Ever heard of the five basic tastes? Sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and umami. See the first word? That's right---SWEET! Surely we've all tried something sweet once right? What are the first things that pop into your head when you think of the sweet? Candy? Baked goods? Maybe even your pet? Well, I mean not in the sense of consuming them! Rather describing them as a creature whom you have adoration for. There's a certain type of feeling that sweets and anything sweet can offer you. Some may feel contentment while others may feel a warm fuzziness. Maybe even something close to comfort.
So during the periods where the current year is coming to the end, we start reminiscing back to different times of the past where we experience a plethora of emotions. Just don't forget to cherish the happy times. Some may have fewer than others, but at some point there was a moment where a slight uplifting of warmth was present. Even for a short blip. Just like a sweet food. It can offer a momentary blissfulness for not just your tastebuds but the soul. Or for some it can be rather overwhelming, but it still stirs something inside of you!
To those who celebrate it, happy holidays. To those who do not observe it, we still wish you all the best in life's endeavors!
First off, we would like to thank all the users who entered in a submission for the short story contest. They were a lot of fun to read, all evoking various emotions in such a short read. That's not an easy feat. Due to circumstances, we had to delay on announcing the winners for a bit longer than we planned, but without further ado we would like to official announce and recognize the winners for the Summer Short Story 2022 Celebration Contest. The winners are FireMaiden with their submission named Dissapointment and Gray Sage with Lillian's Cottage.
Official RPN Merchandise
Badge Resolution Change
Staff Contact Ticket System
Distress & Crisis Resources
Return of Old BBCode Tags
What has made your roleplay successful?
How did you start roleplaying?
How did you discover RpNation?
What is the most interesting roleplay/scene you ever witnessed? What made it stand out to you?
You mentioned using your OC Vyrik a lot over the years. What is your fondest memory roleplaying him with all of the changes heโs gone through?
With new characters joining from time to time, how do you incorporate and organize new characters into your RPs storyline? What structure does your RP have that helps you and your players
move forward?
On the other hand, how do you maintain and address new players who join your Roleplays? Such as if there's a problem with feeling left out, or newer players mixing with more experienced players, etc?
Oh no! Staff-chan dropped you off in another world! What world would it be and why?
If you created a character based on a colour, what colour would it be and why?
For upcoming GMs and newsletter readers, what roleplaying advice will you give to them?
In the upcoming newsletter, would you like to give a shout-out to your players? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!
How did you discover RpNation?
What's a memorable roleplay experience you've had?
What's your favorite part of RPNation?
Do you have a favorite original character you've created, and what are they like?
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Have any creative ideas/worlds/plots/etc. that you've come up with yourself? If not, what's your favorite already created world?
What advice would you want to give to new members of the site?
Have any person(s) you'd like to give a shout-out to?
So during the periods where the current year is coming to the end, we start reminiscing back to different times of the past where we experience a plethora of emotions. Just don't forget to cherish the happy times. Some may have fewer than others, but at some point there was a moment where a slight uplifting of warmth was present. Even for a short blip. Just like a sweet food. It can offer a momentary blissfulness for not just your tastebuds but the soul. Or for some it can be rather overwhelming, but it still stirs something inside of you!
To those who celebrate it, happy holidays. To those who do not observe it, we still wish you all the best in life's endeavors!
SUMMER SHORT STORY 2022 CONTEST WINNER
We didn't forget, I promise. We're sorry User-senpai! And for this we have special news...
WE HAVE TWO WINNERS!
Please put your hands together for---
FireMaiden
&
Gray Sage
We didn't forget, I promise. We're sorry User-senpai! And for this we have special news...
WE HAVE TWO WINNERS!
Please put your hands together for---
FireMaiden
&
Gray Sage
HOUSEKEEPING
Official RPN MerchandiseIt sure would be sweet of you to head on over and see the assortment of products we have available to our users!
Badge Resolution ChangeThe resolution of the badges have been increased to upgrade its overall quality.
Staff Contact Ticket SystemUsers can now enter in tickets for assistance to staff members. This will help for faster response time. You can access this system at the top menu of the website, under โImportant Linksโ on the homepage or here.
Distress & Crisis ResourcesRpNation now provides a Distress & Crisis Resource thread for your needs. Click here to learn more.
Return of Old BBCode Tags
What are some of the things that inspired you to create The Other Side?
The Other Side was inspired by a 1x1 RP I had with a friend years ago. I wanted to make the plot better and more detailed. I made it into a group roleplay on another website where it lived for three years. I eventually decided to switch websites and found RP Nation where I decided to re-start the RP with a small group of my friends as a part of my team. Iโm a bit sad that I can't remember how I came up with the original plot! That was some 5 or 6 years ago.
I like playing characters who are in survival situations (and I also read a lot of non-fiction survival novels) so I imagine it had something to do with that. I knew I needed to create a situation in which the characters were finding themselves struggling to get by in their day-to-day lives but I also wanted to make sure that I didnโt end up doing the same plots as other roleplays that were popular at the time.
What has made your roleplay successful?
I have been writing roleplays for years and there has been a lot of trial and error. I have found one of the best ways to keep a roleplay alive is for the GM to be as involved as possible. Granted, this time around I have a physically demanding full time job (dog groomer). I recognize that I cannot always be as active as I want to be, which is where tityanya and Gazimon X come in. tityanya and Gazimon X both help answer questions and come up with a lot of cool scenarios. tityanya is my co-moderator and she helps me go through profiles that get sent in. Having them help out when I am unavailable has allowed for folks submitting character profiles to get faster replies, which helps keep them interested. It's also nice that the three of us are in different time zones, so one of us is usually online and available.
Keeping an active OOC is also very important. I have found the more chatty a group is the more enthused everyone is to post with one-another. I used to have a discord for the original RP where we played a lot of character based games. For instance, we had โCharacter Interviews.โ One character would be picked for the day and everyone would ask that character questions from their own OCโs perspective. It was quite fun and silly. I have stepped away from using discord as an OOC but I do recommend using random little character games to keep things fresh and fun. I am currently working on a way to incorporate some fun things into our onsite OOC. I make sure to check in every day and I will usually post a greeting of some sort.
Additionally, this RP allows for a large assortment of characters. If folks want to make up their own species they can, which is something I always look for when searching RPโs to join. If someone doesnโt want to play a non-human they donโt have to. If they want to play a human who has special abilities they can. I donโt have limits on how many of which gender are allowed or sexualities or any of that. I try to have a lot of flexibility, which I think folks tend to appreciate and makes it a more welcoming story to join.
How did you start roleplaying?
I think my first ever RP experience was a friend and I had a 1x1 Naruto RP on a horse ranch game website. I don't remember many of the details but I'm sure we likely only wrote a couple of words for each reply. I found that I really enjoyed that and after creating my own OC I tried out different websites where I could get more involved in roleplaying. Eventually I found myself on a popular forum website and that's where I stayed until a few months ago. Interesting enough, my first OC (Vyrik) is still the one I use a majority of the time. I have had him for some 15+ years or so and he has changed quite a bit over the years.
How did you discover RpNation?
I asked for a list of good RP sites on another website I use. A few of the members suggested RPN. I instantly loved how easy it is to navigate and invited some of my friends to switch over. It didnโt take us long to figure out how to navigate RPN (although we do have to learn the coding here, which is why our RP page looks so plain). I know I plan to stay right here!
What is the most interesting roleplay/scene you ever witnessed? What made it stand out to you?
My favorite RP scene I have read was when Gazimon's character manipulated matter and created a room that was continuous. After stepping through the door V found himself in a room with no floor, no walls, no ceilings. It was just the night sky and when he stepped into the room it was as though he was walking on a floor. There as also a baby in there. Gazi's character had created a new body for it's soul when the original couldn't survive. Gazi's posts are always full of detail but this was one of my favorites for sure. The creativity of it all is what truly stood out.
You mentioned using your OC Vyrik a lot over the years. What is your fondest memory roleplaying him with all of the changes heโs gone through?
That's a hard one because I have had him for so long and have had so many fun stories with him. His history is a little rough and even though he's a warrior he is a sensitive person. In the previous version of this roleplay there was a scene where Vyrik was waking up from a surgery on his arm. His mentor played a trick on him and convinced Vyrik he had been captured by the king's men. He then tried interrogating him but Vyrik wasn't having any of it. His mentor had been testing him to see if he would give away any of their organizations secrets in the event he got caught. Then he cooked Vyrik a nice breakfast for his troubles 
With new characters joining from time to time, how do you incorporate and organize new characters into your RPs storyline? What structure does your RP have that helps you and your players
move forward?
We let new characters sorta flop into the RP wherever they would like! Sometimes folks want to make a character that has been around for a while. When that happens we plot with them. "Hey, your character probably already knows mine! Want to plot out their history?" I always think that's a fun element. It's always exciting to come up with histories.
As far as moving forward goes, time skips are my best friend! I have been in too many RP's that die because there were not enough time skips. Everyone should have a fair chance to write their interactions but the RP also has to keep moving steadily. If I feel like the flow is stagnating I will do a time-skip. They make everything feel fresh! Sometimes I do just a day or two. Other times I will do a week. if we truly need a push I might do a month. I sort of just feel everything out. If I feel things slowing down I will just say "Hey everyone, we are going to initiate a time skip on (date here)."
For story elements, I try to come up with fun plots that will have everyone looking forward to the next RP day.
On the other hand, how do you maintain and address new players who join your Roleplays? Such as if there's a problem with feeling left out, or newer players mixing with more experienced players, etc?
tityanya, Gazi, and myself usually have a handful of OC's so that we are likely to always have one available for interaction. There are also several interesting and fun NPC's in the RP which we move around as needed. Even though they are not "main characters" they all have important roles in the story. Interacting with them still contributes to the story. If all of our own characters are occupied we help pair up interactions based on where each player is with their character. We do tend to get handfuls of folks applying whose character's don't match the setting at all, which has been a new thing to handle.
Sometimes showing newer roleplayers the ropes has me re-assessing how all of the RP pages and information are laid out. If we see them struggling or misunderstanding something we will usually PM them and see what we can do to help. The most common thing that happens is they place their character where there are no others present. When that happens we try to nudge them toward a location where stuff is already happening.
Oh no! Staff-chan dropped you off in another world! What world would it be and why?
Studio Ghibli hands down. The most beautiful scenery and artwork I have seen in any animated movie. I grew up near the mountains, in the deep woods, and by the ocean. I have a strong passion for nature. If I had to pick one movie in particular it would be Princess Mononoke. The scenery is gorgeous and hey, the animals are just as beautiful. (Beside, who wouldn't want a red elk?)
If you created a character based on a colour, what colour would it be and why?
This is a difficult choice! My first thought would be "brown" because that's the main color I use for my Hawk characters. I need to add some more colors to my cast, so I'm going to say yellow! I don't have many characters with blonde hair or yellow clothing. Almost all of my characters are designed around birds and their color pallets. I have very few human characters. I need to give the blondes some representation. Additionally, characters with yellow color pallets always seem so cheerful and fun.
For upcoming GMs and newsletter readers, what roleplaying advice will you give to them?
Make time for your RP members in OOC. If you are crunched for time ask for help! It's such a relief having helpers! tityanya and Gazi are always checking in on our players and their help is always greatly appreciated. Don't try to do everything on your own if you don't have enough free time.
In the upcoming newsletter, would you like to give a shout-out to your players? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!
Thank you all for being so amazing!
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?
I started RPing as a teenager in middle school, in the forums on 4kids.tv (which no longer exists- RIP). I fell in love with it immediately- I quickly transitioned out of the Yu-Gi-Oh specific forum to the general RP forum, and I was hooked for life.
How did you discover RpNation?
After 4Kids, I transitioned to Gaia Online, which was a big chunk of my RPing career before I went back to school and had to go on hiatus. When I went on hiatus from school just before the pandemic, I finally had time to bring RPing back into my life, so I hopped onto Google. Out of all the sites advertised there, RPN seemed the most promising, and it hasn't disappointed ^^
What's a memorable roleplay experience you've had?
I used to often join RPs with one of my good friends on here, and we would play characters that complemented each other. For this one superpowered teens RP, his character was the embodiment of the Bad Boy trope, and mine was the stereotypical Good Girl. They had a really adorable slow burn romance going, and we got so into it that we even gave them a bunch of additional background to fluff it out~
What's your favorite part of RPNation?
I'd have to say the BBCode Center- I find the artistry, creativity and skill of the site's coders both inspirational and aspirational.
Do you have a favorite original character you've created, and what are they like?
Well it's definitely hard to pick a favorite, but one of my most reused character tropes is the over-confident, flirty guy, mostly because it's always just so fun to play, and he always inevitably falls for the badass girl who can kick his ass and isn't affected by his looks ;P
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Thorough, systematic, and enthusiastic. No idea if that's how other people see me though xD
Have any creative ideas/worlds/plots/etc. that you've come up with yourself? If not, what's your favorite already created world?
A nameless City overrun by several different organized crime syndicates- it was one of my all-time favorite RPs.
What advice would you want to give to new members of the site?
My advice would be to read all the info in the sticky threads like rules, guidelines, FAQs, etc. and then, as you're getting to know the site, don't hesitate to reach out- to older players who can help you figure things out, to newer players you click with, ... Everyone on here is really friendly and really helpful, and those connections are always available and easy to make ^^
Have any person(s) you'd like to give a shout-out to?
The fantabulous
Ambiloquous
, who let me pester them with daily questions for weeks on end when I first rejoined the site, and patiently responded to every single one of them, from the dumbest to the most annoying! 
Ambiloquous
, who let me pester them with daily questions for weeks on end when I first rejoined the site, and patiently responded to every single one of them, from the dumbest to the most annoying! 
December Donation Badge by Onmyoji
