Up Next on WAYBOUND #3
Up Next on WAYBOUND #3
News- Updates, New Art, Building Community, and More
Hi there WAYBOUND readers!
Been a bit of a longer silence than I’d like since The Akrotiri Journals came out.
We’ve been moving behind the scenes on the next short story as well as a lot of art content! I’ve been drawing, and I’ve enlisted the help of an old friend of mine, Snazz. You may know their work from the Extremely Large Radio Space Telescope drawing, and they also did this doodle of what the battle over Akrotiri looked like from the ground.
I’m really happy with how Upon My Shield Rests the Heavens came out. It’s really a first-class lore post and I’m especially proud of it because it’s the first thing for Waybound I’ve completely written while working a full-time job— and it’s good.
I wanted to give everybody an update on when the next short story is coming and give everybody some updates on where I’ve been, and why the silence, and show a peek behind the curtain to show you some coming content. I'd like to encourage all you subscribers (or readers, too— I'm not picky) to leave your thoughts on what you've seen so far and on today's discussion both in the comments here and on the WAYBOUND Discord server. (Check out the buttons below.)
Pardon The Interruption
So I started a full time job earlier this year. I know I’ve said that before. You’re probably sick of hearing it! WAYBOUND is a labor of love and moreover it’s something that happens in my spare time— I don’t, as much as I wish I did, have the PTO banked up to take days off from work to sleep in and write. So everything WAYBOUND related now happens between the hours of 5-9 PM on a select few weekdays when I’m not busy and also on weekends when I’m not busy engrossing myself in college football and Celtics basketball (by the way this is a total plug for the
Podcast and their Substack for those of you vaguely interested in sports, which I think is just me. By the way, sorry if you get a notification about this, Commish!)Once the CFB season is over I think my writing schedule should become a lot more regular. However if this pace continues it’d result in about four short stories a year, which is much lower than my intended pace… I would love to get Volume One finished and polished up so that I can get it in front of a publisher and get cracking on Volume Two and All the Old Dreams. I’ve intended the print/paid version of Volume One to contain around eight short stories that I’ll have posted for free here on the website and like two or four completely original ones that you’ll just have to pick up a copy for. Don’t worry, I won’t be paywalling your favorite characters dying or anything cruel like that. I’m not evil, I’m just a writer.
The good news is I have a little time off from work coming up. We’ll see how much that moves the needle. The other good news is that I’m about six thousand words into Sign of the Times, and I have a pretty good plan on how to get it done.
I've also realized the reading order may be a little confusing for new readers— I'm planning on making a Getting Started page. More to come.
Artistic License
So I’ve broadly divided WAYBOUND art into two categories: Ship Art and Stuff Art. I’m no good at Stuff Art. Stuff Art is anything that isn’t a spaceship. I’m still working on my Ship Art, too, but it’s serviceable enough that I use it. We’ll start with Ship Art.
I’m doing more Ship Art! Expect some cool stuff soon like maybe a fleet… or a poster, perhaps. Also expect some Minervan ships to join the fold. Thanks to the modeling help of my friends Dennis and Zfall99, I’ve got references to draw off of for these ships— check ‘em out:
Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Stuff Art. I’m no good at drawing people, places, or non-spaceship things. That’s why I’ve brought in Snazz (@lordquince on Twitter and @heroicmeep on Tumblr), who is a polymath but for art. A polyart? I don’t know, but we go back, and they’re actually really freaking good at a terrifying number of artistic disciplines. They can draw, paint, design, and did I mention she’s also a freaking incredible author? Yeah, you should be seeing a Guest Story from them at some point. I know I personally cannot wait. They drew the cool picture at the start of this UNOW, too.
Ever wondered what Santi, Clara, and Joey of Blood in the Snow looked like on Europa?
Yeah, get ready for some cool art. Snazz is cooking.
Community Outreach
Hey, did you know that we have a Discord?
That’s right! WAYBOUND has a Discord!
Come stop on by. We’ve got a good group of people who hang out and chat, but we’d love to connect with other WAYBOUND readers (like you, dear reader!)
Also— we’re planning on setting up Community Game Nights for several video games, from party games like Jackbox and Gartic Phone to classic FPSes like Halo and even some fun co-op stuff like Satisfactory or Lethal Company. You can also just come drop by and game separately with us. We’re also looking at perhaps a movie night or two. Who’s up for Master and Commander, Hot Fuzz, or the Amazon series Patriot (2015)? Maybe throw in some Star Trek: Enterprise or Deep Space Nine as I work through those. (Cerritos forever, by the way.)
Either way, we all wind up hanging out in VC a bunch. Come say hi! We really love hearing your crackpot theories on just what the hell happened at the end of The Akrotiri Journals or about your favorite politician or who you’ve got to win the 2523 RBL Champions’ Tournament. My money’s on Suri and the Vipers, but you never know.
In Closing
Thanks for sticking out the radio silence, and for helping us grow to new heights. We just passed sixty subscribers the other day and I know I was over the Moon. Upon My Shield Rests the Heavens was a banger and there’s far more to come… Sign of the Times is in the oven and we are cooking.
If you've enjoyed Waybound, feel free to drop a comment below about who really shot Mint Abawi; tell your friends about us; join our Discord; yell at me on Twitter (@njmksr), and if you haven't already, drop a subscription here! It's free. It's fun. It won’t sign you up for the draft in Canaveral Republic!1
We hope you're having as much fun with this as we are. Let us know what you think, and we'll see you around.
No promises on Norfolk Republic, though.