spell at his instruction, and it went horribly right. It worked but had the effect of wiping them out of history, forwards and backwards. As Arachnos describes it, "They're everywhere, so from the perspective of the rest of us, they're nowhere." And he can't get them back. He was able to save a young Time Lord who goes by the name Time Turner, AKA the Doctor, bringing him to Ponyville and rescuing a TARDIS at the same time.
Why couldn't Arachnos get the Time Lords back, isn't he a God?
- No, and he is quite offended if he's called one, he considers that blasphemy. He prefers the term "Demiurge" in the non-Gnostic definition of the word of, "A being who creates, shapes and directs reality under the direction of a God." He's definitely Nigh Omnipotent, but is not the genuine article. He has the following limits to his powers, some self-imposed, some not: He can hypnotize someone, but not truly get rid of free will, some part of them would be locked away, He can time travel without causing paradoxes, but can't undo his own mistakes, like bringing Gallopfrey back. He invented Necromancy, but he can't actually return the dead to life, it's just a really good copy of a person at best, and it worst it's horrifying. He also can't stop it if someone is fated to die. He can certainly try, but it ends ... badly. He can't leave his universe, which seems rather small and confined at times to him. He can't create or interfere with souls, and he doesn't know where his creations' souls come from originally. He also can't create True Love, as trite a trope as that is. He's not anything close to Omniscient, and is rather stupid at times. Of course from the perspective of everyone else, since he can unmake and reweave the entire universe start to finish just by thinking about it, that thin line between his power and genuine omnipotence isn't all that comforting... Those are about the only limitations, he can do anything else, and he has an excellent, but twisted imagination. Most of his power involves NOT using his power as he could accidentally shred the universe.
Is Arachnos Gay?
- Yep! A few years ago when I started writing this, I thought that I was Asexual, and since I started this fic, I've come to realize I'm not. Arachnos is out & proud gay and has even had a brief but happy relationship, though at times that fact can haunt him. (His husband died tragically, and even though he knows he wasn't, a part of his mind still thinks he was responsible.)
So aside from the obvious, what makes this an AU?
- In the "Modern Day" (there's quite a bit of time travel and flashbacks) Equestria has technology like cars, computers, and smart phones. Ponies' front hooves are actually closer to paws that end in hooved fingers, but are still similar in design to the show, this isn't an Anthro Equestria. There's the above-mentioned Time Lords. And behind the scenes, Arachnos has been shaping history for better and for worse.
"For Worse?"
- On some worlds, Arachnos is closer to a devil figure than a God. One of his older "Masks" that he never wore again was Grogar the Terrible. (Yes, that Grogar.) He had his reasons for being Grogar, mostly to give Ponies the final kick to the backside they needed to truly unite. He's created most of the monsters in Equestrian history, and has killed quite a few people, sometimes for very selfish reasons. He's also the first to admit that he has severe mental health issues.
Does Arachnos have family?
- Yep! When he was first starting out as a fledgling Demiurge, his Conscience and Id appeared to him as Anthro wolves, named Alexis and Apep respectively. The two hated each other when they first appeared, but these days there a couple.
Arachnos also created Discord by splitting off a part of his soul and forming a new being from it. He tried his best to be a good father, but Discord still wound up in stone for a thousand years after trying to take over the world, since he thought that everypony hated him, and Arachnos had created him simply to be a monster. Arachnos still cares deeply for his favorite son, though the feeling isn't mutual, Discord has sworn revenge on him too.
"Favorite son?"
- That will come a little later, but he had sons before Discord, albeit accidentally. They crawled out of his head one night, and while he really doesn't like to talk about him, what he's said so far is that they were the worst kinds of monsters. He's also had one last son after Discord who is closer to Discord's "Big Brothers" in terms of species and temperament.
Where will this go?
- I've got a rough outline, but sometimes things get added in my mind at 3 a.m., and sometimes something I really wanted to add in gets cut. Suffice to say, it will follow the story of the show and beyond, with a few twists and turns. 😉 Arachnos will absolutely fall in love again someday to his shock, and will get the therapy he so desperately needs.
And the most frequent and perhaps most important question, "When's the next chapter?!!!"
- No idea. It's been two years and we just got to the official start of the show. I work full-time, and write this in my spare time for fun. My chapters also tend to run thirty pages or more. Someone could probably calculate the average time between chapters. Sorry I can't give a better answer.
Hope that clears at least some of this mess up...
I am a HUGE TV Tropes nerd, if someone ever wanted to make a page for this, I would be deeply flattered, but I don't think the story is quite good enough for that.
Many thanks to all of you for your support throughout this crazy ride!
Oh I forgot to mention this, you should put a spoiler warning in this blog in case new readers happen to stumble upon it.
Or if you want to go into detail, since some of the FAQs contain spoilers for certain chapters, you could warn readers NOT to read a specific FAQ if they haven't read past a certain chapter. Example: "Is Arachnos Gay?" This FAQ mentioned about Arachnos' husband, so readers who haven't read past chapter 7 should not read this FAQ.
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Ah, thank you!
yo nice, honestly I found this story recently and I fell in love immediately. I'll wait what I have to for the next chapter. much love to you author keep up the good work and dont be discouraged by other people and their inability to not be toxic online. love the story and cant wait to see what happens with discord once hes out.