#BSS System

[covalesedigital]

Digital BSS: The Cornerstone of Telecom Evolution in the 5G Era

The telecommunications industry stands at a pivotal crossroads, where the convergence of 5G technology and artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the competitive landscape. While industry discussions often center around network infrastructure and spectrum allocation, the true differentiator for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) lies in their ability to transform their Business Support Systems (BSS) for the digital age. 

The Shifting Paradigm of Telecom Services

The evolution of connectivity from a premium service to a fundamental utility has profound implications for CSPs' business models. This transformation demands a complete reimagining of how telecom services are created, delivered, and monetised. Legacy BSS systems, designed for an era of straightforward voice and data services, have become the Achilles' heel of many established providers.

While digital-native companies can launch new services in days, traditional CSPs often require months for similar deployments. This disparity isn't merely an operational inconvenience—it represents a fundamental competitive disadvantage in a market where speed to innovation defines success.

The Economic Imperative of Digital BSS Transformation in Telecom

The numbers tell a compelling story. With the digital BSS market projected to grow from $5.8B in 2023 to $12.5B by 2028, the industry is witnessing more than just market expansion—it’s experiencing a fundamental shift in how telecom services will be delivered and consumed. This growth trajectory, coupled with the projected $2.2T 5G services market by 2030, underscores a critical reality: CSPs must either evolve their BSS capabilities or risk becoming mere utilities in a market that demands innovation.

The evolution of BSS is being catalysed by widespread cloud adoption and emerging technologies. As Communication Service Providers (CSPs) transform into Digital Service Providers (DSPs), digital BSS solutions are becoming crucial for delivering superior omnichannel customer experiences. This transformation is driven by three fundamental elements including cloud-ready deployment, AI/ML integration, and DevOps practices. The future of telecom digital BSS will focus on agility, real-time activation, and customer-centricity, enabling telcos to launch personalised services faster while optimising operational costs.

AI as the Game-Changer in Digital BSS

The integration of AI into Digital BSS platforms represents more than just technological advancement—it's a strategic imperative. AI-driven BSS systems can:

Predict Market Demands: By analysing patterns in customer behaviour and market trends, AI enables CSPs to anticipate and respond to emerging opportunities before they become apparent to competitors. 

Optimise Service Delivery: Machine learning algorithms can continuously refine service parameters, ensuring optimal performance while minimising operational costs. 

Enable Dynamic Pricing: Real-time analysis of market conditions, customer behaviour, and network utilisation allows for sophisticated pricing strategies that maximise both customer satisfaction and revenue.

The Partner Ecosystem: A New Frontier

Modern Digital BSS platforms must excel at managing complex partner ecosystems. This capability isn't just about billing and revenue sharing—it's about creating a foundation for innovative service offerings that combine multiple providers' capabilities. The ability to handle multi-party revenue sharing, multi-currency billing, and hybrid account types has become a strategic enabler for future business models.

CPQ Integration: Beyond Sales Efficiency

Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) capabilities extend far beyond sales efficiency into strategic terriority, their strategic importance extends far beyond this. In the 5G era, CPQ integration represents the intersection of technical capability and market opportunity. It enables CSPs to: 

Rapidly prototype and test new service offerings 

Create personalised solutions at scale 

Optimise pricing strategies in real-time based on market conditions and customer value

Strategic Implications for CSPs

The transition to Digital BSS is not merely a technology upgrade—it's a strategic repositioning that will determine which CSPs thrive in the 5G era. Success requires:

A clear vision of how Digital BSS aligns with broader business strategy

Deep understanding of how AI can create competitive advantages  

Recognition that partner ecosystem management is a core competency

Commitment to organisational change management

Emerging Solutions in the Market

As the industry evolves, innovative solutions are emerging to address these challenges. The Csmart platform demonstrate how modern Digital BSS can be architected for maximum flexibility and scalability. With its microservices architecture and AI-enhanced capabilities, it exemplifies the kind of agile, future-ready solutions that CSPs need to consider in their digital transformation journey.

Transforming Telecom: The Digital BSS Imperative

For CSPs looking to navigate this transformation, partnering with forward-thinking solution providers who understand both the technical and strategic implications of Digital BSS modernisation will be crucial. The path forward requires not just technological capability, but a shared vision of how a purpose-built telecom Digital BSS can enable business innovation and growth in the 5G era.

Transform your telecom operations with Csmart Digital BSS. Our team of experts stands ready to help you navigate the evolving telecommunications landscape and unlock new opportunities in the digital age.

To know more visit: Covalensedigital

Visit: Covalensedigital LinkedIn

[cows-and-crows]

Little tiny Fen and Riley I drew on Fen’s birthday. (This is them taking Quotev quizzes)

[rhythms-and-reds]

What the fuck are you guys doing to Pokémon

[khattikeri]

it always kills my immersion when people write shen qingqiu as if he hates liu qingge in fics, because it's just such bad projection of the author's feelings about liu qingge.

listen. shen qingqiu does like and admire liu qingge. he trusts him, always thought of him as a cool (albeit unfortunate) cannon fodder character, and mostly enjoys his company. shen qingqiu just doesn't like that liu qingge is mean to his pookie.

liu qingge dislikes luo binghe, and shen qingqiu loves luo binghe, so shen qingqiu is deeply annoyed with liu qingge whenever the man has something to say about their relationship.

liu qingge has Opinions on them wandering around instead of staying on cang xiong? eyeroll. he has Words on the impropriety of a human master/half-demon disciple relationship, especially given their weird as hell mutual obsessiveness? whatever, shidi! he short-circuits from the misunderstanding that shen qingqiu gave birth to a child? kick his dumb ass off the mountain so he never makes such a ridiculous assumption again!

shen qingqiu doesn't read liu qingge's actions or concerns as "entitlement", because even in the post-canon extras, he's utterly unaware of the man's crush on him! shen qingqiu doesn't despise liu qingge, he just views him as a competent friend and colleague with irritating views on someone shen qingqiu holds incredibly dear.

[digitalsolutionsfortelecos]

Major Signs You Need a Convergent Billing System

Billing challenges often signal deeper issues within an organization’s operational framework. For telecom providers and service-oriented businesses, managing multiple, disjointed billing systems can create a myriad of problems, from operational inefficiencies to customer dissatisfaction. As businesses scale and diversify their service offerings, the complexities of handling various billing processes can become overwhelming. Disparate systems can lead to inconsistencies, errors, and a lack of cohesive data analysis, all of which can hinder growth and impact revenue streams.

A convergent billing system presents a solution to these challenges by integrating all billing operations into a unified platform. This approach not only simplifies management but also enhances accuracy and efficiency, ultimately improving the customer experience and streamlining internal processes. By addressing the issues caused by fragmented billing systems, businesses can leverage the power of a convergent system to optimize operations and drive better financial outcomes.

Recognizing the Need for a Unified Billing Solution

Managing multiple, disparate billing systems can introduce significant inefficiencies. Each system operates in isolation, leading to duplicated efforts, inconsistencies, and errors. For businesses dealing with a diverse range of services and customers, this fragmentation can be a major obstacle to operational success. A convergent billing system offers a solution by consolidating all billing operations into a single, integrated platform. This approach not only enhances accuracy but also streamlines processes, reduces costs, and improves overall performance.

Key Indicators That Signal the Need for a Convergent Billing System

Fragmented Billing Processes

Handling billing through multiple systems often results in inconsistent practices and increased error rates. These fragmented processes can lead to duplicated efforts, revenue leakage, and operational inefficiencies. A convergent billing system integrates various billing functions into one platform, ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of errors. This integration simplifies financial management and enhances operational efficiency.

Inconsistent Customer Experience

Customers today expect a seamless and transparent experience across all touchpoints. When billing information is scattered across different systems, it can create confusion and diminish the overall customer experience. A convergent mediation system delivers a consistent billing format and experience, which improves customer satisfaction. By providing a unified view of all charges and transactions, it simplifies the billing process and strengthens customer relationships.

High Operational Costs

Maintaining multiple billing systems incurs significant costs, including software licenses, maintenance contracts, and IT support. These expenses can add up, especially for large organizations. A convergent billing system consolidated billing operations, reducing the need for multiple systems and associated costs. This consolidation leads to substantial cost savings and allows businesses to allocate resources more effectively.

Slow Time-to-Market for New Services

Introducing new services can be slow and cumbersome when dealing with outdated or fragmented billing systems. Each system may require separate configurations and integrations, delaying time-to-market. A telecom digital BSS platform streamlines the process, enabling quicker deployment of new services. This flexibility allows businesses to respond rapidly to market changes and seize new opportunities.

Difficulty in Analyzing Billing Data

Fragmented billing systems can scatter data across various platforms, making comprehensive analysis challenging. This scattered approach limits the ability to gain actionable insights and optimize billing strategies. A convergent billing system centralizes data, providing a unified view that facilitates advanced analytics and reporting. This centralized data approach enhances visibility and supports strategic decision-making.

Compliance Challenges

Regulatory compliance is increasingly complex, especially when managing multiple billing systems. Each system may have different compliance protocols, increasing the risk of oversight. A convergent mediation system simplifies compliance by standardizing processes and integrating regulatory updates across all billing functions. This unified approach reduces the risk of non-compliance and ensures adherence to current regulations.

Integration Issues with Other Systems

Integrating multiple billing systems with other enterprise systems, such as CRM or ERP platforms, can be fraught with difficulties. Compatibility issues and data inconsistencies can arise, complicating integration efforts. A convergent billing system offers streamlined integration with other business systems, ensuring seamless connectivity and enhanced operational efficiency.

Limited Flexibility in Adapting to Market Changes

The telecom industry is characterized by rapid technological advancements and shifting customer preferences. Traditional billing systems often lack the agility required to keep pace with these changes. A convergent billing system provides the flexibility needed to adapt quickly to evolving market conditions and customer demands. Its scalable architecture supports new billing models and services, helping businesses stay competitive.

The Impact of Convergent Billing Systems

Implementing a convergent billingsystem can lead to an average reduction of 15-20% in operational costs and a 25% increase in billing accuracy, according to a report by Deloitte. (Source). These systems not only streamline billing operations but also contribute to significant cost savings and operational improvements. By consolidating billing functions into a single platform, businesses can enhance accuracy, reduce costs, and deliver a superior customer experience.

Embrace the Future with a Convergent Billing System

If your organization is experiencing inefficiencies, high costs, and customer dissatisfaction due to fragmented billing processes, it’s time to explore the benefits of a convergent billing system. This integrated solution offers a unified approach to billing, driving accuracy, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. Embracing a convergent billing system positions your business for future growth and success in a competitive telecom market.

Is your billing system holding your business back? 

The convergent billing system of Canvas, digital BSS platform can revolutionize your operations. It streamlines billing processes and improves the bottom line. For a tailored solution that meets your needs, get in touch with 6D Technologies today and take the first step towards operational excellence.

To learn more about the convergent billing system of 6d Technologies, please visit https://www.6dtechnologies.com/digital-bss/billing-and-invoicing/

[petrichoraline]

oh im obsessed with this gose ep

[olatechsolutions]

OSS BSS systems -Olatech Solutions

Olatech Solutions specializes in OSS BSS systems, offering cutting-edge solutions for telecom operations, enhancing efficiency and streamlining service management.

[thatfriendlyanon]

update: went to check out brave saint saturn's discography 'cause i had an inkling there'd be some songs that fit and now i need to stop myself from adding like 50% of their albums to this playlist sdlkjsdlgj

the wonderfully inevitable time has come for me to start working on my hunger games playlist, and was wondering if "whatever it takes" by imagine dragons was fitting enough for katniss til i reached the bridge and added it immediately

[covalesedigital]

Csmart BSS – The bridge connecting technology and business simplicity

CSPs or telcos of any size can reduce complexity of their business operations and improve operational efficiency through digital transformation, automation & monetization. This creates digitally connected yet independently working eco systems which improves business agility. Csmart has also been proven to drastically reduce time-to-market for an operator’s /CSP’s new or renewed offerings.

Csmart BSS implements digitalization with minimal disruption to existing business operations. It shields telcos/businesses from complexity & compliance aspects of technologies allowing them the freedom to drive & innovate their core business while still exploring all the opportunities offered by the same technologies.

A modernized BSS System helps operators to monetize 5G effectively in following ways

Agile Product and service creation and Management

A BSS system with a flexible product catalog enables rapid product creation and bundling of self and partner products to create and launch customized plans and reduce time to market.

A microservices based architecture enables faster order fulfilment and service activation.

5G use cases requires applications which can create complex product and enable business teams to launch products with ease through their applications.

Create Partner Ecosystem and revenue share models

5G use cases thrives on partnership with external industries, which require BSS system to provide revenue share type of models and support operators by creating a partner ecosystem.

BSS system should also facilitate partner onboarding and provide system to manage partner sales and discounts.

Real-time Charging, Rating and Billing

The BSS should integrate with network elements to capture real-time usage data across various network slices and services.

Advanced charging engines enable dynamic pricing based on usage, network conditions, or customer profile, maximizing revenue potential.

Traditional charging models in telecom primarily focused on data usage (e.g., data volume or time spent connected) but in 5G world, network slicing creates a new charging landscape where network slices can be created, updated and deleted by allocating, configuring, adjusting or decommissioning network resources thus OCS in 5G world apart from usage charging, can also charge for slice creation, update and deletion of slices since resources are used to perform these functions in network slices.

Converged billing platforms simplify the process for customers, handling different service charges through a single bill.

Data-Driven Customer Insights

The BSS system provide analytics tool which provides customer insights from customer behaviour and usage of products and services.

Modernized BSS systems provide the capabilities to integrate with other analytics tools to provide insights.

These insights can be used to personalize marketing campaigns, recommend relevant services, enhance customer support for better customer satisfaction and optimize pricing strategies for individual customers.

Open APIs and Integration

BSS systems are powered by open standard frameworks, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and interlinked components tailored to the demands of 5G.

A modern BSS system should be able to integrate with external systems or even legacy system through open APIs.

Open API’s fosters innovation and collaboration with third-party service providers, expanding the reach and value of 5G offerings and enhance the revenue by integrating the third part services.

Seamless Omnichannel Monetization:

In the era of 5G, customers expect seamless experiences across multiple channels, including web, mobile, social media, and POS.

A modernized BSS system not only facilitates seamless experiences but also enables operators to monetize these interactions effectively.

By delivering consistent branding, pricing, and service experiences across all touchpoints, operators can maximize revenue potential while fostering customer loyalty and retention.

Factors which an operators should consider while upgrading their BSS solution

Upgrading and modernizing BSS systems is crucial for telecom companies to remain competitive in their respective market and to unlock the full potential of 5G, so look for BSS solutions that offer below technology advancement based on your current technology stack:

Microservices architecture

The BSS applications built on microservices based architecture consist of loosely coupled small services which operates together and improves applications flexibility, scalability and enable faster launch of services. These small services are event driven and enable real-time communication between services. These services can be added, removed, or modified without interrupting the application functionality. The microservices architecture also supports open API's, which can be consumed and invoked by source and targeted systems, thus fostering seamless communication between applications. 

Cloud-native architecture

Cloud native architecture reduces the operating expenditure and drives automation but requires technology and organizational changes to handle higher data volumes and dynamic service offerings. Cloud native applications are quicker and easier to deploy, manage and automate traditional tasks, thus while moving towards a 5G network which involve higher data consumption and low latency for 5G use case, cloud native application is an important strategy for a telecom operator to monetize their 5G network. 

AI and machine learning capabilities

The BSS system should empower real-time data analysis, personalized customer experiences, and predictive maintenance to drive higher customer satisfactions.

Security

While 5G utilizes stronger encryption algorithms, authentication, and authorization to make hacking and unauthorized access difficult, 5G has also introduced Subscriber Concealed Identity (SUCI), where your device doesn't transmit its real identity but a temporary, encrypted version, further protecting user privacy.

A telecom operator transformation journey to a Digital BSS system depends on many factors like operation needs, budgets, timelines and by embracing a futuristic BSS system. The telecom companies can transform 5G from a technological marvel to a sustainable revenue engine, which will unlock a world of possibilities and create use cases to foster the growth of an operator and enhance customer satisfaction. Apart from having a robust BSS system which empowers Digital service providers (DSP) to provide 5G offerings to their customer, it is also essential for a DSP to have 5G monetization strategy, vision, innovative service offerings, and a collaborative approach to navigate the evolving 5G landscape.

To know more visit: Covalensedigital

To contact us: Covalensedigital Solutions

[darl-ingfics]

Feveruary Day 21: From Better to Worse

Fandom: Seventeen

Sickie: Seungkwan (cold)

Caregiver(s): Joshua (feat. San of ATEEZ and Yeji of ITZY)

Word Count: 1,460

January had been a hard month for Seungkwan. From prepping for and performing at award shows to serving as a MusicBank MC to promoting with BSS to regular Seventeen practices and album preparation, not to mention maintaining a semblance of a social life with his friends and family… it was a lot, to say the least. So many interviews with jokes to make, fans to charm, conversations to focus on. An endless stream of hair and makeup noonas so kindly making him look flawless, and the fear of messing up their work after. Shedding one stage outfit just to put another on. A constant shuffle of protein bars gobbled down on the car ride from one building to another, coupled with ibuprofen and extra vitamins to fight off the cold he was vaguely aware was creeping up on him. Far too much coffee and barely enough water. So few hours of dreamless sleep that kept his body physically moving but left him just as bone-tired as when he’d collapsed onto the bed. 

Seungkwan was positive that he had developed the ability to completely shut off his body’s complaints as an evolutionary necessity. When he was on camera or on stage or even just chatting with his industry peers backstage or on set, smiles and casual chatter came naturally. He was a mood maker by nature; his reputation as Seventeen’s energizer bunny wasn’t manufactured in the slightest, but simply Seungkwan being Seungkwan. Besides, his job as an idol didn’t allow him the time or space for self-pity; he chose this job, and he was going to do it well, no matter what. 

Even when that cold overpowered his immune system. But it wasn’t anything Seungkwan couldn’t handle. He’d muscled through harder schedules with worse than a sore throat and the sniffles. This was child’s play. And he told his ‘worry wart’ (his words) members as much when they voiced their concern to him, begging him to slow down, or at least sit down. Sure, he didn’t fight Hoshi or Jihoon when both unit leaders told him to mark his movements and high notes during rehearsal, nor did he refuse any of the countless remedies pushed on him by his hyungs. He didn’t lie about how he was feeling either; he acknowledged being sick and genuinely didn’t feel bad enough to warrant taking a rest. So his members had no choice but to watch him, their hands ready to catch him should he fall. 

And fall her did. 

On January 15th, the day before his birthday, Seungkwan’s schedule was as packed as could be: group practice from 8 to 11, then Music Bank for MC rehearsal from 11:30 to 1, then there were a series of interviews packed in from 1 to 3, which was when he had to be back at Music Bank to prep not only to MC but also to perform with BSS. 

Everything had been going well. The tea with honey he’d had that morning and the decongestants he took routinely throughout the day were doing their job. The rehearsals went smooth. The interviews were fun. He’d been a perfectly professional MC. He’d shined brightly on stage with Soonyoung and Seokmin. 

And then the cameras had stopped rolling. Soonyoung had been pulled away to film dance challenges. Seokmin was chatting with some friends. Seungkwan, left in a moment to himself, felt all the noise in the room beginning to fade into the background, his focus narrowing dangerously to the sound of his own heartbeat. He walked backstage, feeling like he was underwater as he bowed politely and smiled woodenly at all of the staff and colleagues he passed. He entered the hallway, flinching at the suddenly too bright lights, walked a few steps, sat down on a bench. Took a deep breath. And fell apart. 

Hands shaking, Seungkwan crumpled over his knees, unable to handle the awfulness overtaking him. His entire body felt too hot, skin crawling underneath the layers of makeup and clothing and sweat. His head was pounding, sinuses specifically aching as if he’d been on a plane. His throat was screaming and his chest felt suddenly tight. His body refused to be ignored another second, and he couldn’t handle that. 

“Seungkwan, you down here? Kwannie?!” The worried cry vaguely broke though Seungkwan’s haze of misery. He didn’t look up until he felt hands on his knees. Seungkwan opened his eyes straight into Joshua’s warm, waiting gaze. He had no idea his hyung was coming to the show tonight (it had, in fact, been a surprise all along, something Seungkwan would learn later). “Seungkwan-ah?! What’s wrong?”

“I don’t feel good.” Seungkwan shook his head. 

Joshua frowned, thumbs stroking gently against Seungkwan’s knees. “I thought you said you were feeling better?”

“I am! I… I was…” Seungkwan’s expression crumpled. He dropped forward, covering his face with his hands. And he sobbed. Having Joshua here, knowing that someone who loved him was present in this space with him, looking at him like that, was enough for all of Seungkwan’s defenses to crack. 

“Oh, angel,” Joshua murmured, voice silk soft as Seungkwan fell into his arms. Joshua wrapped his own arms around his dongsaeng, one wrapping around Seungkwan’s back while the other wound upward, supporting his neck, fingers tangled in his hair. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“Hyung, I wanna go home.” Seungkwan’s voice was so desperately soft, so heartbreakingly exhausted and feeble and not their usual sunshiny entertainer. He sniffled harshly, pulling back from Joshua just enough to scrub at his eyes. 

Joshua moved a hand to brush sweaty bangs off of the younger man’s forehead. “Of course you do, love. You’ve had a looong day. How about we get you back to your dressing room, change your clothes, and head straight home. How does that sound?” Seungkwan contemplated the offer, biting his lip as he forced his weary brain to work. Just as he nodded his head, footsteps rounded the corner. 

“Seungkwan-hyung! There you are!” came the bright voice of Choi San. Both Seungkwan and Joshua looked up to see the ATEEZ member walking towards them, Hwang Yeji next to him. Both of their smiles faded the closer they got. “Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“Is everything okay?” Yeji asked, looking worriedly between the pair. Seungkwan grasped Joshua’s hand and squeezed. 

The elder vocalist knew exactly what that meant. “Everything will be okay,” Joshua answered with a reassuring smile. “Kwannie’s just had a long week, and everything’s hitting him right now.”

San pouted sympathetically, a look Yeji mirrored. “I’m sorry, hyung. I hope we didn’t add…”

“No!” Seungkwan exclaimed, irritating his throat and prompting a cough. He shook his head. “No, you two were probably the highlight of this very long, very tiring week. I would not have traded this for the world.”

“Well, it’s been an honor working with you, so how can we help you now?” Yeji asked, hands planting on her hips, ready for action. San mimicked her pose and determined expression. 

Seungkwan paused in thought, eventually just squeezing Joshua’s hand again. The older man smiled, standing up as he addressed the other two, “Can you go round up Hoshi and DK? We can’t leave without them.”

“On it!” San mimed a salute before crouching to pat Seungkwan’s knee. “Feel better, hyung. We’ll see you next week?” Seungkwan nodded affirmatively as Yeji swooped in to kiss his temple. And then it was just him and Joshua again. The elder vocalist, thankfully, hadn’t let go of his hand yet. 

“Why is everyone so nice to me?” Seungkwan asked, teary eyes looking up at his hyung. 

“Because it’s so easy to love you, Boo,” Joshua replied. He chuckled to himself as a single, fat tear rolled down Seungkwan’s cheek, brushing it away with his thumb. “Come on, let’s get you home. I can have dinner waiting for us when we get back, anything you want. And I’m sure Cheollie can arrange a day off for you tomorrow.”

“But I’m not that sick…”

“Bullshit. You’re running a fever now, bud, that’s veering towards ‘stay home’ territory.” Seungkwan looked away guiltily. “And even if you were fine, it’s always nice to get a little time off for your birthday.”

Seungkwan’s palm smacked his forehead none-too-gently. “Oh my gosh! How could I forget my own freaking birthday?!”

Joshua chuckled again, pulling Seungkwan to his feet and latching a protective arm around his shoulders when the younger man wobbled. “We gotta get you a lighter schedule soon, or these month-long colds are gonna fry all your brain cells.” Seungkwan pinched his side, but rested his head against Joshua’s shoulder, finally feeling a sense of calm return to him after half of a month of chaos. 

[appri-dot]

Pls infodump I wanna know stuff Abt ur ocs🥺🥺🥺🐟🐟

I SAVED THIS ASK FOR WHEN I GET INTO AN OC RAMBLING MOOD BUT I SHOULD PROBABLY JUST USE IT THIS ISN'T UNO!!! OKAY SO UHM- LET ME TALK ABOUT SOME GUYS THAT I NEVER EVER DO! under read more though because they are embarrassing..sigh

Anyway, back to fun things! BSS and Reserved Complex are my dynamic duo Iterator ocs.

Reserved Complex was an early-age Iterator ontop of a preexisting city, she was extremely populated an adored. As they had already grown fond of her before she was created by where she was placed. effectively presenting her as the conscious embodiment of home. As the movement for ascension developed and became more feasible the overly attached iterator started a campaign against it, and even attempted to dissuade her citizens from partaking until forced correction had disabled her ability to propagandize.

She couldn't do anything. And it ruined her a bit.

She became obsessed with their absence, interested in the evolution of life that sprouted from it. Her local group saw her as a very maternal figure, posed as graceful and a parallel to ancients. She earned the trust and adoration of many aside from an individual named Brothers Sworn Secrecy.

Brothers Sworn Secrecy is sort of controversial, he was made to solve the great problem, but a division of ancients who were adverse to the common culture developed on his superstructure. Hedonism and taboo acts were a staple, hidden by a shared sense of secrecy amongst the population. Where they would live to experience pleasure until the era of ascension.

BSS was very VERY closed off because of this, it was obnoxious how impossible it was to communicate with him or his citizens. Until finally there was a seizure of his people to be quickly straightened out for their negative influences, and BSS was abandoned, left with a gift of independence, acutely aware of each and every functional system inside and out of his can, as they one day hoped he could join them.

He had kept all the secrets they buried with himself, removing himself from the local group communications and dedicating his life to secretly discovering the taboo of self elimination.

And everyone lived that way, existing through cycles and cycles with no real deviation from their previous experiences. Until RC did something so unacceptable and offensive that she was effectively blacklisted from any and all communications. (She tried to force the evolution of a new sapient species to replace the ancients, revealing that thousands of cycles of trust lead to some unholy abomination that triggered taboos never considered)

Afterwards she considered trying to communicate with BSS who didn't exactly have her blocked but was just literally off radar. Developing a means to earn the consideration and grace of the group again by using BSS as her target. She made a slugcat🥰 awww! One with a short lifespan and in such a way that it couldn't exactly function properly, and the only thing it could do was reach BSS...atleast that's what it hid itself as. It was an infection, it could breed and fast, as cycles past the creature would essentially just die and have its children die aswell. Many cycles, many generations. Destroying the local ecosystem of BSS's structure, like a virus.

Nothing stopped them, they had no message, and they had no mercy.

So he eventually reinstated his communication to everybody's shock to plea for help and beg anybody to save him. That's where RC steps in. Basically working to "fix" the issue. Using her gross abomination lizards to kill the slugcats in mass. But they couldn't really persist against a monument of icky critters. And RC knew they wouldn't.

BSS as of current is managed by the group as a sick loser. RC earning her spot back as the sweet and tender mother who only wants what's best. And she would've gotten away with it if it weren't for that meddling slugcat!!!! (Leech)

I NEED TO STOP BEFORE I REACH SOME KIND OF LIMIT!!! I LOVE THESE TWO SO SO SO SO MUCH THEY MAKE ME SICK AND ILL AND CLAP MY HANDS, the reason I'm embarrassed and don't talk about them much is because they are what I call, "unofficial fandom ocs" I don't know enough canon story elements to confidently talk about them aloud because there might be some lore inconsistencies in how they are portrayed

Also there's other dudes lol

[atlaculture]

Hello, I saw a recent post of yours where noted that China had 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. I remembered Kuvira's Earth Kingdom map on her train that had pieces for the different states, and I counted 56 states. Do you think Bryke could have deliberately made this number of states to reflect the ethnic groups in China (which the EK is based off of)? Just as China has a majority ethnic group (Han Chinese) and 55 minority groups, the EK has a capital state (Ba Sing Se) and 55 states that are subordinate to it.

Yeah, I think the number of Earth Kingdom states might have been influenced by the number of officially recognized groups in the People's Republic of China.

But saying the 55 other states of the Earth Kingdom are subordinate to Ba Sing Se is a bit of an overstatement. The Earth Kingdom seems pretty freewheeling. Kyoshi Island, Omashu, the Si Wong Desert tribes, and the Foggy Swamp are pretty much isolationist states that could care less about Ba Sing Se's happenings. Ba Sing Se likely practices a tributary system, similar to Imperial China. Under this system, the emperor (or Earth King) allows other states to rule over themselves so long as they have an envoy kowtow before him, acknowledge him as the most powerful figure in the land and shower him with gifts. Other than that, "tributary states" are functionally independent.

Ba Sing Se ultimately only really cares about the preservation of Ba Sing Se, as most view it as the true "core" of the Earth Kingdom. Just look at how BSS sequestered itself away during Chin the Great's rampage through the EK. This is also why the court was ultimately fine with keeping the Earth King in the dark regarding the war. Basically, BSS is the embodiment of the proverb:

"Heaven is high and the emperor is far away."