June 2016 Newsletter: Official Opening of SoM!

[TheRedStranger]

 

 

The Free Scribes Gazette

 

 

Preface:

Happy Birthday Blue!

Yes indeedy my fellow friendly and fuzzy Mobians, today the Blue Blur himself turns 25! Ol’ man Sonic is officially old enough to be married, have a college degree, and have to file taxes. Huzzah! Ahw, but we don’t expect such actively affecting the franchise anytime soon thanks to an ageist SEGA! So disappointing too! Imagine how titillating Sonic Mortgage and Sonic IRS: Rise of The Audit would be! It’s the perfect reboot to a reboot that’s rebooting an already rebooted series!

 Stupid SEGA running all our creative fun with fascist mandates…

 Well anyways, jesting aside, feel free to reminisce here about your favorite days running alongside our beloved quilled quickster and his quirky cast of colorful pals! Well… (except you Shadow - you’re as whimsical as a door knob at the DMV.)

 I have no pity for you Angsty The Hedg-emo; no wonder you weren't invited to the birthday jamboree! Now get out of here needle-skull - I’m broadcastin’!

 

Seriously folks, I want to wish you all a happy a 25 anniversary and to the franchise that brought us all together. From AoTSH and Archie fans, to those who love SatAM, STC, and Sonic X, we all have had our lives impacted in ways we never imagined because of Sonic. We would never had the opportunity to bond and create together if “Mister Needle Mouse” was never scribbled on a napkin way over 25 years ago, if Len Janson, Pat Aliee, and Ben Hurst never dreamed big about a small band of Freedom Fighters, and if folks like Nigel Kitching and Ian Flynn did not build on that flourishing dream in their own ways.

 In one weird way Sonic, this precious smack-talkin’, Act-passin’, and Egg-Crackin’ Hedgehog Freedom-Fighter, has I need gifted us a degree of freedom. I know it sounds as sappy a weeping willow, but Sonic gave us opportunity to imagine, aspire, befriend, unite, and create. Personally without him I would not have some of my best friends in the world. And, speaking for us all, I think our lives would be much bluer without the Blue Blur. Here’s to twenty five years more! And, a big announcement…

 As you probably know from a previous announcement, we were planning to have the site up and ready by July 4th originally.  However, with a boom of early members and fine volunteers the site has seen significant progress and construction in only a single month's time. So consider this day the official opening of The Free Scribes of Mobius! And consider yourselves all fellow founding members of the site! And stay tuned for some really big updates and events!

- To a better fandom; to a Free Mobius! The Prime Revolutionary

Site Updates:

  Okay guys, so we are now broadcasting out across the cyberverse so we can reach out to more and more future Scribes and make our presence known. We just got our Deviant Art Page page setup and we are working on our Twitter and Tumblr page. Expect to see much more of us across the Internet as time goes by, including hotspots like YouTube, Reddit, and such. (Just don’t expect us shipping-it-up Tinder tough). Please Don’t forget subscribe, join, and support those ventures! You will find them all in our F-SoM Abroad  section in the Metaforum.

 When it comes to mother-base RedAuthar and Wulfsbane have been busy troubleshooting for you early adopters. All together we have fixed multiple bugs such as the editing issue and currently we are working on the multi-quote conundrum. Recently, we added a new informative sidebar feature. As you can see, this will inform you of birthdays, special events, Status Updates, and recent responses to topics. Expect more tweaks to this feature such as a “newest topic” addition. If you check out the bottom of our homepage you can see we added an area dedicated to site metadata, statistics about posts, who and how many people are online, ect.  

 In the near future, we plan to add a Shoutbox so you can all chat amongst yourselves real-time on the site conveniently on one open window. We have to wait on some updates to our software to get that done however. So in the meantime, if you want to live chat, you can do so here in a separate window here. As for the aesthetics of the site, we are working to expand the look and feel of the site with differing personal themes, icons, ranks, ect. We are also looking to revise the title and reputation system. Do note in the meantime you can add a signature to your posts by going to Edit Profile and adding a signature (please make sure they keep to site rules, are edifying to the site, and do not exceed 750px by 200px.

 Remember you can get involved by heading out to Rotor’s Workshop. Oh and if you have an idea for the format for the site or a comment on our rules please check out the Brain-Storm or the Alcove to engage in a bit of direct democracy. Come help us improve on both the design and aesthetic of the site!

Newly Released Fanworks:

We have had some of our members already post some of their work. Every month from here on out many of these will be mentioned in following Newsletters.

Sequential and Visual Art:

 

Welcome to the Machine AMV, by Prince Bytor:

ByTor takes the Pink Floyd Classic “Welcome to the Machine” and combines it with SatAM to give an interesting, yet fitting song to the series. This has actually been entered into contests before

Concept Sketches by F07E

The aspiring artist formally known as F07E has set up a gallery of conceptual redesigns and reimaginings of official Sonic-lore. Help give him feedback as he formulates his own artistic style and take on the official aesthetic.  

Literature:

 

Rise & Fall, by Toa-Arcan:

One of the first fan-fictions ever reviewed by SoM!

From the rusting hulk of a long dead Doomsday weapon in the chilling expanses of an artic waste, one of Eggman’s forgotten boots to life, a sentient machine bloodthirsty for revenge.

Sisters, by Toa-Arcan:

Fiona Fox plans to risk her life for her deep-seeded infatuation the villainous Scourge The Hedgehog. Recruiting for their daring mission, she is caught off guard unexpected former friend who hopes to change her ways.

When Ian Met Sally, by GameMasterAnthony

Welcome to a world without a fourth wall, where the real and the whimsical are next door neighbors. A part of G.M Anthony’s Heroes of Arcadia series, this story gumbos multiple elements from fictional franchises like our very own Sonic the Hedgehog and the nonfictional artisans who crafted the realms in which they regularly live. A comical delight of metafiction, replete with funny subtext for fans, this piece will more than make you smile.

Freedom Dies with Me, By WarTraveler

Based off of the Sonic-inspired fan game Freedom Planet, this is the first non-Sonic story ever posted on the site.  A dark and more mature story, WarTraveler unveils the more shadowy implications of the sunny Freedom Planet universe….

Dreams of Imaginings, by MaverickIndigeo

The first original story on the site. With plans to grow the series this could be something we all should keep an eye on.

Targets 2.0, by Rick Tyger

One of the adventurous tales that defined Tyger’s hotshot persona. Rick says this is a “Day in a Life” style story with the grit and tension of an 80’s action flick.

One Bad Day, Prince Bytor.

A stand alone multi-chapter work based in season 2 of SatAM. A bit darker take and more mature story that blurs the line between Mobian and animal as well as what humanity really means. A story of death, love, pride, and sacrifice.

Reviews:

 

Pirate Plunder Panic Review by Mr. Nemesis.

Stroking his purring pet Cyndaquil whilst donning a smoking jacket and bubble-pipe, our good Mr Nemesis reviews the Sonic Universe Arc “Pirate Plunder Panic.” All the while he gives insights into the characters, plot, pace, and critiques the good, the flawed, and the ugly plot-holes and foibles of this Blaze-centric arc.

Community Events & Projects:

  Roleplay Update!

 Keep an eye out for out for our first official Free Scribes Roleplay Game. We have a lot of ideas out there we want to share with you, who knows? You might to pick what story we play first.

First Creative Contest -

 We will be holding our first Creative Contest Soon! Get ready Game Masters and Role-players this one will be all about you...

  Recruitment Drive!

We are always welcoming anybody in the Sonic fandom and people interested in anthro art and pop culture. The Free Scribes of Mobius urges our members to bring their friends and family along with them. If you think you know someone who you think would fit in, send them a link and invite! Change in the fandom starts us all as individuals. Show your a true fan; work with us to make a better fandom person by person. We will all be deeply grateful.  

  New Creative Writing Threads!

 

Spagetti Thread:

 

ByTor has posted the first part of a surreal Sonic scifi story based off the tone writers like Kirk Vonnegut and Philip K Dick. Members are encouraged to write the next part of the story following the previous parts of this intelligent mind screw. The next user is encouraged to do the same thing. It’s time to put your vermicelli in this surrealist inception of pasta.  

Sonic Ad-Libs:

Let’s get crazy with MAD-Libs! A childhood treat for today. This time they’ve been whipped up Sonic style! Taken from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game manual users are encouraged to change several keywords to make something funny or clever.

Improvathon (Writer’s version):

So has anyone seen Who's Line is It Anyway? This kind of works like that except (sans Drew Carrey) and you are going to write out a piece of flash-fiction to fit a scene. I will give people 24-72 hours to write a piece of flash fiction (depending on the level of activity). The person who wins each turn gets likes, credit on the site, and possibly other things like formal reviews and interviews.

The Official F-SoM Stories!

Keep and eye out for these future releases in the Official Project Section! Tune in every Saturday morning to find a new episode in one of these upcoming series. We plan to alternate these throughout the week so there will always be something new on the site. Each one will receive a monthly update.  Feedback is always appreciated!

1. War for Mobius: The Free Scribes Edition - An epic four years in the making, RedAuthar continues his FUS favorite from a perilous expanded Act-One and beyond.

2. The Princess and The Demon - As the guerilla war against Robotnik and his mechanized legions drags on with no end in sight, the burdens of leadership begin to take their toll on Princess Sally. When an all-too-routine sabotage mission encounters an unexpected complication, she finds herself alone in Robotropolis, where she undertakes a harrowing journey that brings her face-to-face with her most terrifying adversary, a cunning and ruthless being that threatens her very soul.

3; Sonic Mobius -  The Scribe's nod and a wink to Sega of Europe, Segasonic, a dash of Archie, and Sonic Underground, this will not be your average Mobius.  Both fresh and familiar will cross paths with a snarky and sharpy-tongued Sonic the Hedgehog inspired by the famous Fleetway comics. Against overwhelming odds, can one rebellious kid make a difference against a fledgling dictator?

4. Sonic: Edge of Tomorrow - Prepare for the day after Doomsday... [More details to come soon.]

[Wulfsbane]

Very thorough newsletter. It really does highlight what we have done in the past few weeks in the "Beta stages" of the Site.

 

Now we're live I have to ask our users to please spread the word as best as you can of the site. It would really mean a lot to us.

[Mr Nemesis]

i love the little blurbs for the posts especially the one for my review. Whoever came up with those is a genius.

[TheRedStranger]

7 minutes ago, Mr Nemesis said:

i love the little blurbs for the posts especially the one for my review. Whoever came up with those is a genius.

That would be me. ;p

[Wulfsbane]

I gave a helping hand with them too. I mostly did the bit about site background and the improvements. RedAuthar and I have been hard at work improving this place for you guys. We do it for you guys

[TheRedStranger]

On June 24, 2016 at 2:22 PM, Wulfsbane said:

I gave a helping hand with them too. I mostly did the bit about site background and the improvements. RedAuthar and I have been hard at work improving this place for you guys. We do it for you guys

July Newsletter will be up hopefully Saturday.