Post-Chilled

Ah, the dreaded what-comes-next talk.

As you long-time readers know (if there are any of you left, considering how long Chilled's been xD), usually when I finish a story, I have another story right on its heels. I think the longest time between stories was like three days? Something like that. The reason behind this is that usually when I'm halfway through a story, I've already got a skeleton of the next one planned out, just because my brain's really hyperactive and enjoys plotting stuff a little too much.

Not so with this one, unfortunately. I do have an idea for the next story (it's even got a name) and I've mentioned it here a few times before, but unfortunately that idea keeps changing here and there, and I don't really want to rush into it until I've got a clear outline. That was a very big mistake that I made with Chilled, and is probably why it's so long and glacier-like. When I started Chilled, I had plenty of ideas for plot twists, most of which I've already mentioned (Bluepaw's a traitor! But who is she working for? Blight's Soot's dad! Why does that matter beyond it being amusing for me? Chilly needs Soot's help! But why? Spider has to stop Leopardpaw, cuz she's a traitor! But how is that going to demand half the story?) but no real basis for them, or way to tie them together. It ended up working out, because I'm really good at pulling things out of my arse, but overall the story has become much much much longer than it should have, and I'm kinda burnt out. I really don't want to do that again, and if I do write another story, it will hopefully be closer to Snatched's length than Shattered's.

Another factor is that I am really really really itchy to start writing some original pieces. Dragon's Bargain (a story I started a couple years back for NaNo, and wrote a bit more for last year) is begging me to be completed, and I have another story, Vulpine, that I want to start too. The Warriors scene is great, and the fandom and my readers are incredible, but I want to push beyond fanfiction, even if I don't get a big following there. I want to do some original projects, instead of just riding on the Erins' coattails.

Bottom line is that I do not have another Warriors story planned, or at least not one that will be released any time soon. Instead, once Chilled is completed, I'm going to do some editing/rehauling of everything that I wrote for Dragon's Bargain in November (it's about eighteen chapters, I think, 20-38), and then I am going to see if I can actually finish it (I'm about 3/4 of the way through the story at this point, give or take). After that, I plan to start on Vulpine, which I'm going to talk about further down. While this is going on, my FFN page is going to be pretty slim. Anything that I do on there is mostly going to be side projects - i.e. my one-shot challenge, and possibly the parody or that old Pokemon fic I haven't touched in awhile.

I will still be on FFN. If you guys want to talk to me or ask any questions, feel free to PM me. I role-play on the forums, so I'm definitely not disappearing from the site, and I'll probably have a ton of one-shots to publish. If you guys haven't read them yet, I'd definitely recommend checking them out, since about 60% of them deal with my other fanfiction pieces (basically helping to fill in the universe/look at characters that haven't had the spotlight). I plan to continue this after Chilled's over, as there are some Chilled-related one-shots coming up. This will be the bulk of my FFN activity for the next few months, but I'm definitely not disappearing. ;)

Now, the original pieces. Like I said, I've been working on Dragon's Bargain for a long time. It's kinda my pet story, but because I have my fanfiction obligations, it doesn't get worked on much outside of November (National Novel-Writing Month, for those who don't know!), so I'm excited to finally have some time to finish it. I'm going to be removing 20-38 so I can edit them, since they do need a lot of restructuring and stuff, and then after I upload them back I'll work on finishing the story.

Once that's done, I'm going to start Vulpine, which I'm pretty excited about! I think you guys will like it, if you feel like moseying over to FictionPress once Chilled's done. My username is Prin Pardus there as well, so I'll be easy to find.

Basically, Vulpine is about foxes. I've wanted to write about foxes for quite awhile, but never had a real plot until one popped into my head a few months ago, and then I went on a fox-planning-spree. It was pretty messy, and I'm sure the forums I frequent are sick of my babbling by now, haha. Anyway, Vulpine centers around a group of foxes that live together, known as a Skulk (skulk's a term for a group of foxes, no creativity points there xD). They have a very primitive society, and their lifestyle/training methods are both brutal and dangerous for all involved. I'll try not to go on a rant (because I definitely could), but basically when the fox kits are four months old, they're taken away to begin training. The females are taught how to hunt, and the males learn how to fight. There's usually 12+ kits that go out to train, but only seven (three males, four females) return every year. Unfortunately, the prior year was a disaster, as their usual training area was compromised, and most of the trainees died, leaving only one male and two females to return home. This means the Skulk had to find a new training ground for this year's kits, to ensure such a thing did not happen again.

It just so happens that there are already a pair of foxes living in the area: Sage and Sprite (amusingly, I've had these two characters for years and just never done with them; fox-Sage existed long before Chilled-Sage, and the two of them are quite different). Sage is an older fox (very old) and Sprite is a youngling that he ended up saving (backstory to be revealed later xD). Sprite's always been curious about other foxes, but since there aren't any besides Sage in the area, she has no one to ask. That all changes when the trainees come, along with their trainers. Sprite's consumed with curiosity about these strangers, and ends up getting in a huge heap of trouble.

The story is essentially one about self-discovery, I guess, namely where the characters fit into their world, and whose customs are right, if any are - since Sage and the Skulk have very different views. There are four main POVs, although I won't say much about them just yet.

The great thing about it is that it's completely in my Warriors comfort zone - wild animals living in a group and killing each other for survival? right on! - but the Skulk's customs are still vastly different from the Clan's, so it should be a really great experiment.

If you can't tell, I'm already pretty psyched for Vulpine, and have been for the past month or so. I already have a bunch of character bios made up, and a map for the territory, and I even wrote a sort of character-test piece just to get the feel of the main charries. Aah, it's just going to be so fun, and I really hope you guys are along for the ride!

For the lazy, my FP account is at http://www.fictionpress.com/~prinpardus. It'll be a few months before I can start actively working on Vulpine, but I will probably be filling up this blog with bios and stuff, as time goes on. If you have any questions about the story, please send them my way!

Anyway, this post is getting kinda long. To sum up:

• No new big Warriors story is on the way (although one might be in the far future, who knows)
• I will still be on FFN (role-playing and working on the oneshots, which you guys should definitely keep an eye on)
• I will be working on several original projects, starting with DB and then Vulpine
• Vulpine is gonna be hella tight, and I'll be updating the blog now and then with bios and all sorts of stuff (I could really talk forever about this, so please ask me questions so I can babble xD)

I love you guys so so so much. Thanks for sticking with me through all of Chilled's rollercoastyness, and I really hope to see you guys floating around my FictionPress account in the weeks to come. <3

71

Sorry! Meant to update this yesterday, but didn't have the time/my wifi started acting funky again. It's kinda driving me mad so far, but oh well. xD

Anyway, gonna do the usual review stuff in this post, and then in the next one, gonna explain what will happen post-Chilled. It might be a bit disappointing, and I'm sorry, but that's just how things are, yo.

Not much to say about this chapter other than hooray! It's all coasting from here. Still doesn't feel quite real that Chilled is gonna be over very soon, but I expect it will when I'm writing that final AN. xD

@Bookworm: Uh, sorry you threw up. That doesn't sound like fun at all. Glad you liked the chapter, though. xD

@Ranger of the Forest: Thanks! The Bullet chapter was probably one of my favorites, even if it took me forever to write. I liked how it turned out. C:

@Mallowfeather: Thank you! We'll get some sort of closure on Chilly, but what kind remains to be seen. c:

@Dracones: Can't help it, I do very much enjoy the "whole heroic rescue thing," haha. I think most of the revelations in this story are over (adoption? traitors? super evil secret ceremonies? what more do you want, man?), though, sorry to disappoint. :P

@Luna-Soul-Sky: Thanks!

@Sarnia Oblivion: It's probably been longer than you think, since most of these chapters take at least a week to get out. Thanks for sticking around! We'll have to wait and see regarding Chillpaw, and the rest will be explained in my next post. :)

@Petalfall: Thank you!

@Accalia: Thanks, glad you've enjoyed it. c:

@The Last Moongazer: Wow, a week's pretty quick for a story of this size. I was trying to reread it back during finals week, and I think I only got to like the 50's, ha. I'm always interested in guesses, so feel free to share any theories you might have! And yes yes yes, homophones are pretty much the bane of my existence. The problem is that when I'm in the "zone" my fingers just kinda do whatever they want, while my brain's occupied with big picture stuff, so that sort of thing happens all the time (even with uncommon words, like weight and wait, and once I think I even typed gamble instead of jingle? weird stuff). I try to catch it when I can, but I'm not very successful. Glad you've enjoyed the story, though. :D

@Mossystar: Maybe we will, maybe we won't. As for chapters, it usually takes about a week for me to get off my butt and write, ha. Just keep your eyes peeled. c:

@Lynxeye: Yeah, that's my bad. I keep saying I'll update the blog on a certain day and then I completely forget. Carmelo's grown on me too (but all my characters have a habit of worming their way into my heart, uff v_v), and like someone (can't remember who, gj prin) said, he's definitely not a saint, but he's not a totally bad guy. He wants what's best for the city, and is willing to do whatever it takes to improve their lives, even if it's at the expense of others. He's a "the ends justify the means" kinda guy. Hehe, yeah. I'm sure there are plenty of authors who can plan out every exquisite detail years ahead of time, but I'm def not one of them. xD

Second post coming up!

70

whoops. i keep forgetting this thing exists. silly me.

hmm, can't think of anything to say about this chapter other than it was a lot longer than it was supposed to be! i knew i wanted to chop it off after they rescued the prisoners, but i just didn't realize how much everyone had to say. they've all got a lot to catch up on! it was pretty fun to write, though, i will admit. :)

anyway, i'll skip some of the reviews that just mentioned they remembered the tom and stuff. a lot of you remembered him even though he was never shown and didn't even have a name, which kinda weirded me out. i guess forest did mention it a few times, though, especially when he ran into foxclaw by the river. good on ya, those that could recall him. :3

@Dracones: Yeeeep, kinda have an addiction to twisted families as well. But they just work out so nicely! Sorry to disappoint your escape plans, ha. Just your typical heroes-save-the-day thing. At least Spiderpaw had the ambush idea. It totes woulda come in handy if it had been actual rogues, instead of his friends. xD

@Jeepers: Yep! The last few glimpses of Sooty's dreams have really helped tie both her and Spidey's stories together, which makes me happy. Cloudpaw could just as easily be Bluepaw as Leopardpaw, since they were both traitors who turned the corner in the end. The prisoners could be Sooty's group when they were briefly trapped in the fridge, or they could be Spidey's. Oakclaw (tom who was injured in the escape, he got better) could be Thistlethorn (since he had to stay behind due to illness) or...? There are a lot of those sorts of parallels, and they're deliciously fun to explore, especially since our two storylines are finally coming to a head! Good stuff.

@Blood Red Mind: Thanks! I love exploring a lot of different characters, and I've always disliked how ThunderClan was the center of all the action, and they had a few very core characters who monopolized almost everything. It's must more interesting to have a combination of characters from various backgrounds/groups pull together to accomplish something, in my opinion. Glad you like the story. c:

@Woods Warrior: Gandhi was kinda creepy with the ladies, if that counts. I'm always happy to include a dose of Northy whenever I can. If there was a way to sneak him into every chapter, I totally would. Thank you. <3

@Lynxeye: Eh, it's really a combination of both! That's kinda always how it is, though. If you sprinkle enough loose ends throughout the story, eventually a way to tie them together will present itself, so long as you remember them. I feel like it always ends up making me look a lot better at planning than I am, though. Some of it's just luck/happy coincidence. xD You caught the rescue attempt, of course; it would be awfully hard to write another 7kish chapter with poor Spidey sitting in the dark. I think he'd be bored out of his mind, even with Carmelo and Northy to keep him company (and, as you said, Northy would prolly end up eating our poor city boss pal). Thanks as always. ^^

@Bookworm: As much fun as killing Spiderpaw would be, he at least has to live to the climax. It would have been terribly cruel of me to kill him before he got to see Sootpaw again...although now that he has, all bets are off. :3

@Silvershadow: Aww, thanks! I think the one-shots will keep you busy, though, if you choose to read them (I'd recommend it, as most of them are kinda supplemental material for my other stories!), since there are almost 50 posted. Should take you a day or two, at least. ;) The ceiling idea is a clever one, but alas we didn't get to put it to good use! Hope you don't mind waiting too much for chapters to come out now, haha. It's a grueling thing, waiting, especially when I'm slow. :c

Anyway, I think that's all! See you guys next time. :)

69

*insert perverse joke here*

Sorry the blog update's a bit late; finals week has me finishing up a lot of papers and stuff. But today's the last da for all that! In a few hours, my vacation will begin. :)

Chilled's two-year anniversary is in a week, though! Scary stuff. Hopefully I can crank out another chapter or two then. It would be fun to reach the climax on the anniversary, haha. We'll see!

Not much to say, other than I've really enjoyed the past few chapters. Getting the plot speeding right along is nice, of course, and Sooty's finally getting the hope she needed. Life is good. <3

@Mallowfeather: Thanks! Ah, if only, if only. Publishing something would be a dream, and I've already got you guys ready to prowl the shelves for me, haha. Maybe some day, with some original work.

@Dracones: Yep, it's been there awhile. Since the beginning of Chilled at least, I think - but don't quote me on that, because the genesis of ideas is really hard to pin down. xD I thought it was pretty funny how you picked up on "the dead one," since I was planning on bringing it into this chapter to begin with. Great minds think alike, I suppose! As for the journeying cats, it prolly is a bit confusing. They've been traveling back for about a half moon, at this point, maybe a little more - and making great time, at that. It helps when there aren't any traitors gimping around, I think. ;)

@Starshine: Thanks c:

@ty7769: Sorry for confusing you! I hope my PM cleared things up a bit. I'll post it here for anyone else still confused,

"Basically, cats from the original four Clans plus a bunch of Kestrel's prisoners joined together to make FogClan, with Fogstar as leader. He appointed Foxpaw his deputy (after Foxpaw was named a warrior and such). However, because the Clan was so large, divisons sprang up amongst them, and when Fogstar died, Foxstar made the decision to split the Clan up. He named his portion BirchClan, after his mate, and they took up most of the forest. Another Clan was ShellClan, who lived by the sea, and then there was MarshClan and an unknown Clan who lived in the hills/mountain area.

Eventually Twolegs started encroaching upon the territory, and the mountain Clan decided to leave. They became PeakClan. Along the way, one of their cats left to live in Twolegplace, and it's possible that she was Belladonna's ancestor.

The mountain Clan left a lot earlier than the other Clans; the others were determined to cling to their territory, and thus it was generations before they left, so few of them even remembered the mountain Clan had existed. They followed the Thundertracks (the bicycle trail where Bluepaw and Sootpaw found the juniper berries) until they reached Twolegplace/the lake, whereupon they went north. There they found the burnt forest, and ShellClan, BirchClan, and MarshClan settled down there, eventually clashing with the mountain cats and creating FrozenClan.

There was also Guppy, who might be Minnow's ancestor, or might not."

It's a big mess, but hopefully a coherent one! Everyone that didn't read Shattered is probably lost, though, I expect. I warned you! xD

@Woods Warrior: Hah, it's quite the challenge. Then again, I suppose summarizing any 450k+ novel would be. Yep, a lot of people suspected the journeying cats were their ancestors right from the beginning, which was nice. I do so love fan theories. Right now, I have no big plans for other fics, but I do have some original projects lined up. I'll probably outline everything after the climax is done, and we start getting into wrapping everything up (we're so close, I can't believe it!). It'll be kinda sad, since I won't be as active here, but hopefully interesting too, with my original projects. :)

@Appercot: Thanks!

@Luna-Soul-Sky: We have at least 1 more Sooty piece and then 1 Spider one that will tackle the climax, and then a few more chapters to wind everything down. I'm not exactly sure how many - we'll just have to see! And then the epilogue, of course, which I am excited for.

@Guest: Nope! Chilled's where this story ends, I'm afraid, although there will probably be plenty of one-shots springing up. I'm addicted to them. :p

@Bookworm: Thank you! Also, I love how you phrase your idea - "done it accidentally." I'm picturing one of them just like tripping onto the other or something, ick. But no, there were no ghost-love-times for Sooty and Chill, and I think ghost-babies would be more problematic than helpful. xD

@Purplemudkip: But what about the journeying cats she dreams of? Or deets on the sickness? Or the traitors lurking in the Clan, or the threat of Twolegplace? Kidding aside, that's a really succinct summary. I'd give you a prize, if I had one. :p

@NoReason2Care: Nope, when Chilled's over, it's over, although the one-shots will allow me to dig into a lot of POVs. I do really really miss them. Shattered was so much fun, in the non-Silver chapters. ;-;

@Lynxeye: Get on the ball, girlfriend! Rook's a pretty cool dude, I like him a lot (and wish we coulda seen more of him in earlier chapters, sigh). The combination of chapters recently has been interesting, with action-oriented ones and then feeelingsss chapters. The dynamic between the two has been really fun to play with. And I'm super-glad to have been able to help you! It's a beautiful symbiotic relationship we have going, haha. xD

@no: Ha, prolly not. Sooty doesn't feel like much of a leader - she just wants to go home and figure things out for herself. c:

@Mossystar: Thanks. :)

@Catlover: Not by a long shot!

@Swiftehstar: Ship whoever you like, haha. Interesting theory, but we'll just have to see. :3

Anyway, that's all for now. See you, ducklings! <3