Hello, yes. This is Wally. Welcome to 2018, everyone. Just wanted to throw out a quick update ahead of my monthly report. Which of course turned into report-length. Go figure. Anyway, while this is my 12th formal report, don't forget to check my period Updates. That said, this will be my first report of 2018. Also, it's really cold here in NYC. Please send warmth.

Updates

1. War Fiction — The conclusion to Great Jedi War XII is currently being worked on by the GM. This involves a lot of nuance that isn’t typical to a regular fiction update—we have to factor in some variables like the closing of a unit and how to tie that in fictionally, as well as set up how the DB will function post war and how our rivalry with The Collective will work going forward. We also want to highlight members who stood out during the war. Because of this, Sarin and I ask for continued patience. Both of us had a rough December with holidays, family, and work related things coming up. Rest assured, though, that we will have an update for you guys shortly that will answer questions you probably have. Thank you.

2. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Spoilers — Sharing spoilers from The Last Jedi is still considered a CoJ-able offense. This goes for Telegram and Email Groups. We have not run into any problems so far. Feel free to join the Spoiler Chat to talk about the film in the meantime. I’m really proud of everyone for not spoiling the movie for their friends, and look forward to healthily discussing The Last Jedi as a club. As a reminder, members have until January 15th, 2018 before we lift the spoiler ban. That is a full 30 days since the movie was released. This is incredibly fair, in my opinion, but if you’re worried about spoilers, please be aware of this.

3. Possessions — Evant, Vyr, and I are working on a Possessions update in celebration of The Last Jedi. Expect to see some new items being added in. We also have some exciting things in the works from the Atra and the ACC team to further integrate Possessions into the ACC. Expect updates from Evant, Vyr, and Atra.

4. Character Sheet Admin James — being the hero we don’t deserve but need — has coded a function that allows you to withdraw a submitted CS without losing your work. See his report for my SCL goodness.

5. Character Sheet updates — We are currently working on updates to the CS mechanics. Atra is headlining this, and it includes changes based on feedback from members, as well as changes that are due thanks to new information gleamed from The Last Jedi.

Fiction Society

Building a Community

A little over a year ago, Atra, Evant, and I agreed that it was time create a dedicated chat for the Fiction Society. Over that time, it has grown to become the center of activity for talking about and discussing Star Wars and how it fictionally impacts the club and its respective systems. We implemented Daily Questions to help drive communication, and had a lot of good feedback from it. We’ve grown as a community, I feel, and learned through trial and error what worked or didn’t. I think we have come to a better place in terms of respecting each other’s voices and opinions. We have a few buzz topics that always seem to pop up, but I think we’ve done a good job with realizing when someone is upset and working out how to fix it. I am very happy to say I have not had to use my admin power on anyone in a serious manner. Rest assured, however, I have and maintain a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, harassment, and overt rudeness. I will ban or reprimand you in a heartbeat. If you’re ever worried about something, you can always PM me or reach out to me.

Anyway, with focus shifting towards a Great Jedi War, we ended Daily Questions as we looked into possible ways not just to keep doing the same thing...but asking how we could improve and make it better. Bigger.

I’ve asked for opinions and thoughts. I’ve listened and read them all. In the end, we’re not going to always agree. I see things differently than most, but not all. Everyone has a vision or ideas, but ultimately, it’s my responsibility to analyze all the information I have and make informed decisions. And then execute. So, with that in mind, I’m happy to roll out the first version of our new Fiction Chat initiative: Daily Themed Questions!

Introducing: Daily Theme Questions!

The idea was originally proposed to me by our resident Aleena— Justinios Drake. In short, the idea is give a sense of purpose and identity to each day of the week with a particular theme or topic to help drive discussion. For this, we’ve created the Fiction Chat Calendar v1.

If anyone that is graphically inclined is interested, I’d love a more pretty-version of this. If you have ideas or suggestions, let us know. My photoshop skills are mostly used for adding text to dog pictures.

Here is a quick breakdown:

• Member Monday — This will be more like the old daily questions, just done weekly. Members will submit character questions using this form. Every Monday, one will be picked as the weekly question for Fiction Chat.

• Tuesday Tomes — This will be a book-club like day where members can talk about fictional books, comics, etc.

• Wordy Wednesday — A word of the day will be provided with a question relating to it. (#BestPraetor is going to expand your vocabulary whether you like it or not!)

• Throwback Thursday — For those that are more social media savvy, Throwback Thursday might be familiar. For the Fiction Chat, this will be a day where you can reflect on older work, share it, or potentially revisit it. You can talk about that one time, at Space Camp... All answers should use the hashtag: #TBT

• Fun Fact Friday — Talk about a fun fact that you want to share about your character. If you don’t have one, make one up! This is one of the lighthearted but beneficial exercises for character development.

• Staff Saturday — The Voice staff will propose a question aimed at getting feedback. This could be something like “What do you guys think of this change we’re thinking of making?”

• Silly Sunday — This will be for our more silly questions or buzzfeed like quizzes to determine “what kind of cupcake is my character?”

And yes, I am a big fan of alliteration and this quietly makes me happy. As I mentioned earlier, this is going to be a trial run. If members are not happy with this format, or we run into issues, I will not hesitate to make changes or shut things down. Please let me know if you have any feedback in either the comments or email: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

Ask The Voice

I don’t usually do these, but had some time while working from home on a snow day.

The Smol Blue One (Lee) asks: What was your favorite part of GJW XII?

Creating the Collective, personally. Stressful, but inventing characters is my favorite part of the DB/being a writer. I like it more than ACTUALLY writing stories. Possibly my Film/Screenwriting background.

Administratively, I was humbled to have 140 Fiction Entries across two events to grade.

The Birdlord (Archensov) asks: AskTheVoice When is the war fi... oh, nevermind. Uh... what would you like to see clan and house summits do to help grow the writing community in the DB?

Glad you asked. Have you checked our new Fiction Chat Calendar? Seriously, though, I think that Clan and House summits need to work on getting their members interested in the DB’s Fiction Society. They need to be comfortable and willing to branch out. To talk with members in other units. Make new friends. Form bonds and rivalries. Share writing and ideas about character without ever making anyone else feel bad for a suggestion. In short- help me, help you, to grow our community.

TuQy asks: If you were told that you could only complete one more project with resources being no object, where would you set your sights?

The Arx Contract Board (or Arx Bounty Board? ABB vs ACB?). This would be a rewrite of my original Antei Contract Buerau idea that I used to organize. I have a very specific vision for what I want to do with it. I have already shared my notes with James, and honestly, my hope is that I can make this happen before I retire or step away from leadership. I have a lot of projects and tasks I’m working on though, and the question said “resources being no object.” That said, I still think it’s achievable. Just going to take time to do it right. I’m a big fan of that, and have learned a lot from past mistakes.

The Good Doctor (Rhylance) asks: What, if anything, would you want explored more about the Star Wars Universe Canon?

I want to know how new canon Thrawn fits into the new canon. I want to know more about the threat he was worried about and originally sent him to seek out Palpatine. I want to know what changes from the EU version, where Thrawn is sent away and then returns post-Empire to cause trouble for the budding new Republic. Thrawn is my favorite part of the old EU, next to Corran Horn of course. Also, I’m hoping for answers on #AshokaLives (?).

Currently Running: Fiction Competitions

Thanks to my favorite Inquisitor, Kelly Mendes, here are the currently running DB-Wide fiction competitions. I encourage members to take the time between major events and vendettas to run fiction competitions. Please make sure to follow the guidelines, as this will help prevent remands to your ideas and stories.

• Tarentum:Endgame
• Carol of The Force
• And what would you like for Sithmas this year?
• Mission Impossible, DB Edition - Holocron Heist
• DJB Speed Dating
• "Wait, are you..; Me?" Alternate reality
• Awakening
• New training routine
• You Can't Handle The Truth!
• A New Cycle, A New Me! - New Year's Resolutions

Useful Links

• Voice Staff Resources Hub - Your one-stop shop for all your fiction needs. You can catch up on past reports and easily find links to Voice Staff policies, guides, and other documentation.
• Fiction Center, the one-stop resource for fictional information on the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, it’s characters, stories, and history.
• [Click here - Log in to view join link] if you’d like to join the DB Fiction chat!
• If you have questions with your competitions or character sheets, please email the Voice Staff: [Log in to view e-mail addresses]

Closing

So, I’ve seen The Last Jedi three times in theaters since it came out. I will most likely catch it a final fourth time before it leaves theaters. Needless to say, I am a huge fan. I know that people, fans especially, have been torn down the middle with their opinions on Rian Johnson's take on Star Wars. While I personally disagree with a lot of the negative shade being thrown at the film— I understand all of it as a film student in my previous life (college). I’m happy to discuss things with anyone that is interested in healthy conversation. Once the ban is lifted, please remember to be respectful of your friends and other members of the club. We are all very opinionated and most of us love Star Wars.

Thank you.

-W