#natpark updates

[nationalpark-rp]

☆—State of the National Park

Since we last spoke with you all with a group announcement, I am sure it has become very obvious that the group is no longer active in terms of roleplay.  As we are no longer enforcing Activity Checks, everyone has generally gone inactive.  This we prepared for-- and honestly, had seen coming.  A while back when we made that initial announcement, myself and the other mods agreed that the group was not going to survive as an RP group much longer for reasons stated in the post.

The Pokemon RPC just isn’t big anymore, and the audience for a Pokemon roleplay group is even smaller.  It is no mistake that a majority of the members we have kept over the past year have been members who have been with us for years at this point.  It was always love for our group that kept it going, but now is the time to acknowledge what’s been going on as of late.

National Park, effective today, will be closing its doors as a roleplay group.  Anyone who has blogs with us and wishes to continue roleplaying their muses is free to remove the affiliation and continue their roleplaying as they please.  It’s a sad thing to see the National Park finally close four and a half years into its run, but it seems like the best course of action for us now.  Manectric, Musharna, and I are very busy people, and the rigors of running a roleplay group is becoming all the more difficult, even in the Park’s current state.

However, we all agreed that we wouldn’t want to be rid of the community entirely.  To me and many others, National Park has become a very special community to us and it would be hard to completely say goodbye to the connections we made.  With the end of the roleplay group arriving, we have decided to keep the NatPark Discord chat open indefinitely!

* * *  If you are a former member and would like to be invited into the Discord chat, or are simply interested in joining the NatPark chat regardless of whether you have reserved with us before, please contact me, Meowth-mod, through my Discord: Psy#8548.  * * *

The group is semi-private, mainly intended for ex-members, but any individuals who are interested in joining us there are more than welcome to ask.  We’re not picky-- it’s just a matter of keeping the group well-maintained that we aren’t actively advertising the new chat.

If you have been with our group and have been in the chat before, it’s more or less the same old place for chatting with your fellow NatPark members, except with the inclusion of casual roleplay elements to make up for the lack of proper dash roleplay, including multifandom RP as well.  There’s no Masterlist, no reserving characters, just plot with someone and jump right in to some roleplay if you’re feeling an itch to write!  We want the community to remain a casual place to hang out.

It’s our way to give back to you guys, the members of NatPark, old and new.  It doesn’t matter how long ago it was-- if you want to come back, please contact us!  Always feel free to contact me through my Discord as listed above, where I am almost always active all day.

I sincerely thank every single person who has been a part of the National Park in the past for making it what it was.  This was an incredibly special place to me, and it means so much that I was able to meet such an amazing group of people.  I hope to meet even more of you through our chat!  No matter who you are, feel free to ask about joining the National Park Discord chat!

We love you all, and we hope to see you soon.

☆—Meowth-mod

...But before we go, some final words from Musharna and Manectric:

Hey lovelies!  It’s been such a long time since I’ve written for the hub, and I am so sorry that I’ve fallen out of touch with you all.  Ever since I moved, things have become increasingly busy for me.  With work and starting school again, I just didn’t have enough time for roleplay.  But I never lost time for caring about each of you.

Every single one of you lovely people have been, and will always continue to be, my friends.  The Park has been my pride a joy, a place I never expected to become as great as it was in its prime, back when the community was larger.  We’ve seen our ups and downs, good days and bad days, welcomed and lost so many great people.  And yet our friends always came back.  Weeks, months, even a year... we welcomed them all.  It’s so good to see you again!  And it was like we hadn’t lost any time at all.

Time does change things.  But because the Park no longer does RP doesn’t mean that there isn’t something better for our community in the horizon.  Because we’re now a Pokemon Community, and I wholeheartedly think we should invite those who loved Pokemon but weren’t interested in RP to join.

Thank you all so much for being part of this experience.  Without everyone’s support, we wouldn’t be where we are.  Everyone who has been with us, past and present, was a special part of who we are.  We’re not losing RP so much as we are gaining friends.  That’s what the spirit of the Park was always about: making friends and having a connection.

I love you all.  And I am thankful that I get to spend my time with you.  See you soon.

☆—Manectric-mod

It has been my pleasure to be a part of NatPark for as long as I have been. Although my time as a mod was comparatively short to Meowth and Manectric's efforts, it was an honor to serve this group as much as I could. I have met the nicest people here and I hope to stay connected with you as life gets busy for me. Thank you for making my time in the Park as enjoyable as it has been.

☆—Musharna-mod

[limbox-ofthestar-blog]

update

hey, natpark fam

work has been overwhelming lately. i’ve requested a hiatus and hopefully will be back soon! so as of now, later :p

[crowncut-blog]

i’m sorry to everyone still waiting on starters from me!!!  i’ve been a bit more tired from work than i usually am,  but i plan to get on top of things soon!  thank u for the patience with me and i hope everyone’s having a good week so far ♥

[nationalpark-rp]

☆—Announcement: Group Changes

Hello, all!  Meowth-mod here.  First, we would like to thank every member of NatPark, old, new, former, and current, for making the Park what it is.  I have said this innumerable times, but I genuinely mean it every time that I say that you are what makes the group special-- what makes it go, what makes it such an incredible community that I am lucky to be a part of.

I have spent three and a half years of my life as a dedicated member of National Park.  While there may be a couple of members of our group that outrank me in seniority (that darn Rach and Matt, with their amazing, unwavering support--!), I have seen the Park through innumerable changes, seen dozens of members come and go, and have had so many incredible experiences within this group. 

Effective as of now, the Park is officially in my hands.  However, that doesn’t mean we’ll be saying goodbye to our dear Manectric-mod, founder and the heart and soul of our group.  She’s not going anywhere-- she’s sticking with us to support the group and keep an eye on you kids, so keep being on your best behavior, got it?  She’ll remain a part of our Discord chat, and of the hub as a whole.  But with her unbelievably busy schedule, it seemed only logical that I officially take over the group.

Very little ultimately changes with this changing of hands in the group;  I’ve been a mod for two and a half years already, so you know me, and you’ll still know Manectric-Mod and Musharna-Mod as well, my dearest co-mods.  I hope that I can make the group proud!  I’ll do my best, so thank you all for your support!  And don’t forget to send Manectric-mod some love.  Without her, the National Park would never have existed in the first place.  Thank you so much, Cas!  I couldn’t ask for a better friend or a better co-mod.

As the group peaks over nearly four and a half years of existence, the Pokemon RPC has grown smaller and smaller with each passing year.  Simply put, the community just isn't as big as it was years ago when the group opened, and because of this, we must adapt to our situation.

Does that mean to close the group, or put it on a hiatus?  While we considered it, the answer we eventually came upon is “No!  Let’s find a way to make our group even better!”  What comes, instead, is discovering how much potential our group still has, and what we can do to make our group the best that it can be.  We are currently organizing our thoughts and figuring out what will happen to our little group-- but we assure you, this will not, by any means, mean closure.  We have put years of love and effort into the group, and we have gotten just the same back from all of you.

There will be many changes coming to the Park soon, and because of that, the group will currently be terminating Activity Checks until further notice.

Don’t worry about posting on time!  Just enjoy your time here as a member.  In the mean time, we are still accepting reserves and everything as usual!  All this merely means is that you will not be penalized for not posting within our usual activity parameters until we, the mods, have finished finalizing our decisions with how the group will function going forward.

We cannot thank you enough for your continued support throughout the years.  Thank you all for being a part of our community, and being patient with us in this time.  Thank you all, and we will return as soon as we can with an update to the Park’s situation soon enough!

☆—Meowth-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Announcement & Updates

Hello, everyone!  Manectric-mod here.  I’m so glad you’re reading this, because Meowth-mod and I have some very exciting news to share with you.  It’s big—no, it’s HUGE news.  This news could knock the socks right off your feet if you were wearing any!  These last few months have been quite the eye-opener for us mods.

Summer is upon us, and we’ve been doing quite a lot of thinking on the future of our fantastic group.  Questions like, “How can we make this group better?” and “What can we do that’s fun and exciting?” crossed my mind on more than one occasion, and our dear Meowth-mod had to listen to me ramble off all my ideas before we came up with something concrete.  And I am so thrilled to tell you that our efforts have finally reached their climax: our brand-new, never-before-seen ideas are coming into play RIGHT NOW!

We mods have tasked diligently over the past few months and now we’re ready to make them live.  So sit back, relax, and read the following post; there’s a lot of new content ahead.

★  NEW THEME  ★

That’s right, friends!  The National Park has a brand-new theme!  I’ve worked very hard on updating our theme, and that not only includes new graphics, but new coding, as well!  Rach, the mun of our very own Giovanni and Prof. Kukui, has gone above and beyond helping me with the more intricate aspects of theme, and honestly, none of these changes could have been made without her help.  Thank you so, so much, Rach!

Here’s a quick run-down of all the new changes:

New theme

Updated pages

Rules

Masterlist

Resources

Group chat (we have a Discord!)

Brand-new mod pages

Isn’t the theme beautiful?  I worked very hard on it.  Gone are the flowers of yesterday, here lies a tribute to the upcoming Pokémon: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon games! Would you believe me when I said I’d planned on making the sun and moon motif before those games were announced, because I did!  Our old theme was sorely outdated, so I am very happy to have replaced it.

Not only was the theme updated, but every single page on the hub has been revamped to some degree!  The most important of these pages include the Rules, Masterlist, Resources, and Group Chat pages.  Don’t forget about the new admin introductions!

The Rules page has undergone a major overhaul!  They should now be written clearly and concisely, making them much easier to read where they were not before.  The only rule that has been changed is our minimum requirement: players must now write a minimum of six (6) sentences in a roleplay post in order to be considered active.

Both Masterlists, desktop and mobile, have been updated to include characters from Pokémon Colosseum/XD and all of the Pokémon Ranger games. Players now have the opportunity to explore their rosters at length, as well as the chance to write for their Trainer Classes.

Our Resources pages is better than ever before!  Today’s update brings about a more in-depth look at all of the resources available for writers.  Each link has a description as to what each link is about, so you can be confused no longer!  In addition to this, there is more variety of resources to choose from.  The world is your oyster!

The group chat page has also been thoroughly rewritten, so make sure you freshen up on our rules.

We mods have introduction pages!  You may find them on the not-so-secret hidden links on the hub.  Just click on our names!  I have written Meowth’s, and my darling partner has written mine.  We’re like Jessie and James, only cooler and more productive.

  ★  DISCORD SERVER  ★

You heard that right!  Like I mentioned above, the National Park now has a Discord server! Our group chat page has been updated to reflect the new changes, so be sure to go over the rules carefully.

Some of you might be asking “Why the switch?” but others might be wondering what took us so long to get to this point.  For a long time, Skype has been one of the go-to programs for group chats and instant messaging, although now it is easily outclassed by many others.  The most popular chat program now is Discord, and many users have already made the switch. We’ve familiarized ourselves with it, and now we’re ready to make the switch for the National Park, too.

What does this mean for the current Skype group? Well, we’re still going to have one, however it will not be the “official” group chat any longer.  A few members cannot get or use Discord, and must continue using Skype, and so for their inclusion, we are keeping that Skype chat open.  Members are still allowed to join the Skype chat, but our new and official chat is now hosted on Discord.

We encourage anyone who is interested in joining our new Discord server—or if you cannot get/use Discord, our Skype chat—to message us stating that you’d wish to join.  We’ll get back with you and add you to the chat(s) as soon as possible!

★  EXTRAS BLOG  ★

Last but not least we have our extras blog.I have been on the edge of my seat excited to announce this one!  Lovingly called National Park MORE, our extras blog is an all-in-one blog dedicated to you, our lovely members.  This sideblog is a branch of the hub, and will post periodically everything that our hub and event blog couldn’t.

You know those characters we don’t have, but that we really want to write with?  We’ll advertise for them!  Need a little pick-me-up after a hard day?  We’ll cheer you up every week with a little positivity!

Features of the National Park MORE blog:

Character requests

Positivity quotes

Character development prompts

“Can we really request characters?!”

That’s right!  One function of our MORE blog is dedicated to requesting characters!  This means that everyone can go to the MORE ask box and ask nicely for a character to join our group.  Not only will we answer it, but we’ll publish an ad as soon as possible!  Both Meowth-mod and I can name a few characters off the top of our heads that we’d love to see within the group, and I’m sure you can, too.

Members are allowed to request characters via the MORE blog.

In order to request a character, simply state which character(s) you’d like to see.  It’s as easy as 1-2-3!

Waiting is the hardest part.  Try promoting interest by reblogging these ads.  The more exposure, the better!

“What’s this about positivity?”

I’m so glad you asked!  This is a feature that almost came as an afterthought.  There are a lot of positivity blogs around on Tumblr, but Meowth-mod and I wanted to create something more personal, something that is dedicated solely to you wonderful members.  The quotes we’ve chosen are specifically to help you create confidence in yourself.

An example of a positivity quote would be something like, “Bad days are only days that are bad. You can get through this.” It’s personal in its own way, and it’s something that we need to remind ourselves about.  As long as we know we can get through a rough patch, we will.

Things will get better; you just have to believe it.  This is the type of advice we want to give, and so we will be posting a positivity quote every week.

“Hold on—did you just say ‘character development’?”

I sure did!  We have a lot more up our sleeve than just character requests and positivity quotes!  There’s more! My dear friends, you’re in for a real treat tonight.  This blog is also dedicated to character development.  Meowth-mod and I know just how much you all love making headcanons and developing your characters, so we came up with a way to help you in that endeavor!

Each month we mods will provide a new character development topic for you all to enjoy.  This will give you a chance to think about and develop new ideas that you may or may not have considered before with your muses.  We hope that with these prompts, your characters will become even more three-dimensional than before!

These character development posts will cover a wide range of topics, including your character’s personality, their past, as well as exploring their intrapersonal relationships.  This way, you can consider all factors of your muse’s life—isn’t that exciting?

Here’s how these character development prompts will work:

We’ll provide you a set of questions and scenarios for you to think about.

You can choose to answer one, some, or all of the questions/scenarios listed. If writing a drabble in response to the prompts is more up your alley, we encourage you to use your creativity and explore your character to their fullest!

There is no limit to what you can do for these prompts.  You are allowed to write in any style you wish, whether it’s a answering the questions, writing a drabble, or any other format you like.

The first character development prompt will post on July 1st, and then on the first of the month from there on out.  Prompts will be numbered and linked in the navigation page on the MORE blog.

Please tag all of your character development prompts as “ #np prompts ” (without quotes).

These character development posts are completely optional!  You can write as much or as little as you want, so let your imagination go wild! Have fun!

Unfortunately, these prompts are supplementary and do not count towards activity.

The idea behind these character development prompts is for you all to be creative.  You should write about what seems fun, and write about what you want to do with your characters.  These prompts exist to aid in your character’s development—so you should enjoy your time doing it!

Meowth-mod and I are beyond excited to see what wonderful works you all can come up with.  We sincerely hope that these questions can help you develop your muse even further than they are already.  And with the amount of talent and passion you all put into your writing already, we know that you will blow us away.

★ STAY TUNED  ★

And that’s all we have for you tonight, friends!  A lot of brand-new ideas have made their way to our humble group, and we couldn’t be more excited to finally be able to share this with you.  Meowth-mod and myself will continue to work hard to make the National Park a great place to be.  These new additions are just the start of it.  We hope that with these new features, your experience here can be even better.

July is a very important month for us, too!  Not only will our first character development prompt post, but it’s also the time for our second summerniversary!  We have a lot of cool ideas for that event, too, so stay tuned for more news!

We hope that you have a wonderful rest of your day!  See you soon!

~ lots of love from the mods at the National Park ❤

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #8

GOOD AFTERNOON!  It’s been quite some time since the last Hub Update—since early December, in fact—and it’s about time some changes were made.

As you may have noticed, the past few weeks have been extraordinarily busy for me.  Some of that was from IRL responsibilities, and the rest has been more behind the scenes regarding this group.  What this means is that I’ve been thinking of things that can spark new life back into the group’s blog.

That’s right!  Through a lot of sweat and tears (and there were many, many tears), I have finally updated the entire hub.  That means there are new changes!  Layouts!  Misc. fixes!  But don’t just take my word for it.  Check out these pages and see for yourself:

new theme!

new promo!

new page layouts!

new pages!

navigation page

comprehensive mun & character list

comprehensive group trigger list

In addition to the above changes, each individual page has been edited for a new, streamlined experience.  I highly recommend that you check each of these pages out so that you are aware of the new regulations that I will follow.  The more notable changes include the Group Chat and Rules pages.  Similarly, the hub’s Masterlist page has a brand-new look that I think is quite stunning.

Here is the link to the comprehensive member list.  If you see any issues, please feel free to edit it!  This list will be added to the hub’s Navigation page.

Here is the link to the comprehensive trigger list page.  If you have any triggers that are not covered under the hub’s Trigger List page, please write them here so the entire group can be aware of what topics are particularly triggering to you.  This list is available on the hub’s Trigger List and Navigation page.

And last but not least, I am officially ending the Spring Event.  i apologize for not creating a post announcing the event’s ending; I realize I was slacking in that regard due to IRL responsibilities.  Due to my becoming increasingly more busy, I am prepared to enlist in Helper-san’s help once again!  Stay tuned!

Please give your congratulations to the Spring Event’s winners!

Skye, Leilani, Maxie, and Shauna

Until next time, my lovelies!

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #7

Wowie!  Another update so soon after the last?  Manectric-mod, what are you thinking??  I know, I know, it’s terrible, but how else would I be able to spread my love to you dear, sweet, precious members?

It’s times like these where I like to take a moment and thank you all for being so gosh-diddly-darned fantastic.  This group is nothing without you all, and I am so thankful to have you.  It really brings a tear to my eye, you know?  I love you.

But I could talk forever about how special you are to me.  I have important business to discuss with you all! As you might have seen from this week’s Activity Check, the next Activity Check has been postponed until Saturday, January 9th.  If you check your calendars, you’ll see that I’ve granted an extra week to this month’s activity!  With finals taking control of everyone’s lives, and the holidays up and raring to go sooner than we’d expected, the time for roleplay just isn’t there.  So I’m feeling the wintry spirit!  I’m feeling generous!  I hope you enjoy that extra week, because you deserve it.  Please note that I will still be messaging folks who have not posted for two-and-a-half weeks for this Activity Check.

While we are on the topic of activity, I would like to clarify a rule that I made earlier on in the group’s existence.  Remember when I originally said that as long as someone showed an effort that they wanted to be in the group, they would not be dropped?  Well, that rule is pretty much the same, but for clarification’s sake, I would like to make a small change.

Those persons who have shown enough activity regarding their character(s)—specifically, interacting consistently on Meme Days—will not be dropped from the group, even if they have not posted a roleplay reply in the required time.  However, those characters will receive a message very similar to those characters being warned of their impending removal come the next Activity Check.  This message acts as a one (1) time pass and should be considered as a warning.  If these characters have still not posted as per the Park’s rules they will be dropped, Meme Day interactions or not.

Our next topic is less rule-based, but just like life, there are some rules.  Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble!  As you might have noticed, Tumblr has received an update that has altogether removed the Fanmail feature in favor of instant messaging.  Because we live in an age of technology where IMing rules our lives, there are a few rules I need to put in place when regarding the hub and IM.

If in the case you need to message the hub for anything, you are allowed to do the following things:

checking to see if Tumblr ate an ask that you sent (anyone)

checking in for activity or when coming back from hiatus (members)

asking the mod a quick question if you’re unsure of something (members)

addressing a concern involving another member (members)

asking to join the official Skype chat group (members)

Unfortunately, you cannot use the IM feature for:

reserving or dropping a character (anyone)

talking to the mod because she’s so incredible and you want to be her friend—I have a skype and you may message me there (anyone)

Because the IM feature is still new to me, there might be changes if need be.  So far, you’ve all been doing such a great job not messaging me that this list is probably unnecessary!  

Speaking of new features, the New X-Kit Extension has recently uploaded a new extension involving Pokemon!  It allows you to browse your dashboard and capture Pokemon as you go along.  I have no doubt in my mind that you won’t do this, but I must say it just to be on the safe side: The Pokemon you catch when using this extension may not be used for your roleplay blog.  It’s a really fun extension, though, so you may play along with it as much as you wish as long as you keep in mind that it is not canon.  

Whew!  This Update is getting longer and longer!  But don’t worry—we’re almost done.  This time, I’m going to talk about the fun stuff that has been going on in the group!

In the last Hub Update, I mentioned that the hub got an extreme makeover!  It’s beautiful, isn’t it?  I’m very proud of how it came out.  However, I spent so much time focusing on the main blog that I failed to notice that our lovable DJ Mary’s sideblog was an eyesore.  It was awful!  So, without making myself look completely inept, I updated her blog, too!  Gone are the unsightly all-capital letters!  Behold how readable the text is!  I can’t believe it took me so long to notice that the blockquotes were totally invisible!  Now we can enjoy looking at her blog.  Whew.

Don’t know who DJ Mary is?  She’s the group’s Runner of Events!  Follow her right now!

We’re nearly there!  You might have noticed by now that our very own Curtis and Idol Veronica have been acting like the cutest little couple this side of PokeStar Studios.  Well, a little Pidgey told me that they are!  That’s right!  Curtis and Veronica are now in a relationship, which makes the newly-coined ShyStarShipping now canon in the group!  Give them a big hand, everyone!

But wait, there’s more!  “Manectric-mod, what’s this I hear about a Skype group?” you ask.  The question explains itself!  The National Park has its own official Skype group, and every member is invited.  If you are interested in joining, please take a look at these rules right here so you know what it expected of you.  As soon as you’re ready to join, send the hub a message with your Skype handle and I will add you to the chat!

And lastly, but certainly not leastly, I am pleased to announce for the second time that the National Park is hosting a Winter Event!  With a Raffle and an RP Prompt event, where can you go wrong?  Sign ups for this event are going on RIGHT NOW, so what are you waiting for?  Sign up your character today!

Want to know more about this spectacular event?  Check out this post right here!

Thank you so much, everyone!  Until next time!

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #6

What’s this?  Another update so soon?  You betcha!  This update is a big one.  I’m talking huge.  Gargantuan, even!  I can hear you groaning now: “Get on with it already!”

So here we go, straight into things!  If you haven’t noticed, I have completely remodeled the hub.  What does this mean, exactly?  Well, not only have I thrown that ugly previous theme away in favor of a shiny and more professional-looking one, but I’ve also separated and made new pages for the ones we currently have!  I know what you’re thinking, and yes!  It was a lot of work!  But I did it, and I’m glad that it’s done.

Here is a list of all the changes I have done:

New theme with “Admin” and “Event” headings.

New tag: “#answered” has replaced “#anonymous.”  Added to Tags List.

New tag: “#event.”  Added to Tags List.

“Trigger Warnings” now have their own link on the navigation menu.

Moved from “Additional” page: “Resources” now have its own page.

Moved from “Additional” page: “Tags” now have its own page.

Moved from “Additional” page: "Affiliates” now have its own page.

Moved from “Additional” page: "Relationships” now have its own page.

A link to the official National Park Skype chat’s Rules has been added to the "Rules" page.

Want something on the hub that isn't there?  Shoot me an ask stating what you think would be helpful (such as a reserve/hiatus box), and I'll see what I can do.

Think everything is fine with the hub's aesthetic, but not with technical nitty-gritty stuff?  Send me your suggestions!  I'm always happy to hear comments and critiques from you lovely members.

Until next time!  Have a marvelous day and happy roleplaying!

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #5

Hello, everyone!  It’s me, your beloved Manectric-mod!  That’s right, I’m officially back from my impromptu leave and I am ready to resume my modding duties once again.  (tl;dr: I moved to another state and then was forced to take a vacation by Helper-san.)

What does this mean for you, my lovely Park-goers?  Absolutely nothing!  Well, except for the fact that you have to deal with my lame puns once more!  Joking aside, what my return really means is that your favorite anonymous temporary mod Helper-san will be relieved of their duties until I need their help again.  I can’t thank them enough for how well they handled the group for me while I was away—without their support, I probably would have gone insane, much less complete the Bingo event in time.  Give Helper-san a big “LIKE,” everyone!

Now that that’s out of the way, I can begin our first order of business!  There’s not much this week, so you can rest easy knowing that Manectric-mod won’t bore the pants off of you this time.

First thing’s first: there’s now a time clock added to the hub’s description!  Now those persons not in the United States can know when Meme Days actually begin and can participate, too!  Here’s to you, Jester!  I’m so glad you can finally join in!  Please note that all times are now in Central Time instead of Eastern Time due to the move.  

The second topic on our plate is that both Wallace- and Steven-muns have agreed to place their characters in a pre-established relationship, which now makes OriginShipping canon within the group!  Their relationship has been updated to the hub’s “Additional” page (found here) so that everyone can see it.

And last but not least, you may have noticed the new ending tag on all of the ‘Welcome’ posts within the group.  It’s come to my attention that not everyone follows the Masterlist immediately: instead, they choose to wait until the whole of the group follows them first.  As one can imagine, all sorts of problems can arise from this, such as one (or more) members feeling left out by new (or old) members not realizing that they are part of the group, too.  It is very important that you follow the rest of your peers on the Masterlist.  All of our ‘Welcome’ posts now reflect this change.

                                       ✿                                     ✿                                     ✿                       Do you like the National Park?  Do you want to see our incredible group get even more amazing members?  Then be sure to reblog our promo to your personal Tumblr!  Help spread the word!  It’s thanks to beautiful members like yourself that the Park is such a great place to be.  I sincerely thank all of you. 

Don’t like my promo?  Think you can do better?  Then why not help me out and submit your own?  Not only will you get my deepest thanks, but if I use it, you might just get a prize!  Neato!

That’s all for now!  Be sure to check back in on Sunday (tomorrow) for a very special announcement!  Have a fantastic day!

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #4

There’s no question that the group has been busy these past three weeks.  With so many people joining, it can often prove difficult to get to know everyone else in the group.  It’s especially difficult when you are the new person in question!  But worry not, my friends!  I wrote a little guide to help you out!  A great way to get started is by jumping in on Meme Day and getting comfortable with your character and how others play their character.  Just go from there and you’ll be just fine.

Remember, whenever you reply to a thread, please be sure to tag it with your partner’s URL!  Please note that Tumblr only tracks the first five (5) tags on a fresh post.

Hello, everyone!  It’s that time again!  That’s right, Update #4 and our first Activity Check!  This week’s announcement is HUGE, so I hope you’re comfortable, because I have a lot to say.

First of all, all I can say is wow. Just wow!  Who would have thought that two months after opening—and during the early school season, to boot!—that the group would be this popular, or as active?  I admit that I had my worries, but I see that my fears were unfounded.  You all have been so wonderful; it really brings a smile to my face.  I am so glad to have you all in this group.

Just like with Update #3, there haven’t been too many changes to the hub, but they are nonetheless very important details that you should be informed about.

TOPIC ONE:

To start us off, I’d like to talk about the small updates to our Rules page.  The first being a change on the number of people who can roleplay as a protagonist or rival.  Because a small number of people (both outside and inside the group) wish to roleplay characters outside of the core series, I will now allow those who already roleplay a protag/rival from the non-core game an opportunity to roleplay a protag/rival from a core game.  The reason for this allowance is simple: the non-core games aren’t as in-demand as the core protag/rivals.  This change means that those persons who already have a protag/rival muse from a core/non-core may have a second AS LONG AS it is from a non-core/core game.

This means that someone with a protag/rival muse from Kanto may not have a protag/rival from Johto/Hoenn/Sinnoh/etc.  A person with a protag/rival muse from Orre may have their second protag/rival from another non-core game (such as Ransei, Fiore, Almia, Oblivia), but they cannot be from the same series.

TOPIC TWO:

To continue talking about the small update to the Rules page, the second change revolves around activity.  As you know, the current rules state that we allow three (3) weeks of inactivity before a character’s removal.  As you can imagine, the constant removal of characters can often clog up the dashboard and take away from roleplay fun.  In order to better regulate activity within the group, all activity resets after each Activity Check. Those characters who have not posted in two and a half (2.5) weeks the Wednesday before the Saturday Activity Check will be sent a message stating that their character is up for removal and will be removed should the hub not hear back from them.

Characters who are up for removal but whose muns inform the hub that they wish to keep their character will be given a one (1) week extension.  Should they not post within that time, they will be dropped the following Tuesday.

In the spirit of fairness, if a character has not posted in over three weeks and someone wishes to reserve them, the activity reset DOES NOT apply.  The reset only applies to Activity Checks.

Additionally, I would like to include an addendum to my previous post about members on hiatus.  In that post I mentioned that I would not remove characters after their hiatus expired and that they would remain on the masterlist for anyone to reserve should they not check in with the hub.  This rule has been changed.  If a character’s hiatus has expired and they have not checked in with the hub, they will be removed the following Activity Check.  Standard messages informing them they are up for removal still apply, however.

TOPIC THREE:

I’ve talked way too long about the necessary boring stuff!  Now it’s time to talk about the fun, roleplaying side of things!  As you may/not be aware, our Brendan and Wally muns have improved their characters’ relationship with each other to the point where they are dating, which makes ℓσvεяιvαℓsнιρριηg now canon within the group.  Their new relationship has been updated and added to the hub, which can be found right here.  If your character has recently gained a partner and you would like them to be on this list, let us know!

Are you in want for a new thread?  Do you want to roleplay but not sure where to start?  The following Opens are still available for your roleplaying convenience!

A King and His Kitty, by Giovanni.                тнe rocĸeт вoѕѕ loѕeѕ нιѕ perѕιan ιn a вιg cιтy.

Hooked by the Branch, by N.                loѕт cнιld n geтѕ нιѕ arм ѕтυcĸ and needѕ нelp.

Emerald Hill, by Marley.                ѕarcaѕтιc ѕoғтιe мarley goeѕ on a pιcnιc.  

Hired Help, by Snagger Wes.                нelpғυl ѕnagger weѕ ғιndѕ yoυr мυѕe ĸιdnapped.

unnamed open, by Lysandre.                 lyѕandre geтѕ a coғғee and тнen тaĸeѕ a walĸ.   Are You Coming to the Tree [Hunger Games AU], by Lance.                вoтн lance and yoυ geт cнoѕen aѕ тrιвυтeѕ ғor тнe нυnger gaмeѕ.

AND FINALLY...

I would love some feedback from you darling members!  The inbox is always open to any suggestions concerning the National Park.  Feel free to suggest things as anonymous, too: I realized how intimidating it can be to tell a mod what you think of the group.  No idea or suggestion is silly or worthless.  I value everyone’s opinion.

So here are my questions for you:

How have I been doing as a mod?

What should I change about my behavior?

What rules should be added/removed/changed, and what are your suggestions for improvement?

What do you want to see happen in the group?

That’s it for now!  Stay tuned for the Activity Check; it’s a doozy!

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #3

Hello, my darlings!  It’s time for your favorite Manectric-mod to post her third update for the group!

There’s not many changes for today, but they’re pretty significant boo-boos on my part.  Last night I realized that I’d forgotten several key players on the Masterlist, so I’ve gone ahead and added them!  I’ve also changed the italic intro at the top of the list to include both the Trainer Classes link as well as a link to all of the named NPCs in the core series games.  I have also added the Neo Team Plasma Grunt and the Team Flare Admin to our list of available characters.

Now it’s time for our next order of business!  In the time that the Park’s been open, we’ve had many muns and characters join the group!  With all the fun we’ve been having, there are several Opens that have unfortunately been neglected.  Below is a list of all the Open threads that are, well, open for your threading convenience!  Remember, if you write an Open, please be sure to tag it as “NatPark Open”.

So pick an Open, any Open!  The fun has only just begun!

unnamed open, by Rich Boy Oswald

A King and His Kitty, by Giovanni

Hooked by the Branch, by N

unnamed open, by Dragon Tamer Dean

Lost Pokemon: No Reward? by N

Welcome, Challenger, by Sabrina

Emerald Hill, by Marley

Hired Help, by Snagger Wes

When It Rains It Pours, by Fire

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #2

It’s that time again!  The hub has undergone another update, however there are only a few changes this time.  You might have noticed that I have changed the Park’s icon for the second time.  Due to my inability to make up my mind on what works for the group, I’ve been altering the icon for something that fits us best.  Which do you prefer, the Johto Gen 1 Pokédex or this golden Poké Ball?

Additionally, because our new Falkner- and Morty-muns have established their muses as being in a relationship, I have add their information on the “Additional” page, which I’ve conveniently linked to you right here.  If in the future your muse partners up with another, let me know and I’ll add you to it!

The third thing you might notice is the lack of trigger warning tags underneath the Tag heading.  It is my plan to add them when most threads between members have become established, however if you feel like it is necessary to know them now, please let me know and I will update the hub right away.

And lastly, I’d just like to say that yesterday’s meme day was a total success!  I’m very happy that you all are becoming more comfortable within the group.  That said, in all the madness, there are still several roleplay opens that have yet to be answered!

Melodious by Ace Trainer Leah.

The Visit by Professor Sycamore

The great Pokemon Trainer Rosa! by Rosa

Now I’m Lyin’ on the Cold Hard Ground by Palmer

If you’d like to read more about roleplaying and finding a partner, please read this post.

~ Manectric-mod

[nationalpark-rp]

Hub Update #1

I’ve decided to go ahead and do some housekeeping on the main page! Hopefully things read more smoothly and are easy to navigate.

So far I’ve updated the “Writing Help” page to include several How-To tutorials, as well as removed the “Affiliates” and “Contacts” pages.  In their place I have added the all-inclusive “Additional” page that includes several goodies such as:

NatPark’s current tags

a space for future affiliates

a spot where potential relationships go

theme suggestions

and a ton of icon resources!

If there’s anything I missed, or if there’s something that you’d like to add or see on the hub, just let me know!

Edit: Oops, I nearly forgot!  If you’d like to promote this group to your friends, feel free to reblog this promo!

~ your loving mom mod