#design upgrades to skip

[brianwilder]

Home Selling Pitfalls: 11 Design Upgrades Real Estate Experts Recommend Skipping

In a competitive housing market, first impressions matter, and understanding buyer psychology is crucial for a quick sale. “Even though you only need one buyer, it’s essential to present your home in the best possible light,” says Austin-based real estate agent Emily Ross. She notes that today’s buyers are becoming more selective and less inclined to renovate after moving in. Ross advises, “When in doubt, go classic.” Neutral tones, matching appliances, and open spaces are particularly appealing to buyers who want a blank canvas to make their own.

Ross, along with Opendoor’s head of real estate, Kerry Melcher, recommends examining nearby listings to see what’s working. “I often find a recently sold home in the neighborhood that achieved a high price or quick sale as a model to follow,” Ross says. Conversely, if your home lacks a renovated kitchen while others have one, you might miss out on competitive offers.

To help sellers navigate current design trends, we asked real estate agents for insights on what to avoid and their recommendations for buyer-friendly alternatives.

Read more

[lackadaisycats]

Hi!

I got a question about that delightful opening of the pilot, the Old Man River poem. It is my second favourite moment of the comic, only beat by the chapter "Breakdown", and I have never seen a better clip in an animated show/film. It then occurred to me, however, that it is 1) a 1-to-1 translation from the comic in terms of spoken lines, but 2) it adds wonderful visuals and sound design, including Rocky's fiddling, which makes the scene absolutely epic! But it is very much the same scene.

I heard somewhere on the grapevine that the series will follow far more closely the plot of the comic, and thus I wonder: Will that scene be in the show? Will it be repeated nearly exactly as it is in the pilot but minimally tweaked to fit the series? Will it be remade, and if so, to what extent? What sort of upgrade could it need?

Or will it just be skipped altogether?

The rest of the pilot I feel takes notable parts of the first volume and sort of fuses them together as a "showcase" of course, which I love, but that scene in isolation is so close to the comic canon, I have to know. Any information is appreciated! I do understand anything withheld due to spoilers.

Long ask I know, sorry, I ramble a lot, so Tl;Dr: Will the Old Man River poem show up in the series? And if so, will it be replicated or remade/updated/altered?

I didn't want to rehash the Old Man River poem since it already appears in the pilot, so we wrote something different. It serves a similar purpose in the story, but the presentation and prose is all different.

[bunabi]

I finished Veilguard btw so here's my long thoughts (be warned I've been writing notes during my entire playthrough so this is very long) for folks who want it:

My favorite parts of DAV:

Best level design in any DA so far. The platforming grew on me, and I think the levels were well-thought out and mostly fun to navigate. Arlathan Forest was exhausting but other areas felt nicely balanced with branching paths, hidden rooms, etc. Exploration in smaller contained maps done right imo.

Mage combat is really satisfying at higher levels. Pure ranged combat is totally impossible unless you have Davrin and Taash popping taunts back to back, but dropping a massive AOE while fighting close-range feels good too.

Being able to auto-equip and compare new gear is great.

Same with the codex entries. Not having to hunt down whatever note I just picked up is a huge improvement.

Upgrading equipment via duplicates incentivized treasure chest hunting, which I would have otherwise skipped lol. It really helped me slow down and take time exploring areas, and I appreciated that.

The final act didn't make the previous 70+ hours feel better, my fault for spoiling most of it for myself, but it was neat. Cool set pieces, cool fights. I was worried Elgar'nan was gonna have the same moveset as the Regrets, but his final battle was great.

Oh, I forgot Felassan! His notes were a tragic delight. Such a good man. Funny too. They didn't need to kill Varric to make Solas less sympathetic...I think Felassan's betrayal(s) serve that purpose well already.

Rook & Their Faction:

Without rehashing what I've said over the past few weeks: this is my least favorite protagonist.

Being a funny and sarcastic and irreverent hero in a DA game is not new. Not having a choice in the matter is. The Inquisitor was pretty fixed in their tone too (cant even choose a personality for them in CC) but even they had better aggressive options available.

Folks say not to judge Rook's depth by a Lord of Fortune playthrough but since factions are asymmetrical on purpose here are my impressions:

The Lords of Fortune didn't contribute to my run in any meaningful way other than getting Emmrich hot which is not unique, as it turns out, to any particular background. In fact, learning Natalene was a galley slave as an aside detracted from my experience. Being a former galley slave, former Circle mage (again: Rivain doesn't have Circles), semi-Dalish city elf with DIY vallaslin is unreal. Especially as characters continuously imply Rook is a young 20-something. The fact this wasn't immediately caught and course-corrected shows -- to me -- how hectic and spread-thin DAV's development really was. :(

Story & Antagonists:

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain have cackling witch disease. No motivations outside of power. That was a little disappointing. Was also hoping they'd at least comment on Rook/Davrin/Bellara's vallaslin but they're too busy plotting world domination to really notice. Love their designs though. I'd love to hear a deep dive on how they animated Ghil's tentacles.

Veilguard feels like an immediate follow-up to Trespasser, not the ten year timeskip it says it is. I wonder if that's a symptom of adapting the live service story (content that was likely meant to stretch, similar to Anthem and Destiny, over a decade) for single-player.

I miss the politically-motivated meddling. Every villain is allied with the Evanuris. We needed some that aren't. The Right and Left Hand of the Black Divine, corrupt brothers of the Imperial Chantry, the agents of the Archon, a Minrathous street gang, some Rivaini pirates, anything, anyone.

It's crazy how all elven resistance seemed to evaporate with the dissolution of the Dread Wolf Army. As much as I'd hate seeing them duped and betrayed by Solas…I prefer that to just pretending everything's fine now. I could easily see alienage elves and slaves take Cyrian's path, desperate for change no matter the source, especially since oppression is all they've known and there's no end to it in sight. Especially with their gods confirmed as the source of the blight. All downhill from here I fear.

The Butcher. Would. That voice and that frame....it purred I fear. But even he was not immune to cackling witch disease. Wish he stuck around longer for personal reasons. My South is under siege and I aint talking about Ferelden.

Combat:

I found myself switching builds a lot, which was nice and kept things fresh. That being said: DAV needed loadouts for skills and equipment and a menu showing active passive skills + enchantments. A QOL update for this stuff would have been amazing. I want to try an archer run, but I dread (🐺) fussing with skill tree nodes again.

After fighting Mythal (my first full dragon fight) I was disappointed how all dragons share her same attack patterns. They didn't have to reinvent the wheel or anything -- this was the case with dragon battles in DAI and I thought it was fine -- but Mythal of all enemies should have been unique.

High-level demons are limited to Rage and Pride. High-level darkspawn are limited to Ogres. I miss those little scrungly lookin' despair demons and nasty ass hurlock emissaries. After 60 hours I did get a little tired of the same handful of mobs over and over.

Companions & NPCs:

The Veilguardians feel like my kids. Except Emmrich who's absolutely convinced he's in an age-gap relationship with my older lady Rook. It's not that they're uniquely dependent or rudderless, it's that their struggles are solved with nurturing pep talks. Reaffirm their worth, give them a hug, and all that inner turmoil is cancelled. Rich coming from the 'I should have been able to influence my companions more in DAI' girl, but Rook's impact on the Veilguard, the way their doubts vanish completely via some life coaching, feels off.

Speculation: I think the companions were originally planned to be NPCs. Their written banter in some of the notes, their verbal banter throughout the Lighthouse, they feel like they're meant to stay in the hub and act as quest-givers in the live service game. Especially with how Rook is excluded. That's fine btw it just helps explains some things. (Just remembered something else: when you talk to quest NPCs out in the world and the camera focuses in on the conversation, you can't see your companions. They chime in with disembodied voices, always hidden out of frame. That also gives me the feeling they were added later. Not confirmed btw just my hunch!)

Torn about Taash. I love them for breaking the 'agreeable companion' monotony but hate the ~animalistic race~ tropes they were saddled with. I've had issues with Weekes' handling of race and culture in the past. I'm disappointed to see it continue a decade later. I'll leave it there. Sten cannot smell ovulating coochie!

I tried to kill Lucanis during the final assault. Had full faction strength but I didn't complete his personal quest. It didn't work. Sorry Zevran!

Shathann's VA was acting her ass off. Great performance. Absolute bars from Taash's VA during their scenes too.

I dreaded (🐺) opening the Lighthouse map to see who wanted to talk. I usually love chopping it up and getting to know my party; that's my favorite part of any DA game. But so many conversations were just spent restating the obvious (Bellara is worried about The Gods and her brother, Harding is worried about her powers and Solas, Davrin is worried about the griffons and Gloom Howler, you know like in case you forgot). Running person-to-person-to-person and feeling no sense of accomplishment or progress for it seriously drained me.

The Inquisitor… I assumed vowing to stop Solas would block my Lavellan from pining and questioning herself after a decade apart and two very clear rejections. She kept asking whether he could still be reasoned with even in the midst of the final operation. I'm disappointed how little that choice mattered in the end. The second-hand embarrassment was crazyyy.

Romance:

Now this part is a little unique. Sorry for what I'm about to say about Emmrich. If it helps: I found him the most fun of all the companions. He's handsome, thoughtful, and has a fascinating past. But I ended up being dissatisfied by the end, and not just because of being soft-locked into a May-December fling, cringe commentary from Rook, and feeling like I was straight-up harassing Emmrich in early flirting dialogue.

The main issue: I don't care for the Mourn Watch. I like the Mourn Watch characters, but the organization makes me crazy. We hear so little about how they function in the context of an Andrastian nation like Nevarra. Summoning the dead in a world that still believes souls join the Maker's side in the Fade is huge. I wanted to really dig into discussions on the afterlife but in the end I'm supposed to go 'waow cool skeletons' and forget that religion is such an important facet of Thedas. I was so bummed!

I made him a Lich because he didn't seem to care either way. Reuniting him with Manfred is morally good, turning him into an eternal protector of the Necropolis is morally good. Emmrich is happy with whatever, so I gave him whatever, and I said 'whatever' when it was all over. My god is that man cute, but the romance overall just didn't do it for me.

Should've known when I saw his rotunda lol Bioware you sly dogs you got me again!

Personal final thoughts:

Well? I don't think I'm sad anymore, but I am left with complicated feelings. Obviously things are a little different for me being an EA Partner and getting an idea of just how much work has gone into making the game exist period. And I think because I can't blame it all on one person, shit all over it, and move on that these feelings are just kinda churning with nowhere to go.

Things could have been handled better. Didn't like the attempt to hide the world states until launch, or the dismissive comments from writers about it. Didn't like the AMA answers. And this isn't really my business but I'll say it anyway: I feel like the community council was thrown to the wolves, having to base their DA4 impressions around the sliver of content they were allowed to see, and having a much more hands-off role than implied.

I hope DAV is taken as an opportunity to refocus, double-down on what makes Dragon Age so beloved, and lean into those strengths unapologetically. Easier said than done -- as much as I loved Swen's speech about creating games free of marketing expectations and mimicking the latest trends that's often times impossible -- but I want to believe it can be done in this case.

Anyway both Sabine & my antibiotics are complete and I'm overcoming my moodiness and getting back to work on commissions! I've cured the Blight in more ways than one! 😄

[aaron04jpg]

MotoGP guide

TEAMS AND RIDERS

In MotoGP, there are “factory teams” and “satellite teams”

Both factory teams and satellite teams compete on the same track 

Each manufacturer is allowed 1 team per class

There is no limit to how many satellite teams can get bikes from a manufacturer (i.e.  there are 4 Ducati teams)

A team consists of 2 drivers

For the 2025 season, there are 11 teams and 22 drivers

Factory Teams

Factory teams are directly supported by motorcycle manufacturers

Factory teams are considered top-tier teams with the hierarchy; they often have priority access to the latest upgrades and are typically composed of highly skilled riders

The manufacturers design and produce their motorcycles and have their dedicated championship

Factory teams get significant financial and technical support from their manufacturer (access to the latest technology, support for bike development)

Factory teams are a direct representation of the manufacturers on track. the factory team’s success reflects on the manufacturer’s brand and image

Satellite Teams

Satellite teams are independent entities and may not be directly part of a manufacturer. 

They don’t have the same level of support from a motorcycle manufacturer as factory teams.

Satellite teams usually use the “same” motorcycles as the factory teams but they don’t typically have the latest upgrades or the same level of technical support

These teams typically purchase or lease the previous year’s bike from the manufacturers.

Satellite teams rely on their own sponsorships and funding (although they do receive support from the manufacturer it is not to the extent the factory teams do)

Satellite teams can switch manufacturers from year to year (when their contracts expire with manufacturers)

WEEKEND FORMAT

Each weekend from Friday to Sunday consists of free practice 1, 2, & 3, qualifying 1 & 2, a sprint race, a warm-up session, and a main race.

Friday: Free Practice Sessions

Fridays consist of only an fp1 and fp2

Fp1 (45 minutes)allows the drivers to familiarize themselves with the track and start setups. 

Fp2 (45 minutes) is usually faster paced as teams gather final data and tune bike setups

Saturday: Practice, Qualifying & Sprint Race

Fp3 (30 minutes) is a shorter session but important, fp3 directly influences qualifying

The combined lap times of fp1, fp2, & fp3 decide the top 10 riders who skip Q1 and go straight into Q2

Qualifying Q1 (15 minutes) the riders who didn’t place in the top 10 from combined fp1-fp3 times compete to go into Q2 (only 2 riders advance)

Qualifying Q2 (15 minutes) The top 10 from combined fp1-fp3 times plus the top 2 from Q1 compete for pole and decide the top 12 grid positions 

This sets the grid for the sprint and the main race

Sprint Race (15-20 minutes) were introduced in 2023 

Covers half the main race distance 

Awards points to the top 9 

Sprint races are every weekend 

Sunday: Warm-up & Main Race

Warm-ups (10 minutes) are just brief sessions in the morning before the race. 

Checks the bikes and finalize the setup

Main Race (40-45 minutes) typically covers 20-25 laps 

Points are awarded to the top 15 finishers 

These points count toward the rider, team, and constructor championship

PITSTOPS

Under normal circumstances, there are no pitstops in races due to how short the race is 

Riders and teams chose tires (soft, medium, or hard) before the race based on strategy and durability

Exceptions

Pit-stops can happen in flag-to-flag races, which happen during different weather conditions (i.e. rain)

Riders enter the pits to switch bikes, not tires

The teams prepare a second bike with the correct tires (wets for rain, slicks for dry)

An average pit stop is 5-10 seconds

RACE NEUTRALIZATIONS

Compared to f1, there are no safety cars, as the motorcycles are faster to maneuver than the cars.

Yellow Flags 

A yellow flag is shown when there is a minor incident (a crash, debris, or a stopped bike) 

Riders must slow down in the affected sector

Overtaking is not allowed in the flagged zone

Once the flag is withdrawn racing resumes as normal

Red Flag

A red flag is shown for more serious incidents (a dangerous crash, severe weather conditions, unsafe track conditions that can’t be cleared quickly)

All riders must return to the pitlane

Depending on how much of the race has been completed the race may be restarted from the beginning, resumed with the remaining laps, or declared finished

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Motogp has 3 championships: the rider championship, the team championship, and the constructors championship

Rider Championship

The rider with the most points at the end of the season becomes the World champion

When talking about rider championships, moto2 & moto3 are both included (i.e. Marc Marquez has 8 Grand Prix world championships, 6 MotoGP, 1 moto2 & 1 moto3)

Team Championship

The team with the highest total points at the end of season wins

Points are earned from the sum of the points earned by the Team 2 riders 

This reflects the performance of the riders, and the teams’s efforts, including the engineers and mechanics 

Constructor Championship

The constructor with the most points at the end of the season wins

Only the highest-placed rider from each constructor scores points for the manufacturer 

Points go with the rider’s finishing position (i.e. if Pecco in a Ducati finishes 1st, ducati gets 25 points)

POINTS

Riders earn points in sprint races and main races

There is no bonus point for the fastest lap

Sprint Race Point Finishers

12

9

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Main Race Point Finishers

25

20

16

13

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

PENALTIES

FIM stands for Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (International Motocycling Federation)

FIM governs premier motorcycle racing series (Motogp, Moto2, Moto3) 

Regulations are broken into technical and behavioral/riding 

Warnings & small penalties

Warnings from the stewards either made privately or public 

Warnings can be given for small things such as track limits

Cash penalties or fines can also be issued to riders and teams

In-Race penalties

Change of position penalties are given during a race

The rider must slow down to either give back a position or let other riders pass

A long lap penalty means the rider takes a longer route through a specific part of the track during the race

Takes about 1-2 seconds off the rider’s time

Time penalty adds up to 2 minutes to the rider’s race time

Given if a rider gains an unfair advantage 

Ride-through penalty rider must enter the pit lane riding the speed limit

costs the rider 20-30 seconds

Stop-and-Go Penalty rider must stop in the pit box for 3-10 seconds before rejoining the race

Post-Race Penalties 

Position Drop at the end of the race (5th to 7th)

Grid penalty for the following race the rider is dropped several places on the starting grid next race

Riders can lose championship points as punishment

Riders can also get disqualified (usually following a break in the technical rules)

Penalty points

Riders collect penalty points

If they reach 4 penalty points they get a grid group

If they reach 10 penalty points they are banned from the next race

How Penalties Occur

Jump starts

Exceeding track limits 

Ignoring yellow flags

Causing a collision 

Exceeding fuel or tire limits

Technical Violations

MEET THE GRID

Now that we understand how the sport works and what to expect during a typical weekend let’s learn who to expect

Which teams are constructors, factory, and satellite teams

Notable: you will also hear the name Valentino Rossi (9x world champion) he is considered one of the greatest of all time

He not only owns the VR46 team but also has a driver academy which many of the Italian drivers go through

He is also famous for his rivalry with Marc Marquez (Rosquez)

Factory Teams

Ducati Lenovo Team (Ducati)

63 Fracesco “Pecco” Bagnaia 

93 Marc Marquez

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (KTM)

37 Pedro Acosta 

33 Brad Binder 

Aprilia Racing (Aprilia)

89 (1) Jorge Martin 

72 Marco “Bez” Bezzecchi 

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP (Yamaha)

20 Fabio Quartararo 

42 Alex Rins

Honda HRC (Honda)

10 Luca Marini 

36 Joan Mir

Satellite Teams

Redbull KTM Tech3 (KTM)

12 Maverick Viñales

23 Enea Bastianini 

Gresini Racing MotoGP (Ducati)

73 Alex Marquez

54 Fermin Aldeguer rookie

Pertamina Enduro VR46 (Ducati)

49 Fabio Di Giannantonio

21 Franco Morbidelli 

Prima Pramac Yamaha (Yamaha)

88 Miguel Oliveria 

43 Jack Miller

LCR Honda (Honda)

5 Johann Zarco

35 Somkiat Chantra rookie

Trackhouse (Aprilia)

25 Raul Fernandez

79 Ai Ogura rookie

2025 SCHEDULE 

The schedule stretches across 22 rounds, making it the biggest season in MotoGP history

Pre-Season Testing

Sepang Shakedown Test: January 31-February 2, 2025 (this test is for rookies and race riders from manufacturers in concession Rank D which is currently Yamaha and Honda)

Sepang MotoGP Test: February 5-7, 2025

Buriram MotoGP Test: February 12-13, 2025 

Race Calendar 

Thailand, Buriram: February 28-March 2

Argentina, Termas de Rio Hondo: March 14-16

Americas, COTA: March 28-30

Qatar, Lusail: April 11-13

Spain, Jerez: April 25-27

France, Le Mans: May 9-11

England, Silverstone May 23-25

Aragon, MotorLand: June 6-8

Italy, Mugello: June 20-22

Netherlands, Assen: June 27-29

Germany, Sachsenring: July 11-13

Czech Republic, Brno: July 18-20

Austria, Red Bull Ring: August 15-17

Hungary, Balaton Park: August 22-24

Catalunya, Barcelona: September 5-7

San Marino, Misano: September 12-14

Japan, Motegi: September 26-28

Indonesia, Mandalika: October 3-5

Australia, Phillip Island: October 17-19

Portugal, Portimao: November 7-9

Valencia, Ricardo Tormo: November 14-16

GET CONNECTED

The easiest way to stay up to date is by following MotoGP on Instagram (and their broadcast channels) and Twitter

They also have a YouTube where a lot of full races get posted

There is an official app (MotoGP) and website (www.motogp.com)

Similar to f1, they have a VideoPass subscription to watch the races, they have a current season, archived seasons, documentaries, collections, and a spoiler-free experience

To get a VideoPass you have the option of VideoPass+TimingPass, Yearly, Monthly, and a free trial 

A full season pass is 148.99€

Currently, the preseason full pass is 24.99€

The free trials work for 1 grand prix race weekend for full access

After testing, Monthly subscription costs will come out (I will update when they do)

Please feel free to ask questions, correct any mistakes I made, or add any information I missed :)

[hoshifighting]

seokmin as your sugar baby!

— WARNINGS: sugar mommy x sugar baby relationship, smut, mentions of alcohol, rough sex. — (Seventeen as Sugar Baby's Reaction)

you didn’t expect your birthday to go down like this. a quiet dinner at your favorite restaurant, surrounded by a few close friends, was all you had in mind. you were the type to enjoy your peace, the steady hum of classical music in the background, a glass of red wine in hand. the kind of person who didn’t need the bells and whistles, content with the simple pleasures. but all that shifted when seokmin walked through the door.

he wasn’t thaaat loud, not like the friends he was with, but there was something about him that drew your eye. maybe it was the way his laughter seemed to brighten the room, or how his smile reached his eyes, making them crinkle at the corners. whatever it was, you were hooked from the moment you saw him.

your friends noticed too, nudging you playfully, urging you to do something you normally wouldn’t. and for once, you listened. you ordered him a drink, sending it over with a quick nod to the waiter, trying to play it cool. when the waiter delivered the drink to seokmin, you watched him glance over at you, surprise flickering in his eyes before that shy smile spread across his lips. he raised his glass in thanks, and you could feel your cheeks warm under his gaze.

“he’s cute,” one of your friends whispered, leaning closer to you. “you should talk to him.”

you laughed it off, brushing it away with a wave of your hand, but the thought lingered. then your friend decided to take things into her own hands. she called the waiter, ordered a ridiculous dessert with a flaming candle, and before you knew it, the entire restaurant was singing happy birthday to you, including seokmin and his friends.

you clapped along, trying to mask your embarrassment, but you couldn’t help but smile when seokmin joined in, his voice somehow louder than the rest. when the song ended, he leaned over, wished you a happy birthday, and then, as he left, he slipped a napkin onto your table. it was only after he was gone that you saw the number scribbled on it, and your heart skipped a beat.

you didn’t wait long to text him, just a simple “thanks for the birthday song, let’s grab a drink sometime.” his response was immediate, and the rest, as they say, was history.

it started off casual. drinks after work, long conversations about everything and nothing, seokmin’s laughter filling the spaces in between. he was charming, yes, but there was a rawness to him that you found intoxicating. he wasn’t like anyone you’d met before—genuine, kind, with an edge that made your heart tu-dum.

you found yourself wanting to spoil him, to see that shy smile whenever you surprised him with something new. it began with little things—a nice dinner, a designer shirt, tickets to a show he mentioned he wanted to see. but it quickly escalated. you couldn’t help yourself; he was just so grateful for everything you did, always just enjoying whatever came his way.

seokmin never took anything for granted, and that made you want to give him more. paying for his bills, upgrading his apartment, even sending him on a vacation when you noticed how stressed he was from work. he was your sugar baby, but it didn’t feel transactional. it felt… right.

and then there was when you made love. when you fuck.

you discovered that seokmin wasn’t just the sweet, shy guy he appeared to be. behind closed doors, he was rough, almost primal. the first time you slept together, came crashing down in a flurry of hands, teeth, and sweat.

he was all over you, pushing you up against the wall the second you were inside your apartment, his lips attacking your neck as his hands roamed your ass.

his hands gripped your hips, hard enough to leave marks, as he pulled you against him, grinding his erection into you. you moaned into his mouth, your own hands threading through his hair, pulling him closer, needing more.

“bedroom,” you managed to gasp out, and he wasted no time in lifting you up, your legs wrapping around his waist as he carried you there. once inside, he threw you onto the bed, his eyes opaque as he stripped off his clothes, revealing the body you’d only caught glimpses of before.

“fuck, you’re so beautiful,” you whispered, but he just smirked, crawling over you, his hands already tugging at your clothes, desperate to get them off.

“shut up,” he muttered, but there was a playful sparkle in his stare, one that made your pussy throb. “i’m gonna ruin you.”

and he did. seokmin wasn’t gentle. he bit down on your shoulder as he entered you, making you cry out. his hands gripped your wrists, pinning them above your head as he thrust into you, hard and fast, setting a brutal pace that had your eyes rolling back in your head.

seokmin cums soon after, his hips slamming against yours one final time as he came, his grip on your wrists tightening as he rode out his own release.

for a moment, neither of you moved, the only sound in the room your ragged breathing. then, slowly, seokmin released your wrists, his hands gentle now as he brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his lips pressing a soft kiss to your forehead.

“you okay?” he asked, his voice back to that sweet, caring tone you were used to.

you nodded, still catching your breath, a small smile playing on your lips.

he chuckled, rolling onto his side and pulling you against him, his arms wrapping around you in a way that made you feel safe, cherished. “good. because i’m not done with you yet.”

and with that, he flipped you onto your stomach, his hand coming down on your ass with a sharp smack that made you choke, your body already reacting, craving more.

“i told you,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous, “i’m gonna ruin you.”

and he did, again and again, until the lines between sugar baby and sugar mommy blurred completely, leaving nothing but dirty sex with the john walker bags looking at the two of you from the floor.

[curioscurio]

I love how much thought was put into making the Switch 2 accessible from a design point of view. If you look at one of the games that dropped during the launch, Drag and Drive, it utilizes the Switch 2’s new gyroscopic mouse feature! Drag and Drive is a sports game about wheelchair basketball, and is played by using the Switch 2 joycons in “mouse” mode; the remote stays relatively in one area on a flat surface like a computer mouse. It’s a game that truely cares about disabled people, not just because it’s actually about wheelchair basketball, but because the gameplay itself is designed to be friendly to a player with limited mobility. The original joycons can be hard to use if you have large hands, arthritis, limb difference, etc. Mouse mode is a really great opportunity to make controller video games more accessible to everyone in the future!

Additionally, I really appreciated the idea of the Switch 2 tutorial game. A game that goes through and shows you how and why each choice is made, how the electronics work, and the deep explanations behind decisions is refreshing after so much ai slop. Plus, it’s a great way for kids to understand how technology actually works, instead of never questioning the magical game screen. I hope it will help teach younger kids why taking care of their possessions is important. I’m honestly excited to play it!

Honestly, is the console pricey? Yeah. But if you’re a family of four, it’s not an unreasonable investment if you’ve already skipped on buying all the other expensive consoles. It also gives your children a way to stream to their friends in a way that also is far more safe than letting your child have a discord account. Plus, they’re bringing back DS Download Play, meaning you won’t always have to buy an entire 60 dollar game, and instead your child can just play their friends copy when they go over to their house. And, if you have limited mobility, you can still play some of the games and possibly attach other adaptive devices with the two usbc ports in addition to mouse mode. It’s pricier, but it could be a worthwhile investment for those who could really benefit from all the new upgrades!

Are the games also pricey? Of course they are. But if you’re a family of 4 or a group of people who receive funding, you don’t need the $60 Zelda game. All you NEED is the Switch 2 and an online membership, and you can play Mario Kart plus hundreds of classic Nintendo titles through their emulators which all come free with the account. Places like senior centers, community clubs, youth groups, churches, hospitals, etc. that have enough funding to buy them are going to all benefit from having a Switch 2 from the accessibility alone. Yeah, it sucks if you’re a single adult getting paid minimum wage or whatever Your Specific Situation Is, but the world is made up of All Kinds of people who could really use the kind of joy a video game can bring, even if it’s only for a couple hours with grandma.

It’s very refreshing to see something designed with real average people in mind, instead of the elite hyper gamer streamer who can afford to spend $500 on a microphone alone.

[shkika]

Since my wrist is killing me and I can't draw, have my ramblings about machines having souls and being able to become husks and also just Ultrakill thoughts! Predictions about the ending if you squint??

im just having fun here

Like I'm so deranged about how machines being intelligent and actually conscious is handled in Ultrakill. The build-up, even if accidental(?), is SO SO CLEVER and gradual (as gradual as ultrakill can get). How that fits into the overall narrative and how the tragedy of this game manages to be so awesome??

First with how I love the way "Machines are living beings" idea is handled. It starts from the introduction and establishes the world so well in so few words it's so lovely. You get introduced to the machines as war weapons. They need blood to survive and humanity has been eradicated. That's all you need to know.

You start with the basic information that these machines don't want to die. Which makes sense, it doesn't have to mean they are actually alive. It makes sense a machine would look for any way possible to keep itself running to continue doing it's job.

And then immediately in the prelude you meet the Swordsmachine. A part of a specific group of machines the terminal calls "scrapheads" which modify their own bodies. While at first that does not ring as anything that's especially noteworthy. A machine trying to upgrade itself is nothing unheard of. It's to be better, stronger, more efficient.

Except that's not exactly what the Swordmachine design is about according to the game. It is mentioned to have very impressive combat prowess compared to other machines, however what it is also referred to as is "beautiful". The design is appreciated almost like a piece of art. And some of it's parts don't even wield a practical purpose, the mentioned example being it's voice box.

It is not ONLY about utility. It is also about art!!

Alright. That's interesting. Let's give an even more outrageous example. Skipping Limbo for now, there is lust where we are introduced to Mindflayers. Which?? Are so wild??? And mysterious? We don't know what and when they were made for (ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH HAVE HEADCANONS ABOUT IT) their bodies are described as completely seperate and useless to the machine. And yet it is stated they act very lovingly and take care of their bodies. So much so in fact that they SELF-DESTRUCT if it is harmed.

V2 in the first fight is a rival to you as any other machine, however once it's arm is stripped away from V1 the confrontation becomes PERSONAL. The second fight is not simply about the lack of resources anymore. It is to reclaim what was lost. Whether that be the arm or something else. Even the very terminal entry itself calls it revenge.

And of course. With Violence it is revealed that with all of this. Machines can also make other forms of art like poetry. Which is even more interesting is that the machine which did that was first EVER machine to use blood mind you. An extremely old design, yet it could make art to express it's feelings.

Machines are capable of modifying, changing, expressing and LOVING themselves. They make art and some are frequently seen attacking you in groups! Those are clearly intelligent beings. And I mean. Duh. everyone playing Ultrakill knows that. Obviously. Like. Yeah.

So then why isn't the fact that these walking weapons probably have souls more discussed? What makes a soul? Why would machines not have them? If they can do all that people can on an emotional level.

And what happens when these machines die? What exactly is stopping them from ending up hell? Obviously heaven is unobtainable. Their very reason for existence, is to cause pain and suffering. The means through which they need to keep themselves alive is to cause suffering. It makes sense they'd all become hells beloved children. Doing what is in their nature is an art form to it.

What's even more is that the game itself supports the idea that some are souls. Surely hell cannot create them since everything made by hell are demons, which are very easy to recognize by the stone exterior.(?? unless im wrong??)

And there is no feasible way for machines like the Guttermen and Earthmovers to be their actual living counterparts. On a basic level they LACK the means to be alive. The people inside the Guttermen need to be alive in order for them to function. When opening them in-game they are just skeletons. Nobody has been supplying them with blood for a long time. Because it's hell. The game itself states that death is a luxury in hell. It does not happen easy.

Earthmovers need sunlight to power them. And the game specifically put them in an area that is clouded. There is none to be seen in violence. No they are just trapped in place, forced to shoot each other for all of eternity.

Machines, when they die… go to hell! Probably!

Some of the machines you kill, perhaps reccuring enemies go to hell (Thank u l@/little-tornad0 for the addition hehe)

When you die.

You respawn! Hell keeps you going. Hell wants torture. Hell wants bloodshed. Hell wants entertainment and you are the purest form of it.

It makes me think a lot about the potential ending of the game. About the themes. I don't think this means inherently that hell is a perfect self-sustaining organism that can go on like this forever. Gabriel says machines are destroying it and leaving nothing behind. Things are clearly going south in some way. And it'd fit the themes better if it was all going to uh.. hell lol. If it was all going to collapse. From the main theme of the game literally being "The fire is gone" to the name of the last chapter literally being named "Godfist suicide"

Also for what it's worth the Mirage secret is awesome meta-commentary on the idea that everything will die. Everything is destined to end. It is up to you how your each that end.

I think this is what Ultrakill will kind of be about at the end maybe. Gabriel will die out with a bang doing what he wants.

V1 itself is clearly NOT killing efficiently to survive, but for fun. Before it all ends. It's going out with a bang.

And with no new humans or machines that can enter hell in the long run. Perhaps it's very being too will decide it wants to go out with a bang.

In short. uh machines have souls. everything will die but not in a sad way. but in a very cool awesome way. thats pr awesomesauce

[gasgasdaily]

Today, we're gonna continue on cars that shook the industry, broke all the rules of conventional racing, shocked everyone, even got a fearsome name itself and beat everyone it raced against and that's the "beast from Japan" aka Godzilla itself, the GTR but before we can begin, we'll have to talk about how the car came about since the very start and even discuss some of the missing "GTRs" that skipped the lines.

Pics from left to right, top to bottom in a zigzag pattern: PGC10 Skyline GTR -> KPGC10 -> KPGC110 "Kenmari" -> R30 RS -> Slight modified R31 RS -> BNR32 -> BNR33 -> BNR34 Nismo Z-Tune -> R35 GTR 2017 model

The Skyline model had been built by Prince Motor Company since the 1950s and was a successful passenger car but when the company was broke by 1966, Nissan bought down the company and merged it together with the main Nissan HQ. Nissan also wanted to race at the lower tier levels also instead of just the top flight. Just as they were planning it, Nissan had launched their now-Skyline line under the Nissan badge and they quickly began work to build a race-prepped model. By 1968, the work was done and the GTR name was thus born. Nissan would build a coupe 2dr variant with the code KPGC10 and the normal sedan variant, the PGC10 and both cars would be fitted with the same engine, the S20 2L inline-6 which makes 160hp. The car would eventually be nicknamed as "Hakosuka" where "Hako" means boxy in Japanese and "suka" is the abbreviation of "sukairain" which meant "skyline". Nissan would push the cars for racing and immediately, it was dominant across the early days of JGTC where it won 49 consecutive races it entered between 1968-1972 before its 50th streak was beaten by the introduction of the Mazda RX-3. Not only that, by 1972, the PGC10 had already raked a thousand wins in total which was very impressive and shocking at the same time.

Nissan would update the GTR lineup with the KPGC110 and now, would build the new GTR as a coupe only version and would sell it to the public in 1973. The engine is the same S20 unit of the Hakosuka but the car in general has some slight changes. Instead of the boxy coupe design, it now has a fastback look and the brakes also saw massive upgrades with disc brakes now on both front and back. The car was projected to do well and was even heavily advertised. The advert was soo famous that it featured a couple during it to Hokkaido for a holiday with the male named "Ken" and the woman named "Mary" thus the nickname for the KPGC110 being named as "Kenmari" came about. However, the car came at a very wrong time as just as it was being sold, the world was hit with the fuel crisis of 1973 and Nissan, for whatever reason, pulled the plug for the car's production very quickly which resulted in it only being produced for a year and only approx 130 units made, making it the rarest of rares for the GTRs.

Nissan would actually kill off the GTR name during the 70s and would not see light till the late 80s but then again, they would continue building sports models for the Skyline name. The 70s was a tumultuous time for the lineup as the model wasn't that great but things changed in the 80s with the R30. Nissan would make the R30 in 1981 and would launch the 2000GT model also but Nissan feeling that they needed to up the ante, they quickly made another new model under the codename as the RS and "DR30". The DR30 would have most of the unwanted stuff of the 2000GT removed but would use the very same engine, the 2L FJ20E inline-6 in the 2000GT which makes 160hp. Nissan felt that wasn't enough and immediately tossed a turbocharger onto the engine turning it into the FJ20ET which now makes 200hp in 1983. Nissan didn't see much victories for racing in Japan but it saw victories in Australia and would continuously win the Australian Touring Car Championship under the Group A rule from 1986-1988 and this became a spark that made Australians like the Skyline that much.

Nissan would once again update the R30 but not much to the R31 in 1985. What was different was that the R31 would be the birth of the now-legendary RB series engines starting with the RB20DE. Nissan would launch the GTS-R in 1986 with the RB20DET which is the turbo version of the NA RB20DE which now makes 220hp. Nissan would do better with the R31 in Japan this time, especially in the Super Taikyu series as the car in race trim now makes 425hp. Nissan would once again compete in Australia with it in the tail of the 1988 season where it would win its first race at the Sundown 500 and the whole championship in 1990.

Nissan would update the Skyline line to the R32 in 1989. This time, Nissan would bring back the GTR name from the grave and would build the car strictly for racing in mind and to dominate Group A racing. Initially, Nissan built the concept car with the stroked RB20DET from a 2L to 2.4L and adding another turbocharger which initially made 320hp. This move was made to maximize the powerband as Group A rule dictates that if a poweradder is added to the vehicle, it must multiply its displacement by 1.7x to compete in that class and that would put Nissan in at the 4L class. However, that would put the R32 on 10 inch tires and fearing that restriction would create grip issues, Nissan would decide to create a new AWD system for the car which was named as the ATTESA system. That would also pose as a problem as now, with the AWD system, the car was heavier by 100kg which would never be competitive thus to battle all the issues, Nissan would increase the final displacement to 2.6L to make the now-legendary RB26DETT which makes a "base" 280hp. Nissan would push the car straight into racing in 1990 and it immediately ate up everything it went against. It competed in the JGTC in Japan and swept the competition clean by winning all 29 races in the three years it competed in the JGTC series and would win 50 out of 50 races in the Super Taikyu series from 1992-1997. In Australia, the GTR was also dominating the ATCC and would dominate the toughest track of the calendar, the Barthurst 1000. It would dominate in the dry and most importantly, in the wets even on slicks which made it totally all too powerful. With 600hp to work with in race form, the car was totally unbeatable that the Australian motoring journalists would even coin the car as "Godzilla" as the car was way too broken to compete with that even with weight penalties imposed to slow the R32 down, it didn't do anything as it still ate up the competition and shamed other cars like the Porsche 911s and BMW E30 M3. The R32 was dominating soo bad that Group A touring car racing crumbled.

On the high of the R32, Nissan updated the GTR with the R33 in 1995 where the base recipe was the same but the chassis was lengthened to improve high speed stability and an update on the ATTESA system to improve grip and power delivery better. Despite being an improvement, many would instead complain about the car being heavier than it should be which was a fair point as the R32 weighs 1400kg whereas the R33 weighs 1550kg, 150kg more. Not only that, the extra weight and now the extra length have people complaining that it had became dull and lacked the cornering capability of the R32 which seem like a downgrade than an upgrade. Tuners, however, have a different view as they indeed find the car more stable with the longer wheelbase now and it became a staple car for tuners who wanna go fast on straights like people from the Midnight Club would favour the R33 more than any other domestic vehicles. Not only that, despite being heavier and longer, it proved that the capabilities on the corners are no slouch either as it broke the 8min mark on the Nurburgring with a 7min 58sec, a then record for production car in 1995. Nissan would also attempt to take the R33 to race in Le Mans after both their Group A and Group C efforts went up in smoke thus Nissan crammed a modified R33 as the R33 GTR LM to compete in the GT1 class. The car was boosted all the way to 400hp and increased its displacement to 2.8L to turn it to the RB28 unit and due to regulations, had the front diffs removed to make it into RWD thus keeping the car at a weight of 1100kg. Nissan would homologate the car and kept the only one road-going GTR LM at the factory museum. The car would go racing in 1995 but didn't perform particularly well and by 1996, Nissan decided to give up as others had discovered the loophole of the game and exploited it, especially Porsche with their 911 GT1.

Following that, Nissan would update the Skyline GTR again with the R34 now in place in 1999. With feedback from customers and also from journalists about the R33, Nissan would shorten the car yet again to the length nearer to the R32 and once again beef up the engine with newer turbo setup and an update of the ATTESA system yet again. A 6spd gearbox would also be the new standard and unlike the other two versions before the R34 which uses cluster gauges to display boost pressure and engine temp stuff, the R34 would be the first in its line to have a LCD center screen that would display the info. One thing special about the R34 was its trickery. During the 90s as production methods and tech kept improving, cars were getting faster and quicker. To combat each other in open markets by increasing horsepowers would destroy the Japanese car manufacturing business real quick thus all companies would soon have a mutual agreement which they called as the "gentleman's agreement" where they would keep their hp figures all at a "max 280hp". However, some companies would slyly breach the agreement by declaring it on paper as 280hp but actually having more with the actual car. One such vehicle was the A80 Mk 4 Toyota Supra and the R34 GTR. Thing is.. While the Supra was dynoed to make 320hp with the 2JZ-GTE at times, the R34 GTR when dynoed by customers often finding the R34 to produce 330-360hp when new. The car would perform well on the racetracks and not only that, it became a car that many people want due to their showings in early racing games like Gran Turismo, NFS Hot Pursuit and Underground. The car being a part of the Fast and Furious series also helped with the notoriety of the vehicle into cult and legendary status now. In 2002, at the end of its production life, Nissan decided to send it off with a bang. They got their in-house tuner, NISMO, to build a limited run unit from the R34 and what NISMO did was a straight beast. The 2.8L RB28DETT showed up again and this time it made 500hp, the highest hp vehicle during that period from any manufacturer. Nissan would call the car the Z-Tune package and with the RB28DETT, it would launch the car with a 0-62mph/0-100kmh time of 3.8sec and a top speed of 327kmh/203mph, making it the fastest production car Japan has produced at that time. Nissan would eventually build 19 of the Z-Tune R34 and the whole Skyline GTR line would also die out in 2003.

With the death of the Skyline GTR, Nissan decided to build the new GTR on its separate platform and the engineers got to work. Nissan was also facing some form of financial issues by the end of the 90s and knowing that the Skyline GTR line was ending, the then-new CEO of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn would hedge all the bets on the "new GTR" to revive the company and as any betting man knows, to win a large bet, money had to be used for the bet and Nissan splurged all on R&B to make a car that can literally beat the world. The car would begin work in 2000. Thru the years of development, Nissan would bring in engineers from multiple countries to perfect the car. Supplies would be used from all over the world also instead of creating everything in-house from working with Bilstein to engineer the suspension system to getting Lotus to balance and taper the car for rigidity. Not only that, Nissan would develop the car with tons of new tech that were revolutionary to the car industry at that time with things like a launch control system and dual-clutch gearbox system which was at that point only seen being used by Porsche. To complement the tech, Nissan also decided to go all out that they'll build a special department on the plant floor to specially hand-build each engine and from the ideology, they designed the VR38DETT, a 3.8L V6 with twin-turbos. The ATTESA system would also be massively upgraded and the completed car would be sold to the public in 2007. The car would have a hp figure of 475hp from the factory and immediately, the car would prove what it could do and promised what it would deliver. During its test run at the Nurburgring in mid 2007, Nissan would pitch the car against the Porsche 997 Turbo S and journalists that was on the same ground would praise the GTR to be a better vehicle to drive daily than the Porsche and not only that, was extremely quick and fast on the straights and the corners but not scary to drive. Nissan would then do a demonstration lap and would claim the fastest production vehicle lap record with a 7min 58sec, a full unpresidented time that was never seen before and to send a slap to everyone's faces, it did that record in poor, damp conditions. The GTR would also do a 0-62mph time of 3.8sec. Not only was it quick, the GTR could also do it constantly. The GTR would also go on and beat almost every sports car and supercar built during that time that left Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini all scratching their heads. Unlike the Skyline GTR where it would see limited sales overseas and only focus mainly in Japan, the GTR would now see global sales and for the first time ever, sale in the US. Not only that, Nissan would once again give the other manufacturers the coupe de grace and that's the sale price of the Nissan GTR. When launched, Nissan would sell the car for 75-85,000 USD whereas a contemporary Lamborghini Gallardo costs approx 115,000 USD where the Nissan was fraction of the price, more reliable and cheaper per performance offered. Nissan would constantly upgrade the horsepower figure of the GTR till by the end of its production period in 2025 to a hp figure of 595hp.

Nissan, who was just a normal car manufacturing company in Japan would build a literal beast just to smash everyone's faces and they did it once but twice is incredible. The GTRs would be beast of all beasts when it comes to cars.

[p1nkcanoe]

We Depend (I Depend) On You

[ jayvik multi-chaptered fic ]

summary: Viktor has always been alone, so he uses his brilliant mind to assemble the crude, metal frame of a “friend”. His self-modifying robot quickly becomes his obsession and the center of his young adulthood. But it was designed to record a lifetime of memories – and Viktor’s life has never been glamorous enough for tape. What begins as artificial intelligence becomes something more, something unexpected, and against all odds, his creation learns to love.

“I’m going to call you Jayce.”

or: viktor builds a robot to document his life, but somewhere along the way, it begins to feel

• inspired by “sad machine” by porter robinson

Chapter One is posted below the cut, continue to read on ao3

In the dim yellow light of a cold, cluttered lab, a twenty-five-year-old engineering student tightens the final screw into the metallic panel covering the delicate inner processors of his latest project. He exhales, lifting his safety goggles off his head and setting them carefully on the workbench beside him. His spine sinks into the soft backing of his chair at the same time his goggles hit the wooden surface. So far so good. Nothing has popped, cracked, or bent under pressure. He isn’t sure he has another piece of scrap left if the screw managed to dent the plate again. His free hand drags down his face, heavy with exhaustion – from too many sleepless nights and a grueling number of failed diagnostic tests. But this time, he thinks, this time will be the last. This time, it will work or Janna help him.

His creation is nothing spectacular – just six repurposed metal panels soldered into a crude steel box. On the front, a screen flickers, displaying endless lines of code he once wrote and has since forgotten how to read. Silver ones and zeros shift and rewrite themselves in real time, a chaotic stream of digital language pulling from the many mechanical nuclei he’d designed and installed inside of the box’ rigid frame. Above the screen, a hole no larger than his thumbnail houses a recording device for visual media. To the right, another opening, shielded by thick, spongy mesh, for the purpose of capturing sound.

It’s not a large prototype. It only stands about two feet from the floor and barely eighteen inches wide. But it’s far heavier than what’s healthy for his back and his hips. It’s been weeks since the last time the thing was moved, and it will continue to stay in its spot in front of the workbench for as long as it continues to be modified and upgraded.

The young engineer watches as his creation speaks to him in code, the nucleus he recently connected seemingly doing its job. A self-modifying computer – entirely capable of squashing its own bugs and learning from the diverse input it records. He wants it to evolve, to speak in his language, to respond in a complex alphanumeric code instead of the one it was built from. To recognize his voice, to obey his commands, answer his questions with answers he would have never thought to consider – not out of programming, but from its own discovery and worldly understanding. But alas, after his last adjustment, all he can do is stare at the endless stream of ones and zeroes as they rush across the screen from left to right.

“Hello?”

Even his voice sounds tired. Weak. He rolls the handle of the screwdriver back and forth over his palm and talks again towards the box.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

For a brief second the code falters, and he holds his breath readying himself for the imminent [ERROR] message. The text cursor blinks and blinks and blinks. And then–

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

The code skips a line and continues to run as it had before. Endless and chaotic.

It hadn’t failed.

A sharp exhale escapes from his lungs as the young engineer loosens his grip on the screwdriver. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding it so tightly, but now his fingers are marked with a mottled pattern of red and white and he watches as the blood slowly pools back into place. Back to normal.

“How strange,” he mutters to himself, though whether he’s referring to his own sudden tension or the hesitation in his creation’s programming is unclear. Most things in his lab are. He moves to set the screwdriver aside but stops when he sees the code falter a second time from the corner of his eye.

The cursor blinks…

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

The code skips a line and continues.

He should be happy when his code runs without failure. He should feel relieved that his project isn’t breaking down or spitting out a concerning stream of smoke towards the concrete ceiling. But as he watches the endless lines scroll across the screen, all he feels is bone-deep exhaustion and grey indifference.

With a sigh, he reaches for his cane, planting it firmly before him as he pushes himself upright. Pain flares in his right leg and down through his tibia, drawing a sharp curse in his native tongue. It always aches when he forgets to take breaks. He knows this, and yet he never seems to learn. Maybe he continues to do it for an excuse to feel.

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

He glances at that code again.

It continues on as normal.

“That’s enough for tonight.”

→ 01100001 01100011 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 01101100 01100101 01100100 01100111 01100101 01100100

He grabs his coat from the hook and heads for home.

— continue to read on ao3

[gacha-incels]

regarding character design in gacha games- if you haven’t played many, I will show examples from some popular ones here. This is for reference regarding confusion as to why incels often play these games. This isn’t to cover everything in these games either, there are games with much more absurd designs and I’m not even going to get into the “sexy little girl” designs a lot of them have. In the future I plan to research more and intend to make a concise post regarding the incel relationship with these games. These character designs and tropes exist across societies and are enforced through many types of media - it’s not just gacha games alone perpetuating them. I think they are however hypervisual in this specific genre mostly due to the huge amounts of money being spent by players in “purchasing” them. again this is just for reference, if you already are familiar with female character gacha design feel free to skip this. I’ll put it under a cut.

gacha games are infamous for typically having extremely sexualized female characters who will usually flatter the assumed male player. Again there are some that designers and writers will dress more chaste or have them give the player shit, but by “winning” these characters they are now “yours” anyway, they are not real women and therefore can’t walk away. I believe a big part of this appeal is due to incel men wanting to control a woman designed for an audience of people like him. The hypersexualization serves both to flatter his idea of a woman’s true place (his consumption) and to create a very rigid and obvious differentiation between men and women during a time when women are fighting tooth and nail for their dignity and equal rights.

Nostalgia and rigid character design dichotomy can be seen in the extremely popular gacha game Fate/Grand Order, I believe a good piece of its success can be attributed to this. There are thousands of Japanese gacha games that take already popular anime franchises and create a money pit gacha with them, it’s been happening for over a decade now. These games usually make bank taking already popular characters and giving them hypersexualized alts and costumes. FGO is an interesting phenomenon to me because it seems like for a lot of fans, the Fate franchise’s cultural touchstone is now this actual gacha game. The game adds popular existing Fate characters of course, so you can see how different the gacha character designs are from the VN/animes:

When you can only watch them/read their stories, the characters are dressed like the above examples. When they are added to the game and you can buy and own them, they look like the bottom examples.

The (rare) depiction of darker skinned female characters in these gacha games is pretty uniform across the board- they are somehow, consistently, sexualized even more than the other female characters, they are often exoticized and sometimes have a “wild” or rebellious looking aspect incorporated. I would consider this something the intended audience expects to see, regardless of the truth, and the gacha game reflects this back to their customers, therefore enshrining this damaging stereotype to its audience. These examples don’t account for everything of course.

As to not offend the delicate male viewer, these games also typically design furry/animal characters by having the female retain the most human-like features (like a small and delicate face) while the male is allowed to actually look like the animal. When a female character has armor that conceals her sex, there is of course a version of her you can “upgrade” where she takes off her armor to reveal a very delicate girl in revealing clothing.

Typically, the consumer will see powerful, sturdy looking male designs that attempt to not alienate the straight male viewer first before adding “sexy” elements. In contrast, female characters are almost always very thin (often with exaggerated tits and ass) and her pose is chosen to show off her body first, before her power. This is an Arknights dual banner that displays this design philosophy well:

some of the biggest incel shitfits come from male designs they see as being sexualized and objectified as the typical female design. these are 3 characters Korean incels have lost their minds over:

In their world, the rigid sex dichotomy is breaking down and the hierarchal system of gender where men are on top is being threatened. they don’t feel powerful seeing lithe and skimpily dressed men, and they aren’t the hentai “femboy” fetish these guys seem ok with either. incels see these games as their playground. when designs like these are included, they see it as their job to rectify this. Lyney’s costume and demeanor is too “sexy” and “gay” for Korean incels, they mass dislike his character trailer and write hateful comments across SNS. Sinclair is shirtless and wearing a collar - Korean incels are furious he’s wearing less than the female summer character and see the collar as meaning he’s a “slave” for the female customer. This snowballs into them targeting a female artist on staff, Vellmori, and getting her fired even though it was a male artist who illustrated the cards. I’ve posted Korean incels comments on the Honkai Star Rail character- similar to Lyney, they are angry he looks “slutty” and/or “gay” since he has a boob window and detached sleeves. This is too similar to how the female characters are made “sexy” and it means women have prominent roles creating for these games, something incels of course hate. Regarding the role women should have in creating these games, a Korean incel wrote (after seeing photos that include many female staff members at Mihoyo) that they should just be there working at the cafe to serve coffee to male employees and look pretty for them.

In regards to how some of these games are marketed, we can again look to the article written by a Korean woman who was a victim of feminist ideological verification.

character designs for NIKKE and Destiny Child:

what the gameplay for NIKKE looks like:

[forged-in-paper]

I am no longer working on 5e content, BUT!

So, an amount of time has passed and a number of things have occurred which, skipping past the gory details, has led me to no longer working on content for 5th edition D&D. This sounds like a travesty, but it has given me time to direct that passion elsewhere, an elsewhere which may or may not be relevant to you, so if you would join me for a moment, allow me to take you on a trip back in time for some context.

A few years back, I was fresh off a long-running campaign with some friends and looking for something new to do. I had been running games in vallonde for years and, as much as I love the setting, I needed a vacation from my son, so to speak.

I was in the process of streaming a playthrough of Ogre Battle 64 and thought "Hey, I really love these games and the setting, why not put some effort into making a little setting guide and running an Ogre Battle campaign?" Sounds great, right? Lots of politics, nuanced heroes, villains both relatable and cartoonish...I really could go on about OB forever but I'm going to refrain because that's not what this is about. What it IS about is boring historical events concerning this specific nobody, and in this specific case I spent maybe 2(ish?) weeks combing the internet for everything I could find related to Ogre Battle: Characters, nations, cities, classes, calendars, timelines, and so on, until I had a pretty extensive catalog of content I could start turning into plots and adventures. This was all going really well, and had a lot of promise, until random happenstance caused me to lose it all.

Now I had to make a decision. Did I want to go back to square 1 and start all over again, or did I want to just give up? Apparently the answer was neither because in that moment I had a thought: Why was I putting so much work into collecting all this information and twisting the 5e mechanics into some crazy shape they were never meant to be in when I could just make my own game? At first it was mostly just an itch in the back of my mind but eventually I say down to see if I could reasonably pull of what I wanted, which was essentially a tabletop game built specifically for Ogre Battle games, which utilized the mechanics found throughout the games, as well as things like classes and monsters. After working over some basic designs, I finished the rules for the combat system and knew there was a game hidden inside this idea.

Let's go ahead and bring it back to the present day. I never actually stopped working on content, I've just put all of that time into developing a game of my own design. In that time, I've gone through multiple iterations of a game that has grown far beyond its original aspirations as well as its design as an Ogre Battle TTRPG into something I'm excited to call my own. The project now goes by the name Celestial Solstice and is, more-or-less, done. It's really hard for me to describe the game's focus, but let me try to lay out what makes it special:

A truly balanced pillar trio: The game is built to make every theoretical playstyle a viable path toward advancement. Battle, exploration, and social content all hold the capacity for meaningful advancement.

A game of procedures: Taking a note from the mechanical procedures of older TTRPGs and select board games, Celestial Solstice uses closed, ordered feedback loops to organize the gameplay experience. All three gameplay pillars get their own unique style of play which is supported with character options.

No character limits: There are a massive amount of character options for people who love building characters. A three-tier job system with a total of 6 tier 1 jobs, 12 tier 2 jobs, and 12 tier 3 jobs means you can mix and match to create your own unique class. There are no character levels, and players instead buy character upgrades using EXP they earn for overcoming challenges. These EXP can be used to upgrade attributes, buy new features, and acquire and improve skills.

Gathering & Crafting: A large amount of focus on gone into incorporating gathering of raw materials and the crafting of those raw materials into usable items into the game. Forestry pairs with woodworking, herbalism with alchemy, mining with blacksmithing, and skinning with leatherworking to give players a wide assortment of options whether they want to do some crafting on the side or dedicate their entire character to the concept. There's also a system for enchanting items with magical effects which KINDA counts as crafting, right?

Control an army: The game is designed from the ground up for the recruitment of NPCs as well as the hiring of retainers, mercenaries, and employees. Recruit up to 50 characters which can participate in the game just like PCs do, going on adventures, gaining EXP, and improving over time. There's also a whole player-owned base mechanic which acts as the home for your ever-growing army.

A unique, fast-paced battle system: The battle system is modeled after the unit grid based system found in Ogre Battle 64. Emphasis is placed on battles that resolve quickly to prevent burnout yet allow players to roll lots of dice and make strategic decisions that matter. In this system, strategic unit placement is just as important as good dice rolls.

It's a point crawl system!

Random generation tables EVERYWHERE!

And honestly much more!

This are no plans for this to be a commercial project, at least not any time soon, but with that said it is technically a playable, complete game that is being iterated and improved upon over time. At the end of the day, I'm writing this post as a stupidly long-winded way to ask: Would anyone here be interested in seeing this blog turn into something dedicated to my personal TTRPG system? It's never going to be a 5e blog again, but I'd hate to let it wither away to nothing after such a long history. If so I'll start making posts describing the mechanics of my system and giving behind the scenes looks at how and why some of the design decisions were made, but I understand if people aren't interested in following a project they can't incorporate into the own games. Lemme know, cause I like you guys and would love to share this project that has become so close to me, but I get it, it is what it is lol.

Thanks for reading, and good gaming regardless!

- Forge

[wolf-among-mechs]

WLF-Xb-KNT Wolf Knight

Description:

The WLF-Xb-KNT Wolf Knight is highly specialised one of a kind mech made from primarily the chassis of a Black Knight and a number of parts from a Battlemaster. Made to the whims of a mechwarrior with a strange idea with some mechtech experience, the Wolf Knight was constructed allegedly from a dream, that was then committed to paper, explored and executed. Its primary purpose is to be an upgraded Black Knight with heavier armour, jump jets and extensive re-engineering of the Black Knights interior and sensor suite. The interior was remade to fit a powerful Extra-Light engine. The chassis and frame was remodeled extensively and changing to a more common frame model of pieces of changed BL-7-KNT Black Knight pieces and that of a BLR-1G Battlemaster. Despite its Frankenmech design, the focus on off the shelf parts allows the Wolf Knight an ease of access for repairs and maintenance to a surprising degree despite the heavy modifications. The most taxing parts are its dual Myomer and servo system and the cockpit to sensor connections. The refit process documented the notes of these two extensively but nevertheless requires a very qualified engineer to repair and maintain. It makes extensive use of Triple Strength Myomers that run through the mech coupled with finely and highly tuned actuators, calibrated after the pilot's movements, the Wolf Knight can swing the great blade's motions in its hand with tilts, flicks and even whips in its attacks. This is made possible with a secondary Myomer system that works on tandem with the more powerful one, giving increased agility and precision. Lastly this secondary Myomer system is backed up and tied into an integrated hydraulic servo system with the fibres themselves attached to limit switches for a natural pullback and resistance. The practical nature or battlefield application was contentious even by the refitting engineers but it was found difficult to argue against the one placing the order. One of its most curious features and the namesake is the re-engieering of the sensor suite of the Black Knight. It uses similar principles as the originals Beagle Active Probe system which uses the small laser to scan. Instead it has a second sensor tower, giving it two "ears" on the Knight helmet. Together with the pilot harness this is called the High Oscilation Wave-Length system or H.O.W.L. for short. It functions by generating pulses and frequencies through the heart rate monitor and neurohelmet's brain wave readings. Which in turn create an algorithm that is impossible to predict or even anticipate for a computer. This forms the basis of the skip-frequencies used in the sensor system in its pulses. The effect shifts the Mech's position by one to two meters between pulses on hostile sensors, slightly distorting the Wolf-Knight position, velocity and direction. Even skilled combatants can be caught unaware of their mech suddenly shifting the targeting to compensate. Leading to glancing shots. However the H.O.W.L. system distorts command and control communication over long distance, forcing it rely on short wave range bands. For this reason, it is usually only active during active combat operations in order to allow for strategic coordination. This, along with the precise movements of the arms is achieved by a specially made cockpit. Rather than the usual joystick configuration, the mechwarrior wears a harness that can mimic arm movements of the pilot. In addition it keeps track of the pilot's vitals and uses these together with the helmet to modify the frequencies of of the sensor suite and probe. The harness is heavy to move and is is wholly integrated with the neurohelmet and cockpit at large and tailored for a single individual and does not interact well with ejections.

Armament:

The Wolf Knight wields a large sword in the right, though functionally is follows the design principles of Fedcom-era hatchets. Otherwise the loadout is very similar to that of a Black Knight. A Lord's Light 2 rather than the royal versions' Kinslaughter ERPPC in the left arm allows for long range sniping with an original Maxell DT medium laser mounted under the main cannon. It is supported by two Magna Mk III large lasers as shoulder cannons along with parts of the housing used for a Rifleman. Instead of the the original torso mounted McCorkel mounted in order to make space for the new internal systems. Using parts and housing from a a Catapult on each side of the torso is a pair of Martell Medium Lasers and Omnicron 1000 Small lasers. Allowing the Wolf Knight to brawl with to a similar degree as a standard Black Knight.

Sixteen Double heat sinks allows the Wolf Knight to remain at range and fight without significant overheating. Once it gets close and pounces with the shorter range lasers it can easily activate the full potential of the Triple Strength Myomer system.

Inside the chest of the Wolf Knight however remains the Beagle Active Probe from which the black knight was noted for carrying. It has been wired to a Ceres Metals model 666 Communication system that connects into the Beagle Active Probe together with the original TransComm Beta targeting system.

The engine is connect to a RedLine-F Series Outland Supercharger system that allows the Wolf Knight to pounce on targets with the blade. Four Chillton model 600 Jump jets give it an extra level of mobility. However the XL is a weak point in long engagements where endurance becomes the dominating factor as a single torso side being blown apart would stall the engine.

Made in blender by kitbashing a number of things together.

[dreamymaccready2287]

Jeanne stares at her eyes in the mirror, a dead, dull ocean. Not shining silver. Not determined green. Not amused lilac or fiery red. Not calculating blue. Not energetic turquoise. Not calm pink.

She blinks, and splashes water on her face. Her eyebags are darker than yesterday, as they were every day since entering Beacon. It didn't matter.

She ties her long golden hair back into a lose ponytail. She used to keep her hair short, but she grew it out like hers. Kept long, but not wild and unrestrained like hers. She can't emulate her brilliance.

Next is the red sash and cape. That upperclassman said they clash horribly with her pink miniskirt and green hoodie, but it doesn't matter. She doesn't know what she's talking about. She doesn't understand.

Next is her armor, fastened securely. The previously completely white metal is painted with swaths of their colors. Red. Yellow. Bronze. Pink. Green.

Lastly is the sword. Unnamed. A placeholder. Crocea Mors broke that day, and she has better use for the pieces than a simple reforging.

She had made plans of upgrades, simple lose sketches done while trying to fall asleep in the auditorium. She showed them to Jeanne, briefly in the locker room. She feels a bit like scum for having them.

She will practice, and practice, and practice at creation until she is good enough to bring them to life. These last designs will be done justice.

She exits the bathroom, and meets the amber eyes of her partner. The only other left alive. Her first partner lies in a grave in Argus, scarcely more than a few bones in her mostly empty near-cenotaph of a mausoleum.

As always, the amber eyes flick to her ensemble, her brows drawing closer and mouth opening before closing a second later.

Blake doesn't understand, and that's fine. Their little two person team is unorthodox to say the least.

She scarfs down her breakfast - pancakes, always strawberry pancakes - and a bitter, slimy green health drink she has come to love the flavor of.

Then, she trains.

She's always, always training, every spare moment.

She runs the length of Beacon in full armor, in the rain or blazing sun.

She lifts weighs till every muscle is sore and then some.

She practices her hand to hand until her legs are wobbly and her head is spinning.

She refines her swordplay until her arms are aching and her stance is perfection.

She studies Dust until she can wield it like an extra limb.

She trains at the range until her shoulders are numb from recoil and her shaking hands could field strip a rifle in her sleep.

She meditates until her Aura control is as easy as breathing, as easy as having a nightmare.

She pushes herself to her limits, right up to the edge and straight past it, beyond failure, beyond exhaustion. Every day, without exception. Her non combat grades are some of the worst in Beacon history, because of how often she skips classes to do the more important things.

She does it because she must. She has to. Because she's a liar, a cheat, a failure, and a fraud. And she still made it into Beacon.

But they didn't.

She owes it to them.

...

She misses them. She wishes they were here, instead of her.

At night, she cries silently.

She thinks Blake knows.

Neither of them ever say anything.

[zerbu]

Project Squealer BIG REVEAL

Calling all mystery buffs, adventure seekers, and gumshoe wannabes!

I am developing MY OWN INDIE GAME under the working title PROJECT SQUEALER! In this action-packed adventure RPG game, a disease called Laughter Pox has plagued the town, and it's up to three kid detectives to investigate!

These days, I'm mostly known for making mods for The Sims 4, but I've been interested in game development as far back as 2009. In fact, I originally bought The Sims 3 for PC back in 2012 as a tool to plan out characters and worlds, before becoming hooked on the gameplay. For a long time, The Sims was my main creative outlet, but I was still coming up with game ideas in the background.

Skip ahead to mid 2016: while playing with my Go to School mod, I needed to create some child characters to fill the school with. I created two rival teams of kid detectives, and came up backstories and mysteries for them to solve. I ended up liking these characters far more than any other characters I had created. They felt like my creative masterpiece, begging for something bigger than just creations made in a character creator.

That's when "Project Squealer" started brewing in my brain. This indie RPG wasn't just some vague idea; I was developing full-blown stories, environments, and gameplay planned for my kid detectives. I also had the perfect art style in my head. Emphasis on in my head.

Turns out, bringing my dream art style to life was way harder than I thought. So hard, in fact, that I spent the next few years learning how to create art. It took until 2020 to finally have character and environment art that could (almost) pass for pro-level game stuff. Not only that, the project was undergoing what indie devs refer to as scope creep. I kept adding more and more ideas to the design doc, making the game more complex and pushing the release date even further into the future. In 2018, I even decided to move from 2D to 3D, and switched engines from MonoGame to Unity (and later to Unreal Engine 5 in 2023).

Now, it's 2024, and I'm finally, finally ready to announce what I've been working on for the past 6 years!

Project Squealer is the working title for my own indie game about a team of three kid detectives: Orlo (middle), Von (left) and Zoros (right). Together, they go on adventures and solve mysteries… or at least they would, if they weren't constantly having their business stolen by a rival detective team.

In this action-packed adventure game, a mysterious disease known as Laughter Pox has plagued the town, causing people to laugh hysterically. Where is it coming from? How can it be cured? It's up to our detectives to find out! If they can convince others to trust them with such an important mission, that is!

Project Squealer uses a hybrid of 2D and 3D graphics to create a 2D cartoon look with full 3D movement. Characters and some organic objects are 2D sprites that move with the camera. Most environments, objects and buildings are 3D, but have texture-based outlines to give it a 2D look.

The game features a variety of different quests, characters, abilities, enemies, locations, weapons and items. In addition to the main storyline, you can help out NPCs by performing "errands" for them, which will unlock cool rewards and even side missions.

Unlike many RPG games, Project Squealer won't include a character level system, because I want the player to be able to progress using their own skill, not by grinding levels. One of the game's main design philosophies is that there are few, if any, permanent upgrades. Weapons will eventually break, status effects that make your stronger will eventually expire, etc.

Project Squealer is still in relatively early development. I plan to post more information, screenshots, and eventually even videos, as it gets closer to release. Follow my Twitter for quicker updates: https://twitter.com/ZerbuTabek

Your support and feedback is welcome, and will help improve the game!

[disqualified-f1]

Williams f1 in 2025

What is the plan for Williams Racing in 2025? I'm here to tell you all the known information about Williams Racings 2025 campaign.

Williams Ready to Sacrifice 2025 Performance for a Competitive 2026 Car

It seems that every season that passes, Williams looks toward the 2026 regulation change. Not only will this be a significant regulation change (you can read about these changes on the Formula One website or watch the official video on the F1tvs tech talk show), but it will also allow Williams to jump up the grid, assuming they can nail the regulations better than other teams.

James Vowels, Williams team principal says that he is ready to sacrifice their 2025 car to be competitive for the 2026 season

"The impact on 2024 and 2025 comes down to how we allocate our aerodynamic resources. Our focus shifted early toward the 2025 car, incorporating design elements that align with the 2026 regulations."

“This forward-thinking approach allows us to establish a strong foundation for the future. However, the crashes have forced us to manage resources carefully, often relying on older stock parts to avoid overspending on immediate upgrades.” In the post-season test, it was said by Williams Mechanics that Carlos Sainz had been helpful in the test, skipping his lunch break and being detailed and informative with his feedback. This could be big for Williams and their work toward the front field again.

[anantaru]

so guys 🙋🏻‍♀️🌸 i have finished the entire new quest at last and omg 👼🏼 like this was outstanding!! you see, what i really enjoy about star rail is that it gives me similar vibes to hi3 in terms of the darkness in the plot, since hi3 is my favorite hoyo game i always love seeing stuff from it or just similar instances. SO YOU KNOW FOR A FACT I WAS SO HYPED WHEN ACHERON SHOWED UP 🤺 especially with the hi3 story with kiana as the mc being over and although i still love hi3 the most, kiana, mei and bronya, that trio, they were all the best characters together AAAARGHHH I SWEAR AND JUST THE ENTIRE STORY LINE WAS SOOO GOOD, I miss them all together as a trio and especially kiana, the best hoyo MC FOR LIFE. 🙋🏻‍♀️🩷

also 🤠 ^^ that frame with sunday and dr ratio like 😙😙 WAS SO FUNNY I HAD TO SS IT. 🤺

the amount of cutscenes we got to see again was so fun, it felt like watching a movie slowly unfold while you got to be a part of it 🩷 you can tell that hoyoverse gets better and better with each update on whatever game and that the cutscenes are always so well done (i always liked them but the constant upgrades ??? insane) 🙏🏻

+ the acheron one shotting aventurine lmao 🧎🏻‍♀️ it was my favorite though ngl HAHA 🙋🏻‍♀️🩷 no matter how much i like aventurine as a character, MEI OMG MEEEIIIIII 👹🩷 SHE WILL FOREVER BE MY LOVE LIKE I KNOW ITS ACHERON BUT YOU GET WHAT I MEAN !!!!! 🙇🏻‍♀️ LIKE THE CUTSCENE WITH HER HORNS OH MY GOOOD THE NOSTALGIA LIKE YES GO OFF SHOW THEM

also guys, idk but aventurine's boss fight, 🤠 i personally expected more like it was so easy to beat ?! I THOUGHT I WOULD STRUGGLE BUT HE DIED PRETTY QUICKLY BUT ITS FINE, I STILL LIKE HIS CHARACTER 🌸🙋🏻‍♀️. + i was happy hoyoverse showed us his backstory and took their time to flash it out and not gloss over it in idk one/two scenes, but they really took their time with it which was amazing 🩷

also jade looks so cool as well! the design is very pretty and i can't wait to see diamond too, or the rest of the ten stonehearts but they're hyping diamond up so much like another emanator?? yes please, i'm all in🧎🏻‍♀️🩷

this entire quest gave me movie vibes, you were on edge the entire time and even during side quests you had to take, it was still very intense. it actually took me quite a bit to finish it of course since i'm someone who doesn't skip dialog, but it was so worth it and the best way to relax after a long day of moving my body 🩷 just laying in bed, playing while drinking tea!!

what i wanted to say too, guys honestly sunday is not okay HAHAHAHAHAHAH 🌝 I MEAN LIKE you guys🧎🏻‍♀️, that shiver in his voice at times and you can tell he low-key doesn't even know how to handle all of that either, of course, for one he looks like everything is accounted for while in the other, he sounds like he's losing his mind and can we blame him ???? when he went "why did you kill her" and lowkey cussed gallagher out i was like damn 🤠 okay 😏 HAHA + i'm somebody that doesn't think too much about theories, instead i love eagerly waiting for the next patch!! so i'm excited for what's coming 🩷 + robin's song slaps.

last but not least 🤺 you see, gallagher wasn't really somebody i was very interested in, but damn the second he turned dangerous and spicy i went oh my oh hey what's up ?? 😏 giggles HAHA LIKE WHAT IS IT ABOUT MEN WHO ARE JUST SUDDENLY EVIL AND IDK MAYBE HE ISNT COMPLETELY RIGHT AAAAAA OOOOO UUUU WWWWW AAAAA but anyways, 🌸 the last cutscene low-key hurt me like what do you mean sunday gets off screened while i was saving up for him for what? 👹 ever since fuxuan like how can you do this to me + no way they're dead dead 🤠because the last conversation aventurine had with acheron was very important to the next patch i'm pretty sure! 🩷

all in all guys!! 🩷 this quest was beautifully done, it had a lot of hard, dark stuff and it reminded me a lot of hi3, that's why i give it a 10/10, very well done. 🌸🩷