So here we are. The book is finally closed on my shared canon of Paw Patrol fanfiction, and one of my more ambitious stories along with it. I'm a little surprised that you may be here to read the ramblings of this washed-up fanfic writer, but all the same, I thank you for it... and I also apologise in advance. Because I've got a lot to get off my chest here. You sure you're ready? OK. Here goes:

This story was absolutely agony to write.

I was hoping that my next attempt at anthology writing would go at least slightly better than my last attempt in the form of Twin Sirens. But honestly, it didn't. Struggles to stay motivated, struggles to keep going, struggles to fit it in around stressful work (which is thankfully less so now), you name it. A lot of my struggles to stay motivated stemmed from me occasionally playing games in my downtime, and realising that this was what I actually wanted to be doing rather than staring at a word processor and forcing myself to write. Because do you know what writing this story felt like? I'll tell you...

WORK.

I spend most of my day sitting at a desk and typing. So to come home and then spend the rest of my day sitting at my desk and typing? As I'm sure you can imagine, that is NOT my idea of a good time. Especially since all I've got to look forward to is engagement with the story I wrote. But here, there was so little activity that if I hadn't pre-written everything, I would've given up long ago and left this story abandoned. I got more engagement on this story on AO3 than I got on here! AO3! A site with a Paw Patrol section a fraction of the size of this one! Granted, that's probably because AO3's Kudos system actually lets you say "I like this story" without needing an account, a feature this site sorely lacks by virtue of seeming to be stuck in the 1990s.

To go even further off-track, I've got to say, writing Zuma's speech impediment is nothing short of a right royal pain in the twees! I mean, trying to keep it consistent? Trying to keep it legible? Ugh, awful. In fact, why did I even bother with it in the first place?! The only reason Zuma had it in the show is because his first actor had rhotacism, and that hasn't been the case for years! Ugh, anyway, back on topic...

Do you want to know the worst part? This whole thing just felt like me forcing myself to write in a bid to keep a promise and not leave any loose ends here untied. I kept this up for well over a year, and now? I feel like I have very little to show for it. I want to keep myself invested in this fandom, but after losing interest and effectively forcing myself to do something I didn't actually enjoy deep down? I'm sorry, but I just can't. So with that in mind, what are my future plans? After all that moaning, surely I'm just going to vanish into the ether, right? Well, to that, I'm going to say one thing. My favourite phrase:

I don't know.

I know I say that a lot, but really, I honestly don't. As tempting as it is to say "I'm not writing for this fandom anymore", I did that back in 2020 and look how that turned out. What I'm saying is, maybe my experience wasn't the best, but never say never. There's every chance I'll find myself drawn back in and feel the itch to write Paw Patrol fanfiction again. And besides, despite my waning interest in this fandom and by extension the show itself, in truth? I'll always have a soft spot for the show. Honestly, I wish it was around when I was much younger.

In fact, I actually have other ideas I could use! But don't get your hopes too high. This doesn't mean that I'll definitely come back to act on them in some kind of "Second Three". I don't plan on sharing them either. In the end, I suppose time will tell.

Still there? Even after all that griping? Oh, cool. Maybe now I can balance out all this complaining with something positive...

Throughout the whole writing process, it was a blessing to have my partner in crime to discuss things with. That's right, once more, I refer to Zojak. He really didn't have to stick by me, make a cover for this story, keep me sane... but he did. If you're reading this... thank you so much for everything.

As for the story, I can't deny that it adds to the fluffy friendship pile of this fandom that I honestly find to be sorely anemic. Be the change you want to see in this world, right? And I wonder how many people can say they platonically shipped every single possible pairing in the Paw Patrol's original lineup? Though thinking back on it, I wish I hadn't used dreams and insecurity as an central plank of my story again. I am DONE with that for a LONG time. I've used it 6 times in my stories now! Two-thirds of them! Don't you think that's a little excessive?!

Ugh... I'm supposed to be being positive here... anyway, this was a great opportunity for me to write about the pups in a locale other than Adventure Bay yet again, and this time it was the made-up theme park Solstice Island. At least some of the inspiration for it came from the game Planet Coaster. Seriously, I can't recommend it enough if you're a fan of builder games. Anyway, it was kind of a challenge to essentially be taking the "rescue" part of the Paw Patrol out of the equation and just write about them as a bunch of normal kids. But it was great fun to explore this side of them. An excuse to write about Peter Parker (or Miles Morales, whichever you prefer) instead of Spider-Man, if you will.

Bottom line, for as little engagement as this story got, and as thoroughly unrewarding as I found it... I can't bring myself to regret it. Or anything else I've done over the years here. What does the future hold for PyreFly77? Heaven knows. But whether I return or not, I'm grateful for the people I've met and the things I've done. And feel free to reach out to me via PMs if you so choose, as I'll still be checking them. Thank you for listening to me ramble on and on, and whether I return or disappear I wish all of you the best.

PyreFly out.