Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful...

And Valucre is so Delightful...

Since there's no better place around, we're Valucre bound, Valucre bound, Valucre bound!

Welcome back ladies and gents, to your weekly installment of the Valucre blog. Can you believe how fast this year has gone by, and how a few sparsely done updates have now turned into pages upon pages of a routine issues coming your way. It's been a heck of a ride, and now that it's become such an ingrained routine, I expect that many more will come. You can think of it as my Christmas gift to you, my fellow readers. Now, I realize that it's probably right up there with that gift from Aunt Clara, but hey, what can you do? 

Now, for those of you who enjoy reading along, let's get to rolling out this final edition of the Valucre Blog for the year 2013! That's right, your update before Christmas is the final update for the year, and we'll be seeing you again January 3rd!

On with the blog!

What's Happening Valucre?

The Isradis Cure- First up, we have a user submitted thread, which takes place inside Morgana of Orisia Isle. Rumor has it that scientists have been hard at work trying to create a process of incredible healing, up to and including bringing people back from the other side. They work with the

Isradis stone, a gem with more history to it than most relics within Valucre. Their research is bringing them painfully close to a breakthrough, and soon they will need to take this work to the next level. The thread is open and if you have a local character with a bit of brains about them, you might want to check it out. 

Gensaris Dragon Hunting- The interest seeker of this potential quest is a lore contributor to Genesaris, providing a new species of dragons for the people to work with. Now that they are set and out wandering the countryside, you can imagine the kind of havoc an aggressive species of Dragon might wreak upon the common people. This interest check is put out there to recruit some help in curtailing these populations back down to more manageable numbers, so that the townspeople can feel safe in their homes and out on the road. There is a great deal more information loaded over this way.

Family Drama- Shades of Grey is looking for people who might be interested in role-playing the dynamics of a very strange conglomeration of family members. If you think you have some messed up family out there, this might take the cake. While the alcoholic and the cold-hearted woman might seem like standard fare, being related to a werewolf and a necromancer might be a bit outside the norm! If you'd like to take on what of these roles, you can come read about it here. 

We Go in the Night- This seems like a neat little idea that hasn't quite garnered as much attention I thought it would. The premise is that a tribe of humanoid people who reside in a dark forest are attacked by an evil wizard who slaughters many, including an important shaman. Using forbidden magic, he stole the man's soul and has left the tribe in a terrible predicament. A gathering of people have come together with the intent of seeking vengeance and salvation, through a journey that will take them across the expanse of Terrenus. I think it deserves a glance. 

Rebuilding the Academy- A little while back (not so long canonically speaking) a terrifying force of evil came through the academy, destroying buildings, unleashing hordes of undead and unnatural creatures, killing students and staff and creating a great disaster. In the aftermath, cinders and ashes remained, mixed amongst the debris and carnage left in the wake of this terrorist act. The school has pulled itself back together, but they are in great need of help in rebuilding all that was lost. If you have a prospective student, or a traveling wanderer in search of work, the Gaian academy is a place that could use your attention. The current thread is here, and could use a little life given to it.

The Sword and Board Tavern is Open for Business- Though the Sword and Board Tavern opened some time ago, it's taken on some periodic bumps to try and entice some folks into coming along. I'm an old sucker for these sorts of RPs, hell, every single D&D campaign I've ever done started in a tavern. If you are looking for some light role-play with the potential to become something deeper, this might be your place to check. You can still make the grand opening!

Orisia's Winter Ball and The Fortune's Spiral Tournament- A reminder for all you folks out there, that the big Winter Ball event is underway, and while the tournament entries are now finalized and closed, you can still come be a part of the role-play action taking place. Many events are happening and certainly plenty of interactions await. You never know how one of these things might spin off into something longer term- I know the last one did for me. ;)

 Question of the Week!!!

Unfortunately, no last minute entries came through this week, meaning that my total entries for this week amounted to just one. Only one answer, that is all I can give you! On the fringes of Christmas, I must walk and present you with the bare minimum. I feel like a scrooge, like the man who canceled Christmas, like someone being over dramatic.

Well, I am being over dramatic. :P

Anyway, there was only one response this week, so let's get to it:

The Only Response: If your asking questions about how your blog is, than I have to say I love the whole thing. The humor you put in it makes it easier to read all the way through. The set up is also great as it flows together like milk and cereal. The subtitles make it easy to refer back if I'm wanting to read something again. Highlights show me all the main events happening. I have to say though that looking at the highlights as well as this week's closing thoughts it makes me wonder if we could have something in the blog that helps advertise a thread that might have died sometime ago and had potential.

I'll be honest. I find it annoying when a thread is going great and something happens to kill it. (Even I'm to blame for that sometimes although I try not to.) And thank you for the advice in your closing thoughts :D  

Hey, that one alone was good enough to make me feel real good! Well, with that settled, let's move on to this week's question. Remember- if you want your shot at the monthly prize, this is your last chance to get in on it. Be sure to get those answers in. 

Question of the Week: If you do New Years resolutions, do you have any that pertain to writing or Role-play, and if so, what are they?

Let's see if this can get me some good responses. :)

New Members and Returns!!!

So, this is like the first time I have seen this happen. We nearly have the same amount of returning people as we do new people. Now, this comes from having a heavier than normal return week, and having one light week for new member registrations. I'm guessing it has something to do with the holidays, and that's perfectly alright- I'd rather people spend the holidays with their families than come carouse new RP sites. However, they best come check us out afterwards!

New Folks:

Welcome, Pinkypromise
 

Welcome, Redmist

Welcome, Fantastique

Welcome, Haelstrom

Welcome, Kingkong

Returns:

Welcome back, Navana

Welcome back, Nameuser

Welcome back, Darkfiremoon

Welcome back, King Serperior

That wraps this week's group, hopefully we'll see a substantially larger one after two weeks!

  

Speaking of New Folks...

I'm always looking to expand the readership here, so here is a bit of competition. We have new members, and we have members who just might ignore the thread updates. ;P

See how many people you can get to start reading the blog. If you get someone to start reading, have them send me a PM at least 'saying' they are subscribed to the update thread, and have them give me a blurb about what they like in these blogs (or at least the most recent one). For each new reader who messages me, I'll give them 50vb. The person who refers the most by January 1st, I'll work out a prize with you, that can include any of the following: $10 e-certificate, $10 in VB, free items from the Genesaris shop, or special favors IC that you might want one of my characters to do (please, keep your mind out of the gutter 0_o)

Announcement! 

Sometime in the next few days, we are likely going down for maintenance and upgrades. This means that for a few days, Valucre will be inaccessible. It's a shame, I know. However, in the meantime, we are going to throw something together for people to do. What that is- well, we're still working on it. But you'll have a link on the page that says Valcure is currently down. Stay tuned!  

Other Highlights?

Tis the season of giving, and since I am someone who loves to give, I am going to pony out your highlights this week without a single complaint. That's right, an easy to obtain set this week. Wait, what's that? You got nothing for me? Well you.... nevermind.

New Blog Entries- Hey, if you like to read the member blogs, and want to see what is new, look no further than the 'New Blog Entries' button under What's New. Just go to What's New, and then look beneath it- that easy. Of course, that won't find you this blog though. :P

Did you know?- Community Quizzes: What are beginner quizzes? Why, quizzes for beginners! Each quiz is five questions, each question is worth 10 VB. Answer the questions correctly for both quizzes and you get 100 VB just for knowing stuff.

You can find the rest of this one here.

You can learn more here.

Closing Thoughts?

Let me preface this by saying that, while terrible, tragic things have happened this week, I am not going to focus on that this week. It feels too much like exploitation of tragic events for writing fodder, and I do not want to make light of what happened there in any way shape or form. All I ask is that, when you have the chance, take a moment of silence to think about the lives we've lost this week, and make it about the victims, not the shooters.
That's all I have to say on that, and so I am going to move on.
This week, I thought I would talk about the importance of occasionally writing outside your comfort zone. Much in how exercising the body creates new growth, exercising the mind is a necessary part of developing those mental skills- one namely being writing. If you confine yourself to a box, where your movement is limited, and your boundaries small, you are never going to reach out and explore beyond your confines. How are you going to grow as a writer if you never step outside those bounds and dabble in something new?
Admittedly, stepping outside those comfort zones is a difficult task; after all, you've defined yourself as a writer by a basic set of premises and then went on to write within those boundaries day after day. You built yourself a niche, got comfortable, and now coming out into the open might seem a little scary. What if you do a poor job of it? What if you don't like what you write? What if it all goes terribly wrong, and you become the laughingstock of the RP world?
Well, strike those fears away. Nobody is going to laugh at you as you try something new, especially if it is far from your normal comfort level. The title 'laughing stock of the internet' is reserved for one person, and that person is not you. Because if you are a Valucre member reading this blog, you've already proven that you are not the person I am thinking about- bonus point to whoever gets it.
Aside from that brief departure onto a tangent, the thing to keep in mind is that a great way to improve your writing is to write something well outside your standard fare. If you like action only RPs, go do a romance. If you normally do the hot and heavy romantic tales, perhaps you should go out and join a war thread. I'm not saying you have to suddenly decide to like it, only that you are willing to try and get through it, so you can gain some potentially important experience.
As you go through these characters and settings that are outside the ones you normally feel most comfortable with, you should see a rise in your understanding of these other genres. You can pick from them the pieces that apply to your writing, or better understand the interactions your characters might have between each other. The more you expand, the more you take upon yourself.
Alright, unfortunately, that is all I have for you today. I nearly spaced doing this, so I am getting a late start and still trying to finish relatively close to the due time. Also, I'm falling asleep at my desk, ha ha. You all have a safe and wonderful set of holidays. We'll see you the first week of January, assuming the world does not end.

- Acies

Engrave this in your brain: EVERY WRITER GETS REJECTED. You will be no different. 

~ John Scalzi

 



  

  

 

  

   

Twas the Week Before His Vacation...

And all through his update, he wouldn't quit mentioning it, even after it made everyone irate! 

Welcome back to your weekly addition to the blog, this one brought you by my enthusiasm, because I'm looking at only two more shifts before I kick the work dust off my feet and say "seeya!" until next year, because I am hauling out until January 7th! What does that mean to you the readers? Well, not a whole lot, other than I'm going to have some extra time on my hands for writing and project development. The blogs will continue of course, but they might update at an usual time (depending on the way my sleep schedule rolls out during that time period), so you'll just have to be prepared for that. Anyway, you will still get an update on December 20th, and then January 3rd, as December 27th is our monthly skip. 

Now that I've had the opportunity to annoy and/or make you extremely jealous of my ability to accumulate time off, let's get back to what's truly important: Giving you the rundown on what's new at Valucre! ;D

What's Happening Valucre?

Orisia's Winter Ball and The Fortune's Spiral Tournament- Well, if that wasn't a mouthful, I'm just going to assume you spend a lot of time shoving large things into your mouth. The event itself has nothing to do with oral insertion, but instead opens up the next chapter in major events occurring within Orisia Isle. These events take place after the eradication of the undead infesting the woods, bringing back together numerous guests and warriors to enjoy some activities designed to help alleviate some possibly unspent energy, as the undead scourge ended in a rather anti-climatic manner. This winter themed event will take place over three parts, divided by 'Dances', which speaks both literally and figuratively. 

1. The First Dance: Everyone comes together for a winter themed ball, where guests and combatants alike come to socialize and mingle. If you've ever wanted a chance to do some IC sizing up of future challengers, this is your chance to do so. After the events end, guests are allowed to rest up in special guests quarters. This begins December 22nd. 
2. The Second Dance: This is the tournament itself, starting January 5th of next year. There will be a pair of matches each day (for 8 total participants), going on for 4 days total (IC, with OOC lasting as long as required). At the end of the 4th IC day, a champion shall be crowned. This tournament is Realistic Melee, a challenging variation. 
3. The Third Dance: On the 6th IC day, a final Ball will take place, honoring the champion and allowing another night of celebration. Events end at dawn the next day, with this thread beginning immediately after the end of the tournament. 

Sound like fun to you? Well, there is a lot more details then what I've thrown up here, and to list it all would take up far more of this blog than I should dedicate to just one of many things! You can get the rest of the information over here, with pricing for participating as a fighter, and info for the needs on judges (As of this writing, one more is needed). 

Shrine City's Team Battle Tournament- Feels like tournament season is about, and if a small based Realistic Melee tournament isn't quite up to your tastes, you have the option of doing something on the other end of the spectrum. Soap MacTavish is throwing together an event involving team based T-1 fighting, allowing abilities up to Mild Powers to come pit themselves against other teams in varying stages of combat. The more people who join, the larger the purse gets, so people should start considering who they want fighting at their side. If you think a team based match might be something new and interesting to try, you can go check it out over here. The buy in is 45vb, and the tourney is slated to start January 15th.  

Canonical Updates for Terrenus- Looks like Supernal got bit by a bit of ambition, because he's been rolling out some new additions to the lore for Terrenus cities over the last couple of days. I've taken a gander over some of the new additions, and there is some new and interesting information to be had. If you get the chance, you should come take a look at this thread to see a list of the updates and to give Supernal your feedback. Before you ask- no, there is nothing about a landscaping business included. 

Exploration of the Isle of Gesen- This is a pretty cool and unique idea, so I definitely had to throw it in here. One of the creators of this land area is looking for help developing the lore through IC explorations- that is, he wants to RP discovering different things rather than just write them up on a lore page. By doing so, you get a better feel for the lore itself and then build upon some character background on the land itself. The thread author (Toren, aka Totem ;) ) is the one requesting the help, and offers VB to those willing to give a hand. If you think this sounds pretty neat, you should come join the exploration.

A Trip to the Nether- A quest based RP open to anyone, this strange adventure will take you to the realm of the Nether, where the dead go to wait for passage into the afterlife and where dreams take place (according to the lore of this RP so to speak). Somethingrandom, the one heading up this quest, is looking for 5-6 participants (at this point, looks like they have three) to join his character in heading to this region to recover an important figure. Upon entering however, they discover that evil forces are at work, enslaving the waiting spirits and making it impossible for the dead to move on to their final resting places. There's lots more to be said, but I think it's best that you just mosey on over and read the thread for yourself. I could regurgitate more details, but who wants pre-digested goods? Check out the details over here.

Blue Dream Hotel, Grand Opening- High Crest City has now expanded to include a high class resort, sitting right on the coastline. The Hotel is headed by OIC, but the general populace doesn't know, and it really doesn't matter, because the place is a nice location to get away and relax. If you want some RP with little strings attached (and what goes on at the Blue Dream Hotel, stays at the Blue Dream Hotel, if you know what I am sayin), then this is certainly not a bad place to start. Also, if OIC members are inside Genesaris but fail to visit, -Rob might kick your ass. Just fair warning! :) You can come pretend to be on vacation, like I am soon going to be(!), by coming over to this thread.

Question of the Week!!!

Well, a pair of last minute entries made my day today! Prior, I only had one response to the question this week, and I was feeling a bit disappointed. However, just as my hopes were dwindling away, a couple different folks dropped in their answers for the week, making me feel much better. If you can do the math, you already know that I have three responses for you this week. These three folks are the first three entered into the monthly draw which occurs on the first update of next month, so good luck to those who enter in future contests. 

Btw- remember, if I get an average of 5+ answers per week, I up the prize to a $10 value. :)

Anyway, last week's question: Hey Valucre, is there anything you like to do before/during your writing of posts? We covered music, but what about habits or food? 

The answers:

Response One: My quirks for writing posts are to first read the recent post than the last three posts or the last post of the last turn to help get me in the proper mindset of the situation. But besides that I don't have any other habits.

Response Two: I'm new at writing. I can't say I've always had something to keep me going with it because I am new. Music is distracting and I don't eat a lot of crap with the things I do so food and music don't count. I've been making a pot of coffee when I get home. It helps me with energy. Coffee could very well become my staple. I won't know for several more weeks. I used to smoke and quit two years ago. You'd think I might want something in hand. That's not the case. I'm good.

Response Three: I used to be a tootsie pop and jaw breaker/atomic fireball junkie, especially when writing a piece emotionally draining. I needed something long lasting to act as a soothing agent. Candy did it. Well, I had a diabetes scare when I developed gestational diabetes this last time around. I'm still free of diabetes but have turned to healthier, but not so healthier, alternatives to candy. I favor cinnamon bark. I imagine it's not good for my teeth, but oh well. It's long lasting. Two inches take me about forty minutes to suck and chew through. It's actually really good. If you like cinnamon, give it a try :)

Okay, three responses to that last one, let's see if we can do better this week. 

Question of the Week: What do you think of the blog format? Do you mind the random bits of humor, or do you want it more serious? Do you like the Holiday based pic inserts, or do you want to skip it? Is there anything stylistically that really irks you, or that you really like? 

Now, be gentle, but honest feedback is great. :)

Say Hello to Our New Members and Returns!

Looks like this week we have 11 new members to meet and greet. Better yet, we have FOUR returning members to give a big warm welcome back to, which if I recall correctly, is a bit of a record. I don't recall ever getting more than two or three in a single week. So, a decent amount of new faces and a good serving of returning friends to make the whole buffet of membership complete! 

Now I'm hungry. ><

Welcome, Mfaver

Welcome, Korac Thrioh

Welcome, Duskskully

Welcome, Mad

Welcome, Deinosuchus

Welcome, Platinum

Welcome, Akabaraokami

Welcome, Lullabylindsay 

Welcome, Virtus

Welcome, Bayfang18

Welcome, Lord Aeonheart

And the returns-

Welcome back, Olivejuice

Welcome back, Xaeroth

Welcome back, Mizukami

Welcome back, GodlyUnderdog

Welcome back to our new friends, and a big welcome to those who are new. Be sure to check out Blue Shoelace's Role-Play Direction Thread to get some help finding an ideal RP for you. Also, while you're at it, head over to the Tavern of Legend to get your feet wet!

Speaking of New Folks...

I'm always looking to expand the readership here, so here is a bit of competition. We have new members, and we have members who just might ignore the thread updates. ;P

See how many people you can get to start reading the blog. If you get someone to start reading, have them send me a PM at least 'saying' they are subscribed to the update thread, and have them give me a blurb about what they like in these blogs (or at least the most recent one). For each new reader who messages me, I'll give them 50vb. The person who refers the most by January 1st, I'll work out a prize with you, that can include any of the following: $10 e-certificate, $10 in VB, free items from the Genesaris shop, or special favors IC that you might want one of my characters to do (please, keep your mind out of the gutter 0_o)

Announcement: 

I ran a poll recently, asking how people wanted to see the updates continue. After all votes came in, the winner with 77.78% of the vote, is to keep it the same. 

So, the majority has spoken, and the blogs will continue on their regular schedule. That is all!

Other Highlights?

Hey- guess what? You're making me do more work, and I don't care, because I am going on vacation at the end of this week. That's right, three solid weeks off from work, so ha ha! Take that, you insatiable readers you. Three weeks of easy street. 

The Training Room- Hey, have you seen that little board called The Training Room? This is a place for new members and old to come and brush up on some things, ask forum related questions, or things along those lines. If you're wondering whereabouts to put questions pertaining to the forum itself, go get some training!

Did You Know?- Group Subscriptions: Did you know that you can subscribe to your Groups? They'll show up in your Settings, beneath any thread subscriptions you might have, and above your Reputation panel. It will allow you to see whether any new members have joined, and more importantly whether any new threads have been made or posted in.

Go to the Group. Group Tools > Subscribe to this Group.

See the rest of the Did You Know? archive over here: More to Know

Closing Thoughts?

Time for the closing thoughts

A lot has happened this week, both around the world and locally, and many things tempt me to reflect over events, especially a particular incidence that strikes awfully close to home. As much as I’m tempted to, I am going to skip over the subject, as no amount of parsing on the tragic subject is going to change the outcome, nor is it going to provide anything of worth to the board at large. Instead, I’ve decided that I want to reflect on the Water Cooler process, specifically, trying to get responses to your interest checks. If it seems like we’re beating a dead horse (after all these changes we put through), I apologize, but I think it’s relevant, and so I help you get something useful from it!

So, you have an idea for an RP, and you would really like to get some people to come collaborate with you on it. You put up an interest check in the water cooler, wait a couple of days, and when you see no one reply, you give it a bump. Another couple of days go by, and you still have no response. At this point, I usually see one of three things:

1. Another bump (Continue until worn out, then go to 2 or 3)

2. Rage quit (leave inflammatory message about people’s lack of response, then give up)

3. Simply Give up (giving up without inflammatory remarks)

It’s an easy thing to assume that your interest check failed simply because other people did not want to RP with you. Or you might assume it is because they can’t appreciate your ideas and artistic vision. Maybe you internalize it and think people don’t like you. I’ve heard a gamut of reasons given for why someone thinks their idea failed to generate interest, and far less often do I hear someone admit to what is the most common denominator:

You did a poor job with your interest check. 

Yep, I would say 90% of the time, if you fail to get any sort of response at all, it means you did a poor job putting together your interest check. It does not necessarily mean the idea itself was bad- hell, it might be an awesome idea- but if the interest check consists of two lines and within those two lines very little information, people are generally inclined to skip right over it. I cannot speak for everyone on Valucre, but honestly, if someone puts very little effort into his or her interest check, I am automatically turned off. Why is that? Because if you could not be bothered to put any effort into the thread meant to entice me, how much effort are you going to put into writing the rp and developing the story?

Putting up your interest check is more than just asking others if they like your idea. This is your one chance to show how dedicated you are going to be with this thread. This is your chance to show that you intend to put the work behind this RP, that you have ideas and plans to work with, and that you will stick around for the long haul. If you put up five or six interest checks in a month, put very little effort into any of them, and then quickly move on when one does not immediately generate attention, I am going to be very disinclined to RP with you. I want to see that you are willing to put in the work to make something fun, engaging, and worth writing.

It does not have to be the -best idea ever-.

You do not have to write with the talent of William Shakespeare’s and Herman Melville’s illegitimate offspring.

You don’t have to put up an RP thread that promises to rock my world and make me a sandwich

You just need to show me that you have some sort of plan that jumps out beyond two to three lines. 

Now, you might ask- how do I do that?

Well my friends, part of that new overhaul included a couple of handy guides put out to help you understand the process. We have a rough template, as well as the pasted blog of a fellow storyteller’s guide to putting up an interest check that will work-; well, work 90% of the time. 

Basically, you are going to include details like:

The Genre, Location, Idea and FAQs, through these four steps:

1. Tell us about your character who is involved.

2. Tell us the idea. What is the main basis of the idea, and what sort of story are you building- plot driven, character driven, etc?

3. Tell us what your plot is going to be, what you are hoping to accomplish, what challenges others might face, and what roles you need filled. 

4. Provide other relevant information.

These are watered down versions of what you can find on the linked page, so I highly suggest that you check it out. 

A few more tips:

Ask yourself: 

1. Is this story only serving me, or can I find a way to have it serve others? If your story is focused on your character and largely revolves around your one character and another already defined sort of character, you are less likely to have success than if you find a way to incorporate another person’s character with goals of their own in mind. If you can find a way to accommodate so you both mutually receive your needs, you are more likely to get someone to join you. If you don’t think this is possible, you might want to consider doing a solo RP or requesting a Storyteller.

2. Is my idea new, or is it a lot like a plot already going/already seeking players? If you can find a thread already going that sounds very similar to what you are proposing, you might want to see if you can join that thread instead. If people are already role-playing in an Alien Brothel thread, chances are, when you put up one seeking people to play aliens trapped in a prostitution ring, you might not get interested parties. People who are interested in those sorts of role-plays are already involved in another very similar story. Now, this does not mean you can’t try- you might find others who wanted to do it but couldn't because the thread filled up. 

Last tip: Sometimes, to get someone to jump off the fence and join you is to simply get that thread going and start posting, regardless if others join you or not. If they see where you are going with the story based on the posts you are providing, you might get someone to decide to go ahead and join it, instead of hanging around in indecision. 

If you do all of the above, and find that you still cannot get your thread to generate some interest, then you might fall into a case that occurs about 1 in 10 times:

People just aren't interested right now.

Now, this is NOT personal. This does not mean that the idea is necessarily bad, or that you are an unappreciated member- it only means that, at this time, people are not interested in that idea, for whatever reason. It might not be anyone’s taste. It might be that the group of players who normally enjoy that RP are burnt out on it right now. It just might be some unusual, that people just don’t feel like venturing into it. Whatever the reason, you should remember NOT to take it personally. If this idea did not work out- it’s okay! 

Just try again with something else. 

Alright, those are my closing thoughts. Hopefully, the resemble something slightly organized. I am in a bit of a rush today, because I got behind due to some work related events. 

Until next time!

- Acies

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. 

~ T. S. Eliot

Oh There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays...

Because no matter how far you roam, you can always come back to good old Valucre, many folks' idyllic second home!

Oh, I feel like I am getting rusty here! Take a week off from writing the blog and all my witty openers start leaking from my brain. Well, okay, let's be honest here, I'm about as witty as this guy here, who apparently lost something really important. Now that we've come to conclude that I have no dignity whatsoever, and can incorporate literal bathroom humor into anything (don't even get me going on my ability to make anything risque ;) ), why don't we flash forward and get on to the rest of the blog.

If I keep on going, I'm liable to end up going down the tube.

Yep, I just went there.

What's Happening Valucre?

Water Cooler Changes- Okay, for those of you who might have missed the memo (even though it was printed up all nice and neat in the newsletter), we've implemented a few Water Cooler changes, all with the intent of making your RP seeking experience more efficient and better than ever. The staff have deliberated on this one for weeks, so believe Supernal there when he tells you that this was no lightly reached decision. We saw a tendency for some RPs to fall off the map too fast for anyone to get a glimpse of them, and decided to enact a number of changes to make everything smoother.

1. You have an OOC section! Yep, there is now a place for your thread to go once it has gone from recruiting folks to just helping the Role-play get along. Now, members are unable to start their own OOC thread in that the OOC section- we're trying to avoid double up posting and confusion. Instead, we'd like to see folks first initiate an invitation for role-play, gather up your folks, and then let the thread evolve into an OOC thread. At that point, you have a couple options: You can contact a team leader or admin, or you can just change the name of the thread to "Example Role-play OOC". Then, when one of us sees it, we'll get it moved over for you. :)

2. You can no longer start more than 3 threads in 7 days. We understand if you've got a few ideas you want to share, but on occasion we've seen a huge number of RP threads come through by one person. This pushes off all the recent threads and makes it harder for them to get some traction. To be fair, we're going to 3 per 7 days (3/wk).

3. We will soon have an official template to help guide you in your Water Cooler submissions. You don't have to follow the exact structure of it, but any good request should have the information it asks for somewhere in the invitation- this helps you get people interested in your idea. :)

Role-Play Direction Thread- One of our newest members of Outreach has put together this handy peice to help our new folks find the role-play that best fits them. She did an excellent job, so when you get the chance, drop her some props. In the meantime, here's some words straight from her:

"Hey, board leaders- …and anyone else hoping for more activity in a continent, city, or roleplay on Valucre—check this out:

Newbies are being pointed to the recently instated Roleplay Direction thread.  Based on their roleplaying interests, Blue Shoelaces attempts to steer them toward particular threads, quests, or regions that appear to be particularly good fits.  It's gotten a lot of attention in its first week of existence, and if things continue, it could prove an invaluable resource for newbies and vets alike.

If you see a newbie who looks lost, lead them here!

Additionally, Blue would love input from board leaders (or anyone) looking to get some new members into their region or individual roleplay.  Keep an eye on the thread, and if you see someone who looks like a perfect fit for your little-known town or your up-and-coming event, shoot Blue Shoelaces a PM!  Blue does not claim to know about every last bit of Valucre lore, so your help is appreciated, if not imperative.

Important note: For now, Supernal requests that Blue be the only person to contact these members in response to a post in the RP Direction thread.  Part of the purpose of this thread is to avoid overwhelming members, so we don't want them bombarded with PM's from all directions.  We also want to make sure all corners of Valucre get equal chances of newbie influx.  If you have a suggestion, contact Blue with your roleplay, and it will be included in the thread response."

Treasure Hunt Epic-Fantasy- Now this sounds cool. This role-play is seeking people not afraid to delve into the mystical and absurd, going through a dungeon crawl in the most unlikely of places. If you think you've done it all, I have a feeling you might not have done something like this. Come seek your treasure and fortune inside a sea cresting among the clouds! That's right, a deep sea dungeon craw within an ocean caught in a strange gravitational field, lofting this mystical body above the clouds and into a place described as between the planes of reality themselves. Characters sought should be decently scaled, so that while they may be more than a mere human, they can still meet a decent challenge from what might come out to face them. If you think your character might enjoy something like this, check it out here: Outlandish Treasure Hunt

Rebuilding Izabal- The ever-growing Orisia Isle is in need of some assistance again, as they have some work ahead of them thanks to a nasty pirate scourge. Looks like a few ports were heavily damaged, so now they are building them back up and filling them with some troops to protect the vulnerable people. There will be an upcoming military division, and among the things you can help rebuild include a hospital, the port, a barracks, city hall and some residential areas (shops and homes). If this strikes your fancy, pick up a hammer and come help the folks out.

Attacks on Ignatz, Palgard, & Weland- Alright, a few places in Terrenus are not having such a great time, and I decided it would be duty as a (neutral) blogger to point out the threads calling for character involvement. Now, you don't have to be a good guy. You might be a bad guy looking to get involved in terrorist activities, someone looking to derail everyone's fun, or you might be there hoping to get a reward. Either way, these three places are getting attacked in some capacity or another. You can go to defend Ignatz, defend Palgard, or defend Weland.

Spymaster Needed- Well, do you think you have what it takes to be a spymaster? Or do you have a character who might be good at aiding a spymaster get their job done? If so, you might want to take a gander over this way, as someone is offering VB for the job to get done. Do you gather secrets?

To War- Oh yes, this one is going to be big. If you were around in days long passed, you might remember the clan wars, and the amount of role-play it used to generate. Well, we have a couple of agencies who are getting rather large, and others sure to come up on the rise. We have some smaller ones who might band together under a common cause, and these rival groups don't like it when competition springs. That's right, we're talking about major clashes, tied to no nations and based on allegiances of organizations alone. If you miss this sort of action, or never got a taste of it before, you should definitely mosey on over here. Prepare for war!

Question of the Week!!!

Well, you'd think with two weeks to get answers that we would get more than just three, but all I got for this week was three. It's a little disheartening, but I suppose those few who regularly answer are the few who have the highest chances of winning the monthly prize. Speaking of which, I bet you're wondering who that was. Well, without further ado....

The Winner of the Monthly Blog Prize (Valued at $5, whoo!), is.......

Shades of Grey!

I doubt she was as excited as that kid there (Sadly, there was a day that I would have done that if I had gotten a Charizard, but that was a decade and a half ago... oh man, I'm getting old 0_0), but she can bask in the lovely 500vb she is getting, as she asked for VB in lieu of the gift card. 

Congrats Shades. :)

Getting back to our question of the week, the question for last week was: What are you thankful for Valucre?

First Response: The Blog.

[browniepointsbrowniepoints]

But in all seriousness, I am grateful for just how much there is to do and inspire on Valucre. In character and out of character. The first thing that drew me to the site was simply how much lore there was, and how easily I could affect said lore. Quests, artifacts, conquest, creation-- a simple form was all it took for my contributions to matter to the whole. The inspiration just poured out from there. I had entire continents to work with and there was so much possibility. And whenever that ran dry or went through a rough period, there was always some other storyline being created by the other writers, giving me the drive to work on my own or participate in theirs.

But it wasn't just IC! OOC I've found so much to do. The site's open to people wanting to help out, whether it be with greeting new members or contributing to stories or even sending a response to the weekly blog question. You can chat in the Free Chat or you can write up your own blog or you can organize your character's storyline. However much effort you put into this site, you get out.

Second Response: I'm thankful to Valucre for allowing me the freedom to write what I wish without any judgement against me. I can type as childish or sadistic as I feel (within the character). Not only that but I can also share my stories and sometimes get feedback on it. The storytellers are awesome as well, especially since they are picked specially for their ability to conjure enjoyment out of thought and the blank space on the screen.

The other folk in the wilderness of Valucre aren't bad either. But I would have to say out of everything...I am thankful to Valucre for introducing me to my love. I met him on here and perhaps would have never got the chance without Valucre and her lure for fellow rpers.

Third Response: I am thankful for the [legend] BBCode. It's a neat little format.

I am also (more) thankful for Valucre interactions outside of roleplay. I feel like I've really gotten to know some people as friends—over the internet. Ten years ago, even if I were my present age, I would probably not have come to a site like this to begin with, let alone divulged anything approaching personal information. Meeting and befriending over the internet is getting to be safer and more accepted, nowadays, and Valucre is my first real experience with this. I think it's pretty cool.

There is your three answers for the Blog question of two weeks ago [the last blog]. Now, I had a few choices for questions this week, but here is what I am going with. 

Question of the Week: Hey Valucre, is there anything you like to do before/during your writing of posts? We covered music, but what about habits or food? 

Now, as a few of you know, I am an Ice cream junkie. Absolutely in need of an 12 step program for it, and boy does that urge to have some go shooting way up anytime I am posting from home. If I am doing any kind of heavy writing (posts, NaNoWriMo, etc)- I get an unbelievable hankering for Ice Cream- particularly, Vanilla with Chocolate syrup. 

So, there's my weird habit/food need for posting. What's yours Valucre?

Say Hello to Our New Members and Returns!

Alright, so we are covering two weeks, which means we have a fair amount. Looks like the coming of new members was a little slow post thanksgiving, but it picked up over the next week. We have 15 new members for all of you, as well as two returning folks. 

Welcome, WhatisJustice

Welcome, Jell0crew

Welcome, Callmeishmael

Welcome, Onvesu

Welcome, Ialea

Welcome, Boomfus

Welcome, Matiere

Welcome, Otaku4life

Welcome, Usagi Inaba

Welcome, Somniloquist

Welcome, Plumdarling

Welcome, Astral

Welcome, Karinna

Welcome, Hydra

Welcome, Consume

And a big welcome back to:

Fawked (Wez)

Athrelecaliver

That sums up our new members and returns for the week. Be sure to stop in and give them all a welcome. If they ask about RP, send them to the Roleplay Direction thread or to the Tavern of Legend!

Other Highlights?

I got out of having to do this for two weeks- two weeks! Now here we are again, with you giving me that look, expecting me to produce. This time, the joke is on you! I have something for you, and it's quite a gem. We're also changing this format up just a smidgen. Now, instead of giving you two highlights I dredge up from wherever, I am going to only give you one highlight, and a helping of the Did You Know from our very own Supernal. So take that, you extortionists!

Guide to Making a Successful Water Cooler Check- Now, we are going to get an official thing put up in the Water Cooler as soon as we can (let's face it, all the staff have full time jobs and many other things to do besides doing all the staff stuff we do to, so you have to have patience with us!), but in the meantime, one of our Storytellers helped put this together and tossed it up on his blog. I think this is a great start and will certainly help you guys in your RP advertising. Please, go check it out. How To...

Did You Know...-  "Did you know that you can apply tags to your threads? And that users can later search for specific tags that might have them stumbling across your thread?" Yep, you sure can apply tags, and they are quite handy. It allows folks to find your threads if they are looking for specific things, and can even help you find it later. You can read the rest of this Did You Know Here and you can check out the whole archive here. 

Closing Thoughts?

It comes as a bit of irony that I am doing this closing thought on a night where I am running a little behind my usual pace. Of course, this closing thought was asked of by almost three weeks ago and I have planned to do it today ever since. Further, I must put forth in my defense, that I am running a little behind because after two weeks off, I have more to catch up and cover with the What’s Happening and New Members section. With all that said, this week’s topic is Time Management, a subject that never thought I would be covering. I can proudly say I am better at this now than I once was, but looking back on that once upon a time, I was poor with my time management skills.

Working long hours forces you to change that.

I wish I started putting together some of these strategies when I was back in college. It might have been the difference between me having to drop a class and me not having to drop a class, where dropping a class also lost my financial aid and set me on a long road of inability to get back into school. First lesson to all of our younger readers out there is this: Develop these skills as early as you can. You never know when it might become the difference between your success and lack of success. I never acquired them when I was younger because high school was too easy for me. 

Then I went to a high rated college and tried pulling full time hours. 

That blew up.

Having entered the real world and devoted a great deal of my time to working (a lot), I finally did learn some strategies for managing my time and focusing on tasks. If you are going to get all the important things in your life taken care of and still have time to do anything else, you are going to have to learn how to budget your time. Luckily (for you math impaired folks) it is not as hard as balancing a checkbook or budgeting your monthly bills- but the steps are definitely similar. 

Take a look at what you have. How much do you actually have to do (and by have to I mean without a doubt cannot get out of doing) and figure out how much time that is going to take- realistically. This is not the time to kid yourself into thinking that doing this task is only going to take you thirty minutes when in fact it will take a minimum of 45min- if it will take you 45min then you better call it 45min, or even an hour. Better to over compensate than under compensate. 

Once you have an idea of how long doing the things you *have* to get done will take you, you have an idea of how much time you will actually have to get done what you should try to get done, and what you would like to get done. At this point, you should start deciding how important each of those ‘should get done’ tasks are. Rate it on a scale of 1-10, or letter grades, or give them colors- whatever works for your mind and how you think! If certain items are read as in hurry up and do me, you really should put that at the top of your list. But what if it is a soft blue color, one that says don’t mind me, I’ll wait patiently?

Well, those are great, but they can be a double edged sword. You can put these things off until later, because you have the time. You might want to get something else done, or you might feel over taxed- it’s okay, take some time off. In fact, if you are so over swamped with things to do, you *should* schedule yourself R&R time. It’s okay to push over the low priority item for another day or two. What becomes a problem is if you keep putting off that item for days and days, or even weeks. Eventually, that soft and fuzzy little blue thing is going to harden into a red hot and ready to burst item. 

Scary ~_~

If you have some things that can be slid off onto another day, you should ask yourself this:

Am I putting it off because I have other things to do, or have no other way to schedule myself some time for me, or am I putting it off because I just don’t want to do it?

If the answer is the latter, put it back on your plate. ><

So, we’re budgeting here, and you should have noticed that in the list of things to do, I included –me- time. You need it. Everyone needs some time to recharge their batteries and do things for themselves. Have a hobby. Feel free to have a bit of time you can just sit and relax. Steal it wherever you can, but you have to take care of yourself. If you don’t, how will you be able to take care of everything else?

On that same note, remember the other people in your life as well. It’s important that we find time for our family and significant others. You’re important to them too, and yes- they help you too. Now, don’t sacrifice –all- of your me time for them, because you need a little of that too- but make sure you get some family time in there as well (assuming you have one that is).

Okay, so we are starting to put together a schedule based on what you have to do. What if it just seems to full? What if there is not enough room in this darn calendar to write down everything you have to do?

Ask yourself this: Can you consolidate?

It seems like an obvious question, but some people never think about combining things. You need to do laundry- well, clothes sit in the wash for a while, what else can you do while you wait? You really want to sit down and think about a post to do up on Valucre, but you have dinner to cook. Ever think about keeping a pad of paper and a pencil handy while you brainstorm? Need to run down to the DMV to get something renewed and you just know you will be there for an hour, and then you have to go home and do all your bills? Heck with that, bring the bills with you and do them while you wait on their crummy chairs.

Just make sure you leave nothing with your personal info behind. Damn identity thieves. 

I do a lot of that though, I consolidate as much as I can. I have more activity now since I went to night shift (have very little to do here) but I still managed to have decent activity even when working during the day, because I squeezed it. I choose to leave my weekends open for outside hobbies and my family, so you won’t see RP posts from me on those days all too often, unless I ran out of things to do. 

So, let me put this in a way that makes more sense:

Budget your time: Determine how much time you have to use after doing the absolute essentials, and then focus on important tasks, and then the less important tasks. Fill in some of that time with a chance to recharge yourself as needed- within reason of course.

Consolidate what you are doing: If you can get two birds knocked out with on stone, do so! A great way to save time is to get two or even three things done at once anytime you can. 

The last thing I can say is do things that help you save time. Do something the right way the first time, so you won’t have to do it again later. If you can get something prepped so it will save you steps later- do so. I do it on here. I have parts of this blog down in a template to save me time. I come up with steps to help me with getting other things done as well- anything I can do to make what I have to get done get done faster. 

So, there is my three main secrets:

Budget

Consolidate

Prepare.

See if that helps you out, and remember- part of this is also taking a bit of time for yourself, otherwise you’ll get overstressed and won’t stay focused on your tasks! And while taking short breaks (peeking at Valucre perhaps) is all well and good, don’t let your mind wander too long! About 5min every 45min to an hour is fine. :)

Alright folks, I’ll see you next week!

- Acies

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ” 

~ Joss Whedon