It's the Most Wonderful Time...
I don't know about you folks, but I'm having a hard time believing that it's already time for Christmas Trees, Menorahs, Snowmen, Stockings, Candy Canes, and all that good stuff! It feels like just yesterday we were moving into this apartment for the first time and setting up our Christmas Tree, and it's already time to do it again - GAH! I can't believe it!
You all have really given us an absolutely amazing, fantastic year at the Vault. We've been through some tough times and managed to slog through the slow weeks and watch our community grow bigger and bigger. We've had some major changes, brought back some old stuff and gotten rid of some new stuff - and with all that said, we're still here. This is the tenth Christmas we're celebrating with the Vault - TENTH. Ten years of RP, ten years of sending holiday cards and "stockings" and all those other things. In fact, just for a blast for the past, here's what our Christmas layout looked like in 2007. (And also my messy computer - WOW. MySpace, dude. MySpace.)
At any rate, I seriously couldn't ask for a better role playing family to spend the past decade with, or to spend the holiday with. I hope you all enjoy the (relatively low-key) events that we have going for you this year - we decided to take some time off of doing huge holiday events this winter and focus on bringing in some new stuff for the new year. Have a happy holiday - however you celebrate it - and we'll see you in 2012!
Holiday Activities at the Vault
Holiday Cards Have Returned!- A seasonal favorite year after year, our Holiday Cards have returned! Just visit the submission thread in the Story Planning forum to submit your card request. We'll be doing them a bit differently this year - they will be sent on the Wednesday after your request, or on the specific holiday of your choice! We will try to send cards out sooner than each Wednesday if time allows, but since we usually get overwhelmed with requests each year, please do not be alarmed if it takes us a few days to get to yours!
In-Character Activities
- Over the course of the rest of the month we will be introducing a variety of in-game activities for your characters to participate in! Keep your eyes peeled for holiday-themed random events as well as large-scale events to participate in. We will be having, among other celebrations, a Winter Solstice celebration at Blessed Isis, a Washington D.C. Tree-Lighting Ceremony in the United States, a Christmas Party hosted at the British Ministry of Magic (representatives from other countries welcome!), and more!
We also will be introducing the first Dumbledore's Army meeting over the next few weeks as well, so keep your eyes peeled for that also! Just be warned - Umbridge may have a few more Educational Decrees up her pink, frilly sleeves...
Around the Hub Network
For those of you who aren't already aware, Vault 713 is a member of the Roleplay Hub Network! On our main site, the Hub, we have a variety of different discussion sections for you to participate in, open roleplaying for those times you just need a break from Harry Potter, graphics shops so you can create or get a new signature, and more!We'd like to bring your attention in particular to our latest announcement at the Hub - we've introduced a new Network site, which is now a sister site to Vault 713! You'll have to check out the announcement for all the finer details if you'd like to know what kind of RPG we've got in store for you!
We also will be hosting a New Year's Eve Celebration in the Hub Chatbox - the Vault will be down for some time on New Years Eve as we get ready for some upcoming changes, so in the mean time you're welcome to join us over at Roleplay Hub to meet and get to know your fellow members, as well as those from around the Hub Network!
Special Updates
- As mentioned above, we will be closing the Vault for about 24 hours on New Years Eve so that we can make some much needed updates and changes to the site! While the site is inaccessible you will still be able to role play on our sister site, Second City, as well as hang out on Roleplay Hub.
- As of January 1, you must have a Roleplay Hub account to earn credits. - This is a change that is much needed for the sake of our staff; the way we send credits on the Hub is much easier for our staff and much more efficient for members. As long as you have a Hub account, you will be able to earn credits for your completed stories here at the Vault. All players will still be able to earn completed stories and additional slots regardless of whether or not they have a Hub account, however.
- The No-Holds policy is still in effect through December 31. - As a gift to you all for the holidays, while we are still working on our new Jobs system (to be released January 1) we will continue to have a "No-Holds" policy in place for creating new characters. This WILL be stopping on January 1, but we do have a new system to replace the old "holds" system, so we hope you'll like what we have in store for you!
- The Vault Staff is Hiring! - We could still use a few good witches and wizards to join our Vaultkeeper team! If you think you have what it takes, please visit Our Hiring Page to submit an application. We'd love to have you!
We hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday - thank you for an amazing year, an amazing decade, and your patience through the holiday season as we make our usual mess of getting ready for changes! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and we'll see you all in the New Year!
![[YEAR BAR] 4th Year](./images/ranks/NewBars/SCHOOL_Year4.png "[YEAR BAR] 4th Year")
![[YEAR BAR] 7th Year](./images/ranks/NewBars/SCHOOL_Year7.png "[YEAR BAR] 7th Year")
![[JOB TITLE] Auror](./images/ranks/NewBars/MOM_Auror.png "[JOB TITLE] Auror")
