βIf you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.β
β Carl Sagan
Space; the twin of time; space, the ultimate frontier; space, the embodiment of our reality, the realm we yearn to explore, the domain within which we exist.
Space encompasses unparalleled fascination, formidable awe, and intricate complexity. Whether defined as the three-dimensional plane we reside within or the vast expanse of the universe we call home, its allure never ceases to captivate us. Space abounds with adventure and fuels our imagination, seamlessly blending scientific marvels with a touch of magic. Since time immemorial, the stars have served as narrative catalysts, igniting boundless inspiration and giving birth to music, literature, films, video games, and a myriad of artistic creations.
As a community of writers, I am compelled to ask: What aspects of space do you love the most?
HOUSEKEEPING
Update: RpNation's Community GuidelinesRpNation.com completed their updates and reformatting of the Community Guidelines for easier navigation and access to rule-specific content. Whether you're a newer or older user, click here to refresh what we allow and don't allow in the community! To see the specific updates, check out our Patch Notes for more details.
Rule Highlight: Bump SpamBumping is allowed within reason. Excessive bumping may result in content removal and infractions. Follow the Bump Etiquette:
β’ Do not bump multiple threads in the same section at the same time.
β’ Only bump a thread once per 24 hours.
β’ Deleting previous bumps to falsify a 24-hour waiting period is not permitted.
β’ Only the GM/Co-GMs or the OP of the recruitment can bump the interest check and/or part
CRISIS AVERTED - Computer IssuesAn alarming hiccup that threatened the great site of RPNation that our great Ghan prevailed over. Read the story here.
iOS Push NotificationsAs our wonderful Dark Wizard has put it, "The time has finally come, for us iPhone users who use the site to get something we've never had on our phones, and that's Push Notifications."
Real TIME UpdateNeed I say more? We've had a real TIME update. That's right now you can stalk wait in real time for a reply!
Official RPN MerchandiseBe sure to head on over and see what available products we have for our users!
Tell me a little bit about Mass Clans: Beyond. What is it about?
Mass Clans: Beyond is about the ongoing adventures of a close knit, but rag-tag band of animals from Earth. As they journey out into the multiverse in search of an inter-dimensional terrorist who threatened their home. Itβs the fourth installment of the Mass Clans story since 2013.
Itβs always been a casual roleplay with fun and wacky moments as well as some serious and darker themes intermixed. Thereβs an overarching story and driving force but after that the roleplay just goes whichever way me and the other members think would be more fun or unique. How we get from A to B is up to the cool ideas and great writing from the other members of the roleplay.
What inspired Mass Clans: Beyond?
Mass Clans: Beyond was inspired by me and my friends wanting to continue the story from earlier. But expanding on it, taking the characters to different worlds and coming up with new scenarios they could find themselves in. When the third installment ended we all wanted to keep going so I took what had been set up or hinted at in the story prior and ran with it.
I started the original Mass Clans thread in order to have a roleplay that was both casual and story driven. A roleplay everyone participating in could make together and always have something new to react to and bounce off of.
Whatβs been your favorite part of the roleplay so far?
My favorite part so far HAS to be a big event thatβs happened recently. The plans of the lead antagonist of the story, Undertaker, finally came to fruition with the main group caught right in the middle of it at the largest cultural event in the multiverse. And the effects are going to reverberate throughout the dimensions. Itβs a moment that weβve been leading up to for a very long time. Itβs redrawn the lines between friends and foes, threatens the lives of beloved characters, and is the beginning of a massive change and ramp up in the story that will usher in even more unique and peculiar challenges for the characters to face.
Mass Clans originally comes from a different site than RPNation and weβre all incredibly thankful for you guys taking us in after our old site went down. Without you all, this huge moment in the story, with years of lead up, wouldnβt have happened. So I canβt thank Rpnation enough for that!
How do you maintain balance between the pace of the story and the participation of members?
To maintain balance with the pacing, Iβll usually try to slow down or stop any major events. Make some small talk between characters. Or weβll have the characters split up and do one thing while the main group is on a sort of pause. Or we all agree to do a short time-skip to a more pivotal/fun moment or a less hectic one.
How does the fourth installment compare to previous installments?
The fourth installment is by far the largest one! Itβs been going on longer than any of the other installments and has many more posts and characters to it. The setting allows for way more creativity, and tons of wackiness to take the edge off the more serious themes. It truly lives up to itβs title of βBeyond.β
From the drawing board to the actual keyboard, whatβs the method in which the story unravels itself? Is there a set plan or is it mostly the influence of players?
As the creator of Mass Clans I do have plans set up. Or set pieces as I like to call them. But I always make them flexible and open to change, or complete scrapping if the need calls for it. All of our characters react to the events going on and I change my plans based off of what they do. And most of the best moments in my opinion, were the result of the other members thinking up a response to a situation I would have NEVER come up with. That then went on to change the trajectory of the story or inspire me and the others into doing something we hadnβt done before.
So while I have my plans, and other members take the lead sometimes as well, the non-leading members have the most influence over where the story goes. If I plan out a big event on the other side of a river but no one decides to cross it, then Iβll either have to rework my plan or scrap it all and do something that fits their current predicament better. If the other players want to avoid the river, a huge plot point focused around a river wouldnβt be fun for them. Lots of Mass Clans lore and moments have been the result of the other members' actions and suggestions.
Every now and then theyβll also suggest I do something in the future via discord and I put it on a to-do list. So Iβd say the story is mostly the influence of the players. There is a clear A and B but how we get there and how fast is always up to the members.
How do you garner interest for your roleplay?
I always make sure anyone who sees the thread knows that itβs open to join, but beyond that I havenβt done anything to stir up interest for it in others. Everyone who participated has always either stumbled upon the thread or been invited by members. I was never really sure how to advertise for Mass Clans after it had been going on for so long.
In myself I create interest from a lot of movie watching and book reading. A lot of facets in Mass Clans are tributes to different pieces of media weβve liked. That and tons of brainstorming together about our characters.
What has made your roleplay successful?
Itβs definitely the other members that have made Mass Clans successful. Especially Filament and Firestorm of Tempestpack. Iβd love to say what made it a success was some masterwork of storytelling on my part but the success is most in part due to the passion and ideas of the members. The fact that Mass Clans is a story driven thread has certainly allowed it to go on for so long, but the dedication of everyone who took part and is still taking part is what has kept it going strong. Everyone gets to feel like theyβre a part of a huge journey with ups and downs, victories and failures; a huge epic of their own making. The mix of influences crafted the unique style and soul of the thread that I think is what keeps people coming back. And what makes people want to join in, even if just for a short time. Without the others Mass Clans would have been railroaded into just my vision and what I wanted; it would have been boring and cliche. I provided the foundation and they all built on it, and made the story into something we could all be excited about. If everyone didnβt contribute, my ideas alone wouldnβt have been able to carry it this far. Mass Clans is successful because everyone keeps it an unpredictable, fun, and personal tale about cats in space.
If you could adapt Mass Clans: Beyond into any kind of media, which would it be? Series of novels, comics, shows, movies, or video games?
Thereβs an in-joke between us that one day Mass Clans will be adopted into a big budget movie by some well known director like James Cameron or Steven Spielberg. So I have to say weβd adapt it into a movie. It would assuredly be a long one though. Weβve already joked to each other who would voice our characters, what the soundtrack would be, and things like that. I personally have a penchant for movies where the characters dance in the credits. So I think everyone would agree it would HAVE to be a movie.
How did you get into roleplaying?
I got into roleplaying due to a book series I read growing up, Warriors. The book seriesβ website had a forum on it filled with various different roleplays. And as soon as I joined one of them I was hooked. I didnβt even know what roleplaying was before then. But the idea of crafting stories together with other like minded people intrigued me.
What is your fondest memory of roleplaying?
Thatβs a tough one. Iβd say my fondest memory is the first time someone told me that my thread had helped them get through a rough time. It made me feel good and gave me a new perspective on my roleplay. It inspired me to think bigger and make it better; take it a little more seriously for the sake of the other members.
What do you think makes a βgoodβ roleplay? Thereβs no right or wrong answer here, simply curious to hear your perspective.
I think the most important part in making a good roleplay is creating an environment where everyone participating feels free to add their own influences to a clearly established world. While respecting the other members' suggestions and influences. Stringent rules could get in the way of the fun. And weβre all here to have fun. The alternate influences will build the world into something that no one else has, and thus one you canβt find anywhere else.
Approaching new ideas by thinking about how something could be implemented into the thread seamlessly; more than you think about how something canβt or doesnβt belong in it has gone a long way for me.
Do you have something in mind for your next roleplay? Can we get a few hints?
As of right now, I do not. Iβve been laser focused on Mass Clans. Iβm not sure if Iβll make another installment or if Iβll move on to something completely new after this one. The only hint I could give with any substance is that what I do next will most likely feature quadrupedal animals of some kind.
What are some roleplaying tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?
When it comes to character writing, try not to get too caught up on or worry about keeping to them βin character.β People have quirks and different sides to them. If you only do what you think is in character, you may accidentally create one thatβs one dimensional. So donβt be too worried about going against what your characters normally do or are known to do. Breaking character can oftentimes be perfectly in character and may revitalize or refresh them.
When describing things that may not have a real life counterpart or precedent, try envisioning it in your head and typing out or writing down every detail to see. Go over those details and determine which ones you think would be necessary for someone who has no idea what youβre talking about. Use those details and the descriptions should come a little easier.
And of course be sure to try roleplaying in a different way. If you usually roleplay as yourself try roleplaying as someone different. Or if you usually roleplay humans, try something non-human! And vice versa.
Have any shoutouts youβd like for us to include into the Newsletter?
Shout out to the two best roleplayers anyone could ask for @Firestorm of TempestPack and
Filament
. We came this far together and itβs thanks to you two!
Filament
. We came this far together and itβs thanks to you two!
And shoutout to Rpnation, without this site weβd have nowhere to be and nowhere to RP! So thank you very much for providing a wonderful place for everyone to have fun and do what they do.
How did you choose your username?
It started as SpoiledBrat, actually. But over time I discovered my loaf for anything bready so it turned into SpoiledBread.
How would you describe yourself in three words? Why those words?
Chill cool bread. I love to refrigerate myself and keep my cool even when the situation is getting heated. I also don't take things too seriously and likes to just goof around.
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?
I'm sure it's somewhere around the release of Pokemon Platinum because Pokemon is my first RP ever. I was looking for a place to discuss pokemon cards because it was all the rage back then and stumbled upon a bunch of people writing as if they're pokemon trainers on a Facebook fanspage. I got interested and dived right into it.
I can spend hours per day on it. Doing things like battling other trainers, being a referee to a match, joining an event, managing my ghost-type gym, or just bickering with my rival. I exclusively played Pokemon RP only until the trend of RPing in a fanspage died. After that I started hopping to other sites and learned more about roleplaying in general.
Speaking on your love of Pokemon, I have to knowβ¦. Do you have a favorite Pokemon? What about favorite version? Which do you enjoy more - the manga/anime/or games (card or console)?
My favorite is Wooper. Just look at their goofy face. I prefer the blue one but I welcome its Paldean counterpart with open arms. I really enjoys the manga's vibe that expands more of the world than what the anime/game does.
Do you have any favorite memes? One that never fails to make you laugh?
Nyan cat! It has no context but that's why its value is timeless. The me from ten years ago, the me now and the me from ten years in the future would see nyan cat and have the same kind of reaction:
"Haha cat riding a pink box farting rainbow through the cosmic lol"
If you were granted 3 wishes under the conditions that one of them had to be a selfless wish, what would they be?
- Grant everyone the ability to make good bread. Loaf and peace, they said!
- Dimensional pocket ability for me. I love convenient superpowers. Now I can just carry all of my belongings in my invisible giant wallet.
- Speaking about convenience. My last wish would be good public transportation all over the world.
Whatβs a memorable moment youβve had on RPN or Roleplaying in general?
Memorable moment? There's a lot of it, let's see... Once I played a sickly noble girl with a personal maid NPC in a fantasy court RP about uniting divided kingdoms. She spent half of her screen time piggybacked by the maid and I made her believe she would die within a few years (I actually did plan to kill her later). I didn't have any plan for romance since that's not my strong suit either, yet after the first arc finished my characters and their partners were the only ones who got coupled. Even the maid got one of the princes lol. That was an unexpected, but welcomed occurrence and I learned something from it.
Are there any future projects youβre currently working on? (this can be inside or outside of Rpn)
Would you like to give a shout-out to any partners, friends, community members, etc?
Shout out to @KageYuuki @Ganryu @AtlannianSpy who made not only fun RPs, but also fun communities in Discord.
@Kinggunlucky for keeping touch all this time. I will wait patiently for Petoonya.
I also want to poke
Ace Cream
's grave, may he melt in peace.
Ace Cream
's grave, may he melt in peace.What advice do you have for the newsletter readers?
Now I will tell you what I learned after playing the sick girl and the maid. I realized that most of my best roleplaying moments came when I manage to make a change in another player's character, or when another player makes a change in my character. In other words, making an impact. This might sound obvious but my advice is to not be afraid of interaction during a roleplay. Clash their ideology, ask personal questions and let them influence you as you also give them your influence. I feel like we sometimes get too caught up in our own plans. We subconsciously put up a mental barrier that limits our character's growth, and in turn, limit the other character's growth too.
Last edited by a moderator:
Much love from an old Warriorcatsrpg-er. 
