You Mean to Tell Me There Are FIVE Thursdays this Month?

Ah shit, I gotta get this blog going. 

Hello my fellow Valucreans! Your sleep-deprived and overworked blog writing continues to deliver, despite almost spacing off writing the blog. Yep, it happens, sometimes you get to looking forward to your time off, that chance to relax, only to realize that you jumped the gun a little early. Every once in a great while, an extra thursday turns up in the month and you get four updates instead of three. The last time it happened I stayed on top of it, but this time around? Well, let's say those 80(+)/hr weeks are starting to catch up with me. I am soooooo looking forward to my vacation next week. 

Those personal gripes aside, let me tell you that I am happy to be writing you a blog- I actually enjoy this process, presenting the awesomeness of Valucre to the new members and old members alike, as well as any prospective members we can get reading along. The time off is just a nice way to take a week off and let some of these creative juices refill themselves and so that is why I look forward to it at the end of the blog cycle, especially in a month where my total work hours are averaging over 70/week.

Despite being sleep deprived (I am running on 2.5hrs here :P), I am going to do the best I can to provide you with that quality content you have come to expect- well, as much as you can inspect from this guy at least. I'm working on a limited time constraint here (started about an hour and a half late) so I am just going to shutup (Thank jeebus, right?) and get to this blog.

Tally ho! 

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen: Round Three Continues- Hey, that tournament is still going and the threads are actually moving. Unfortunately, the fight I am in is going to hit a brief hiatus when I take off for the weekend, but depending on when my opponent (Lastlight) posts, I might be able to squeeze one more in there. It looks like that fight between Desolate and Suta has been going steady, so you have plenty to read there. I have noticed that both threads are getting followed, as their views increase and the names of those who have read the thread continues to update with new dates- makes you feel pretty cool to know people are watching. Feeling like you know who's going to win? Why don't you gamble on that intuition, eh? If you aren't so interested in that, you can chat it up in the lounge.

Terrenus Military Recruits (Update)- Terrenus still seeks military recruits, and it is looking like Praetorian (and possibly Syncopy?) is (are) talking about putting together a bootcamp style RP for those interested in that sort of thing. If you are looking to start a military character from the ground up and would love to get involved in that sort of thing, this is a great time to take Supernal up on joining the fine ranks of the Terrenus Military.  Terrenus wants you!.

Congratulations to Adaviel for getting a subboard!- I don't announce the presence of every new subboard that comes through, but getting a level three is a pretty big deal, so I thought I would pass a long as shoutout, while reminding you that Adaviel has a lot of roles to fulfill and that they the new owner is looking for people to help get this land up and running. If you are looking to participate in something fresh and new, come take a look!

The Narrow Gates- This is a quest RP taking place in Northern Muhir (Jaer’dinn Peaks) with former ST Leader Soulbrand acting as GM- believe me, you are in good hands (well, in storytelling aspects, I can't attest to how safe your character shall be, ha!). In this quest, you shall be adventuring into the peaks to take on a Necromancer Lich, killing him and returning to your employer with his head as proof of the deed complete. Looks like he is looking for three prospective questers to hit this one up, and there is some pretty cool loot involved as well. Take a gander and see if you are up for some undead extermination.

Mercenaries, Smiths, and Adventurers- Adaviel's The Grounded Sword Company is looking for some help. After a quick interview, you shall be on your way to making money either through providing goods, getting important tasks completed, or going out on some serious adventurers to recover artifacts and complete important research. This is also the place for adventurers to gather help from these mercenaries for their own trips. If this appeals to you, go where the flyer directs you.

A Few Good Players- Iselyr now joins the ranks of the many offering locations for players to take some local control and help shape the direction the lore moves. The boardleader is looking for some talented and reliable help to come in and assist in pushing up the activity in the cities and lands of Iselyr. You have to be willing to work based off the lore and maintain the technological restrictions, although some places have less developed lore- which will allow you to help collaborate on creating some new lore. If you feel up to the task, come state your interest.

Taking Renin City (T1 Heavy)- Taking Renin City is a thread that looks to write out the events that led to the state of Renin City in the current times within canon. This battle eventually leads to the demise of Renin city and sets up the current canon, where this city is now known as Hellion. You can participate as someone who is part of the conquest, or play the losing side of the battle, participating in an Ironic Tragedy (you know how this ends, but of course the characters do not). I think this is a fun idea. Do you wish to conquest, or defend?

It's Approaching?- Advertised in the watercooler with a really shitty flash (hey, first one I ever made, cut me some slack) I mentioned some possible spoilers. Well, here is the first one for you fine folks, exclusive to the blog and only the blog:

"Disgusting, Macabre, and mysterious, you take great risks when you give tempt these vessels"

Have you guessed the coming event? Does this ring a bell? Stay tuned.

Featured Read of the Week- I like these sorts of ideas, where it is the gathering of a bunch of bored adolescents who inadvertently get themselves into a spot of trouble while seeking adventure. The portrayal of the kids has some charm to it and the writing going on here is of some good quality as well. I hate to admit it, but I did not read beyond the first page of this one- not because of a lack of quality, but do to the time restraints I am working under- another day perhaps.

Congratulations to Witch, Cordeliane, WalterF, Elementary and Off Topic on being the participating members of this week's featured read. ;)

Children of the Academy- Each fooling their parents, tiptoeing and creeping out into the night, children who planned this escapade from the start break free of their homes and meet in the middle of the night, seeking adventures. None of them have plans set in stone, neither of their 'leaders' being one for making plans ahead of time. It is decided that they will investigate the new greenhouse put up by the Gaian Academy professor 'Doctor Octopus' , who is represented by Off Topic (as well as the place itself, with its numerous plants). Off Topic presents a particularly unique setup behind the presentation of the greenhouse, which adds a refreshing perspective on how to set a scene. 

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: Haven, Renovatio

At a Glance: 

• Leader:  Exus Prime, Leader of Renovatio
• Population: A mix of Rennovatians, in total about 2 million people
• Defenses: 
• The City of Haven is a defense satellite in and of itself. As for local law enforcement, nothing is specifically mentioned, but it is assumed that there is some sort of local guard/enforcers of law. Tier one is described as especially safe and secure. 
• Hot Spots: 
• Tier one: A mana powered, megalo-market with bright neon lights and plenty of shops and casinos to splurge one's hard earned money, spa facilities, public pools, playgrounds, gyms, and five star restaurants, dine-ins, and dives to explore. MEGALO, although gigantic, is more secure than any prison you may find in Valucre, all in order to prevent acts of terrorism or heinous crimes.
• Tier two: Many locations on tier 2 require a pass card to confirm one's age so that they may enter some of the legendary clubs and bars such as the Cosmos. The cyberpunk theme is rather fitting given its location, though what makes this specific place so interesting is the customer service. Courtesans from all over Valucre-- mainly Renovatio --can be found here and only here, though illegal immigration, money laundering, and drug trafficking has given the Cosmos a bad rep as of late as syndicates continue to purchase property within HAVEN.
• Tier three: Stardust, one of the more legit and prosperous companies thrives without fail. Unlike the Comos, Stardust is simply a gentleman's club located on tier 3 where aristocrats and well established Renovatian families dwell. The suburbs of HAVEN, which requires a specific and special pass card that can only be acquired via the HAVEN mainframe.

Canonical Occurrences by Members:

• Nothing Found

Available Quests:

• Nothing Found

Brief Summary of Lore:

Taken from Lore: 

Some years after the war between Renovatio and Rosinder, the Renovatian government, and its leader, Exus Prime created an organization designed to bring man to the ocean of stars. In its creation, a Rosinderian unit were blessed with the task of being the first of their nation to trek space. The mission was to escort a Primal entity (HAVEN) into Valucre's atmosphere. HAVEN acts as a self-supporting defensive satellite and space station that watches over Renovatio, and even after the disappearance of its creator, HAVEN remains loyal to the people of Renovatio, mainly the Zodiac Knights.

Newly Awarded!

New awards this week as well, so I am dropping them here to draw some attention to these fine members:

Deviant: Activity Award
Syncopy: Activity Award

Congratulations to you both :)

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

Hunterkiller117:
Not new to role-playing itself, but new to doing it on a forum, he looks forward to honing his RP skills and professes and enjoyment for meeting new people. Well, we have lots of people for you to meet (all new to you, mostly old to us) and lots of opportunity for online RP for you to dabble in. Welcome to Valucre 

Infinity Implosion:
Some of these usernames that people come up with- I love them. Something about Infinity Implosion just resonates with me and I have no clue why. Oh well, cool name is a cool name, but let's greet this person, right? Her name is Jess and she likes to cut to the chase- by dropping off her character profile and getting ready to RP before even getting around to saying hi- good for you, Jess! She's love to be included in an RP with her current character, but she is up for hearing out proposals of playing a character besides her own- she just needs to be inspired by them. Alright Valucre, go help Jess here find some good, inspiring RP. 

Moon Lament:
MoonLament is another one of those folks who keeps their meet and greet short and to the point- which is fine and all, but it makes my job that much harder. How can I say interesting things about you, or crack lame jokes at your expense, if I have no material? Anyway, MoonLament is here to have fun and to see what the community can bring. 

Crepe Myrtle:
Alright, one of the coolest intros ever. I am an old Animaniacs fan, and the declaration of "Helllllllooooo Nurse!" just hits me right in the nostalgia feels. Then to finish it off with Vote for Pedro? Help me, I am going to swoon. So, Crepe Myrtle is another one of those overachievers who have their character's setup before stopping to say hi- works for me, I love it when you're that eager to hit the RP scene. 

FrostHeart121:
FrostHeart has definitely come to the right place. A lover of writing, here on a community that promotes the constant pursuit of improving your writing? Well Frostheart, consider Valucre the soulmate of your RP forums. We hope you find your way around here and enjoy the stay- remember, keep writing my friend. 

Returns:

Eike Sky:
Eike Sky had a short stay before, when an RP of theirs died off and left them all alone- a sad, sad story. :( Recently, someone revitalized the thread and well, Eike came running back, eager to get the RP back on board. Welcome back Eike, I hope you have a much better experience this time around. 

Tiger Lily:
Tiger Lily is a member who comes by to visit us now and then and we like having her around. Welcome back Tiger Lily, hope you can stay awhile :)

Moth:
Moth doesn't think they RP'd much the first time around, but now they are back and they are looking for some RP action. That's provided that their brain lets them do so- well Moth, tell that brain of yours to cooperate or face dire concequences! Scare it into submission, because writing is awesome, and we would love to have you back. 

Ngdaniel96:
He got really busy with a lot of stuff, but now he has scaled back some projects and brought his focus back to Valucre, with the intent of importing some stuff as well. Just be sure to go through customs! 

Wow, this week was a little skimpy on newmembers, but we had four returns. This is the first time I have ever seen the new returns almost match the number of new members. An interesting occurance.

Other Highlights?

I'm trying to cut corners and here I am still proving you other highlights. See awesome I am?

Photo Album- General Settings- if you are looking for a quick and easy way to access your general settings, you can do so from the drop down menu located at forum options. You could also click this link if you do not know how. This will help you get your stuff setup in a hurry. General Settings

Did You Know- About Stickies? It sounds silly, but apparently some people are totally over looking them. If it is stickied, there is usually a good reason for it. Take the time tor ead the sticky. >> To see all the Did You knows, go here.

Closing Thoughts?

Let's finish off where left off last week, shall we?

-Antivillains-

The villains you feel sympathetic towards, it might be due to something tragic having happened to them (and now you feel sypathy), or it might be that they have high ideals and a scary form of execution to achieve them, it might be that they are really cultured and classy, and play some set of rules- or it just might be that they are too damn likable. Whatever it is that makes you feel sympathetic towards them, the antivillain is someone that by design is supposed to make you feel something. You might realize that the story has to end with them defeated, but you almost feel bad for them, or just plain disappointed. Perhaps you because you know what kind of hell they went through, you have a firm understanding of why they are a total monster. antivillains are designed to pull at us, and give us those mixed feelings that come with rooting for the badguy, or at least feeling bad for them.

While you feel something for them and just hope there is some form of redemption out there for them- there really isn't. The antivillain doesn't usually turn around by design- they eventually go down for the things they do. What is fun about this trope is that your villain might not start out this way- (s)he might have started out as something loathsome and without sympathy and then you bring in the backstory. You give us all some flavor for this person, show us why they are so messed up- and our hearts melt. A fun way to flesh out your story and make the bad guy someone much more interesting than a cold, cruel sociopath.

Further, by making them an antivillain, you have created something that makes them stay fresh and interesting. If you want an ongoing rival for your hero, someone who can pop in and out of their lives and make us excited to see them- an antivillain can get some really good mileage by virtue of who they are. Their backstories, motives, mannerisms- the things that make them an antivillain instead of a traditional one- keep us interested and happy to get more on them. We look forward to the backstory componenets, the additional information, the backstories.

With all that said, let's get down to some types for you all:

Type 1: Noble Antivillain- These are the villains who have standards. They have certain limits and they are not interested in crossing them, at all. They follow a certain set of rules, might choose to do something kindly even, and might keep someone around they care for deeply. Perhaps they are good to their family, or their spouse, or their best friend. This might be the Mob Boss who holds a strict rule on not hurting the family and will tear apart any other mobster who decides to harm a family member or child anyway. Sometimes, these villains are simply villains because it is a job, it puts food on the table, and so they just do it. They still don't care about hurting others in the process, but they aren't out trying to be malicious about it or cause unnneccessary additional suffering. They steal your stuff, not shoot you while you are down. Regardless of these noble traits, this is considered the most evil of the antivillains.

Type 2: Woobie Antivillain- You feel bad for these villains, because they don't want to be villains anyway. Circumstances brought them to this, or undying devotion to someone who is a true villain, or the world just plain sucks. If their opportunities were better, they more than likely would never have turned to crime anyway. It might be that they are pushed forth into villainy by mental defects or a curse or the like that simply forces them to do what they do, even if they hate themselves for it. Interestingly, the Woobie can make a heel-face turn and become an Antihero, if things are fixed for them. Likewise, if they worsen, they could go full villain instead.

Type 3: Well-intentioned Antivillain- They have their heart in the right place, even if they are so doggedly determined to see the goal through they will bring harm to others to see it done. They often have a cause that you are sympathetic too- you would love to see world peace too! Or feed the hungry, clean up the environment, depose a cruel dictator, etc. Unfortunately, this individual has little qualms about using some nasty means of getting these tasks completed, including torture, murder, etc. Sometimes, they can see the error of their ways and do a heel-face turn, becoming Antihero. Or, they get so wrapped up in their cause that we start to really feel sorry for them, and they upgrade to type number two. Sometimes they are just so far gone that eventually they become a complete monster and go full villain.

Type 4: Villain in Name Only- These antivillains probably lack villaint traits altogether, or they just have so many redeeming traits about them we totally miss those villainous ones. Often times, this is someone who is not truly evil, but instead serves as the antagonist to our hero (should be an actual hero, not a villain-protagonist). Perhaps the hero fights on one side of the war, this soldier fights on the other, and they come intop conflict. Neither side on the war are compeltely in the right, and sicne both of them were drafted rather than volunteer, its not like either one did anything wrong. Only, the hero of our story is on side A, so side B by default becomes the villains. Often, fighting these individuals comes with a serious moral dilemna for the hero.

Well, that is my take on the antvillains. I am finishing this blog up early, but that is part of my time constraints- co-worker needs the comp. So, keep in mind that next week is the skip week, so there will be no blog update next Thursday.

Alright, until next time.

-          Acies

“No one just starts giggling and wearing black and signs up to become a villainous monster. How the hell do you think it happens? It happens to people. Just people. They make questionable choices, for what might be very good reasons. They make choice after choice, and none of them is slaughtering roomfuls of saints, or murdering hundreds of baby seals, or rubber-room irrational. But it adds up. And then one day they look around and realized that they're so far over the line that they can't remember where it was.” ~Jim Butcher

Come at Me Brah!

Valucre always has Five Preps. 

Damn straight, Valucre will take on any challenger and put them back into their place. When it comes to Role-play, there is no one else I'd rather have in my corner, because Valucre lifts. Think your site is the master of melee? Valucre taught your master everything he knew, while simultaneously showing your mamma some new moves as well. Think your PC-fu is better than ours? Hardly- psuedoscience and pure BS won't get past Valcure.

Now that you know that you have a real champion in your corner, you can take your measure of added safety and security to go pursue some higher needs, such as making some friends and then doing what makes you happy- and by that, I assume writing out some high quality, badass RP is what gets you going wild. If that's the case, then we got you covered.

And so sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself this little preview of all the awesome stuff that Valucre has to offer. Because this week, we're not serving a bunch of leftovers- oh no, we got fresh stuff right here. 

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen: Round Three Continues- We have one fight that has moving along nicely, and the other had to take a breather to settle a bit of a dispute, but word is that the fighters have resolved their disagreement and will return to the fighting shortly. With all that in mind, you can get back to some quality reading, and perhaps a bit of betting while you're at it it too. The lounge is the place to chat it up, while oyu can go gamble in this thread.

Had it With Home- This interest check is seeking to setup an RP inside Genesaris, involving two to three other players using non-vampire and non-werewolf characters. The premise of the RP is that your character has come from some sort of crappy home life (parents, situation, lack of parents, etc) and now they have struck it out on their own. They leave everything they knew to go out in pursuit of adventure and a new way of living. The person posting the interest check has left the majority the plot open to discussion, so players are welcome to give their input. Find your new home.

Deals With the Deceiver- This has a nice setup, I really like the way this interest check was put together. A mysterious figure known as 'The Deceiver' has reached out to the characters involved, looking for a team of 5 individuals who will infiltrate the Slaver's Alcove and liberate fifty to one hundred slaves, as well as obtain a handful of slave handlers. The reasons behind this are left unsaid, the motives of this 'Deceiver' unknown. What is abundantly clear is that this individual is offering prime loot for getting this job done. Are you willing to take the risks?

Quest for the Heartbane- This interest check is to gather 2 to 5 additional folks to join this thread author in pursuit of the infamous artifact 'The Heartbane'. It comes with the promise of gold (IC of course) and the glory that shall come of owning such a weapon. Stop by the Weary Orc to join ;)

Mercenaries, Smiths, and Adventurers- Adaviel's The Grounded Sword Company is looking for some help. After a quick interview, you shall be on your way to making money either through providing goods, getting important tasks completed, or going out on some serious adventurers to recover artifacts and complete important research. This is also the place for adventurers to gather help from these mercenaries for their own trips. If this appeals to you, go where the flyer directs you.

Come Have Fun With Legion- Well, I very nearly had myself a fit when I saw that dratted word 'literate' crop up in this interest check (we all write, so therefore we are all literate, see this blog post for my take on it :P), but I am going to feature them anyway. This interest check seeks some decent writers (with an added request to at least get some versed in T1) to join up as a Demon, and then advance based on abilities. Apparently this was a success elsewhere, but elsewhere eventually became nowhere, so this member is booting it up here. Become one with Legion ;)

Tea Party of Orisia (Still Needs Doormouse)- Orisia's special birthday party event for Raspberry Du'grace (Princess of Orisia) is going on now, and they have need for one additional character- that of Doormouse, the perpetually sleepy mouse. It's an easy role, as he is only know to speak up from time to time- so a role you can take even if you are a bit busier. The RP is open as well, so you can join as a normal guest if you do not wish to join as a character from Through the Looking Glass. Be the Mouse!

Featured Read of the Week- What do you get when you cross a dandyish pirate in search of a moral path, a silver dragon masquerading as a fop, the unpredictable chaotic neutral heroic-sociopath, and a Djinn turned construct? This week's featured thread of course. Zhou (played by Zhou) is rallying a force together as swiftly as he can, intent upon putting together a rescue force that will help people of the villages near the Cold Mountains, where a dragon has begun wreaking havoc. It leads into a coming together of the odd mashup mentioned above, and features Nami as the villainous dragon.

Congratulations to Zhou, Susitsu, Nami, Draugr, and Deviant on being the participating members of this week's featured read. ;)

Spawn of Apophis, Installment one: Kha'- Zhou sails the skies of Genesaris, looking down at the world below, dismayed by what he sees. The ruins of villages, people fleeing, discord sown throughout the surrounding lands of the Cold Mountains. He touches down in a nearby (still intact) village and rallies the folks, seeking help from those brave enough to go back and mount a rescue effort. Lucas (Susitsu) heeds the call, troubled by this lack of balance between the forces of good and evil, seeking to restore balance to the situation. Mēt, a former Djinn and now construct, sees this display of two humans willing to stand against this great force of evil, and too comes to their aid. Theoren, a Silver Dragon under guise, has heard rumor of one of his cousin-ilk, an evil dragon, causing harm to the nearby villages, and cannot stand by as that which gives the rest a bad name tears apart the populaces. Rounding it out, the villain Isfet is played by Nami, who prepares to face the next set of would-be heroes, sure that his next meal shall soon be delivered.

The gathering has not yet met with the dragon, but already the tensions are clear. 

Seriously, some fully prepped stuff there- if you don't watch out, quality like that is apt to sucker punch you and carry you off to dark places unknown. 0_o

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: Antigone Isles, Genesaris

At a Glance: 

• Leader:  The Queen (No Name Found)
• Population: Racially diverse, but the free people are not magically inclined (or have not yet been found out). There are 2.5 million people.
• Defenses: 
• 8,000 City guard- The primary police force for ensuring law and order inside the city.
• 400 Mage Hunters- Their primary purpose is to track down, test, and haul away any who show any sort of magical inclination.
• 500 jail workers, 400 guards at the castle, 50 high ranking officers and 27 special investigators
• 25,000 actual military that protect the borders 
• Hot Spots: 
• Laboratory Arcanist: A prison for un-collared magic users or for those who are particularly problematic criminals- rumor is that they are experimented on like animals, their only release being death.
• The Wall: A great wall of mixed metals and steels surrounds the entire island, the only entrance a back gate used for the extremely limited trade with the mainland. Said to be impenetrable. 
• The Castle: The governing center of the island.

Canonical Occurrences by Members:

• Nothing accomplished as of yet

Available Quests:

• No One Escapes From Antigone: Tough shot, aren't you? Look, I've entered into an... agreement with some questionable people, and it's time to pay up. Help me out here. There's an island off the Northwest called Antigone Isle, and it specializes in... exotic items, particularly magic locks. Now, as you can guess, magic is illegal and highly restricted there. It's surrounded by a wall with only one opening; the sewers. Though there's also the back gate. Someone like you can find a way in, right? Get me a crate of one of their Magi Locks and not only will I let you keep one, you'll get a delicious ride. Again, if you fail, I don't know you.

Reward: 300VB 
1 Magi Lock (Value of 360vb)
1 Exalta Crystal+1 Spellcycle (Exalta-powered ground magitech motorcycle) (Value of 1900vb)

Brief Summary of Lore:

Taken from Lore: 

Once known as Magickera, Antigone was once a utopia for those skilled in the use of magick. All types of mages, psions, and even healers lived in harmony with those whose only magic lay in the gift of technology.

Even now, Antigone is renowned for its quick and steady advancement in technology, harnessing the powers of electricity, static, and light, turning these into sources of energy. Mages worked to combine these resources with magic, and soon the magitech of Antigone resembled not the fantastical and mystic scenes of mainland Genesaris, but a futuristic island of iron, steal, and adamantium. Still, it was a paradise, a dream of growth and power.

No one expected the change that would turn Antigone into a horror.

The leader of Antigone was a queen whose family had been killed by a mage gone mad, intoxicated with his own power. She distrusted all magickers (magic-users) and sought to bring them under a control that would never again see the murders she beheld. Her charisma and oral skills saw her in not only place of power, but a constant place in people's minds and hearts. She was trusted, and no one stood against her as she increased economy, jobs, and technological advancement.
~
Over time the queen created a caste system for all magickers. At the first display of an affinity for magic of any kind, they were to be hooked to a machine created to judge the subjects degree of power. Lowest to highest, these four classes were dubbed Grey, Amber, Crimson, and Indigo. Those of Crimson and Indigo were made to wear collars that would restrict their powers, at the same time announcing to the entire nation that they were a danger to themselves, and most importantly, to others.

This gave the effect the queen desired when one of Indigo power broke free of his collar and decimated a building filled with people of no magic. 

The incident inspired fear and distrust of magickers among the regular folk. Soon it was demanded of the queen that all magickers were to be collared, a request to which she gladly complied. These collars, magi-locks, were produced in frighteningly large numbers, and with their growth grew the segregation and prejudice against magick users. Some magickers fought back, but this only increased the steadily rising hatred toward magickers. The hate grew and grew, and has never ceased since.
~
Today Antigone Isles is a nightmare world for anyone associated with magick, to the degree that anyone born or caught inside of Antigone is never allowed to leave. A great wall of mixed metals and steels surrounds the entire island, the only entrance a back gate used for the extremely limited trade with the mainland and a sewer system that runs throughout the city, providing running water and a place to flush out waste products. The interior of the city is of great buildings, fortresses, skyscrapers and hospitals, with every street patrolled by security whose job is to make sure all magickers wear their collars. Those caught without it are arrested and taken to what is known as the Laboratory Arcanist, a massive prison at the head of the city where they are imprisoned and never seen again. Although nothing is conclusive, it is said that captured magickers are experimented on like animals until death. 

It is also said that some magickers have gone into hiding in the woods hiding on the outskirts of Antigone, preparing a revolt. 
~
Technology on Antigone includes systems rarely seen on Genesaris. This includes sensors, security systems with laser, steel electronic doors with identification requests (fingerprints, eye scans, even blood scans). Motorbikes, known as spellcycles, are a common sight for local police. The most common technology exists around magi-locks, the collars worn by magickers. Some magi-locks are not worn but are increased in size and set up around popular local areas to ensure no potentially harmful magic of any type can be used. It is however important to note that almost all technology is made possible with magic, essentially making almost all technology magitech. The only magickers allowed to use their magic on a somewhat daily basis are specially privileged inventors and scientists to create these magitech systems.

Well now, that's kinda depressing. Well Valucre, are you up for the challenge of Antigone?

New Awards (And the Awarded)!

So, Carlos has whipped up two new awards to hand out to people, in recognition of their commitments to the site.

The first of which is "The Endurance Writer"- this is a shoutout to our most consistant writers, the people who put up lots of RP regularly. This looks at a writer's last year of conent, awarding those who have had at least 200 Rp posts in that one year span. There are some other specifics (to prevent someone artificially boosting their numbers), but that is the main basis- you are a reliable RPer over time.

Congratulations to: Acies ab Vensaina, Aleksei, Alexei, Carrionjackle, Hopelessly Hopeful, King, Noko, Praetorian, Supernal, Thaiis, and The Hummingbird for all having over 200 posts in a one year time.

The second award goes out to that really classy RPer- that person who writes well, develops characters, builds stories and plots, role-plays reliably and consistantly and is basically someone the majority would point to when thinking of a member whose RP posts you should take some lessons from. This prestigious award went to:


Acies ab Vesania, Aleksi, Hopelessly Hopeful, King, Noko, Praetorian, Supernal, Suta, Thaiss, and The Hummingbird. Congratulations you awesome Role-players!

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

Kaza Mizune:
This newby decided just to post up their character sheet as a means of introduction. It's an odd way of saying hello, but what the hell, it shows us what you are bringing to the table right from the start. Hope you enjoy the site!

Swifty:
He says that 'Ello ello' is the best introduction that he could muster, but then goes on to tell us plenty more, so I think that clearly there is more to this introduction! Experienced role-player with some dust still clinging to him, he's been out of the game for a while (due to school and such) but is back into the RP scene and looking forward to joining our 'venue'. So, welcome Swifty, I hope you find some RP... Swiftly... :P 

Atahsaia:
Hailing from another site, this is someone with a few years of RP under their belt and still craves the opportunity to improve. Given that Valucre is all about improving, I'd say that they have come to the right place! They play about anything, but if you got fantasy or a spar in mind, you should definitely go out of your way to hit them up. 

Sakyo:
Well, Sakyo did not have much to say, but prefaced his stay here with the warning that he's new, so forgive him for being a little slow. I suppose that applies to his introductions too, so I'll lend him a bit forgiveness for this one- but just this one time, because seriously- how can I write these greetings without fodder... I mean material. Material, yes!

Arcturus:
Speaking of those short intros, here is another one that has left me hanging. ;-; I appreciate their hello, and their enthusiasm about generating stories, but telling a story... it needs a little more. Well, I guess not always, there are some great stories out there that consist of like three lines- but hello let's tell stories is an invite, not a story about yourself! Anyway, welcome to Valucre Arcturus ;)

Breadbasketbomb:
I like this name, it sounds so unusual. This member has already found their way over into the Tavern of Legend, I'm happy that they have found their way around and made their way into some RP. This new member has a preference for alien type of characters, and definitely has some unusual ones in their arsenal. Looks like they also have a preference for those who don't use magic as well, so we'll likely be seeing some melee oriented characters here, that or advanced weapon warfare :)

Cataclysm:
Ha, this one got with the program- pointing out the general trend in these introduction threads. Hailing from the early chatrooms of Ayenee and Eden (Yahoo!) and some time in IRC, they made their way around some RP forums through the 2000's, but ominously puts it off as 'times best forgotten' and 'never to be spoken of again' (Hmm... challenge accepted?). As it turns out, he joined Valucre years ago, but chose this week to come out of hiding and actually join us on the forum. For that reason, I'm still calling them new- so welcome!

Singitwithme:
Watch out, she's a stalker. She plans to lurk in the shadows, following you around, watching... waiting... so hide your kids, hide your wives, she's gonna be spying on you! No, seriously, she's a new member to Valucre who hasn't been in RP for a while and because of switching to a science major, fears that her writing will take a serious blow. She's going to get a feel for how busy she can be and then perhaps join some of the stalked people. So welcome to Valucre- please refrain from doing anything that ends a restraining order ;P

Artemis Wasabi:
I like the last name, it's kinda peculiar for a last name. He's new, and he points it out by noting the incredibly low post count- well, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. You might join, post once, and then not post again for four years- then you wouldn't be so new with your tiny post count, now would you? :P Well, seriously though, this a new member who admits to being raised by a pack of geeks and genuinely enjoys some good RP. Welcome to Val!


Lex:
Lex is a bit rusty with a few years gone without RP, and as such isn't so sure what they want to play. That's alright though, all good things in good time. When you're ready, grab your character and come join us 'cool kids' down in the RP arena. :)

Returns:

Casanova:

Back for a short stay, mostly to say hi and all that, Casanova is visiting and shared the news of his daughter's arrival- Congrats Casanova, you family man you ;) 

10 new members and 1 returns, a pretty good jump. I like seeing ten new faces, its a solid number and it shows that we are really growing. Someday, all shall know of Valucre's pure badassary!

Other Highlights?

Just because Valucre is such a badass, it's gonna let you have this one. Yep, take your extra highlights, while it stands by looking like a bouncer who's contemplating beating your face. Feel good about these extras yet?

Photo Album- Each member has their own album area they can put together, and I don't think I have seen this utilized all that much. You can get to it from your profile, or you can (from the Forum page) click the small community button and pick 'Albums'. You can look at others public albums from their profiles. Good way to keep your pics together. ;)

Did You Know- About the Storytellers? Well I sure hope you do, because I am the guy who leads them! The Storytellers are here to help facilitate your stories, be it through some strong assistance or just playing an NPC for you. We are also protectors of the canonocity, making sure things don't get out of hand. Check out the Did You Know here for plenty more details. To see all the Did You knows, go here.

Closing Thoughts?

We’ll see how these turn out tonight- I got a distraction going on right now, and here I thought the blog night was going well. Oh well, it happens.

I started a series for these closing thoughts, which would include five (or six, I cannot remember at the moment, gah) subjects that are looked at during state tests here where I live. As I prefaced on the first week, I reserve the right to interrupt myself and go onto a side subject, and well- SQUIRREL! Well, not really squirrel, it has nothing to do with squirrels. What I mean to say is that I have indeed found a distracting subject to write about and plan to take a break from the themed series this week. This week’s subject is actually one that came up in conversation with someone over chat, and she suggested I do a ‘closing thoughts’ on it.

Today, we discuss the differences between Antiheroes, Antivillains, and Villain-protagonists.

This means I totally get to trope out this morning- hellyeah!

I know people outside the internet (I hate saying IRL, because I don’t think of my interactions on the internet as not being ‘real life’- the people I talk to are real, I have real interactions with them- hell, I have met several of you fine folks- so it is real life) who get this concept confused, and I have certainly seen it come up on Valucre a time or two, or more. Sometimes, the line between one and the other can be quite blurred, where we have an individual who seems to fit more than one category- well , in the case of Antivillain and villain-protagonist, they very well could be the same- so people just assume that they are playing one or other.

Well, they are all individual concepts! The man who goes around murdering puppies, kittens, and babies is not an antihero just because he is the guy central to your storyline. Antiheroes are still heroes, or at least in some fashion heroic, but they are not outright evil (except maybe a type five Antihero, commonly a heroic-sociopath, but there are rules to this). You might base your story around this character, your intent might be to have us root for him in all of his evil exploits, but that does not make him an anti-hero! This makes him a Villain-protagonist.

To better explain this, let’s actually look at what the antihero is.

The original antihero was supposed to be someone who was lacking in the idealized heroic traits- things like strong (and good) morals, idealism, courage, nobility, fortitude, or just plain being a total badass. If a hero lacked these sorts of traits, we tended to refer to them as an antihero. Perhaps your hero never wanted to be hero; hell, when faced with danger, he proceeds to wet himself. He spends half the story trying to get out of having to do this heroic deed and only finally relents in the end, for whatever reason finally drives him forward.

This is an example of an antihero.

Your antihero just might not be interested in doing heroic things, acting only because of profit involved- he’s promised money. He can be brave, but his morals are questionable, he has no ideals, nobility, and he outright expects things to turn south. Think Han Solo of Star Wars- in the first movie, he certainly had no real interest in the rebel cause. He wanted to make some money and pay down some debts, so he could save his own skin. It isn’t until that he came too appreciate his friendship with Luke, have feelings for leigha (beyond trying to get in her pants) and seeing the good they could do that he makes a full heel-face turn and becomes an actual hero (though his attitude probably still makes him an antihero, just a more heroic one).

The idea behind antiheroes taking a dark turn, where they tend to be brooding, questionably sane, or even borderline evil actually became more of a thing much later in writing, though it was done before (The Byronic hero). It gained a lot of traction with the 90’s comic book era, where heroes started taking some consistently dark turns (Dark Knight [Batman], The Punisher, Spawn]- this is where we saw Antiheroes start to get ‘dark’. This concept is fine- hell, I love me some dark antiheroes. It’s just that people sometimes forget that playing someone who is villainous does not make them a ‘hero’.

I love what TV tropes have done with breaking down antihero types. I am not going to paste what they wrote word for word, but I am citing them as my source. This just seems like a great way to think about where your character falls:

Type 1- Classical Antihero: This is the type of antihero I was talking about above- someone who just does not appear to fit the bill of hero at all and not usually for reasons that suggest they have moral flaws. These people suck at fighting, or lack confidence, or are totally wrapped up in fear. If you were to make a list of the traits you think of when you think of a hero, these guys either lack all of them, or something in a huge way.

Type 2- Disney Antihero: They use the name Disney because Disney uses this trope with this type of Antihero quite often- these antiheroes might be known as ‘Knights in Sour Armor’, or have some kind of major vice, or even just a bad case of being rude, sometimes to the extent of being an asshole. However, they have a heroic spirit, they’re great at battling the bad guys, and given the right motivation, will turn over into a full-blown hero- think Aladdin from the Disney movie.

Type 3- Pragmatic Antihero: These antiheros are willing to do what has to get done in order to see through their heroic efforts, though some will toe the line at using lethal force, while others will do it if it is absolutely required. As the Tropers put it, they are willing to shoot the dog  in order to make sure the day is saved. These antiheros sometimes do questionably moral things, certainly things that might be illegal, but they are doing it for the betterment of others. This might even include having to torture and enemy in order to make sure they gain the information required to save the Farmer’s daughter. While willing to do things that sometimes can be quite atrocious, they do feel about it, and a central theme to your story (or RP) could surround this person coming to terms with what they did. I should note, that killing in self-defense would not make your character an Type Three antihero, or even an antihero for that matter.

Type 4- Unscrupulous Hero: This is very often where your chaotic neutral character with mostly good intentions comes in- the hero who aims to be a hero, but seriously has some issues going on. This might be the pragmatic hero who I starting to lose it, someone who lives in an awful, terrible environment, or is driven by vengeance to a scary degree. It could also be that they just simply have lost the ability to care. They cross the line often, perhaps beating the tar out of a low ranking member in a crime gang who has never done anything too bad, and then justify it by saying, “They will eventually, or it’s their fault because they chose to hang with those people anyway”. This is where that 90’s profile Antihero or the Byronic antihero comes in- these people are often lacking empathy and might be outright sociopathic, but they are still heroes. They don’t kill innocents and they make ‘some’ effort to avoid screwing others over (like blowing up your house, oops).

Type 5- Hero in Name Only: This one gets a little sticky, because this category almost justifies calling your evil character an ‘anti-hero’. This is more of a situational piece, where maybe your chaotic-evil or totally insane in a not nice way character joins forces with good characters, and is out doing good deeds. The other heroes are all sticking to their moral codes and doing the best they can, while your character just plows through the adventure doing whatever he feels like, the risk of others be damned. Saving the farmer’s daughter? Well, that’s what you’re getting paid for, so like you care about accidently killing the couple down the street while chasing after the bad guys- they got in your way! Basically, the phrases, “We’re glad he is on our side” or “A bad guy pointed at other bad guys” is what defines this one. I would not say 100% of the time, but definitely most of the time, this is a single character in a group of otherwise good people.

So that is your antiheroes. These people are in fact heroes, though the last two types can certainly start to look evil (the last especially). Sometimes people get mixed up and think that their bad guy is an antihero because he is acting in the role of being a protagonist. A protagonist is not necessarily a ‘good guy’, but rather the guy (or gal) that we want to come out on top- the story focuses on them. Perhaps we enjoy rooting for that bad guy, so who cares if they are out robbing banks, murdering people, and stealing candy from babies.

Think Grand Theft Auto- that character is NOT an antihero.

Sometime the story is meant to go with the villain-protagonist coming out on top. A lot of times, we might be reading the story hoping for their demise and then get rewarded with just that at the end. Sometimes, a story takes a comical approach and that asshole gets what he deserves in the most humorous way at a later time. Either way, these guys are clearly bad guys, but they are the point of view we get. This sets up the interesting dynamic that we now get a Heroic-Antagonist.

This means, if you are playing a character who is central to your story and the one designed to come out on top, but he is out and about being a villain and doing bad things- he is a villain-protagonist and NOT an antihero. If your RP is about your sociopathic character robbing banks and stealing from everyone- that is a villain protagonist. There is a difference, and I hope you think deeply on it before you decide how to label your guy.

With that, I must be off- out of time. I wanted to have the chance to talk about Anti-villains (I find them truly interesting) but that looks like it might be another Closing-Thoughts for itself.

Alright, until next time.

-          Acies

"I'm drawn particularly to stories that evolve out of the character of the protagonist." ~ David McCullough

It's Quiet...

Too Quiet... 

It’s not that our numbers for recruits are down this week (SPOILER ALERT: We got 9 new faces and two returns, which are in fact good numbers) but that the interest checks in the water-cooler are way down- like waaaay down this week. I actually about flipped when I went to look up the new threads for the week, because I only found one. No joke, in the last week we have only had one new interest check come through and that one was just yesterday! Well, I looked into the RP numbers and those are about average, so at least the RPs are sticking around- it’s just an utter lack of new stuff for me to advertise.

Guess that means we have a review week folks. Hope you don’t mind the second run of multiple topics, because the only new material had for this week is something I wouldn’t normally add to the blog. Here’s the left overs. 0_0  

Mmmm Tasty

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen Goes to Round Three- Round three is well under way, with two out of three matches in full swing. One is actually quite active, while the other has seen some decent level of activity. Unfortunately, no one is quite sure of what is going on in match number three, so that might be a bit of a wash. Given how the numbers have been winding down, this stuff is starting to get serious. Go in and root for your favorites inside the lounge. While you're at it, you can bet on these matches too. If you are the gambling sort, you can take your VB to the bookie inside this thread.

Role-play Adaptation of a Classical Play: Pick the Play- The voting is over and we have determined a winner. Assuming we get enough people interested to take over all of the important roles, the play in question shall be, "King Lear", a Shakespearean tragedy. Stay tuned for further details and casting calls.

Hail to the Glorious Contenders- This is starting to gain some traction and I have seen some well known faces join up to participate in all three events. Remember, you have one based on luck, one on logic, and one  based on skill [Joust, Potion brewing, poetry]. If any of this strikes your fancy, you can join them here.

Legends of Adaviel: Looking for Characters- Just an FYI, the creator of this new land just got funded, so if you are interested in participating in a new land as it starts from the ground up, be sure to look into the character roles she has available. Also, if you like what you see, she needs a handful of co-signers to realize these endeavors as well.

Order of the Valiant Sky Recruitment- This thread just got a bump (using an interesting little animated gif no less), so it looks like this group is still seeking some new members to fill their numbers. It's been a while since I featured this one- I can tell, because it lacks one of my interesting little Meme comics, ha. Anyway, this a mercenary group looking to fulfill missions and obtain bounties, all while developing character stories. Give it a look.

Seem a bit short? Give me some more material then. At least I didn't serve you something like this.

I think it just waved at me...

Featured Read of the Week- There is some powerful writing here and it drew me into the story in such a way that I felt I had dived straight in rather than gradually immersed myself. Honestly, I think some of the best writing I have seen come from some of these individuals is written within the posts of this thread, and seeing as how more than one person has accomplished that for themselves in the same thread as others... well, the combination has spun a masterpiece. Two weeks in a row I am able to offer not just good reading, but phenomenal reading. Congratulations to Hopelessly Hopeful, Thaiis, Fairess, and Lilium for being the participants in this week's featured Read.

Because I Could Not Stop For Death- 

Chartreuse is dying and the Prince of Orisia will do anything to ensure that she shall live. Lucis' reflection on death creates poignancy that reaches down and grips you from the inside, for his inability to face a dying friend makes him seem very real. Grief is a funny thing and how it changes a person's thinking is an interesting study in real life, and here in RP, it is examined well. Switching to the perspective of Chartreuse, we see outlined the process of acceptance, the realization that death approaches and nothing can be done to stay his arrival. As she reflects on life, things she had wished to have done, memories of old, there is just this sadness that flows from the post and captures your heart. The perspective of Circely rounds out the first part of this thread, with a women grappling with her own developing feelings for the increasingly illogical Lucis as well as her beliefs of shortcomings. All things factored together create a powerful scene. It is later that Lilium enters the role-play, playing the perspective of the doctor who suffers the verbal abuses of Lucis while trying to make sense of his odd requests and the situation unfolding. I feel that there is a lot more to this doctor than what is currently shown on the surface, and I look forward to seeing how this one continues. 

It does make for an awesome sammich

Ha, that was some good fresh stuff- think of it like leftover thanksgiving meal instead of the usual leftovers turned casserole surprise. ;)

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: Biazo, Terrenus

At a Glance: 

• Leader:  Viceroyal Psychopomp, Vrishchikam
• Population: Constructs, Humans (Primarily poor & tourists/scientists visiting the nearby coral reef), military personnel of Terrenus. It once had 900,000 people, but that number is more likely between 500,000 and 600,000, due to past events.  
• Defenses: 
• 500,000 golems who were formerly people, but had become unnaturals until saved and turned into golems. Their size alone makes them formidable, and many are former soldiers, making them that much more so.
• 200 rangers from Marboro keep who keep an eye on Biazo on rotation based duties.
• Peacekeeper Devan Lemaire. 
• Hot Spots: 
• The Bell Tower: A building that serves a dual purpose, it acts as a lighthouse and it contains a specially blessed bell that when rang, causes pain to unnnaturals. Due to its protection, the houses around it remained intact, and thus this is where the rich reside. 
• The Sill Bird: A generic tavern that serves really shitty liquor! 
• North-Eastern Scar: Formerly a gaping maw with Unnatural activity, some canonical events have reduced the danger to a trickle versus a gushing wound.
• The Black Tarantula: A club propped up as a fish and bait shop, but it contains a magical building that hosts a nightclub the size of a small town with its own unique distracts and fantastical sights.  

Canonical Occurrences by Members:

• Biazo was destroyed. It's rebuilt now, but in shoddy shape except for the houses around the Bell Tower.
• In "A New Home" two shinobi are responsible for dealing with the overflow of Unnaturals in Biazo, mostly.
• Driax deals with a warforged marauder that is raiding nearby camps and settlements. After taking care of the warforged and his band, Driax also took care of the remainder of Unnaturals left over from the necromantic scar in the Sentient Stone. Driax also prepares to rebuild the temple.

Available Quests:

• Vrischikam, the mayor, is offering a reward for those parties who can identify anyone involved in Biazo's catstrophic destruction.

Brief Summary of Lore:

Taken from Lore: 

Biazo was originally a single Research and Development facility in the woods at the end of the Marlboro peninsula, north of the Hills of Lost Hearts. Terrenus was interested in two factors: mining for phoenix coal, which burns clean, and studying trees that occur only in that region; these trees have sap with stunning medical applications.

Once a road was built, other facilities popped up. Scientists and miners moved their families to the area and remained there once retired. Soldiers at Marlboro Keep did the same. Eventually, Biazo became a town and the road became a highway; people immigrated from all over Terrenus to get a piece of the pie or to have a fresh start in a new, flourishing city.

Its zenith was approximately 900,000 people. Then, a few years ago, Biazo was destroyed. Everyone was killed in the blast. The tip of the peninsula was even severed from the mainland. It was later found that many of those in the city could not return to Gaia; they were trapped in the barren haunting grounds until they would deteriorate into Unnaturals.

That was until the enigmatic viceroy arrived. Vrischikam cast a spell on the trapped townsfolk, one by one, that put their souls in stasis. He placed them in golems pieced together from the wreckage and began rebuilding Biazo on an abysmally low budget.

Research into restoring its people is ongoing. 

Well, at least this was a heaping helping of something warm and tasty, versus cold and questionable. 

This looks tasty. 

Is that a meatcake? 0_0

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

Malka:
She's new, she's shy, and she goes by 'Lo'. She's looking for friends but admits to having some difficulty with making them so send some Valucre love her way and fill her inbox with requests to become her stalker... er friends. ;)

Ethereale:
A busybody with some RP background from a variety of places, this newcomer is looking for some fun RP and a great story. Seriously, Etherale wants a story. Someone ought to deliver!

Zer0:
They guy whose name is a number and ends in a number- clever! He's here because his previous site caught a bad case of the explosions- nasty stuff, that. Anyway, he's newer to RP and definitely new to the site, so welcome him in and help him find some RP friends. Actually, he's already been quite busy in the Tavern of legend. :)

Khan:
New to the site, an avid watcher of anime and a fan of Manga. Khan is looking forward to the RP life, and has too found his way around the Tavern of Legend. G'day Khan! 

Ephemeral:
New to Valucre, but an experienced RPer already whose come out to give warm greetings and request a bit of help. Ephemeral is interested in learning about skills that you can apply to a character, so give some suggestions. :)

Kestrel:
I think this person is into birds. Bird name, bird avatar... I am surprised that there is nothing else birdish about, unless I missed some clever subtext- oooh I would be a sad blogger if I did. Anyway, Kestrel is new here and looking to get out there and experience some RP outside of those good-old fashion MUDs. 

DarkWreach:
They said hi, and then a bit more on being happy to be here and looking forward to the role-play. These short messages make my job difficult! Am I to craft an introduction and greeting from nothing? Alas, I shall have to cut this one short of its potential glory, because I have nothing left to give. ;-;

Akise:
Unlike the last person up there, Akise gives a lot- like, a whole lot. If he were writing for everyone, he'd have enough to cover this whole section and still have a bit leftover. Way to go! Anyway, he feels that first impressions are really important and so he gives his all. He shows us himself in true form, giving way to edits so you can get a taste of his self described 'parrot ways'. Well, this new member also goes by Dizzy, looks forward to RPing, and needs links to help get around. :P

Dippyeggs:
I'm busy trying to figure out what precisely dippy eggs are, but beyond that, this new person is here to RP and says they have some plots available for those who are looking for new things to do. If you are interested in checking out some fresh blood's ideas, send a message ;)

Returns:

Fon:
Not sure if he was going for the shortest time away himself, but if he was, he missed the mark by a bit. He's back, claims to be sexier but likely looks the same, given that, you know, he was gone for like a week. :P

Alexander Cruz:
Back from a lengthy hiatus, he's checking things out and looking to get back into the mainstream of things. Also, he wants to know who missed him. Anyone, anyone???


9 new members and 2 returns, not bad numbers for a standard week. At least I didn't have to present any leftovers for this one.

Other Highlights?

Oh, how I wish I could serve up nasty leftovers for this one. Something that looked like it was growing teeth so it could eat your face! Yeah, that'd show you for making me carry on with this section week after week.

Incentive Programs- Looking to make some VB? Well, why don't you check out the Valucre Incentive Programs. It's listed under the General tab and tells you all the ways you can make some Valbullion. Also, you can follow this link :P

Did You Know- About the Forum tips and Writing tips put up by Carlos? Yep, he put up some info to help out those looking to improve their craft as forum RPers. Check out the Did You Know here. To see all the Did You knows, go here.

Closing Thoughts?

This is an area I was interesting in covering for a while, but I have had some hesitation due to not being sure on how to explain it. This particular focus is the area I received the highest marks on during our state testing and frequently heard as positive feedback in writing. It’s an important tool I think, one that I am using right now even as I write this.

Today’s breakdown is about Voice.

Voice can really make or break a piece of writing- your conventions are important when you are trying to maintain readability, your organization helps make sure everything you present makes some sort of sense, and the word choice you use can help change the way someone takes a situation or whether or not they can even take you seriously. All of those are important, but to me, if you lack voice, your paper can be perfect in all regards and still fail. Voice brings in the reader, it draws them into the story or the subject you are writing about and if that voice fails, you might as well consider yourself presenting a polished turd.

A good voice in your story sets a mood, makes the reader feel like they someone is acknowledging them and considering them. It connects them to your piece; they feel interest and thus feel inclined to follow along. If you are writing an expository, you make the person reading your story willing to hear out your opinion. Given that we are talking about RP writing and actual creative writing, we really want to ensure that we have that voice so we can connect with the reader. If we connect with them, we get them involved in what we have to say, in that story we plan on telling and then we have accomplished what we seek to do.

Lastly and perhaps most important- voice gives your writing its uniqueness. Only you have your voice and while you can try to emulate another’s, it is of the utmost importance that you develop one of your own. Find that style of writing that fits you and the way you want to tell a story. Think of it as the way you brand yourself.

What makes for good voice? Let’s look:

Distance: You need to write from a perspective of appropriate distance. Getting into a background part of the story takes pulling back a ways, as would be a requirement of writing an academic sort of piece- you don’t want to come off as too involved or it becomes subjective rather than objective. However, when writing a general narrative or an opinion piece (journalism), you do want to come across as close and involved. With opinion, this is your opinion, your presentation. Are you connected, invested, involved? With writing of general fiction, you want to be close because this is a story you are sharing between you and the reader.

How do you do this distance? Think of it like conversing with a person versus just talking aloud. It is a bit hard to explain, but if you think about it, you are going to use different phrasing when you speak with a few people or if you are just talking in general. One way to distance yourself is to get into passive writing. If you are working to be distant, to remain objective, you want to describe what someone is doing.

Example (Very Distant): A man walked to a store quickly, sometime in the evening.

Example (Closer): Tom walked to the store quickly, just before his suppertime.

Example (Close): Tom walked the store hurriedly, hoping that he could get back home with the milk before it got too late.

Example (Very Close): Always running out of things, never remembering them until it becomes important. The food is on the stovetop and time is running out, yet here goes Tom, on his way to get the milk he forgot earlier in the day.

As you can see, we pulled in closer and closer with each example. We would use these last two for certain individuals in third person, with the first being one that we would use specifically as a tool, or in something that requires distance. The idea behind the first is to be objective, keeping it simple so we can expose some information, or talk about a subject neutrally. As we dive in further, we are becoming more intimate, hoping to share the experience with the reader.

This process is known as narrative distancing, and I think this lady here explains it better than I could hope to. 

Portrayal of Feelings: No, I don’t mean that you have to wear your heart on your sleeve and express all your feelers- if that were the case, we would have far fewer male writers. What I am talking about is how you portray the feelings of emotions inside the piece- are you carefully using your word choice to get me to feel anger when the story should make me feel angry? Are you using subtle wording to make me feel at ease when you want me to feel at ease, or likewise scared with the sense of foreboding written into the story.

Read what you have written. Is it eliciting anything in you- and of course not just because it is your writing and you know what is going on, but is it actually making you feel something for it? Think about that as you read what you have written, when you intend to create some potent feelings.

Example (Weak): Tom felt scared of the great big beast.

Example (Intermediate): Tom felt terrified as the beast stood in front of him, fangs bared and its eyes fixed on him.

Example (Strong): His heart raced and his teeth chattered; he felt warmth spread down his leg as his bladder let go. Looming over him with a mouth full of glistening teeth, its breath warm and sticky upon his face, the misshapen monster stared at him with black beady eyes.

Do you see the difference? At each level, I have changed it up to put you more into what he is feeling, to increase the palpability of his fear, and what caused it. Now, I am drawing upon your empathy, as well as your feelings if you a similar situation were to present itself to you. ;)

Connection: Are you connected to this writing? Do you display conviction, a willingness to stand by what you are presenting or portraying? Does your more distant piece show firmness and confidence in those observations?

Write definitely; avoid fluffing it down. Thomas did not ‘perhaps walk quickly because he is running late’- no, he did walk quickly because he was running late for dinner. Avoid weak words and phrases- Aperion (Stone) posted a great link to David Farland’s take on the word ‘was’- take that to heart! Certain words weaken your statement and thus hurt your voice. Be proud of your opinion, feel confident in your observation, draw in that reader.

Toss out was where it is unneeded.

Someone might have ‘went to the store’, but I could tell you how they did it. Tom walked to the store. Tom sprinted to the store. Tom skipped daintily while listening to dubstep while going to the store. Let’s give a definite picture.

I could go on with this for a while, but I found you a great article that points out weak words that hurt your conviction and connection. Check it out. 

Kick Conventional: How are you writing in your own unique way if you always write like everyone else? Part of voice is developing and enriching that voice of your own that already exists. Avoid using clichés, avoid writing something exactly the way someone says you have to every time- it’s okay to break some rules here and there. Of course, the difference here is that you should follow them before deciding to break one for the purpose of style. DO NOT take this as a reason to use shitty conventions.

Example (Cliché): Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.

Example (Unique): Anyone you call friend shall be mine as well.

Example (Convetional). Thomas went to the store, but there was no milk left.

Example (Unconventional): Thomas hurried into the store, eagerly searching for the milk. But, to his dismay, no milk remained.

In Unconventional example, I used the word ‘but’ at the beginning of a sentence- a generally disallowed act. However, if this case, I used it purposely so, for the sake of style. Style lends to my voice.

Vary it up and experiment: The final piece of advice I can give on this subject is to play with your sentences, vary the way you write them and search for what makes them both unique and feel like your own. At the core of your writing, you have your own voice. Maybe right now it is a bit weak and having a hard time speaking up- well bring it out and make it shout! Practice, develop, and see how you want to shape it. If you do not yet have a strong voice, you are at a place where you can begin developing it, and decide how you want to make it your own.

Alright, this is what I got for this week. I’ll see you next week you wonderful Valucreans. ;)

-          Acies

"If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write." ~ Somerset Maugham

Typing as Fast as I can

It's Nothing Impressive, but still... 

I hate having to be in a rush, but tonight, I am seriously rushing through this. I am doing everything I can to avoid sacrificing the quality you all deserve, but you gotta understand, I write this stuff up while at work. Yep, I have a boring nightshift job that usually allows me the time I need to get this stuff done- but every once in a great while, real work comes a knocking and the job has to come first. Ultimately, that means that I get behind on my stuff, because today, I had a truckload of it come in- and my regular co-worker is out, leaving me to do all of it on my own. 

This beauty takes me anywhere from 4-5.5hrs to put together (seriously) depending on how much content I got to stuff in and how much I feel like rambling in closing thoughts. To make things more dificult, the first blog of the month is usually the one with the most content because I am catching up two weeks worth! Alright, I apologize for taking up this intro to bitch and moan, and will get back to your regularly scheduled blog complete with snarkiness and heaping helpings of fresh Valucre content.

Even if  look a little frazzled at this point. :P

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen Goes to Round Three- Yes, you read that right! Chosen has finally moved on to round three, with our battles dwindling down to the best contenders. These fights should start to get very serious, and hopefully, there will be no more timing out. This might be your best opportunity to get your fix with some awesome T-1. Come check it out, you won't be sorry... okay, maybe that is a bit of an overstatement, you very well might be. 0_o Check out the latest in the lounge.

Chosen Tournament Betting?- I kid you not my friends, if you want to gamble on the Chosen fights, you now have the ability. Administratively approved, you can bet through the house of Valucre on which participants you think are going to win the current matches, and you can even bet on who you think will make all the way through, claiming the title of this years champion, and being presented with the possible opportunity to fight Faustus, previous winner of the Chosen. If gambling is your thing and you have some extra VB lying around, come place your bets.

Prime Candidates and Campaigns- I am leaving this notice up for another week, as it certainly could use some exposure. If you enjoy leadership roles within Terrenus and Genesaris, you have opportunities to take on similar responsibilities for places within Renovaito- jump on it while you still have the chance.

The Tea Party- An Alice in Wonderland inspired RP, this will be the birthday celebration of Raspberry, another one of those Dugrace royals. This is meant to be a big, open event, with many activities and plenty of food for your characters to boot. You can expect a loose posting order, with lots of opportunity to mingle, and perhaps bump elbows with some other noteworthy folks inside an IC capacity. There is quite a bit of work put into this, so you should at least give it a glance.

The Essence of Life: Wonders of Nature- This looks really cool. This interest check is looking for individuals interested in getting involved in a series of quests with someone seeking to discover the essence behind all life. The quests will likely all be centered around Genesaris, but an exception might come up at a later time. You can expect puzzles and riddles, difficult obstacles and the discovery of ancient secrets- an awesome quest of epic proportions. If you are looking for something cool that you can commit to in the long haul, you have no need to look any further than this thread.

Hail to the Glorious Contenders- Perhaps Patia's first major hosted event, this will be a large scale festival and tournament,  with several interesting activities taking place. You can participate in a joust, a poetry/writing contest, or a potion making contest (Love potions, if I recall correctly). The first is a chance based activity, with the joust results determined by the Valucre dice system. The second is purely with your writing talents and creativity, while the last focuses on logic. There are several IC threads surrounding these events, so there is lots of opportunity to get in some solid RP. Come support Patia, and make your appearance.

Role-play Adaptation of a Classical Play: Pick the Play- The interest check has been out there for a while now, so now comes the time to decide which play will get pushed forth. So far, only four votes have come in, even though more people expressed interest in the first place. If you plan to participate, were on the fence about it, or only plan to follow the thread, you are all invited to come have your say in which play should go up. Vote over here.

Terrenus Military Recruits- The Terrenus military is looking for some recruits, with opportunities for advancement readily available. The only thing left off the table with certainty are peacekeeper positions, so don't ask. Otherwise, you have a wide variety of positions available, so long as they are focused on city defenses. As Supernal put it- he's tired of leaving his Terrenus pie on the windowsill to cool, only to find that some naughty child has made off with his dish! Conscriptions are here.

Legends of Adaviel: Looking for Characters- The interest check specifically mentions royalty right off hand, but she's also looking for anyone looking to make characters based in, or having traveled to, this new addition to Valucre. There is a group that contains (what she calls incomplete) tons of lore, and there are a variety of noble family positions the author would like to get filled- but mundane roles are encouraged as well. Come help our member get her new land off the ground, it looks quite promising. :)

Featured Read of the Week- Love at first sight... it's a concept true only in romance novels, but when it comes to reading, sometimes you just know. You know from the first post of each participating member, that you have come to love this thread, and that you not only will feature it, but be following along as it continues its story. This is such a thread, and as two well known writers of the site team up with one who is less familiar, but great in his(?) own right, they begin to craft something breathtaking. There is just something mesmerising in the first post, with the soft writing that draws you in, hints of local culture woven in with the story of someone different, someone unique. The follow up builds further on that callus culture of people, opening the second participant's story with something evocative and sad- it hit me right in the feels. The third wraps up with something lighter once again, with character who is known to some as someone interesting for his goodness, and misleading simpleness. Congratulations to Desolate, Faustus, and ThesisTheory for being the authors of our Featured Read of the Week!

Propugnaculum I- 

Three different men come together from three different places, each worlds apart in their origins and their views. The initial meeting starts with relations described as tenuous at best, given their initial distrust and some misunderstandings as well. After putting away their differences, albeit begrudgingly and at the strong urging of Jericho (Faustus), the one who brought them together, their organizer begins by telling them of his purpose- one beginning with a dream, and ending with metaphor. When put simply, the man reveals his intent to be to form a group fixed on disrupting the forces of evil, to put down wickedness in the lands and overcome it.

The character Ashton (ThesisTheory) readily throws in his with Jericho’s cause, but the character Jackson (Desolate) is unsure, and only willing to follow along in pursuit of seeing the evil spoken of for himself. With that, their band is formed, and Jericho names the first place he intends to begin rooting out Evil: Patia, where a rumored thieves guild resides.

 Like I said, despite the crunch for time, I am still serving up some fine Valucre cuisine. Also, even though I am pressed for time, I read that entire thread in full, so be damned sure to check it out. If you don't, I'll send this cock after you.

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: World of Valucre- Tech and Magic

At a Glance: Keeping with our cycle of a week for each land and then something focused on the world itself, I decided to take a look at tech and magic in general, when talking about the world of Valucre.

Technology: The very first thing to mention is that one should keep in mind- nowhere in this world do you find things like the internet. However, beyond that, the level of technology varies widely. Some locations have little to none, with their most advanced items being that of the medieval period in Europe. Conversely, you have a couple locations whose technological advancements are quite profound. If you are looking for advanced technology, you are going to be in one of two places: Renovatio, where machine guns, mechanical airships, and walking tanks exist; or Antigone Isles, where technology has advanced to the point of Steampunk sorts of settings, with some additional magitech creating mundane computers (more like early processors for storing and computing data) and even motorcycles. Keep in mind, there are no traditional cars, no modern computers, no readily available cell phones, no AC/DC outlets, radios, or similar things. In some places (Terrenus and Genesaris primarily), magitech creates things that replace some technologies- so read around and see what is available!

Magic: Ah, magic is something that is amazingly diverse and so long as you do not exceed mild powers, your limits mainly consist of what your imagination can come up with. Iselyer is meant to be the land best known for their diverse uses of magic, given that they shy away from tech and stick to sword and sorcery based goods. Again, the emphasis on magic is more to do with creating quality RP and cool ideas, and less about powers that are just good for destroying everything. Although, we have to admit, explosions are cool.

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

Happy Shackles:
Happy Shackles is new and stuff and other than that, has little else to say! They did say they were brought here by Susitsu, so that is cool- appreciate referrals. I do have to wonder though, what makes Shackles happy? Perhaps a bit of oil to lube up the old joints? Someone particularly famous to shackle? This might be a philosophical quandry for the ages folks!

Lillium Aquae:
Lilly is another one of those folks who spent a couple of days lurking before deciding to give a commitment a try. She's like what she has seen so far (of course) and so it seems that was enough for her to exit the protective bubble of the shy and see if she can meet some folks. Quick, someone go be nice to her before that bubble comes back, haha. 

LeavesFallSilent:
There are some pretty cool usernames out there. For some reason, this one strikes me as something just awesome and I have no idea why that is! Oh well, the name impression aside, LeavesFallSilent is a formerly retired Role-player who realized the best times of his life were spent role-playing, so he's back to kick the dust off his shoes and start again. Welcome, and good luck!

Kyoki the Great:
Her name is Jess, and she's giving other role-play sites a try just to see what they are like. She plays trombone, watches anime, loves pasta and making friends- though, she admits to being a bit akward. I'm tempted to shout out NERD, but I realized that would be a serious case of the pot calling the kettle black. :P

HirakuShigari:
She says she took advice from a nice person (We have those??) and came to check out the site. She's been a shutin most of her life, since her childhood neighborhoods weren't exactly the greatest- a bit of a shame. But, thanks to it, she is now an online RP enthusiast as well as artist. She hopes to get feedback as well!

CS SailorPink:
Hey, she says thank you for checking out her hello message and says hello! She asks for a bit of patience, as she is newer (though not new) to RP, and still has to get the hang of some of it. That said, she's happy to be joining our community. Welcome! 

Ettra:
Revisiting the addiction, Ettra is here to role-play. Since we don't believe in giving up that habit, I'd say Ettra has come to the right place. They like originality, prefer male characters but will play females, and proclaims their love for you already. :P

Chieheart:
Chieheart is new and proud- well, sorta. They struggle with their introduction threads and so Chieheart feels at a loss for what to say. Well Chieheart, you need to say little, for we're interested in you coming in and getting into the RP. You can tell us more about yourself all in due time. ;)

Insane Angels:
Also known as Paige, she feels like a total n00b, but hopefully we can change that. Unfortunately, she lost her login info to another site and now has to leave, or be banned anyway (Harsh rules, wow!). Well, it's their loss, for we are happy to have you. Welcome welcome. 

Sethema:
New to Valucre, not to online RP, she has come to accomplish what many have- build up her writing and storytelling skills. She formerly belonged elsewhere, but after a hiatus, the website vanished. Those vanishing websites, always a pain in the rear! Well, it was good for us, for we got another member- welcome to Valucre!

Shaggy2dope:
Sporting an ironic name, given that he is no fan of ICP, but has to show off how '2 dope' he is. He came by to introduce himself, and expects to get aclimated quickly. Welcome! 

Catfox:
She would not blame you for not reading this, but since you are, it apparently means we're friends already. Whoo! Another refuge from a website of no-more, she's experienced in RP but needs a new home. Well catfox, welcome to your new home!

HimJL:
New to the site and eagerly seeking RPs. In fact, so much so, that he has his character sheet right in his introduction thread- how is that for efficiencey?

Shuwen:
New to Valucre, not to RP, and one who prefers melee fighting. He plans on playing a Kung Fu wizard, an odd combination if I ever heard of one. Welcome to Valucre!

DashAndSekky:
New to Valucre, and willing to be called many variations of their username. They plan to get into RP, make some friends, and promise to stay out of trouble. Thank you for coming Dash!

Returns:

Akara:
Seems like she was working on the shortest return-trip time ever, when she mentioned she was probably leaving for good, and came back to us a few days later :P. Welcome back Akara. 

Larko Malcog:
Gone on a lengthy Hiatus due to some life stuff, he's now back and ready to RP. Welcome back! 

Guardian:
He's been gone a little while, but he came by to visit while on a 30 day leave from the army. Welcome back! 

Capricious:
After a lengthy hiatus of his own, Capricious is back and ready to get back to Rping, socializing, and fulfilling other cliches- hey, cliches are fun! Welcome back :)

Vixen:
She was taking a nap (which apparently also involved getitng busy with some Cosplay) but now she is back and pushing the RP activity. Welcome back!

15 new members and 5 returns? Awesome stuff, and it makes me quite happy! In fact, it makes me pretty damn excited :P

Other Highlights?

Given how much of a rush I am in to get done, I was tempted to leave out stuff. And you know this would have been the first to go. Damn my overachieving ways! I must complete all my work, even if it means typing  like my life depended on it. >_>

View Site Leaders- If you wonder who is in charge of what, or who the staff are, you can find this on the view site leaders page. You can find it under your quick links, or click the link provided. It shows you the Administratators, Team Leaders (also mods) as well as those on staff positions.

Did You Know- About the Notice of Excellence? If you see a post or thread that really stands out to you and you want to draw attention to it, use the Notice of Excellence! This is located in the Watercooler and is a great way to give others some recognition. Check it out the Did You Know here. To see all the Did You knows, go here.

Closing Thoughts?

The subject for today is one that should give more attention to, but today, I am not going to give it much. Continuing in the series I setup a few weeks ago, we are going to be going over another one of the subjects used in standardized testing in my state. That subject today is Conventions.

This closing thought will probably stand as a bold affront to that very idea, as I am sure it will come away with at least a dozen easily correctable errors, but yolo, right? Well no, I hate Yolo, so scratch that. What I mean to say is that I simply lack the time to go back through and edit this up so that everything is smooth and free of errors. Conventions are largely just that- going back through and touching up, looking for problems. Is your grammar correct? Have you spelled everything the right way? Do you capitalize where you should and use your words and punctuation correctly?

I am not about to preach on about how your posts need to be perfect and at a level where you could score an easy A on a college dissertation. However, there is a level of proper usage that most would consider reasonable and thus a level you should commit yourself to meeting. The great thing about this area is that it might be one of the easiest to fix, though it will take some work on your end. Once you are willing to put in that work, you can really clean some things up.

Spelling: First, the spellchecker is your absolute best friend. Seriously, this thing saves my arse all the time, because admittedly, I am not a strong speller. Using a spell checker ensures that I catch those spelling errors and then post up content that is free of them. To improve in this area (so I can become less reliant on the spellchecker) I have been memorizing the spelling of words based on saying their spelling phonetically. For example, the word ‘conscience’. This is pronounced ‘Con*Shence’, which really is not even close to the spelling. To remedy this, I have trained myself to think of it as ‘Con*Science, which is the proper spelling. Now, that one makes some sense, but another trouble word for me is ‘Conscious’, as I always want to mess the middle up. To remember that, I think of it as ‘Con*sci*ous’.

Silly, but it works for me. Maybe you too?

Grammar: Grammar is one of those things, where getting to a decent level with it is pretty easy, but mastering it is a huge undertaking. English has a lot of silly rules and special exceptions and subtle nuances- so I expect no one to go out and get this down to a perfect science. Unless you have a Masters in English maybe- then you have no excuse. Some examples are things like:

Example 1a: Billy and I went to the store, instead of Billy and me. If you were to drop Billy and go to the store by yourself, you would say, “I went to the store”. Easy way to remember this rule- drop the other person and then think of how you would say it.

Example 1b: The secret was known only to Billy and me. This is passive writing, so it might not be the best example, but it is what I can think of at the moment. If the secret is no longer known to Billy (someone shot poor Billy) you would say the secret is only known to me. Therefore, use me.

Example 2: That vs Which: That is a restrictive pronoun, Which is a relative clause. Essentially, use that to limit something to that of what you are talking about, and use which when you are including something that could be involved, or might not be. This can be a little confusing, but think of it as exclusive versus example. The new game is only available at that store (only available there), which comes with three different promo covers. In this case, there are three promo covers, so you are not limited to one. If I had more time, I would explain this better. I recommend following up with some research :P

Example 3: Lay vs Lie. You lay something down, but something lies still. If there is no direct object in question, do not use lay (or, you can use it differently, if you are saying she was a good lay :P). You lie down, the thing lies there, but only something or someone can lay something else down. The past tense of lay is laid (another euphemism :P) while lie is lied. Lie and lied also means someone is being dishonest- isn’t English fun?

Example 4: Whether and if. Whether says you have alternatives, if defines a definite statement if something proves true. I don’t know whether or not I want to go out yet. This says I might, or might not- it’s still up in the air. However, I could say: If Joe goes out, I don’t want to. This means that there is a definite cause and an effect- one condition proves true, so the other must follow.

This is list could go on forever. Do some reading on common errors and make sure you clean those ones up, and you will have come a long way. ;)

Last thing I can say (I am seriously out of time here) is watch your use of punctuation. Commas serve for a short pause, Semicolons have medium pauses (soft) and long pauses, and periods indicate a full halt. Semicolons are not so ‘fashionable’ anymore, but I like them personally. Experiment a little, and do some reading. I hate not having the time to go into it myself, but alas, these thoughts must close.

I hope this works well enough for you guys. See you next week! 

- Acies

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained." ~ Marie Curie