State of the Clan: 2021

State of the Clan

Well it’s 2021.

We’ll start with that and work our way forward.

I’ll be honest and had been tempted to just copy paste State of the Clan from 2020, but lets not repeat last year!  No.  Let’s not.

We all know last year was rough, and so far this month has been stressful.  The most important thing I can ever state, is that Sylum is and will always be a safe place.  I rarely, if ever will bring up politics.

There are always a few exceptions to the rule – I will make a comment on anything that has an impact on Sylum.  I will also do check ins to make sure Clan Members, who are being affected by an event, are doing okay.

And well there are some things that goes beyond politics and that is memes.  So here’s the one political/not political thing I’ll be posting.  Some of you may have seen the Bernie Meme going around the internet … basically someone got a photo of him from the Inauguration and it was photoshopped into everything.  Sylum not withstanding.

Now on to the Show!

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Recap of 2020

It was an eventful year, and not just for Sylum!  Despite everything, we were able to put together our main events: Spring Fling, Seven Days of Summer, & Advent.

We had a lot of plans, ‘We had a plan Ben!’, but none of them panned out.

To be honest, the fact Advent actually happened was a win for the year!

No seriously.

Despite everything, we did get some good stories, art, and video.

• Art = 6 Pieces (all by Gil)
• Aesthetics = 42 (most of these were from Advent and covered a variety of topics)
• Fanmix = 1 (which inspired at least one video that has been posted, and another that will show up down the road)
• Videos = 2 (I still watch the Star Wars one *hits play*)
• Stories = 9 (thank you to those who got their muses to cooperate)
• Guest Posts = 2 (And if your interested in doing any this year – please email me at sylumclan@gmail.com)
• Snippets = 14 (*makes note to add them to the snippets on the Archive*)
• Teasers = 3 (*cackles*)

And always a special note to taibhrigh for putting together all the event banners, along with banners for specific stories, videos, and this years special Advent Snippet Banner.

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Our hopes and dreams for 2021?

Sylum Events:

• Spring Fling: Sign Ups will begin in Early February – Event starts April 4th
• 7 Days of Summer: Sign Ups will begin Late April – Event starts July 1st
• Sylum Advent: Sign Ups will begin in September – Event starts December 1st

And since we’re now behind, the main focus will still be on ‘old school’ Sylum.  Mainly getting the next big legacy pieces updated & edited.  Specifically Race Through Dark Places & Family.  You got a teaser for both of those, if you missed them – check out Advent.

Disclaimer: The way things are going I can’t say they’ll get done this year, but we are working on it.

Afternoon Fic:

The fact I actually still had enough energy to work on keeping this going last year, gives me hope.  I’m still finishing up The Dragon General which is the Star Wars side of Dragons of Interest.  I have a couple other Star War ideas, along with a couple of bunnies running around for the X-Men series.  Who knows maybe Bob will come back from his retreat and toss a Sylum one at me.

Sylum Snippets:

Yes, we’re still doing these.  I’ll keep adding them to the archive, likely in batches, so they can be easily found at a later date.  Some of these will go into bigger stories (specifically the ones from Advent) some will just be what they are.  At the moment I’ve got four left from last year’s Sylum Trivia (GO ME!).  If any future requested snippet becomes a much larger bunny, we’ll let you know.

Now what about all those stories outside the reworks … how’s that going?

It’s going.

Going where, I’m not sure.

If you see any of our bunnies send them home.

Outside working on Family & Race, there are a few storylines rolling along.

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The Sylum Wiki

A few things about the wiki.  It’s still there.  It’s still a pain in my ass.  WordPress is still an asshole, and seriously there are days I wonder why the rum is all gone?

• Tabs or No Tabs.  About a week ago there was a post about the tab function on the wiki.   It would seem the tabs are working again.  *sighs*  Please stop by the wiki – check out a bio with tabs and one showcased in the new format – then go to the poll and let me know what works best.
• There is a cache of new characters ready to go in this year, they kinda got left behind last year.  Don’t worry we’ll always make sure to update the blog when we add new characters.
• We’re also hoping to get back into updating images again.  Yeah, 2020 was really that type of year.

If curious about the new characters … here’s one hint:

 

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Sylum Stuff & Things

Sylum Blog:

• We are actually working on updating the blog’s theme.  It will take some time, but it’s due for an update.
• This should fix the – I can see comments have been made, but can’t actually see the comments.
• Please make sure to read the post about Discord and leave feedback.

Sylum Archive:

• Reminder there are still older stories that haven’t been edited on the Old Archive (specifically Family & Evolution) plus a lot of non-canon stories.
• All Sylum Canon Stories are in the main archive, along with art, videos, and fanmixes.
• When we get the last of the legacy stories edited & moved, we’ll be removing the Old Archive. We will give you ample warning of this, so you can grab the old stories that are non-canon.
• Reminder: you can always find the link to the Old Archive in the menu, under ‘Sylum Archive’

Sylum Security:

• Well in typical 2020 – Yahoo decided to just close Yahoo Groups down.  Why they didn’t do this back in 2019, when they stripped Yahoo Groups down to a listserve – I do not know.
• To get the password, which you still need – to watch videos, download fanmixes and research on the wiki – you must sign up at our new Security Group at Groups.io.
• Reminder if you have the new password, that doesn’t mean your free and clear!  We will be changing it sometime this year, setting up a yearly change over for passwords.

Sylum Vault:

• As with everything else, the Vault is now starting to come back after what happened last year.
• New stuff is going up!  So check it out!
• Don’t forget we have a new website: www.sylumvault.com
• Also, new for 2021 – check out Sylum Gallery

Nicholas J. Finch:

• Well those plans went right out the window *sighs*.
• Books are still being planned and worked on, and I’m pretty sure there’s at least two other story ideas roaming around!
• If you’re not following Nicholas J. Finch website you should be!
• Also got an Instagram account, stop by and check it out!
• Both are being updated with new content.

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How to Support Sylum

One of the best ways to support Sylum is by being active on the blog and archive.  All of us who work on Sylum throughout the year, do this because we love this universe, and the annoying assholes in it *cough* Nick *cough* McFassii *cough* Ernesto *cough* spies *cough* fucking swans *cough* damn Meridii *cough* kriffin’ Jedi *cough* and now Mandalorians! *cough*

So please hit the like button, and leave a comment on the archive and the blog.

Other ways to help keep Sylum moving towards the 20th.

• We take donations for our Hosting Company.  All donations go directly to the Hosting Company, which holds the website, blog, archive and wiki.
• Sylum Vault – this is to help me personally with Sylum expenses.

All donations and purchases help keep Sylum striving for the future, and I am always grateful for each one.

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To all those who have supported me through this endeavor.

• Taibhrigh for the beautiful wiki images, banners, and awesome spreadsheet.
• Gil for dealing with the Advent Bitch Rants.
• Dr. Janet for the weekly calls just to keep both of us sane.
• Sparrow for the rum.

But most importantly to my cohort in crime.  We survived 2020, with our sanity intact … maybe.  Hands over the stolen rum from Sparrow – here’s to 2021 *crosses fingers*.

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In Conclusion

We had hit our 15th Anniversary last year.  2020 felt like it had been another 15 years.

Despite the bump in the road, we have a lot planned for Sylum and do look forward to the next 15 years!  So hold on to your hats and glass ’cause this here will be a wild ride!

But most importantly.

Be kind.

Be courteous.

Don’t be a dick.