Tag: State of the Clan

 

Let’s start off with the fact 2024 was pretty much a wash.   It was not a good year for me and well nothing Sylum related actually got done, through blessings of friends and pure tenacity we were able to post the normal events!  So we’ll wash our hands of it and move onto the next.

Normally, I do not talk about the ongoings of the world outside Sylum.  This has always been a safe place where the real world doesn’t exist.   This is still very true.  I want everyone to know that despite everything this is still a safe place, where we’ll focus on fun things that are part of this crazy world that is Sylum. 

I’m glad everyone is here for the ride.

Now for a more serious moment.

Read more“State of the Clan: 2025”

It’s 2024 – I’m not even sure how we’re four years into a decade that has been chaotic at best.

Actually 2023 was a very stressful year for me.  There was the new job, that took a lot of my time away!  It’s a great job but can be very demanding, add in the commute.  I’ve had less time to focus on Sylum.   I was able to pull together a few fun items,  Dragons (during Seven Days) and aesthetics and story for Advent.   So was happy with being able to do that, because at one point I wasn’t sure where the year had gone.  One moment it was January next I was dealing with Advent! 

Now before we get into the actual State of the Clan, a few things.

Sylum is and forever will be a safe place!

We work hard to make this place as stress free as possible.  With our goal is to bring a smile and fun to your inbox each day.

Read more“State of the Clan: 2024”

It’s officially 2023!  Three years into a … well lets be honest … a pretty fucked up decade!

Though 2022 was slightly better than it’s two predecessors it was still fairly rough.   On a personal note, my health improved, unfortunately had a slight backtrack, though not as bad as a trip to the ER – so lets count that as a win.  The good news, was able to establish a good doctor, got on a better treatment program which seems to be working.   I had a lot more energy this year, and was able to finally finish one smaller story (showcased during Seven Days) and two major stories (showcased during Advent) plus update two videos, and a good amount of Aesthetics.

To continue the good news (at least on my end) I have a new job.  I started at the beginning of this year, and well to be honest prepped a good amount of posts for the new year a head of time!  Once things settle, I’ll be back into the daily grind that is Sylum.

Now before we get into the actual State of the Clan, a few things.

Sylum is and forever will be a safe place!

We work hard to make this place as stress free as possible.  Rarely dive into politics, or into aspects world events.

Our goal is to bring a smile and fun to your inbox each day.

Now on to the State of the Clan!

Read more“State of the Clan: 2023”

 

It’s 2022!  I’m not even sure where the last year went, yet here we are on another year.

Lets be honest the past two years hasn’t been the greatest, and we’re all pretty much looking at 2022 with trepidation.   Last year for my personally has been rough.   There was major work changes at my real job (believe me guys I would love to do Sylum full time but I got pay my bills!), enough that the last few months has had a lot of added stress and worn me out.  My own personal health was fluctuating most of the year, with a bad flare up that sent me to the ER just before Thanksgiving.   Luckily!  I had good doctors and found a better solution, and for the first time in a while, I’ve got more energy and focus.

Before we begin the full State of the Clan, first things first.

Sylum is and will always be a safe place.   We work hard to make this place as stress free as possible.  Rarely dive into politics, or into aspects world events.  There are moments these things will come up, only because sometimes its inevitable – especially if an actor high dives off the sanity board straight into lala land.

Our goal is to bring a smile and fun to your inbox each day.

Read more“State of the Clan: 2022”

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!

Read more“State of the Clan: 2021”

State of the Clan: 2020

We’ll we’ve survived another year!  And can you believe it’s 2020?

Time really does fly, and we’re now staring down a new decade.

Let alone Sylum’s 15th Anniversary.

15 Years.

Well at least the 10th Anniversary of Clan War is finished. *snickers*

Read more“State of the Clan: 2020”

State of the Clan: 2019

Read more“State of the Clan: 2019”

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year again.

No seriously, where did 2017 go?  It seemed like yesterday I was working on last year’s State of the Clan Post.

So a quick recap.

We had a lot of things going on here at the Manor.

Major updates to the Wiki. *eyes Bob* who still is tossing ideas and characters our way.  No seriously, you can stop now.

Bob: *wicked chuckle and runs off*

That isn’t going to end well for me.

There was Ernesto Olivetti Appreciation Week.  When we ended up having to do major adjustments in Roads Untravelled (we had no idea it would be THAT many adjustments or TAKE that long to do it) we decided to make an event around the new updated version.  I was honestly only planning something small … but it’s Ernesto so it was go big or go home.

We then ended up with Pirate Appreciation Day.  Warrick is still wondering how he ended up with one day, shared with all the other pirates.

We had great stories showcasing our wide variety of characters, awesome artwork, and some inspiring videos.

Read more“State of the Clan: 2018”

 

Last year we started a new tradition, with giving a State of the Clan Speech at the beginning of the year.

When I take a moment to update everyone on what’s going on in the world in Sylum, events happening on the blog, and fun interesting things we have planned for 2017.

Lets start off by stating this one thing.

Sylum is a Safe Place.

Everyone is welcome here.

I know there are many of you that are worried about what’s coming, and need a place to be … well … just be.  We’re working hard to make this blog a place were you can come and leave the rest of the world behind. There will be no talk about politics, and we will not tolerate bigotry in any form.

Sylum is about one thing: Love your Neighbor.

Which means our doors are open.

So come on in, grab a drink and head out to the Veranda – Thomas has snacks, the dogs are playing in the back, Nick’s got the bbq going, and Warrick is running the tables.

So with that in mind, we have a full schedule of events, teasers, and surprises in store for the year 2017.

So I’m sure the first question on everyone’s mind.

When is Clan War going to be finished!?!?!!?

As I’ve stated before, we slammed into a major plot wall smack in the middle of Clan War.

This literally had us coming to a screeching halt.  (Insert image of record needle sliding across the record, well we would but google was not cooperating) We’ve finally were able to work around it, but in the process of getting through that plot wall, we ended up digging up the whole front yard.   At the moment we’re still repaving the driveway, and replanting Thomas’ Roses.

Basically, we’re working on it.

I know you guys are eagerly awaiting the next segment, so stay patient with us – we’re getting there.  Remember we have real lives, which means: jobs, commitments, priorities, and sometimes just plane old ‘bullshit’.   And as much as we would like to spend all our waking hours working on Sylum there are times we can’t.  And to be completely honest, there were moments of burnout!  We had to step away from Sylum and work on other projects before we shanked Nico in the liver and left him bleeding out on the floor.

And while we’ve been working on the re-writes, we’ve also been busy building future storylines, prepping Sylum Events, running the blog, and editing the Sylum Wiki.

Speaking of … Sylum Events:

We’ll be hosting the normal three events, that we do yearly.

Spring Fling: Sign ups will be in February, and posting will start April 16th.

Seven Days of Summer: Sign ups will be in May, and posting will start July 1st.

Sylum Advent: Sign ups will be in October, and posting will start December 1st.

If you’re interested in participating in any of the Events, please sign up!  We’re always looking for new artists and writers.  There are 1015 … 1016 characters in the Sylum Wiki, only about a 200 have been used for stories.  There are a lot of lonely character who would love some attention.

In between the Events, we’ll be posting snippets and teasers of stories being worked on, plus random moments that never make it into major storyline.

So you’ll never know what will pop up in your inbox!

Which leads me to …

You may have noticed, that there has been a blog post everyday.  We’re doing this to make sure that there is at least one thing in your email each day, that will hopefully make you smile.

Typical Posts:

Sylum Inspiration – these tie into our Monthly Calendars.  This year we’re showcasing a different Lead Hunter each month, the corresponding weeks of the month will showcase, another Hunter from the same clan.   I’ll work not to repeat characters from last years Sylum Inspiration, but as there are only 19 Clans and 12 months in the year, there will be a repeat of Clans represented.

Sylum Location – This is a new post we’re trying out this year!  We’ll be showcasing images from the Clan Location that corresponds with the Sylum Calendar.

Throwback Thursdays – to highlight old stories, artwork, videos, and even old posts.

Coffee House Friday – I encourage everyone to comment on all posts!  But Coffee House Friday is designed for members to have an open discussion!

Random Posts – Inspiration for Sylum, showcasing pets, cars, locations, basically anything is fair game!

Teasers/Snippets – When we feel like being evil.

 

New things you’ll see this year:

A Sylum Scavenger Hunt!

Wait? What? How?

We’re still working on the logistics, but the basics – we’ll be putting together Sylum Questions, that you’ll be able to find the answer to in the stories, blog, or wiki.  A point system will be created, and we’ll have awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

A Sylum Chat Room!

I know one of the main things people missed from the Yahoo Group was the ability to chat with everyone else.  I’ve tried over the past few years to find a way to bring this back.  The Sylum Forum was slow and cumbersome, and while Coffee House Friday gets some good answers, it doesn’t actually get people chatting.

We have finally found a solution!

Look for another announcement soon, with more information about the Sylum Chat Room.

Updated Images on the Wiki!

Our resident Sylum Artist Taibhrigh has taken on a Wiki Project of their own.  Since Taibhrigh does all of the Story Banners, there have been many discussions on what does this particular character look like? Especially when the character is played by an actor that is showcased in Sylum a few times.  (For Ex: Russell Crowe, Robert Downy Jr., Karl Urban, Ewan McGregor…etc) Working with the writers, Taibhrigh has worked up images that will showcase how the characters are visually different, despite being played by the same actor.  As the sets of images are finished, I’ll be uploading them to the Wiki and updating the bios.  This will honestly take a while, as there are 1015 … 1016 Characters, so keep an eye on the wiki, to spot the new images.  As this is an ongoing project we’ll not update everyone while the bios are being changed – we will make an announcement when it’s finished!

Sample Image

What should you expect to see story wise in 2017?

At this moment we have no idea.  There are stories in the works, re-writes being done, characters being obnoxious and not shutting up – yes Nico I’m looking at you, your wife, and daughter … at least your sister is behaved.

But I can say we’ll have plenty of goodies throughout the year!

What can you do to help us?

Feedback!  Feedback!  Feedback!  I can’t stress this enough – Feedback! Take the five extra seconds and reply to a fic/art post and leave a comment – especially during Sylum Events.  It doesn’t have to be a 1000 word essay, but a few words will go a long way.  The writers and artists don’t get paid, so a simple note makes the world of difference!

Donations:

It now costs $140 a year to host sylumclan.com, this includes the main site, the blog, and the wiki.  On top of it we pay for data backup, data security, and spam protection.  All donations for the website go directly to Dreamhost – we don’t see any of it.  Donate Here.

The Hosting Fees are just a small portion of what goes into building and maintaining Sylum.  I do this because I love the characters, the ‘fandom’, the people, and even the Bobs.  And as Sylum has grown and expanded beyond anything I ever imagined, I can say any help is appreciated.

Sylum Vault, is now over a year old.  It’s been a wild ride this past year, learning new skills, and getting the shop up and running.  It’s been an interesting creative outlet.  The theme of the shop is ‘Jewelry based on your Favorite Fandoms’ including Sylum.  So this year – we’ll be showcasing pieces that are specific to Sylum, with a discount coupon that will only be for those who follow Sylum.

As a reminder!  We do have a shop on Cafe Press appropriately named: Sylum Gift Shop.  You can find cool and fun Sylum related items, such as coffee mugs, tumblers, stickers, and keychains.  Taibhrigh, Sylum’s Resident Artist, has done amazing work for this project.  Want Sylum Swag? This is the place to get it.

Sylum has been the jumping off point that led me to getting my first book published.   As y’all were my first audience, I appreciate the fact you’re following me into this new endeavor.  If you haven’t yet, check out the new Nicholas J. Finch Page, and take a moment to buy the book and leave a review!

Besides the Blog, is Sylum on Social Media?

Sylum Clan:

Twitter: @Sylum_Clan

Tumblr: @Nico Meridius: My personal blog, where you can find my rants at bob, goals of the day, sylum stuff, and afternoon fic

Sylum Vault: 

Facebook

Nicholas J. Finch:

Facebook

Last thoughts on Sylum in 2017

Each year I’m amazed and awed at how Sylum has expanded from being one or two fandoms, to being it’s own fandom.  Honestly, if you’re still not reading certain stories because it ‘isn’t your fandom’ stop.  No seriously, stop.  You’re missing out on the bigger storyline.  Oh I get it, not everyone likes everything, which is what makes Sylum great – there’s something for everyone.  But you’ll miss out on major plot points, character connections, and even that answer to the question you had while reading something else.

 

Every story connects to each other.

In Conclusion:

Be Kind.

Be Courteous.

Always have fun.

Signed,

The General

 

 

 

 

 

 

and

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State of the Clan: 2016

 

*walks out to podium*

*taps microphone*

Is this on?

So this is somewhat new!  We’ve done updates and call outs for variety of things during the past 10 years (technically we’re moving into 11 years – now don’t we all feel old!) for Sylum.

But this year we thought we would go more traditional.

Welcome to the State of the Clan Speech for 2016!

2015 was the big 10th Anniversary of Sylum Clan.  Ten years of stories, gatherings, the yahoo group, the blog, the wiki … wiki 2.0.  A lot happened in those 10 years.  I’m not quite sure when I realized how Sylum went from a fun idea to taking over my life!!  It has been a wild ride, one I would not change for the world.

As we move into 2016 – we realize that we’re still working through the reworks of Clan War.  In truth we had really hoped Clan War would’ve been finished and posted by end of 2015.  But real life hit hard these past two years and we got behind.  We thank you for your patience and support these 10 years, and especially these past few years.   As much as we would love to make Sylum our main focus and full time job – we all have jobs, families and real life situations that do come first.  Please understand that Sylum isn’t a ‘hobby’ it’s a 2nd job.   There is a lot going on behind the scenes that we work on besides  being slaves to the Bobs and trying to get Nico to shut the fuck up.

There are many hours spent on the back end to keep everything running smoothly.

This last year and half was mainly focused on the rebuild of the Sylum Wiki.  Which I hope everyone is enjoying!!  We do thank you for your comments and questions on the wiki … but we do need to ask not to use the comment section to inform us of spelling or grammar mistakes.  The wiki is still in the process of being edited.  If you do notice something major – please email us at (sylumclan@yahoo.com) and we’ll add it to our edit list.

 

The wiki isn’t the only thing we have to take time to maintain.  The website and blog take a good portion of our time to keep updated and running smoothly. This includes working behind the scenes in WordPress, coding the website, and dealing with our hosting site.  I would personally like to take a moment to thank Taibhrigh for helping maintain the website and keeping it updated after each Sylum Event.

And to help us keep these sites working and available this is when I put out the call for help.

In the beginning, we doubt anyone thought Sylum would take off the way it has.  As the years have gone by, those of us who work in the background have done this out of love for Sylum.  We’ve spent our time and money to keep Sylum going.  But as we’ve grown and expanded beyond anything we ever imagined, we can honestly say we need help.

As you may have noticed – we’ve opened the Sylum Vault.  This is to help me personally cover expenses that I accrue while working with Sylum.  Any support you can give me is appreciated.  Whether it’s buying jewelry or spreading the word about the Vault.  This has been a learning curve for me, just as it was in the beginning of building Sylum!  But it’s been fun and I hope to have new Sylum and Fandom items in the near future.

If not interested in the Vault – we will take donations to help pay for our yearly Hosting Fees to Dreamhost.  It costs $125 a year to host sylumclan.com, this includes the main site, the blog, and the wiki.  On top of it we pay for data and spam protection.  All donations go directly to Dreamhost – we don’t see any of it.  For those who donate to help host the website – you will receive an unique banner thanking you for your support.

***

Now that the boring stuff is over.

Lets get to the fun parts of the State of the Union Speech!

What we have planned for 2016.

Well, besides the normal three Events we host: Spring Fling (which I might add the Graphic Gecko is already off and running with new video ideas), Seven Days of Summer, and Sylum Advent.  We’ll finish posting the 10th Anniversary of Clan War.  Now at this moment, with the release of the 10th Anniversary of Clan War and the Sylum Wiki Blog – there are some discrepancies in the later arcs and some side stories.  These will be dealt with as time goes on – if anything pops up that really doesn’t make sense or needs clarification, never hesitate to ask us.  Either email (sylumclan@yahoo.com) or go to the Sylum Q&A.

There are many large stories in the works that will be incorporating the new storylines and standing as spacers between later Sylum Arcs.

This guy: 

And then there’s this one – who is always up to something:

 

And of course the most annoying one in the bunch:

And that’s not including the Pirates, the Jedi, and the Hackers who are looking for their own stories.

The last week of Advent we showcased a variety of snippets.  We can tell you that the POI and Castle snippets are part of a larger story arc that will be incorporated with the Michael Westen Series.  The Back to the Future snippet is part of a rework for the whole series, you will see this story within the next six months as it ties into 10th Anniversary Clan War (I can see the wheels turning in y’all’s heads now).  The Ernesto snippet is way way in the future – but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the lead up to that particular scene.   As for Owen and Blue the Raptor – they are also down the line, and like the Ernesto snippet – the lead up will be a wild ride.

So as you can see we have a lot planned for 2016! And now with the Wiki in maintenance and edit mode we can focus on major stories and arcs.

I’m looking forward to the next year and the ability to dive into these major storylines.

Even though Mr. Reese and Mr. Finch infiltrated Sylum in an epic way.  Seriously – the last time we had this bad of a raid was Ernesto Olivetti and we all know how much he changed Sylum storyline.

There are bunnies everywhere.

I mean everywhere.

I’ve been coughing up furballs since Christmas Eve – when the story that we had thought was going to be the final epic ending for Sylum – ended up the End of the Beginning – instead. *headdesk*

But that is a whole different State of the Union Speech!

So sit back, keep your hands and feet inside at all times and enjoy the wildest wide in the Manor!!

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