They Say Fighting on the Internet is Like Winning the Special Olympics...

Because you're still... well, that's not a polite word.

Far be it from me to tell people to use only polite words (if you haven't noticed, I talk like a sailor), but there some words best left alone, and as the older brother of someone with special needs (and a former participant of the Special Olympics, how's that for parallels), I definitely feel that one is best left out. Either way, it has nothing to do with my opening at all, because I am not going to tell you all how to be politically correct, but point out that while petty arguments on the internet are often viewed as trifling and silly, what better way to measure out the size of your E-thing (genderless term to include all ;) ) than to get into a T-1 match.

That's right Valucre, it seems as of late that everyone is all for fighting on the interwebz, only like the civilized people we are (I totally wrote that with a straight face), we take it to the arena and try to outdo each other with misunderstood physics, questionable logic, and ambiguous move sets. That's why if you're always the spirited fighter, you have not found a better time to be in Valucre! We have so much T-1 stuff going on right now, you won't know where to pick your first fight.

Just please refrain from doing it in Free-Chat. 

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen Has Started - Far too late to sign up if that was what you intended to do, but now that the pairings are up, there are matches to spectate. It might be a little early to start calling matches and deciding which are the best to watch, but there are certainly some interesting pairings, which should lead to some fun to read fights. If you are looking for something to do between posts, go take a look, and come discuss it in the lounge.

They Fight Crime Flash Contest- Well, if you sleep under rocks or make a point of actively avoiding Free Chat, you might have missed that little humorous thread called, 'They Fight Crime!'. A website has put together a little random generator of goofy ideas mashed together in ways that rarely make sense, to put two unlikely heroes in one crime fighting duo. Due to the sheer amount of awesome found in some of these examples, a member based flash fiction contest has begun. Write a story between 500 and 1100 words, and submit- all there is to it. There are no real prizes aside from a pat on the back and some laughs, but hey- this contest is about fun, not being the big cheese. See what you can generate. :)

Valucre Combat League- Looking to put your T-1 prowess on the line inside of an In-Character setting with rankings? Well then, better come help get this system off the ground. Praetorian is looking for confirmation of five non-OIC members to show interest before putting forth the framework to develop this new system, and is looking for ideas as well. How this will all work out is not yet fully decided, and much of the details are still on the table for discussions. However, if you are looking to find who might be a good match-up for you, this will definitely be a start :)

Port Town Festival- The long awaited Port Town Festival has begun. If you enjoy board related activities and contests, this little schbang has all kinds of things for you to do and check out. You can see what they have cooking up over here.

Inception RP- Well, if we can have Pokemon and Power Rangers RPs, why not have an Inception RP? The idea is certainly interesting, as world of dreams definitely has a great deal of potential for working with. This person already has a plot framework down, but it looks like they have room for details and players as well. A role-play within a role-play.

Black Tarantula- That place you always overlook, the one over in Biazo? Yeah, there is more to it than meets the eye, and that's exactly the way they want it. The Black Tarantula is a hidden gem with a full service bar and lounge, and many services to help those with legitimate or... less reputable business. A flash of coin is all you need for absolute discretion.

Question of the Week!!!

Well, at least I had one answer this week- one is better than none. I'm beginning to think that this might go the way things that merely cling to life for the sake of existence, rather than the enjoyment of its stay. That's a fancy way of saying I might scrap it, especially if a better idea comes to mind. Anyway, last week's question:

"What was the most challenging thing you ever had to write (about)?"

Only Response:

Most difficult thing to write for me is essays...god I hate essays. Most difficult thing to write about....so far...the only thing I can think of is the reply post to the adventures thread. Or maybe conflict. I always have issues writing about conflict...with another live person. I fail at conflict.

Well, the next question:

"Do any of your characters have a sort of catch phrase? If so, what are they?"

Let's see what this brings out. :)

New Members and Returns!

Welcome, Eyeofthenyte

Welcome, Insidious Grace

Welcome, Vivaldi

Welcome, Nightviera

Welcome, Jackblades

Welcome, Senka

Welcome, Azrael Hollow

Welcome, Death By an Angel

Returns:

Welcome Back, Creationism

Welcome Back, Peppered


A little bit of a slow week, but eight new faces is a perfectly acceptable number as far as I am concerned. Welcome to Valucre everyone, I hope you find all that you are looking for*

Assuming what you are looking for pertains to awesome role-play, writing, and a strong community, while maintaining reasonable expectations and sustainable ideals that are not based on unachievable requisites. Also, please do not come to Valucre looking for people to troll, harass, bully, or for that matter, a place to be a general asshat with no redeeming qualities. We also do not provide llamas. A moose might be available, but that will be dependent on experience, negotiations with our delusive Canadian division, and the current growth pattern of Malum's Beard. Prices and participation may vary. 

Other Highlights?

Thread Subscriptions- Hey, having trouble keeping up on posts? Hard time remembering to check and see if you have had a response to that thread yet? Well then subscribe to it! Subscriptions are great, and you can have them work in a few different ways- instant notification, daily notification, or weekly notification. You can be notified through the control panel only, or through both the control panel and email. So how do you set one of these up, you might ask? Easy, you have two options:

1. When replying to the thread, go advanced. Below the message field, you will see other options, including one for subscribing to the thread.

2. If you have nothing to add yet, you can just go to the top of the thread, click on 'Thread Tools', and then go down to the subscribe option. From there, set it up as you want it. :) 

Did You Know- You can reply to all the recipients of a PM at once, by clicking reply all? It is a great way to have a PM conversation with multiple people. You can see the button by going to this thread, and you can check out all the rest of the Did You Know Archive over here.

Closing Thoughts?

I suppose it sounds silly to open ‘closing thoughts’ like this, but I have been doing a little think as of late- imagine that, talking about thinking in association with thoughts. Suppose I deserve an award for stating the obvious, like declaring that green beans are in fact- green.

I digress—it seems I cannot help but tie in a little humor into anything I do.

I have been thinking about history. By that I mean my own history and by extension, the history a person carves out for his or herself- defining your path, so to speak. Every choice we make in life, even the choice of choosing nothing at all, is a stepping-stone down the road of life’s development- a stroke on the canvas, a notation in our story. Every experience becomes another detail; a fundamental piece of what defines who we are and what we will be. Sometimes we add things by choice, and just as often, if not more so, things simply happen, and it is beyond our control to reject it.

I imagine many were like me, picturing a certain progression my life would take when I was younger. I had it mapped out, a systematic plan that was to be my life over the next ten years or so. I was going to leave high school and enroll in college, get through the first four years and then move on to med-school, so I could become a doctor. If things went according to plan, I would be finishing my last year of med school right now, looking ahead to that wonderful six year residency before I could actually do what I want (pediatrics hematology & oncology for those who are curious).

I’d be on my way, probably broke and certainly too busy to enjoy the little things in life.

Of course, life had its way and shit happened- I had to drop out of school, and getting back in is certainly harder than getting in the first time at all. There were extenuating circumstances, some that puts the onus back on me, some that were beyond my control. Would better decisions have led to a different outcome? Possible I suppose, but even with hindsight, I cannot rightly say whether I could have entirely avoided the situations that came up.

Had life continued the way I thought it should, I would be in an entirely different place right now. I would not have pursued role-play with the same furor I do today. I would not have learned some life lessons that I have learned, many of them the hard way (oh, to be in one’s late teens and early twenties). My experiences would have been different, and the path I would have traveled, albeit more traditional, would be different from the one I am on now.

Do I regret it?

I think about it sometimes- well, sometimes I think about it some, and sometimes I think about it a lot. I suppose I am usually thinking about it to some degree or another. Wondering where my life might be right now had I made those better choices, or had situations simply not fallen apart. Of course, this does not just apply to that distant past, but even circumstances closer to now, with things that apply to the last two years.

I think about these times, and while looking back at what did not happen, I realize how easy it is to pine for what you did not have, missing it without even knowing what you were missing. Was it actually better, or is it because I put it up on a pedestal and made it look that way? Would I be happier for it? What about other things that have happened since then? What of those other choices I have had to make and the situations I have experienced- all things that have led to me becoming who I am today. Am I okay with who I am now, or would I trade it for what I might have been?

My situation could be better, but then it could be a lot worse. There is a lot I could improve about myself- oh, don’t even get me going down that list. Yet, when I look at the big picture, there are things about the person I have become that I am happy with- I have developed qualities I feel are worth cherishing. Sure, my life has had some real vicissitudes, but along the way, I sure picked up a lot of wisdom. My opinions on things have changed, the way I see and understand my world has grown, and for that, I feel I am a better person.

Instead of looking at it from a perspective of what I have or have not accomplished, I see it from what I have gained. I left high school with lofty goals and a road-map to what I thought would be my success. Only, life has a way of setting the winds of change upon you, plucking maps from our fingers and dashing them away. You’re left to figure it out for yourself- and who knows what roads you might end up taking. Having my plans, my ambitions, all of those carefully written notes taken from me- it was painful, and it left me to figure stuff out on my own.

Perhaps I am better for it.

A friend of mine the other day, one I have known for just over 13 years now, brought up this subject- plans and how they go wrong. Back then, he was unsure of what he wanted, and I was the one with dreams of med school. Things didn’t go as planned, and so here I am, unsure of what I want to do, and my friend, finishing a transfer associates in Hospitality Management and developing some tangible long term goals for the management, and eventual ownership, of hotels.

He jokingly mentioned how it might be a good thing that life does not always go as we plan it in high school—after all, if it did, this kid we went to school with would be graduating med school as well, and this person as a doctor… well, that notion scared the shit out of us. This person dropped out of college instead and now drives trucks- a good thing for those who might have been his patients (not cutout for being a doc). Of course this humored me, but it made me think.

Perhaps things have worked out the way they have for a reason.

Every failure is an opportunity to grow. Every mistake I have made is just a lesson from which I can take wisdom and grow. If everything worked out the way I wanted it to at the time, I might not (probably not, really) be as happy as I am now. Had I received a promotion when I was trying for it, my low seniority in that position would have placed me in some crappy circumstances. Perhaps if I had gone the path I first intended all those years ago, I wouldn't be half as well off as I am today.

To wrap this up into something everyone can take, let me summarize it as this:

We have plans, life has its plans- when they don’t match up, life is going to win, every time. You can choose to fret about it, lie there and take it and hate it- or you can get back up, brush off the dust, and go after it again. There is nothing wrong in having things not  go the way you first expect them. There is nothing wrong in failing once, twice, or several times, if there will come a time where you perform flawlessly. Figure out what it is you truly want and then pursue it relentlessly, but then more importantly- realize when what you truly want might have changed.

Sometimes things happen for a reason. Maybe we needed a life lesson. Maybe we needed a chance to get our priorities straight. Maybe that moment isn’t your moment to be in the light. When that moment comes though, when you have fought and toiled and done everything you can to get where you are going, that damned light still won’t be on you.

That light will come from you.

Take it easy- I’ll see you April 5th!

- Acies

"Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." 

 ~Confucius