All the fics, vids, and artwork has been Archived on the website.
Actually at this moment all Sylum fics, videos, fanmix, and artwork have been Archive. What does that mean? It means all entries that has been showcased during Advent, Seven Days or Spring Fling are available on the Sylum Website.
This would be the time to catch up.
We’re gearing up for the 10th Anniversary Edition for Clan War and all the fun things to go with it.
10 Years of Sylum
10 years ago today, on June 14th, 2005 I started this tiny thing called Sylum Yahoo Group.
The rest was history.
Sylum was already in the making, I was working on ‘Going Home’ when I made the Yahoo Group. At the time, I had been posting to several different Yahoo Groups. One was specific for CSI: Miami, another for NCIS, and the last was Makebelieve (I think anyone who’s been in fandom for a while, knows Makebelieve).
It was on CSI: Miami Yahoo Group that I met Tony … yes it is Tony’s fault. And where I pissed off members of the community by asking the question – what characters would be interesting as Vampires. Oh I labeled it OT etc… but a couple of people started talking about it, going back and forth on ideas (I wasn’t even involved) and someone got bitchy and in a huff left the group because refused to talk this Vampire crap.
Well honey – 10 years later we’re still talking this Vampire crap.
But it was that moment that had me thinking the idea of a Yahoo Group for Sylum. I talked it over with Tony – who was like go for it … see it is always Tony’s fault. I built it, freaked out, and then launched it on June 14, 2005.
I left for lunch.
Came back to see 100 people had already joined.
I fainted.
Quickly had to learn how to run a Yahoo Group. Set up rules and enforce said rules. And realized how much of my life was now going to be dedicated to a simple idea – ‘that you can’t kill someone if they are already dead’.
For those who have been with us from the beginning, I’m sure you can remember some epic moments from the list. The Yahoo Group was a blessing and my worst f’in nightmare. OMG the drama that we kept off the list … *rubs head* I still get headaches.
Over the past 10 years. The list grew. The Universe grew. Lives were changed. I’m pretty sure there are a number of stories out there about long lasting friendships and relationships that developed from the list.
With the continued problems with Yahoo, and with their decision to change everything. That’s when we decided to move to the Blog. Though it’s not quite like the list, it’s been doing well over the past years.
Still can’t believe it’s been 10 years! Ten! A lot has happened in my personal life over those ten years, good and bad. Sylum has grown into an amazing universe that astounds me every time I sit down to work on it. The vast number of characters, locations, story threads… keep it on track, making sure continuity stays in place … dear Marvel – never complain to me about ‘too many storylines/movies/characters to keep up with’ cause dude – seriously? you have no f’in clue. No really you don’t.
Over the past ten years many have come and gone, a few have stuck with me from the beginning. And I thank you for that. It truly does humble me how far we’ve come and the fans that have followed us along this great adventure.
Now for a few special thank yous and notes!
Janet who took over the beta for an epic storyline, especially after the nightmare that came before, and the continued beta of this massive universe. I know it’s a lot of work, and I thank you.
Sparrow who keeps track of all the continuity. I may have all of Sylum in my head but even I get lost on where everyone is at! Pointing out the fact characters have disappeared half way through a story is always helpful!
Gil and Shep the work you’ve done on Border and major storylines has built the Universe past the fab six, making it all encompassing. Though I’m pretty sure you still want to kill me for handing that over.
Taibhrigh you came in just as the blog was beginning. Your re-work and design of the new website was amazing and I can’t thank you enough for that. Your art has been an inspiration to not just the readers but also us writers.
Note: We’ve recently updated the website to reflect the 10th Anniversary – go and take a look!
Timothy. Well I could write a post just on how much I have to thank you for. Yes I’m going to get sappy deal with it. You came into my life as a friend and stayed as my spouse. Sylum would not be where it is now if it wasn’t for you. You are and will always be my inspiration and creative consultant. Even if you do tease me about the how many times I described the road leading in and out of town *smirks*. Working this past year on the 10th Anniversary of Clan War has inspired so many stories and bunnies – that I’m now looking forward to the 20th Anniversary. Though I’m not redoing the wiki… hell no once is enough.
Bob. I hate you, you son of a bitch. You and your clones. Though if it wasn’t for you … my life would be normal but boring as hell.
So here we are Ten Years!
*raises glass*
To Sylum. Thank you for this grand adventure. We’ve had ten amazing years and look forward to the next ten.
Sincerely,
Bj Jones
PS: Please reply to this post with your memories of Sylum, either how you discovered it, memory from the yahoo group, friends you’ve made, gatherings you attended, how it’s affected your life. Let’s make this day unforgettable!
Q: Would like to know if there will be more JackB and Chase stories?
A: Speaking of Jack and Chase… The two actually have weaseled or worked themselves into their own storyline. As we’ve re-worked Clan War – Jack and Chase weren’t fitting as well as expected. Instead after a round of Bauer style negotiations – mainly his way or the highway – the two ended up with their own story. *sneaky bastards*
Because of this *glares at the two very non-repentant CTU Agents* I’ve had to adjust the Clan War Teaser Trailer <— Click to view it. *sits and waits*
Q: Also will Sam/Dean be in same stories? Wasn’t sure if this would be continued of question 1 or a question all by itself. So to be safe I put it in 2 questions. Ok?
A: Well the new ideas brew, Sam and Dean won’t make an appearances as they wouldn’t have arrived into Sylum yet. For future stories, I can see them working with Jack and Chase.
Name: Edward Courtney
Turn Date: 1879 AD
Sire: John Herod
Mate: Julia Kelly
***
Edward Courtney doesn’t remember much of his parents. He remembers leaving England and making his way with his family to America. While on the boat, there was a man carrying two guns. Fascinated by the crucifix on the handle, he reached out.
A rogue wave hit the boat, pulling Edward overboard. He still doesn’t quite know how he survived but looking back it was a sure sign that God had a plan for him.
When he washed up on shore, he found the gun he so admired washed up next to him. He picked it up only to hear shouting, and looked up to see adults running for him.
Cort was moved around to variety of homes, orphanages and finally when he was old enough he wandered out of the area and headed West.
He landed in a town called Redemption.
It ended up being Hell.
He walked into a middle of a gunfight competition. Not taking no for an answer he was dragged into the competition and handed a weapon. He stared in shock at the gun with a crucifix on it, the very same one he reached for a child. ‘The Left Hand of God’ he would later discover it’s twin ‘The Right Hand of God’ with Ben Wade. The fact their both Meridii somehow made it sense.
Expecting to die quickly, he took a deep breath, said a prayer and pulled his gun. His opponent laid dead in the street. He threw up seconds later.
He was a natural.
It also caught the attention of John Herod.
The next six months of his tortured life was at the bastards hand.
Ending with Herod Turning him Without Consent.
Wolfhounds have been through the Sylum stories. They are large lovable animals, but they are called Wolfhounds for a reason. We introduced them in Clan War with Boromir and Aragorn, and then later had Faramir and Eomer. The Vampire namesakes were not to thrilled.
Q: As you can see most of my question relate to how in my imagination more characters could exist in sylum universe. Could the Hunger Games characters like President Snow or Coin possibly exist? They would make some awesome villains and what if they were soul mates but hated each other? Instead of a dystopian future, sometime in the past the games could have been this weird mesh like gladiator games slash the sacrifices from minotaur’s myth, kids from different city states.
Q: Any chances of seeing characters from Game of Thrones? Some of them from the deserts parts of the show could hail from clans in Africa or the Middle East. I always had the most fun reading through the characters pages from sylum’s wiki even those I had not known from any of the story lines and how the vampires interconnect with each others!
A: I’m answering these together for a reason. Neither one of these will be making an appearance in Sylum. The characters and storylines do not fit inside the universe we’re creating. Add on the way the authors feel about fanfiction especially Martin, it is best to leave these series alone. It’s also the reason we have nothing from Anne Rice and Laura Hamilton.
Q: In the movie Argo we see Rory Cochrane, who from sylum is he, Speed? Kafele? Yevgeny? Or none of the above?
A: Lee Schatz is a real person, who is still alive. So we won’t be adding his character or have a ‘Rory’ character play him. The events surrounding Argo is likely to play in the background of storylines in Sylum, due to the fact it’s a historical event. We try hard to keep these events relevant and shown in the stories to indicate the world around the Vampire Clans.
I figured it was appropriate since at the moment I’m working on Oceania for the Sylum Wiki. There have been stories in and around Oceania Clan, as the wiki is built – it’s history and how it works is starting to develop.
The Sydney Opera House is a famous landmark for Australia, which means it would be center point in Oceania Clan.
For more information: Sydney Opera House
There is a story behind this particular Sylum Monthly Calendar.
June 2015 is the 200th Anniversary of Vachon and Angel’s Bonding and Mating. To celebrate their Anniversary Wadsworth created an old style photo wall honor the couple. This is just a sample.
Sparrow still hasn’t stopped snickering.
Happy Anniversary to Vachon and Angel!!
Q: Hypothetical, if the technology from Nolan’s Inception movie were possible, would they work on vampires? We have the stargate, and the transformers so it would not be beyond the advancements in this beautiful ‘verse for the machine and drugs to exist. Now I would think the sedation part would work on the vampire physiology if you can apply it to the unsuspecting victim, but the extraction part and being undetected in one’s mind, I don’t know and there is also the problem that most likely who did the job would have to be human, what do you think? How hilarious would it be if you try to extract someone and they don’t know the victim was a vampire to begin with?
A: As much as we would’ve loved to work with the concept, we decided that it just wasn’t something that would work. We had some interesting ideas and concepts but over all it just didn’t fit. We also had to take into account that Inception is Nolan’s pet project. There are a few directors, writers, etc that can get a little testy over the use of their materials. We figured best to leave this idea on the drawing board.
Q: What’s the connection between Dean Winchester and Horatio’s daughter?
A: Most think that there is this huge vast connection between the two. In reality it’s the fact that after the hell Dean goes through in Balthazar’s hand, Elizabeth is that first innocent soul that touches him. In all the chaos of the rescue, and then the Manor – it’s a simple baby’s laugh that gets his attention. It’s two souls who have seen some serious shit in their lives and past lives that connect on a most innocent level.
It’s later that their own personal connections to Ripper, that will tie them even closer together.
This tree is the symbol of the Meridii Family.
The names of the Meridii and their Mates are carved into the trunk.
It is very important to Nicolaus, and has been showcased readily through the Sylum stories.
To the men and woman who have given their lives for their country – Thank you.
And a special thank you to those soldiers who do not always walk on two legs.
It’s been a loonngg week. Stressful in some areas.
What do you do to relax after a long day? Get rid of the stress?
Q: Franklin and Bash is a comedy series about two unconventional lawyers and their shenanigans to win their cases. If they ever met Harvey Specter how do you think he would react? The duo would probably be the kind of lawyers Tony Stark would appreciate considering they have no qualms with throwing parties in their house like frat boys, and the next day put on a stand someone that will start a striptease!
A: Harvey Specter would kill them, dump their bodies in the river and then go have lunch at his favorite steakhouse. Actually let me rephrase that – he would hire someone to kill them, dump their bodies in the river, while he had lunch at his favorite steakhouse. Probably try to get them to take out Gil while he was at it.
And honestly no, they wouldn’t be the type of lawyers Tony Stark would appreciate. When it would come to lawyers who work for him or his company he’s going to have someone who would shred anyone for thinking of suing him or his company. That by the time he got done with them, they would be a whimpering mass of goo on the floor. Someone like Harvey Specter … matter of fact he is Tony Stark’s lawyer.
Q: Is there going to be more on The Losers / Rizzoli and Isles/ The Vatician? I.e. More back story?
A: Yes. There is more story in the works for this particular storyline. The first main story in it, is to see how Jane, Maura and Joey got together and how it all ties into Joey’s connection to Kiernan and the MacManus’. After that their will be stories to explore Jane dealing with her past life, and how Cougar and Ernesto fit into their lives.
Sylum: Hunter
Name: Aveline de Grandpré
Turn Date: 1776 AD
Sire: Nicolaus Valerius Meridius
Mate: No Mate
(Dilios Note: any of the assassins listed their history is not known by others – very few even know what they look like)
***
Aveline was born in New Orleans on 20 June 1747 to Philippe de Grandpré and his African placée bride, Jeanne. Granted freedom along with her mother at birth, Aveline grew up in a caring and considerate environment, protected by her father’s wealth and influence within the city. However, when her father’s business began to suffer, he married Madeleine de L’Isle, the daughter of one of his investors, in 1752.
While this act put a strain on the relationship between her parents, both Aveline and her mother Jeanne were permitted to stay at the de Grandpré mansion, with Madeleine becoming responsible for the young girl’s education.
Aveline’s carefree life as a youth was cut short two years later, when Jeanne inexplicably vanished, leaving a void in the girl’s life. Despite the fact that Madeleine quickly adopted the role of doting stepmother, Aveline continued to be troubled by the loss of her mother. As a result, she frequently had nightmares about the events surrounding Jeanne’s disappearance.
Simultaneously, Aveline’s feelings and observations regarding the prevailing contrasts present within her city eventually spurred her into action. In 1759, she attempted to free a slave, but was caught in the act and set upon by sailors employed by the slave’s owner. Thanks to an intervention from Nicolaus Meridius, Aveline and the slave managed to escape unharmed. Deciding her commitment to freedom and justice was beyond compare, Nicolaus took Aveline under his wing.
Following a few months of intense training, Aveline would act as Nicolaus agent in New Orleans, using her skills to help people in need and rid Louisiana of the Templars.
Her first assignment under Nico, was to locate and find Shay Patrick Cormac, who had come to New Orleans specific to have a safe haven for Templars. They discovered that Shay was working with Governor d’Abbadie, who was determined to keep the city and providence under French Templar control.
Between the two of them, they removed the Templar influence.
She discovered his nature when, she found him with Warrick. Upset at first, at hypocrisy she was seeing, she confronted him, only to find herself faced with the Vampire. He explained who he was, and that the man she saw was Warrick, his Mate.
Seeing great potential in her, Nicolaus knew that she would need further training. In 1769 he sent her to Masyaf, along with a letter and trinket for Dastan and Altair.
Aveline proved her skills by taking on novices being trained. Altair taking Nicolaus word, set out to train her.
She learned much in Masyaf, became fast friends with Tamara.
It was her work, that established a network of woman assassins.
Aveline returned to New Orleans in 1775, and discovered Nicolaus was in New York. She traveled up to the city, to find him.
It was here she met Connor Kenway, and worked with him in dealing with Templars roaming the Eastern Seaboard.
She found Nicolaus in 1776, commanding troops. Impressed by his skills as an Assassin, a General, and the fact he had a black Mate, she requested he Turn her.
***
(Dilios Note: Remember these are all my notes – nothing is true everything is permitted. So what you see may not be what you know)
The series as infiltrated the Sylum Universe. If paid close attention you can see the references, characters, and influences that it has through out the Universe. Now I know not everyone plays video games and wondering ‘who are these guys?’ – well in typical Sylum – who they are in the AC world vs Sylum world varies. If you’re curious on the series and do have gaming consuls I do suggest you get them – they are tons of fun. If you don’t – there are a series of books by Oliver Bowden.
As stated the characters have invaded Sylum. Some not quite in the way you would think – others exactly. You’ve been introduced to Ezio and Altair. There has been hints towards Edward Kenway. Connor Kenway lurks but can be seen. Aveline you’ll be meeting very soon. Arno … if you haven’t figured that one out yet – I suggest reading Going Home and watch the AC Unity Trailer.
Now each of the ‘Assassins’ have their own symbols – these will be seen and used through out Sylum to identify our guys.
wait..who? *smirks*
The only hint you get he’s Russian …
*come closer*
… might want to read Michael Westen series
*shifty look*
