Today's Update is Brought to You By...

Sleep Deprivation!

Yeah, I stayed up for that meeting scheduled for yesterday, and it ran on for a while, cutting into my sleep window significantly. Therefore, if this blog seems a little off, loaded with errors or just plain goofy- blame it on the powers that be for putting the responsibility of your blog into the hands of a man who isn't sure of what the date is (I kid I kid). 

In all seriousness, if this one is a little rough around the edges, it is because I am running a bit behind my baseline today, so bear with me. Otherwise, let's take a look at what's brewing down in Valucre! 

So, What's Happening Valucre?

Role-Play as Yourself- I admit, the idea is a bit of a different one, but that's why I chose to point it out- it is something a bit different. The idea going on with this RP set is to see how you might interact with a world like Valucre if you are playing yourself. This is not something likely to get canonized, but in terms of trying something new and stretching those RP muscles- why not? It gets you thinking a little more about what it would be like to live in a world like ours (from the inside, not looking in from the outside ;) ). Anyway, here's the link: RP as yourself!

Represent Your Nation- Now, this looks like it has filled, but sometimes these T-1 tournament events can be a lot of fun to watch, and sometimes less experienced people can learn something new. I thought I'd highlight it for some to check it out, and see how a tournament works out. :) - Represent your nation

Hey- Reader test! If you leave a comment below telling me which city you would represent (as well as your Valucre username), I will send you 20vb- 5rp posts worth! Let's see how many of you are following along. :D

Vanity's End: A Black Tarantula Event- Remember this from the last update? Vanity's End is a party being held at The Black Tarantula. It's a mirror-superstition themed event, open to any who wish to participate. This event begins TOMORROW, Friday the 14th. Are you ready? Let's give support for this user event, put together by members of our site to generate awesome RP. We had a Gala go off exceptionally well, can we do it again? I think so, you guys are awesome like that. :)

Check it out here: Black Tarantula Event

Rulers and Activities for Genesaris- I am going to be going through and getting this sorted through, to determine where we still have openings and what places might become available again due to a failure in follow through by someone who reserved a spot. ANYONE can request to take a position inside a city, where they will have the ability to contribute to lore, create IC events, and affect the way a city is operating- all for FREE. That's right, no VB required. All you have to pledge is your promise to make the EFFORT to generate activity. We just want to see that, if we leave it in your hands, you are going to take care of that location with the same care one of us would if we were to maintain control. :)

Say Hello to Our New Friends!

Welcome, Mr_Fiend

Welcome, LupoSolitario

Welcome, Dark Templar

Welcome, Avvercus

Welcome, Graceful Grace

Welcome, Chaoticdownpour

Welcome, Kitsune

Welcome, Deghann

Welcome, Angeldemose

Welcome, Chihiro

A warm welcome to all 10 new members for the week, I hope each of you find your niche. If you haven't yet, check out the Tavern of Legend, a good place to start. :)

Other Highlights?

Never cut a guy slack will you? I give you my sob story about lack of sleep, and yet here I am delivering more and more. I see how this relationship is >_>;;; 

Have it your way!

The World Bestiary- Are you trying to think of something your characters can run into conflict with? Do you need a monster to be the driving force of a plot, or something simple to give your RP a bit of challenge? Well, we have a compendium of beasts available for your use! Does it have all creatures in Valucre- not by a long shot! However, there are some fine examples of things for you to use should you being running short of ideas. And hey- if you come up with something cool of your own, get it added!

Writing Not Related to RP- Hey, you have a bit of writing and you want to show it off, but you aren't sure where to do it? Well, you can put it up in our Art section of course- we have a sub board called Txt just for that. We always appreciate written submissions, but I must give out this warning- anything publicly placed on a forum is considered 'published' in that it could lose 'first publication rights' for a publishing company. Therefore, if you have content that you intend to attempt to push through to eventual publication, I highly encourage you NOT to put it on the board. Now, if you have things you like to share that does not tie with any ambition you might have- put it up!

Closing Thoughts

This came up earlier, and I decided I would like to touch on it the subject. 

"What is Valucre: A site for writers, or a site for role-players?" 

The core idea behind Valucre is to try and take both ideals and wed them together into something innovative and new. We pride ourselves on not only being a place that produces role-play, but fosters an environment that encourages improving writing abilities and taking a similar approach with our characters and role-plays that any author would with their characters and stories. In putting the two together, we create an environment that not only caters to those who belong in both spheres, but also those who tend to stay only on one side of the fence. 

You might decide that you are only a role-player, uninterested in pursuing writing in any sense beyond the role-play arena. How Valucre helps this person is by allowing them the opportunity to role-play, and instead of focusing on the technical issues of writing, we encourage them to delve into character and story development. While these are the tools of a writer, they are skills that greatly benefit the role-player as well. The more you can get into the character and the story you are role-playing within, the more likely you are to find full satisfaction.

Of course, we never guarantee satisfaction of RP, but we hope to increase your chances!

Now, you might be someone whose primary interest lie inside the world of writing. You did not come to role-play for its own sake, you can here because of opportunities to flex writing muscles. Well, role-play is an excellent opportunity to do just that! Inside the role-play realm, you play a character, exploring the process of characterization and personality dynamics. You get to see the relationship of environment vs character traits, and how plots can be wrapped around a character in different ways. Role-playing environments are a giant sandbox for which the writer can safely play and decide what they will take back with them to their stories. 

Now, in the middle are those who are both- and I think this represents a decent number of our members. I personally don't think I need to go deeply into the subject of why Valucre is a perfect place for those who enjoy both, but I will again emphasize- the fun of role-playing, with an emphasis on improvement and fleshing out characters, while exploring dynamics of environment and interpersonal relationships our characters might have. It looks like we might have some new things in the works to also help those who are here for both, so stay tuned for that. :)

That's all I got for today, go forth and role-play!

- Acies