Greetings, fellow writers!

A new week, a new blog, and this one is only a couple of days late. I seem to be getting at least a little better about this regular blogging routine.

Let us cut to the chase, because I am sure that no one out there reading much cares for my endless lines of excuses, and believe me, I could generate them all day.

So, What’s Happening Valucre?

Supernal is out of the office- as mentioned in the previous week, Supernal is taking some R&R, out of the country no less- lucky bastard. Anyway, my feelings of envy aside, the top man is out of the office for the week, and anything important will have to go through with one of the other admins. If you were really itching to greet the man when he came to greet you in your ‘I’m New’ thread, you will just have to register next week. :P

OIC is Recruiting, and Plans… OIC is still seeking recruitments, and is currently planning a massive undertaking. If you miss the old days of clan wars, this just might be for you. Right now, OIC looks to invade Atland, and steal the rug from beneath the group Shift. It is going to take a lot of careful planning and many characters to pull this one through, so if you want to get in on something big, here is your chance.

And… that’s kinda all I have for this week in terms of what’s new. The week has been sort of slow, and what was popular last week remains so this week. However, let’s toss in a new segment:

Say Hello to Our New Friends!

And now, I shall list the new people who have posted greetings, in the last week.

Welcome, Znagmega!

Welcome, ingénue!

Welcome, Demenyx*!

Welcome, Artemis Obauldi!

Welcome, Star Sentinel!

Welcome, Sparkydoo!

Welcome, Dante Lucius Faris!

And welcome to any others who registered recently, but more than a week prior. If anyone here feels less than familiar with play by post role-playing, or less than comfortable with Valucre lore, they should try out The Tavern of Legends.

Other Highlights?

Here is your random bits for the week:

Vabullion- What is it, and how do I earn it?

Valbullion is the site currency, which you can use to purchase things from the mod shop, such as username highlighting, colors, name changes, etc. You can also get custom titles, and decorate those titles as you see fit. In the market place, you can purchase IC items that others have put up, which, without purchase, you have no access to in the IC world of Valucre. Another possible item- buying your own plot of space in Valucre, but this requires a lot of money and some support from other members.

How you earn VB (as it is commonly referred to), is through one of these possible means:

1. Post in an IC area: You get 4pts per post.
2. Start your own RP thread. You get 1pt every time someone posts in it, including yourself.
3. Complete a quest for one of the board owners- this nets you VB rewards that vary, but are typically in the hundreds.
4. Refer a new member, it gets you 30vb.
5. Donate to the site! The more you do, the more VB you get.
6. Take up a staff position- you get paid based on merit and based on how long ago you last asked. You also get a discount in the shop (for board items, not custom user items).
7. Beg. Some people are nice enough to give it away. Just don’t ask for ludicrous amounts, like 6,000vb. :P

Vote for Us!

Hey, you really enjoy the site, and want to help out with its rise in popularity? Well, you absolutely can! Up at the tabs, you will find your community tab. Under this heading, is an option called- ‘vote for us’, which brings you to a page with lots of options for voting to give Valucre a boost. You may also visit our askville query, in which someone asks, where is the best RP site. This gets quite a few hits, so voting up Valucre answers is really helpful!

Closing Thoughts?

I saw a great exchange not too long ago, and thought it would make a good closing thought.

Someone asked if there is any problem with taking a character from another universe, and bringing them to Valucre- in particular, a pre-existing character from popular fiction. The examples given were something like ‘Goku’ or Hellboy. Now, the answer to that is absolutely, if that is your wish, so long as nobody else has that character already- it would be confusing to have six Gokus running around. However, while this is allowed, a thought comes up- do you really want to play the character, just solely to play the character, or because you want to pay homage to the character?

Sometimes, we just really like a character, and we would like to play with them. However, you might find that it is not the character itself you need- you are not doing a fan tribute RP in and of itself, but rather, a fan tribute to the character. If such is the case, then why not create a character who is more or less the same, with a few minor differences- such as the name. By creating something different, you free yourself up to the changes in characterization that may occur, and allow them to happen naturally, without being forced into the character’s pre-established patters.

If you worry that someone will call you out on ‘ripping them off’, put right in their character profile that they ARE a tribute character- wear the badge proudly. Most people are going to be just fine with it, if you give credit where its due. Anyway, isn’t that what paying homage is about anyway? ;)

Treat it like you are doing a cover song- some are remarkably similar, but still have a bit of the new band’s flavor added to it.

That’s my thought for today.

See you next week!

-          Acies

Wizards was my homage to Tolkien in the American idiom. I had read Tolkien, understood Tolkien, and wanted to do a sort of fantasy for American kids, and that was Wizards.

-          Ralph Bakshi