Line #20 FanFic/SongsOfTheSpheres


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sots_fimfic_cover.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:[[https://www.deviantart.com/spiralling-vibrance/art/Songs-of-the-Spheres-759887378 Cover by Spiralling-Vibrance.]] Used with permission.]]
7
8	''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/382944/songs-of-the-spheres Songs Of The Spheres]]'' is a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover between more than 20 different franchises written by Creator/GMBlackjack.
9
10	The multiverse exists and contains 10 quintillion universes. Some containing and inhabited by [[JustForFun/AbusingTheKardashevScaleForFunAndProfit Type V civilizations]], others inhabited by denizens much, much lower on the scale than that. The story focuses on a particular group of [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic ponies led by Twilight Sparkle]], who after finding a black sphere with the power to travel to other universes discovers the multiverse and all the good (and bad) that comes with it.
11	There's a ''lot'' of good and bad.
12
13	As of April 20, 2020, this fiction is now complete, but there are others in the same multiverse, such as ''The League of Sweetie Belles''.
14
15	Spoilers before the beginning of Arc 3 are unmarked. Proceed at your own risk.
16
17	[[folder:'''List of series that Songs of the Spheres includes or references''']]
18	* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime''
19	* ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime''
20	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''
21	* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adını_Feriha_Koydum Adını Feriha Koydum]]''
22	* ''Literature/ArabianNights''
23	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''
24	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''
25	* ''Franchise/Ben10''
26	* ''Series/TheBoys2019''
27	* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}''
28	* ''Music/ClockworkAngels''
29	* ''Literature/CloudAtlas''
30	* ''VideoGame/CookieClicker''
31	* ''Literature/TheCulture''
32	* ''Literature/TheDarkTower''
33	* ''Franchise/TheDCU''
34	* ''Literature/DeepSecret''
35	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''
36	* ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''
37	* ''Series/DoctorWho''
38	* ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub''
39	* ''Manga/DragonBall''
40	** ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''
41	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''
42	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
43	* ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon''
44	* ''Series/TheExpanse''
45	* ''Manga/FairyTail''
46	* ''Series/FallingWater''
47	* ''WebVideo/FilthyFrank''
48	* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''
49	* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys''
50	* ''Franchise/FireEmblem''
51	* ''VideoGame/{{Frostpunk}}''
52	* ''VideoGame/GettingOverItWithBennettFoddy''
53	* ''Roleplay/{{Glowfic}}''
54	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls''
55	* ''VideoGame/HalfLife''
56	* ''Literature/HarryPotter''
57	** ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality''
58	* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel''
59	* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''
60	** ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged''
61	* ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''
62	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}''
63	* ''VideoGame/HollowKnight''
64	* ''Literature/TheHungerGames''
65	* ''Fanfic/TheInfiniteLoops''
66	* ''MediaNotes/JennyEverywhere''
67	* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''
68	* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''
69	* ''[[Creator/HonoreDeBalzac La Comédie Humaine]]''
70	* ''Manga/TheLaughingSalesman''
71	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''
72	* ''Literature/LesMiserables''
73	* ''Literature/TheLibraryOfBabel''
74	* ''Series/{{Limitless}}''
75	* ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}''
76	* ''VideoGame/LittleNightmares''
77	* ''Fanfic/{{Luminosity}}''
78	* ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''
79	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''
80	* ''Literature/ManifoldTime''
81	* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse''
82	* ''Franchise/TheMatrix''
83	* ''[[WebVideo/BillWurtz maybe i could eat blades of grass]]''
84	* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}''
85	* ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}''
86	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia''
87	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyAndFriends''
88	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
89	** ''Fanfic/ANewWorldANewWay''
90	** ''[[Blog/AskAPony Ask Lil' Miss Rarity]]''
91	** ''Fanfic/{{Austraeoh}}''
92	** ''Fanfic/TheConversionBureau''
93	** ''Fanfic/CrisisEquestria''
94	** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JGRXSPRMmM Different View of Reality]]''
95	** ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgaAx4QfiYc&list=PLHK43TJoVNRI0y5nKdXETyx-J1mWm529G The Elements of Insanity]]''
96	** ''WebAnimation/EquestriaGirls''
97	** ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestria''
98	** ''Fanfic/FalloutEquestriaProjectHorizons''
99	** ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsForAdults''
100	** ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft''
101	** ''WebVideo/MyLittlePonyTheMentallyAdvancedSeries''
102	** ''Fanfic/OversaturatedWorld''
103	** ''Fanfic/PastSins''
104	** ''WebVideo/ScootertrixTheAbridged''
105	** ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/357694/the-sparkle-census The Sparkle Census]]''
106	** ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/359433/sunlight-sliders Sunlight Sliders]]''
107	** ''Fanfic/TheSweetieChroniclesFragments''
108	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyG3''
109	* ''ComicBook/NeilGaimansTeknophage''
110	* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''
111	* ''TabletopGame/{{Numenera}}''
112	* ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}''
113	* ''TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness''
114	* ''Webcomic/OnePunchMan''
115	* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''
116	* ''Literature/{{Paratime}}''
117	* Various works by Creator/VictorPelevin
118	* ''VideoGame/{{Pepsiman}}''
119	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''
120	** ''Fanfic/ANewWorldANewWay''
121	* ''VideoGame/PonyIsland''
122	* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possible_Worlds_(play) Possible Worlds]]''
123	* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''
124	* ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum''
125	* ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy''
126	* ''Anime/ReCreators''
127	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty''
128	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}''
129	* ''Website/SCPFoundation''
130	* ''Literature/TheSeventhTower''
131	* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''
132	* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''
133	** ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''
134	* Various SFM animations
135	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower''
136	* ''VisualNovel/ShinzaBanshoSeries''
137	* ''Series/{{Sliders}}''
138	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog''
139	* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''
140	* ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}''
141	* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
142	* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''
143	* ''Franchise/StarTrek''
144	* ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil''
145	* ''Series/StargateSG1''
146	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''
147	* ''Series/StrangerThings''
148	* ''Literature/TakeshiKovacs''
149	* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''
150	* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo''
151	* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''
152	* ''Literature/TheThreeBodyProblem''
153	* ''Literature/TheTimeShips''
154	* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium''
155	* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''
156	* ''Literature/TreasureIsland''
157	* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry''
158	* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}''
159	* ''[[Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom United Superweapon]]''
160	* ''[[https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/04/21/universal-love-said-the-cactus-person/ Universal Love, Said The Cactus Person]]''
161	* ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales''
162	* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender''
163	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''
164	* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''
165	** ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice''
166	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wakfu}}''
167	* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}''
168	* ''Literature/WarriorCats''
169	* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale''
170	* ''WesternAnimation/WinxClub''
171	* ''VideoGame/XCom''
172	* ''Series/TheXFiles''
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	----
176	! '''''Tropes in Songs of the Spheres''''':
177	* AlienNonInterferenceClause: [[spoiler: Turns out that the warnings about the Starcross Society are because, after their rather overbearing, fascist civilization fell apart, they (being the rebellion) ''really'' don't want to mess with anyone else in the universe, and think that any growing multiversal civilization will inevitably become like their old one.]]
178	%%* TheAlliance: Merodi Universalis is this for the protagonists.
179	* AlliterativeTitle: '''S'''ongs of the '''S'''pheres.
180	* AllThereInTheManual: The [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/songs-of-the-spheres-multiversal-scale-mega-crossover.555717/ SpaceBattles thread]] is chock-full of background information on the Multiverse and its denizens.
181	** [[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/369593/the-influence The Influence]] counts too, serving as the backstory for Vriska and [[spoiler:Twilence]].
182	* AlwaysABiggerFish: The more the protagonists expand through the multiverse, the more powerful antagonists appear, leading to cases where even some truly evil characters decide to throw in their lot with the white-hats for the sake of self-preservation.
183	* AnyoneCanDie: Oh yes. Over the course of the story, several major characters bite the dust, including most notably [[spoiler:Twilight in Chapter 34]] but also [[spoiler:Sparky, Princess Celestia, Aang, Queen Luna of Lai and Joseph Joestar.]]
184	** [[spoiler: During the Collector arc, Lieshy is killed by Morty, despite having gotten through the self-actualization door in the Dark Tower.]]
185	* ApocalypseHow: Class X-3 happens temporarily to several of the original worlds, [[spoiler:including Equis Vitis, courtesy of the University of Doors]].
186	** A major Class X-4 befalls a [[spoiler:mirror universe of Equis Vitis in Chapter 34, taking with it Twilight and the population of that universe, leaving Twilight-X to carry on as Evening Sparkle]].
187	* ArcNumber: [[Franchise/TheDarkTower 19]].
188	** Also 13 to a lesser extent. Thirteen arcs are planned, with thirteen chapters in each. Thirteen characters get most of the screen time.
189	* ArcVillain: Ba'al serves as one for Arc 1. Then Majora takes over for Arc 2 and [[spoiler:the University of Doors for arc 3, Brutalight and Siron become this in a duo for Arc 4, the Starcross Society for Arc 5, the Collector for Arc 6, and the Combine for Arc 7.]]
190	* AssInAmbassador: [[spoiler:Valentine from the USM straight up threatens to kill the ambassadors of the Merodi to get his way.]]
191	* AudienceParticipation: Sombra's Clipshow and it's sequel are chapters that are mostly written by the readers and editors, rather than the author.
192	* AuthorPowers: Powerful prophets such as Creator/StephenKing, Creator/AndrewHussie and [=GMBlackjack=] himself are some of the most powerful beings in the multiverse.
193	* BirthDeathJuxtaposition: [[spoiler:For a crossover that involves Avatar: The Last Airbender, it is a given. When Aang falls at the Bloodbath in 052, Corea is born with the avatar spirit. It symbolizes the birth of the Merodi, even if the Bloodbath hit it hard.]]
194	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The End of Arc 4. The Merodi may now be a thing and Sirion is dead, but they have taken heavy losses at the Bloodbath and many of the older generation are also dead. Brutalight is still around and Eve has lost her mentor figure]]
195	* BookEnds: Black Thirteen, the cosmic 'bowling ball' which kicked off the plot, keeps coming back until the end. [[spoiler: It becomes the ammunition for Roland's gun, and shatters the Tower.]]
196	* CameBackWrong: There's about a 50% chance that anyone brought back from the dead, outside of Void natives, will be a soulless, pathological monster. For some of them, it's immediately apparent. For others... not so much, not until the knife hits your back.
197	* ChaseScene: Starts with one.
198	* CreatorInJoke: Several characters and worlds appear that originate from the author's other works. [[spoiler:Twilence and the Collector are the most prominent, but Seskii is a character from an ''unpublished story'' of the author's, and so her rare appearance often has the audience asking, 'wait, where did ''she'' come from?']].
199	* DeadlyEnvironmentPrison: [[{{VideoGame/Subnautica}} Nautica]] is used as one. [[spoiler:It doesn't turn out well.]]
200	* DeathIsCheap: [[spoiler:Flutterfree]] dies in 055. [[spoiler:She returns just fine. Subverted when someone ComesBackWrong though.]]
201	* {{Doorstopper}}: All 12 arcs are about 2 million words in total.
202	* {{Doppelganger}}: All too common with the more common universes like Equis and Earths.
203	* {{Eagleland}}: The United States of the Multiverse is a dead ringer for a type 2.
204	* EnemyMine: First Ganondorf joins up with Link and Zelda to protect against a Goa'uld assault, and then ''Ba'al'' actually joins forces with the good guys.
205	-->'''Colonel O'Neill:''' I know Ba’al. He’s willing to cooperate right now. It always happens when a bigger fish shows up. He can manipulate and deal with us in many creative and vile ways. He ''cannot'' deal with Majora.
206	* ExactWords: [[spoiler: ''Twilight'' will not outlive her friends]].
207	* TheFederation: [[spoiler:After 052 and the Bloodbath the Alliance becomes this in the form of the Merodi Universalis]]
208	* FirstPersonPerspective: Shows up whenever [[spoiler:Twilence]] appears.
209	* FlashyTeleportation: One of the most frequently used unicorn spells, having flashes at destination and origin.
210	* GodzillaThreshold: In order to defeat a mighty foe, Equis Cosmic's Twilight is imbued with the full might of the Tree of Harmony. It works, but it comes with the cost of the other species (Griffons, Dragons, etc.) going extinct.
211	* HonorBeforeReason: When Princess Luna takes Starlight and Trixie in stealing technology from Earth Tau'ri she immediately drags them through the portal, derailing the diplomatic attempt that Twilight has going.
212	* HugeGuyTinyGirl: [[spoiler:Jotaro Kujo and Pidge after they get together towards the end.]]
213	* ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin: This is what kicks off the plot. The Black Sphere is what first enables the ponies to travel to other worlds.
214	* {{Irony}}: There are only ''12'' books of 13 chapters each, despite 13 seeming to be the ArcNumber. (The author decided that it couldn't be extended any further.) This led to some confusion when the Prophets became aware of the plan.
215	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: 056. [[spoiler:Well, not so much leaning on the Fourth Wall as completely demolishing it with TNT]]
216	* LemonyNarrator: Rohan and Twilence have a tendency to fall into this.
217	* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: The core concept of the story.
218	* MeaningfulRename: In order to distinguish themselves from other versions of themselves, parts of the main cast take other names. eg. Starlight Glimmer -> Nova and Sunset Shimmer -> Corona. It is also used when something very impactful happens, like in [[spoiler:034]].
219	* MesACrowd: While they're all at least ''kind of'' unique, and have their own powersets, Sweetie Belles, Rarities, Pinkies and Twilights eventually come up with associations which include variants of themselves from all across the multiverse. The League of Sweetie Belles is at least a neutral good variant, while the Rarities are all about profit and fashion, the Pinkies are all about parties (''[[SarcasmMode quelle surprise]]''), and the Twilights decide to create the biggest library commune ever. A lot of the [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Skaia ghosts]] wind up doing this, too, when they're not engaged in trolling one another.
220	* MindOverMatter: One of the most widely used spells that unicorns can do.
221	* MoodWhiplash: 022 bounces from really dark to overwhelmingly silly and back again multiple times, as befits the madness that is '[[Creator/ValveSoftware Esefem]]'.
222	* TheMultiverse: The characters travel between multiple different universes.
223	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: [[spoiler: ''Brutalight'']]
224	* OmnicidalManiac: Majora seeks to either exterminate or corrupt life in the universe and eventually in the multiverse.
225	* OneSteveLimit: Also a part of why prominent characters take different names. With so many different incarnations of themselves, there's a good chance that they will run into themselves.
226	* OrderVersusChaos: This is a big sticking point between Merodi Universalis and the United States of the Multiverse: they both emphasize freedom, but in different ways. And that's to say nothing about the Combine or the other high-class societies. [[spoiler: By the end, it turns into something a lot more: whether to let the Dark Tower continue to screw with the multiverse and all of existence, or to wipe out the Tower's influence upon ''everything'' and start anew from a single universe.]]
227	* OutOfGenreExperience: By and large, the movie-length chapters (those with 30k+ words) are this.
228	** Chapter 47, which covers the temporary capture of the protagonists by the Website/SCPFoundation, consists entirely of [[spoiler:a Foundation article]].
229	* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler:While Sirion and Brutalight are beaten back at the Bloodbath it comes at a ‘'very heavy’’ cost: Celestia, Queen Luna, Aang and many, many other fall in the Hub. Cosmo is reduced to a crystal skeleton too.]]
230	* PortalCrossroadWorld: Several of these exist, the Dark Tower being the largest and the main one for the Alliance [[spoiler: and later the Merodi]] being the Hub.
231	* RecursiveFanfiction: There are a few laying around on the [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/songs-of-the-spheres-multiversal-scale-mega-crossover.555717/ SpaceBattles forum]].
232	* ReferenceOverdosed: Oh god yes. There's references everything from WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft to VideoGame/{{Frostpunk}}.
233	* Rule50: The raison d'etre of the whole story.
234	* RunningGag: The good ship ''Fanfic/{{Austraeoh}}'' keeps getting blown up, disintegrated, piledriving a lava floe, et cetera. By the end of the tale, they're up to 19 of them. The universe still can't kill suction-cup pony, though.
235	* ScaryDogmaticAliens: [[Videogame/HalfLife The Combine]] are StrawNihilist conquerors who own a large chunk of the E-Sphere.
236	* SlidingScaleOfFourthWallHardness: Varies depending on the character. Fourth Wall Breakers and Prophets tend to be more towards the NoFourthWall side while other characters tend to lean to the other side.
237	* ShowWithinAShow: Multiversal Heroes, a fighting game starring many notable dimensional travellers.
238	* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: Just about any notable multiversal society, the Seats being the prime examples.
239	* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: [[spoiler:Monika straight up looks through a computer screen at a reader in 048]]
240	* TheMeaningOfLife: [[spoiler:048. 19]]
241	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Pinkie gives a particularly brutal one to the Website/SCPFoundation at the end of Chapter 47.
242	-->'''Pinkie''': [[spoiler: I was going to leave a silly remark, just to make you wonder, but you know what? I’m not going to. I’m going to be serious with you for the first time since you captured us. Strange, since we’re not captured anymore! Heehee!\
243	We’re gone. You can keep the dimensional device. Do whatever you want with it, we really don’t care. You already had objects that could do similar things anyway, though you’ll find that ours is much safer. Might even be able to solve a few problems for you!\
244	But we’ve left, and I don’t think we’ll be coming back. Why? Because you were horrible. You treated us like objects, as little things for your hands to play with, to see what it did. Some of you genuinely thought we needed to be contained, but the rest? You just had to scratch that itch in your mind. Had we stayed much longer, you would have traumatized us. As it is, you merely angered us. Angered some of us to the point of wanting to kill you.\
245	You want us to stay away. Because if we come back, it won’t be as friends.]]
246	* TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: This is basically what ''ka'' runs on...People with the abilities of a Prophet can manipulate this, some better than others.
247	* ThereIsNoHigherCourt: [[spoiler: The trial of the Gem Vein. Justified, as it is a special court convened solely for the purpose of that trial.]]
248	* TitleDrop [[spoiler:"We are the Melody of our Worlds. "Songs of the Spheres." Music of Universes. Merodi Universalis."]]
249	* TimeSkip: Happens between arcs and also ''in'' arcs. By this point, several decades have passed since the first chapter.
250	* UnexpectedSuccessor: [[spoiler:No one had expected Toph to be the successor to Queen Luna of Lai.]]
251	* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Rohan, having read [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure his source material]], knows what happens when other people know about the plan ahead of time.
252	%%* WeirdCrossover
253	* WhamEpisode: Chapter [[spoiler:034. Twilence shows up, the Multiverse is even more bendable than first thought and to top it all off, Twilight dies and a new Twilight, Eve, takes her place]].
254	* WhichMe: To prevent confusion, and to show off the fact that they've broken free of who they used to be, most of the ponies (and several other characters) come up with their own semi-unique identities, replacing their 'standard' names: Flutterfree Asquall, Evening Sparkle, Renee [[spoiler:Jackson]], et cetera.
255	* YourMagicIsNoGoodHere: Universes without magic (arcane or spiritual) do exist.

Context FanFic / SongsOfTheSpheres