[☼]RotB[☼] Farewell, friends. See Front Page

[The Grand Weaver]

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_____________________________________________________________________01|| Intro/Navigation
_____________________________________________________________________02|| Updates & Announcements
_____________________________________________________________________03|| Rules
_____________________________________________________________________04|| The Legend
_____________________________________________________________________05|| The B'alam
_____________________________________________________________________06|| The Tribes
_____________________________________________________________________07|| Breeding
_____________________________________________________________________08|| Customs
_____________________________________________________________________09|| Familiars
_____________________________________________________________________10|| The Realm
_____________________________________________________________________11|| Current Events
_____________________________________________________________________12|| "The Lists"
_____________________________________________________________________13|| The Staff
_____________________________________________________________________14|| Sister Shops

|| Guild Home || Owner's List || DeviantArt ||

♦ Thalion ♦
♦ GunSniper ♦ Ririka ♦ [ Radical Dreamer ] ♦
♦ Little Yellow Jacket ♦

Realm of the B'alam on Discord!

New here?
Please check out our Beginner's Guide to the realm!

[The Grand Weaver]

xxxxxxxxxx Updates
09.30.2018

◘ Female Dark Magus Primaries Complete!



xxxxxxxxxx Announcements
o2.11.2019- [ A Regretful Farewell ]-
Friends and B'alam Fam- we regret to inform you that Realm of the B'alam is being forced to shut down.
This morning, we woke up to the following PM in our inbox:

Junai Bokunenjin

Hello,

We have been notified of the owner of the lineart you are currently using for your shop Realm of the B'alam no longer giving permission to use said lineart. Because this express permission has been revoked, any images that use this lineart going forward may not be used in the shop. This does not affect images that have already been bought or sold prior to February 16th, 2019.

Please remove all works including lineart made by Leelakins that was previously purchased for use by Little Yellow Jacket. This includes art in your thread [☼]Realm of the B'alam[☼] and your corresponding guild Realm of the B'alam.

You are being given 30 days to comply to these changes. If after 30 days there is still linework that is being used that you do not have express permission to use (such as by the creator of the art or the person who has purchased a license to use the art with permission), we may be forced to remove both your guild and thread for art theft and place a permanent ban on your account for art theft and scamming. To reiterate, you may still host the art that was created prior to this permission being revoked, but you may not create new art (such as new pets or breeding) with the lineart that you no longer have permission to use.

If you have any questions about this request, please reply to this message. Alternatively, if you have additional evidence to provide, please reply with said evidence to support your case.

Regards,
Junai Bokunenjin
Omni Moderator

Our staff has attempted to fight this decision by producing the original agreement between Thalion and LYJ wherein Thalion paid for the right to her work but Gaia's rules apparently usurp the agreement made between LYJ and Thalion.

As per their next PM:

Quote:

This contract made in 2015 is invalid due to Gaia's rules over-ruling your contract. This contract also does not say that your re-did lines are yours to use. Our rules on copyrighted content and how this contract is written (as well as credits given in your shop) outline that Little Yellow Jacket still has ownership of those lines. If you were given express permission to use these lines if they are redrawn, I require you to link me to/report the content as evidence of an agreement. Without that, we must go on the assumption that she is in full control of these lines and they cannot be used going forward by you or the shop that she is no longer a part of.

Even if your bases were re-drawn by you, they are based off of/copied/eye-balled from the originals that she is in control of. If you do not have evidence that she said you may use these for the shop forever going forward, you are unfortunately unable to use these lines from now on as she ultimately owns them and is ceasing to allow you permission to use them. Tracing/copying/eye-balling/heavy referencing is still a copyright violation, and therefore is still considered art theft/scamming. Whether or not additions were made (such as horns, wings, etc.), the bases that they are based off of you no longer have permission to use.

Again, from her PM contract with you, there is no evidence that she said that these line art pieces may be used by the shop indefinitely. This contract is also invalid. If you have evidence of Little Yellow Jacket saying that these lines may be used forever within the shop after you had obtained ownership of it, I would like you to forward that evidence to me at your earliest convenience. However, without this evidence, our decision on the matter is the same: you must cease using any lineart that belongs to Little Yellow Jacket going forward as you no longer have permission to use it.

So, as this move against the shop has officially closed us and stripped the staff of any further reason to remain on gaia- we will go full exposure.

In 2014 LYJ approached Thalion hoping to revive Temple of The B'alam. It was the first set of lines that LYJ had purchased and she had hoped to revive the old shop. After many attempts to work with the old lines, Thalion offered to re-template the entire set of lines to make them easier to work with, edit, and expand upon. The next few months involved a lot of work, redlining, inking, shading, and world building. Thalion built the realm from the ground up with minimal input from LYJ outside of the occasional thumbs up.

As any who frequent the B/C know, it's common practice for this particular individual to buy up templates and rights to shops that, back in the day, had quite the cult following, revive it for a few weeks, then move right along. The staff at RotB never drifted- they stayed focused while their "owner" drifted in and out with the tide, opening their new shops, running it into the ground, returning to get their hands on whatever current cosplays they wanted, then drift out again. Eventually, the staff came up with a compromise- revamp another shop for LYJ in exchange for the rights to RotB. LYJ agreed and for nearly three months, Thalion re-vamped East of Eden from the ground up, re-wrote the lore, redid the certs, guild, and templates much the same way she did in RotB. An agreement was made and full ownership was shifted over. Here is that contract:

Quote:

I, Little Yellow Jacket do hereby give up my rights as owner to the shop Realm of the B'alam in accordance with the following conditions to Thalion. These conditions must remain met for the full ownership to remain transferred to Thalion alone.

A breach in conditions 1 or 3 will result in the co-ownership of the shop once more. If that occurs, Little Yellow Jacket will pay Thalion for the Pony templates once more.

Condition 1: Little Yellow Jacket will remain permanently on staff as a colorist for all time. She will have no quota requirements and may continue to take all types of work offered in the shop. (customs, RL customs, breeding ect)

Condition 2: The transfer of ownership will remain quiet from the general population of gaia to avoid harassment. No change will be listed on the front page of the shop to aid in this matter.

Condition 3: In in the event Thalion decides to leave gaia, close the shop or decide to willingly give the shop up, Little Yellow Jacket will be able to purchase the ownership of the shop and art, for an agreed upon price of 20 billion gold.


In exchange for the shop, Thalion will be completing the new templates for the shop Ponies of Panavalon. The templates can include at Thalion's desecration any number of additional manes and tails but are not required.

Our side was fulfilled- and then some. Two sets of Pony lines were completed- one from East of Eden and one from Ponies of Panavolon. We did twice the amount of work requested of us in exchange for the rights to own the fruits of our own labor.

The events leading up to this closure are hardly secret. LYJ wanted the lines back, Thalion refused. LYJ hired another artist to re-do the original lines but when that project fell through both on gaia and deviantart, she resorted to this measure.

One lesson to learn from this is that it is not the artwork that defines its community: It's the spirit of the community. B'alam was founded in 2014 as a safe haven for those on gaia who have found themselves in the shadows so to speak. Shops became massive cliques in many regards, pets became outlandishly expensive, shops prioritized quantity of pets over the quality of character building or lore, and the hostile political climate off-gaia was infesting even the b/c. B'alam was built to be different- the pets were almost always given away, the staff worked without pay. We built colonies, kingdoms, cultures, and tear-jerking plots together. We had our lumps, sure, but our community put everything we disagreed on aside because we were able to focus on the things we had in common. People who stood at polar ends of an issue could find a middle ground and plot together. People who felt like the odd one out in the bigger shops could come in, have a new pet given to them, and a flock of people looking to welcome and plot with them.

We were different- and it wasn't the art that did it. It was you guys, it was the community.

If we could find a way out of this- we would take it. We've tried to be civil with those who wish to bring us down. We've tried to reason, we've tried to ignore the problem- but in the end they did it. And for what? It's an empty victory for them and if their intention was to hurt the staff here- they clearly did not care about the casualties in the community.

So from the staff-

We love you guys. B'alam lived half a decade and saw highs and lows. We looked forward to coming home and cooking up new plots and ideas. We've been through a lot together- and we'll never forget it.

If you are owed something, we deeply apologize that we have nothing to give you. We've lost the right to even make good on the backlog we have.

The discord is up- if we come up with something new, it will be announced there, but it's been made clear that Gaia is no longer a place for us. We'll miss you guys. Thank you for everything.

[The Grand Weaver]

General Rules ►
xx→ Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
Even if you don't like someone, even if you disagree with their opinions, or even if you have some history that you all need to sort out- be civil. Don't make someone feel uncomfortable, harass them, insult them, or otherwise treat them badly. Bullying in any form will not be tolerated here.


xx→ Our staff members are able to act on their own convictions.
This means that the colorists reserve the right to refuse any project that they feel personally convicted against. Some of the staff will be more open to some things than others, please don't take personal offense. We will not force someone to use their artistic abilities to do something that makes them uncomfortable. This is supposed to be a happy place for all!


xx→ Do not alter, trace, edit onto, or 'heavily reference' from the artwork.
If we find any offenders of this rule they will be both blacklisted from the shop itself and reported to the gaia mods as art thieves. This is a serious offense against the original artist, the owners, and the shop itself and it will not be handled lightly.


xx→ Keep it clean.
Please keep swearing to a minimum. Please do not discuss the details of your bedroom activities. Please keep your political and hot-button opinions to yourself. We want everyone to be comfortable here! Sig content is your business, but what goes on in this thread is ours.

xx→ Do not beg for a pet.
This means guilt-trips, subtle or none too subtle hints, and outright bellyaching is not allowed.

Role Playing Rules ►

xx→ Do not godmode.
This means your character should not be reading minds. You should not be imposing actions on someone else without their permission.

xx→ Character death happens- on the terms of the owner.
If you wish to kill off a character, that is your choice. However, you cannot impose death on another person's character for any reason.

xx→ In-Character actions have consequences.
While we are allowing characters to be protected against forced mortality, for now, don't push your luck. If your character pushes another too far, breaks the rules of their culture, etc. they can be punished. If there is a line that needs to be drawn, feel free to ask a staff member.

xx→ Stay within the confines of the setting.
There is very mild magic, but nothing dramatic. There is crude technology but no one will be whipping out a cell phone.

F.A. Q►
Old vs. New

xxx◘ Q || I have a character from the old shop, can I transfer them over?
xxx○ A || Yes- but they need to be worked into the new setting. Every B'alam, regardless or how you obtained them, will now be a Gen o1. If they no longer fit into the edit/custom standards, they will be ineligible for reproduction or role-play until they can be given a makeover. Makeovers are completely free! All you need to do is keep an eye out for slots.

xxx◘ Q || Can I breed or rp my B'alam while I wait for a conversion?
xxx○ A || Yes! However, we ask that if your B'alam does not meet the current shop standards that you rp them as if they do. Also, their offspring will not show any of the edits that are not acceptable by the new shop standard.

xxx◘ Q || What if I don't want my b'alam converted but I want to be able to breed/rp them still?
xxx○ A || We are not taking B'alam away! We are asking that, for rp purposes, you rp your pet as if they meet shop standards. This means if your b'alam has clothing, technology, extra limbs, is on fire, etc. that you rp them as being a normal b'alam to the shop. If you breed your b'alam, we are grandfathering the old ones in but their offspring will not show any of the illegal traits.


xxx◘ Q || I really like how my old b'alam looks...but I want to have another version of them that's acceptable to the setting. Can I do that?
xxx○ A || Only for old pets! We'll allow 'trophy' pets, and a setting-appropriate version. These will count as conversions and will be highly encouraged of our old patrons. Conversions will be free.

xxx◘ Q || I have an old cosplay...but someone else just got the same character. What gives?
xxx○ A || It is impossible for us to know what all cosplays were done in the old shop. We looked, tried, and failed. We had two options: Disallow cosplays in the new shop or to allow open cosplays. This means that no cosplay is 'claimed'. There can be multiple cosplays of characters so long as the designs are different. We encourage everyone to maintain their cosplay list in the owner list section of the guild so you can protect your design.

xxx◘ Q || What kinds of things will require my pet to get a makeover?
xxx○ A || To avoid conflict with former staff members or owners, we are changing the shop to be something a little more... reasonable. More roleplayable and down to earth. There are plenty of shops where you can have animals with people clothing, trees growing out of their backsides, or guts falling out of them. This...won't be one of those shops. Technology is stuck in the dark ages, genetics can only go so far, and clothing on animals... let's not. Cloaks, capes, pelts, scarves, etc. are fine, but shirts, pants, and top hats won't fly. If you aren't sure, PM the mule!

xxx◘ Q || Okay, my pet needs a makeover, what should I do?
xxx○ A || The staff will slowly, and at their own leisure, open slots to give old pets a makeover onto the new lines. They'll all have their own standards, rules, and pricing so be sure you read before posting!

xxx◘ Q || I have a cub or idol that never grew from the old shop...
xxx○ A || You'll need to have the original images on you and some proof of ownership. We're not going to be accusing anyone of stealing or taking advantage of unclaimed/uncerted pets, but we do need some proof so we're not growing someone else's pet for someone other than their owner. Secondly- pets will be grown to fit with the new shop. We can't use the old templates and some of the races are discontinued. If your pet has edits/items that don't fit into the setting, they'll be converted into something that fits in.

xxx◘ Q || I have a custom or a trade that was never done!
xxx○ A || Again, we may open some slots to amend this but a lot of the old staff members took their trades or gold and ran.We'll do what we can, however!

xxx◘ Q || I had a plot or a character that no longer fits with the setting. What can I do?
xxx○ A || Unfortunately, they'll have to be converted into the new system. If you don't feel right doing that, that's fine too! But remember, it has to fit into the new system before you can breed or rp them.

General FAQ
xxx◘ Q || Are cosplays allowed?
xxx○ A || Yes... to an extent. Edits are going to be more toned down than before. We're going to keep it to what the animals can make themselves. Cosplays also cannot retain the abilities, powers, and history of their base. And as a side note- cosplays have to be commercial characters like Superman or Batman, or original characters that -you- created. If we find that you have taken the original character of someone else, including individuals with webcomics, you could get into hot water.

xxx◘ Q || So this is nothing like the old one! Even the templates are different! Why is that?
xxx○ A || The shop has changed hands. LYJ Still owns the lines but much of the old staff has left and a new staff has been hired on to give the shop an over-haul. The changes are to prevent conflict between the old and the new.

xxx◘ Q || Are the pelt colors that big of a deal? What if I want a red water-tribe creature?
xxx○ A || This is really up to the tribes themselves as they develop and adapt with roleplay. For now, there will be no restriction on colors that can be requested for customs or otherwise regardless of tribe. Just know that some tribes may not favor some colors.

xxx◘ Q || What kind of edits are allowed?
xxx○ A || We'll have more details down near the customs, but the long and short of it is this: think the dark ages. There is some technology but the apex species are the B'alam. They can manipulate objects with minor telekinesis but they can only do as much with this power as we might with our human hands. It's the very beginning of their world. We will allow things like scarves, shawls, cloaks, and pelts. There will be crude armor, baskets, satchels, etc. Things like cell phones, technological enhancements, and light sabers aren't in the scope of possibility. We're also going to have a loose standard for genetics. While our critters have wings, fangs, etc. we're going to try to keep reasonable. We don't want B'alam running around with their guts hanging out, trees growing out of their faces, or multiple limbs. This includes multiple wings or mis-matched wings. (Ie- one angelic, one demonic. The poor thing couldn't fly!)


xxx◘ Q || So with the mating system, I can't have flings? Or have a tragic plot where...someone has cubs forced on them? Or surrogates?
xxx○ A || We will allow most relationships, but only spirit-bound relationships will produce offspring. While we understand this will put a strain on some sorts of plots, but we want to avoid touching some exceedingly uncomfortable and inappropriate situations in the realm of reproduction.

xxx◘ Q || What will happen if I have a pet that gets spirit-bound to someone's B'alam and things go sour?
xxx○ A || The spirit of the spirit-bound will be torn away from their bonded but there will be a period of healing that will need to take place before they can successfully bind themselves to another. In OOC terms, we don't want this abused. It should be something that happens in dire situations. If your friend leaves or things go sour between the two of you- that's fine, but if it's a clever way of getting flings out... well let's just not do that. We don't want to make things too complicated.

xxx◘ Q || Are there any naming standards?
xxx○ A || We aren't going to be too restrictive with names. We do, however, ask that names be appropreate (meaning nothing crude or vulgar), and names! Using two words like "Wiggle Leaf" is just fine, using a statement or a sentance like "Walking listlessly in the moonlit winter" isn't going to work. Names like "Butt nugget" also won't work out. We'll let common sense rule this one. If a certist pokes you in regard to your name, don't take it personally! We'll help you find a fitting alternative. As a side note- modern references are restricted as well! "Rollar coaster", "Enjoy Coca-Cola", and "Train Wreck" wouldn't work.

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

Reproduction within B’alam is not a... physical affair. A male and a female B’alam each hold one half of a whole spirit. When a pair is ready to unite, they partake in a bonding ritual that brings the two halves together to form a whole spirit. This awakened spirit is the only way to communicate with the god that breathes life into the carved totems. The parents offer up a prayer and several carved totems and the god may grant a few of them life and thus blessing the newly awakened whole with a family. Because of this, only spirit-bound pairs are able to reproduce. Most relationships are permitted, but only spirit-bound will bring forth offspring.


◘ Breedings are restricted to one adult ♀ and one adult ♂ only.

◘ Breeding between blood relations is restricted as they share a spiritual bond that cannot be successfully woven to form a whole spirit.

◘ A couple must wait for all offspring to reach adulthood before they can pray for a new family.

◘ Litter sizes and genders are determined by a dice roll. Litter sizes are between 2-4 default. There will be bonuses for elders, special events, and role playing your B’alam.

◘ Colorists may choose to open custom-in offspring but they will cost as much as a standard custom and the offspring must resemble their parents or direct relations.

◘ B’alam are unlimited in how many breedings they my take.

◘ Each owner can keep one default baby per litter. The rest must be given away. How this is done is up to the owners but the offspring cannot be sold or traded. If you have no idea how to give the remaining babies away, contact the shop and we can arrange for a shop-run event.

◘ Breedings cost 50k total. You can have one person pay it all or split the payment. So long as we get the full 50k, we don't care.

Important Breeding Links

◘ Spirit-Bound Registry || Pairs must be registered here before breeding.
◘ Breeding info- Extended | All you need to know about breeding!
◘ Breeding Subforum | Breedings will open here!
◘ Breeding forms are here!

Current Breeding Season

[The Grand Weaver]

Customs are B'alam made your own way! Do you have a character you want to have come to life? A beloved OC? A cosplay perhaps? Well this is how you can get your paws on that special B'alam!

First of all, we do have some limitations in regards to our customs here. We want to make sure that no one's confused going into this so please take a moment or two to read over the guidelines that we have. Our rules and standards are here to maintain a consistency shop-wide. Our old incarnation allowed just about everything but we've drawn a few lines so that we can protect the setting.

Secondly, only a few of our colorists are able to do edits! Please keep that in mind when ordering your customs. We do have edit shops, but those open upon the colorist's convenience.

Thirdly, guest colorists are not able to take on customs!

To learn more about the cans and cannots of customs, and how they are obtained, please visit the custom information page located here!

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

[The Grand Weaver]

The Realm of the B'alam is all about world building and story-telling. What good are either of these if there's no way to record history or to spread the word? Well, that's why the Chronicler's Guild was founded! A handful of B'alam were woven together and mentored in the art of listening and observing. Their silent observations will span the world over and their records will soon shape the history of the realm.



The role-playing elite will have the honor of playing these characters and having their observations recognized here. Every month, one of the Chroniclers will step forward with a story they have observed. These are activity highlights to reward both the Chronicler's dedication and the dedication and creativity of every-day B'alam and their players.

Want to have your story recorded?
If you want your RP to have a chance of falling onto the pages of the shop's history, be sure to include [ Chron ] within the title of your rp! This will let the chroniclers know that you are welcoming them into the rp as an observer. They may pass through the scenario and make a record of their observation.

Tale of the Season

Past Tales

[The Grand Weaver]

The White List
Our staff members, everyone that helped us get back up and running, and our wonderful patrons!

The Gray List


The Black List
No one yet. Let's keep it that way.

[The Grand Weaver]

--

[The Grand Weaver]

Well this is embarrassing! It seems our sister shops' graphics have all fallen into the Photobucket pit of despair. Want to affiliate with us? Please PM The Grand Weaver a link to your shop and your banner! We'll add you to our affiliates. Please return the favor and link back to us!

Link to us!

[URL=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/breedable-changing-pets/realm-of-the-b-alam-stuff-soon/t.91745885/][IMG]https://cdnw.nickpic.host/mVqeIM.png[/IMG][/URL]