Omnibus Academy

[Kagayours]

I looked at the list of TJA races and I can't blame you for getting stuck. Honestly, it feels anything I come up with has already been done, looking at that list. That being said, unique implementation is still unique in the end.

Nooooo no no no no don't look at the TJA list and feel like you can't do anything there. That's not the problem.

Obviously things like angels, demons, vampires, etc will all very much exist in Omnibus -- I just don't think it's very likely that they'll all play by the exact same rules as their TJA counterparts. But even if they did, that's not a problem. Trying to avoid all ideas just because they may have already been done before is ridiculous, and I really don't want people to look at the TJA list and feel like everything there is off-limits.

My comment about not wanting people to play races from TJA was solely directed at RPers who were actually in TJA. Even more specifically, people who were in TJA for a very long time and created races and characters that became very iconic to what TJA was.

Because, again, I feel like one of the things that led to TJA's downfall was the fact that its lore became increasingly complex over time and that we all became so dependent on these races and characters that losing one of these key members not only shook up so much established lore -- it also made TJA not feel like TJA anymore.

My fear about bringing silvers back has to do with the fact that I was in TJA and silvers were a thing in TJA. And, even if the silvers weren't as iconic as the Observers, the point still remains that I'm the GM, and so me immediately bringing back silvers can set a bad precedent and possibly send a message to other TJA members that they should bring their races back, too -- which is exactly the thing I want to avoid. Not only that, but, just being able to recycle my own TJA race while telling people like Clownpiece that they can't recycle theirs just makes me feel like a hypocrite in general.

And that is the only reason why I feel stuck -- because I just haven't put a lot of thought into a race, and, while many of you here might be recycling ideas from past RP's... my go-to past RP to recycle things from is TJA. Not only that, but a lot of race ideas that I put into TJA were recycled from somewhere else in the first place. o_o" (The silvers, for example, are actually a very old idea that I first came up with when I was like... what, 13? 12?) I have not been looking at the TJA race list and asking myself, "what hasn't been done here?" because that would be dumb and incredibly limiting.

True originality does not exist. Everything that we call "original" is not only made up of a bunch of different existing tropes and was inspired by existing things to begin with -- but it's also very likely that your "original" idea was coincidentally already brought into being by a completely different writer who had nothing to do with you. Even if neither of you "stole" from one another, sometimes coincidences just happen. And being in the digital age just makes us all the more aware of it.

Hell, this is actually why, in the early stages of Altera Arcana, I was not afraid to list everything that inspired the RP and, in some contexts, even explain exactly how all of those things inspired me and how all of those things made it into Altera. Because that's how art works -- we take bits and pieces of things that we like and we put them together in a new way. And that's ok. And worrying too much about being "original" is just so stifling. >~<

*deep breath* Sorry for getting up on a soapbox there for a second, but, yeah... please don't think of the TJA race list as being off-limits. It's ok to take inspiration from what's there. It's ok to re-do some of the more generic races. So long as you aren't straight-up copy/pasting something from the old TJA, you're fine. I just... really don't want you guys to feel limited like that.

The only people who should be worried about re-using TJA races are the people who were in TJA. O_O

Edit: EVEN IF YOUR "ORIGINAL" RACE IDEA IS VERY SIMILAR TO SOMETHING ON TJA'S LIST, THAT'S FINE TOO!!! You're not an actual TJA member re-using an actual TJA race with the iconic name attached, so there's nothing wrong with it. Creative coincidences happen. Please don't feel like you can't do anything vaguely similar to the massive and extensive lore that was TJA.

Edit2: OMNIBUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BLANK SLATE THAT BORROWS THE FRAMEWORK FOR TJA ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT FEEL SO ATTACHED TO TJA. WE WANT TO GET AWAY FROM IT. PLEASE IGNORE TJA. >~<"""

 

[Luma]

Nooooo no no no no don't look at the TJA list and feel like you can't do anything there. That's not the problem.

Obviously things like angels, demons, vampires, etc will all very much exist in Omnibus -- I just don't think it's very likely that they'll all play by the exact same rules as their TJA counterparts. But even if they did, that's not a problem. Trying to avoid all ideas just because they may have already been done before is ridiculous, and I really don't want people to look at the TJA list and feel like everything there is off-limits.

My comment about not wanting people to play races from TJA was solely directed at RPers who were actually in TJA. Even more specifically, people who were in TJA for a very long time and created races and characters that became very iconic to what TJA was.

Because, again, I feel like one of the things that led to TJA's downfall was the fact that its lore became increasingly complex over time and that we all became so dependent on these races and characters that losing one of these key members not only shook up so much established lore -- it also made TJA not feel like TJA anymore.

My fear about bringing silvers back has to do with the fact that I was in TJA and silvers were a thing in TJA. And, even if the silvers weren't as iconic as the Observers, the point still remains that I'm the GM, and so me immediately bringing back silvers can set a bad precedent and possibly send a message to other TJA members that they should bring their races back, too -- which is exactly the thing I want to avoid. Not only that, but, just being able to recycle my own TJA race while telling people like Clownpiece that they can't recycle theirs just makes me feel like a hypocrite in general.

And that is the only reason why I feel stuck -- because I just haven't put a lot of thought into a race, and, while many of you here might be recycling ideas from past RP's... my go-to past RP to recycle things from is TJA. Not only that, but a lot of race ideas that I put into TJA were recycled from somewhere else in the first place. o_o" (The silvers, for example, are actually a very old idea that I first came up with when I was like... what, 13? 12?) I have not been looking at the TJA race list and asking myself, "what hasn't been done here?" because that would be dumb and incredibly limiting.

True originality does not exist. Everything that we call "original" is not only made up of a bunch of different existing tropes and was inspired by existing things to begin with -- but it's also very likely that your "original" idea was coincidentally already brought into being by a completely different writer who had nothing to do with you. Even if neither of you "stole" from one another, sometimes coincidences just happen. And being in the digital age just makes us all the more aware of it.

Hell, this is actually why, in the early stages of Altera Arcana, I was not afraid to list everything that inspired the RP and, in some contexts, even explain exactly how all of those things inspired me and how all of those things made it into Altera. Because that's how art works -- we take bits and pieces of things that we like and we put them together in a new way. And that's ok. And worrying too much about being "original" is just so stifling. >~<

*deep breath* Sorry for getting up on a soapbox there for a second, but, yeah... please don't think of the TJA race list as being off-limits. It's ok to take inspiration from what's there. It's ok to re-do some of the more generic races. So long as you aren't straight-up copy/pasting something from the old TJA, you're fine. I just... really don't want you guys to feel limited like that.

The only people who should be worried about re-using TJA races are the people who were in TJA. O_O

Edit: EVEN IF YOUR "ORIGINAL" RACE IDEA IS VERY SIMILAR TO SOMETHING ON TJA'S LIST, THAT'S FINE TOO!!! You're not an actual TJA member re-using an actual TJA race with the iconic name attached, so there's nothing wrong with it. Creative coincidences happen. Please don't feel like you can't do anything vaguely similar to the massive and extensive lore that was TJA.

Edit2: OMNIBUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BLANK SLATE THAT BORROWS THE FRAMEWORK FOR TJA ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT FEEL SO ATTACHED TO TJA. WE WANT TO GET AWAY FROM IT. PLEASE IGNORE TJA. >~<"""

Oh, I never intended to limit myself. Maybe several years back I wanted to be totally original, but then I learned that the best original ideas are adapted from other stuff. Heck, one of my 'original' ideas is inspired by League of Legends. There's actually a temptation to try and snag ambassadorship of angels and change 'em around a bit from the typical definition of angel.

Anyways, I was referring more to you trying to avoid all of the old TJA races, not me.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Ok so the ironic thing about all of this is that I don't even have any good race/character ideas. OwO"" I only have like... one idea that's been growing on me, but it feels kinda... edgelord, so I don't know if I want to go through with it.

Part of me kind of wants to bring silvers back, but that seems like it would be hypocritical, given what I've already said about actual TJA races returning. But like... were the silvers really that iconic? Does anyone even remember the silvers?

Hrm...

I certainly don't remember the silvers. Of course, up until this thread, I'd never heard of TJA. And I haven't read the Wiki, since the idea was to start fresh... didn't want to "taint" my inspirations. As for Race/Character ideas? You just need to determine exactly... or even just generally... what you want your character to do in this "remake". Though I have a roster filled with species/characters of my own I could use, I've already determined I want to bring in Deen as a teenager. Why? Because I've always thought of him as a "wild-child". Basically, as the son of what you could call the Nism equivalent of hippies. And given the setting/premise of this RP, and what I see Deen being like in his youth, before Thoee taught him restraint... well, the term "Party Animal" was most likely created just for him. If not by him! Oh, yes! The mischief he could get into.......

So, you just need to determine where your character stands in the storyline. If this is a school/college setting, well, I have the Party Animal covered. Prepare for beer, music and dancing! You and everybody else could just cover what's left. After all, you have the entire Internet for inspiration. Google is your friend!

You could start here: Wacky College Tropes

 

[Eon]

I think I'm going to be going for some gentle-giant cliche character. They won't be an actual giant, because I have something else in mind, but they're going to look scary, but actually be really sweet and easily spooked.

 

[Roose Hurro]

I think I'm going to be going for some gentle-giant cliche character. They won't be an actual giant, because I have something else in mind, but they're going to look scary, but actually be really sweet and easily spooked.

Heh... if that's the case, Deen will have an "instant" friend to tease. Definitely will attract his attention.

Oh, by the way... I've had the idea myself for a "monster" character in a similar vein... looks bestial and violent, what with all the teeth and claws and such, but is actually a very reasoned, civilized being.

 

[EddiEddi]

where is this mythical list? I'm kinda stuck here.

 

[Neobullseye]

You could start here: Wacky College Tropes

...Did you just link to TVTropes without a warning that people might be stuck there for the rest of the day/week/life? You evil, evil person you!

 

[gamer5]

Nooooo no no no no don't look at the TJA list and feel like you can't do anything there. That's not the problem.

Obviously things like angels, demons, vampires, etc will all very much exist in Omnibus -- I just don't think it's very likely that they'll all play by the exact same rules as their TJA counterparts. But even if they did, that's not a problem. Trying to avoid all ideas just because they may have already been done before is ridiculous, and I really don't want people to look at the TJA list and feel like everything there is off-limits.

My comment about not wanting people to play races from TJA was solely directed at RPers who were actually in TJA. Even more specifically, people who were in TJA for a very long time and created races and characters that became very iconic to what TJA was.

Because, again, I feel like one of the things that led to TJA's downfall was the fact that its lore became increasingly complex over time and that we all became so dependent on these races and characters that losing one of these key members not only shook up so much established lore -- it also made TJA not feel like TJA anymore.

My fear about bringing silvers back has to do with the fact that I was in TJA and silvers were a thing in TJA. And, even if the silvers weren't as iconic as the Observers, the point still remains that I'm the GM, and so me immediately bringing back silvers can set a bad precedent and possibly send a message to other TJA members that they should bring their races back, too -- which is exactly the thing I want to avoid. Not only that, but, just being able to recycle my own TJA race while telling people like Clownpiece that they can't recycle theirs just makes me feel like a hypocrite in general.

And that is the only reason why I feel stuck -- because I just haven't put a lot of thought into a race, and, while many of you here might be recycling ideas from past RP's... my go-to past RP to recycle things from is TJA. Not only that, but a lot of race ideas that I put into TJA were recycled from somewhere else in the first place. o_o" (The silvers, for example, are actually a very old idea that I first came up with when I was like... what, 13? 12?) I have not been looking at the TJA race list and asking myself, "what hasn't been done here?" because that would be dumb and incredibly limiting.

True originality does not exist. Everything that we call "original" is not only made up of a bunch of different existing tropes and was inspired by existing things to begin with -- but it's also very likely that your "original" idea was coincidentally already brought into being by a completely different writer who had nothing to do with you. Even if neither of you "stole" from one another, sometimes coincidences just happen. And being in the digital age just makes us all the more aware of it.

Hell, this is actually why, in the early stages of Altera Arcana, I was not afraid to list everything that inspired the RP and, in some contexts, even explain exactly how all of those things inspired me and how all of those things made it into Altera. Because that's how art works -- we take bits and pieces of things that we like and we put them together in a new way. And that's ok. And worrying too much about being "original" is just so stifling. >~<

*deep breath* Sorry for getting up on a soapbox there for a second, but, yeah... please don't think of the TJA race list as being off-limits. It's ok to take inspiration from what's there. It's ok to re-do some of the more generic races. So long as you aren't straight-up copy/pasting something from the old TJA, you're fine. I just... really don't want you guys to feel limited like that.

The only people who should be worried about re-using TJA races are the people who were in TJA. O_O

Edit: EVEN IF YOUR "ORIGINAL" RACE IDEA IS VERY SIMILAR TO SOMETHING ON TJA'S LIST, THAT'S FINE TOO!!! You're not an actual TJA member re-using an actual TJA race with the iconic name attached, so there's nothing wrong with it. Creative coincidences happen. Please don't feel like you can't do anything vaguely similar to the massive and extensive lore that was TJA.

Edit2: OMNIBUS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BLANK SLATE THAT BORROWS THE FRAMEWORK FOR TJA ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT FEEL SO ATTACHED TO TJA. WE WANT TO GET AWAY FROM IT. PLEASE IGNORE TJA. >~<"""

Noted! I was not planning on using any of my TJA characters for this anyways. I guess with that it is time to get beck to eagerly waiting for this to become an OOC.

 

[Kagayours]

where is this mythical list? I'm kinda stuck here.

I linked to the TJA Wikia a while back, which includes a list of all the TJA races that existed in the current version of TJA at the time.

But I'm not sure if I want to go around advertising the link if it'll make people feel like they can't use anything that's on it... ><

 

[Roose Hurro]

...Did you just link to TVTropes without a warning that people might be stuck there for the rest of the day/week/life? You evil, evil person you!

Why, thank you! You're very welcome...

 

[Clownpiece]

I linked to the TJA Wikia a while back, which includes a list of all the TJA races that existed in the current version of TJA at the time.

But I'm not sure if I want to go around advertising the link if it'll make people feel like they can't use anything that's on it... ><

Nuke the list from space. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Neobullseye]

Nuke the list from space. It's the only way to be sure.

And after that, gather all the ashes, put them in a shuttle and launch said shuttle at the sun, just to be really REALLY sure

 

[Roose Hurro]

And after that, gather all the ashes, put them in a shuttle and launch said shuttle at the sun, just to be really REALLY sure

Why would you want to ruin a perfectly good spacecraft?

 

[Eon]

And after that, gather all the ashes, put them in a shuttle and launch said shuttle at the sun, just to be really REALLY sure

Then, you should nuke the sun.

Just to be safe.

 

[Neobullseye]

Then, you should nuke the sun.

Just to be safe.

Although I agree with your sentiment... Iisn't the sun constantly nuking itself already anyway? It's a bit redundant to add even more nukage to that :P

 

[Kagayours]

Although I agree with your sentiment... Iisn't the sun constantly nuking itself already anyway? It's a bit redundant to add even more nukage to that :P

I agree. The sun is already a nuke. You can't nuke what's already nuking.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Heh... I found this: Why nuking the Sun is a very bad idea...

 

[Eru]

I'd think deleting the internet would be a relatively safer endeavour, rather than nuking nukes.

Ah, who am I kidding, I live on the internet. Nuke away, boiz. \[T]/

 

[EddiEddi]

Heh... I found this: Why nuking the Sun is a very bad idea...

I'm not even going to START to throw science at that. the sun itself is a nucular fusion bomb continually going off. throwing a nuke at it will do jack shit, our current nucular weapons won't even scratch it, let alone make it to the surface before melting in to nothingness. among a billion other things. so....yeah,

 

[Roose Hurro]

I'm not even going to START to throw science at that. the sun itself is a nucular fusion bomb continually going off. throwing a nuke at it will do jack shit, our current nucular weapons won't even scratch it, let alone make it to the surface before melting in to nothingness. among a billion other things. so....yeah,

I hope not. Still, very amusing to read... and yes, I have to confess: I threw science at it, myself, and the whole thing just shattered with the impact.