Update Going Forward

[TLDR: The occasional Dead End chapter will continue, but I’m going to be turning the rest of my focus from The Grind to a new story: ‘Ser Ciaphas of House Cain: A Westerosi Vacation’ (or something like that, it’s a working title).]

So… I’ve been saying I’m going to continue The Grind, but while writing the latest Dead End chapter, I came to change my mind. You know how it goes: had a brainworm idea, muse latched onto it, won’t let go, etc.

I’d be lying if I said the lack of reception for The Grind recently had no influence… but it’s not the whole reason I’m switching to a new story. The Grind (Book 2) is… unwieldy, as it is. Not the easiest story to read, I’ve come to understand. And since it’s become a bit much, I’ve decided to start something new.

ASOIAF still has my muse in a fevered grip, but a blank slate will be nice to work with. This new story is going to be pretty different from The Grind (Book 2). More grounded, more focused, more of a slow build, and hopefully with less of my initial teething pains with the setting.

The basic premise is Ciaphas Cain, Amberly Vail, and Jurgen getting stranded in Westeros. Which is honestly a huge break for Ciaphas. Just about the best vacation he could ask for. ‘Cause as grimdark as ASOIAF is… it has nothing of 40k.

Technically, ASOIAF is being transplanted into 40k. But there won’t be much, if any, interaction from 40k’s major threats. No Orks, no Eldar, no Tyranids or Genestealers, no Tau, no major Chaos Daemons (the Warp is still ever-present, but it’s relatively calm around Planetos).

Planetos will be one of the countless Human colonies lost during the Age of Strife (the Long Night even corresponds with the Age of Strife!). Over 10k years, they’ve forgotten their origins and have been forgotten by the galaxy in turn. The leading trio get stuck there and, while waiting for rescue, begin to work on prepping Planetos to be brought into the Imperium’s fold.

On the ASOIAF side of things, the story will be set during the Dance of Dragons era. I thought of setting it during Robert’s Rebellion, but one: Dragons, two: princesses, and three: I actually want less war for this story (which, other than the actual Dance, this era does deliver on).

40k has so many threats that outclass Ciaphas and feed into his legendary imposter syndrome, but Westeros is almost entirely on his level (he’ll be relieved about that, but it does take away a significant influence on his character). He, Amberly, and Jurgen won’t have much 40k tech, and while Ciaphas is skilled with a sword, he’s not necessarily much more skilled than the best Westerosi Knights (40k or ASOIAF, swords are still swords). And obviously, with just the three of them, they don’t have any real power base to pull from in Westeros.

So instead of throwing Ciaphas into a (walk in the park, by his standards) Westerosi war, I decided that the story would be better served with other conflicts: social, political, some light uplift, and of course, the usual luck and misunderstandings that follow Ciaphas Cain.

Plus, the Dance still has Dragons to stir up his self-admitted cowardice. And magic (psykers, a very different take on ‘A Sword Without a Hilt’) is more alive with the Dragons. AND there are those weird Xenos trees that some of the locals worship and hints of Chaos (the Others make for surprisingly decent but unorthodox Nurgle daemons…) in the distant past. 

Anyway, that’s enough rambling for now. You might be able to tell I’m a bit excited about this idea. Mostly, I just wanted to update everyone on the change in plans. I’ll be starting this ‘Ser Ciaphas’ story soon. Hopefully, it won’t take me too long to get that ball rolling. And don’t worry, the Dead End chapters will continue to come out here and there.

As always, thank you for your consideration and support :]