Launch Crew, Quantum Tripping After Dark, and Reader Gems
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Launch Crew
It’s a rainy Seattle morning. I’m sitting at my kitchen island, coffee in hand, thinking about how I couldn’t ask for a better crew to ride this ship to the end. Since there’s no bonus ship log this weekend, I thought I’d use the pause to send out a few things I’ve been thinking about, plus some insights into the serialization process now that we’re underway.
After a surge of new faces, our launch trajectory has leveled off, and we’re cruising steady at around 100 people coming back week after week, chapter after chapter to read (or listen!) to Vastland. If you happened to board during liftoff, congrats. We’re moving at a pace that slows for none, and if you’re seeing this, you’ll be among the first hundred people to finish Vastland.
Finish, and who knows what else. While you’ve been reading, I’ve been building. Only time will tell what’s coming down the pipeline…
Here’s a sneak peek:
Quantum Tripping After Dark
Hands down, I think one of the coolest things to witness on my end is watching (and hearing) how you read Vastland. With our regular posting schedule now well-established, you’ve self-selected into two waves: those who read it within six hours of posting (of which, without fail, there are 30 of you), and another 70ish who catch up on the weekend, often consuming both chapters back to back.
What’s wild to me is that you’re spread out across the US (and even a few international readers), so for the first wave readers, that means you’re ready to see what happens next, even if it means a late-night chapter or an early morning listen.
Reading, like writing, has always felt sacred to me. An act of contemplation, of imagination, of quiet refuge. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re choosing to end (or begin) your day with Vastland. To share in the experience, and in so many ways, build the world right alongside me.
For the roughly 70 of you who read over the weekend, I’ve heard from many of you that it’s a chance to savor and enjoy the chapters back to back, and that’s just as potent and so cool. I love that you’re finding ways to engage with this that suit you. One of the core themes of cyberpunk—the philosophy that emerged from works within the genre—is open access to information. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been influenced by the work of Marshall McLuhan, who coined the now-famous phrase “the medium is the message.” This informed how I decided to release Vastland, and to see you run with it and make it your own is a wonderful thing.
On my end, my weekly ritual looks something like this: Abby and I maintain a one-week lead chapter recordings, so every Sunday morning, we head down to a recording booth (basically, a blanket fort in my basement) to record the upcoming week’s chapters. We have to pause every fifteen minutes or so when a plane flies overhead. I edit the audiobook files, then upload them to the pre-staged chapter posts. I schedule that week’s chapters to auto-post, and then I take a walk.
As I go around my favorite loop at the park near my house, I get to read and listen to Vastland, and in so many ways, experience it for the very first time myself. I’ve spent a lot of time working on this, and aside from watching you enjoy it, my next favorite activity has been taking a moment of quiet to enjoy it for myself.
Reader 0, so to speak.
That, and Abby is doing an INCREDIBLE job narrating the audio; hearing her read it aloud as I follow the text is next-level immersion. Maybe I’m biased, but if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it!
Process Notes
I’m really curious to know how the serialization process feels on your end. I’ve included a few burning questions below that I’d love to have some insight on. And, as always, if you have anything you’d like to share, ping me via a DM!
Last question. Because of my love for visual systems, I made a series of cards to post on Instagram following each chapter. Here’s a sample of the ones I’ve shared so far:
I already shared the title cards in the dedicated chat thread for those who have subscribed. My question for these is, would you like to see them posted in a chat thread (or, via a note) the morning of, as a sort of mini-teaser: Chapter name + tagline. I think it could be cool, but I’m very aware of how many notifications you get, and I don’t want the clear signal we’ve set up with Vastland to blend into background noise. Let’s hear what you think!
Pro-tip: You can mute your chat threads so they are available to read at your convenience, but won’t notify you as new messages arrive. I found it helpful, as by default, when you subscribe to someone, their chat is on by default, and some chats are very active. Read: overwhelming.
Process Notes
Probably my favorite thing about this process so far is the messages and insights I receive from you all about your own experiences with Vastland. It’s truly wild to find that, after carrying around this world and characters inside my head, you’re adding new things to it through your own observations. I love hearing about what you enjoy, what you notice, and the theories you have about the secrets within Vastland. Here are a few highlights from my week!
My brother Garrett, who has been following along since the very beginning, sent me over a few doodles he made while listening to the latest batch of chapters. Enjoy Thursday, and, a Skipjack moving toward a new host, courtesy of Garrett Callahan.
One of my editors, Chris Clayton, passed along this clip sent in from another reader, who said it came to mind during the scene where Thursday intercepts Brinks on board the downed dropship.
If you have anything you’d like to share, feel free to send it over via a direct message, and I’ll include it with the next update. If you value anonymity, you can think of a cool codename for yourself as well. Oubliette Breaker, Looper-4, and Daylight Actual are all up for grabs, just saying.
Finally, don’t forget about the Codex! If you know (or seek out) the additional meaning of the chapter titles for the entries that are still locked, and send me a short description of how they are linked, I’ll release the full lore entry!
Here’s the response that unlocked the Codex entry for Ch. 21:
“Chapter 21: Candyflip = Candyflip is the process of taking MDMA and LSD together. Likely some reference to when Emélie uses water and Origin together to bypass the Skipjack.”
Most entries are still up for grabs, and much of the lore behind them will unlock clues to Emélie’s past, the Loop, and what waits on Mars.
That’s it for this weekend. Chapter 25: Two Truths and a Lie drops on Monday at 5 PM.
See you back inside… ⭕️