Man I'm Pretty...

Hey There Pretty Mamas, Check This Blog's Pecks!

I think we missed our
chance for a cock joke here. 

Definitely have to issue out some increase in cool factor if you know the references I just made. Obviously, the Valucre Blog is a gorgeous specimen, one that we already established would hit on your mother, so be sure to keep her clear of it. In the meantime, you can bask in its glory, selfishly keeping it for yourself- or not, if you like to share. Hell, the blog likes to be shared, so perhaps you should do that. And I have no idea where I was going with this, so moving on!

As always, Valucre has great stuff going on and plenty to keep you satisfied. Rather than letting me keep babbling, let’s kick this thing off. Right after I go eat something, because I think half of this nonsense is fueled by my low blood sugar…

What's Happening Valucre?

Dammit! Who forgot to unplug the coffee maker?!

Genesaris is about to get HOT- An event forged in the fires of a volcano (literally), presented to you by the overlord of penguins herself. Something strange happened in the lonely mountain of the Genesaris desert, and now things are getting warmer- uncomfortably so in fact! Not only are temperatures reaching record highs, fire elementals keep showing up in the cities and cause all kinds of trouble. Go ahead, include fire elementals in your plots, venture out into the desert and see if you can cut through the waves that are flowing into the other lands. Should you do that, you might as well go on to defeat the elementals leader Infernalis who is causing all the trouble. Rumor has it that some awesome loot is there for the taking. Just don’t get burned!

Wait... where's the fame and glory?

A Maiden Voyage into the Dordado Plains- An opportunity to go and explore the uncharted territory of the Dorado Plains, all in the name of fame, glory, goods, and of course adventure! The “eccentric” leader of the Toaughath Merchantry Company invites competent adventurers to come join him on this endeavor. Go read the letter your character must have received!

You sure this doctor is legit?

Becoming the Proxies- This is a different sort of idea, and I got to admit, I’m digging it. Taking some of those old stories called “ Creepypastas” (a horror version of “copypastas”), you play a character who ends up becoming another one of the mysterious others who go out and claim more victims. Write about your descent into the darkness, or give a thrilling account of a noteworthy demise. Looks like this new member is open to a lot of things, so go see if the exposition provided gets your pulse going.

Plague Doctors: Because being creepy is a cureall.

The Rebirth- The legendary King of Flames tricked a dragon and his rider into coming to his aid, hoping to entice them into giving aid in his quest to regain his lost body. He promised great power and more, but the man and his dragon refused to help this King, and so they paid dearly. Beholden to a curse that affects everyone but themselves directly, all who come near the pair grow ill with a quickly spreading plague, one that kills its victims in a slow and excruciatingly painful way. Upon realizing what they had wrought upon the world, they underwent a process that ended the curse as well as their lives. However, the plague remains, and now they say only one kingdom is free of the disease. You must find a way to get to that city, or if you are already there, you can choose to take part in one of two factions—those who work to keep it out, or those who work to cure it. Fight the sickness!

What is in his burgers?

The Mission Pyramid: A Tournament of Truly Talented Tacticians!- A race of teams on teams, to determine who among you is the best tactician and most capable of defeating your task. Up to nine participants may enter (three teams of three), who may either pick their teammates or go up for random assignment. You will be pitted against each other in increasingly difficult tasks, the last one to complete the task the loser. After three rounds, should you win in that final round, you will be recognized for your amazing prowess and receive awesome prizes to boot. There are prizes for each win and even for those who lose, assuming they still manage to finish. The prize for round one as well as the missions is already posted. What are you waiting for, show them what you are capable of.

Good RPs should throw themselves at you, with hugs

Featured RP of the Month-Future Promises
A Snapshot: This RP takes place in Blaidd’s Barony, a new region in Terrenus. A princess of the Cold South comes to this new land to extend the offer of ‘friendship’. The conversation itself displays pleasantries that test boundaries, the tension of two parties unsure of how to measure each other meeting for the first time. As of the time of this post, a theme of guarded tension drives the thread.   
Why the Feature: Where to begin. Both participants open the thread with their initial posts with a balanced description that paints a picture both poetic and striking, keeping the balance between conservative and purple prose. Both role-players engage in conversation with many layers of subtext that grab your attention and pull you through the thread. Differing cultures display prominently, adding more character to the entirety of the thread. Add in how one uses a clever way to convey a different language, and you’ll see why I chose this thread.
Who: Give a big shoutout to Aleskei & Nogusta. Wonderful read!

A Goodbye :(- Vintage (also known as Nette) is moving on in life, going on to awesome things (a new career, marriage, and other awesome things). She can’t drag herself away from our community completely, because- hey, we’re that awesome, but she has acknowledged that she is too busy to keep up with RP and Staff duties. As such, she requested that Iselyr be retired (archived) and she will be stepping away from PR&M duties. Iselyr served as the “Sword and Sorcery” setting of Valucre, producing some great RP and fun times (Ask her about my Bard sometime), but (I’m gonna be cliché here, which is ironic, considering this week’s closing thoughts) all good things must come to an end. Nette, we’re glad you’re going to hang around and still be a part of the community, but we will definitely miss your contributions to PR&M, Role-play, and the site as a whole. Enjoy life and keep writing!

They live in a Big-Brother World, can you tell?

New Members!  

Much better turnout this week- I had five responses. Five new members for you to get to know, pretty cool stuff right there. Without further rambling, here they are!

1.What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?
I was actually linked over by Eizoryu from one of the other RP sites we frequent. However, that site is kind of tanking, as well as taking advantage of its users (figure out which one it is yet? xD ), plus all the other friends and regulars we knew all up and left... I'm getting off-track.

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I liked the idea of RP'ing, but never really tried until about 3 years ago. Really is was just being able to tell a story through combined efforts that really interested me, plus my writing needed work, since I'm an aspiring author. I LOVE slice-of-life and romance, but I'm up for any genre, really. My characters are all adaptable for each one, so jumping into a new one isn't that hard. As for style, third-person narrative is great. It allows for so much creativity and every post I make is a step towards improvement.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Not really for RP'ing, I just enjoy it immensely. As for writing, I do want to write a novel at some point, or at least a graphic novel. My art skills are still rather amateur-ish, but I enjoy it and that's really want counts, right?

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

Drawing, like I mentioned, plus video games (play them rarely, though. Family comes first!). I don't have too many hobbies, honestly, I'm kinda boring. x'D Well... it IS interesting (to me), but I kind of like to wait before telling anyone until I know them halfway decently. It's a big part of my life, but not everyone understands it. I hate to risk possibly losing a friend just because of one thing about me. :3

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

It's been GREAT. Within a week I was already in my first RP on the site, invited into an RP group, and just having a lot of fun. The fact that this site is not based on fandom is, I feel, a big reason why everyone is so friendly. There's just so much freedom here, even with rules in place!

1. What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

Frankly, I did a google search. I actively rp on another forum, and while I love the characters I've made and some of the stuff I'm doing there, not to mention some absolutely awesome writers, branching out and getting influence/experience from more sources is good. I want to continually grow myself as a writer and as a person, and hopefully author some books one day. The level of friendliness and freedom within Valucre's parameters is something I like to see, allowing creativity and practical posting, and it jumped out at me from the other search results because of that.

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I'm an introverted, intellectual type of individual, if you meet me in person. I'm very quiet and pensive, prone to brooding or zoning out on ideas and concepts I constantly brew in the back of my mind. When I was younger, I'd develop stories with action figures or legos and even make up plotlines, generally influenced by my latest videogame, comic book, or novel. Over time, I started forming my own plots and game concepts, like any kid does sometimes, but mine tended to stick with me, evolve, get better. I'd be three years down the line and keep refining an idea, scrawling little diagrams and maps to think through stuff other kids mostly didn't. I rarely shared these ideas, but took in things I heard and saw and wondered how I might learn from it. By the time I'd graduated high school, I'd gotten involved on an RP forum, and though I still had a long ways to go, I was finally able to put down some of my ideas in writing, where others could see them and give feedback. That was when I discovered how much I loved making stories and building things collaboratively with people. It's been an intensely rewarding outlet for my creativity ever since, one of my most enjoyed pastimes, the one thing I'd continue doing if I had to give up everything else I used a computer for. For me, that's saying something pretty big.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Other than growing myself as a person, and as a writer, I have few actual goals other than the occasional plan I might come up with for a character's eventual turning points. But the first rule of making plans is to be adaptable and change the plan if needed, so those goals often undergo tremendous re-writing and change as I rethink them or they go through various experiences in RPs. I have a noble girl that when she was first made, was going to become queen of her country. Thankfully, that corny, cliche plan was scrapped, and currently she's likely to marry an honest knight that brings out the best in her, eschewing her position and power for the things that really matter, like happiness and virtues.

I mean, again, hopefully, someday, I'd like to write a book, but for now, roleplaying has taught me more than I can say in the space of this newsletter, and I'm more than happy to continue learning and collaborating as I have a blast.

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

I'm a professional information security specialist and IT repairman, I like to tinker on and fix computers, it's what I study and do for a living.

I'm an avid gamer, though recently I haven't had a strong enough internet connection for multiplayer, so back to old-school JRPGs it's been for me. Love Chrono Trigger, FFVI, Radiant Historia, all them singleplayer classics.

I-I-I I work oouuuut. And do Jiu-Jitsu. I like engaging in physical sports and activities that balance out my mental hobbies to keep me refreshed and prevent burnout.

Uhm something they would not expect. Um... I'm religious? Or maybe that I... roleplay... online... with other people...

<.<

>.>

xD

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

You guys have been really friendly and accepting, it's been a real treat to start getting involved here. I can't say enough how well-written the greeting letter is, and how positive the reception area for newbies is. On that end, keep up the good work and you'll keep getting more people.

The only thing I'd ask is that some of the lore pages actually get filled out so that newcomers can find an area that suites their tastes without having to ask a ton of questions via PM. Bigger continents like Terrenus and Genesaris are very detailed and easy to study up on, but subforums or smaller lands are more hit-or-miss. I've been told certain lands were more geared toward straight medieval or traditional fantasy settings, only to find zero information detailing the land and culture. I know some are in-progress and such, but it still helps when you click on a link, expecting a page of at least brief summarizing information, and there's more than just a Work In Progress sign, or only a list of storytellers and mods. I'm lucky some friendly folks plunged me head-first into an RP with hardly any time to think, or I might still be deliberating on the best place to start.

Other than that, I can't say I've noticed much amiss, the color scheme is easier on the eyes than many, many forums, and even the subforums are organized well enough to be navigable by an inexperienced noob. Gj!

1. What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

I was looking for a new RP site because the one I've been on for years has become less and less active. I actually found this as a recommendation to someone else who was looking for a good RP site.

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I got into RPing when I was about eleven because I loved the Harry Potter books so much I spent a lot of time looking for Harry Potter related things. And I found a RP site strictly for Harry Potter. I'd say I really enjoy RPing romance and am a huge vampire fanatic, so I strictly RP vampires.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Not really. It's just fun for me and a good way to keep my writing skills sort of sharp. Though I'd say I'm only a mediocre writer.

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

Other hobbies? I love riding horses and crocheting. I study a lot, though, and spend a lot of time drawing as well. And I don't really know what people wouldn't expect about me.

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

My Valucre experience has been pretty good so far. Though, I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such an adventure-based RP community. Still, everyone is really nice and the site is fairly active, which is always nice. To be honest, learning about the different regions is actually difficult first coming in, though. None of the information sections for the different regions are the same and it makes it hard to navigate with all the different formats. If recommend a sort of universal template to make it easier because there is an overwhelming amount of knowledge to learn coming into this site.

1. What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

I craved for a good role-play. Accidentally stumbled upon it while browsing a list of the best role-playing sites. 

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

My love towards writing and creating character. My favorite genres are almost everything dark-themed, mystery, horror, vampire centered role-plays and the most loved of all, sword and magic.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

No, I don't. I write/role-play just because I enjoy it, without planning. 

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

My hobbies are writing, role-playing, collecting knives, playing cards and studying foreign languages. One interesting thing people don't expect: I'm a pretty decent fencer.

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

It has been great. What I like are the activity and the kindness of its members.

1. What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

I found Valucre via a several-years old Yahoo!Questions topic searching for decent RP communities. I hail from GaiaOnline, whose RP community was... Just not what I wanted to be a part of [anymore]. Not that I was much a part of it to begin with, but it seemed that I could just never find Players of my own skill level and dedication. Being tired of GO's shenanigans was what brought me here. 

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

Not so much "what" as "who". My husband, who I was only starting to date at the time, introduced me to roleplay in high school. Before that, I was writing creatively after being inspired by the likes of Tolkien and Rowling, and the success story of Paolini (whose work I'm not so fond of anymore).

My favorite genres tend towards fantasy of any sort: High fantasy, D&D/Pathfinder-esque swords-n-sorcery, modern, science, urban, supernatural... Lots of things, really. As far as styles, I'm not really sure what that's asking. *chuckle* Third person narrative styled, I suppose?

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

The only real long-term goals I have are to have fun, and develop interesting characters along the way that people find just as intriguing as I do. No dreams of publishing since I've grown out of the phase where I was sure I was hot stuff (teenaged dreams!).

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

I'm also an artist (hobbyist, digital, anthro and animal), a not-quite-casual-but-not-hardcore gamer, pony fan (not Brony; I make the distinction for reasons), Disney child, and general nerd of the Internet age. 
As far as something interesting about me that's kind of unexpected... Um... I like foreign metal, like Alestorm, Wintersun, Ensiferum, Lunatica, and Equilibrium. I don't look like a metalhead to any degree; I probably look more like a New-Age or Broadway-musical-loving type.

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

I unfortunately have been unable to delve into the community's roleplaying itself yet due to IRL circumstances. But the people here have been nothing if not wonderfully welcoming and able/willing/eager to help a new arrival into the community, without being pushy in any aspect (which is something that has turned me off from other RP communities before). I love the fact that the admin and staff are so involved with the community's goings-on. And that's super-refreshing after all the other sites I've tried that are either cliquish, dead, or dying, with virtually no sight nor hide nor hair of admins or mods. Pretty much the only thing folks here can do is not change.

Give a warm welcome to all these folks and make sure they get a chance to find some quality RP. :D

What is content squared?

Other Highlights?

FAQs:  You want to know stuff, right? Getting around the site sure is easier when you know stuff. Well, what better place to go find stuff than heading over to the FAQ section of the site, amirite? You can find it along the header.

Did You Know-  That we have a world bestiary? Yep, we sure do, full of interesting things you can go slay. Some are found all over the world, some others are exclusive to a land, so be sure to double check that before using them in a canon RP. Check it out here. While you are at it, read the rest of the Did You Knows too. 

Closing Thoughts?

Revenge for family/community/love interest

Putting together a role-play, while not exactly the same as writing, shares some similar elements. We build up characters we (usually) plan to use for a long haul, inserting them into some kind of plot that at some point should reach a climax and resolution. In general, there is some kind of background information; though how much depends on the RP itself. You will have a setting for this “play” to take place in (may be one room or an expansive locale). Obviously, role-plays have a lot in common with writing a story, even if some of the execution is different. Just as role-play shares qualities of construction, it shares some flaws as well. Today, let’s address “clichés”.

What kind of clichés you ask? Well, I put together a list of 10 elements that have to do with plot and characters. I am sure many, many more could be derived, including things that have to do with how a plot is resolved or the setting itself, but I am limiting myself to this for today—perhaps we’ll run a sequel (*gasp*, is that another one?) in the future. In no particular order, here are ten things that should be limited, or outright stricken.

1. Descriptions of the character while they look in a mirror, or when someone else is looking at them.
This is taking the easy way out on trying to describe a character. Rather than slip a couple details here and there as the story goes along, someone decides to do the info dump, but instead of just being straight up about it, the package it up and try to make it look like a valid way to share that information—no, just no. Not only is this still an info dump, you’re now doing it in a way that almost seems like it’s meant to be deceiving. Also, it is a really boring way to start things out and it’s unrealistic! Who stands in front of the mirror describing themselves, or going over every detail of their body? Sure, insecure adolescents might focus on one or two areas, but they are not going over every detail. Same goes for having someone else do it- who stands there analyzing someone’s entire profile? If you or someone you know is doing it, please look into obsessive-compulsive disorder.

2. “The Chosen One”
Before I get any one scoffing at me, don’t take this to mean you cannot ever use it, just be aware that it is a common cliché—it gets used a lot. If you can put a new spin on the old story and make something interesting and new, go for it! However, if your story starts to resemble something that has been done forty times in the last year… well, that story has been done forty times in the last year, try something different.

3. Conveniently Occupied
You know who is among the biggest offenders for this? Dragon Ball Z. Seriously, ever notice that Goku just so happens to be too busy to come help the rest of the Z fighters, because he is somewhere else, or stuck doing something different, or just happens to be incapacitated, but way- he gets there just in time! This can be done intelligently and in subtle ways, but it also can be done where it’s obvious that you were either at a loss for a good idea or just plain lazy. Try to not use this if you can, unless you have a fresh take on it—and you probably don’t, just sayin. ;)

4. Old Mentor
Yeah, it gets used a lot, and sometimes the use is fine. Where people get into trouble with this one is when the mentor is just a rehash of the mentor seen in every story, and that mentor has a knack for showing up and saving the protagonist’s butt. If you need a mentor in your story, make them different and not always available. Don’t fall into the trap of using the mentor as a deux ex machina.

5. Over the Top Fighting
Probably one of the biggest sins in role-playing, and I am sure I have been guilty of this to an extent myself. Sometimes, you just want to write an epic scene that tells others how cool your character is. Sometimes it is just getting carried away with the writing and forgetting that even a badass can only do so much. Try to increase tension by making the fight difficult, or have some consequences—long lasting injuries that create problems, etc. And if you just want to indulge yourself to indulge yourself- go for it. Just don’t do it in 90% of your RP threads. ;)

6. Cliché Characters
Going over what is a cliché character would take up the entirety of this closing thought and probably three more as well. I will leave it to you fine folks to go find some clichés in character writing (or just direct you to the Mary Sue Litmus Test) and then work your best to minimize them. I added this section mainly to remind people to take these into consideration as you put together a character or NPC.

7. Cliché Villains
Just like the above, this one definitely could be expanded into its own closing thoughts, so this is more of a reminder to tread carefully here. Villains probably shouldn’t kill henchmen just to make a point. They also should listen to trusted advisors, avoid monologues, and often work better when they are motivated by something. This last one isn’t necessarily always the case though- the Joker from the Dark Knight is just pure evil, and look how awesome he was for a villain. 0_o Go look up the Evil Overlord Rules.

8. Over Used Openings
Look: Though shall not use “Once a upon a time”, “In a land far, far away”, “It was a dark and stormy night” or other ridiculously overused openings. Just don’t. Please. Unless you’re being facetious. That’s okay ;)

9. The Evil Relative
Okay, sometimes family is bad, but this gets used a lot, especially the “Evil Twin” thing, so avoid it as much as you can. Sure, someone could have had a shitty childhood and so there is that relative who wronged you or that you avoid- all well and good. As the main villain though? Ehhhhh

10. The Revenge/Avenge Plot
Not to say that you should never do this, but one would be best served by avoiding it, or if using it, make sure to add some flavorful, unique story elements that makes the story interesting otherwise, because on its own, this can be an eye-roller. You see that the hero’s family was killed, or that someone framed him, or that one time at band camp… we’ll not go in that direction. Anyway, this can be done well, I’ve read some good books that use it, but they add a lot of other elements to flesh the story out. I will also admit that I have been guilty of this one, but I was younger and I still did my best to make it more of a unique tale. Maybe it wasn’t, who could say; I came up with that one when I was sixteen and new to online RP.

Anyway, there is 10 for you all. Sorry this got rushed at the end, but I had work stuff come up that interrupted me and I had to come back to this and get it out in a mad rush- this is late as it is!

This is your blog update for the week, next week is the skip, so I will see you all in August!

-          Acies   

"It is a cliche that most cliches are true, but then like most cliches, that cliche is untrue. ~ Stephen Fry

It's Summer Time...

And it is HOT Out There!

Hope you people are finding ways to stay cool and comfortable. In fact, the only thing hotter is… well, you all know the answer to this. Should I state the obvious? Of course you know it’s your mom—she is a foxy lady… oh wait, you thought I was going to say the blog? Well, I suppose that is a hot commodity too. Anyway… >_>

Good stuff coming up, with a couple of events kicked off and other things coming down the pipeline soon. You’ll find that the new members and returns section is back again, albeit short due to a lack of responses- hey, I can’t make them return my PMs. Even if I sit at the computer waiting. Alone. Hanging on every moment where my inbox stays empty. With ice cream. Where was I going with this?

Suppose we’ve had enough babble for one day. Let’s get to the good stuff; it’s kind of like tearing off the top of a Hostess cake to get at the cream filling- to hell with the sponge cake. 

What's Happening Valucre?

We the People- Morale is down and the people are getting restless. A full week after the events of Veelos, the queen is only just getting around to show up, and while she’s at it, she’s knighting some people. That sets the stage for this event, one whose outcome is not yet defined, where you can play out your story as you will, interacting with key players or the disgruntled public. If you are looking for a high profile place to kick-start your own future plots, this one is definitely worth looking at.

Attack on Palgard's Bell Tower- Palgard suffered its share of ups and downs, but the current leadership is making an effort to get the city back up on its feet. Nevertheless, progress is slow and as some people feel the strain of lacking resources while some others enjoy the comforts of a restored city, tensions are sure to build. The have-nots eye the other side with jealousy and anger, deprived of a clean city and lacking the lightning rail, a primary means of transportation. As the anger bubbles, so do the ideas of how to get back at the city for their failings of the lower class people. Cornelius, a downtrodden factory worker who has suffered enough at the hands of these political moves, has finally met his breaking point. Eying the Northern Bell Tower as a symbol of the power the haves hold over the have-nots, he begins the machinations of an attempt at (justified?) domestic terrorism.

The clock struck one, and soon it was done, as it all came crashing down.

Join the side of the terrorists who seek retribution for the sleights against the lower class, or join the guards in preventing a disaster sure to affect many people. The choice is yours fair people—who will you aid?

The Dead is Recruiting- The Dead are looking for talented recruits to join their ranks, are you interested in some organized crime? Unlike some groups, the Dead do not use politics as the means of your advancement—no, it is all based on your number of successes in performing missions. Solo work, teamwork, they have both for you to choose from, so no need to be picky about your what you like to dig into. What’s in it for you, you ask? How about access to IC goods not otherwise available, as well as vast stores of VB to aid you in getting your work done. Not to mention, who doesn’t enjoy spending some time stirring up trouble in the world of Valucre? Whether you are looking for some small time work like running gambling facilities or you are into some bigger tasks like gaining control over entire crime networks, they have a little something for everyone. So go ahead, join the ranks. Just remember—lack of obedience is never tolerated.

--BeyonD-- Space- How would you guys feel about joining an RP with the feel of an alternative RP while still getting to play in a canon setting? How might that be accomplished you ask? Why, let me tell you. BeyonD is a spaceship designed to sustain life indefinitely, recycling old resources and producing new ones as well. The mission seemed to be going well, but sometimes good things have a way of hitting little snags—or big ones as the case may be. When you join this RP, be sure to do so with the understanding that things will take a grim turn, combining horror elements with the sci-fi alien genre (Described as “Dead Space meets Mass Effect”). Potential harm to characters is a high possibility, so perhaps a new character you have no attachment to would serve you best—especially since this ship launched more than seven months before, which makes canon integrity difficult for some characters. So, go ahead, think on it; will you go for the ride of your life?

Damn, That is a Lot of Pirates- Aside from the sheer awesome that is a pirate based RP Event, there is a cool new development that might interest people—we have moved from only allowing site control to allowing full city control. This means that if you want to be a pirate, you have five choices left, and if you want to help the guards, you also have five choices left (the choices are slightly different). The ultimate goal is that someone will step up to a leadership position and then go recruit some other Role-players to assist them in their goals. Guards against the pirates, cool items on the line as well as challenging RP- come in and join the fun!

New Members!  

This group had a better turnout than us

As I hinted above, I only had two respondents. This means I have less to share, but at least we got two instead of none. Let's get to know the two people who took the time to drop us a few lines!

1.What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

Interestingly enough, I used to rp as Haytham Kenway on tumblr but the toxic nature of my dashboard eventually grew to be too much and I developed a nasty insecurity with my writing. After a year or so on break I decided to break this anxiety and the original goal was to find a group on Deviantart. When the best one turned out to have had no activity for three months, I was forced to google the internet, going through site after site until a yahoo answer to "what's the best fantasy rp group" that pointed me to here and here I am~

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

My sister and I loved to act out stories and when we became older we imported that into writing roleplays into notebooks and passing them back and forth between each other, I was...11-12 years old at the time I believe. My favorite genres were and still are High fantasy and Romance, but lately I haven't done a well thought out romance RP in a very long while.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Mostly to improve my not so stellar writing. I'll admit and say years of experience has given me an edge in my writing that makes it very nice at first glance, but it lacks a lot of refinement and can be very lazily written from time to time. My word choice could also use a little reworking.

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

Painting is the only other major hobby I do. Something a lot of people do not expect from me is the absolute raunchy humor I can get into. My humor lacks all boundaries and it can get both strange and extremely morbid.

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

Incredible. I absolutely love the post like system and the fact that solo Roleplay exists. I also love the freedom that Valucre has given me to import my other characters, so I can use different kinds of OC's that I never thought I could use. The biggest help has already been done for the most part as everyone has been super kind and welcoming to me. I legit couldn't ask for more as Valucre has far exceeded my expectations and definitely has been a dream so far.

1. What brought you to Valucre? How did you find us?

Well, I was searching for a website to role-play and this site popped up as # 1. multiple times. It immediately drew me in, and I must say, the welcoming community sealed the deal.

2. What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I've loved writing for as long as I can remember, but I've always had trouble with moving the plot along by myself. An old friend directed me to a pet sim that had a small role-play community and it just clicked with me. My favorite ways to role-play is usually in first-person. (Weird, right?) And I absolutely adore fantasy, with a hint of romance.

3. Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Well, I've always wanted to write my own book.

4. What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests? What is one interesting thing about you that others might not expect when they first meet you?

Hobbies and interests include Game of Thrones, WoW, LOTR, Harry Potter, House of Night series, and Skyrim are my above-all favorite interests. I do enjoy reading and can read just about anything with a plot. I love animals (especially horses and dragons.), my family, and food. I really can't think of anything that is not expected, because, well, I'm an open book. xD

5. How has your Valucre experience been so far? What do you like, and is there anything we can do to help you (as staff or fellow members)?

I love it! It's been awesome. The community is super nice and I have always had someone to guide me when I have had a question. I believe I will be starting my first role-play soon, and I am super-stoked to see how it goes. Keep up the good work, guys! You are awesome! Oh, shoutout to Supernal for creating the coolest site I've ever been on!

Other Highlights?

The Safeguard Act:  In Casper, Dougton, and Tia, if you see suspicious uses of magic that might be magic without a license, be sure to report it to the authorities immediately! Yes, citizens of Terrenus, be sure to do your part to help law enforcement ensure that the streets are kept clean. Besides, when you scratch their back, they scratch yours. Ten validated reports lands you personal favors (background checks, etc) and 25 validated reports gets you a "Get out of jail free card". So what are you waiting for- go be a part of the neighborhood watch.

Did You Know-  That you can archive conversations in your PM box? Yep, if you hit the archive button below your reply options, you get the PM sent to your email- pretty handy. Check it out here. While you are at it, read the rest of the Did You Knows too. 

Closing Thoughts?

I said I would pick this one back up, so here we go. Stories earning their endings, or reaping what it sows, so to speak. If you recall from the last discussion, I endeavored to make the point that a story must have support for the way it ends (comedies sometimes excluded). Even the most brilliantly written, enjoyable story can come crashing down if the ending is poor. It’s not that the ending itself has to be likable—sometimes, the best ending is one that leaves the reader feeling depressed and angry. What it needs is pieces of the story that support it, a foundation for which you can rest it. If nothing in your story supports where the story went, you’ll leave many readers annoyed and in all honesty, you have a piece that just was not ended properly.

What is a bad ending?

Well, as I said above, an ending that comes without support, without framework, without something that makes it believable, will usually fall flat. Let’s say that from the beginning, I had in mind that these two characters would fall in love and get married. As my story goes along, the second character makes his/her appearance, interacts briefly with the protagonist, and then fades for good. The rest of the story, the protagonist never communicates with this person and never thinks about him/her either. Worse yet, another person in the story fit this role much better than the other person does, but I choose to stick to my guns. This hero is marrying their first interest they had, even if they do not know each other and they have not interacted in the last 500pgs.

Prepare to have readers saying, “Wat???”

What you did was force an ending that did not work. One of two things should have occurred to ensure the integrity of this story remained. Either you need to go back and overhaul your story to include more interactions for the pair as well as more signs that this protagonist has thought of the other, or you need the easier option is to change who the hero ends up with at the end of the story. The way it stands now, your ending does not work, so either change the ending or change the story.

Sometimes, the story can support the ending, but there is a better option. I think this more often happens when there is pressure to change the story because people would rather have a happy conclusion than a tragic one. A good example of this I think is “Stranger than Fiction” (spoiler ahead folks), where the author who writes the story always goes with tragic endings, and in the case of the story she is writing, the tragic ending is the one that will have the most affect.  Based on how her manuscript is setup, the downer ending is the one that will resonate with readers the longest and have the most profound affect—only she has a unique problem. The story she writes is not just a story, it is a script affecting the life of a real man, and so killing him will make her sort of a murderer, an odd dilemma.

Where the movie itself works is that when he reads the ending of her story, and the tragically beautiful way she ends his life, he realizes just how important his final act is and how poignant the climax is, and so he tells her to leave it as it is. It is this act of kindness, a deviation from his normally set ways, that truly transforms the character fully into the person we want to root for, so when she changes the story (and the ending is clever), the movie itself works, even if her the fictional author’s story suffers a little for it.

A metastory, makes you feel like we’re heading into inception territory.

Speaking of which, another story whose ending is one that works because of the plot structure and the way the tale is told, making a change less thought provoking and lasting. Appeasing the people in having a definitive ending (spoilers again folks, and yeah, this  one ended ambiguously) lessens the overall quality of it and it falls away from a central theme: Was any of this real in the first place? Perhaps one of the few examples out there where an ending of “perhaps it was all a dream” isn’t infuriating (for the traditional reasons), critical breakdown of this movie makes you realize that you have no idea how much of it- if any of it, is truly real.

Did his wife actually kill herself, or was she the one who finally woke up, while he stayed asleep?

Did they actually succeed, or did others die in their attempt while he embedded himself so deeply that he dreamed the happy conclusion?

Did he actually see his children, or was he back in that dream world again?

It’s extraordinarily debatable, and that’s what makes it that much better. We can have deep conversations about it. We will think on it, chew it over, argue about our opinions and weigh the evidence. Leave it to Nolan to brush off attempts for an actual conclusion, though he will point out that in the sense of it, it’s a happy ending no matter what. He gets over the loss of his wife in his subconscious, and in the end he sees his children and returns home. Either it’s all real, or he’s having the best dream he’s had since before what happened with his wife. Either way, you can feel good about it.

This primes us for the discussion on maintaining the artistic integrity of the story. Much like (another Nolan reference, weee) “The Dark Knight” put so honestly—“Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now”. The reader may at the time of reading the ending feel like they need it to go a certain way, but that is not what the story deserves- following me here? The reader sometimes cannot have their cake and eat it too- they cannot both have a story written with as best it can be while having the ending they would have preferred in contrast to the one that works.

Making sure your story is earning its way is also a good way to ensure you can avoid Deus ex Machina (literally “God out of the machine”), which are forced, “convenient” endings used to make the story resolve itself despite having no logical way for it to do so. If your hero is trapped behind a sealed off door, with no exits in the room, a bomb ready to go off and no allies in sight- congratulations, either you’re killing off the hero, or accepting you wrote yourself into a corner and will now have to commit a faux pas to get them out of it. The problem here is that you wrote yourself into this corner, and now you cannot maintain the integrity of the story (getting to the earned ending) without “cheating”.

Now, what you could have done earlier in the story is picked up a “Checkov’s gun”, a plot device seemingly innocuous at the time of its introduction. Maybe it is established that this character likes collecting odd books. During his travels, he comes across a guide on building and defusing bombs. Now faced with certain death, he suddenly remembers he has that book- and sure enough, there is a page on this very one! Ha ha, he has a way out of this now, and it’s not pulling something out of his backside to make it work. Sure, the example is silly and perhaps not the best set up, but at least there were some pieces back there to make this an earned ending.

Hero gets free, goes on to resolve the climax, happy ending.

That’s the basis of this discussion on earned endings: Make sure that the ending fits where the story has progressed, stick to it even if some people don’t like it. I am personally of the opinion that it is better to preserve the integrity of your written works than it is to appease some people who are unhappy with how it turned out. Give them time, they’ll probably come around eventually once it sinks in and begins to make sense for them. In the meantime, you can throw on some music to drown out the whining and set your spam blockers to toss out the hate email. :P

Alrighty, that is my time folks. See you next week. 

-          Acies   

"Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of retaining another - too often ending in the loss of both. ~ Tryon Edwards 

Hear them Fireworks?

Canada Day! Independence Day! More Cool Stuff on the Way!

You have to admit the month of July is pretty awesome for the much of America- and by that, I include our neighbors to the North. The celebration of our sovereignty reminds me to be thankful that we live in a nation that has autonomy over itself and is not rife with revolutionary activity tearing the country apart. Sure, we have our share of headaches here in the states (I cannot speak for Canada), but when it comes down to it, dealing with the politics issues we have is better than having to worry about some extremist group coming into your village in the middle of the night and slaughtering everyone.

Let’s get away from that dark thought pattern. 0_O

Anyway, in spite of the drawbacks we do have, living in America is pretty damn awesome. Canada day happened a few days ago, and the 4^th of July is tomorrow, but I think we can just say this is an awesome week- especially because you have this badass blog too. :D

What's Happening Valucre?

We the People- Think of this as the after party for Fete Ghede, the arc of the story that depicts the after math of the great tragedy of Veelos. The Queen and the royal family have been notably absent from the devastated city, and well, the people are not very happy. Despite the grumbling and ruminations, the Black Queen has decided to make a showing anyway, dropping in to honor heroes and to raise hope among the refuges of this disaster. The thread is wide open to all, especially those who were involved in the first event. A headcount is being sought, so be sure to declare your interest if you plan to participate.

Alignment Trouble- An escaped lab experiment has made his way out into the world, specifically the lands of Terrenus. He is new to the world and as of yet, unmolded in his way. Prone to anger and armed with a fiery temper, it would seem that he could easily cross into becoming something of a psychopathic terrorist—but no! It is not too late. Should someone show him the ways of kindness, perhaps he could come back around, learn self-control and self-regulation, becoming a productive and caring member of society. Or, perhaps negative experiences will continue to be all he has ever known, thus shaping him for a path of evil. As it turns out, it is up to you the players! A unique opportunity to decide the fate of a character, you have the chance to help this one become good, or become evil. What will you decide?

Yh'mi is Coming- Something dark emerges, a new land never encountered before. It creeps from the shadows, it’s presence heavy and strange. What it is about this place? What is behind the mystery of this bizarre land where something feels… wrong. It is coming soon. Are you ready?

That is a Lot of Pirates- Pirates versus the city watch! Ten rounds of strategy and careful planning, to see which side comes out on top. VB and item rewards for participants—the greater your success, the greater your rewards. The game is much like Risk, but anyone can play. Do you join the pirates or do you help the cities? Will you be a leader, or join one of the already established leads? If you don’t care to be directly involved, you can be a sponsor instead! If you sponsor a team with 20vb, you get the first reward. 50vb gets you the two lower rewards. Sponsor a side with 100vb and you get all three rewards, assuming they earn them. Many opportunities to play, and once we get rolling; I anticipate this being huge! Chances to alter canon, and so much more. Get to battling!

Valucre Awards Debriefing: Still Going- Yeah, it is still going, but we are nearing the end. This has been bumped up to the final discussions--should there be any changes in how we determine what makes a person eligible for RPer of the year, and what about that "Fan Favorite" award. I know one person out there really wanted that one to come up- well, now it is here. The chance to get the word in, go make your statements now, or prepare to hold your peace.

Featured Thread of the Month- Yep, forgot this last update. I have a special treat for all of you, a treat that you might not find all that sweet, as I know of few who endeavor to eat cockroaches. Nevertheless, the writing is solid and the story is interesting. Your selection for the Blog’s Featured Thread of the Month is “The Horrid Hollow”. Congratulations to Blood Soaked Earth, Devil, Fantastique, -Lilium-, Refrigerator, Shuwen, and Zen!

Why it's Featured: Props to the writing on this one, there is some solid prose here. Refrigerator shows once again why she was the Best New Member of 2013, weaving together a fantastic opening post, proceeded by a strong following post from Lilium, whose character already adds a new dimension to the RP. Devil comes in after, nearly tying in a reason for why the city reaches out to him for help, the backstory an interesting bit into the character and his motivations. Shuwen brings things up on to its head when his character relates details of some of his stranger jobs, including a battle with a rabid toilet and a bout with vampire mockingbirds--I'd really hate to encounter that. Fantastique brings a peculiar character into the mix, his one who speaks strangely and regards his dog with great favor- it adds just that much more personality to the group dynamic. Blood Soaked Earth opens up nicely with a post that incorporates gossiping townspeople, cultural prejudices (terrorist Genesarians holed up in there...) and his resignation to the work he fulfills. Finally, Zen brings the oddest character into the group, this female character not one to be called eccentric like Fantastique's, but instead a just plain weird character whose comments are quite random (at least so it seems). A great set of opening posts-- go read the rest for yourself!

Or, I'll let the ugly bug up there come greet you while you sleep. >D

New Members! 

This section is back, and I have a new way of doing it. Rather than just write out funny greetings to people, I went and interviewed our newcomers. Here is the compilation of answers I got--I admit, I got these out a little (maybe a lot) last minute, so responses were not necessarily as good as they could have been (my bad!). I intend to get the next batch sent out much sooner. Let's get to know some of our newest people. 

What Brought You to Valucre?

I was searching online for some information about role-playing, and I found this site. After reading a bit about the lore and some articles about how to get into role-playing, I decided to make an account.

What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

One of my friends has been into role-playing for a while, and after having a conversation about it I decided to do more research. As of now, I really enjoy the fantasy setting of Valucre, and (I) am looking into doing some kind of role-playing involving combat later on.

Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

I really like stories, and I felt that it was probably worth it to work on my writing to accompany it. I would like to make some friends outside of school, and possibly find a place where I can just be who I am, and whatever I want to be through my characters. In the end, I'm hoping to make this a hobby I can come to anytime.

What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests?

I enjoy playing video games, watching anime, reading, and a bunch of other things. I'm adding role-playing to this list.

Tell us one interesting thing about you that others might not expect upon first meeting you.

I don't think that people know that I'm an athlete when I'm online, and yet other athletes might not realize that I'm a nerd.  

Welcome to Valucre J.Alaska! Valucre is a fantastic place to be yourself, where you can be both the athlete and the nerd. Enjoy your stay!

What Brought You to Valucre?

I was searching for ideas to draw something.

What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

Just the attitude of the people here attracted me to start roleplaying. 

I love fantasy, adventure and I like a little bit science fiction.

Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

Not really, apart from drawing I suppose, but I don't want to be professional.

What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests?

I do a lot of sport (maybe too much as some may think) and I like drawing. I also like videogames and I love reading.

Tell us one interesting thing about you that others might not expect upon first meeting you.

I can draw a character bringing out the spirit of it, so as when you look at it you say: "Wow, this is what I think of when I think of my guy/girl".   

Found us by following your craft--it's funny how things like that work out. I hope that perhaps you will find that not only can you bring characters to life through their imagery on paper, but soon your words will pen the details of their lives as well. Good luck!

What Brought You to Valucre?

I was brought to Valucre by a friend of mine in order to bring me into a better role playing community. I'm satisfied in that I believe to have found it, thus far. 

What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I started role playing when I was around fourteen years of age. It was initially a way to reenact anime with my own characters, but swiftly turned into an escape from, well, life.

Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

I don't really have any long term goals. I mean... I'd like to write a book, but who doesn't right? Other than that it's just a release and a way to escape reality, for me.

What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests?

Omitted

Tell us one interesting thing about you that others might not expect upon first meeting you.

Despite trying to be as friendly as possible, and sometimes genuinely meaning it, I'm quite the misanthrope. I dislike the vast majority of people I meet. I guess no one will ever know if I like them or not at first. I am a generally blunt person, though... So if someone asks me if I like them straight off it'd either be a swift "No" or "I don't know you well enough to make that call".   

Well, I'm glad you have found our community to your liking so far, especially since it sounds like you have high standards when it comes to people. Yes, in the end, Valucre is just an awesome place to come hang out and RP. Hope it keeps you satisfied.

What Brought You to Valucre?

This is where I hang my head in shame. Most of my roleplaying has been done on an online cat sim with open forums known as Mweor. I've been there since 2008, and I only remain there because I have found my niche. I have a hoard of literate role-playing friends where we can have conversations and roleplays both just for the hell of it and because we actually want something thought provoking. I decided I needed to find a site that was dedicated to writing, and so I actually turned to Google and searched: "Online role-play forums" and Valucre was the first thing that came up. I joined for about a month and then quit because it didn't click with me. At all. I didn't find anyone who fit my needs....and after over a year, I'm back...and hoping to find my niche here.

What got you into role-play? What are your favorite types (genre, style, etc) of role-play?

I actually started roleplaying both on Mweor and with a friend of mine over e-mail. The e-mail thing began in 2007 when I was eleven. I'm now eighteen, so there's quite a bit of roleplaying I've got under my belt! I actually prefer things along the lines of science fiction and realisitc plots...generally including at least a little romance. I've done time eras from the late 1800's to well into the future, and I do my best to be as diverse as possible. Here's the catch, though - I don't roleplay in groups. That might screw me over here, though, which sucks. If I can find a one-on-one with someone...that takes the cake.

Do you have any long-term goals related to role-play and/or writing? If so, what are they?

I am actually a Creative Writing Concentration English Major shooting for a BA of Arts in English and later a higher degree of some sort...I'm not sure how far I'll pursue it. I have wanted to write since I was very little when my parents gave me an old typewriter and I used it in my bedroom to type up stories. I have been told that my grammar will be watched on here, and I get that...but I did not come on Valucre to be criticized and be given hell because I accidentally had a typo. This isn't for publication, none of you know who I really am, or my real aspirations. I understand that this site is more elite than what I have been on before and you expect the best of me, but the criticism will come for me in time. I will have my writing ripped to shreds. I've already experienced it and I'm getting better. I came here to have fun, to learn how to write with people of different styles and be gently encouraged to be the best I can me, not to be beaten to death because I accidently but a semi-colon where it shouldn't have been.

What are some of your other hobbies and/or interests?

Well...I worked for the school newspaper in high school as both a staff writer and an editor. Other than that, I read, almost nonstop. I'm currently reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a huge fan of John Green, and not just for his novels. I also...play tennis, speak German and I'm learning American Sign Language? I leave motivational notes on bathroom mirrors in public and in books at the library? I'm not very interesting.

Tell us one interesting thing about you that others might not expect upon first meeting you.

My best friend and I found a way to associate each member of the television show Friends with people in our friend group. If you take Ross Geller, make him female and eighteen, he is a carbon copy of myself personality wise. This is assuming you replace the obsession with dinosaurs with writing and the marriages with a failed romantic life. I did fall head over heels for my best friend's cousin, though...in high school. So is he Rachel? I don't know. 

1. You like John Green

2. Leave motivational notes on bathroom mirrors...

And you claim to be an "uninteresting person"? I call BS! That, and you came to Valucre, so that gives you some cred to start with as well. Don't sweat "elitism", we're not nearly as bad as some might claim. If you desire constructive criticism, there's a handful of people around who are qualified enough to give it. You'll find that the general atmosphere fosters a sense of growth and with the bar set higher than other places, it naturally leads to people improving--usually. You'll do fine. :)

Other Highlights?

New Content By Content Type:  When you search through your new posts, don’t forget that you have the option to filter the content in a myriad of ways, the options laid out for you on the left. You can search only for threads you have responded to, threads you subscribe to, or just in specific areas. It is pretty handy!

Did You Know-  That Supernal put up a forum writing guide? Not necessarily relevant to the experienced among us, but if you are new to forum role-playing, this could certainly be a resource for you. Check it out here. While you are at it, read the rest of the Did You Knows too. 

Closing Thoughts?

I got to cheat again. I got tied up for a long while and could not write these. Normally, I would go home and do it and then put the blog up late. But, I worked two doubles already and I have to work a third. Sacrificing more sleep, even for the blog, is a terrible idea at this point. Instead, go read this article on the power of words, it makes one think about how we should use them in our prose. Putting Feelings into Words.

Next week, I shall endeavor to see this through. Until then, happy role-playing!

-          Acies   

"Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced. "  ~ Aldus Huxley