Newsletter RpNation Newsletter: March 2024


a nation of creation |
march 2024 newsletter



vintage

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The everpresent tick tick tick tock of a grandfather clock ricochets down a dark hallway as razor sharp rays of sound, bouncing off the walls in odd angles until vanishing into marching whispers, set to the decay of time.

The faint musty smell of old books and stale wood fills every room aside from the kitchen, a room much more lively and warm than the rest, radiating scents of cinnamon and turkey, pushing back against the droning haze in defiance. It's grainy coarse incandescent glow blazing into the darkness of the home, a beacon in an ocean of shadows. A safe haven, a place to stop and rest. Somewhere to rejuvenate yourself or seek refuge.

The kitchen is only thus rivaled by it's neighboring compartment, the living room. Spacious in the otherwise cramped corridors within the remnants of your grandparents, the living room boasts a wide variety of comforts, all bustling away in tune with the clinking and clanking next door. Crackles of tarnished vinyl accompanies by the soft tunes of a song long forgotten, blurry and warped. Only just comfortable enough to keep your unease at bay.

Analog and stylized, the modern interpretation of 'vintage' only goes back so far, capturing a unique time and culture, lending perfectly to the emerging technologies and architecture that create the aesthetic we all know and dream of today. Sometimes as horror, a nostalgic nightmare, something to feel the rush of being a scared kid again. Other times we look to vintage imagery as an inspiration for unique stories, music, clothing, and everything else in between. Another universe of possibilities, captured within the time capsule of our collections and digital records or even recreations. Vintage truly is an art all unto itself.

housekeeping

๐Ÿชž RpNation's Community Guidelines
Whether you're a newer or older user, click here to refresh what we allow and don't allow in the community! It's always good to refresh on the guidelines every once in while.​

To see the specific updates, check out our Patch Notes for more details.​

๐Ÿ’— iOS Push Notifications
Android or iPhone users alike can now have push notifications for RPN alerts.​

๐Ÿ‘ค Official RPN Merchandise
Be sure to head on over and see what available products we have for our users!​


guideline highlight

๐Ÿ”ฅ Advertising and Spam
Keep interest checks in designated areas: If you wish to gather interest, ensure that it is relevant to the community and posted in the appropriate designated areas. This helps maintain organization and prevents clutter. Please refer to the Recruitment Rules post for more specific guidelines relating to interest checks.​

๐ŸŒŒ Bump Spam
Bumping is allowed within reason. Excessive bumping may result in content removal and infractions. Follow the Bump Etiquette:​
โ€ข Do not bump multiple threads in the same section at the same time.​
โ€ข Only bump a thread once per 24 hours.​
โ€ข Deleting previous bumps to falsify a 24-hour waiting period is not permitted.​
โ€ข Only the GM/Co-GMs or the OP of the recruitment can bump the interest check and/or partner search.​


member of the month


How did you come up with your current username, Juju? Whatโ€™s the story behind it?

Funnily enough, I didnโ€™t come up with this username at all! This is my nickname used by family and friends even outside of online spaces. As for its story, my father gave me this nickname when I was quite young because it's a play on my name and a reference to George of the Jungle, which I was a huge fan of back when I was a little kid.​

If you could describe yourself with three words, what words would they be? And why?

Whimsical, Kindhearted, Crybaby.

The first because I like to be silly and fanciful, but I can be scatterbrained and forgetful too. I miss discord messages, forget character details, and make mistakes in posts. I appreciate everyone who is patient with me!

The second because I want people to feel safe, welcomed and loved. Whenever I interact with others, I try to be understanding and kind. I haven't been perfect, but I sincerely wish that in the end I soothe more harm than I cause in life.

The third becauseโ€ฆ well let's just say I cried at least 3-4 times while watching Nimona recently. I'm a big feeler full of empathy for real and fictional people. Don't mess with me, I WILL cry!​

Whatโ€™s a memorable or favorite saying of yours?

โ€œWeโ€™ll burn that bridge when we get to it!โ€

It's a cheeky phrase that combines "crossing the bridge when you get to it" and "burning bridges". Essentially, it's toying with the idea that in the future there could be negative consequences, but you should worry about that if/when the time comes. Unlike the phrase "crossing the bridge when you get to it" it almost implies that something is guaranteed to backfire or at least be way more chaotic than you intend. Despite all that, you accept the risks and roll with the burning bridges later ;) it has the same energy as the more recent phrase of "f*ck it, we ball"​

How did you get into roleplaying?

I first started roleplaying on MMORPG games such as World of Warcraft, and then eventually branched out into online forum RP since it was a much more consistent experience. RPN was actually my first experience with forum RP! I liked it enough that I stayed for 10 years... I still cannot believe it's been that long.​

Whatโ€™s your favorite memory from all your years of roleplaying?

That's a tough one! I had a lot of fun experiences over the years, but I'd have to say that one memory that has stuck with me the longest has to be the events of a god RP from 2019. As many group rps tend to do, the RP had slowed down significantly and the GM lost the motivation to keep the RP afloat. There were a few players still around, so instead of letting the RP fizzle out we asked the GM if we could organize a sort of grand finale for the RP. He agreed, so we all worked on the conclusion of the godly war.

The GM's god was banished to become a constellation in the sky, the god who defeated him lost his heart after realizing he caused a senseless war, and one chaotic god drove a goddess (my character) to madness which resulted in a world-wide cataclysm fuelled by her refusal to accept the mantel of life god.

I am still in contact with and actively roleplay with several of the players who were involved in this RP, and we bring up the events and characters from time to time. We actually have a tradition of creating new god RPs that follow a similar naming scheme as the original, which goes like "A World ___" with the last word in the title changing with each integration.​

Is there a particular character that you loved creating?

One little goober I had way too much fun making and playing has to be the mysterious, and quite possibly malicious, creature known as Moki. They are a rabbit-like creature with long ears, two little horns, star-filled galaxy eyes, and fluffy white/purple fur. In the RP they appeared in, they served as the recruiter and guide for a group of newbie magical girls/guys.

Similar to the antagonist Kyubey in the Madoka Magika series (which players have compared them to in numerous occasions), Moki is a character that is both cute and creepy depending on the situation or character perspective. Players are never sure what the creature's motivations are, despite it assuring them all that it only wishes to assist the fledgling magical girls safely complete their training. With a habit of speaking in third person and an outsider's understanding of 'human behaviour', Moki can come across as quite eerie. While the RP Moki starred in has been on hiatus, Moki's days of terrorizing poor magical girls are not over.​

Do you have a favorite novel, series, video game, movie, comic, etc? Really what is a favorite story of yours? Can also be of folklore or history.

My favourite series has to be the horror podcast known as The Magnus Archives. I won't say much about it in case you or anyone else wants to check it out (which you should if you love horror!), but essentially the podcast follows the protagonist known as Jonathan Simms who starts a shady job as an archivist for the Magnus Institute. He narrates seemingly unrelated 'statements', which are short-stories written in a format similar to eyewitness testimonies and found documents. These statements, along with character interactions outside of them, slowly work together to reveal an intriguing narrative and rich world-building. I really can't sing it enough praise!​

Are there other hobbies you do aside from roleplaying?

Other than roleplaying, I enjoy drawing, ttrpg, videogames, crocheting, sewing plushies, hand embroidery, baking, and gardening.​

What genres are your favorite to participate in?

My absolute favourite would have to be fantasy, but I also really like horror. I don't see a lot of horror rps, especially those that make it past the CS phase, but I'd love to find one or make one someday!​

Having been a member of just about 10 years, youโ€™ve seen many changes over the time. Was there perhaps a particular time of your RPN career that you miss?

Hmm. It's difficult to pinpoint just one. I have a long list of beloved RPs that died off, their stories left forever unfinished, and characters lost in the limbo that followed. Similarly, I have friends whom I've lost contact with as they drifted away from RPN over the years. I wouldn't say there is one specific time I yearn for, but a collection of so many "what ifs". A wistful nostalgia that returns whenever I discover an old note I made, a doodle of a character, or the dusty posts I've left in My Private Workshop. All stories have an ending. The rise and fall of roleplays is a humble reminder of the transience nature of all things. If anything, when I miss an old RP or character it reminds me not to take the things around me for granted, be it other members or the projects I'm currently in. While I will always miss good times long gone, I look back fondly on the memories and look forward to more fond memories in the future! Also, I really miss the falling snow effect for RPN. ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ™ BRING IT BACK!!!​

Are there any future projects you have in the works?

It won't be released for a long while yet, but I do have an RP idea in the works! I plan it to be a cozy fantasy adventure that takes place in a lush, overgrown version of Earth that has healed from a world-shattering calamity. What happened? Another reality merged with our own, infusing the world with otherworldly landscapes, dragons and magical energy that made all advanced form of technology malfunction and the planet rearrange.

After many centuries, humanity has comfortably rebuilt society in a Studio Ghibli idyllic version of itself among the ruins. The story will focus on a school of dragon riders, one that has found a way to live in harmony with the magical beasts that were once seen as agents of humanity's downfall. Together they try to prove that dragons and humans can live in peace and prepare for an upcoming dragon race/tournament!​

What advice do you have for our Newsletter readers?

Okay, so one tip I have is to remember that your writing doesn't need to be perfect. First and foremost, roleplay is a hobby that is meant to bring you joy and entertainment. Confidently write your posts as if the only person who will be reading it is yourself and that one friend who will respond with a line of fire emojis. If you don't have said friend, allow me to substitute ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ

My second tip is to remember that roleplay is a shared experience. Respect your partner or group and understand that the story you make is formed from the spirit of cooperation and a common interest. See their characters as valuable members of a cast, and try to include them in your plans as much as you would your own character. I promise you that with cooperation and understanding, you can intertwine your vision into a truly fantastic and pleasantly chaotic experience. Patience and openness can go a long way!​

Any shout-outs youโ€™d like for us to include?

Oh, yes please! I've met so many amazing people through RPN that it would be a very long list to include them all. That being said, I'd like to give a special shoutout to the members seasonedcat seasonedcat , @jmann, @Solirus, @YsFanatic, @SirDerpingtonIV, @Euclid Leaf and Dreamtique Dreamtique whom I've RPed the most with and known for the longest time.

I'm so grateful to have met you all, and I sincerely treasure the time we spent crafting stories and characters together. You've all given me so many precious memories and brightened my days, especially when times were difficult. Each of you have left an everlasting impression, and I feel fortunate that our paths crossed, no matter how brief that may be. Thank you for all the great moments, and hopefully many more to come. I love you all! <3


roleplay of the month


What are some themes and ideas that inspired you to create โ›That Time the Demon Lord Killed Our Party Leaderโœ ?

A huge inspiration for TTTDLKOPL was absolutely the Magi series! It's one of my favorite anime/manga series of all time, and I've always wanted to do something like it!​

What is the driving motivator of the plot currently?

Currently, the driving motivator of the plot is to defeat Tiryan, and avenge Arlux, the party leader!​

How do you garner interest for your roleplays and keep your group engaged with the roleplay?

I don't think I did anything special to garner interest for TTTDLKOPL, if I'm being honest. In order to keep my group engaged in the rp, I try to offer challenges for them to complete, and reward them with things irp that can help their characters later on!​

Could you share more about the challenges you create for your players and how you reward them in-game? How do these challenges tie into the overall narrative, especially regarding the quest to defeat Tiryan and avenge Arlux?

Certainly! The challenges I create can vary depending on the situation. Some challenges are just beating a boss in order to gain a reward, while others can be a bit more convoluted. The reward though, is usually in the form of skill gems, which allow one player character to learn a certain ability from the enemy they killed!​

Can you give a brief summary of your roleplay, highlighting who Tiryan and Arlux are and their significance to the plot? How do these characters drive the story and motivate the players?

Tiryan is the Emperor of Olrodia and the main antagonist of the rp, while Arlux was the hero of Aurora, and the leader of the Heroes. TTTDLKOPL is all about rebuilding what was lost, getting stronger, and putting an end Tiryan's conquest.​

If you had to choose a favorite moment from your roleplay so far, what would it be? This could be a specific interaction, plot development, or any other memorable event that you feel captures the essence of your roleplay.

This is hard to answer...but if I had to pick one moment, it would have to be the reveal of Morgana, one of Tiryan's top dogs, to the heroes! Everyone seems to love her as a villain.​

How do you balance the progression of the main quest to defeat Tiryan with the personal storylines and development of the player characters?

In between scenarios and arcs, I like to give players some down time to just post on a whim and do whatever they want! I feel like this is a good way to give them a break from hardcore posting, while also allowing them to flesh out their characters more!​

How do you incorporate feedback and suggestions from your players into the ongoing narrative and storyline of your roleplay?

As a GM, I have most of everything for the rp planned out, but I try my best to be open to what the players want/ ideas that they may have for the rp. I allow people to even go against the plans I have in mind to a certain extent, and allow them to add to create new magics (with my approval ofc).​

How do you maintain stability, comfort, and community between your players?

Honestly, I feel like I just got lucky with the players that I got, yk? Everyone likes each other more or less, and enjoy playing games, so honestly I don't feel like I've had to do much to maintain the community.​

How did you start roleplaying? Do you think you've improved since? How so?

I first started Roleplaying on roblox, but quickly transitioned to a website called Chatzy. For those unaware, Chatzy is a site where you can make chat-rooms, and it was quite the popular rp site (despite it having more questionable rooms). Considering I've went from one liners to paragraphs, I'd like to think I've gotten better, but ik I've still got a lot of room for improvement!​

What is the most unique roleplay you ever participated in? What stood out?

Funny enough, the most unique rp I've ever been apart of was on here, and it was called Vehemen Academy! Academy rps aren't exactly rare around here, but what stood out for me was the amount of care and detail put into the worldbuilding, it was the first time, at least for me, that I had seen someone put some real effort into ALL sides of an rp,​

What do you think makes a "good" roleplay? As it goes, there's no right or wrong here, simply your answer and thoughts.

What makes a good rp, at least in my opinion, is a good gm, as tacky as it sounds. Sure, you can have an rp that is extremely well written, with a compelling story that draws a lot of attention, but if the GM isn't good, then players will just straight up leave the rp, regardless of the quality of the writing displayed.​

What are some roleplaying or roleplay creation tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?

I think the best piece of advice when it comes to making rps, is to always try to add your own spin on whatever you are trying to make. There are dozens upon dozens of of academy rps, Isekai rps, if you can think of a genre, chances are they're already been a handful of them already made. That isn't to say that these kinds of rps are bad, like I said earlier, my favorite rp's that I've ever been apart of was an academy rp. But what I am saying is that you should try and put your own mark on whatever rp you decide to create, don't be scared to take chances with how you decide to go about making an rp. Even if it doesn't work out completely as you imagined it, the last thing any gm wants is to have their rp be known as "just another x rp."​

You mentioned worldbuilding - what aspect of creating a roleplay do you find most rewarding? Is it crafting the intricate characters, or designing the world they inhabit? Or both?

I think the most rewarding part of creating a roleplay, isn't necessarily the process of creating it, but rather the end result of being able to look back at all your hard work, and see how much people enjoy what YOU created​

Could you expand on your view of what makes a good GM? What qualities or practices do you believe are essential for a GM to possess in order to create an engaging and immersive roleplaying experience?

Being present as a GM is extremely important. Everything starts, and ends with you, and when players see that your as active as you can be, it helps keep them around. Another thing would be to try NOT to be a movie director in your rps, something that I've had to learn while running TTTDLKOPL. Let your players have some control in the narrative, encourage them to go down a path, but be open to allowing them to trailblaze a bit, because maybe what they end up coming up with is better than what you had planned out!​

Would you like to give a shout-out to your co-GMs, players, and/or friends? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!

First and foremost, I'd like to thank Nano Nano for being my co-GM. Creating TTTDLKOPL required a lot of research to be done on various cultures, for both the gods, and countries, and without Nano helping me, I don't think I would have been able to finish TTTDLKOPL in a timely manner. Between that, and supplying the rp with pretty codes (and fixing the codes I broke ;-; ), Nano has been an integral part of being able to get this rp to where it is now. I'd also like to thank @SilverBlack , Dawnsx Dawnsx , and @OldTurtle for being supportive of me for when I first threw around the idea of starting my own rp, and also just being some of the best people I've met via RPN. Lastly, of course, I'd like to give thanks to all of players participating in TTTDLKOPL, both old and new, because at the end of the day, an rp cannot go anywhere without players why try their best to be consistent!​


featured threads

Art Showcase: Plo's silly little art by
@Ploegy
Pop Culture Discussion: ๐—ถ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜† ๐—บ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฏ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ? by @kalopsia.


mWOuuYZ.png

March Donation Badge by @Onmyoji
 
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Yoo!!! Juju Juju !!! ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ
As much as I would love to be hype with lines of purely fire emojis, I want to let you know that your kindness truly did make a difference, :specialeyes: you opened so many doors for me! You always bring the best kind of energy to the table as well that just makes everything so much fun! Weather it's IC or OOC. You give people so many reasons to return those kindness to you a bazillion fold.

And the world needs us crybabies, ask those people who questioned us if they would prefer to be told to 'toughen up' when they actually need to share their feelings and someone crazy enough to cry with them! And some things are just that good that I think deserved my manly tears, ya I watch cartoons for kids, and I cry a lot, so what, I am never tired of trying to convince people that Bluey deserved tears of a true man!
 
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I love the beginning blurb! Would you mind if I reposted it on social media (with credit given of course)?
 
Congrats! Nessi Nessi and all the others featured in the newsletter. I hope to continue the RP to a satisfying end as I joined off of a brief hiatus to RPโ€™ing and Iโ€™ve enjoyed it very much!
 
Congratulations to all those mentioned. To reiterate, weโ€™ll be having these full-format Newsletters quarterly. Monthly badges along with any urgent updates and/or news will be posted monthly. This change was made at the end of last year/beginning of this year.

With these quarterly Newsletters, we are hoping to add more fun, engaging content along with the interviews that we enjoy conducting. If there are any suggestions for threads that you think we should feature, please feel free to reach out to us on a ticket or PM.

For one of our new contents, we were thinking of doing staff Q&Aโ€™s, something similar to the interviews that we currently have in place. With this I want to ask, what questions would you like the staff to answer? We wonโ€™t be having them all answer the questions on the next issue but weโ€™ll eventually get to every staff member with a variety of questions.

Thanks again for reading and I hope to see from yโ€™all.
 
...
Why da little disc thingy lumpy
It's an vinyl record, they record music by etching grooves into the disk which the needle of the record player slides into really quickly and translated back into music.
But the record itself can bend or warp over time, and these can cause the music to come out weird, but some people really love those imperfections
 

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