Oops, I Did it Again...

I played with your heart, got lost in the game… and please shoot me now; I’m quoting Britney Spears lyrics. 0_0

Yeeeeahhh, I must ask a thousand apologies for missing the blog last night, I really don’t have a good excuse for it. I got tied up in helping a patient with some computer work the night before, and after having him talk my ear off for another couple hours after, I totally forgot I had to work on this thing! Of course, I am just making excuses for what really comes down to being a case of being a space-case. Guilty as charged, I’m good with excuses.

It explains why my Grandmother bought me this shirt: I have a million excuses,which one do you want to hear?

Anyway, all that aside, let’s get on to the real stuff- on to the Valucre Blog!

What's Happening Valucre?

Valucre Holiday Contests- Whoooweee, Morgan has been busy, working on cooking up some fun ways to get this holiday season kicked off. Since Halloween is around the corner, we have a few different options for prospective VB earners to get in there and take a prize:

Pumpkin Carving Contest: Do you have an artistic flair, and love to express that through the mutilation, er, carving of squash? Well, show us what you got with our Halloween Jack-o-lantern contest. This one ends on Halloween night and carries a prize of 200vb. :)

Come As You're Not: This is a contest open to only our 18+ members, done so for possible legal concerns. We apologize to those who are too young, but you're still welcome to show off in the Pictures of Us thread, should you have something you really want to share. Anyway, this contest is a photo sharing contest, where you put on your best and show us just how different you can look. There will be a first, second, and third place prize, determined via poll. The last day to submit shall be November 1st, and the poll will go for five days starting on the 2nd.

Spinal Chills: Alright, this is our writing contest, the one we really want to promote. This is open to any form of writing, from a short story to a bit of poetry, and must be submitted by October 30th. There will be a vote off from that time, in which a first, second, and third place winner shall be determined, each awarded a trophy (the little awards some people have on the side of their posts ;) ). There is also a VB reward for each, and no limit to your number of entries, although you can only win one place. The highest voted submission you have shall be taken and your others removed from the running, once all votes are tabulated. We're looking forward to what people come up with. Please SUBMIT all entries via PM to Morgan. Thank you!

Genesaris Quest: Monsters Under the Sea- A new quest has risen from the depths, this one sponsored by Port Town. I'm going to use the quest generator's own words to describe: 

"The College of Horticulture is searching for able bodied persons willing to recover an artifact of unknown power. This artifact, a trident carved from chalcedony, was recently unearthed from the ruins of an ancient coastal temple formerly built in Luquura's honor. 

Unfortunately, after the artifact was removed from its place at the temple's ruins, disaster struck. Members of the original expedition party were reportedly attacked by sea pirates while trying to transport it back to the college. Little is known about the attackers, but the resonance of magic on the trident was strong enough to be traced. The trident is now believed to be somewhere on the shallow sea floor, but all attempts to recover it have failed. Violent attacks from wild animals, surprisingly even that of a kronosaurus, have made the location extremely dangerous.

Those willing to aid in the recovery of this trident for greatly needed study will be amply rewarded. Each member will be paid 52 platinum pieces (as well as 50vB) if they are successful in returning this artifact, and an able ship will be provided by the college. Those interested should seek out Professor Spiridon, who is currently making arrangements for the expedition at the coastal ward of the college."

Putting the Dead to Rest: Officially Kicking Off- Orisia Isle's efforts to take back their tainted woods and rid themselves of a zombie scourge have begun, and if you enjoy having a chance to chop down zombies, this might be the rp for you. It's an open event for anyone, one that is sure to generate some quality writing and interesting experiences. Some of the undead might even be played by the players, giving a bit of a unique perspective to this role-play. ;) Express your interest here: HELP!!! 

The Dark Festival Continues- It's not too late to join in the fun with the Dark Festival, taking a chance to participate in some goofy games, socialize in a general RP social lounge, and if you hurry- participate in a murder mystery with a good sized VB prize at the end. You can check it all out here: The Dark Festival

Announcement: In an effort to keep from overwhelming you guys with reading material, beginning in November, the Weekly blog shall take one week off per month, the week that your monthly Newsletter comes out. Typically, this is planned to be the third week of a month, but if in the event you see a blog pop up during the third week, you can expect that the blog shall be on a break week in the following week. :)

Question of the Week!

I am deeply saddened by this (really, I am), but I had ZERO answers. Perhaps I came up with something too complex, or maybe the idea was a terrible one- I don't know! What I do know is, I had no responses, therefore, I have no winners. There shall be no prize this week. Sadness, much sadness.

Announcement: Now, I've done some thinking. I realize that not everyone is motivated by Valbullion- some people can use it, others not so much. There might be occasional fun prizes I might be able to offer pertaining to events, but that only works so well too. So, once again, I am going to be fickle and change up how I am doing this: We are going to do once a month prize drawings, in which the winner will get a gift certificate to his or her choice of a set place. The amount will be $5- hey, it's coming out of my pocket ><- but, if I get an average response of 10+ people to the each question per blog, I will up that to $10. 

How does it work- every time you drop an answer, you get entered. If you answer for all three blogs (or, in weeks we have 5 Thursdays, 4), you have 3 (or 4) chances to win. If we get a great turnout, what you could win is even bigger. 

So what is offered at this point? So far, I have decided on: Starbucks, Amazon, Coolstuffinc (Trading Cards and Games), or Morgan's Etsy shop. If you know of places that will send out gift certificates via email, feel free to suggest them in the comments, via PM to Acies, or in the Blog thread.

Drawings happen on the first blog of each month, and prizes follow as soon as I can get a working email address from you. :)

Good luck!

Question for the Week: What is your favorite Character Archetype to RP, and why? There are numerous types out there, but here is a good list to get you brain storming: Archetypal Characters

You can borrow one from the list, or you can explain your own. 

Answers go to the comments, Valucre board PM, or IM. Thank you folks! 

Say Hello to Our New and Returning Friends!

So, I am running a day late on the blog, but for the sake of consistency, I am going to cover new members for the normal time frame- Thursday to Wednesday. That means if you registered yesterday, I'll catch you next week. :)

Returning Members:

Eternity- welcome back from your brief leave, and congratulations on the new baby!

Morgan- welcome back from your brief departure, hope all goes well for you! 

Zenophoenix- glad you decided to come back to the fold!

Renaryu- Manning up with Valucre, Yesss. Welcome back!

Our New Friends: 

Welcome, Objective

Welcome, AlucardRedrum

Welcome, KnightinShiningArmor

Welcome, Kolrim

Welcome, Alexandria, The Dragon

Welcome, Jianichie Korigashine 

Welcome, Psyche

Welcome, xxChikaxx

Welcome, Armin

Welcome, Juandirection

Welcome, Ernspiker

Welcome, LittleRaeofSun

Alright, 12 new members, a good number, and FIVE returning members- that's outstanding! Welcome to the site everyone, welcome back to the others. :D

Other Highlights? 

See, here I thought you might have forgotten about this, since I was running a day slow with the blog. Of course you didn't; you're still standing there with your hand open and that evil look in your eye. Yes, yes- I am digging it out! Sheesh. >_>

Valucre: Writing Tips and Tricks- This is a nice little put together from Carlos, with some tips for writing on the forum and ways to improve your writing. This section is just full of little tasty nougats of goodness, and you might find something really helpful to you. Check it out here: Tips and Tricks 

Report a Post: Have you seen a post that just did not fit where it was posted? Or perhaps the content was offensive? Or how about role-playing in the canon world, and you see something that is a gross violation of established canon (someone claiming to be the mayor of a city who already has a mayor, etc)? Well, you can report those, and those in the leader positions can get on top of taking care of situations. As for canon issues, we use those warnings to tell us that we need to go in and perhaps do some Defense of Canon integrity. You can report a post by clicking on the Triangle button next to your star-shaped Rep button :)

Closing Thoughts?

Today, let's think about posting consistency and communication about or ability to contribute. Now, I hope no one I write with suddenly thinks I am singling them our (of course I am! j/k :P ), but instead, I am just discussing this in the general sense. After all, in the Play by Post role-play world there are often times where someone ends up missing, or posts quite slowly, and a thread loses steam, people lose interest, and the role-play dies. 

Now, we understand- people have lives outside the forum- I of all people understand that! What is important though, is being upfront and honest with the people you role-play with: I can post this many times per week. If I end up missing for a day or two, it might be related to this, and that is why I got delayed. 

That is a good example of communication that should be taking place between people who are writing together. Be honest about what the other party is going to get from you, and make sure that that works for them as well. If things come up, do your best to let someone in that group know, as soon as you reasonably can. This is one of those respect things- be respectful of your fellow writer and don't waste their time. Post when you say you can, be honest when you absolutely can't, and avoid dropping out entirely. Sometimes, people can work around that and life goes on and all is well. Sometimes, having one person who was wound deep within the plot may be the execution of that story-line, one others were enjoying a great deal. 

The whole point of this little discussion is just to get across how important it is that we treat each other decently, and realize that we may have a profound affect on a person if we do poorly with our timeliness and honesty. We all (or should) understand health troubles, but anytime you have the ability to give a head sup  you should :)

Sorry that this blog is a bit short, but I am on my second day of less than 3hrs of sleep, and my sleep prior was nothing to write home about either. :P 

Have a great week folks-

-Acies

Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself. 

~Truman Capote