Santa Dropped Your Gift Off Early!

That's right, the Valucre Blog Weekly Update of Course!

I mean, were you really wanting anything else for Christmas at all? Wait, don't answer that, because I might get my feelings hurt. Okay, so maybe you want a little more than the Valucre blog update for Christmas, but I sure think it can make a fantastic stocking stuffer- what, don't think it will fit? Tell you what, just write down www.valucre.org on to a slip of paper, roll it up, and stuff it in someone's stocking and voila! Fantastic gift and increased readership all in one- tell me, can that be any more win or what?

What, you think I was gonna hand out these?

Say, what do you guys want for Christmas? Leave a comment below (yes, here on the blog for once guys :P) telling me two things you want for Christmas- one being something of material (Game console, book, etc) and one being something intangible- a day to relax, a dream vacation, a good day, etc. I'm genuinely curious and I'd like to see what sort of things you guys come up with- particularly for the second one.

Well, speaking of all these gifts, I give you the last update of the month, your final update for the year, the very last Valucre blog post of 2013! But wait, what is this? I intend to put something up the day after Christmas? Why yep, sure do, but it is not a traditional blog post- nope. This is a special little update provided by another member. So you're going to have to tune in next week to see it. ;)  

What's Happening Valucre?

The Chosen: Round Three Continues- It's happening- no, seriously, the match is one! The final duel before someone earns rights to face the last champion of the Chosen Tournament is under way, both participants having posted multiple times each now! This fight is going smoothly so far, so let's see how this one goes. ;)

Panic Mode- Check this out, a couple new quests put together by a frequently featured writer here on the blog. This thread itself does not direct you to one quest but two, both with different objectives and requirements. Both pertain to problems with rebels that are trying to build an uprising in the Cold South. Care to quell the chaos?

Win an Easy 1,500vb- Advertised before, but it got bumped so I am putting it back up. First two people to win ten consecutive T1 matches without using the same character twice (at least, until you run out of characters), following the Chosen Ruleset and winning by winning- not judge's ruling and/or time-out get 1,000vb each. However, once that happens, those two must fight eachother- winner takes 500vb from the loser (one gets 1,500vb, the other 500vb). Think you can do it?

Heaven, Hell, & Earth- I am pretty sure this hit the blog at some point, but it's back up and looking for participants, so its back up here on the blog. :P To run this down in a quick manner (there is a ton of good detail pertaining to this in the interest check itself), the idea behind this RP is based on a story once read by the thread originator, involving an angel who fell from grace, by allowing the death of a boy who was destined to become a good man. The angel is given a second chance to watch over a girl who was supposed to be that man's soul mate, but again, he succumbs to his poor judgment and seduces the young woman, getting her pregnant and effectively sentenced to death (she is a slave). The slave owner keeps the little girl, who grows up into a young woman. In the interim, there is much going on in the bowels of hell, where the young woman's guardian angel, now turned to the side of darkness, tortures the fallen angel- a part they need filled! Want to try out playing someone who is actively being tortured? Or perhaps wanting to fill a smaller role? Check out the thread!

Ahh, he's cute in that sort of stalkerish way...

Winter Formal in Genesaris- The Winter Formal is just starting up and it definitely deserves some attention, because you know that when Genesaris gets something big going, there is going to be plenty of opportunity for good RP to be abound. Make sure you drop in...

Insert AWESOME Title Here- The thread is put up as a proposal to turn around some of the slowing activity on the site (something I as the blog writer have noticed as well). The thought is that there should be a great sea voyage, where characters go where no one has boldly gone before, exploring new lands and discovering new places. There is a rough plan to get it going, but this is largely a develop as you go sort of RP. Do you want to see the new world?

Markets of Kal'bajar- Things like this always deserve a second run, so I am definitely going to make sure this gets the exposure it deserves. Make sure you stop by the market and see what sort of goods you might be looking for. Never know what you might find... Go check it out.

A Monstrous Disaster in Mezthaluen!- Well, someone withdrew, so there is definitely another space open. If you want a fast paced action Role-play that involves killing terrible monsters putting down the townspeople, they certainly could use your help!

It's a Major Award- I won it! 

Site Changes!- Last warning- keep in mind, changes are coming down the pipes and there will be a loss of groups and blogs on the site itself, so if you have some near and dear stuff in there- get it backed up like YESTERDAY.

2013 Awards Coming Soon!- Yep, be on the look out, we have the 2013 Valucre awards on the way. Preparations are being made- it should  be more organized than ever before and definitely worth your time to brainstorm and think about: Whose RP did you like this year? Who played the best hero/villain? What thread did you most enjoy- things to think about in the next coming weeks!

Featured Read of the Week- 

Hey, its a new feature and this time, it does not include King or Aleksei- finally, found some more talent, ha ha! Anyway, I enjoyed this one from the very beginning. The opening begins with a sort of fairy tale, only this one does not end with a happily ever after, but something much closer to the works of the Grimm fairy tales. From there, it sets up a rather neat interaction between a pair of characters who go off to explore the myth.

Congratulations to Marik Cayne and Doge for being the authors of this week's featured thread!

A Dead Man Tells no Tale- 
The Rp begins with the retelling of an old fairy tale, one that does not quite end in the way you might think one should. It immediately jumps back to the current time, where two adventurers happen upon each other, both with the same goal in mind- to explore that mysterious cave told of in that old story. It leads into the two of them going off together, one riding on a horse and the other keeping up by means of his naturally capable legs that carry him with the same ease as the man on the horse. They soon come upon dung of an unknown animal, finding the remnants of human flesh within it- the dung is fairly fresh. Some further induction leads to the conclusion that the animal is likely a dragon- and both are prepared to face it down. 

Read and find out what happens later. ;)

I have a special feature for next month- stay tuned!

Lore of the Week!

This Week's Feature: Elrux, Muhir

At a Glance: 

• Leader:  Unnamed Baron
• Population: A 'booming population' living middle as well as rumored populations within the ruins themselves. 
• Defenses: Military guard who monitor the mines.
• Hot Spots: 
• Argane Mines: Available ore includes Argane, ore that would increase the holder’s magical capacity by ten fold, those unable to use the mana crafts would find themselves suddenly capable, and those who could would now find themselves ten fold.

Canonical Occurrences by Members:

1. As of Now: Rampant overgrowth reported around the abandoned strip mines, which are now rolling meadows. Aragane reserves will increase in purity and number.
2. Rumors: It is rumored the ORDER has a headquarters within, instead of a typical outpost.

Available Quests:

• None Currently.

Brief Summary of Lore:

Elrux was originally established as the original capital of Muhir, before the founded of the religious nexus of Aeliyr. As this ore was mined from the depths of the soil, it would prove to be good and bad, good for the obviously commercial and applicable uses of the ore. Bad in that the land around the city would slowly die off, almost as if the natural magical aptitude of the land was directly connected to that of the ore itself. This was in part a large reason as to why the capital city was moved; the people needed soil and area that was ripened with life.

Groups like, ORDER would move into the city to keep an eye on the mining process, all uses of the ore would be regulated by that of the Aeliyrian Empire, exported to only the most trusted of allies, the ore has become a staple in the commerce of the Empire.

Newly Awarded!

None this week, check back next week!

Valucre Blog Challenge!

That's not Santa- its me in five years...

I tried a Haiku and I was left without fine words to woe me, so let's move on to the next one and see if that gains any traction at all. 

New Challenge of the Week: There are some common issues that come up in writing, sometimes called 'writing crutches' that inexperienced- and even experienced- writers run into. One of which is breaking that old rule- show, don't tell. Sometimes, we find it much easier to tell the person the fine details without presenting it to them ishow me who they are (or what they are feeling in a particular moment) without telling me- no telling at all! You are going to have to practice using objective descriptions, things that we can all observe and likely imagine in a similar way.
n a way that allows them to decide it for themselves. For this challenge, I want you to take a character and

I hope someone does this one, because this is a favorite area of mine- I preach this stuff at work for legal documentation :P.

Since we're losing blogs, just PM it to me! :)

New Members and Returns!

Welcome:

I will remember and cherish this moment... maybe >_>

Ravenna:
You come from a place both wet and gloomy- sounds like my backyard as well. Then again, the Pacific Northwest has some pretty similar weather to your neck of the woods across the pond. Getting back on topic now, looks like you are planning on starting up the next chapter of your RP career- well, we're damn happy to have Valucre be the place where you put your setting. We hope you get off to a fantastic start in fleshing out that plot. ;)

SuddenlyARavenAppears:
Another who seeks improvement in writing by means of role-play participation- believe me, it is a common theme here on Valucre and as such, you could not find a better place to come in and write and get the support you need. The site might look a little intimidating, but you'll get it in time. Welcome, and enjoy. :)

Meltingman:
Hey, anytime a new member comes around looking to join us in role-playing, the experience is awesome for us. We hope that in turn we are able to provide you with an awesome environment to get your RP needs quenched and that sense of fun pumping. Welcome to Valucre, be prepared for some kickass times. ;)

Nommies:
A tip for the newcomer- I would never suggest leaving the name in which we call you open to, "Whatever floats your boat" because some people in the world find their boats left afloat by some really... 'different' things, and who knows what you might be called at the end of the day. Anyway, I hope Valucre provides you with all the RP you can handle and then some. :)

Sirus:
Assuming the capitalization of the Y in JaY was intentional, I think I just might remember you (from back in the .com days)- if not, perhaps a coincidence, but you did mention having historical ties to Ayenee. We look forward to what you plan to show off and how that you become well aclimated here. :D

Returns:

Castrael:
Welcome back, your first stay was much too short- much too short indeed! I hope this time around we can help you get involved in some damn fine RP- because we like to keep people around. ;D

Fon:
Some people seem to get coming and going to such an extent that I can never quite tell if the door is swinging open or if that door is actually swinging shut! Fon, you're becoming one of those people- so stop it! Grow some roots and stick around... I kid, I kid- about the growing some roots, not the sticking around part. Understand that life can get you wrapped up, but it's better to see ya here than to see you disappear.

Palmtop Tiger:
The Return of the Hopeless Romance Club's progenitor- welcome back to Valucre! Hope your schedule allows you the ability to stick around a little longer this time! :)

Feel like we got a little short changed this week on this section, cuz not so many new people signed up. It does make one want to feel a little... sad, but I will not shed manly tears for this- no, we shall have more in the future, I am sure of it!

Birthdays of the Week?

So, here are the week's listed birthdays. PLEASE, keep in mind that if you do not make birthday's on your profile listed and public, they will not show up on the Calendar. If they are not on the Calendar, I have no way of knowing about it and therefore no way of adding it here! If you want a shoutout for your Bday, be sure to make it viewable!

• DECEMBER 13th:
• Krayne
• Koth
• DECEMBER 14th:
• Awake2011
• Djox
• Singitwithme
• DECEMBER 15th: 
• Rin
• Nami
• DECEMBER 16th:
• Botsy23
• Hadlais
• DECEMBER 17th:
• Kataryn
• Paramour
• Lucette
• DECEMBER 18th
• None
• DECEMBER 19th
• Pure.ecstacy
• CarltonKnappuwz

Happy birthday all you fine Valucreans!

Other Highlights?

Hightlights for you maybe. I tend to be a grinch about em.

Subscriptions- Ever feel like you just have way too many threads to keep track of? Wonder how some of us carry 12+ role-plays at any given time? Well, a lot of us are using the subscriptions features- so you should give it a whirl too! Subscribing to a thread gives you the option of being notified via the board, via email, or both, and these notifications may come instantly (after a new post), at the end of the day, or the end of the week. It's pretty handy! Subscribe to a thread by using the 'Thread Tools' option on the top of a thread. Manage them by going into Settings.

Reply to All-  Yep, if you get a PM sent to more than one person and you want everyone to see your response, be sure to use the Reply all function on your PM. More information (a picture!) here. Want more Did You Knows- go here.

Closing Thoughts?

I think everyone could use the comfort of cocoa and a warm fire

Got to thinking- what do I write up for the last blog of 2013? It got me thinking back to what I’ve written and thought about all year long, and that’s when it hit me- and no, it was not a fruitcake.

Today, let’s close with thoughts about the year’s close: How did this year go for you? Did you learn anything, do anything new and exciting, accomplish goals? Was it a rough year, one you could look back and say you overcame adversities and became a stronger person because of it? Or was this a year where things just kind of came and went, where nothing new really happened and things seem about the same?

I bring this up, because I think it’s something worth reflecting on, especially as we approach our new year. I have never been one for New Year’s Resolutions- I always found them pretty silly- but I don’t think it hurts to have some goals in mind for the next year. Maybe something you know you can do better at. Or something you really want to find a way to get better at. Maybe you just want to actually do or see something- well, the New Year is coming, so why not do it this year?

Want to get back into taking classes? Even if all you can do is scrape together some money and go out and take one class- do it. You will be surprised by how great it feels to get back out there and start taking something, to start making progress forward, even if it is just a tiny step forward on a very long road ahead.

Want to meet new people and travel? Well, for starters- show up for Jordan Con (Many Valucre Brethren will be there). That little self-serving bit of advertisement aside, I also encourage you to go out and do it- stop hesitating. Stop making excuses. Put together a bit of money and just get out there and do it.

Want this to be the year that you lose weight? Well, hell with just ‘losing weight’- make this the year you take better care of yourself. Weight loss comes with it, and making the lifestyle changes are what is going to get you going than just shedding off some weight without making lasting changes.

Now, making changes isn’t easy- always easier said than done, right? Well, let me give you a couple of tools that might be helpful in implanting some of these changes, or getting you to a place where you can manage them.

First, the 5S methodology:

Sort: Look at your life first, and figure out what in your schedule, your stuff, your expenses- anything- that you can do away with or don’t need. What might not be all that important to you but is bogging you down when trying to reach other goals? Look at the things that remain and make sure you prioritize them so you can make sure you take care of that which is most important first, and the less important things later.

Straighten: This is often the most difficult part- put things together so they flow. Maybe you feel like you don’t have time to do X and Y, but you realize you might be able to accomplish both at the same time! Or, perhaps X and Y are close together, so when you leave to do them, if you do them together, you save yourself an extra trip (which saves time, and possibly gas/fare). Maybe one task is easy to roll into another. A couple of examples:

1. Need time to do laundry and time to do homework: So, take laundry to a laundromat and do your homework while they wash and dry.

2. Need to go to store and pick groceries. Also need to pick up prescription later: Do something else now, then go get groceries later, when you can pick up that prescription at the same time.

Systematic Cleaning: Now that you have cleaned off junk from the agenda and are trying to arrange things into a more flowing sort of schedule, you need to actually go through and make sure everything is clean- this means not just your living space or work area, but in general as well. Anything that needs polished up, or you find interferes with following the schedule you set for yourself? This the time to make sure that your environment or lack of preparation will not be the reason you fail!

Standardize: Alright, we have cleared off the junk, straightened things out so they flow, gone back through and cleaned up the garbage and things that get in the way- so now we need a systematic plan that we can apply on a daily basis. This is the scheduling piece, but also a means of standardizing how you are going to accomplish things. Make sure it is consistent and easy to follow.

Sustain: The last piece, this is where you take the preparations and skills above and then turn them into habit.

I also have another bit for you, called using a “Logic Model”

Think of your goal. What is your over reaching goal? Do you want to run a marathon by the end of the year? Do you want to improve your writing? Think about this overall goal, so we can break it down into some simpler components.

Resources: What resources will you need to accomplish this? If you want to run a marathon, will you need running shoes? Do you need a gym membership? Better clothing for running? A specific diet plan? What components go into this goal? Get a list going and have it written out- so you have all these resources before starting.

Activities: Now that you have your resources figured out, now you need to make a realistic plan to begin working towards your big goal. Let’s run with the marathon goal (ha, bad pun). You have your needed resources, but now you need to start working toward your goal of being able to run 26k, while right now you can only run 1/2k. Maybe week one, you will run the 1/2k and then walk 1/2k. Then next week, you will run 3/4k and walk 1/2k. Then, the week after you will run 1k and walk 1/2k. If you notice, each week, your new activity will work towards getting something greater. That greater thing is the next step.

Outputs: This is looking at what your activities are doing. If you run 1/2k daily and then walk 1/2k daily, you expect to be able to run 3/4k and walk 1/2k next week- this is your expected output. You will need to go back and forth between Activities and outputs to eventually work towards your big goal.

Outcome: The big goal. The final outcome of these activities will be able to run in the 26k marathon. So, every activity put out and output that brought you one step closer. It might have taken you that full year, but after a full year, you could run that 26k- congratulations!

Things to keep in mind with a logic model plan (called SMART):

Specific: Keep the goal specific- if you have a broad goal, break it down into chunks and create plans that work towards meeting each aspect of the broad goal. Don’t over complicate things.

Measurable: Make sure you can measure the progress, so you can keep track of it- you want to see improvements in the outputs, so you have to have some means of measurement. This could be reduced debt, lost weight, increased savings, etc.

Attainable: Keeping it real, make sure this goal is possible. Don’t plan for outcomes that are far beyond that activity and the output- take baby steps if needed. Your goal should not be to have an outcome of swimming for 10mi without stopping by next week, when you have never swam in your life.

Realistic: Ties with the above, make sure it is realistic for you to try and get this. Making plans to be a lottery winner and never having to work again is not a sound retirement strategy. >>

Time-Bound: In order to keep this progress flowing, you need to put it on a timeline. Add it to a schedule and then make sure you stick to that schedule.

Lastly, an extra ‘K’:

Keep it meaningful: Do something important to you. Do something you will want to stick with and follow through, because this is going to take some self-motivation to sustain- so make sure you have it.

That’s it for the logic model.

Now, you might be asking- Hey Acies, do you use this stuff for yourself?

Well, outside of work- not really, and not for a good reason either.

So, now you’re saying- wait, doesn’t this make you a stinkin hypocrite?

Answer: Absolutely. 

Look, they say that those who can’t do teach, and I’ll you what, I love teaching. Really, it’s just that I have not been good at applying these principles outside my work place, even though I really should- perhaps that will be a big goal for myself this year- get better at maintaining this system so I can do better with improvements. Truth is, I am by no means perfect- worse part is that I often know better and know of ways to get better, and then don’t practice them- this is a shame on me.

I hope that at least one of you out there might benefit from this. If even only one person does- I will have made a worthwhile difference.

Take that as you go into your New Year, have a great Christmas, and the blog will see you in January 2014!

-          Acies   

"An idea can only become a reality once it is broken down into organized, actionable elements."  ~ Scott Belsky