What am I doing- Writing the Valucre Blog

What Should I be doing- Studying for an Exam

Well, I got some damn good priorities, right?

Hello hello, welcome to your usually weekly installment of the Valucre blog, written by me when I am not sick, backed up on projects or just plain utterly wiped out- all of that only applying to the month of October- go figure! Well, instead doing things that should take priority, I am busy plugging away at the blog and finishing up my Spinal Chills entry. See, when I write about things in the Closing Thoughts, remember- it is 'Do as I say, not as I do'. ;)

Kidding and self-denigrating aside, we have a packed up blog just waiting to be read. So do that- read it. Or don't, I can't make you do it. But you should! Because... it's cool and stuff. Or something. >>;

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen: Round Three Continues- Yep, still going, and going, and going. Not much more to say.

Genesaris Dark Festival: The Carnival of Despair- Final week is rolling around, so be sure to get working on winding down current threads and starting up games you want to get going. The Master of Ceremonies is has let people finish up after the deadline in the past, but nothing is certain.

Spinal Chills 2013- Spinal Chills is due today, ahhh! Well, by the time this blog goes up, mine should be sent away. Do you think your story has the chops to stand up against Valucre's finest? Well then, put it out there and send some chills through the competition. Entries due now!

NaNoWriMo- There are two things I can be certain of as November rolls around: Winter is coming (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere) and NaNoWriMo is set to begin. The challenge of all challenges for writers, a race to the finish to see if you can write FIFTY THOUSAND coherent words in less than 30 days. A tall order, but totally doable. I know of AT LEAST Three people who surpassed that last year (Yours truly included) and I want to see at least double that. That's right Valucre, can I get at least six people to make it to 50,000 words this year? Let's put up a rocking site total. Join the group.

Genesaris Survey- Hey, we want your feedback in developing future threads for Genesaris and the information we collect is supposed to help us do just that. Not only will it help Genesaris, but at the very least Supernal will be looking over some of the data and using what can apply to Terrenus as well. If you have not taken this survey yet, I implore you- give us five minutes of your time to answer this short survey- the information helps and it is designed to benefit all of you!

You Want Quests? Have them!- Adaveil is brimming with fresh quests for those inspired role-players seeking a way to carve their name in some virgin canon, so be sure to get out there and go see what you might want to take on. The boardleader already has a good list going and promises to add more in the future. get them before they are gone. ;)

Bandit Problems- Blast those bandits, always giving the little people trouble. If you aren't getting bent over by the local politicians, you have to deal with bandits- who the politicians ignore anyway! Without stumbling down that long tangent, let's get back to focusing on this RP- villagers in the Coconino Marsh are dealing with a lot of attacks and could use your help clearing out the rabble. Won't you lend a hand?

Aid for Sibae- Serene, the innkeeper of the Cleric's Scripture in Mammoth Tin, has requested the aid of noteworthy adventures who have the means and the mettle to uncover the cause of a former priestess' troubles. Locals largely regard the woman as mad and have written off her claims of harrassment by otherworldly creatures, but Serene believes otherwise. You will compete against an NPC group, so you best get to it quickly- 1,000vb rides on this!

Trip Down Nostalgia Lane- As I am sure the regular reader is aware, I do not often feature alternative threads, just because I like to focus more on Valucre canon. However, the premise of this thread was too much to pass without giving it a mention- so I strongly recommend checking it out. Think of it as a high school reunion for the biggest Mary-Sue (Gary-Stu)s in your RP closets- brought out for the day to mingle and reminisce about the good old days.

Gaian Academy Needs Teachers- Looks like our supply of instructors for the Gaian academy has dwindled down (mighten it have something to do with that awful D'eon guy) and now they are recruiting. Do you like the Gaian Academy model and wish to take part? Want to lead classes or take groups through harrowing field trips? Of course you do, so sign up!

Ever Want to be a Sky Pirate?- Sail the endless skies and terrorize the small folk, stealing from the weak to line your own pockets- yes, all that without the smell of sea salt permanently crusted to the stubble of your face. If a pirate's life is a life for you, but your fear of water and sharks making sailing a tad difficult, you should consider roving the skies instead. Climb aboard the airship and become one of the crew. Arhhhh.

Featured Read of the Week- 

I picked this thread largely for its beginning, because it set a tone that, while not the main basis of the thread, will echo through its entirety. The princess of Orisia has died, brutally murdered on the grounds of her own home, a place where she and all other members of the royal family should feel safe. Though time has passed, each are feeling the loss in their own way, some as grief, others guilt, some as shock, dismay and simple fear. Each member does a fine job bringing their character's perception of these events to the table (literally), dealing with their emotional baggage as they try to move forward in the interest of national security. For this excellent beginning and the interesting read that followed, I have selected this thread for Featured Read of the Week. Expect much more from this, it shall soon break down into many scenarios and discussions surrounding the defense of a nation- good stuff, I expect.

Congratulations to Hopelessly Hopeful, Ayden, Lunadrakla, Thaiis, Praetorian, Critias, Lilium, & Eternity for being the writers of this week's featured thread.

War Games- A secret meeting in a room far removed from the rest of the castle, the Order of the Black Heart gathers in spite of the nations still reeling grief. They can no longer ignore the truth of their nation's weaknesses in its defenses- twice now a breach has led to catastrophic events, unacceptable losses including the death of citizens and the death of the Princess. Gathered around a table, the queen puts herself out there, admitting that she must take greater steps and no longer overlook their vulnerabilities. Control is passed over to Sven, one of the knights and a captain of a specialist group. He proposes something new, a means to sharpen the skills of each knight and prepare them for disheartening situations- War Games, an excercise in the strategum and logic behind war.

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: Reyer City Prison

At a Glance: 

• Leader:  'The Warden'- a figure with a powerful grip over the city and the politics surrounding it. Rumored to be the puppet of OIC.
• Population: Tens of thousands of high profile, maximum security prisoners, in addition to an equal amount of poor citizens in desperate need of a cheap place to live.
• Defenses: 
• Patrolled by the Prison Guard- well trained, heavily armed
• Impassible walls that rise nearly as high as mountains. Maintained by guards and heavy magic.
• Additional prison security measures.
• Hot Spots: 
• The Residential Districts- This is the nicest part of the city, if one could call any part of it nice. The lighting is almost normal, the availability of fresh water more or less adequate for the residents, and there are some jobs to be had, as well as areas for growing food. The residents are afforded some level of protection from the guards, assuming they stay on their good side- often done through bribery (money, food, ‘favors’). Those who fail to curtail favor from the guards become the targets of rampant crimes, some very violent. Many of the criminal residents come to take contraband items, money, identification papers (of no use to them, but they love to take them away from others nonetheless), and the clean water. 
• The Inner Ring- Each layer of Reyer is separated by a wall that is intended to keep criminals within their sections, but is only half-effective at best. While the center rings hold the more typical criminals with less offensive crimes on their record, those who are staying for longer durations and in relation to violent crimes get to reside within the inner most layer of the surface level. As one travels further inward, the availability for legitimate work fades to nil, and clean water becomes much harder to come by. Crime within the inner ring is at its highest, with numerous thefts, assaults, and even rapes occurring daily. It is within this ring that the more powerful crime gangs are centered, although their activities extend to all parts of the surface of Reyer.
• Reyer Underground- The most desolate of places within Reyer, the underground is where the worst of the worst are taken, be they mass murderers or political prisoners. There is only one known way down to the underground city, and that one way in is the only known way back out. The entrance is a vault door, held together by fine smithing and magical enhancements, making breaking out all but impossible. The doors are only opened for the admittance- or the very rare release- of prisoners within the city.

Canonical Occurrences by Members:

•  In Progress: A long time resident assassin and an investigating officer track down a brutal murderer whose method of killing is unlike anything seen before. He targets powerful figures as well as innocents, moving about the city with more stealth than the most practiced denizen rogue. 
• In Progress: OIC sent in operatives to take control of the prison, they meeting with a long time assassin who aids them in toppling thieves' guild heirarchies and gets the warden into their pocket. 

Available Quests:

• None currently.

Brief Summary of Lore:

Taken from Lore: Reyer City is a headache that politicians do anything to ignore, broaching the subject of the prison briefly during their meetings- as required to according to procedural requirements- and then swiftly voting to address the problems within the city at a later meeting. The original purpose of the city was to honor an old War Commander, but politicians changed in into the Prison City found today. Although deemed a prison city, not all of its occupants are in fact prisoners. Many of the residents on the outer edges of the city are poor folk who had nowhere else to go, and had to choose between living on the streets of some city or living on the outskirts of Reyer city, in what could be called its ‘better neighborhoods’, if such a thing exists.

Unfortunately, in order to take advantage of the cheap property and living expenses, the tenants are required to sign a contract stating that they will reside within the dwellings for a term of no less than ten years. Given that chances for regular ‘legal’ employment is rare and hard to obtain, many residents have a difficult time making ends meet even within the city with a low cost of living standard such as Reyer has. The compulsory leases, low employment opportunities, and endless crime rates are just a few of many things that degrade the appeal of living within their noncriminal districts, and thus many have chosen long-term homelessness over staying within Reyer.

The city is circular in shape, allowing those who are there voluntarily to reside on the outer edges and then homes for criminals flowing towards the center, with those who have the worst crimes taking properties closer to the center. The further inward a person goes, the resources are available, with things such as food and clean water becoming of a great concern. Strangely enough, the city skies are always grey and drab from within the city, and as one approaches the center, the light continues to fade. Within the heart of the city, the odd light phenomenon reaches its peak. Those who have seen the center state that everything appears grey and dull, as if color were leached from the world and the only light reaching through was the limited amounts seen an hour before dusk.

While citizens in the middle are by no means friendly folk- those who have murdered in the acts of passion, long time thieves, rapists- there is a place for those considered even worse- serial murderers and political prisoners. Accessed from the center of the city, there is one door leading down to what is known as The Reyer Underground, this door three feet thick, made of enchanted steel. It locks down as if the contents were valuables kept within a safe, although the contents are people they hope to never see again. Once someone is taken inside, they are there to stay, until either their political involvement is renounced or deemed no longer a threat, or until their death. Often, those who are ‘cleared’, are never recovered, assumed dead as well.

Above ground and below, there are numerous nuances to the politics surrounding the place. Never fully unified, the surface is ran by numerous gangs varying in power, some small and only capable of petty crimes, others large and powerful, using their power to prey upon the weaker. The gangs are allowed to operate by the guards and the warden, as it keeps the people split apart and occupied by their criminal activities. Criminals who cannot unite are criminals that shall never overthrow the guards.

The city is said to be impossible to escape, between high walls and numerous magical methods used to keep prisoners inside. Nevertheless, contraband is a frequent problem, as the majority of guards are corrupt to some degree, some worse than the average prisoner they guard. The Warden is among those corrupt, absolutely self-interested and only concerned with his power, uncaring of the deteriorating conditions and repulsive practices. Indeed, many guards have brought in weapons, drugs, and sometimes even women- to be traded off in exchange for stolen goods and favors. The Warden not only overlooks these practices, he often engages in them himself.

Newly Awarded!

Only one member this week, but man did she clean up. Totally deserving, this awesome member contributes a ton to Valucre and is a totally awesome individual in person too- I've had the pleasure of meeting her twice!

-Lilium-: Activity Award, Endurance Writer, and Model Role-Player.

Congratulations Lilium, these were long past due!

Valucre Blog Challenge!

I'm always looking to try out new ideas, so I am going to give this a run: Valucre Blog Challenges. These will be writing based challenges, little assignments I hand out and dare you- the Valucre Blog Reader- to go out and do, and then in doing so, provide proof of your feat! Some will be just Valucre based and easy to pull out- write a blog or start a thread- others might require you to branch out, to take a stand on something and write an eloquent argument in favor of that.

Are you up for the challenge?

Challenge of the Week: Think of something you feel STRONGLY about. Something that would drive you to write about it for hours. I want you to think about this subject, think about all the things you disagree with it... and then write a Valucre Blog Post (on your blog) arguing for the other side. Yes, you will play devil's advocate for a cause you cannot stand. Feel like drugs should be legal? Write a logical, well thought out piece on why they should be completely banned. Believe in women's right to choose? Well, go out there and convince us why we need to ban abortions. The more strongly you feel about the subject- the better. Take that ire and write from the other side. Challenge your self.

I'll give props to the ones that catch my attention- send me links to your work! 

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

Chattonnoir:
Searching for a new home, a place where you can play a were-jaguar? Well, cannot say I have ever encountered a were-jaguar, but I have definitely encountered stranger things in Valucre. Were-jaguars are more than welcome here, so pull yourself up a chair and get to the Rping. ;)

Theendingsea:
Hey there, you and I already have something in common: You like highlighters- I love home office supplies in general. Yep, pens, good mechanical pencils, extra paper- you name it, I have probably already hoarded or plan to hoard it. Talks of writing utensils aside, I do want to welcome you to Valucre. I do hope you find what you are looking for. ;)

Aeradom:
Your username says Aeradom, but then your thread calls you Overwhelmed- which is it? I am so confused? Okay, just kidding, I get what you mean. Valucre has so much stuff, half the time you wounder just where the hell you should start, right? Look, don't sweat it. We were all new once and we take care of our new folk. You need a hand- we'll get outreach to chop one off someone else and give to you- kidding, kidding. Or am I?

Chesh:
Well, you never gave us a formal hello, but instead dove right into the RP scene, only stopping to get some clarification. Brave, I think that is swell of you. Welcome to Valucre!

Vespy89:
Newer to Rp eh? Well, don't let that slow you down. If you are willing to learn, we got people willing to help you out. Welcome to Val!

Waiter12:
Waiter, check please! Oh wait, I'm kidding. I just had to come up with something to add as filler here, because you limited your message to such a short greeting. Now that I have entertained for 30 seconds, I give you my welcome.

Catlin Queen:
One of three sibs I see, all with the last name (apparently not title) of Queen. Interesting. Either way, welcome to Valucre!

Wrightgotwronged:
I see that you too (like many before you) are a bit nervous- fret not, we love our newcomers! Get involved in some RP and just have fun. "Getting Good' will come with time. ;)

Riowyn Eludril: 
I see you are new and looking for advice. Looks like plenty of help already came through, so I will only give one bit of advice: Read this blog. Seriously. It is good for your health.

Liquid:
Hey Liquid, glad you look forward to writing with us. We look forward to writing with you too! So be sure to pick up your writing materials and come join us in some RP. 

Jenandriel:
Howdy once again! You really have gotten the hang of things already from what I have seen, given that you dove head first into the Tavern of Legend. Pleasure to have you!

MadelieneArkaine:
You were about grammar but impress us with your knowledge of so many ways to say hello! I like a good old fashioned hello, so that is what I shall extend to you in the meantime. I hope you find all the RP your heart desires!

Tharkun7:
An aspiring writer looking to share his imagination with the rest of us? Sounds spectacular! Welcome to Valucre, I hope you enjoy your stay and find all your RP needs met. 

J4142000:
I see you are someone else who got overwhelmed- well, don't worry, we seem to have a lot of that going around lately. Ask good questions and you shall receive good answers- I am sure you will find that our members are largely supportive and look forward to helping enable your RP career.

Mr.Disney2013:
Yes, Valucreans is the term! And we do have some fine Rp here- definitely better than that current 4th edition crap that Wizards churned out. D&D is great fun but so is Valucre RP. I hope you have a great time!

Epoch:
Hey, it looks like you are a bit unsure how to get this introduction going, but that's okay, we all get a little awkward now and then- hell, some of us more than others! Long stories with realistic elements- you can find those! That said, I hope you do. ;)

SinRaptor:
Hell, not only do we not object, we insist that you come join us for a round or four of some high quality RP. On top of that, RP villains are always in demand and we have no problem with people pushing their own version of a villain, giving us all a new flavor perspective. Hope you have some creative ideas- we love to see them. 

Makeshift:
Some of us have no luck at all, and I suppose managing to find all the dying sites is not showing a very good track record. Well, rest assured, Valucre is here to stay. So dig in your RP boots and get to working. ;) 

Allora22:
Why yes, that magician emoticon is 'cute'- he's quite the classic going back to old days on an old forum for a handful of us at least. It used to get used with a certain emphasis- ahh, nostalgia  Anyway, I wanted to welcome you to Valucre and wish you a happy journey on your search for quality Rp. 

Ivorytower:
As someone pointed out, we are kind of fresh out of wings, but we have lot's of experienced arms to choose from, some who are quite willing to help others. As for your question- absolutely, make a post and you might get answers. Especially for newcomers. ;)

Hellfiresage:
Used to write on Gaia is a common opener, but yet here you are, seeking out the best RP to be had. Welcome to the site, we sure hope you have all the chances you need to get into your RP and practice writing. 

dplusjluv21:
Well, you certainly know what you like, even if it is not so mainstream on Valucre. Not to say anything is wrong with what you like, only it is not a common practice around here! As our friend LastLight pointed out, you should dabble in some other threads to try some new things, but in the meantime, you are welcome to toss up a thread in the watercooler and see if you get nibbles. We have all sorts of RPers here and thus lots of opportunities. 

Mechanical Pirate:
Oh snap, a pirate whose made of gizmos and robotics and role-plays to boot? How much cooler can you get than that? Alright, alright, in all seriousness, I want to welcome you to Valucre. Sounds like someone has been doing a fine job of talking up the place, so I hope your expectations hold out. ;)

Zix Uni:
Hey, glad to see you too enjoy role-play, but hey, let's be realistic now- the majority of us on Valucre are here for just that and a few select others just troll around while talking about how they used to role-play [I'm not entirely convinced on that ;)]. We're a forum, so your times of activity are of no issue to us- post when you can, and enjoy yourself!

Returns:

Zona:
Hey Zona, I see you are an aspiring writer searching for a place to expand your skills- well, you sure have hit a gold mine here. Valucre is brimming with writing enthusiasts- both those who simply wish to be the best role-player they can be, and those who hope to achieve publication someday. Since you seek 5 nouns, I shall give them to you! Ant, Bench, Birthday, Insurance, & Step-mother. See what you can do with that!

Remant:
Hello and welcome back, happy to see you are still kicking it. You impart few words upon your return, so likewise, I am unable to impart more than a few words in greeting as well! You'll have to accept what I can give. 

Ken Pyro:
I see you're only stopping by and so that's a shame. It's always nice to see some of those older folk come back and kick it with us old timers, but we'll be happy to host you while you find the motivation to stick around. Just remember, the RP arena is always open to you should you want to do it again. ;)

Guardian:
Well, sounds like stuff hasn't been all that lucky for you- stuck in rehab with a broken foot, how is a man to RP when he has to focus on getting back on his own two feet? Well, happy to see you back around and hope you get to stick around too. 

SimonBane:
Welcome back, though I debate if I should greet you here or greet you above- you never really got any mileage out of your last visit! Either way, love the intro and I believe some proof of your fabulous hair is order. >_>

Great Scott! That was twenty four new people and five returns all in the span of two weeks- incredible. I love it when the averages are up like this. Keep bringing people in... though maybe a little less from Tumblr... just saying. 0_0

Birthdays of the Week?

Yep, new section, where I announce the birthdays of the week, as provided by Valucre. That said, let's see who had a birthday between last Friday and today!

• Inalitalllane (Oct 18th) 
• Desmonthesis (Oct 18th)
• Swans (Oct 19th) 
• sickly sweet (Oct 19th)
• Taoofbalance (Oct 20th)
• Hisoka (Oct 20th)
• dasMaedel (Oct 20th)
• Mme. Guillotine (Oct 21st)
• Noemigenovese (Oct 22nd)
• Daedalus (Oct 22)
• Erotisch (Oct 23rd)
• VenEastman (Oct 23rd)
• Refrigerator (Oct 24th)
• LouisPls (Oct 24th)

Happy birthday to all you folks- both those active and not active. Without your Birthdays, we would not have you, and well, what would Valucre be without all of its rocking members?

Other Highlights?

Bah, these highlights, the deepest thorn in my side. Only for my love, my love of Valucre.

Today's Birthday- Do you feel old? Well, I sure as fuck do. If you want to find other people who are getting old too (so you can rub their face into it, hah!), look no further than the bottom of the main forum- Under "What's Going On", you'll find loads of information, including today's birthdays.

Did You Know-  You can exclude the forums you don't want to see? Hey, if you avoid Free-chat like you would a diseased crackwhore, then you can use this nifty feature to do just that. If you welcome the cheap sex at the expense of STDs but prefer to steer clear of those funny earth worshipers, you can exclude Terrenus instead. Nifty right? Read about this Did You Know here, it gives you all that you need to know on this subject. Want more Did You Knows- go here.

Closing Thoughts?

A user requested closing thoughts, so let's get cracking.

Things change- and if I haven't hammered out that beast well enough yet, you probably just haven't read enough of these blogs. I don't get down and dirty with themes of change just because I have some aching penchant for talking about them (although I admit to rambling on certain subjects), but rather it's because it applies to so much of life. Change itself affects so many different facets of the way we experience and interact with our world, to try and hide from it is to live your life with your head buried in sand- you might be oblivious to it, but it certainly is not oblivious to you.

By the way a quick fun fact- ostriches do not bury their heads in sand, that's a myth ;)

Why am I preaching about change again? Well, today we're going to take a brief examination of how things change in ways that might require us to change our perspective. Not just in that we gain a new understanding or develop into more rational, moral human beings (such as ending slavery), but rather that old information might just be that- old. You might have had the right of the information at the time you got it, but just because it was correct yesterday does not mean it is correct today.

Yesterday, I wore a long sleeve Punisher shirt. Today, I am wearing a navy blue T-shirt that says, "If you can't say something nice, say something witty and sarcastic".

My friends know me well.

Anyway, if you saw me wearing my punisher shirt, you would know with certainty that I was wearing that punisher shirt on that day. What if the next day you still tried to claim that I had the punisher shirt on, even though I changed my shirt today? The information you had at the time you observed it was absolutely true, but in between the time you made your observation and this moment here and now, that information changed, making your last known bits outdated and no longer true. To claim I still have that punisher shirt on is to be inaccurate.

An example provided by the person requesting this thread brings up Domestic Cars versus foreign cars. To this day, many Americans will admit that they put a whole lot more truth into a foreign car over a domestically produced one. If you look back through history, it is true that much of the time, the very best cars came out of Japan and Germany. What this does not take into account is all the changes, upgrading, and innovating that has taken place in the American car industry.

It would be easy for someone to make an uninformed assumption.

This is just one example that shows why it is often important to take some of these built up establishments, these things you accept as truth and believe to be completely accurate, and challenge them. Look up the newest information, delve deeper into the theories and speculation so that you can make an informed decision. What was truth yesterday may no longer be truth today.

It is just a part of life, and often a very important one. A revolution in medicine cannot be explored, developed , and practiced until you have a doctor who willingly goes back for continuing education. He too is aware that the world changes and that new discoveries and treatments are made all the time. If this doctor refused to make any changes in his current practice, he might very well end up alienated from the group entirely.
So, take what you think you know and make sure to vet it regularly, especially for something as big as the presidency. Look up the latest information, hold discussions with other people- just make sure you make an effort. It will save you a great deal of grief later- that's for sure. Do you want to have to admit later that your answer was completely wrong because you spent little time actually looking up the points of the discussion.

Well, I don't have much more to say on this right now, and I am absolutely wiped out so this is what you get today. Hope it is enough!

Due to missing a week already, I will do an update on the last Thursday of the month- Halloween! Expect a spooky/Halloween themed blog post next week.

See you next week

-          Acies

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. ~Confucius