#and royalty has to play by a certain set of rules

[softquietsteadylove]

Declaration of War

For @oldtvserieslover 's birthday, after asking about something for the Gladiator AU!

"My name is Eros," the newcomer smiled in a way that made both the queen and her daughter bristle. "And you, Princess, are as beautiful as the legends say."

His statement was accompanied by an up-and-down of her with his hungry eyes.

"Prince Eros," Ajak addressed him directly, and rather kindly, given the way he was looking at her daughter. "We welcome you to the tournament of Champions. You have come to challenge?"

"Indeed I have," the Prince grinned at them, bowing his mane of hair slightly to them. "I believe my selected champions will stand a great chance of beating you this time around, my Lady."

"Hm," Thena vocalised, mostly to herself. Her eyes drifted from the challenger in title to the actual fighters accompanying him.

They were lined up, facing their own gladiators. There was one who was clearly their first pick to win. He stood like a beast, massive in height and still heavily muscled. His face hardly even seemed human.

He was staring down Gilgamesh.

"We shall see," Ajak offered diplomatically, offering a polite sort of smile to the visiting Prince. "We have yet to be bested in the past years."

"Actually, I was hoping to propose," the Prince stepped back into proximity with the ladies, "higher stakes."

"Such as," Ajak frowned, backing up a step, incidentally pushing Thena further back as well.

"Such as a proposal," he tipped his chin up, his eyes shifting to Thena as if Ajak had disappeared from his line of sight. "I propose that my prize is the hand of the Lady herself."

"What?" Gilgamesh spoke up from his end of the line, although no one but Thena even looked at him as he spoke.

"That is hardly-" Ajak blinked as the Prince swooped down in a deep bow.

"I ask that if my chosen gladiators win, that I win the hand of the princess," he spoke downward, expressing a humility that he completely lacked just a moment ago. "The treasury I'm offering as a bet on my warriors is triple that of our other competitors."

Indeed, the funds offered by the brazen prince would provide for their coffers very nicely.

"And if we win?" Thena challenged, although something about the Prince's sly gaze and the presence of that beast of a man made her skin crawl.

Eros cocked his head at her with a grin that she could only imagine would have his concubines melting. "Why, you may ask anything you like, my darling bride. Since I intend to win no matter the challenge posed."

"We haven't even fought yet."

At last, the other royals present looked at Gilgamesh, still speaking up with no regard for if it was considered insolent of him - a mere fighter for the crown - or not. He met their critical glares without fear, shrugging his wide shoulders. "You could at least let her set her own conditions."

Thena shook her head ever so faintly, urging him to stay silent on the matter. She had come to enjoy speaking with him, and her mother - having become aware of this rapport between them - tolerated it. But most who were part of royalty did not welcome interruptions by civilians.

Eros chuckled, giving Gilgamesh a different kind of smile. It was still a smile, and still meant to appear affable. But this one was sharper edged and colder--the tilt of his head was so...demeaning. "Did you say something, brute?"

"Yeah, I did," Gil continued, undeterred by Eros' obvious disgust with him. His fists clenched, "it's pretty ballsy of you to come in here and demand to marry the princess. The least you could do is accept the conditions if you lose."

"Well, I don't intend to lose, so by all means," the prince bared his teeth at Gil now, like a predator toying with prey it knew it could outrun. "Set any conditions you like."

"Gil," Thena whispered, but he stepped up to Eros (and in front of her).

Gil got right in the Prince's face, who happily let him, meeting his challenge with a manic delight. "Speak up, pleb."

"If I win," Gil started without even considering the other gladiators selected alongside him. It was always just him by the final rounds of the tournament anyway. "Thena gets to marry anyone she chooses."

"The Lady may select her own groom," Eros postulated, emphasising the proper title for her, in contrast to Gil's overly familiar use of her given name. "What a peculiar thought."

Gil stood firm on the spot, even with the beast of a challenger moving forward and breathing like a bull ready to charge. "She gets to make her own choice. And no one gets to say a damn thing about it--not you, or anyone else."

"Hm," Eros raised his brows at Gil's adamant proposal. He looked amused by the resolve he showed and stepped away from the shorter but significantly more strongly built man. "Fine, I accept your little wager."

Thena glared at him again. Her life and freedom was a 'little wager', apparently.

"But know this, Gilgamesh," Eros turned his eyes on him again, voice sharp and eyes cold. "I do not intend to leave this place empty handed."

"I don't care what you intend," Gil snarled at him, finally backing up but not moving away from Thena behind him as Eros walked off and beckoned for his chosen fighters to follow. "You're not coming anywhere near her."

Ajak let out a breath as the prince and his entourage descended the steps to their mezzanine. She looked at the guards, who were hovering with their weapons, waiting for the word to be given about how the lowly gladiator was standing inappropriately close to the princess. Ajak shook her head, "relax, all of you."

The guards stood back against the walls, although Gil was still glaring at where Eros and his gladiators had vanished. He huffed, crossing his arms, "the nerve of that guy."

"Gil," Thena cut in, glaring at him (and forgetting that she too was addressing him far too casually).

"What?" he shrank back at her obvious ire. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"Y-You-!" Thena pinched her full lips together, pressing her fingers together before she could make a real fist with them. "That thing with him will be out for your blood, after that altercation!"

"Well," he shrugged at her as if he were talking with anyone else and not the crown princess herself. "He was going to be anyway, right?"

"That's not the point!"

"Thena," Ajak scolded, watching her daughter squabble with one of their own fighters.

"I'm sorry," Gilgamesh conceded, bowing his head to his monarchs. "To both of you, my Lady. But I couldn't just...I couldn't let him think-"

"You have issued a very serious challenge, Gilgamesh," Ajak addressed him firmly but not unkindly. "This cannot be taken lightly."

"It won't be," he assured his queen before turning to his princess. "I'll win."

Thena bit down on the inside of her lip, "you can't know that will happen."

"I can, I'll make it happen," he affirmed, stating it as boldly as he would state any fact about the ocean being deep or the sun being bright. He held her eyes, not letting her fear sway him at all. "I'll win, Thena."

Ajak cleared her throat. That was quite enough use of given names for now. She would have to address it later. "Come--you must prepare for the first round of fights."

"Yes," Gil bowed, stepping back into the line, where his fellow competitors were staring slack jawed at him for yet again speaking with the princess audaciously.

"And you," Ajak turned to Thena, whose face betrayed her nervousness for just a second. "Come with me."

"Yes, mother," Thena murmured, indeed following Ajak up the stairs to the shaded platform for their respective thrones. She looked behind her.

Gil offered a faint smile and a little wave, same as he did every time he saw her, no matter the distance between them.

Thena's eyes were drawn and her frown was heavy, but she still managed to wave back at him as they drifted apart.

[linkedin-offficial]

is this anything . sky:cotl au

details (aka my rambling) under the cut

mostly set upon the whole idea that caine came from eden and tries to help everyone gain their wings (albeit doing a terrible job the entire time)

bubble keeps the name bubble!

they r a mantatee :3 suprisingly chaotic for a light creature and sort of has the "eat light and puff out candles" personality that caine should have but doesn't

i contemplated caine being called "the creature" just for shits and giggles (and eventually went with it) since im absolutely certain everyone who ever meets him ever would be terrified for a little bit until they realize hes sentient; he doesn't understand that the name is supposed to be sort of derogatory

caine is the only one with wings because hes the only one who can canonically fly/float!

(and yes his head is supposed to be a dark plant . i like to think im big brain for this)

the reason why his dark plant head is tinted red btw . my thought process was basically "ah yes. red = good bcus eden :]" even though thats convoluted since everyone hates eden but that makes it better in a way. i think

zooble > mismatched worksmith

"bows" given to them by ragatha as an identifier; not like theyd need one though ..

constantly making their own prosthetics due to growing boredom with their previous ones (autism™) and also carved the designs into their mask themself

kinger > reluctant royalty

same old kinger as usual .. when asked what he rules he doesnt particularly remember nor have an answer so hes usually treated with respect out of pity for being old and senile

second tallest behind jax , also the oldest (if you dont count caine i guess? whos sort of. ageless)

ragatha > plush friendfinder

matching bow with jax :3 sibling moment! (yes i like the ragatha + jax sibling dynamic . its amazing to me)

right eye does not glow and actually looks like a hollow hole if you get close enough to her face! also clothing making buddies with zooble :] she taught them how to sew without pricking themself

gangle > wrapped up theatre-goer (i had such a hard time thinking of a name .. and to be honest?? im not solid on this but WHAGEVER.)

shortest. obviously

likes to write plays in her spare time and reads them to zooble while they work

clothes are sectioned and Very flowy, and has a few (cracked and broken) masks she likes to use for play improv (and also uses for herself sometimes if she has a hard time expressing a certain emotion)

jax > towering tease (it sounds stupid but THIS is so fucking funny.i cannot resist this)

tallest OBVIOUSLY. like stupidly tall . has its advantages and disadvantages (like being able to steal things from gangle with no consequences . on the other hand. doorframes)

him being tall and having that be the only thing hes got going for him is absolutely hilarious to me and im leaning into that hard

he has a tail also, but its small and not visible from the chart

pomni > jittery jester (i had to look up "other words for anxious" for this.my intelligence is showing)

pretty much the only one i referenced real in game clothing for, which sort of fits! protag moment

this was all i really had, since other established things like their personalities and relationships arent really changed much. but this was fun to think about :3 input is appreciated !

[youryurigoddess]

“The farthing… has vanished”

Remember that line from the Nazi Zombie Flesheaters minisode? Sick and twisted. And we need to talk about the reason why, even though the magic trick in question is nowhere near as spectacular as the Bullet Catch. Let’s start with a quick recap:

The farthing was a British coin worth one quarter of a penny, discontinued in 1961 due to its plummeting worth. The reverse featured the image of a wren, one of Britain’s smallest songbirds with plumage in rather drab shades of beige and brown. Reminding you of someone?

A popular design of a sixpence, the bigger coin in this set, minted in the 1920s and 30s depicted oak branches with acorns. Which means that seen from close quarters, so basically Crowley’s perspective, Aziraphale’s vanishing coin trick leaves empty branches with no bird in sight.

As if that image wasn’t traumatizing enough for almost everyone in the Good Omens fandom post S02E06, the etymology of wren’s name in most European languages refers to royalty in some way. Like a literal king or otherwise supreme bird. That’s why killing a wren or harassing its nest is traditionally associated with bad luck. In certain parts of France it’s still believed that the robbing of a wren’s nest will render the culprit liable to be struck by lightning.

In Irish the wren is called a trickster, which connects to the ancient (as in: mentioned by Aristotle, Aesop, and Pliny) fable on how wren became crowned in the first place — by proving that intellect beats strength:

On one occasion a general assembly of birds resolved to chose for their king that bird which could mount highest into the air. This the eagle apparently did, and all were ready to accept his rule when a loud burst of song was heard, and perched upon the eagle’s back was seen an exultant wren that, a stowaway under its wing, had been carried aloft by the kingly candidate. The trickiness angered the eagle so much, says one tradition, that he struck the wren with his wing, which, since then, has been able to fly no higher than a hawthorn-bush. (Ernest Ingersoll)

In art and folklore this little bird symbolizes rebirth, immortality, protection, and the promise of spring. As a luckbringer it was supposedly present at the stable in Bethlehem when Christ was born; and and Irish proverb runs: “The robin and the wren are God’s two holy men.”

But there’s also a catch. According to legends, it was the flapping of the wings or the song of the wren that betrayed the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen, while hiding from the mob, and led to his stoning by the Sanhedrin — the highest tribunal consisting of the Head Priest and the Jewish elders.

That’s why December 26, his remembrance day, is celebrated in the UK and Ireland as Wren Day. Its highlight was a traditional bird hunt, where the wren as king of the birds was hunted and subsequently paraded through the town and rural areas on top of a pole or holly branch, decorated with ribbons and colored paper, as a substitute of the ancient human sacrifice of the Year King for winter solstice. The wren boys still travel from door to door singing, dancing, and playing music, demanding money to “bury the wren”, but fortunately no more animals are harmed in the process.

With Aziraphale being chosen as the new Supreme Archangel and literally disappearing from the face of the earth in the season finale, his becoming a scapegoat or a sacrifice to a greater, communal goal might be a real possibility when something goes wrong with the Second Coming. The good news is that this level of danger should be enough to get the Ineffable Husbands back on speaking terms.

[perenial]

gene im so glad you said this cause I haven't seen anyone else comparing it to the book as source material for like character and tone but i am So sure that if terry was alive the season would not be like this but i fear good omens fans dont realise how big a factor the lack of terry's influence is?? or like they forget that good omens was never just neilman???

ok before i go any further: i rly don't want to detract from anyone's enjoyment of the season and everything im going to say comes from a place of love for a) the original novel (& season 1 to a certain extent bc it got me back into it lol) and b) tv as a medium so like peace and love on planet let people enjoy things etc etc

but

like u said, terry's influence on the book was enormous – what makes gomens gomens is the balance of his genuine warmth and precise understanding of humanity tempered with neilman's sardonic voice and general like.....savvy approach to storytelling? i guess u could call it? anyway what rly helps the book is that it took them years to write it, passing ideas back and forth and rewriting each other's work until their voices blended seamlessly and a well structured capital-s Story was created. when i praise the book for being self-contained i think a huge part of that comes from the circumstances in which it emerged: two authors with complementary styles writing in a v particular time period where they had both the space to play with their ideas and the constraints of the novel as a storytelling format from which to craft something extremely specific.

adaptations are a tricky business and a tv version of gomens produced literal decades after the book was always going to have some unique challenges, but i don't think that's a bad thing bc the challenges could prove to be creative opportunities to take both the established audience and those new to the story by surprise. my biggest hot take here is that i don't think translating a story into a different medium means it has to follow the original narrative exactly, bc each medium has its own ways of communicating information and these structures, rules and traditions in turn inform what that story is. what matters more than following a story beat-by-beat is capturing what that story is about at its core, what themes and messages and ideas it works through and how.

all this is to say i never expected tv gomens to be a perfect reproduction of the book and if it had it been, it probably would have been worse off for it. that being said, there are parts of the book – like u said, its tone and character – that needed to have some fidelity in order to pull it off, and for the most part s1 did that bc it was still working predominantly within the bounds of the novel & its core ideas. while i did have some issues w how neilman & amazon adapted some details and characterisations, i generally rly liked s1 – it reminded me of why i loved the book and it was just generally fun to watch.

s2 was. not that fun to watch

a few positives before i go ham w the critiques:

the hair & makeup + costumes were fantastic (although i feel like s1 was slightly better re: makeup?)

the sound design & score made some of the more awkward scenes bearable and thats no mean feat imo

david & michael gave incredible performances w what they were given – michael especially managed to salvage aziraphale enough that his complete 180 didnt feel completely tonally dissonant (more on this later)

the detail of the sets is NUTS and i genuinely want to see more of hell bc of how intricate and fun the props look

i actually like gabriel/beelzebub!! their getting together montage worked for me, although they could have spent sliiiightly more time establishing what it is they like abt each other so much + why gabriel wanted to stop armageddon 2.0 so suddenly

the opening scene, although not on par w the novel's & s1's, was visually gorgeous and thematically resonant (although neilman owes me royalties for ripping it off from this shitty fic i wrote back when raphael!crowley was all the rage lol)

now w THAT being said:

like i said yesterday, the pacing was fucking awful. flashbacks are hard to work w at the best of times and the way they were used in this season felt so needless, especially the 40s one in ep 4 that takes up like 90% of the episode. in both flashbacks + present day there were scenes that dragged for no real reason, dialogue that looped back around on itself to stretch out the runtime, and weirdly enough places where there should have been character & plot work where there just,, wasn't any?? for example, maggie & nina's night locked in the café – some parts of the dialogue in later episodes made out that they'd had some rly deep conversation abt how they feel about each other or even that they'd had an affair, but that isn't clear from those scenes in the café. i'm not saying we had to see that conversation in its entirety but that there needed to be more connective details – either in dialogue or direction – that gave that part of the story coherence.

(there were pacing issues w the editing too but i don't want to jump down the editor's throats on this one bc im more focused on writing & direction issues)

the second major problem that i mentioned in my tags yesterday is the protagonist shift, which is an issue that started in s1. aziraphale & crowley are side characters in book gomens – significant ones, yeah, but still somewhat peripheral to adam (& anathema who counts as a deuteragonist imo). this works incredibly well w who they are as characters: they're Just Some Guys who happen to be involved in this epic biblical-level bureaucratic nightmare and importantly, they don't want to be in the spotlight. the arrangement was created so that they could explore what it meant to be themselves away from the Big Narrative; literally any time they get involved in larger affairs is bc the plot is alive and caught them unionising on company time. the last fucking chapter is adam (& god) being like haha u guys are alright keep it sleezy and letting them go. like. hello. neil u let them go.

but then!! tv gomens s1 does something interesting at the end w the body swapping addition that i dont totally hate – it gives aziraphale & crowley the extra bit of character work that brings them slightly more adjacent to their book selves. see i kinda view tv a/c as the younger, less settled versions of book a/c; they're still caught up in the immediacy of being key players and haven't fully realised that earth is their home. i haven't watched s1 in a while but one scene i remember rly clearly is crowley throwing all those astronomy texts in the air and angsting abt when he was an angel; i remember it bc his anguish in that scene feels a lot newer and rawer than book crowley's feelings about falling. when tv a/c do their bodyswap, it gives them the chance to land a blow against heaven/hell in a way that solidifies their allegiance to earth in a way that more closely resembles what book a/c have been abt the entire time (still adjacent, though. not parallel).

the reason why this works is that it does one final pivot to orient aziraphale and crowley as almost-main characters in a manner that makes sense in relation to a) their book selves and b) the position the tv show has placed them in. a combination of factors made tv a/c feel a lot less mature than their book counterparts but at the end of s1 they're sort of facing the same direction the book ended in, albeit through their own flashy late 2010s means.

when s2 was announced i was.......apprehensive bc to me, that felt like a satisfactory ending. i get the impression that amazon saw how wildly successful the adaptation was and was like oh shit we could make way more money out of this and neilman, having all those undead darlings that he and terry killed in the process of whittling the book into a workable novel, jumped at the chance to resurrect all those half-realised ideas. but not only were those ideas probably discarded for a reason, they've either been laying in wait for years unworked or they're new inventions, which means they weren't molded in the way that the book had been. like i said before, book gomens underwent years of rewrites and creative collaboration, and i think that process was what made it so good; s2 didn't have that. even if some of terry's ideas made it into s2, his influence is still missing bc he and neilman weren't in dialogue the same way they were in the book (and in some ways s1 bc i know terry was involved in the process of adapting gomens to screen before his death).

i don't think it's a case of newer fans forgetting terry so much as it is the context of terry's involvement being so removed from the current circumstances that certain aspects & discourses (i.e. is the s2 finale queerbaiting (no), does binge watching change the viewership experience (yes), etc etc) about the show overshadow other discussions that would usually be taking place. and before anyone says it's a case of neilman forgetting terry, i definitely don't think it's that either bc thats. yknow. wildly disrespectful. but also there are larger systems and structures at play than one writer no matter how much beef i have w him and his decisions, bc ultimately he's just one guy (a powerful and wealthy guy, but just a guy) and there's a wider cultural shift happening rn towards rehashing old stories without understanding what made them successful in the first place, and that same culture just doesn't allow for much, if any, constructive discourse analysis

so yeah

[oscartullyofriverrun]

Wanted Character Connection

Kermit "Kyle" Tully

Oscar Tully is looking for his brother Kermit Tully for @asongofgoldenfireandblackblood

The eldest child of Lord Elmo and Lady Jenny Tully, Kermit is 22, and the new heir to Riverrun. Raised in the shadow of his grandfather, Lord Grover, who ruled House Tully for over fifty years before his death eight moons ago, he believes that as a Great House, his family has grown complacent and unambitious as the Lords Paramount of the Riverlands. Since he came of age six years ago, and was knighted not long after in an impressive tourney victory against Jason Lannister during celebrations at Storm's End for Lord Borros Baratheon's 40th name day, Kyle has been setting down plans to catapult House Tully into a new golden age. These plans were noted to have drastically risen in prominence since the death of old Lord Grover, and even more so now Ser Kermit has been sent to Kingslanding to serve as his father's envoy to The Crown. Alongside being a skilled swordsman and horseman, Kermit is known to also have a great proficiency in mathematics and deep interest in his family's financial ventures. In his down time he is known to spend a bit too much time in taverns, highly sociable and a notable flirt, Kermit greatly enjoys playing his lute in the equal pursuits of charming ladies and annoying his companions.

(Suggested Faceclaim is Max Parker in Blood, Sex, and Royalty)

Kermit is also wanted by @black-queen-rising, @goldaegontargaryen, and @calla-celtigar

To learn more about the Tullys, click here!

We are a No-Dance!AU and politics, family, and court-drama focused RP. To join, check out our main site, DM us with any questions, then send us a raven app, and join our Discord!

Feel free to DM this blog if you have any additional questions or my main blog @goldaegontargaryen if you want to talk about the RP!

Note: Character traits and faceclaim are suggestions and can be reworked to a certain extent if discussed with the current members of the RP! Because of the satirical nature of Kermit's name, admin has decided it would be acceptable to call to him "Kyle" instead for his writer's ease.

[jackiequick]

Royalty AU - The Regency Era 💎

-> The Return Of An Old Set Of Posts (cuz I’m celebrating 3000 posts on Tumblr!) Check it out 📱

— @msrochelleromanofffelton inspired idea by Bridgerton

— Maiden Amelia Parker 🧹

Sweet and Sassy. Sometimes This girl got a serious eye roll

Works for The Feltons 💅🏽

Lady In Waiting (makes sure everyone is dressed up, brings in letters to her bosses and on time for events etc.)

Usually found wondering the areas to making sure things are alright, doesn’t like to hear the gossip around the halls from the family

— Sir Tyler Sharp 🧲

Nice, a bit of chatterbox, always tries to be serious and kinda silly

Works for The Marsh’s 🌸

A little timid a times but rather a bit of a charmer. He loves hearing the gossip with the the people of the court.

Makes sure the stables are fine, bringing in meals, standing behind holding umbrellas, and hanging out with the help

— Sir Jason Underwood 🛠

Always annoyed with everyone but rather sweet depending upon the person.

Works for The Strange’s 🪄

You can find him always reading a book, sending out letters to subjects, throwing out a few glares to the help and rather nice.

You can picture Afield Pennyworth but blonde, snapping at everybody to do their jobs lol

— Lady Stephanie Foster 📖

Darling, such a sweetheart and a bit of a caring maid

Works for House Stark’s 💰

She will spill secrets and hand over every newspapers with gossip around the land

A maid always trying to have a little bit of fun with the help. Hosting tea parties with the other maids & masters, has a shoulder to cry on, trying out the chefs latest treats and etc.

— Lady Sabrina Wilson 🍰

Darling, caring, respectful and a maiden with a soft smile

Work for The Lehnsherr’s 🛡as her big brother is a knight of the land.

Spends her time holding the peoples swords and weapons, having them sharpened and cleaned to perfection.

Doesn’t care for games and gossip, unless needed. Holding items for her lords and ladies, whenever called for. However she spends her time with the chef of the house

————

The Upperclassman Folk 💠

— Princess Estella Strange 👑

The runaway princess, rather not be dressed in a gown but out in the stables and walking the land.

She tends to be seen in the main hall trying to jewelry, making sure the guards know what needs to be done and questioning everyone.

Sweet, charming with a soft smile on her face, clever and gentle with most.

She tends to be very helpful and always tries to see the other person’s perspective.

As her brother rules, she’s in her corner of the palace reading and writing, setting up events for others in the land to attend, and getting fitted for certain items of clothing.

— Lady Alexandra ‘Lexi’ Banner 🍏

One wouldn’t think she’s upper class like her brother and nephew due to the way she acts and dresses, but she is.

Always told to say quiet, sit straight, talk when needed and act pretty like she’s romanized by the lifestyle.

Carries around a small pet, like a dog per say, since she’s found nearby the gardens.

She tends to have a bit of a temper, getting twitchy at times and playing quietly with her nails, listening to other people speak.

Not interested in falling into any man’s arms that walked past her. Mostly because she’s unseen by most at parties, so the girl will find herself nearby the treats table.

—-

Please keep the chain going: @gaminggirlsstuff @gcthvile @drspencereidhotch @meiramel @blueboirick @mandylove1000 @levijeanqueen @morgan108 @sherloquestea @superspookyjanelle @ohgodnotagainn @rickb-chaos

[abyssalpriest]

Leviathan: What Makes a God, 31/7/23

An essay channelled from Leviathan on what is biologically or physically at play when a spirit acts or "becomes" a "god", which he distills into your ability to connect with the world around you.

Leviathan said:

In my humble opinion, “a god” isn't something you can definitively define. It's similar to the issues with the word "religion" though not as complex, but a rough idea of what I mean when I use the word is as follows: A god is a spirit that responds to requests and petitions, rules over a certain aspect or aspects of the world - note the words "rules over" as a comparison to politics, not an inherent complete synchronisation like "is" would imply - and interacts with a set of people who elevate the spirit to a point of revering them in a working relationship. It’s a relationship-based title. We can look anywhere to get an understanding of what the relationship is on the half of the people worshiping, case studies are all around us waiting to be carried out and classified, but the active side of what it looks like to the deity's body and self is what I want to discuss. What makes a god on the side of the god, as opposed to the elevation by those he works with?

It’s worth noting that the word “god” is arbitrary. Powerful beings can be called a god in one culture and a demon in the next, that's why people like the Void's consciousnesses can be considered a god or an ancestor depending on where you go, "god" is an arbitrary set of letters and is used often just to denote a powerful worshiped being in good standing with the culture the speaker is a part of. I however am using it as a catch-all for beings that are deified in whatever individual sense they are. For now the word "god" is just a stand-in for "spirit who is the subject of what I am talking about", really.

Becoming a god is a continual and active process done every moment a god is active as a god, and there is no moment where they become a god and stay it forever since there are no major biological changes in the way of transmuting species, only in the way of gathering fat on or growing in a human body. Something absolutely happens, though, if we’re talking biology.

Godhood (the state and act of being a god) will always be about acting as a medium for a set of people to connect with reality in ways they themselves alone cannot. Something is needed for a spirit to act as that medium, though. Power and connection are necessary here on the half of the god, people don't worship beings that they don't either believe or want to believe are more powerful than them, but since powers amongst gods is an individual thing… Well, we cant say a god is a god because they control the weather, or move wealth, or guard royalty, and so on, because any one of those would exclude many other legitimate gods, so what exactly is this power a god has? What is it at the base of the issue that almost all gods have that serves as the basis for their godhood?

The common denominator in my opinion is a connection to reality and an ability to alter it specifically without tools (or amplified by them), through consciousness and Self alone. A god generally becomes so in touch with and fluent in specific parts of reality that they almost become one with them (or do become one, depending on how you look), which is a function nigh on all consciousnesses are capable of doing. I would say that if a new god is seen as a god but they haven't efficiently threaded themselves into and aren't puppeting reality based on a network of strings and resonances and learning to be conscious as reality themselves - if they have been elevated to godhood without the connection to reality I’m talking about - then they sure as Hell are going to learn a few years later how to do it when the phone calls won't stop and they completely obscure a normal life and sense of self.

Godhood almost always comes back to this connection as its crux of power, because people revere it and if they don’t revere you for it then you’ll need to learn to use it in order to interact with the people below your chain of command, to live up to the expectations they provide which inform whether they worship you or not. Hence: Connection to reality is the answer to my prompt of "What makes a god?" And it is going to be the focus of this discussion.

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The connection between mind and body is a little different on other planes compared to this one, allowing for example the inhabiting of multiple bodies split from your main one, or people to split into multiple separate people, or allowing possession of the dead to puppet around, but it goes the opposite way too where we are very able to spread singular selves outwards to an extent that you on this plane… can also do as consciousnesses, yes, but when you do this it will be your Astral bodies doing it. Physical bodies are uniquely isolated even from themselves. Like a physical plane body accumulates fat from food, we are all able to accumulate energy and inhabit it by right of the coding and rules of reality itself, but the way in which physical plane beings do it is different.

What are these connections to reality, though? Let’s look at the subset of reality alteration often classified as “magic” around parts of this plane the Priest frequents, for a moment.

“Magic” is a word for a narrow identification of a part of a large spectrum of Self-Other influences. Saying "magic" is like saying "red" when there's an entire spectrum of visible light, and what specific colours "red" denotes is going to be different from culture to culture… Magic is a subset of interactions between your mind and the external world that occurs through the creation of a body, magic generally creates an energy body or system of energy bodies which do one of a few things in order to communicate and influence whatever the target is through the gateway of the subtle substances of the world.

Creation of a physical body is another "colour" in this colour spectrum metaphor, like green instead of magic as red, we'll say. Magic creates energetic add-ons to the practitioners energetic body and overall self (or creates new energetic bodies), inhabits them, and either dissipates them, propelling the practitioner's will into subtler and subtler forms until it is rippling and influencing the causal laws and coding and such of reality, like burned sigils, or sustains it as an autonomous gateway of transformation like a plant-based ward. Either way - whether the body is dissipated or sustained or what-have-you - magic is a subset of creating a body through which to influence the workings of the world and it has an emphasis on doing so by going back to the programming (Causal and coding-based abstract parts of reality). Magic is Self going through the gateway of programming to then be released as something Other than you, as opposed to Other going through programming to create a body that is a Self like what happens when a being is created or incarnates.

Effectively, in order to influence the Material and Objective and physical worlds as a Mental thing, a consciousness, you need a gateway and a vessel which are one and the same thing. The creation of a physical body is the accumulation of Reality's substances in accordance with DNA and coding in the subtle substances to coalesce and form a direct sort of robot to pilot around in order to heavily influence the Material, which, as a gateway, means that it in turn simultaneously allows the Material to heavily influence you. Likewise, magic is consciousness creating energy bodies to inhabit to interact with the world in accordance with Mental programming and coding in general in the subtle substances, but the key here is that magic is employed to alter the Causal and so on parts of reality (that which I am calling “subtle substance”) which then disperse changes into reality in the Other... Dispersion is a complex and not always present thing, but magic is often used to change things that you don't want to be - for instance altering probability of rain instead of possessing the weather system - and when you want to change something that isn't you, you have to do the paradoxical act of ritual self-suffocation until you die and become the Other by becoming nothing. Subtracting part of yourself to add on to the Other. This is best done in an energy body instead of sacrificing your physical one, best done with raised energies you temporarily claim rather than your core energies...

Anyway. Magic details I can get into another time and I can afford to have inaccuracies due to oversimplification here, this isn't the place to learn about magic. What you need to know is this: The common denominator in magic, incarnation, and godhood is all about types of body creation in order to influence the part of reality you want to influence, creating a body of that type (or nearest to it as you can) to play with it. Magic - or the Priest's understanding of what is classed under that word - is very relevant and begins to explain what a god does and is, which is basically a constantly sustained and expansive set of spells or what is tapped into when doing spells that reaches out into reality.

Energy bodies and altered states allow will to be slowly translated from conscious into subtler and subtler states and threaded into subtler and subtler places, because the conscious mind alone and by itself cannot pilot into these places with any accuracy. Note: "pilot into". You always are in all of these places and are doing all these things, every single person in existence alters the weather and causation lines and everything else to varying degrees, it just depends on the force of locality. But to consciously go and interact with something distant to you whether physically distant or conceptually, you need to take up a form that interacts more strongly with your intended target.

Different parts of yourself have different bodies and/or attach to different bodies easier; energy bodies house or are influenced by emotional consciousness pretty easy for one example, and subtle energy bodies allow a medium between subtle substances and the self in the way that physical bodies allow a medium between self and physical reality. Therefore, if you want to influence Causal substances... Get closer and closer through increasingly more subtle energy bodies. If you want to control the oceans...

Godhood, at least in my opinion, experience, so on, is directly tied to a spirit’s ability to create energetic bodies/expand their energetic bodies and interact with the world through them. However, it's not just as simple as "they do magic". In order to discuss that, let's look at what the act of calling a god is like - godhood is an active and working practice of being a medium, remember.

There’s a multitude of ways to call on a deity or more so a multitude of things to connect with when you call them. People invoke energies, consciousnesses, Causal influence, physical concepts like the sky - and evoke these things too, many people don't see a difference between a god's persona self and the world itself, seeing, say, Poseidon as all oceans and permeating all water that they relate to him, and it isn't a case that either everyone is misguided and he's not involved when they call the water or they all get his utmost attention making him always have to show up, listen, make choices, change the world's functioning, leave. That would be exhausting for him, right? There's not just two options of either "he doesn't show up when he's called because he isn't the water" and "he has to show up every time all the time because his persona is tied to the water".

We who are worshiped need to cultivate all sorts of consciousnesses and ways of being conscious, and thread our consciousness through various energies in order to have a presence that can be called upon both through evocation and invocation. The more things you are threaded into, the more resources you have, and the more resources you have the more people will either purposely or accidentally work with you, meaning you will get more energy. Godhood cannot be sustained purely selflessly, it is certainly always self-centred and often selfish to a certain degree. Anyway, this is an art that extends into many parts of reality. It isn’t enough to just be conscious of things such as watery energies and the energies of specific places, nor is it a matter of constantly consciously being called and then doing spells to alter the water when you're asked to because that would be exhausting. You need to be able to paradoxically be conscious of things the conscious mind cannot be conscious of, including things like names and causation - the very subtle strings of reality - to a point where you learn to inhabit those themselves. You need to become the reality you want to be seen as.

It is enough for a small god to be able to pilot the clouds around a fair amount of the time. But a key to being a big god is to understand how to inhabit causation and subtle substances like energy bodies, become them, which is especially delicate given that moving an energy body around and causing damage with it is one thing, but accidentally twanging a thread of reality… You have to - or at least I have to, there’s no manual on this written by God - sustain subtle consciousness levels and remain in a meditative state in certain parts of your subtle self now, because you have become microscopic tendrils wrapped around reality’s strings. You need to be conscious in a myriad of different ways and woven, often through energy bodies that get subtler and subtler, into all that you want control over. You need to make the Other the Self.

Really, this stems back to nondualist ideas, because nothing I teach can stray too far from that for long. Godhood and awakening to being Shiva is a process of learning to, well, wake up, expanding your awareness as opposed to taking things that aren't you and tacking them arbitrarily on to yourself. If you are tacking things on, you are sleeping in them and they are not you. If you understand them as you regardless of whether they're physically attached to your physical body or not, then you're getting it. When you get that, you need to understand how to slip through the subtle substances to alter this new part of yourself in the myriad of ways you can alter it, all decided by the varying languages of reality you need to speak to get results.

For example you may see the branch of a tree just like your arm. Now, how do you influence it? Telepathy is not a language here that will physically move that branch, so what about going through the language of the weather or possessing an animal to move it? Really, your physical body getting up and moving it is equally a "mystical" language of creation and "telepathic" influence, but I want to illustrate that controlling reality isn't about becoming conscious of reality and then you just think very very hard and attempt to move it with your mind. You have to move it through gates, take detours, hop your consciousness from one body to another to another and take a myriad of forms to get to the result you want. But I digress, the how-to's of this cannot be taught through words on a screen unless you already understand me, so let's get back to acknowledging this is theory and not attempting to look like we're teaching practicals.

To be a god you need to become parts of reality, which is possible because you already are within them as a sleeping Other - reality is compatible with your mind because it is like an extensive brain waiting for signals to pass through it - and you need to be aware of your presence and recognise the strings of Causation between you and everything around you. Creating energy bodies and becoming reality happens through the expansive nature of awakening consciousness.

So, we all get that godhood is about bodies and stretching your consciousness and Self into varying levels of subtlety and substances such as energies, but it's important to understand even things like thoughts, names, vibrations, places, awarenesses, and so on, are possessable concepts. Everything in reality is partly conscious and everything in awareness can be conceptualised - and when consciousness and reality meet, reality can be altered. Everything is code, which means on a certain playing field everything from linear time to movements to atoms to people to thoughts to planes are all the same substances, just different encoded arrangements of the same base elements, meaning when you understand how to possess coding, you can worm your way into many things. Coding can be possessed by its nature and if all is code, all can be possessed.

This does have its limits and of course this is much easier with things you resonate with, for myself connecting with and becoming fire is possible but it's not the most comfortable body for me, I would rather be the sky... And the limits are largely based on both resonance and whether you can decode what you're trying to access. Reality is encoded things, things are gateways, if you unlock the code you get access to the gateway.

When you know the languages of reality and how to decode and encode things, you can possess and become and exist in many things. This goes for anything from the weather to eye movements, to changes in emotion, and so on. It also allows you to bypass spatial confines - locality is a globally enforced rule I will talk about in my essays on magic, effectively it is just my word for the underlying law that while everything influences everything it has to be to differing degrees, and what is "local" to you isn't based on spacetime but instead the influence it has on you and you have on it, but locality is yet another manifestation of the same underlying code that can be decoded and inhabited and so on.

Effectively, a god is generally a spirit that has a high connection to reality, who has done the work to spread their "mycelium network" as the Priest put it through reality, effectively wearing reality like a set of clothing, and who is worshiped for this. This connecting can often only be done to this scale when supported by worship, because in order to do this you need a network of supporting energy which often comes best from worship. You cannot simply spread yourself thinly into an entire town, the very concepts of water itself, certain vibrational frequencies, names, times, etc, without having the energy to support your body as it extends, as well as the awareness and practice and so on. It’s also a case where worshipers asserting your position in energies and workings of the world helps in its own way to anchor you in them, decreasing the territorial fight. Nigh on no one challenges me for rule of the oceans at this point.

It's very akin to kingship where yes, the king has unequal power over the masses, but the masses are the ones that give a lot of that power - and just because people give that power, that doesn’t mean that they can easily take back the king’s power once his rule is established. The king has millions in taxes because millions gave him taxes, but, of course, when he has millions in taxes he can fund expeditions to gather more funds from elsewhere and likewise a god is not only sustained by their worshipers. If a practitioner of magic can gather energy and power without worship, so can a god. Archetypal energy fonts are also available to nigh on everyone in existence, meaning gods are also able to tap into them, but archetype tapping is archetype possession which numbs and takes over the personalised individual and, as I said earlier, godhood is seldom a selfless act, very often tied to gaining personal I suppose "ego"-based support and feeding. No point wanting to be a god, being possessed by an archetype to have the energy to do so, and then becoming just another face of that archetype.

It takes practice and action on the part of the god to reroute and assign certain calls to certain parts of himself and levels of his conscious awareness, which is hard to explain. A god is itself even when it is a part of nature, or maybe it’s better to word it that even when a god is inhabiting nature, he is still a person, and there is a need to cultivate an ability to understand which part is being called upon and automatically tie it to a reaction. Just like a mother may be on autopilot as she attends to her kids being rowdy's needs but a bad scream will catch a different more central part of her consciousness, one can relax into godhood and their extended body in reality and easily interact with practitioners without having to show up as their central consciousness. This is also adjacent to what's involved in a god rerouting energy he gains from certain sources to other beings…

The bigger and older you are, the easier it is to make this entire process of being summoned and acting as a medium automatic, or close to it for a number of reasons. First, you need to shut off your curiosity and wariness about new people, very much easier when you have practice and are too big to be heavily negatively affected by anyone who calls you respectively. Second, you're more used to being everywhere anyway and much more aware of what happens when you influence reality, so you don’t need to drag your main consciousness around everywhere you’re being called upon to make sure you're providing the right reaction.

This process of shutting off, however, allows a god to… Well, we’ll put it this way: There’s a reason that to some people Poseidon is a man who appears in person, old and stern, and to others he is an expansive ocean devoid of any recognisable self, and to others he is a mix of both, or something high energy and unrecognisable to practitioners who know his more traditional appearances… Or to others still he is unrecognisable as Poseidon instead being an expansive Day Sky god under a different name, or the physical wind itself, or an ancient primordial archetype, and so on.

The process of not allowing your main conscious body to go around sniffing all new pluckings of its Self-strings allows other parts of you to reply to people, and it also, in line with what I have been saying thus far, means that often when people call to you and you let your energy bodies and the consciousness you’ve threaded through concepts reply, these people will get these energies and these concepts on call instead of your main persona and self.

To wrap up the discussion, let's have a little look at what calling a god looks like to a practitioner and discuss the interplay of that calling with inhabited energies and concepts. I think I've belaboured the rest of the discussion enough, but to make sure it's clear... This isn't really something that I can really illustrate accurately, but let me try.

Take this image below to be a representation of a specific god's entire self at time of calling, spread out as he is into all the workings of reality he's woken up to, all the energies and concepts he embodies, though obviously the picture is missing much more than it shows. The dots are representations of presences of consciousness in its various forms (the type of which is tied to the categories on the left), but they're not dots for a reason other than ease of visualisation - large swathes of colours would blend and create new colours. I want the colours separate. Hence: Dots. It's also worth mentioning that the positions and patterns I'll be showing you are just examples, if you were to map the god's consciousness to colours and dot positions accurately it would be millions of colours changing by the moment and reliant on many factors. It's for simplified visualisation only.

This, above, would be a representation of the entire god as said, but a map of where his consciousness might be if you had the ability to call him as an entire whole being and attract the attention of every part of him in every bit of reality he exists. In this case, his consciousness, threaded through every part of him equally on conscious, subconscious, and unconscious levels would be aware and present. Each colour represents a specific designation of his consciousness to specific parts of reality - or parts that parts of his consciousness naturally inhabit. To explain the short list here:

Conscious Self:

The being, the person, able to be confined to a moving body, the personality… The spirit equivalent to your conscious self, your individual being. This really is a grouping of all masks and personas, but we'll keep it simple. Red is the consciousness designated to being this Conscious Self, that aligns itself with this persona and energy.

Ocean Body:

The part of this definitely arbitrary and made-up god that has tied itself to the depths of the ocean, present in the energy of oceans as a thing that has tied itself to the coding of the Universe that manifests as ocean water and related phenomena. Orange dots represent the consciousness tied to this energy, that will react when the god is invoked as oceanic or the ocean is invoked as this god, the consciousness that threads itself through oceanic energies.

Ruling Energy:

Like the Ocean Body, but a more abstract and internalised concept example to help illustrate that it’s not just spatially-bound things that can be inhabited. This is less a where and more a what, the part of the soul that embodies rulership. This could be engaged by calling upon this imaginary deity as a king, or by calling on him as the ocean as a ruling fortress, or in the general energy of this god when asking for him to do something with authority. Green represents, again, the consciousness of the overall Self assigned to and that resonates with this concept.

Weather Ties:

Like the Ocean Body, again, but this time tied to an action of a thing (like being tied to waves and not the ocean as a whole), to a translation of things from one place to another, the actions of change - preservation, creation, destruction - the energy tied to a place and a concept and a set of actions. Blue is the representation of consciousness tied to this.

Spell-Work Designation:

It's not rare for gods to designate a portion of their energy and self to be called upon when practitioners want to work with nature or the god itself, a low-consciousness set of energies or a mass of energy, however you want to see it, that is submissive and allows itself to be moulded and directed largely by the practitioner. Of course, any energy attached to us can attract the rest of our attention, but when you are a big energy and are used to being called on for every little thing it's easier to just allow part of yourself to be played with so you don't have to be more present. Pink is the colour for the consciousness tied to this.

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Calling upon the Conscious Self - for example using an ocean related name (say, Poseidon) in a mantra to keep yelling at the god until he shows up in person, please don't - would look like this:

There's no part of a self that isn't present in everything else, and every part of the self is tied to other parts of the self. You would be mostly calling their conscious level of consciousness in the persona-based area of Self, but that consciousness would be tied to everything else. In calling the god this way - looking for his conscious persona - you’d likely feel a much bigger personal and relatable presence in that area than, say, feeling the lifeless ocean itself show up at your door, but it depends on if the god answers the call you put out with the energy you want or not.

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If you called, however, to the weather using a name that happens to be tied to him, not even understanding or knowing or caring there is a person connected to said name, what you'd called upon might look more like this:

A completely different energy, a completely different type of consciousness. Keeping in mind that the colour positions are just a possible example and can change moment-to-moment, in this example you'd have a recognisable haze of a self, a presence we'll say, but mostly you would have the experience of a swathe of "being" unlike yours, a presence without a conscious, persona-based mind, primal energies, something recognisable yet entirely wild. Not operating on the same level you are. Maybe you won't even spot the conscious presence and instead will just be greeted with autonomous changes in the weather because again, at these levels, a god of this much experience knows how to shut off and act like the parts of reality he's inhabiting.

You’ll see I included a large amount in the Ruling Energy areas because if you call on a part of nature in any specific way, which, well, why call upon the weather in a neutral way, that will likely drag up the energies of the part of nature as they manifest in certain mindsets and such. For example: Calling a name of mine as a representation of the weather as being the only thing that can alter itself, then you could end up causing the weather to inhabit the sovereign-based parts of the self.

This example is the same god as addressed in the repetitive persona-calling mantra, only you've dug into some part of him that isn't like your conscious mind. A part of nature self-sovereign, likely tapped into archetypal and primordial forces - or very close to them. If he cares to respond how you want him too, that's what you'll get - and you may go your entire life working with him without ever being aware that there is a part of him that can appear human and have a face-to-face conversation with you... Likewise, that which I present here to talk here is just one face of millions and one tiny outreaching reaction to the environment I've been called to teach in now.

Anyway, on that note about the god likely being tapped into the archetypes: Archetypes are in a way are the parts of reality tied centrally to everyone (and therefore no one), or energies that are so widely compatible with consciousnesses and selves, and there ends up being a sort of scale between a god's central persona consciousness, a god's offshoot consciousness in reality, and the archetype of that part of reality. By that I mean that gods generally tie themselves to archetypes as sources of power but remain separate from them to some degree so that they can feed on your energy you offer rather than it going to the archetypes, and in a practical sense for a practitioner that means that it's very easy to go too far into an archetype thinking you're interacting with a deity, and vice versa. Calling on Poseidon as the sea itself tied to your area specifically, if he hasn’t tied himself to it, will likely bring up local spirits to answer your calls who will pretend to be Poseidon - but if you approach calling "Poseidon" in the way that this name is synonymous with archetypal concepts, you may just end up calling the archetype to you under his name. Especially if he has blurred himself with said archetypes, meaning that his names are their names. They very easily mimic real beings and take on appearances that you expect them to take on, just by nature of their non-conscious heightened consciousnesses.

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Now, say you were calling on this god for spell work, something involving oceans, and you may or may not realise you're calling on a god since, as above, a lot of people believe they're calling on gods when they call on archetypes and vice versa:

Since, as I said in the above about what this Spell-Work Designation section is, gods can designate a part of themselves to be used and played with for individual workings, this part tends to not tug too much at the persona of the god. By that I mean the part exists because the god has chosen to sacrifice consciousness in certain areas that can then be used by practitioners. However, it does allow a door (as many doors, including a lack thereof) into other energies and parts of the god to be designated to the spell.

Attracting too much conscious persona attention entirely defeats the purpose of an unconscious part to be worked with, so these parts - though it varies from god to god - may act as conscious persona stand-ins, making decisions based around an autopilot-esque system of sorting and reacting to engagements and requests in a similar way to how one can shut off their brain in work and yet not make many mistakes. It can act as a doorway to call other energies and parts of the self, basically guiding other energies like if the conscious persona mind was awake and deciding how to help practitioners. Really all energies can engage other energies, but generally a more conscious sorting system is more effective in shutting off one energy to allow another to come through, hence creating a non-persona-based sorter self.

This isn't really a common thing, though, this second brain of sorts. Well, it's common, all people have this function but to such a degree as... the imaginary god in this example... would be rare. Mostly it is rare to dole out energetic presences without actually sorting out who and what is addressing you and why, but I've come to not care. Or should I say this example god doesn't care. When you take the role of king you agree to serve all of your people to some degree whether you morally agree with them or not, whether you like their actions or what they do with your resources or not, so gods like this tend to be rather uniquely used to being called for ridiculous things and to make ridiculous decisions to the point where deciding to help or not can be more autonomous than having to consciously dissect and work with each person. A god like this has agreed that many of those who tap into him, that he's agreed to help, can use his body like a sort of conscious extension of reality around them... To a certain degree.

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I suppose the natural rhythm of this essay would be to go into how to do this. No. I’m done. Bye.

Just kidding, but that can be addressed when we talk about magic. Instead, have this note I wrote to the Priest as a curiousity and a "what if" as a final note:

"I showed you before before a representation of my outermost energies, which would be heavy and nearly unconscious or "dreaming" tentacles threaded through things I control and resting in and around the Earth. That's not unique to me. I also showed you this in relation to interacting with and directing my energy as a "Priest". Gods get so big that we can't possibly be conscious in all of our body at once, or, well, we can, but then horrific things happen and reality suffers because of it.

When Ahi and I show up full and in control, especially in close proximity where we blur again, or any other big entity in its near-entire body, that begins to cause issues. You may have noticed when you've joined Ahi in the Garden of Stars as you call it that reality doesn't even just bend to Ahi, it is liquefied around him and his aura becomes reality itself, no longer having its full autonomy like a hivemind of rats around the pied piper, and this is because gods blur with reality.

Like Ive been saying: a god inhabits a large energy body through which they will pass intent and conscious programming between themselves and reality, which leads to issues when those wires are kicked into overdrive - and also, mostly, regarding the whole "bad consequences for reality's autonomy"... there's things I can't quite explain to your brain yet, but it's similar. It's about what is inhabited in-between a spirit and reality being engaged and pushed into overdrive, similar to how the more energy a witch picks up and pushes into the energy bodies they create, the higher the impact on reality a spell usually has. Imagine that but to a very conscious extent in an energy body that has been collecting and understanding itself since before this plane's creation.

You've seen it to a certain degree once before, an evening Ahi was circling close to the Earth. Strange rain, liminal skies, liquefied warbled ramblings from electronics, two friends overseas individually talking about how liminal everything was that day, one without any input from you. Ahi is generally found in states of consciousness and self-awareness - a true Shiva - that does not shy away from inherent destruction by force of proximity to his consciousness as it's thread into reality around him. A true gateway to the skies.

But I digress. Overdriven workings aside, extrapolate from reality-crushing intensity when a god is fully conscious of his entire body down to a general awareness level, and you'll start to see what I'm talking about with what a god is."

[rinseesims]

Okay so I’m now obsessed with your ultimate decade’s challenge and really wanna try it myself! Drop the mods folder, seriously I love how immersive your sims world is. Also any advice for getting started and staying motivated?

I'm sorry this response is so late, but thank you so much! All the mods I used to start out are listed on my pinned. If you see a specific mod that you like and can't find in my tags, feel free to ask, and I'll pull it up next time I'm in-game.

Also, I think my biggest piece of advice is, just do what makes YOU happy and go with the flow.

When it comes to mechanics like setting up a save, try not to stress yourself out. I honestly just started with an empty save, made the the Rolfe parents and gave them three kids to start off. I downloaded a few builds from the gallery, like a bathhouse, tavern, castle, etc. and looked for a few medieval families as well, but I didn't fill up the neighborhood because I knew I'd just be working from the ground up. You also don't HAVE to have a castle and royal family - I just really wanted to try out the Royalty mod! You can also make your own builds and families, but I generally don't have the patience, lmao! There are people who like to make sure their saves are 100000% ready to start like aesthetics, accurate builds, etc, and that's fine and amazing! I'm just a little less patient with setup and decided to take things as they came and focus on the main family gameplay over the aesthetics (because I'm lazy).

When it comes to legacy challenges, most have a formula for you to follow and it can get easy to get stuck in the routine of it. I love challenges because they give me a good to-do list and keep me invested in the game, but I really like to sort of come up with reasons as to why my sims do certain things so that I'm invested in the story as well. The Ultimate Decades Challenge differs from other challenges in that, it doesn't really have a specific formula like aspirations and goals. The death rolls make things interesting, and so do the events, but these can take several sim days and therefore, there's the risk of losing interest because you're just waiting for your sim to age up or have babies.

I think the best way to tackle this challenge is to come up with a story and figure out what your sims' motives are. This never has to be immediate. I kind of figure out the bare bones stuff and decide on things as they happen and build up the story from there (I wasn't planning on having Aemma meet Cassian, but alas, it happened, and we had a whole THING based on that dynamic). Sometimes the sims themselves do something wild and I'll take that and run with it (i.e. Aemma getting attacked by the tax guy). I didn't intend on making Cassian such a jerk, but since he was acting up right after marrying Joan, I said oh well! My goal has always been to just have my heirs and get through each year, but everything just falls into place, because if I tried to plan every step, then I'd stress myself out!

Historical accuracy is a big part of what makes this challenge so different from modern gameplay, but don't feel tethered to it. The Sims has limitations and there's only so much cc and mods can do. I didn't expect to have a supernatural storyline in mine, but when I saw an opportunity for it, I just said screw it, and that's pretty much my motto when I play UDC. I prefer to stick to the rules of the challenge as far as the doc is concerned, and I love history so I do like to listen to podcasts and videos for research, but the rest is really up to what makes gameplay convenient and fun for me. I don't feel compelled to stress over every single inaccuracy present in my game (and there are many) because then I won't really have fun with it. Some people hate that, and some people don't mind, but it's your game at the end of the day.

The SPREADSHEET is a lifesaver. I'm all over the place and need things visually laid out for me, so I actually have a lot of fun (weird) updating the spreadsheet. It's also how I keep up with this growing family, since I usually refer to what comes next visually to figure out what I'm going to focus on in the next episode. I've also updated/added stuff to that spreadsheet that works best for me, and I know other UDC simmers have done the same with their own.

Finally, give yourself a little grace. I can't speak on motivation because I go through bouts where I lack it, and I used to kick myself whenever I wasn't able to fulfill a goal. I ended up on a five month hiatus for MANY reasons, but it had nothing to do with my love for the game. If it wasn't for all the outside factors, I think I would have still been very motivated to continue my usual schedule, but even if I wasn't, that's okay. I work a stressful job that takes a lot out of me and sometimes I just don't want to record or do much of anything, but I knew I'd get back to it eventually, and I know there are people who understand that.

I hope this helps! And I hope you are having fun with this challenge if you've already started it!!

[dreamperson-poll]

Lord Darkhammer

dreamed by @theribthatgrewback

The ruler of an evil kingdom, who pulled it together out of ragtag groups to take over the good kingdom. Or so it seems at first...

This is the longest and most elaborate dream I've ever had, from way back in 2017. I wrote down everything I could immediately. Here is a copy of my notes:

I had a dream last night that was like a play. It followed the rulers of two different kingdoms. The good one was ruled by a king and his daughter, and the bad one had only a single ruler named Lord Darkhammer. Now the story was that Lord Darkhammer wasn't always in charge; he came seemingly out of nowhere back when the evil kingdom was more of a ragtag group, and killed his way to the top of the ranks. He was an efficient and powerful leader who commanded the respect of the warrior-like group, took over other smaller groups to grow his ranks, and reorganized it into a society. Now he has his sights set on the good kingdom, ready to take over and absorb them into his kingdom.

Cut to the good kingdom, and the king and princess are talking about the queen. It has been a bitter subject since her passing. The princess suggests hiring a medium to attempt to contact her. The king becomes angry at the suggestion, and says he'll have no more talk of witchcraft within his walls. They argue, leading to both of them storming out.

Cut to the evil kingdom, Lord Darkhammer is angry with his generals. They say it will be impossible to take over the other kingdom, but Lord Darkhammer won't listen. He's become obsessed. "I've dreamed of ruling them," he says. "Not in wishes, but in sleep. Night after night, I see myself in charge!" He continues his ranting, becoming more angry as it goes on. The generals are nervous, wondering if perhaps he may kill one of them. They placate him, saying instead that they were mistaken, and double their efforts to devise a strategy.

Cut to the good kingdom, the princess has gone ahead and contacted a medium without her father's approval. They sneak through the castle to the princess's room, and begin the ritual to speak with the late queen. Smoke and flame and mystical lights dance over the stage (it's a play, remember) and it seems to be working, but then it all dies down without anything happening. The medium is baffled. "This always works," she says. "Try again," says the princess. "I shouldn't have to," the medium answers. The king then bursts in, having seen the light under the door. He's furious, ordering the guards to take the medium away and have her executed for being a witch. The daughter pleads with him, saying she didn't even make contact, so no harm was done. The king doesn't care. Witchcraft is witchcraft, even if this witch is an incompetent buffoon. But the daughter comes to a different realization. Perhaps the queen is still alive.

From this point on in the dream I forget the order in which all these scenes were presented since they jumped around in time a lot, so I'll just give them to you chronologically:

It is far in the past. The princess is only a baby, and the king and queen are together. The queen has been learning magic in secret. I'm a little hazy on the details of this scene, but I think something bad happened and the king found out. He gave the order to have his wife executed. She ran away. They chased her into the wasteland where the ragtag evil group was, then gave up the pursuit, certain that she would be killed. By this point her clothes were ruined and she was filthy, unable to be recognized as royalty. A member of the evil group whanged her on the head to knock her out and dragged her back to the main camp where they made her into a slave. When she woke up, she had no memory of her previous life, and they put her to work immediately. Time passed, and she grew bitter. They had her building something, and the person supervising her work was shouting and being cruel and aggressive. He came close in an attempt to intimidate her, and she just sort of snapped, swinging the tool in her hand at his head and killing him. Luckily, he'd been the only one supervising at the time, so she wasn't caught. She ran and hid, taking the tool with her….. a hammer blackened with filth and soot. She made a vow to kill all those who had oppressed her, but knew that in that age, no woman would be taken seriously. She disguised herself as a man, and took on the name Darkhammer in honor of her first kill. As time went on, she expanded her range of weaponry, eventually settling on a sword, but kept the name. She killed her way through the ranks until she'd taken out the previous leader of the evil kingdom, and the rest is history. This whole section was done across multiple scenes which may have been in a different order.

Back to the present, Lord Darkhammer has begun the attack on the other kingdom, though I think at this point the "audience" still believes Darkhammer to be male, so I'll use he/him for the persona. The generals toward the beginning were right, and the attack has taken a nosedive, but he somehow ended up inside the castle ahead of his troops using the small amount of magic he'd learned years earlier. His face is covered. He makes it to the throne room, and I'm fuzzy on the details here, but there is some sort of bizarre encounter where he tries to kill them but something is holding him back, and because he hesitates he gets captured. They're going to publicly execute him, but when they pull off his helmet….. it's the queen! The king gasps and calls out her name in shock.

And that's when I woke up and I have no idea how it ends.

[bienbala]

An imaginary piece... CHARACTERS: Avathara- INDIAN ROYALTY GIRL; Advik- YOUNG EMERGING ENTREPRENEUR BOY ▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️

Walking down from the aisle of carved sandstone, on both sides bordered with white camellias, the pretty white flowers that have been the pride of the Royal garden, the favorite of the first queen of the palace, Rani Chandrani, the beloved of the greatest warrior to ever rule Amargarh, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. All these flowers were a gift to the Rani, as a symbol of compassion and loyalty, and were all over the boundaries of the bageecha, surrounding huge marble fountains, where white doves dunked and bathed and flew away letting a shower from their feathers. The aisle led to the sandstone built shade, with hand carved see through jali, there laid a diwan and Avathara came and sat there.

She had always admired the beauty of this garden, the white all around, shined brighter in the setting sun, the birds let out a melody, the old sunken love gleamed with the glowing whites around. Avathara always came to wonder how the romantic legend was still alive here. She peeked through the jali at the sunset, roamed around, then sat back again. Just to think clearly had she come out from her room, once for a while away from the Royal duties and obligations, so that she could see things through. In few minutes the pillars were lit and the helper of her dadisa, her grandmother entered from the aisle to the steps of the shade, bowed, "Rani sa asks you to come inside as it's dark". She nodded, as the help left, she sighed, looking around again, left the bageecha, expecting herself to come here once more to think through.

She was immediately rushed in to her room, and shown the dress she had to wear for the evening gala, with the neighbouring royalties and rich class allies. It was an annual event now, as no one went battling with the neighboring kingdom's in the 21st century. People from different rajgharanas gathered every year, around 8 Royal families. But Avathara cared less, being more bothered about her college starting next week, she was stuck in the thought of right and wrong, should she prefer a career or the inherited responsibilities. Whatever it shall be, she was looking forward to her college debut.

It was dark enough by now, the palace was glittery gold with all the lighting striking against the magnificent walls, the hallways were decorated and a savoury aroma was arising from the main kitchen. Seemed like a big deal and quite convincing to withdraw Avathara's attention away from her dilemma towards the grand evening. Holding her gigantic beaded skirt delicately she floated across the corridor reaching towards the front lawn where the guests had started to gather. Raja Ratnaval, one of the old friends of her grandfather, Raja Ranjeet II, was found introducing his young prince to her dadi sa. Avathara rushed next to her and greeted the friendly Raja and his young son, only to know that the young prince was thirty, not so young and was seeking to ask for her hand. Before the conversation became focused on the not so young prince and princess of Amargarh, Avathara came to her own rescue, leaving all telling them she had to check up on certain special arrangements for the night. She was heading towards the evening orchestra, she had decided the ragas that had to be played tonight and wanted to see everything was alright. She was a trained classical artist, obviously she would be wanting to present the best to her guests, she always tries to give her best, for all what she is capable of, and this didn't include being a pleasing wife to someone, that too to someone that much older than her. And it was not that marrying at a young age was a problem to her, but it was one right person she yearned for, about whom she has forever believed, would befriend her all life and make it easy for her to love. She never wanted a bondage, of course she had heard of Rani Chandrani's true love. She kept such hope for herself too.

Her beaded attire and the pastel silk glistened in the lights, making her an eye catcher. She was Avathara- meant 'reflection', she was named by her father because she carried the charisma and beauty of her mother, like it's a mirror image. But she found it half a truth, as has been quite distant from her parents since she turned three. They don't live here at the palace, they usually visited her once every month but from the past 10 years they have met her only thrice. Where they were, how they were there own their own, what they were upto back then and even now hasn't been clear to her. She had been clueless and curious about this forever.

Though she was breathtaking herself but she was oblivious and rather unbothered of the fact. As she walked back from the orchestra she bumped into a tall feminine figure, draped in a heavy lehenga, delicate hand work, the lady radiated nothing but elegance. She turned her focus to the face of the person, only to realize it was Kanika, the golden city's princess, her childhood friend. Avathara heaved looking at her gorgeous girl and went straight for a hug.

"Missed you a lot princess"

"You should be lying when you don't even want me to know that you are leaving next week", said Kanika moving away to give a sarcastic frown.

" Miss don't be mad at me I was so confused by myself, what's happening, what should I do, would I just end up doing something wrong out there alone, how would I...... "

"Calm yourself"

" I have been waiting to meet you, you understand me, you always do"

"Yeah, I do.... " They hugged each other again, Kanika giving a right assuring squeeze to her. Avathara pulled away smiling and headed towards her grandmother beckoning her, turning around she gestured to Kanika,"Meet me after the party".

The grand event ended near to ten o'clock, the two girls almost tottering in their bulky dresses, their way back to Avathara's chamber after a lavish dinner. Kanika mostly stayed back here for atleast a night when she visited. They entered into the suite and rushed towards the bed, laying at their back giggling, like they always did. Breeze swirled the silk curtain, the waning moon was lighting the room floor. Avathara turned to her side to face Kanika. Kanika tilted her head saying, "You have something up? "

"I just feel, I have this feeling you know, though I have lived away from here for camps and events, but always with people that I have known. Either it's the cousins or dadi and dada, earlier, or it has been your family. I never had to directly deal with people our there. And though I know now I get a chance for that, but, it's just, so peculiar, being on tour own and so far from home... "

"Whoa, miss, that's not a huge deal, I mean you going to college is, but being out in the world by yourself is what everyone experience somewhere, and they really are able to get through it. You will handle it. "

" I know, I would find a way somehow, I mean I got to and I would at last, how bad can a college be? Not at all, it's just getting along with people, I have null idea about it, I always meet people through family "

"That is just how you think, leave college people aren't that bad either girl, and you are a princess you might end up getting some princess treatment too" Kanika nudged her chuckling.

"No... Won't that be naive and rude, to demand certain behav-"

"You are so loose with this topic. I meant maybe you find some friends, maybe a girl, maybe a boy, maybe your lover boy-"

Avathara shooted a frowned glare at Kanika, for her to tease her that way.

"Why do you pull my leg, I am not going there for all of this. Even if I crave love doesn't mean that I would go hunting for it, it would happen when it has to. I am more focused on my degree, I really want to know myself through things, try out my potential. I don't think I have time for anything else"

Kanika turned to her side and cupped Avathara's face, "I never said that you are going out to try you love luck, I know you always aim your target, but I have a strong feeling, someone's waiting for you."

Avathara went to cup kanika's face, and giving her head a shake said, "You are excessive sometimes you know, I guess you should sleep. "

Both started to laugh and slowly dozed off amidst their conversation.

▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️◻️▫️

[sleeping-in-the-sky]

Those Halcyon Days (Infinite Blue)

“Plotting these schemes, pulling the strings… It has been painful. It is still painful,” Brooklyn confesses. His voice, usually rich and warm like honey and hearth, is ragged as he shares his sins. "But I have come too far for this to be all for naught, I can’t- I shouldn’t- stop now for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the duchy, for the sake of the people and you-”

His voice cracks. The hand holding his cup is trembling, and the amber liquid contained within ripples.

Brooklyn x Reader, Vampire & Royalty AU. Reader’s gender or pronouns are not mentioned. Also posted on Ao3 here. 

CW: Blood, character death, grief.

-----

Author’s Note: The vampire lore in this story doesn't have the classic "to become a vampire, you need to get bitten by a vampire/drink vampire blood" rules. Instead, I borrowed my incredible friend's homebrew vampire lore (with permission, bless her heart). The condensed version of her lore is as follows:

Vampires are, on a metaphorical level, a representation of trauma that haunts people. In a lesser sense they also represent regret and guilt. Every vampire is the tragic protagonist in their own Ancient Greek play, doomed from birth to fall to a cataclysmic disaster. They can be the instigator of this tragedy, and then vampirism is a sort of purgatorial punishment for them, or they could be a victim, perhaps dying in an extreme circumstance where they never received closure and they’re still searching for it, etc.

To become a vampire, the vampire-to-be must have lived a life of tragedy and misery, leaving an unrepentant wake of destruction in their path. Then, as their human body dies, or after it has died but before rot sets in, blood must be ingested by the vampire-to-be. This is not necessarily a vampire’s blood. Even animal’s blood will function well for this purpose. That’s it. Other vampires are not needed to create a new vampire. In fact, in certain conditions, vampires can even turn on accident.

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Act I: Cloudless Blue Skies

The children’s laughter rings throughout the town, excited voices mixing as they share old tales and imagine new ones. Armed with satchels full of toys and snacks, they race through the streets fueled by innocent excitement.

The adults engage in friendly chatter as they walk down stone-cobbled paths. Some start their daily banter with the lively street vendors, others wave goodbye and head home, all of them going about their humble lives to support their families.

The elderly bask in the gentle afternoon rays, watching their grandchildren and passing along the stories of old; tales of magic casting miracles and curses, legends of heroes fighting against dark-dwelling demons of sin.

From the open window, the young lord hears them all yet pays no mind, for he has more pressing matters to attend to. With a feather duster in one hand and a rag in the other, he continues his mission to make the entrance hall spotless, ignoring his servants' pleas to stop. After all, today was the day for his spouse’s arrival. Why shouldn’t he help make the manor as presentable as it can be?

He hears the creaking sound of the mansion gates opening, and he turns to see you - dressed in your best attire, hands clasped nervously in front of you - but with a quizzical look on your face. No doubt wondering why the head of the household, a high-ranking noble of the kingdom, and your new husband, was doing the duties of a maid.

He brushes away his embarrassment with a small cough before setting down the cleaning supplies. “Brooklyn Hayes, thirty-fourth head of the Hayes Duchy, at your service, ” he says with a graceful bow. He raises his head, and as soon as you lock eyes with that golden gaze he visibly softens.

“Pleased to meet you… My dear.”

Act II: Soft Clouds

The silk curtains sway to the rhythm of birdsong as the breeze leaves soft kisses on your cheek and entices your book to turn its pages. You set the novel down and look out the window, watching and listening for signs of life in the town. Your town.

It’s a good day.

As if right on cue, you hear two knocks at your door, and Brooklyn enters the room. He looks a little fatigued, but his usual grace is prevalent as he kisses you in greeting. “My dear, I was thinking of going to the café by the town square for lunch,” he said. “Would you like to join me? I heard they’ve added new tea cakes to the menu.”

He doesn’t even need to wait for a reply - the joy that lights up your face says it all, and he laughs. It’s a deep warm chuckle, and you can’t help but give a bashful smile in response.

“Well now, shall we go?”

The town square is bustling with its usual activity when the two of you arrive. The younger ones cheer and wave at the passing stagecoach, and the adults smile and bow respectfully. Your heart flutters as you accept a tiny bouquet of daisies from a particularly brave child, grateful at how accepting the townspeople were to you, an outsider.

Entering this arranged marriage was quite frankly, intimidating; joining the household of the famed Hayes Duchy, and even marrying the head of the family! But you soon learned that those worries were for naught. Despite his formality and status, you found that Brooklyn was just a kind and gentle man, and although you sometimes found his quirks odd - one of them being his penchant for excessive cleaning and organizing - he was someone you found worth and happiness being with. And for the townspeople, as soon as they saw how smitten their lord was with his new spouse, they quickly welcomed you with open arms.

Seating yourself on the café terrace, you watch over the plaza as Brooklyn graciously pours the two of you a cup of tea. A warm floral scent drifts lazily through the air. “I unfortunately have to continue my work right after this,” he says. “The royal court has been rather… disorderly lately. I truly do apologize.” He reaches across to take your hand in his, and he genuinely looks regretful.

“I hope to spend more time with you soon… But until then, I will cherish these moments of respite we share.”

Act III: Raindrops

It’s a quiet evening. Despite the relaxed ticking of the clock reminding Brooklyn it was close to midnight, he sits in his office, head in his hands, and lets out a sigh as he contemplates his course of action. Political strife had always been rampant under the thinly stretched tarp of noble appearances. But the cauldron, filled to the brim with unspoken resentment and hidden agendas, bubbled relentlessly underneath the covers and with the soon-to-be passing of the current king, he knew that all it’ll take was one more drop for everything to come spilling out.

To allow the Hayes duchy to shift from its longstanding neutral position would be adding more than a single drop to the cauldron. Opposing the first prince and his supporters was akin to a death wish, but with every bit of knowledge and experience Brooklyn wielded he knew that if he didn’t help the second prince succeed the crown it would lead to a future more torturous than death.

But was he prepared for the sacrifices, the cost, of purposely starting fires? Raking back his hair in frustration the duke abruptly stands and leaves the study, letting his legs decide where to go down the dark hallway without any direction while he relentlessly ruminated over his options. It wasn’t until he stopped in front of a mahogany door did he realize he was in front of his bedchambers.

Carefully, in an attempt to not make a sound, he pushes open the door. Under the plush comforters you were fast asleep, clutching a pillow in your arms as if it were your victim placeholder instead of your husband. Brooklyn couldn’t help but crack a smile. A cuddler, you were; it seemed like you were never fully comfortable until you were cozy under a dozen blankets and snuggled up to something, or someone. Yet another thing he adored about you. He sits on the edge of the bed and gently traces his thumb against your cheek, then shifts his attention to the open window. Singing cicadas, the gentle wind, all joining together as the chorus of Night, envelop him in a soft embrace. The townscape with his people, wrapped in their own dreams, glows dimly. Beside him, you murmur incoherently in your sleep and turn to nuzzle your face into his hand.

Guilt courses through his veins and threatens to swallow him whole, but he knows what must be done. Contrary to the heavily corrupt first prince and his faction, a noble exists to serve the people. And you, this town, this province- was his everything.

So with a deep breath, he lifts his hand and willingly steps into sorrow.

Act IV: Rainstorm

Steeling your nerves, you raise a reluctant fist and give two raps on the door. Hearing the muffled approval for entry you enter, a maid carting tea and sandwiches following close behind.

Most of the study is in its usual pristine condition. The antique bookshelves and their contents are sparkling with the prideful work of the servants, but Brooklyn’s desk is a mess. The usually carefully stacked papers are in a haphazard heap with the noble in question sitting surrounded by clutter, and when he raises his head to meet your eyes worry leaps into your throat. Despite his usual dignified attire, fatigue shone through in the shadows under his eyes and the delayed reaction as it finally registered that it was his spouse that stood before him.

Finally, he lifted the corners of his lips in a forced smile. “My apologies… It’s been a while since I’ve last had tea with you, yes? I suppose I do need the break.”

He leaves his prison-like workspace and joins you on the velvet chaise couch. The maidservant, despite casting worried glances toward her master, quickly finishes setting the coffee table and excuses herself. Like clockwork, Brooklyn lifts the porcelain teapot to serve you and then himself a cup of tea. Watching him move with his natural ease of grace was a routine for you, but unlike other days where you would be filled with peace, your mind was scrambling, searching for the right words to say.

But it was Brooklyn who broke the silence. “I’m guessing you’ve caught wind of the storm.” After a moment of hesitation, you nodded. News of riots breaking out at the capital, exposure of previously-hidden corruption of nobles, and instability in trade were rampant, and despite many pointing blame to the first prince you’ve heard subtle rumors that the mastermind behind them all was your husband.

When you relay what you’ve heard, Brooklyn goes silent. Finally, he confirms that the gossip was true. “Plotting these schemes, pulling the strings… It has been painful. It is still painful,” he confesses. His voice, usually rich and warm like honey and hearth, is ragged as he shares his sins. “I have long since accepted that I would be making sacrifices. But the number of innocent casualties, the suffering I’ve caused the civilians as a result of this was not anticipated. Or rather… I was foolish for not thinking this would happen. But I have come too far for this to be all for naught, I can’t- I shouldn’t- stop now for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the duchy, for the sake of the people and you-”

His voice cracks. The hand holding his cup is trembling, and the amber liquid contained within ripples. He takes a shuddering, deep breath. “You should flee,” he says, and your eyes widen. “I cannot fathom how much misery is yet to come. Leave me, and seek shelter be it with your family or another noble, but I’m terribly afraid to put you in the way of danger, so-”

His words die in his throat as your hand, firm and steady, takes hold of his. Anxiety and fear for the situation and the future gnaw at you but when you see your husband overburdened like this, all you could think of was to stay by his side.

“... Thank you, my love.” Brooklyn searches and finds comfort within your compassion and loyalty. “I want no harm to come to you, and I’ll arrange things so you can escape at a moment's notice. But at the same time… I am grateful that you choose to stay by me.”

“…I realize it’s selfish to say, but right now, I can’t help but wish that you continue to stay by my side. As of right now, you are the only thing that brings me ease.”

He sets down his tea, and in an unusual show of weakness, pulls you into him in a tight embrace. As you tenderly run your fingers through his brown hair, you could faintly make out a nearly-inaudible thank you as Brooklyn buries his face into the crook of your neck.

Act V: Thunderstorm

The mechanical ticking of the grandfather clock reminds Brooklyn that it was a few more hours until Night ends her reign and lets Day come to take her place. But unlike several seasons ago when he first waged this torturous political war, as he toiled away at his papers and plans the weight on his shoulders felt lighter. The first prince’s faction was steadily weakening, and it was only a matter of time before the king names the second prince as the official heir to the throne. The deaths of the innocents that were caught up in this mad dance still twisted his heart and crushed it with guilt, but maybe, just maybe, if all goes well, their deaths would not be in vain and all of the sleepless nights would be worth it.

He neatly caps his fountain pen and stretches in his seat. Maybe it’s finally time to get a decent amount of sleep. With his old orderliness he arranges the documents into neat stacks before leaving the office, finding friends in the shadows of the hall he walks down, and he looks forward to embracing you in slumber.

But when the heavy doors slowly open he’s not greeted by the steady sounds of sleep. There’s a figure standing by the bed and at first, Brooklyn wonders if it’s you. Although rare, it wouldn’t be unusual if you needed to get up during the night for a drink of water. But his eyes adjust to the darkness and he notices there’s another figure in the bed and he realizes it’s you, and under the silver moonlight shining coldly through the window he sees patches of blood, and then he hears it - gasps and wheezes, of your life slowly slipping out with every weak breath you take.

The standing assailant, in a familiar uniform but with an unfamiliar visage, turns and charges at Brooklyn, but his thoughts dissolve and blood rushes to his head, and in what he could only comprehend as a fit of vengeful malevolence, disarms the assassin and uses their own dagger to slit their throat.

There’s no time to think, to cry out for help, to identify the killer. He lets the body collapse in a heap to the ground and rushes to your side. He grabs the blankets with shaking hands, trying to use them to stop the bleeding, but even in the darkness of the callous night it’s clear that the wound was deep, your eyes look back at him as frantic as the beating in his heart as he whispers your name over and over like a prayer to the gods, your lips quiver and move as if you’re trying to speak-

For a split second he hears footsteps from behind. Then sparks of lightning shoot through him as he looks down and sees the tip of a blade in his chest and a glimpse of another figure behind him. The next moment he’s engulfed in what feels like hellish flames and a tidal wave of cold sweat, and the last thing Brooklyn feels is the metallic taste of blood in the back of his throat before darkness crashes down, swallowing him whole.

After what feels like simultaneously nothing and all eternity, vague sounds worm through the darkness and slowly give way to light as he lifts his heavy eyelids. Blinking slowly, it takes him a few minutes as he realizes the swarming figures around him are his servants, all in a myriad of emotions. They’re talking fast to him and to each other, moving about in a blurry dance and when with aching limbs he slowly sits up he feels nothing - no warmth, no grief, as empty of a husk as the cold lifeless body laying in bed in front of him.

Act VI: Fog

Brooklyn wasn’t sure how long time had passed since then. It could have been days or weeks, but through it all he feels as though he was drifting through a hazy dream. He has a vague recollection of another duke in the first prince’s faction arrested for the attempted assassination of the Hayes duchy, and that was the last raindrop of the political storm as it allowed for the first prince to quickly lose his influence. He remembers being invited to the royal capital for the second prince’s coronation, but he also remembers declining. Something about entering the sunlight-dappled palace didn’t feel right to him.

There’s a memory of your casket, lovingly decorated with orchids and carnations, and he even remembers placing a stuffed bear inside so you have something to snuggle with while you rest in eternal slumber. But when the priest starts to lead the prayer, it feels like an inferno was lit in his chest- and he leaves, pocketing the memory of your last peaceful expression deep within him.

He remembers his servants and guards leaving one by one - did he let them go? He probably did, solitude suddenly feels more comfortable. And soon the mansion was empty except for him, besides a few friendly townsfolk and old employees who, out of concern, visit him once in a blue moon.

Brooklyn drifts through the greyscale hours of his new everyday, living in the darkness that he suddenly finds comforting until one day without much thought he brews himself tea and realizes that out of habit he’s set out two teacups.

A breeze slips through the cracked window and flits around the empty mansion before leaving a kiss on his hand. The porcelain teacup slips through his fingers and shatters into a million fragments on the carpet, and it feels like a wake-up call to what was his reality.

It sets in that he won’t ever be able to see your uncontainable giddiness at the café, he won’t wake up at dawn to your arm slung over him, he won’t be able to feel your presence and the comfort you brought. All of them, now only existing in his memories.

But closing his eyes the only images he can conjure is one of your frantic expression before slipping away and the restful smile in your coffin and it’s enough to make him crumble.

A torrent of thoughts and emotions race through him and he clutches and claws at anything and everything - his face, his hair, the tablecloth. Anguished sobs rip out of the shell of his former self until there’s nothing left. Sullen eyes glance around the desolate manor and he feels sharp canines piercing his bottom lip, tasting despair.

From then on, all communication ceases from the Hayes duchy. When the newly crowned king sends a messenger to the providence, he is later found as a corpse, pale and empty of life and blood. The same fate meets the next several visitors.

The house is soon abandoned by the kingdom.

Act VII: Grey Skies

The children trade secrets in hushed whispers, spreading their tales of the broken manor hidden in the corner of the town. The brave ones, gathering their wits and curiosity along with their unenthusiastic friends venture to explore, but none make it inside.

The adults walk briskly to and fro through the graying town, still smiling at their children who scamper down the street, but the street vendors are quieter, and there’s no waving at any fancy carriages that run through the town because none come at all.

The elderly speak between themselves of love and nobility; tales of the years before the reign of the current king, how the benevolent lord of the now-gone duchy selflessly protected those who lived within.

But Brooklyn hears none of this, for why does it matter? The life he once knew, so vibrant and beautiful, was ripped and torn away from him, along with you.

And the eternity he must endure for atonement feels so hollow.

He sits, in solitude, in the dust-laden, cobweb-littered mansion.

[ima360]

CPQ Softwares and AI: Revolutionizing Pricing and Quoting

In today’s fast-paced business environments, effective and precise pricing and quoting play pivotal roles in influencing the sales and profit margins. This is where CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software comes into play in the picture. CPQ software is the new generation tool for the pricing and bidding and configuration of products or services so that a company can easily offer its price quick quote to their customers. However as AI goes on to revolutionize various industries, CPQ softwares is equally getting smarter, flexible and efficient.

Integrating AI into the CPQ softwares is a real game changer and a new way through which companies approach the topics of pricing and quoting. Now let us look at different ways in which this integration is revolutionizing the sales processes and the improvements being seen in business performances.

1. Enhanced Pricing Accuracy with AI

A major task of the sales operation is, therefore, to decide on what price shall be set for every transaction. It should be noted that current CPQ softwares tools are inherently capable of performing pricing based on the set of predetermined rules, but with the help of AI, businesses can achieve even more precise and flexible results.

The use of artificial intelligence entails past sales data, competitors’ prices, customer preferences and market trends to determine the right prices for products. Such dynamic pricing capability makes sure that businesses remain relevant during peak seasons, all the time making their profits as much as possible. For example, AI integrated CPQ can change the price depending on the shifts in demand, customer segments, or supply chain costs, and offer highly tailored and appropriate price points.

2. Streamlining the Quoting Process

Quoting can also be very exhaustive, especially if the proper tools are not used in the process. Historically, the process is very centralized and involves use of many departments and this slows down the preparation of quotes. This is made easy by CPQ software that is coupled with artificial intelligence in that it will facilitate the selection of product configurations and even produce the quote automatically.

It provides AI capability to the CPQ software to benchmark current quotes, analyze them and present the best configurations that can likely meet certain customer requirements. It can also mean that cross selling and up selling can be determined whenever the customer actually purchases a product, and their nature of the purchase. This leads to the offering of quotes within a shorter span of time and with higher accuracy and helps in the conversion of quotes into sales.

3. Improving Customer Experience

One has to realize that customer experience is significant for the formation of trust and to create sales. A customer’s data is incorporated in the AI-enhanced CPQ software, which enables the sales personnel to intimate suitable prices and products to the clients.

In addition, they are capable of interacting with various other systems such as customer rebate software and royalty management software thereby guaranteeing higher accuracy of both rebates and discounts. It also makes the quoting process easier and more transparent than what has been seen in the past. A quotation is provided to customers with the correct price and rebates or royalties if any so that customers feel more satisfied and develop confidence in the business sector.

4. Minimizing Mistakes and Increasing Efficiency

It may be due to human factors which are well known in supply chain management when it comes to pricing and quoting, whether they lead to loss making quotations or dissatisfied customers. AI automation and optimization of particular processes drastically minimize the chance of mistakes. The implementation of AI driven CPQ guarantees that the product configuration, special price discounts and the price rules are standard in the market.

In addition, connectivity with other business systems such as customer rebate software or the royalty management software helps the AI to put in place rebates, royalties, or special pricing terms and conditions to make sure that quotes contain all possible information and will be precise at the same time. This does not only make it fast but also cuts the chances of making errors that are so costly to any business.

5. Real-Time Insights and Analytics

CPQ software is enriched by AI in which the decision-making process is supported by analytics and ongoing analysis. Most sales teams are able to retrieve data such as acceptance rates on quotations, prices and or customer preferences. These findings enable firms to make naughty changes and to enhance their selling strategies all the time.

For example, if during the analysis, AI will reveal that specific product configurations yield higher revenues, it will suggest to use these configurations in future quotes. Further, AI can also monitor the effectiveness of rebates to customers as well as royalty structures in a means that checks whether such incentives are helping drive sales.

Conclusion

Integration of AI with CPQ software is advancing the methods through which businesses approach the pricing and quoting. In this way AI-based CPQ solutions help the companies to increase competitiveness and revenue by increasing the accuracy of the price quoting and improving the customer experience. In addition, these systems incorporate the customer rebate software and royalty management software to provide quality, genuine, and effective sales.

This is why it can be predicted that, as AI technology develops even further, the CPQ software will become even more valuable to organizations that aim to strengthen their sales functions and adapt to the changes in the environment.

[my-music-1460]

Rejected Music: What to Do When Store Partners Turn You Down

As an independent artist, getting your music distributed through major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music is a huge milestone. However, what happens if your music is rejected by a store partner? For many musicians, rejection can be a devastating blow to their confidence and career progression. But the truth is, rejection is not the end of the road—it’s just a temporary setback that can actually be a learning opportunity.

In this article, we’ll explore the various reasons why your music might be rejected by store partners and how this can affect your royalties and the overall lifetime of your song. Additionally, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on what you can do to address these issues and ensure your track gets the distribution it deserves. Remember, just because your music is rejected by a store partner doesn’t mean it’s unworthy—it just means there’s room for improvement.

1. Why Do Store Partners Reject Music?

Music platforms have strict guidelines and processes to ensure that the content they host meets certain standards. Some common reasons why your music might be rejected include:

Metadata Issues: Metadata refers to the information associated with your track, such as song title, artist name, album name, and release date. Errors in this data—such as misspellings, inconsistent formatting, or incomplete fields—can cause a rejection.

Audio Quality Problems: Platforms require high-quality audio for distribution. If your track contains glitches, background noise, or a low bitrate, it may fail to meet the store's technical requirements.

Explicit Content or Copyright Infringement: If your music contains explicit content or samples from other artists without proper licensing, it can be flagged and rejected. Many platforms have strict rules about profanity, violence, or sexual content.

Artwork Issues: The artwork associated with your music also plays a significant role. If your cover art does not meet the size or quality requirements, or if it contains inappropriate material, your submission can be turned down.

Store-Specific Guidelines: Each platform has its own set of rules. A song that might be accepted on Spotify could be rejected on another platform due to differing policies. It’s essential to review the store's guidelines before submitting your music.

2. The Financial Impact of Rejection

One of the first concerns that arise after a rejection is the potential impact on your earnings. After all, as an independent artist, every stream counts toward your revenue. If your music is rejected, it won’t be available on the platform, which means no streams and no royalties from that particular store until the issue is resolved.

That being said, a rejection doesn’t mean that your song will never be released. Once the necessary corrections are made, you can resubmit your track and it will go live. While this could delay your earnings, it’s a temporary issue that can be remedied relatively quickly.

It’s also important to note that not all store partners are equal when it comes to royalty distribution. Some stores, such as Spotify, tend to offer higher streaming rates, while others might pay less per stream. Therefore, missing out on a key store can affect your overall earnings. But once your music is live, you’ll be back on track to receiving royalties for every stream.

3. Song Lifetime and Exposure

Another area of concern when your music is rejected by a store partner is how it affects the overall lifetime of your song. The longer your track is off the platform, the less time it has to generate exposure, build an audience, and accrue streams. Timing is critical in the music industry, and if your release schedule is disrupted due to rejection, it can delay the promotional activities you had planned around the release.

For example, if you were planning to promote your new single across social media, perform live events, or even pitch your song to playlists, a rejection might force you to push back those plans. Additionally, the window for generating buzz around a new release is usually short, and any delays can diminish the initial excitement surrounding your song.

However, all is not lost. Many artists face setbacks and still find success. Once your track is accepted and goes live, you can reignite your promotional efforts. Consider using the rejection as an opportunity to rework your marketing strategy or even tease your audience with “behind the scenes” content about the submission process.

4. What To Do After a Rejection

So, what happens if your music is rejected by a store partner? While it’s disheartening, it’s important to stay calm and approach the situation with a clear plan.

Read the Rejection Notice Carefully: When a store partner rejects your music, they usually provide an explanation or a list of issues that need to be addressed. This could be as simple as correcting metadata or as complex as reworking your cover art or editing the audio file.

Fix Metadata and Formatting Issues: Review your metadata for errors and inconsistencies. Ensure that all fields are filled out correctly, especially those related to the song title, artist name, and release date. Double-check for any spelling or punctuation mistakes.

Improve Audio Quality: If the issue is related to sound quality, consider re-mastering the track. You may need to consult a professional to ensure your song meets industry standards. Pay attention to the bit rate and any unwanted noise or glitches in the recording.

Address Explicit Content Concerns: If explicit content caused the rejection, you might need to submit a clean version of your song. Alternatively, ensure that your song is properly labeled with explicit content warnings where necessary.

Re-submit: Once all corrections are made, you can resubmit your music to the store for a second review. Most platforms allow re-submissions, and as long as you’ve corrected the issues outlined, your song should be accepted.

5. Long-Term Strategy to Avoid Rejection

To avoid rejections in the future, it’s important to adopt best practices from the get-go:

Thoroughly Review Store Guidelines: Always read the guidelines of each store before submitting. Pay attention to their specific formatting and content requirements.

Invest in Professional Services: If possible, work with professionals for mastering your audio, designing your cover art, and managing your metadata. This can drastically reduce the chances of errors in your submission.

Plan Ahead: Don’t rush your release. Give yourself ample time to review every aspect of your submission and make necessary adjustments before your planned release date.

Conclusion: Rejection can be a tough pill to swallow, especially for an independent artist striving to get their music heard. However, if your music is rejected by a store partner, it’s not the end. By understanding the reasons for rejection—whether it’s related to metadata, audio quality, or store-specific policies—you can take the necessary steps to address the issues and get your music back on track. While a rejection may delay your royalties and impact the overall lifetime of your song, it’s a temporary setback that can be overcome with persistence and diligence.

Instead of seeing rejection as a final verdict on your music, view it as an opportunity to improve and refine your work. Once you’ve made the necessary corrections, you’ll be ready to resubmit your track and continue your journey toward music success. Remember, every setback is a setup for a comeback.

[dailyrandomwriter]

Day 673

One of the things that I am doing for Chimera Academy is slowly migrating aspects of the notes into a browser system called Campfire. The reason to do this is two fold.

The primary reason is that OneNote, the system that @wereah and I are using at the moment, isn't great for inputting visual mediums. This makes using references for a visual medium very difficult, because the formatting is terrible. Also, I don’t know if OneNote was really meant for a story as big as Chimera Academy has gotten.

The second (and less important reason) is that I am going to let my D&D Beyond subscription expire next year. This will be the last year I pay for my subscription, and so I have to start migrating all the mechanical stat information of the characters to somewhere else. While I still can use my account, part of the subscription was to allow me to create unlimited characters using the Dungeons and Dragons rule set. I can still do this, but I can no longer save newer characters.

For those who are not familiar with Dungeons and Dragons, there have been, for the past two years, issues with Dungeons and Dragons’ parent company Hasbro. Hasbro has made some very anti-fan and anti-consumer decisions. One of which was the open license agreement for D&D, which had allowed fans to make derivative works, which they could then sell. Last year, the company had wanted to make changes to this system in order to extract royalties from creators and claim creator works as their own within certain circumstances.

While they had walked back on that decision due to the outcry and the threat of a lot of creators switching from D&D to another ruleset, the damage was done. It’s the primary reason why Chimera Academy is primarily just a learning experience for us, it won’t even get a patron page because neither of us want to deal with the legalities of the open license agreement and frankly we can’t trust the company to turn around and change their minds again.

The other thing that made a lot of noise last year was the talk about changing how the sub-tiers worked for D&D Beyond, because Hasbro wanted more money. Now again, this was walked back last year. However, I do know from my Youtube dashboard that apparently there has been upheavals at least once a month about worries about what Hasbro will do with the franchise. 

Frankly, I can’t be bothered with any of it and since neither of us have played a campaign since taking on Chimera Academy, I might as well spend my subscription on Campfire, which I can purchase different models for. Provided I only buy one or two modules a year, that is far cheaper than my subscription currently. So, I’m working on porting as much as I can over to Campfire.

And god is that going to take forever.

[applebhut]

Unleashing the Thrill: A Comprehensive Guide to Teen Patti Game - the Ultimate Indian Card Game Experience

Get ready to experience the thrill of Teen Patti, the ultimate Indian card game that has taken the gaming world by storm. In this comprehensive guide, we will dive into the depths of the game, uncovering the rules, strategies, and tips that will help you unleash your inner card shark and dominate the table.

With its roots deeply embedded in Indian culture, Teen Patti is more than just a game; it's an exhilarating experience that brings friends and family together. Whether you're a beginner seeking to learn the ropes or a seasoned player looking to up your game, this guide has got you covered.

Discover the different variations of Teen Patti, from the classic version to the more adventurous and innovative twists. Learn the intricacies of the rules, the art of bluffing, and the psychology behind playing your hand. Arm yourself with strategies that will leave your opponents guessing and implement tips that can turn the tides of the game in your favor.

So, grab your deck of cards and let's embark on a journey through the thrilling world of Teen Patti. Get ready to become a master of the game and reign supreme at the virtual table.

History and origins of Teen Patti

Teen Patti, also known as "Flush" or "Flash," has a rich history that dates back centuries. Its origins can be traced to the Mughal era in India, where it was played by the royalty and nobility. The game gained popularity among the masses during the British Raj and has since become an integral part of Indian culture.

The game's name, "Teen Patti," translates to "three cards" in English, hinting at its simple yet captivating gameplay. Over the years, Teen Patti has evolved and adapted to the changing times, with new variations and twists being introduced to cater to the modern gaming audience.

Today, Teen Patti has transcended its cultural boundaries and has gained a global following, with players from all walks of life enjoying its excitement and strategic gameplay.

How to play Teen Patti

Playing Teen Patti is relatively simple, but mastering the game requires skill, strategy, and a bit of luck. The game is typically played with a standard deck of 52 cards and can be enjoyed by 3 to 6 players. The objective of the game is to have the best hand at the table and win the pot.

Each player is dealt three cards face-down, and the game progresses in a clockwise direction. The players then take turns either betting or folding, based on the strength of their hand and their intuition about their opponents' cards.

The hands in Teen Patti are ranked similarly to traditional poker, with the highest-ranking hand being a Trail (three-of-a-kind) and the lowest-ranking hand being a High Card. Knowing the different hand rankings and understanding the odds of obtaining each hand is crucial for making informed decisions during the game.

Bluffing is a key element of Teen Patti, as players can choose to deceive their opponents about the strength of their hand. The art of bluffing requires careful observation, reading your opponents' reactions, and maintaining a poker face to keep your true intentions hidden.

Different variations of Teen Patti

Teen Patti has evolved over time, giving rise to several variations that add excitement and intrigue to the game. Each variation has its own set of rules and gameplay mechanics, offering players a unique experience.

One of the most popular variations is "Muflis," where the hand rankings are reversed, and the weakest hand becomes the strongest. This twist forces players to rethink their strategies and adapt to the new dynamics of the game.

Another exciting variation is "AK47," where certain cards are designated as "wild cards" and can be used to complete any hand. This adds an element of unpredictability and opens up new possibilities for players to create winning combinations.

Exploring these different variations of Teen Patti can add a new dimension to your gaming experience and keep the game fresh and exciting.

Basic rules and gameplay strategies

To excel at Teen Patti, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the basic rules and develop effective gameplay strategies. Understanding the rules will ensure that you make informed decisions during the game, while strategies will help you gain an edge over your opponents.

One fundamental rule is to carefully observe your opponents' betting patterns and behaviors. This can provide valuable insights into the strength of their hands and help you make better decisions. Additionally, knowing when to fold and when to bet aggressively is crucial for maintaining a strong position in the game.

Another strategy is to manage your bankroll effectively. Teen Patti can be an unpredictable game, and it's essential not to get carried away and bet more than you can afford to lose. Setting limits and sticking to them will prevent you from making impulsive decisions and protect your bankroll.

Furthermore, understanding the psychology of the game can give you an advantage. By studying your opponents' body language and reactions, you can gain insights into their card strength and use this information to your benefit.

Tips and tricks for winning at Teen Patti

While Teen Patti is a game of skill, luck also plays a significant role in determining the outcome. However, there are certain tips and tricks that can increase your chances of winning and help you make the most of your gameplay.

First and foremost, practice makes perfect. Spending time honing your skills and gaining experience will improve your decision-making abilities and increase your chances of success.

Additionally, understanding the odds and probabilities of different hands can guide your gameplay. Knowing the likelihood of obtaining a particular hand can help you make calculated bets and avoid taking unnecessary risks.

Furthermore, managing your emotions is crucial. Teen Patti can be an intense and emotionally charged game, but allowing your emotions to dictate your decisions can lead to costly mistakes. Stay calm, focused, and rational throughout the game to maintain a clear mind and make sound judgments.

Lastly, never forget the power of observation. Pay attention to the cards that have been played and use this information to deduce the possible hands your opponents might have. This can give you a significant advantage and help you make more accurate predictions.

Online Teen Patti platforms and apps

In the digital age, Teen Patti has found a new home in the online gaming world. Numerous platforms and apps offer the opportunity to play Teen Patti with players from around the globe, anytime and anywhere.

These online platforms provide a seamless gaming experience, with stunning graphics, realistic gameplay, and the ability to connect with friends and challenge them to a game. Whether you prefer playing on your computer or mobile device, there are options available to suit your preferences.

Online Teen Patti platforms also offer the advantage of anonymity. If you're new to the game or simply prefer to keep your identity hidden, playing online allows you to maintain your privacy while still enjoying the thrill of the game.

With the convenience and accessibility of online Teen Patti, you can indulge in your favorite card game whenever the mood strikes, without the limitations of physical location or time constraints.

Popular Teen Patti tournaments and events

For those seeking a competitive edge and the opportunity to showcase their skills, Teen Patti tournaments and events offer an exhilarating experience. These gatherings bring together the best players from around the world, all vying for the coveted title of Teen Patti champion.

From local tournaments held in community centers to large-scale international events, there is a wide range of options for players to participate in. These tournaments not only provide a platform to test your skills but also offer the chance to meet fellow enthusiasts, learn from experienced players, and immerse yourself in the vibrant Teen Patti community.

Participating in tournaments can be a thrilling and rewarding experience, where you can put your strategies to the test against formidable opponents. It's an opportunity to push your limits, learn from your mistakes, and grow as a player.

Teen Patti etiquette and social aspects

Beyond the gameplay itself, Teen Patti has its own set of etiquette and social aspects that contribute to the overall experience. Respecting these unwritten rules enhances the enjoyment of the game and fosters a positive playing environment.

One crucial aspect of Teen Patti etiquette is maintaining sportsmanship and fair play. Treating your opponents with respect, regardless of the outcome, creates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, where everyone can enjoy the game without feeling intimidated.

Another aspect is following the established betting limits. Teen Patti is often played with predetermined minimum and maximum bets, and it's important to adhere to these limits to ensure fairness and avoid conflicts.

Furthermore, being attentive and focused during the game is essential. Avoid distractions and give your full attention to the table, as this shows respect to your opponents and allows for a smooth and uninterrupted gameplay experience.

By embracing these etiquette guidelines and fostering a positive social environment, Teen Patti becomes more than just a game; it becomes an opportunity to connect with others and forge lasting friendships.

Conclusion and final thoughts

Teen Patti is not just a card game; it's an experience that brings people together, ignites passion, and tests one's skills and strategies. With its rich history, diverse variations, and exciting gameplay, Teen Patti offers endless possibilities for players to explore and enjoy.

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, this comprehensive guide has equipped you with the knowledge and tools to excel at Teen Patti. From learning the basic rules to implementing advanced strategies, you now have the keys to unlock the thrill of the game.

So, gather your friends, fire up your devices, and immerse yourself in the world of Teen Patti. Let the cards fall in your favor as you embark on an exhilarating journey filled with excitement, camaraderie, and the thrill of victory. May your Teen Patti skills bring you fortune and endless enjoyment at the virtual table.

[imgpanda]

Can I Use iStock Photos on YouTube?

Introduction

Welcome to our blog post on the use of iStock Photos on YouTube. In today's digital age, visuals play a significant role in engaging audiences, and iStock offers a vast collection of high-quality photos that can enhance the visual appeal of your YouTube content. However, using these photos on YouTube comes with certain considerations and guidelines that we'll explore in this post. Whether you're a content creator, marketer, or just someone curious about using iStock images, read on to discover how to make the most of this valuable resource while staying compliant with copyright and licensing regulations.

Understanding iStock Photos

In this section, we'll dive into the world of iStock Photos and gain a better understanding of what this platform offers, including the types of photos available and how it can benefit content creators and businesses.

Understanding iStock Photos What is iStock? iStock is a popular online platform that provides a wide range of stock photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, and audio clips for creative professionals, businesses, and individuals. It's part of the larger Getty Images family, known for its extensive collection of high-quality visual content. iStock offers a vast library of visual assets contributed by talented photographers and artists from around the world. What Types of Photos Are Available on iStock? iStock Photos offers an extensive collection of photos catering to diverse needs. Here are some key categories and types of photos available: - 1. Royalty-Free Photos: These are the most common type of photos on iStock. They come with a one-time licensing fee, allowing you to use them in various projects without recurring payments. - 2. Exclusive Content: iStock offers exclusive content that you won't find on other stock photo platforms. This can give your projects a unique edge. - 3. Editorial Photos: These photos capture real events, people, and places. They are ideal for use in news articles, documentaries, and other non-commercial contexts. - 4. Illustrations and Vectors: Apart from photos, iStock provides a wide range of illustrations and vector graphics suitable for different design projects. - 5. High-Resolution Images: You can find images in various resolutions, ensuring that you get the quality you need for your specific project. Whether you need images for marketing materials, blog posts, YouTube thumbnails, or social media campaigns, iStock Photos offers a versatile selection that can cater to your creative needs. Benefits of Using iStock Photos Benefits Description 1. Diverse Collection iStock offers a vast and diverse collection of images, ensuring you can find visuals that align with your content. 2. Quality Assurance Most iStock photos undergo a rigorous review process to maintain high quality and professionalism. 3. Licensing Options You can choose from various licensing options to suit your specific usage needs. 4. Exclusive Content iStock offers exclusive content that can set your projects apart from others. Understanding the breadth and depth of iStock's offerings can help you make informed decisions when using these photos on platforms like YouTube, ensuring you are both creative and compliant.

Using iStock Photos on YouTube

Now that we've explored what iStock Photos has to offer, let's delve into the specifics of using these high-quality visuals on YouTube. It's important to understand the rules and guidelines to ensure you're using iStock Photos on this popular video-sharing platform correctly.

Using iStock Photos on YouTube Is It Allowed to Use iStock Photos on YouTube? Yes, it's generally allowed to use iStock Photos on YouTube for various purposes, such as creating engaging video thumbnails, adding visuals to your video content, or enhancing your YouTube channel's overall look. However, there are some important considerations to keep in mind: - License Type: Ensure that you have the appropriate license for the image you intend to use. Most iStock Photos come with a royalty-free license, which permits you to use the image in your YouTube videos without the need for additional payments. - Attribution: In most cases, you are not required to provide attribution for iStock Photos. However, it's a good practice to check the licensing terms for each specific image to confirm if attribution is needed. - Commercial vs. Editorial Use: Understand the context in which you are using the image. iStock offers both commercial and editorial images, and it's crucial to choose the appropriate type based on your video's content. How to Properly Use iStock Photos on YouTube Using iStock Photos on YouTube is straightforward, but it's essential to follow best practices to ensure you're compliant with licensing and copyright rules: - Select the Right Image: Browse iStock's extensive library and choose an image that aligns with your video's theme or message. - Download the Image: Download the image in the appropriate resolution for your YouTube needs. - Use the Image in Your Video: Incorporate the image into your video as a thumbnail, background, or visual element. - Attribute if Necessary: If the image you selected requires attribution, make sure to credit the photographer or iStock in your video description or credits section. Tips for Using iStock Photos on YouTube Tips Description Read Licensing Terms: Always review the licensing terms of each image to ensure you're using it correctly. Quality Matters: Choose high-quality images that enhance the visual appeal of your video. Consistency: If you plan to use iStock images regularly, aim for a consistent visual style to maintain branding across your channel. By following these guidelines and best practices, you can effectively use iStock Photos to enhance the visual appeal of your YouTube videos while respecting copyright and licensing rules.

Legal Considerations

When using iStock Photos on YouTube, it's crucial to be aware of the legal aspects related to copyright, licensing, and attribution. This section will help you navigate these important legal considerations to ensure that your use of iStock Photos complies with the law.

Legal Considerations Copyright and Licensing Copyright: Every image available on iStock Photos is protected by copyright law. This means that the photographer or creator holds the exclusive rights to their work, including how it's used and distributed. It's essential to respect these rights to avoid legal issues. Licensing: iStock offers different licensing options for its images. The most common type is a royalty-free license, which allows you to use the image in various projects without recurring payments. However, the specific terms of use may vary depending on the image and its intended use. Always review the licensing terms associated with each image you download to ensure compliance. Attribution and Usage Rights While many iStock Photos come with a royalty-free license, which typically does not require attribution, it's essential to verify the specific usage rights for each image. Some images may require attribution, meaning you must credit the photographer or iStock in your video description or credits section on YouTube. Here are some key points to consider: - Check Licensing Terms: Before using an image, carefully read and understand the licensing terms provided by iStock. This information will clarify whether you need to provide attribution. - Comply with Attribution Requirements: If an image requires attribution, be sure to include the necessary credits in your video. This is typically done in the video description or credits section. - Keep Records: Maintain records of the images you use, their licensing terms, and any attribution requirements to demonstrate compliance if needed. Seek Legal Advice if Unsure If you're uncertain about the legal aspects of using specific iStock Photos on YouTube or have unique requirements, it's advisable to seek legal advice or contact iStock's support for clarification. It's always better to be cautious and ensure full compliance to avoid potential legal issues. Summary of Legal Considerations Consideration Summary Copyright Respect the photographer's copyright; do not use images without the appropriate license. Licensing Understand the licensing terms for each image; choose images that align with your intended use. Attribution If required, provide proper attribution for images in your YouTube videos. By staying informed about copyright, licensing, and attribution requirements, you can confidently use iStock Photos on YouTube while respecting the legal rights of creators and avoiding potential legal complications.

FAQ

1. Can I use iStock Photos for commercial purposes on YouTube? Yes, you can use iStock Photos for commercial purposes on YouTube, but you need to ensure that you have the appropriate licensing for the images you intend to use. Most iStock Photos come with a royalty-free license, which typically allows for commercial use without additional fees. Always review the licensing terms to confirm compliance. 2. Do I need to provide attribution when using iStock Photos on YouTube? In most cases, iStock Photos do not require attribution on YouTube. However, it's essential to check the specific licensing terms for each image you use. Some images may have attribution requirements, so be sure to credit the photographer or iStock if necessary, usually in the video description or credits section. 3. Can I modify iStock Photos for use in my YouTube videos? Yes, you can modify iStock Photos to fit your creative needs for YouTube videos. However, the extent of modification may be subject to the licensing terms associated with each image. Some restrictions may apply, so it's essential to review the licensing agreement for each image to ensure compliance. 4. Are there any restrictions on using iStock Photos in YouTube thumbnails? No specific restrictions apply to using iStock Photos in YouTube thumbnails as long as you have the appropriate licensing for the images you select. Just like other uses, review the licensing terms to ensure compliance with the intended usage. 5. Can I use iStock Photos in YouTube videos without purchasing a license? No, you must obtain the necessary license for each iStock Photo you use in your YouTube videos. Using images without the appropriate licensing would violate copyright and licensing agreements, potentially leading to legal consequences. Always ensure that you have the correct permissions before incorporating iStock Photos into your content. 6. Where can I find more information about licensing and usage rights on iStock? You can find detailed information about licensing and usage rights on the iStock website. Visit their licensing and usage guidelines section or contact their support team for specific inquiries. It's essential to familiarize yourself with these details to use iStock Photos legally and effectively on YouTube.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using iStock Photos on YouTube can be a valuable way to enhance the visual appeal of your videos and engage your audience effectively. However, it's essential to navigate the legal considerations and guidelines to ensure you use these images responsibly. Remember these key takeaways: - Choose the right images: Select images from iStock's diverse collection that align with your video's message and purpose. - Check licensing terms: Always review the licensing terms associated with each image to confirm its usage rights and whether attribution is required. - Respect copyright: Respect the copyright of photographers and artists by using images within the bounds of their licenses. - Comply with attribution: If necessary, provide proper attribution in your video description or credits section as per the licensing terms. - Seek legal advice if unsure: If you have specific questions or concerns about using iStock Photos on YouTube, consider seeking legal advice or contacting iStock's support for guidance. By following these guidelines and being aware of the legal considerations, you can make the most of iStock Photos while staying compliant with copyright and licensing regulations. Enhance your YouTube content with stunning visuals from iStock and make your channel stand out. Whether you're a content creator, marketer, or business owner, iStock Photos offers a world of creative possibilities to explore. Keep in mind that the information provided here is based on our knowledge up to September 2021. It's always a good practice to stay updated with any changes in licensing terms or regulations on the iStock website. Now, go ahead and elevate your YouTube videos with captivating iStock Photos, and watch your content shine. Read the full article