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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Boff Brawl - Round 4

The winner of Boff Brawl Round 3 was: Raynor with Finn!

Winners so far:
Round 1: Avendar with Lion-o
Round 2: Freija with Aang
Round 3: Raynor with Finn

Now for Round 4!


Player 1 - Hildegard. Character, Steven Universe.
Strategy: I would go with Steven. We're both healers who specialize in defense who don't really want to fight, but to solve a conflict. Ultimately, she'd tell him to use a bubble or shield to block hits until the other fighters are tired out, and then try to use conflict resolution skills to end the fight.

Player 2 - Kindrianna. Character, Leonardo.
Strategy: I'd tell him to utilize his ninja stealth and lifetime of training to strike at superior opponents when they are vulnerable or least expect it.

Player 3 - Pilpus. Character, Korra.
Strategy: I would probably go with Korra, as Korra is the most attuned to the elements, which is what I'm all about. As for strategy, Korra arguably has the most raw power on this list, only comparable to Aang but I’m assuming Korra would have access to all of Aang's memories via the Avatar spirits or whatever, meaning she could capitalize on all of his weaknesses. Assuming nobody on this list has the ability to manipulate time and space (which I’m not sure on Steven Universe's power set), the incomparable versatility of the Avatar is basically unbeatable. She has the ultimate defense and offense that fits Pilpus’ perspective the best so from there it’d just be out maneuvering the competition with her superior versatility.

Player 4 - Daekara. Character, Samurai Jack.
Strategy: Of the fighting styles I know Samurai Jack is closest to mine. Strategy would be to parry and dodge then counter attack when openings appear.

Choose the winner of this BOFF BRAWL by voting on Facebook!



Monday, March 30, 2020

Help Wanted


The View from Valehaven staff is looking to hire a temporary position to help go through the archives of all of the posts and make sure that everything is tagged correctly according to new standards you will help us develop. We'd like to hire an individual or a small team that has some experience using blogs. There will be a short interview. The task will pay 100 gold total upon completion.

If you have the free time to help us out and want to contribute to the great community resource that is the View from Valehaven, please send an email to Jen at je.denar@gmail.com. Thank you!

Meme Mondays

by the Meme Team


Friday, March 27, 2020

Home Questing: The First Task


by Christopher "Mikey" Donnelly 





FAQ:

Wait, what?
So, since we are all limited in how much we should go out, I figured I would run a small weekly challenge, and you can earn points towards a prize when this all ends.

But...what if I don’t have woods right behind my apartment like you do?
You can do the tasks in your own house.  Don’t go anywhere you wouldn’t normally be for this...just do it wherever you can.

What if I don’t have any IC stuff available?
That’s fine.  Just use whatever’s around.  You are on the internet right now...don’t sweat the small stuff.

What do you mean by “record”?
I mean a photo or a short video (20 seconds or less...10 or less would be even better).

Where can I submit my entry?
Right here!

Do I have to use the form?
No, you can email me at techiemikey@gmail.com if you would prefer.

Wait, will other people see my submissions?
Potentially.  I’ll likely publish some, or all, of them in The View.  Also, videos may end up published in a manner to make it easier to go on The View (aka on youtube with a shareable link, but not searchable).

I hear there are points.  How does scoring work?
Both Janus and the mystery judge will rank their top 5 choices.  1st get’s 5 points.  2nd get 4 points, and so on.  Everyone will get at least 1 point for (hopefully) having fun and submitting something.

Did anybody actually ask these questions of you?


Fine.  Anything else?
Yeah...don’t do anything dangerous.  Think before you act.  Also...HAVE FUN!

--------------------------------
Transcript for video:

Hello all,

Janus here, and seeing as we all have some downtime, I figured I would start something to help provide a laugh or two...or lacking that, at least give us at least a way to fill some time.  Each week, I’ll be giving a small task to complete, which you can do and submit (i’ll tell you how for each one).  Me and a secret guest judge (who changes week to week) will judge them, and rank the submissions.  We’ll then show off the leaderboard for the week.  When this ends (hopefully by the end of May) the top 5 people on the leaderboard will get a prize of some sort.  What the prize shall be is currently a mystery...but at worst it will be a few gold, and if there is enough buy in, I’ll try to make the prizes worth it.

So, for our first challenge, this is your task:

Create and record a stack of items.  The most impressive stack wins.  You have until Tuesday at midnight to submit.  Your time starts...now.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Boff Brawl - Round 3

The winner of Boff Brawl Round 2 was: Freija with Aang

Winners so far:
Round 1: Avendar with Lion-o
Round 2: Freija with Aang

Now for Round 3!


Player 1 - Malaki. Character, Aang.
Strategy: Obviously I'd pick Aang cause he's the master of all four elements. I'd definitely use his bender ability to full advantage with some cheeky tricks.

Player 2 - Bree. Character, Korra.
Strategy: I'd have Korra try to engage just one at a time avoiding combat otherwise, unless she can catch multiple in an area-of-attack or crowd control move.

Player 3 - Torolf. Character, Goliath.
Strategy: I'd tell Goliath to use his flight advantage to attack from many angles and keep opponents off guard. And where possible get adversaries in each others way.

Player 4 - Raynor. Character, Finn.
Strategy: Run around with his sword with mocking his opponents.

Choose the winner of this BOFF BRAWL by voting on Facebook!


Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Cut Me I Bleed

The line between character and player is a small one. No I mean that, I don’t care if you play a character that acts in a way that you would never in the real world, the character is only able to act out in ways that you are able to think of, to make actions that you would think to take.

I dare you to try and tell me that your character can make actions that you, the player, wouldn’t think of. I mean that earnestly.

We wear our characters like masks; excusing our actions and interactions within the limits of a fantasy game. There is a lot of psychology research about masks, how a person might allow themselves to act differently than they would otherwise while wearing one. To the point that we have research about people being total internet dickbags, in flame war threads, because they feel a separation from themselves when they have the mask of the internet.

The excuse of being in character.

This is a constant conversation within our game. I say this because on the one hand, I should totally be able to play a dickbag of a character, and have you know that my actions are in character, not me, and while I may cut you, I don’t want you to bleed.

Bleed is when the actions and feelings of the character, slip over to the feelings of the player. Some people go seeking this, because it can be ultimately more immersive, however it can be problematic if it carries so far as to people leaving the event site with those feelings.

So why is it okay for NPCs to be total dick bags? Honestly, I think that it’s because as players we all know that the NPC is doing it in service to the game, and the story, while a PC is doing it in service to themselves, probably. But that’s total, raw speculation. We love our NPC villains, but PC villains are just bullies, something like that.

So that questions brings to light- Should we have PCs that are anti-heroes, villains, or bullies? Do we have a place for that in our game? I think, as with anything, the line depends on the player, and they’re ability to pull it off. If the line between you and your character is invisible, and people can’t tell when you’re in or out of character, than you probably should try be play nice, when you’re PCing.

Why? Well it’s good for the game. You’re not going to like every player. You’re not going to agree with every choice a person makes, and having reasonable disagreements is okay. But ultimately, in order for the game to thrive, we need to be civil to and for each other. We need to be accepting of each other, and we need to play relatively nice. No one will play this game forever, but many of us hope for it to live on, and that means inviting more people who will bring more people, who will bring more people. To help it thrive and grow.

So how might you go about playing a total dickbag character and keep it going, without being the douche player? Well, consent is sexy. It applies in other places, it can apply here too. A simple “Hey, my character is kind of a jerk, I think we could have some cool interactions if you’re okay with that?” can go a long way. Sure it breaks character, and subverts immersion for a moment, but I think that it might have an ultimately positive effect on immersion. I say that because of bleed. I mentioned earlier that some people like bleed because it feels more immersive to them. Real feelings, feel more real, and they like that. Weird, right? But what would happen if we could feel those things without bleed, I feel like then the immersion would be truly transformative.

This article is so complicated. It’s really a complicated topic. We are a role playing game, and should be able to roleplay. We should be able to play the full spectrum of characters. We should be able to play the villain dickbag, without needing some sort of safe word or phrase, but we should also be able to pause and say “hey are you okay with this?”. We should care about each other out of character, even if our characters want to destroy each other. I guess that’s the base of it.

Care about each other. Care about each other’s fun. Have fun too. Even when you want to be a dickbag in character.

I’ll see you on the field,

Keith “Saegan” Cronyn

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Boff Brawl - Round 2


The winner of Boff Brawl Round 1 was: Avendar with Lion-o!

Now for Round 2!


Player 1 - Kite. Character, Skeletor.
Strategy: I would insult everyone's family from afar, and then when they get mad and come running over to beat me up I would throw a grenade.

Player 2 - Meatloaf. Character, Samurai Jack.
Strategy: I'd use Jack because his on-the-spot battle analytics and ridiculous levels of endurance (along with long, varied history of defeating magic and f**kery using only his sword) would surely outlast and outclass the competition.

Player 3 - Freija. Character, Aang.
Strategy: I'd fly above the battlefield taking pot shots and if necessary employ LOTS of fire!

Player 4 - Tempest. Character, Marceline. 
Strategy: Marceline was abandoned by her father but holds the same powers and brutal bloodlust as her father does. She’s a vampire so easily charms her foes and forces them to act like her puppets and slaughter each other and then she will save the last standing victim for her to kill and drink every last drop of color from.

Choose the winner of this BOFF BRAWL by voting on Facebook!


Monday, March 23, 2020

Meme Mondays

by the Meme Team


Friday, March 20, 2020

Legends of Voraniss: Áthalyn the Otter



by Renee "Kindrianna" Booke



When the cold of winter is finally cast off, all of Voraniss comes alive with whispers of color and sound. The birds remember how to sing, clearing their voices as they hop from branch to branch; using the Ancient Ones as perches from which they might glimpse the face of the dawning season. Grass sprouts from between the diminished ice and snow, slipping through the cracks of the void undeterred; while the sky creeps from cloudy gray to beryl toned beauty. This is the time when Voranians prepare for one of their beloved traditions, the Ritual of Renewal. But few of them know how this practice came to be.

It was the year 757, the same year that Osag led the first migratory humans through the area. “Lake” Irvan, the inland sea, had just witnessed the Storm of the Cleansing Tide and there was terrible flooding all along the coasts and rivers. Where there used to be earthen paths of dirt, stone, and roots, mud and murky ankle-deep water that kept the secrets of the storm had triumphed. It was hard to traverse this terrain, and travel, even by foot, became a cumbersome burden.

 The Druids of Calandia, following in their late King’s footsteps, turned to the Ancient Ones for aid. Surely the Treants had weathered storms such as these before, or better yet, knew of potent nature magic that could cleanse their verdant forests of this lingering disaster. Their favored advisor, Autumn-Elm, had only grim news for his beloved Elves. This weather, he explained, was an anomaly. Nothing like it had ever been seen in Voraniss before, and certainly not spoken of in all the stories passed from root to crown. “In nature, storms such as these take great energy and power,” he cautioned, “Mother Gaia must be trying to communicate.” His voice softened with reverence when he spoke of his beloved Mother, feeling her warmth and strength within every aged branch. “You must go to the shores of the inland sea and call her name three times,” he instructed. “When you have done this, you must then throw a silver shell displaced by the flood back into the sea.”

The Druids did not question Autumn-Elm on this task, even if his instructions were very particular. They waded through standing water and persistent mud for days, trying to find a shell worthy of their ritual. When they finally found it, they gathered on the shores of the inland sea as Autumn-Elm had told them to do, chanting Mother Gaia’s name into the wind three times.

The water’s surface, like a mirror to another realm, began to stir; ripples cutting through the unnatural stillness. Expecting Mother Gaia, the Elves began to kneel in worship and prayer, averting their eyes out of respect for her potent majesty. There was a faint splash, and the pitter-patter of tiny feet drew closer to them. One Elf dared to peek, both afraid and driven by curiosity, when he noticed that their guest was but an Otter standing alert upon the beach, their ritual shell clasped tightly in its little hands. “M-mother Gaia?” the Elf whispered, confused.

The creature emitted a playful squeak and spoke in a voice so soft and warm that it reminded them of the twinkling stars in the nighttime sky, gems of glittering brilliance in the deepest darkness of the universe. “I am not she,” the Otter lamented. “I am Áthalyn, and I speak for the children of the waters.”

The Elves felt comfortable raising their eyes now that a formal introduction had been established, and one by one they made their greetings and pleasantries. “Great Áthalyn,” they pleaded, “these lands need your aid. They suffer under the blight of darkened waters flooding their livelihood. Autumn-Elm, the oldest tree that dwells within these lands did send us here, saying that we should speak with Mother Gaia and learn her mind.”

Áthalyn scurried along the shore, drawing closer to the Elves. Her little black eyes were not full of pity, hiding instead some mixture of curiosity and intrigue. “I can help you, for I know the way of water. It is not Mother Gaia you should speak to, but her children, hidden within the depths of the sea. Long they have been forgotten and secondary to your love of the trees, and this storm is their hurt, pain, and loneliness.” She brought the shell to her mouth, nibbling on it to look for any trace of a tasty morsel. “Mother Gaia has sent me to help you make peace with them.”

The Elves stood aghast. How could they have forgotten the waters and their inhabitants? It was so large a blunder that they were brought great shame and embarrassment, standing wordless upon the shores of the sea. They stood in silence contemplating what they should do, shuffling idly from side to side as their cheeks and the tips of their ears burned with self-awareness.

Áthalyn broke the silence with another squeak, hopping back into the water and diving below the surface. She came back a few minutes later, breaking the crest of the water like a popping bubble. “It is not your silence the children require, silly Elves. Come and know us, let us share in your journeys, your joys, and your struggles.” She rubbed a paw against her face, cleaning the length of her glistening whiskers.

“But how do we do that?” one of the Elves asked, his gaze still focused on his feet instead of the water. It brought him great pain to know that he had wounded nature in this way. “Elves may not swim the depths the way a fish can. Surely there is some other way to communicate and enjoy one another.”

Áthalyn tilted her head at the question and ensuing statements. She let out a giggle and crawled from the water again, pushing the offered shell with her nose. “This was a good start! Just look within yourselves and send us your wishes and hopes. That will connect us to all that you do and are.”

The Elves gathered to speak on Áthalyn’s counsel, contemplating the path they would take to redemption. One Elf was struck with an idea. “Well,” he explained, “We may not be able to swim like fish, but we do know how to sail. Maybe we could make boats!”

“What are the children of the water going to do with boats?” another questioned. “Unless we place our offerings upon them and sail them into the water, still, that is a lot of work to find and build so many boats” his voice trailed off, deep in contemplation.

Another Elf sat beside the shoreline heavy with thought, fidgeting with a piece of wood that had washed up upon the rocks. With a wistful sigh, she tossed the broken timber to the waves. When it did not sink, her eyes widened with epiphany. “I have an idea!” she exclaimed without warning, and all the eyes of her Elven brethren were suddenly upon her.

“What idea?” they asked, “Tell us, Sister.”

“We make small vessels from bark and wood and float them into the water with our offerings,” she said happily, gesturing to the water as she spoke.

“A good idea!” the others agreed, “perhaps we can personalize them with small decoration,” they added.

Having arrived at a consensus, the Elves set to work on building their miniature crafts. Many of them found use in samples of bark still buoyant enough to sail, while others lashed together sticks for small rafts. Putting their ingenuity to the test they proved each vessel had the strength to hold their offerings of moss, shells, and stones. A few added flowers to theirs, a spot of color in a sea of earthen tones. Laughing, they compared and discussed what they had each created, playfully showing off in the dying light of the day.

When twilight set upon them like a blanket covering the earth, they returned to the shores where Áthalyn had spoken to them. One Elf handed out small pieces of parchment and candles that he had gone to fetch. “We should write them messages,” he explained. “Áthalyn was very clear that the children of the water wanted to know our journeys and struggles. I intend to tell them of myself, and one thing I wish to change in the spirit of the season of renewal.” The Elf took his prepared parchment and rolled it up, setting it upon his vessel. Next, he added one of the small candles and lit it with a modest spark of magic.

The other Elves followed his example, scratching out their messages and adding them to their creations. Soon the gentle orange glow of more than a dozen candles bathed the coast in tender light, and the Elves sent their vessels into the sea. Standing together they watched until those twinkling lights disappeared far beyond the horizon, hoping that maybe all would be right in the world again.

It was a late night, and by the time they awoke the next morning, they found to their delight and relief that the waters of the great flood had begun to recede. The land was healing, and hope had been restored. The group of Elves shared their tale with all who would listen, and that evening more of Calandia’s residents flocked to the edge of the sea to partake of the ritual. The Elves vowed then and there to continue this tradition every Spring so that they could maintain and strengthen their bond with the children of the water lest they be reprimanded by another magical tempest.

Over the years the Ritual of Renewal has taken many forms. For Voranians who must leave their homes and adventure for the sake of what they hold dear, it is nigh impossible to stand upon the shores of “Lake” Irvan. These Voranians instead content themselves with telling their traveling companions what they wish to renew or change for the coming year while gathered around the warmth of a bonfire. In the small, rural village of Woodhaerst which is far from the water, the locals celebrate with the Festival of Flowers, hanging their secrets and desire for change within paper flowers that they drape from the trees. The Elves of Calandia, however, have never strayed from the holiday’s original practices; and for more than two hundred years have continued their pilgrimage to those very same shores to enjoy the company of Áthalyn and her kin.

Some Voranians believe this is why the shells whisper back when they put their ears to them. The sounds of the ocean are Áthalyn whispering advice and secrets to those who wish to hear. Others believe it is the joyous song of the children of the water. We may never know the truth of these things, but it is fun to have something to believe in one way or another.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Boff Brawl - Round 1


Player 1 - Temorse. Character, Demona. 
Strategy: I would likely choose Demona as she is willing to use firearms, has the ability to fly, cunning, and the longevity of being a gargoyle.  Given most others wouldn’t have access to firearms she could easily keep distance utilizing her flight and defeat enemies at a much greater range than anyone else. Also I'm pretty sure she can use magic.

Player 2 - Avendar. Character, Lion-O. 
Strategy: I would use the Thunder Symbol to summon my friends to help me. Then I would use the sword of omens to give me sight beyond sight, which I'd use to discover my enemies' weakness. Then with all my friends we'd work together to win.

Player 3 - Cecil. Character, He-Man. 
Strategy: There is no problem that cannot be overcome with sufficient power, and much like a Cecil, He-Man is the most powerful man in the universe. He is, in fact, a Master of the Universe.

Player 4 - Asharn. Character, Aang. 
Strategy: He's got the same kind of weird combat style as I do, which involves a lot of running around and attacking from a distance. He also has the ability to throw lightning so that's gotta happen at some point.

Choose the Winner of This BOFF BRAWL by voting on Facebook!



Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Why I Want to Go-Tales of Teng Hua 2.1

by Lani "Gwen" Jones

A special shout out to the Teng Hua staff who are providing us with some much needed Realms content this weekend via a virtual questing event that is sure to wow. Tales of Teng Hua  2.1 will feature the storyline, role-playing, and puzzle-solving that we need during this time.

I am excited to see how the staff will pull together this multi-media event, and I’m even more excited to see our community come together despite the challenges that social distancing have thrust upon us. I suppose the only thing I am not excited about is realizing that I’m old and don’t know what Discord is. Challenge #1 of the event for some of us will be reaching out to the younger and hipper players of the Realms to set up our own account and change our settings to “push-to-talk” (I think that means that I just shove Aeston and then talk? I guess maybe I’ll do okay with this new platform after all…)

Look for interactive role-playing sessions with NPCs and your fellow heroes, challenges you can chew over from the comfort of your couch, and opportunities to work with friends both old and new to learn more about the ever-elusive Yosei.

Watching the Realms innovate has always been one of my favorite things about our community. I’ve seen this staff do it in real life so many times that I have no doubt that they will be creating an epic experience for us online. I can’t thank them enough for stepping up in the midst of everything and declaring that the show must go on. My hats are off to you friends--can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Coming Soon: A New View

The View from Valehaven is getting a new look!

As part of this update, we are refreshing our list of Realms-related links. Do you want the website for your nation, guild, or knighthood to be included? If so, please contact the editorial staff. We are also happy to display links to other types of community resources, such as RealmsNet or the Library of Ivory.

The View will continue to be hosted on Blogger and its web address will not be changed. Typical users should not experience any disruption as a result of the update.

We are excited to share this new View with you!

Monday, March 16, 2020

Meme Mondays

by the Meme Team


Friday, March 13, 2020

Earth, Wind, and Water Yosei

by Zach Senchuk

Any of the Yosei found on View for Valehaven with the Folkestone watermark can be printed and played with for fun (and we encourage you to) anytime you wish to use Yosei in a more "official" way (at events for plot reasons) you will have to use the non-watermarked version. We hope this will allow everyone to enjoy the fun of making different teams and identifying which Yosei they would like to trade for, while not making it so you have to have them before testing them out.
[Editor's Note: to see the post on Yosei fights, please click here]

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Earth Yosei








Wind Yosei








Water Yosei








Thursday, March 12, 2020

Wood and Fire Yosei

by Zach Senchuk

Any of the Yosei found on View for Valehaven with the Folkestone watermark can be printed and played with for fun (and we encourage you to) anytime you wish to use Yosei in a more "official" way (at events for plot reasons) you will have to use the non-watermarked version. We hope this will allow everyone to enjoy the fun of making different teams and identifying which Yosei they would like to trade for, while not making it so you have to have them before testing them out.
[Editor's Note: to see the post on Yosei fights, please click here]

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Wood Yosei








Fire Yosei








Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Metal and Void Yosei


by Zach Senchuk

Any of the Yosei found on View for Valehaven with the Folkestone watermark can be printed and played with for fun (and we encourage you to) anytime you wish to use Yosei in a more "official" way (at events for plot reasons) you will have to use the non-watermarked version. We hope this will allow everyone to enjoy the fun of making different teams and identifying which Yosei they would like to trade for, while not making it so you have to have them before testing them out.
[Editor's Note: to see the post on Yosei fights, please click here]

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Metal Yosei








Void Yosei