Valucre is a role-playing forum or website, and role-play is by design a collaborative activity, a social game in a community. Most of us have done or seen solo threads, whether in the form of a minor quest or a character journal or so on, but individuals writing in corners by themselves is not what makes Valucre a strong community. It can produce some gorgeous writing and experimenting with your own style is one of the tenets of growth and improvement, and a solo thread is a valid way to do just that, but part of Valucre's strength is that it gives individual writers access to as many styles as there are people.
So why not benefit from that? Why not improve one's writing while simultaneously enriching the community?
The Cooperative Writing Enhancement discussion is about how we as a community can find ways to continuously improve ourselves and one another. There are a lot of reasons to want to write better but there aren't a lot of ways to act on that. Join the discussion on finding new ways to improve and take part in the writing challenges with the rest of us.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Thursday, September 4, 2014
I Searched Google for Best Role-Play Forums...
And When Valucre Came Up, I was not Disappointed.
You want to do what with my "blow hole"?
What's happening Valucre!
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| That's some serious hacks. Brilliant! |
Why I am going with another meme theme (ha, rhymes)? Because
it is 5am, I’m tired as tired gets (worked both my days off and have pulled a
double shift and had a long interview the day before—so yeah, cut me slack!)
and I needed something to roll with. Besides, isn’t this the absolute truth?
Put in for best role-play sites, find Valucre, and go on to be as happy as
happy can be?
Anyway, googling things on the internet can be a fun, interesting, and at times terrifying endeavor. Sometimes, you look up things like, “Best Hacks” and find stuff like this on the right… or you look up “Creepy dolphins” and find stuff like what is on the left.
Anyway, googling things on the internet can be a fun, interesting, and at times terrifying endeavor. Sometimes, you look up things like, “Best Hacks” and find stuff like this on the right… or you look up “Creepy dolphins” and find stuff like what is on the left.
Sometimes, there are thing best left unsearched on google. With that said, I'm going to jump straight into this blog, largely because I need to hurry up. Before I can do that, I will alert you to a few new changes:
- Errata section- I made a boo boo last week, so I added an "Errata" section. If I make a goof, the following update will have one. But since I am a near perfect robot who requires no sleep and functions with absolute perfection, this will never be used again. >_>
- "What's Happening" has been changed to "Role-Play Opportunities of the Week". Largely, this is just an SEO move.
- Trying a new formatting with new members, so feedback welcome. Changed named name to "New Role-Players", another SEO decision.
That's all for the major stuff--onward then!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
This Blog Used to Be So Much Better...
Before Obama went on vacation again--Thanks Obama!
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| Wait, wut? |
Alright, let’s dodge the politics bullet. I’m neither supporting nor condemning the president here, but rather poking fun at people with certain cognitive biases that interfere with that said synaptic activity. I know that couldn’t be true for any of you, because you’re obviously smart enough to be reading this blog, so that says something. Oh wait, wouldn’t that… never mind, let’s just get to the jump already.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Do You Want to Build a Snowman...
For the sake of all that is still good and right, will you just let it go?
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| This kid... he knows the feels. |
Alright alright, super late reference to a tired out meme
that is still making the rounds. Think I am kidding? Take a popular phrase from
Frozen, punch the first two or three words into google and see what your
suggestions are. Go on, I dare you. It doesn’t really matter, we all know it’s
a tired out subject, but for actual reasons and for no special reason at all, I’m
going to kick that dead horse and see if I can make the body jiggle, because
who needs good taste when you have a rude sense of humor?
Besides tired out memes and decaying equines, I do have some
good stuff lined up for you this week. Some interesting role-plays, a cool new
extra in the additional highlights, and lots of new members who were happy to
answer some interview questions and tell us a little more about them. Just when
you don’t think you can stand anymore of the Frozen references, we’ll switch
gears with the closing thoughts. Enjoy. >D
What's Happening Valucre?
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| A Frozen-Mine Craft reference. We have truly sank to new lows. |
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| We interrupt the Frozen broadcast to bring you a real pic. |
Many of the people get around through designed waterways for vessels and boats to pass through, covering the many hundreds of miles this city takes up, or crossing the thousands of miles the lake itself spans. What makes this even more interesting, is not necessarily what is above the lake, but what might be below it. In depths that can reach over 4,000ft, the military has discovered tunnels in the lakebed that lead to unknown locations. Brave adventurers, I call to you—who will be the first to explore it? If you are thinking about it, best you read the lore first.
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| Mad Scientist... crazy... eh-eh? I know it was a stretch, shut up! |
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| Didn't he mean stage acting? |
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| See what I did there? |
New Members!
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
Welp! I belonged to a few different communities back in the early 2000's, and 'retired' from RPing in about 2006. I hung up my hat until this year, when I decided to get back into it. So I Googled 'decent forum-based roleplaying', and Valucre was about the third hit on the results page or so. The first two hits were HUGE, but so impersonal, and Valucre felt welcoming, so I took a stab at joining, and it's worked out great ^_^ - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
Medieval Fantasy - by far, my favorite genre. I'm into long form, or I guess paragraph style posts, with a lot of depth and insight. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I hope to publish a series of novels over the next few years. Right now, I'm currently in the middle of the first book in the series. As far as RPing goes - I guess my longterm goal would be to find decent writing partners. I miss having them. haha ^_^'; - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I'm a photographer and designer by trade. Every part of my life speaks to my love of creating worlds and beautiful stories. One thing people generally find surprising when they meet me - is my love of videogames! I guess I don't look like the poster child for a lady gamer, so it surprises people when I start talking about them. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
Great! I don't think there's anything really that the staff could assist me with. I would say that there seems to be a large number of newcomers who don't read the rules or lore and just jump into a thread, which can be a little frustrating. Not sure how anyone would fix that, though. ^_^ But I'm having a great time finding other members that I connect with.
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
One day I felt like I wanted to try something new, and I wanted some new places to roleplay on, so I typed in "Good roleplayer forums" and got to a site that listed roleplayer forums ( and Valucre was the highest. So I created an accunt and started to explore. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
- I started roleplaying three years ago I think, it could mer more. I was just surfing around searching for Harry Potter stuff and sites(I really loved Harry Potter) and then found a Swedish Roleplaying site with Harry Potter roleplays. I started roleplaying and man, I was really bad in the beginning! I didn't quit understand roleplaying then(I was 11-12 so). But I got better, and after one years the site shut down because nobody wanted to take care of it. I moved along to other roleplaying siter(or more specific two), both in swedish. I roleplayed there since. I've gotten much better in my roleplay and writing and made a lot of friends in the process. I still roleplay on those two sites I mentioned.
I prefer roleplays when people write in he or she form(I honestly don't know what it's called in english). And when people write so you have something to answer, it dosen't matter how long or how many sentences there are in a answer, it just have to bring the roleplay foreward in some way. In genres I prefer love and romantic stuff, but I also like fantasy and roleplaying in book worlds(with own characters then). But I'm not picky, I can test new things.- Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
Well my long term goal before I got here was to begin to roleplay in english. But now I do that, but I wanna write stories in english too. But a goal is probably to finish a roleplay, it may seem impossible to some. But sometime I would like to have a roleplay when we have an end and that is the end, it could be long, it can be short but I wanna try it. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?I love to play computer games, I prefer adventure games, but I really like shooter games too! I also love to draw, I'm not that good but I just love it so much! And now to some things that may suprise you...Well I'm from Sweden, some may now this now. I can write pretty good english but when I speak english I'm terrible! I don't pronounce things so well....And another thing: I love Alice Cooper. I listen to him almost everyday and one of my dreams is to go on one of his concerts. Many seems to be suprised by this...Maybe because I'm not that old.
- How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
I really like Valucre, everyone is so kind here! I've gotten so many welcomes and started to talk with so nice people! And I really like the New Members forum, it's really good. I have do admit that I haven't checked everything out yet, but I'm a little confused in the roleplayforums, with the different world and things like that. I don't understand where I can post just roleplays that don't takes place in one of the worlds that already exist. But overall I really like this site and it's members! ;)
Chaerc
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I frequent a different roleplaying forum. It was there that someone mentioned Valucre, and had only good things to say about it. I was excited to check it out. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
It feels like a long time ago, but there was a gaming website called gametalk.com (it's gone now). I was spending time there talking about Pokemon games, and I stumbled across one of the roleplaying forums on the site. I already enjoyed writing, so I thought I'd give roleplaying a try. I'm not sure that I have a favorite type of roleplay. They are all fun to me. I suppose one of my favorite roleplays was fantasy-based, and our characters could each control an element. But the reason I liked it had more to do with the diversity and dynamics between our characters than the genre or plot. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I don't really, or at least none that are very concrete. I want to get to a point where I'm both confident of myself as a writer and proud of my work. I also want to be a versatile writer; I'm not interested in developing just one style and using it in every differing story/setting/situation. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I've training in various martial arts since about the 2nd grade, and people definitely don't expect that of me when we first meet! My other hobbies kind of come and go, although reading/writing is a constant. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
It's been honestly amazing. Everyone I've talked to -- both staff and members -- has been extremely welcoming, and everyone I've roleplayed with has been a great writer. The site is kind of overwhelming at first with all there is to learn about it, but the people here have been so helpful and accommodating. I love how Valucre is a structured world and yet really anything is possible -- as in the structure doesn't limit or box us in at all, while still providing opportunities that an unstructured site could not. The site seems to maintain that philosophy of freedom of creativity in every rule and FAQ that I read through.
Untrue Fires
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
My friend, who's known as Ganu_Canudali here. Met him over on another site, and I'm good friends, when I mentioned that I was looking for another site, he brought this up, so, I joined. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
I started writing short stories when I was fifteen, for a class project in Creative Writing. And that was fun, and I enjoyed it. Then, life got in the way for a while until last year, when I looked up a couple boards and joined them. As for the other question, I'm not some one genre writer, I do sci-fi and high fantasy best, but I'm willing to do anything. At that, I'm personally fond of combat, and adventures. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
Actually, I don't. I want to go into college for Info Tech, and writing is just a hobby. If I do end up going into writing, I'd definitely want to write short stories, along the lines of Sherlock Holmes, but in a High Fantasy setting. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I read a hell of a lot, and of course, I'm a gamer. This along with writing, and occasional cooking, is my main field. And for the second part of this, I'd prefer to not answer, as people are surprised about different things. Some see me in strange ways. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
Valucre so far has been awesome. The community here is great, it's really active, and it's staff is amazing. For my likes, I'd say the different areas, with different genres in each one, along with the people. Also, the staff here is so friendly, and welcoming. As for questions or any help needed, I don't think so, it's a pretty complete and easy to handle place it seems.
Carmen
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I stumbled onto Valucre because the internet. No one really bought me here, but I spent about three or four days lurking around before I finally got the galls to join, and oh boy, I am glad I did. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
What got me into role-play? Oh man, that's a loaded question. I started writing when I was in middle school, with my best friend. We were writing one word sentences and we wrote about the dumbest things, and from there it kind of graduated into writing even more. I'll write just about anything, from romance to fantasy to steampunk, horror, adventure, etc. You name it, I'll write it! - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I don't really have any long-term goals with writing, just having fun. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
For my free time, I just listen to music and dance a lot. I'm terrible at it, but it makes me happy, so don't judge me. I suppose, if I had to tell you one thing about me that people normally don't know, it would be that English isn't my first language. It's my third! - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
It has been interesting, challenging, exciting, and inspiring. I like that it has it's own predetermined world, which was VERY intimidating and confusing to me the first few days. I stuck it out because I was determined to make my already existing rp fit into the Valucre planet, but more so because the people here were absolutely awesome. I got help from every possible angle, and could not believe how friendly and welcoming everyone was. I continue to ask questions, and people continue to answer them with a willingness and grace that I've just never seen happen on other websites.
Reinholdt
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I was searching for a new RP place. I poked a few other sites before ending up here via the Top RP sites list.. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
Which version? I've always had an overactive imagination I can't shut off, so role-playing was just a natural transition. I like the fantasy adventuring genre, though interwoven heavily withmajor psychological traumacharacter growth. Corruption and/or redemption stories also fascinate me to an unsettling degree. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
- I mostly wish to work on my descriptive capabilities and proactive character actions. I'm far too used to smaller, reactive oriented posts that concentrate heavily on the action over the feelings or the details. While there's nothing particularly wrong with that style, it doesn't help me with working my intended series of novels.
- I guess I should also work on settings and world building for that series, but one step at a time.
- What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
Games. What kind you ask? All of them. Video games, board games, card games, naughty games, role-playing games, etc. If I don't have my mind pre-occupied with my addiction to escapism, I get bored. And then bad things happen. Also, cats but that should be fairly obvious. I can't think about many interesting things about me that doesn't fall into those two purviews and isn't immediately obvious. I guess people find it fairly surprising that I actually don't read any books at all. It certainly is dichotomous of me. I mean I've tried, but books just bore me immensely. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
- Well the staff is certainly the best I've ever encountered in my internet travels. Things are quite different here, especially combat and the somewhat intimidating T1 system. Granted, I still have only my limited experience at Tavern of Legends. I liked the idea of a random encounter to help teach combat, but thus far I've seen wildly different posting styles and no real comment on what's considered good or bad form. Or perhaps all of it is typical and accepted? I'm unsure. Maybe some sort of constructive feedback would help? I know how that can go pretty awry though. I'm probably overthinking it all really. I tend to do that.
- From what I've read, I rather like the canonization process. A neat and efficient way to contribute to the overarching world.
Mendicant
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
My love for role playing bought me here, I actually found the place by searching something along the lines of "free form rp" on google. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
My father got me into role playing with a loose game of Dungeons and Dragons that I played with my cousins. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I hope to just advance with my writing skills, being an author would be great, but I don't see it happening, so it'd mostly be for leisurely purposes such as role playing here on Valucre. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
Another hobby of mine is strategy games, I mostly play Starcraft, but I like a lot of other games of the genre, whether turn-based or real-time. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
My experience has been good, I'm just hoping I can start role playing up to snuff with the oldies of the site. There isn't much you guys can help me with besides role playing with me, whether you think I'm bad or good!
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I was invited by a couple members from one of the online writer's groups I'm in. Neat huh? You'll probably hear this again because I think we're all liking the idea of using this place for communal writing exercises. No offense intended. I imagine some real love will develop. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
RP? I like the idea it'll get me into a writing routine. I enjoy Romance and High Fantasy very much. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I have problems with composition, actually, so it is my hope collaborative efforts will help break me of that. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I fantasize about things warm, cute, and fuzzy, and sincerely wish everyone reading this a moment's peace to smile today (many more smiles if possible), but I'm not all flowers, hearts, and candy. I push for happiness because I know what sadness is. I write of life more brutally than one might expect of someone who calls herself "Serene Tranquility". - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
- My Valucrean experience has been neat so far. I keep hearing nice things about the staff here and that's wonderful. "Talk to them, be reasonable, and they'll work with you," someone told me. Oh, and she also said you guys are "easy to approach" and "don't be shy." She's probably right. If regular members are saying good things and encouraging people to make goals here, than that says something good about management. Right?
- I've no major aspirations but to write a sob story so I doubt you'll hear from me very often.
Other Highlights?
Much like this Frozen meme that is surely got you going Ape with me, I wish I could just let these highlights go. Much in a fashion as depicted in that picture. That's letting something go alright.
The World Lore Page: This was put together by a new member, but I totally loved it. A breakdown to help people interested in creating a new race, but not sure where to begin or what to cover. This gives you plenty of ground to cover. Well done, highly recommend taking a look.
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| When you can't hold it anymore... |
The World Lore Page: This was put together by a new member, but I totally loved it. A breakdown to help people interested in creating a new race, but not sure where to begin or what to cover. This gives you plenty of ground to cover. Well done, highly recommend taking a look.
Did You Know- About the Find a Role-Play button? It's easy to use and very helpful! If you want a quick and easy role-play to join, hit this button and the most recently active threads tagged as "Open" will come right up. To learn more, check it out here. While you are at it, read the rest of the Did You Knows too.
Closing Thoughts?
Here we go; the big reveal. Why did I decide to dig up a
meme that is more persistent than Ralph Nader with an Undying
MTG deck? Two reasons, if you must know. The first, is that I needed something
to roll with and that struck me as funny at the time, so I went with it. The
second reason is that it served as a primer, preparing you to deal with me
jumping up and down on yet another “dead horse topic”, because that is what I
like to beat. Dead horses- squishier the better. Essentially, I used a tired
out meme to prepare you for a subject that is already tiring itself out—“overexposeddiscussioninception!” said
the person who looks like Ted. (Button courtesy
of Spacegy… don’t ask how many times I played with it tonight >>).
Okay, enough silliness; let us get serious.
You are all literate individuals using the internet, so I
will not insult your intelligence by assuming you did not hear about what
happened to Mr. Robin Williams, though if this came as a spoiler to you, I am
both sorry for your loss and sorry for your clear lack of regular communication
with the outside world, in spite of an internet connection. Here I said I was
going to get serious—and I am, I swear, but the way I am going about this…
well, I think this is the approach he would best identify with anyway. Robin
Williams was an absolutely silly man, who approached both the serious and
dramatic with this light hearted humor that just made you smile. Yes, I am
coming around to a serious point, but making light of the approaching topics is
something he would have done. A famous bit from Patch Adams says as much on the
subject of life and death.
My two cents on that at least, and hell, you’re reading my
closing thoughts, so that’s what you get. Unless you’re Canadian, in which case
I’ll round it up and give you a nickel.
Perhaps I have that out of my system and will now move on
with the actual intent of these closing thoughts—there are two aspects here.
The first is having a frank chat on mental illness, suicidality and awareness,
and the second half will be connecting this back to writing, as this is a blog
about writing and role-playing. I thought about not connecting the two, leaving
these closing thoughts only as a piece with the first half displayed, but I
feel it necessary to stick to the roots of this blog’s purpose, even when
putting out an important message.
It is a sad thing that it usually takes a tragedy to bring
out the important discussions, but we’ll leave the examination of human nature
for another time. For now, we’ll just sit comfortably with the knowledge that
it never seemed like something to bring up until it was brought to the public
stage, ironic, considering a similar event hit me on a personal level last
fall. Perhaps in dealing with something much closer, it makes you forget about
talking and focus on the processing and moving on—so by the time you’re back in
here writing, you’re on to other subjects. When someone you grew up admiring
and appreciating does the same, you have just enough detachment to come out and
open the discussion.
This piece is not about passing judgment or making value
statements on the act itself, so please do not read this with expectations of
an official position in that regard. Instead, what I want to say (finally) is
that serious depression and thoughts of suicide is serious and should be taken seriously, both by the person who
experiences it and the people surrounding that individual. Yes, too often
people sometimes attribute a person’s morose behaviors with being that person’s
baseline, but if that person expresses something a little more—please listen.
Please pay attention and be willing to lend a hand if that person has decided
to extend it one more time.
If you are that person, the one who is struggling with the
decision to reach out for support or to take it back and take your own life
instead, I ask—no plead with you, get help. Call someone you know you can trust
to make good decisions and to support you. Call one of the many hotlines
available- all you need to do is make a quick google search. They are free,
they are there to help, and they are trained in helping you get past the worst
moments of depression’s grasp so you can carry on long enough to get to someone
who can assist you in getting through the long term. If your feelings are
frequent and lasting, do yourself a favor and get to a support group- and in
person support group, one with people who are there.
Human social contact does wonders for you, even if you have a hard time believing it. Yes, getting up and leaving is hard, but if you have the energy and drive to consider harming yourself, I ask that you make that one last effort to go talk to someone, to meet with people, to find support and keep pushing forward, because it does eventually pass and it does get better. Suicide is a hard thing, and the controversy flares up for a reason. Suicide is much like casting a stone into still waters. You think all you have done is given up one stone, a single piece of rock that never affected anyone. Yet, when the stone hits the water, it leaves ripples- ripples that reach out far and wide, sometimes from shore to shore. We are all stones casting ripples, but suicide is something that weighs us down and makes the stone that much more massive.
Human social contact does wonders for you, even if you have a hard time believing it. Yes, getting up and leaving is hard, but if you have the energy and drive to consider harming yourself, I ask that you make that one last effort to go talk to someone, to meet with people, to find support and keep pushing forward, because it does eventually pass and it does get better. Suicide is a hard thing, and the controversy flares up for a reason. Suicide is much like casting a stone into still waters. You think all you have done is given up one stone, a single piece of rock that never affected anyone. Yet, when the stone hits the water, it leaves ripples- ripples that reach out far and wide, sometimes from shore to shore. We are all stones casting ripples, but suicide is something that weighs us down and makes the stone that much more massive.
I’m making my transition now, but here is a resource
should you or a loved one ever need it.
Coming back around to writing, we can think of our
characters like rocks as well. Not rocks like they are as interesting as a box
of rocks or have as much going on in their head as a sack full of rocks
rattling around- no, I mean they are the proverbial stone through into the lake
of life, each one lost echoing as ripples, touching many, many others. Some of
our characters are small, so perhaps their stone is not as big or as wide, or
perhaps their stone is big, but only when specifically looked at by a
particular group, and since the perspective of this story never sees that
group, we the readers will never know.
Characters are stones, and some of them have great mass.
When a character dies, they will leave ripples in their story, reaching out and
touching other people often in ways they never understood. This does not just
apply to characters that have harmed themselves but to any character that dies
in the story period. The greater our character, the bigger their stone is as it
is cast into the lake, forever lost. If we have the right perspective, we can
see much of where those waves are going, and who they will touch before they
lose energy and cease.
Much in the same way that we are all people who leave
impressions on each other and therefore leave ripples in the lives we leave
behind, do the same for your characters. Even if they start out as a loner who
could not care about others much beyond their usefulness, they will eventually
touch the lives of others (for better or worse) and their death will have a noticeable
impact. As you develop your character, make sure that you take the time to give
him those connections, to treat him as a real human being who will make friends
and enemies, acquaintances and neighbors. Ensure others will notice when he’s
gone.
That way, when your story parts ways with that character,
plunging them into what is assumed inescapable death, you will be able to trace
the ripples. To watch where waves go when the character is gone, deciding who
in the story gets hit with the worst of it and who hardly notices a thing. Draw
out your story, as the story of that character does not truly end with the
character’s end, but instead it follows through with the others who will miss
them, and by addressing that too, you add depth and dimension to your plots, a
while showing just how important that lost character was.
That’s my time everyone, take care.
- Acies
"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.". ~ Robin Williams
Friday, August 8, 2014
Daytime...
Who Actually Wants to Get Up Then?
Seriously, getting up in the daytime? My circadian rhythm is
about ready to do a table-flip, it’s so mad at me. Granted, I’m naturally a
night-owl sort and I have grown very used to getting up late evening or in the
afternoons, depending on how my schedule rolls. Getting up early in the day to
go to work during normal business hours? Yeah, my body is about ready to throw
a fit. It’s my excuse of the week for why the blog is sort of lackluster, with
the change in schedule the reason why it’s late (that I had no control over).
Let’s cut to it and have ourselves a blog.
Let’s cut to it and have ourselves a blog.
What's Happening Valucre?
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| It's beautiful on the inside! Stop being so judgmental. |
In addition to that, people can also expect a thread going up that specializes in the simulated battle arena, only rather than just sparring with each other or the bouncer for kicks, you will spar with the bouncer while learning the *basics* of T1. This area will not promise anything of the sort when it comes to becoming a “Good” T1-ist, but instead will help you learn the basics and get to a point where are capable of fighting in T1 based battles or spars. In the future, other entries into the battle simulator will have its own thread, so you can spar it out without having your posts get lost in the mix with other tavern activities.
The other big piece of news regarding the tavern is you can expect tavern related quests to be coming soon. They will be shorter and require less work, serving as like an introduction to questing inside Valucre. Given that they are easier quests with less posting requirements, they will pay less than the standard quest as well, but it will be an early way to accumulate some VB while you still get a feel for the site. If you want to check it out, click this button.
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| Where was that front door? |
The city’s lowest tier is made up of a rabble population consisting of criminal gangs and the very poor. Lawfulness exists in low quantities here, with much of the ‘justice’ and regulation carried out by the roving gangs. The middle tier itself holds the humans and consist of business owners or other successful people, this middle class enjoying many luxuries and comforts. The upper class are elite vampires who rule the city, overseeing laws and politics.
The city also has a well-developed Watch consisting of three different types of troops, each with their own abilities and special status. Vanguards are entirely human, a troop consisting of highly skilled warriors and some magic users, a position some children grow up dreaming of one day occupying. The Carmine Elite are assassins and knights made of only vampires, highly efficient and deadly in their tasks. The last are the High Inquisitors, magic using vampires who only answer to the king. They are so rare that many people have not even seen one in their lifetime.
The city is new and the is already a wealth of lore available to you—go read it!
| Disclaimer: We cannot promise you will look this cool. |
A snippet on the "Blood War": The Blood War had been raging for millennia now, a battle that spanned entire planes and saw the logical Baatezu, red skinned devils, pitted against the chaotic and daemonic Tanar'ri. In the world of the immortal though, time held little meaning, and so new recruits were hurled into the fray, like kindling for the fire, with each passing day. Amongst these fiends, however, there were some creatures so savage, that their very presence was used to shock enemy outposts into submission; beasts bred for bloodshed and victors of a thousand campaigns. It was these monsters that Malice first encountered when he too decided to dabble in their domain, though in him they found their match; for he was an adversary without fear, a warrior without compare that slew with unparalleled skill.
Rather than destroying those he defeated though, the Great Devourer bound them to his banner; forging a legion from the most seasoned scum the Daemons had to offer. In the years that followed, Malice's army cut a bloody swathe across the planes, conquering entire nations with his new found strength; but history would always remember the day that a juggernaut held their ground, refusing to flee before ten thousand jaws.
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| These look... fabulous! |
Currently, Witch is heading up a pirate Team who will be attacking Coastal Grande, a hard to beat place with high reward potential. Bradapalooza will be heading up the guard defense with some allies over in Kuratel. If I recall correctly, his roster is full, so you can’t fight with him, but you can fight against him. ;)
New Members!
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
Through the top RP sites list. Valucre was among the top 3. :) - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
I was a long-time RP-er and moderator in various sites, I have RP in both chat and play-by-post style. :) My favorite style is play-by-post, genre? I enjoy most kinds of fiction, from sci-fy to fantasy, from grimdark to fluffy rainbows. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
Yes! Since English is my 2nd language, RP-ing means a lot in honing my English to fluency, also I am a writer at heart and I love to unleash my imagination through Roleplaying. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I love video games, 3rd person shooters, and fighting games. Hmmm... something unexpected from me? Some people told me that they didn't expect English is my 2nd language. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
Absolutely terrific! Wunderbar! I have everything sorted out here. The community is active, friendly, amazing and the staffs are helpful and truly act like leaders and mentors, not bosses. :)
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
Nogusta talked to me about this place and told me to check it out, that I might find it interesting. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
I write a lot, usually in french and mostly novels but I think it is always good to practice a language when it isn't your mother tongue so role-play is a good way to work it out. I like many different styles but I think psychological evolution all through a story is the most important. I am into fantasy a lot, ancient style or futuristic. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I have writen a few novels in french. There is a series I am trying to finish but having a kid and being back to school doesn't leave me a lot of time. However, whenever I have some time for myself, I am writing or drawing. As for role-play, I do it for fun mostly in my free time. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
Chess, Martial Arts, Science, Meditation, Home Décor, Cooking, Playing Pool, Drawing, Singing, Taking pictures, Gaming, Artistic Make-up, etc... Many more actually, I am interested in almost everything. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
So far I've only had the chance of sharing some of my art. I was out of town so I didn't spend a lot of time around here. I expect to be participating to some role-play whenever I get the chance. I like how active this site seems. I had many people giving me warm welcomes. This place seems friendly but also, it seems like the people here are interesting to share with. As for help, not for the moment, when I will have more time, I'll try to figure stuff by myself but I will make sure to ask someone if anything.
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
Sporkmcfarglesnark told me about it because I was really struggling with Tumblr/Gaia roleplay 8') - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
Having made up stories about all the characters I draw, I just really wanted to make worlds for them and see how they would interact with people others have made! I'd have to say that I really love drama and character building, but fantasy/sci fi are my fave~ - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I'd really love to get to the point where I get confident to start up my web comic. I'm a skilled artist and animator, it's just my writing isn't where I'd like it to be yet, and I know roleplay can help me get a lot better! Plus it's the funnest thing to do :D - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I draw and do 2d animation. I'm also in school for my master's degree in game art. Something interesting about myself? Um...there's really not much other than my love of drawing and writing! I guess getting married is something most people don't expect either haha! - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
IT'S BEEN AMAZING! I absolutely love it here. Everyone is so kind and so helpful and so very eager to lend a helping hand or a friendly word. It's such a shift from all the hateful comments on Tumblr and Gaia roleplay. I feel like this is an actual safe place and I feel so comfortable here and I haven't even posted in my first thread yet. Soon, though!
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
When I was born, I was captured by Leonardo DeCaprio. He was preparing for his role as Jack in the Titanic franchise, but you see I was playing the role of his best friend, Marcus. So we got along but then Leo decided it would be a nice idea to drive the ship into a giant ice-burg. This made me extremely upset, because I fell a million miles underwater when the ship capsized. Then after being pulled ashore on the land of Valucre, this nice lady named Rin, said "Hello", and henceforth I am here. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
Roleplay is fun for all of the obvious reasons. It lets you dive into another person's life and see how they would react. I actually try my best not to get emotionally attached to any of the characters that I create. It makes me feel like a mad scientist, I am putting these people in random environments and only write how I think that person would act, then I study other people's reactions. It really helps me link actions and reactions. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
My long term goals for this website would be able to create a long story following the adventures of one of my characters, who I have created. Meaning I will have them travel through multiple threads and finish with their own thread and conclusion. I have a handful of characters to choose from right now, but I am not sure which one I should use. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
One of my hobbies is playing music. I know how to play the guitar, bass, ukulele, and a little bit of the mandolin. I am a member of a band with a couple of my other friends. Also, I am attempting to design psychological experiments in my spare time over the next couple of years. And I guess, people would not expect me to be such a dork when they first meet me, but I am. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
My time on Valucre has been okay so far, the only disappointing thing is when I enter a thread and it slowly dies before reaching completion, but I suppose that's true for everyone. And as staff, I don't know. The Big Man on campus; Carlos. And yourself as well as a couple of other people have offered help. I guess I just need to get up to date on the politics of Valucre, but perhaps I will learn about that as I go along, however if there is anything super important I need to know, please tell me.
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I wanted to redo an old rp as a dedication to a friend (old rp buddy) and a former Valcure user recommended it to me. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
I met my current BFF on another website, and having many things in common, we got to know each other and became fast friends. I prefer fantasy, medieval fantasy, and post apocalyptic, but I'm usually open for anything and everything. In other aspects, I love reading and writing long posts, lore-rich story ideas, and the mystery and excitement of following a collaboration wherever it leads. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
I've always loved writing with other people and interweaving the different subplots, but I also used role-play as a way to help young writers develop better grammar, better storytelling skills, and their own personal style. I also use it as a combatant of writer's block (relating to whatever I happen to be writing outside of role-play.) That continues to be the case, now going on ten years, so I guess it always will be. As a novelist, I am still working up the courage to try publishing my WIP as well as 35 years worth of completed novels. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
Reading. Watching high fantasy movies. Playing action/advent or RPG video games like Zelda, Mario, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, and Final Fantasy X, as well as first-person shooters like Far Cry, and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Repairing/rebuilding computers. Studying/researching all aspects of human medicine, criminology, law, the military, and all cultural and geology/geographical history - American, European, Asian, etc. As for the second question, I don't know if this would be necessarily interesting, but it's certainly weird. I got the raised eyebrows, the widened eyes, and the "no-way"s when people find out that I'm a major gamer and computer geek, but all because I listen to a very unusual grouping of music - rap, punk, heavy metal, Christian, classical, rock from the fifties to date, and old country. I have an appreciation for nearly every kind of music. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
It has been interesting, challenging, exciting, and inspiring. I like that it has it's own predetermined world, which was VERY intimidating and confusing to me the first few days. I stuck it out because I was determined to make my already existing rp fit into the Valucre planet, but more so because the people here were absolutely awesome. I got help from every possible angle, and could not believe how friendly and welcoming everyone was. I continue to ask questions, and people continue to answer them with a willingness and grace that I've just never seen happen on other websites.
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
What brought me here was just me searching for a role play site and I found this one. I actually like it because of the many locations it has. - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
I got into role play from a couple friends who did it and they introduced me to it. Favorite types are anything involving vampires and things like that. - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
No I do not. - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I bake and I am good at it. Interesting thing is that I can speak 8 different languages. - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
It has been good. I might have said already what I like in the first question's reply. But you guys do not need anything to do help me because you are going a good job already.
- What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
Google O: Someone asked about a good rp forum and this was what someone else said O: I was looking for a good place to rp since the place I am currently rping on is not a rp site. O: It is a anime forum so rping is not what they do. Most of the rps there died or just not my thing. O: - What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?
A friend of mine on another anime site ran a rp group.O: I use to enter the rp contest which were art based to help her activity.O: I won most of them so she said why not join in.O: I never did it before so I was sure why not O: It was a Naruto based on and I like naruto so I stated and enjoyed it O: From there I joined a Bleached based on and then many other and it is now 6-7 years or so later O: I enjoy pretty much anything where I can use magic as those are more fun to me then non magic but I do enjoy those too O: Done both the big 3 anime rps more often but done some of everything O: I tend to use the same char and like to tie that into which ever rp I am working in O: - Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?
Passes time and I enjoy it. O: Also gives me ideas for the book I am currently working on O: - What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?
I am a gfx artist as well a a off and on Yugioh player O: Foruming is what I tend to do most of the time when not working or out in the real world.O: I spend most of my time at work,home or hanging out at the tattoo shop my home boy works out of. So I am pretty tattooed up O: Idk, pretty much most things about me O: I am tattooed and have dreads so I look like black guy number 46343553 O: So once people see I am not like the "Black People" that tend to have the same look as me, tis a fun trip for them O: I am a very different person from most and until you know me, you never know what to expect O: - How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?
Pretty good so far.O: At first I was not sure how to start or how things worked as this is my first rp site.O: I was not sure I would fit in or even find a place that would take me in O: I didnt know where to start and how about going about it O: But then everyone jumped in and helped me with all my questions O: I still only know a small corner of this place but I am working my way into it all.O: The starter tavern is a great idea though I made one post and then found a rp to join O: If I didnt I would have used it more to see where I could go to rp since that was the hardest part for me O:
Other Highlights?
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| Highlights. Reel. Get it? I crack myself up. |
Did You Know- About the portal page? Yep, we have one, and it shows you important announcements and recent RP posts. To learn more, check it out here. While you are at it, read the rest of the Did You Knows too.
Closing Thoughts?
I'm cheating again, because I am not feeling so great and I would rather have this up for you now with something not of my own writing than make you wait another day or two while my body settles down from how irked it is that my sleep schedule got flipped upside down. I'm not doing a good job thinking of subjects to write about this week and I hardly trust myself to write something longer than a few paragraphs without getting lost and inserting a bunch of nonsensical material that has little connection to the coherently formed sentences before it. On top of that, I need to go to bed in a little over an hour, and I rarely spend that short of a time in putting out some closing thoughts. Generally, those turn into a couple hours minimum.
All that said, here is something from Seanan McGuire that I liked, talking about how the English language can be such a difficult pain. It's worth contemplating, so I leave you with that.
All that said, here is something from Seanan McGuire that I liked, talking about how the English language can be such a difficult pain. It's worth contemplating, so I leave you with that.
Thoughts on Writing #2: Your Grammar Is Eating The Neighbors.
...what's sad is that this is nicer and less snarky than the first essay in this series. Just in case you'd wondered whether I was mellowing. The original thought:
The rules of English grammar were devised by an evil linguist who had a bone to pick with the adherents of the more traditional schools of the written word. They laughed at him in the academy, and we bastards are still paying today. You don't need to have a perfect grasp of the seventeen thousand (occasionally conflicting) rules to be a writer; that's what editors and proofreaders are for. At the same time, you can't just throw a bunch of words at the page and expect to have all your work done for you. Learn the basic rules of punctuation and grammar before you subject other people to your work. They can squabble over the Oxford commas at their leisure.
Ready?
Let's begin.English Is A Monster.
Those of us who grew up with English may not be consciously aware of what every "English as second language" person in the world knows full well: English is hard. Our grammar is needlessly complicated, full of pit-traps and sneak attacks. Constructing a sentence in English is sort of like trying to snatch six specific garter snakes out of a nest. The nest has been buttered. Also, the snakes bite. Now, once you've been juggling garter snakes—or speaking English—for a few years, you can generally get the six snakes you want with a minimum of trouble. But they'll always be buttered, and they'll always have teeth.
We have a language built on the stolen bones of other languages. The people responsible for "creating" English were basically playing Dr. Frankenstein, using spare parts to make something capable of smashing the local village. I use the term "creating" loosely, because English wasn't created as much as it just, well, evolved. People looked up one day and realized that they were speaking this weird new language, and by that point, they were used to it, so they didn't stop. I mean, the nice thing about Frankenstein's Monster is that it's big, flexible, and pretty damn difficult to kill. You can always bring it back with a set of jumper cables and a car battery, and that's a useful trait to have in a monster, or in a language. The big thing to remember is that, at the end of the day, it may be friendly, but it's still a monster. There's always the chance that it's going to kidnap your wife, crush your neighbor, and go rampaging off down the street.>
It is easier to be unclear in English than it is in almost any other language, partially because of its innate flexibility. There's a running joke on NCIS—a television procedural—about a foreign-born character misspeaking and mangling her idioms, because, ha ha, English is hard. Well, guess what? English is hard. Anyone who tells you that English isn'thard is either delusional or trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Possibly because their own personal monster of English is getting hungry...
Right, Get The Torches.
Put down the torch, hotshot: English may be a monster, but it has its uses. As I said before, it's big, flexible, and pretty damn difficult to kill. And it can express almost anything you want. This is a language that has so many wonderful words that we regularly allow old ones to fall out of common use, replacing them with shiny new words, like buying new parts for our monster. This is a language that we can use to knock downother people's villages. We just need to be certain that we know how to control it.
Now, I could pretend to be all-knowing and give you a lot of instructions on how not to split an infinitive and how to avoid overly complex sentences, but let's get real: I am not an English teacher. I'd just be parroting information out of books, and while I'd like to think that my parroting would be amusing, it wouldn't be any better than what's already out there. I do recommend that you pick up On Writing, by Stephen King, and Strunk and White's Elements of Style. One book will teach you basically everything you need to know about the strict rules of making your monster do what you want it to do. The other will teach you some handy tips about making your monster dance the hokey-pokey. Both are good things to know, and both are going to be a lot more useful to you than all the parroting in the world.
If you're really confused about the way that grammar works, take a class! Most community colleges offer basic English courses. Note that I'm not saying "take a class that teaches you how to write"—you'll do that, or you won't do that, based on your own needs and what you personally feel will help you grow as a writer. I'm saying "take a class that teaches you about the language." English grammar is the way it is because its creator was laughed at in university. Maybe if you go to university, you can learn how to stop laughing and start understanding why it felt the need to smash your barn.
I'm really enjoying this monster metaphor. Can you tell?
But My Grammar Is Good Enough For Teh Intarwebs!
...ow, my brain. Look: everything is good enough for "teh Intarwebs." That is, really, the beauty of the Internet. With the click of a button, you can become a published author. When I finish something, I have the power to put it right up online. Bam. Now, being as I'm me, I'm always going to proofread it and run it by a few people first, but I couldpublish it the second it's finished. No one's standing over my shoulder saying "I think you spelled that wrong." No one's going to smack me for splitting an infinitive, or for constructing a sentence so convoluted that my point gets lost in a forest of modifiers. Well, Brooke might, but that would be after the fact; the the words would still be out there. No one is grading the Internet.
The thing to remember here is context. Vixy and I regularly have entire conversations in LOLcat, and Shawn and I mostly just make incoherent dinosaur noises at each other via IM. That's totally fine. But I'm not going to read a novel written in either of those styles. "Good enough for the Internet" doesn't mean that your grammar is any good; it just means that your personal equivalent of Brooke has not yet smacked you on the head and dragged you off to the Lagoon for a little remedial education.
I am very loose with language in my blogging, because it's my blog; I can be loose with the language if I want. I abuse punctuation freely and without qualms. I insert random capitals in the middle of my sentences for emphasis. I make up words. I use really big words without necessarily giving the surrounding context to avoid confusing my readers. Periodically, I devolve into LOLcat for no reason beyond "I wanted to." The more I learn about grammar and punctuation, the less I do some of these things, just because I'm training myself out of bad habits. At the same time, there are things I used to do carelessly that I now do on purpose. I see the rules. I choose to let my monster smash them.
When I'm writing fiction, or even serious non-fiction, I get a lot more careful with the way I word and structure things. I don't want to risk confusing and alienating people by mistake; I want to do it on purpose. I have people read and review me, and when I get the same critique from multiple sources, I tend to take little crash-courses in the way to make my monster work for my benefit. Nothing says "learn how to control your monster" like being told exactly what it's doing wrong.
The Internet is where you can let your monster rampage. Everywhere else, you may need to give it a little training.
So I'm Basically Screwed.
Yes and no. No matter how much you train your monster, it's always going to be a monster. Nothing you or I or anyone else can do is going to change that. You could try writing in a different language, but that's going to raise a whole new set of problems.
At the same time, you can learn to control your monster, at least well enough that the people who do this professionally can recognize its potential and guide you along. Maybe you'll never develop a consistent approach to the Oxford comma, but if that's the only mess your monster's making, your line-editors are really unlikely to care. No one expects perfection. They just expect the house to still be standing when you and your monster leave.
Good luck, and remember, stay away from the castle.
That's it for the week. See you next time.
- Acies
"Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.". ~ Lloyd Alexander
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