#Accounting Module Features

[serpent2024]

Revolutionizing Financial Management: Odoo 18 Accounting Updates

Take financial management to the next level with Odoo 18 Accounting, a module packed with powerful tools to simplify and accelerate accounting tasks. Boasting incredible processing speeds and user-friendly features, this release is designed to boost efficiency and accuracy.

Notable features include:

Audit Trail Enhancements: Improvements for GoBD certification make compliance seamless.

Loan Management Tools: Automate loan adjustments based on amortization schedules.

Improved Fiscal Year Management: Handle staggered fiscal years and annual sequences effortlessly.

Invoice Innovations: Add authorized signatures to invoices, detect duplicates, and enable overdue online payments via smart links.

SEPA & ISO 20022 Support: Enhanced payment flows for smooth international transactions.

With Odoo 18 Accounting, businesses can reduce manual workloads, improve compliance, and unlock deeper insights into their financial data.

Serpent Consulting Services is your trusted partner in deploying these advanced features. Contact us today at contact@serpentcs.com for tailored solutions to elevate your financial operations.

[tanadrin]

it's funny, i feel strongly sympathetic to this conceptual approach, but i don't think it's entirely true. like. the best analogy i can come up with on the fly is maybe this: you can, as a purely artistic or philosophical exercise, discuss the visual appeal or interesting features about the human face, or a specific depiction thereof. a face can be approached as a generic image. but in reality, in our day-to-day lives, faces and images of faces are conceptually special, not because of any metaphysics but just because there is a feature of our brains that instinctually causes us to look for, look at, examine, and remember faces. we don't relate to faces as arbitrary collections of visual features (unless we have prosopagnosia or something), and any philosophical account of the image of the face as it actually functions in human society would have to account for that.

that's not a great metaphor, i know, it's just the one that sprang to mind, so don't get bogged down in it. all i mean is that in the same way, we could treat gender as an arbitrary collection of features, and there does seem to be this strain of queer theory that seems to try and sift gender and (not unreasonably) comes up empty-handed when looking for truly cross-cultural essential features, for genuine necessary and sufficient conditions. and this approach feels of a piece with the idea that there really is no fundamental phenomenological ground to gender. or at least to gender identity. on the other hand, even if it's weaker than our instincts around faces, humans do seem on some level to be strongly inclined to notice and observe and care intensely about something we can only call "gender," and they do this from a very young age, about two or three.

even if actual expressions of gender and the content of gender identity is perfectly free to vary between cultures to an unlimited extent, there does seem to be, at least for many people, a subjective experience of gender in the abstract. philosophically, the idea to me that we could dissolve all identities, or at least acknowledge them as contingently-useful political constructions, and analyze them in more individuated terms as coinciding bundles of desires or personality traits or what have you is, like i said, very appealing. aesthetically, i like that idea a lot! but how we form our desires and the people we look to to model ourselves after for instance, that seems often to be based on a more fundamental primary experience of gender, or at least somethign i can only call gender for want of a more precise term.

This article is very simple but I like how clearly it articulates a totally un "ontological" conception of transness, transness not as something you "are" but something you *want*, a category of being only insofar as it is "the group of people who want these things". Just started imagining transgender: ethnography of a category (good so far! Bit long winded but whatever), and it's useful to carry with me I think as it talks about the process of "ontologizing" transness, trying to turn it into a category of being, for the sake of political legibility

[phoebejaysims]

Taxes & Benefits Mod + New Active Career - DOWNLOAD

One of my sims was earning a little too much money and somehow this spiralled into me developing this mod. Introducing a very configurable tax and benefit system alongside an all new active career!

The tax and benefit system is modelled after the system we have here in England. All tax and benefit options are configurable and sims will only be opted in if you want them to. See the included documentation for a proper feature breakdown.

There are three types of taxes:

Council Tax (a property tax)

Business Tax

National Insurance (an income tax)

Register sims for each type of tax through the city hall.

There are four types of benefits:

Universal Credit

Housing Benefit

Child Benefit

Job Seekers Allowance

Register sims online, through social interactions with the all new Civil Servant, or at a HSRC communications booth.

Civil Service Career

Work for the HSRC in this fully functional active career.

There are 36 jobs which can be completed: 27 are custom career opportunities (like in the private eye career), 9 of them are custom active jobs (like in the interior decorator or firefighter career).

Jobs include: checking benefit eligibility for sims around town, attending job fairs, auditing, community outreach, responding to council house repair requests, and things of that nature.

Communication Booth

Civil Servants are given communication booths which can be placed anywhere in the world. This object has 2 geostates and can be set up or packed down when not needed.

Council Houses

Properties that are not owned by a sim are council houses. There are some unique interactions for these homes. For one, they can be more susceptible to pests (if enabled in the tuning, that is).

Complain to the Council

Depending on the type of property the sim lives in, they can complain to the council about housing issues such as overcrowding, broken facilities, or vermin.

Social Interactions

There are 12 new social interactions found under Friendly, Funny and Mean.

Help Understand Welfare System – Civil Servant Only

Complain About Taxes

Accuse of Benefit Fraud

Suggest Part Time Job – Civil Servant Only

Joke About Fraud

Talk About Benefits

Talk About Career History

Hand Out HSRC Leaflet – Civil Servant Only

Warn About Fraudulent Behaviour – Civil Servant Only

Offer Council House Repairs – Civil Servant Only

Including 2 autonomous only interactions:

Talk About Shared Career History

Talk About Shared Benefit Claims

Some interactions are only visible after doing things such as paying taxes. Some interactions are specific to the Civil Service career.

Required

Ambitions EP

University EP

Optional

Seasons EP – adds tax refunds, tax fluctuations and council house scenarios

Showtime EP – adds extra interaction to communications booth

World Adventures EP- adds extra active job

My Boutique Mod, Hairdressing Mod, Go to Court Mod – adds extra work opportunities

My social clubs mod – adds extra work opportunity and some optional integration with Bronzo banking

My functional printer mod – makes use of buff

Olomaya Smoking & Private Clinic (optometry module) mod - illness buffs taken into account with trying to claim some benefits.

Uninstallation

You can use cheat ‘uninstallTaxesBenefits’ in order to remove all mod related objects and data before uninstalling.

Download: Simblr.cc - Taxes & Benefits Mod

If you would like to donate as thanks, please feel free to do so at my ko-fi! :)

ps modders: this code for this mod is up on GitHub, plus a WIP active career tutorial (emphasis on the WIP but I hope it's helpful). Link included on the last page of the documentation.

Please enjoy all!

~ Phoebe <3

[anim-ttrpgs]

Why You Should Try Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Part 1: We Worked Hard on It

This is part 1 of a multi-part series of posts about the awesome features of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, in no particular order. I’m gonna be posting these every Monday until I run out of them.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is a TTRPG by The Agency of Narrative Intrigue and Mystery (A.N.I.M.), a small independent studio. At the time of writing this, it is in open beta, but has been fully playable for over a year. This game aims to fill a niche that is extremely under-served and under-explored in the TTRPG space, investigation and mystery-solving gameplay, and improve upon the shortcomings of previous iterations of the concept by learning from them.

It is the product of over four years of work, over twenty years of combined TTRPG playing and designing experience, extensive playtesting and feedback, and support from our wonderful friends, families, and fans.

It was really way too big and ambitious of a project for a team of only 7 people (just 2 when we started), but somehow we’ve been able to pull it off. This game is going to come out extremely polished later this year, and even get a physical release soon after that, but you don’t have to wait that long to play it. It’s available for pay-what-you-want (including $0) on itchio. The itchio beta is updated relatively infrequently, but you can get guaranteed monthly updates by signing up to our patreon, as well as a bunch of other bonus material like short stories, adventure modules, and prerelease versions of our team’s other projects.

It’s also one of the last chances for myself, a disabled person who struggles to work a “normal” job due to disability, to become self-sufficient and support myself independently.

If you want to support unashamedly queer and disabled art in an industry choked by monopoly, and get a really good thoughtfully-crafted game out of it, here is your chance. Even if you have no money to give, it still helps us for you to download the free version, play it, talk about it to your friends, and/or reblog this post and others from this same account. Word-of-mouth is the only advertising we’ve got, and your good-will is my life-line.

[5xlwriter]

Feedist Kinktober: Ex-Student

Part of a series of one-shots in response to @fatguarddog’s Feedist Kinktober 2024 prompts. Today’s theme was Transformation.

I felt an odd sense of trepidation as I sat in the campus coffee house, eyes fixed on the doorway as I kept an eye out for my ex-student. It had been about five years since Tristan graduated from the Media & Communications course that I lectured on, and by a strange twist of fate we’d been reintroduced over e-mail. The university was working with a big agency in the city on an external project, who had appointed Tristan as their lead. It always felt bittersweet when a student bagged a top job like that, their salary bound to far exceed my own. But I had to remind myself that there were other benefits to teaching, that helping others to grow was part of the reward. Teaching was transformative.

It should have come as no surprise that Tristan was one of those students to excel soon after graduating. He was always incredibly bright; his comments in groupwork were incisive and quick-witted, and the quality of his own projects was mostly unmatched. Of course, it helped that he was incredibly good-looking. With his curly brown hair, sharp features and boyish physique, he was the poster boy for the gay beauty standard and his tall, slender frame meant he often got work modelling. Call me a cynic, but looks can take you far… It’s often not what you know, or even who you know, but how you look that can open doors. I was certainly guilty of giving him preferential treatment back when he was a student on account of my inexplicable crush on the young man. It didn’t hurt that he was incredibly charismatic. Tristan could get whatever he wanted by sweet talking and flashing a warm smile.

I was brought back from Memory Lane when the small bell above the cafe door let out a little ring, as a large fat man squeezed his way through the doorframe. He was wearing an all-black ensemble, which reminded me of Tristan, as he was one of those gays who only ever wore black. But Tristan’s clothes were always stylish, with the type of interesting and unusual cuts that could only ever be found in small sizes. This man wore a simple half-zip sweater, open to reveal a black t-shirt underneath, and black sweatpants. I reasoned that at his size, options must be limited. The guy had to be almost 400lbs, if not more… I’d always been pretty fit myself, so I was admittedly bad at estimating this kind of thing. In any case, it was remarkable that someone so young-looking could get so large.

The fat man stood in the doorway for a moment, surveying the coffee shop. He was clearly here to meet someone. I found myself getting irritated, he was blocking my view and risked ruining the warm greeting I’d rehearsed in my head for Tristan. I’d look away when I spotted him, then act surprise when we met eyes, before smiling and beckoning him over. Then I’d ask if I could get him a drink.

I frowned as I watched the man scanning the tables. He had a big, round, cherubic face, with full cheeks and a thick ring of fat under his chin. As he swept his curly dark hair off his forehead, I couldn’t help but feel there was something familiar about him. This happened a lot, which wasn’t surprising considering how many students I taught each year, some for just one or two modules. They couldn’t all be as remarkable and as memorable as Tristan.

It was at this point that the man and I met eyes, recognition on both our faces. I must have known him after all, so I smiled politely and nodded, not wanting an awkward conversation. But when the whale of a man smiled back, everything seemed to freeze. I was like a deer in the headlights, for there was only one person in the world with a smile like that. My mouth dropped. This enormous young man was Tristan McVey!

He chuckled at my dumbstruck reaction and began waddling over to me, his whole body wobbling like jelly with each heavy footstep. His tits (and there really was no other word for them) were so plump and round, filling out his sweater like plush pillows. The few seconds it took him to approach me seemed to last an age, playing out each jiggling movement of his gelatinous form in unforgiving slow-motion.

By the time he reached my table, still smiling, and held out his hand for a shake, I was still seated. It took me a few seconds to catch up, scrambling to my feet and taking his meaty hand in mine to greet him.

“Professor!” he beamed. His voice was deeper than I remembered it, but still sweet like warm honey. “It’s so good to see you!” I was still transfixed on the hand I’d just shaken, each finger looking like a pink and overstuffed sausage.

“Tristan,” I mumbled. “Sorry, I uh, I suppose I didn’t recognise you—“ why on Earth did I say that? I couldn’t think straight. Fortunately, Tristan didn’t seem to take offence. He just chuckled nonchalantly.

“Heh, yeah, I get that a lot!” he laughed, his double chin visibly wobbling. “I’ve changed a bit, huh?” he asked cheekily, giving his big belly a gentle tap. It rocked and rippled at the slightest touch, sloshing about under his sweater. “But not you!” He said, gesturing towards me. “You’re looking better than ever!” He winked, before taking a seat opposite me. The chair groaned in protest as his weight settled on it, threatening to collapse if he made any sudden movements. I was still standing, my mouth agape.

“Can I, uh, get you something to drink?” I asked, doing my best to compose myself. Tristan stretched as I spoke, his black sweater riding up his gut and revealing a big slither of belly as he did so. It was covered in stretch marks and a light sprinkling of hair, letting me know for certain that the twink I used to admire from afar was well and truly gone forever. I had no idea how it had happened, but the Tristan I knew was totally transformed, replaced by this piggish man before me.

“Thank you, that would be amazing,” he smiled. “I’ll get an extra large white chocolate mocha, with whipped cream and caramel.” I stared at him blankly, half in shock and half in disgust. “Oh, and can you make sure they use whole milk? I hate when they use the skimmed stuff. And don’t let them skimp on the caramel!”

“Sure thing…” I nodded slowly and turned to walk to the bar. I’d only made it a few steps before Tristan was calling after me.

“Oh, and Professor,” he said, not looking even a little bit sheepish. “I was so excited to see you today that I barely got chance to eat. I’m absolutely starving…”

I was taken aback by his brazenness, but it didn’t feel entirely out of character for Tristan. He was never shy and always knew what he wanted.

“Would you like something to eat?” I asked, an eyebrow raised against my will. While I may have found this endearing a few years ago, pleasing Tristan was a lot less attractive now that he… was a lot less attractive.

“That would be amazing,” he repeated, his stock phrases standing out more now that I wasn’t infatuated with him, and told me he’d heard they did great cakes here. I almost scowled there and then, but then Tristan hit me with that famous smile of his. And in that moment, it suddenly made sense how Tristan had gotten so fat.

[marticoresims]

THE SIMS 2 ULTIMATE CALCULATION You need to copy it and save on your account to be able to use it. I can't risk letting people edit the calculator so they can just wipe out the whole thing.

I made a calculator for The Sims 2 that makes it easier for me to choose certain things for Sims such as aspiration, career, hobby and to get a clear idea of who this Sim is.

How does it work? Here's an explanation for all modules!

Aspiration I rarely use this part of the calculator because usually I look at a Sim's personality and already know. This module is not perfect, but definitely comes in handy when I'm not sure. So basically you put in the Sim's personality points into the teal-colored category, and the burgundy-colored one counts itself (giving "negative" points for a trait, e.g. 6 in Neat is 4 in Sloppy). Each aspiration takes different traits into its formula, giving a certain number of points. The more points, the "better" the aspiration fits the personality. Of course this is very simplified, so only use it when indecisive (which I always am). Here is a general idea on which traits suit which personality in my opinion. Except now I think the difference between fortune and knowledge is how nice the Sim is.

Interests finally matter! The calculator has two systems based on interests that I think make a lot of sense and actually make the interests mean something other than if Sims are going to argue while talking. This calculator makes NO SENSE with VANILLA interests system!!! Interests are based on age which means kids and adults are interested in specific things "according" to their age, e.g. kids like animals and adults like culture. In the vanilla system, this calculator will end up giving you the same results over and over! So I recommend getting this mod that makes interests random and not change in the child→teen age transition.

So go ahead, type in your Sim's interests! Expand the interests panel to have them in the same order as in the calculator (counting by columns left-right top-bottom, so starting with Politics and ending with Sci-Fi).

Career Without this calculator, I would give my Sims the same jobs over and over because I wouldn't even remember all the 25 careers + a few custom ones I have. Each career has a formula and takes different interests into account, you can find them listed next to the career name. It also counts in aspiration, so don't forget to give a few points there! I add in 5 points for aspiration.

One True Hobby I often just leave whatever OTH the game calculated for the Sim based on personality mainly. But sometimes I like it when the hobby and the job align. I also don't like that certain OTHs seem to repeat a lot, so I recalculate it if need be.

The calculator highlights 22+ points in careers and 12+ points in OTH. You can also mark all the career numbers and look in the bottom-right corner for the "max" value to navigate it more easily.

EXAMPLE! This is John Mole's calculation. His aspiration is popularity, so I gave him 5 points for it and put in his interests numbers. The perfect career for him is Slacker and his OTH could be Tinkering because he's very interested in toys. But he could just as well work as a veterinarian and take up fitness or sports as his hobby, for more variety. This calculator will give you a few options to choose from instead of the entirety of game features. And that's what I love about it!

[death-at-20k-volts]

Hai, I saw ur post on generative AI and couldn’t agree more. Ty for sharing ur knowledge!!!!

Seeing ur background in CS,,, I wanna ask how do u think V1 and other machines operate? My HC is that they have a main CPU that does like OS management and stuff, some human brain chunks (grown or extracted) as neural networks kinda as we know it now as learning/exploration modules, and normal processors for precise computation cores. The blood and additional organs are to keep the brain cells alive. And they have blood to energy converters for the rest of the whatevers. I might be nerding out but I really want to see what another CS person would think on this.

Btw ur such a good artist!!!! I look up to u so much as a CS student and beginner drawer. Please never stop being so epic <3

okay okay okAY OKAY- I'll note I'm still ironing out more solid headcanons as I've only just really started to dip my toes into writing about the Ultrakill universe, so this is gonna be more 'speculative spitballing' than anything

I'll also put the full lot under a read more 'cause I'll probably get rambly with this one

So with regards to machines - particularly V1 - in fic I've kinda been taking a 'grounded in reality but taking some fictional liberties all the same' kind of approach -- as much as I do have an understanding and manner-of-thinking rooted in real-world technical knowledge, the reality is AI just Does Not work in the ways necessary for 'sentience'. A certain amount of 'suspension of disbelief' is required, I think.

Further to add, there also comes a point where you do have to consider the readability of it, too -- as you say, stuff like this might be our bread and butter, but there's a lot of people who don't have that technical background. On one hand, writing a very specific niche for people also in that specific niche sounds fun -- on the other, I'd like the work to still be enjoyable for those not 'in the know' as it were. Ultimately while some wild misrepresentations of tech does make me cringe a bit on a kneejerk reaction -- I ought to temper my expectations a little. Plus, if I'm being honest, I mix up my terminology a lot and I have a degree in this shit LMFAO

Anyway -- stuff that I have written so far in my drafts definitely tilts more towards 'total synthesis even of organic systems'; at their core, V1 is a machine, and their behaviors reflect that reality accordingly. They have a manner of processing things in absolutes, logic-driven and fairly rigid in nature, even when you account for the fact that they likely have multitudes of algorithmic processes dedicated to knowledge acquisition and learning. Machine Learning algorithms are less able to account for anomalies, less able to demonstrate adaptive pattern prediction when a dataset is smaller -- V1 hasn't been in Hell very long at all, and a consequence will be limited data to work with. Thus -- mistakes are bound to happen. Incorrect predictions are bound to happen. Less so with the more data they accumulate over time, admittedly, but still.

However, given they're in possession of organic bits (synthesized or not), as well as the fact that the updated death screen basically confirms a legitimate fear of dying, there's opportunity for internal conflict -- as well as something that can make up for that rigidity in data processing.

The widely-accepted idea is that y'know, blood gave the machines sentience. I went a bit further with the idea, that when V1 was created, their fear of death was a feature and not a side-effect. The bits that could be considered organic are used for things such as hormone synthesis: adrenaline, cortisol, endorphins, oxycotin. Recipes for human instinct of survival, translated along artificial neural pathways into a language a machine can understand and interpret. Fear of dying is very efficient at keeping one alive: it transforms what's otherwise a mathematical calculation into incentive. AI by itself won't care for mistakes - it can't, there's nothing actually 'intelligent' about artificial intelligence - so in a really twisted, fucked up way, it pays to instil an understanding of consequence for those mistakes.

(These same incentive systems are also what drive V1 to do crazier and crazier stunts -- it feels awesome, so hell yeah they're gonna backflip through Hell while shooting coins to nail husks and demons and shit in the face.)

The above is a very specific idea I've had clattering around in my head, now I'll get to the more generalized techy shit.

Definitely some form of overarching operating system holding it all together, naturally (I have to wonder if it's the same SmileOS the Terminals use? Would V1's be a beta build, or on par with the Terminals, or a slightly outdated but still-stable version? Or do they have their own proprietary OS more suited to what they were made for and the kinds of processes they operate?)

They'd also have a few different kinds of ML/AI algorithms for different purposes -- for example, combat analysis could be relegated to a Support Vector Machine (SVM) ML algorithm (or multiple) -- something that's useful for data classification (e.g, categorizing different enemies) and regression (i.e predicting continuous values -- perhaps behavioral analysis?). SVMs are fairly versatile on both fronts of classification and regression, so I'd wager a fair chunk of their processing is done by this.

SVMs can be used in natural language processing (NLP) but given the implied complexity of language understanding we see ingame (i.e comprehending bossfight monologues, reading books, etc) there's probably a dedicated Large Language Model (LLM) of some kind; earlier and more rudimentary language processing ML models couldn't do things as complex as relationship and context recognition between words, but multi-dimensional vectors like you'd find in an LLM can.

Of course if you go the technical route instead of the 'this is a result of the blood-sentience thing', that does leave the question of why their makers would give a war machine something as presumably useless as language processing. I mean, if V1 was built to counter Earthmovers solo, I highly doubt 'collaborative effort' was on the cards. Or maybe it was; that's the fun in headcanons~

As I've said, I'm still kinda at the stage of figuring out what I want my own HCs to be, so this is the only concrete musings I can offer at the minute -- though I really enjoyed this opportunity to think about it, so thank you!

Best of luck with your studies and your art, anon. <3

[lonestarflight]

Cancelled Equipment: Lunar Application of a Spent S-IVB Stage (LASS)

"LASS vehicle landing legs and footpads."

In August 1965, NASA began the Apollo Applications Program (AAP) to develop science-based human spaceflight missions using hardware developed for the Apollo program following the first moon landing. They encouraged and invited proposals for new uses of Apollo hardware then under development. One such proposal came from the Douglas Company (DAC) and International Business Machines (IBM) for a modifying the Saturn S-IVB stage for use as an unmanned lunar logistics vehicle to carrier equipment to the moon to support extended human stays and/or a lunar base.

LASS vehicle launch configuration.

In their proposal, the Saturn IB/V S-IVB Stage would be modified with landing gear and other equipment. The Saturn Instrument Unit (IU), which sat on top of the S-IVB and was the computer system that controlled the entire rocket.

Procedure for LASS vehicle landing leg deployment and separation from the Saturn V S-II stage.

The mission was an unmanned, direct-flight, using an existing lunar beacon to obtain a precise landing location.

"The LASS required either a highly throttleable J-2 type engine (J-2X) or a moderately throttleable J-2S with RL-10 engines added to provide proper landing control.

LASS vehicle engine and plumbing arrangement.

"DAC studied several configurations and recommended a vertical lander with a payload package on top. Landed payloads in the order of 27,300 pounds (12,380 kilograms) were claimed by DAC with the 1965 Saturn V capability. This payload was based on a more optimistic delta-V budget than used in other studies. However, the landed payload would still be substantial (7200 - 8600 kg) using the more conservative values."

"The LASS vehicle just before touchdown on the lunar surface. The illustration displays the position of the IU and, above it, the tapered LASS vehicle payload volume."

"After an unspecified period of time, astronauts would land near the LASS vehicle in an Apollo LM. The Douglas/IBM team provided few details about how the crew would interact with the LASS vehicle. They offered only a few vague suggestions concerning, for example, how astronauts in bulky space suits might ascend the approximately 60 feet (18.3 meters) to the top of the LASS vehicle to reach the payload. Neither did they describe how payload items would be moved from the top of the LASS vehicle to the surface, though they suggested that unspecified 'cargo & handling equipment' with a mass of 3100 pounds (1400 kilograms) would be available. These and other mysteries would no doubt have been addressed if NASA had opted to fund additional LASS studies.

The Douglas/IBM engineers did, however, define five typical LASS payload configurations and mission durations. All would feature lunar exploration hardware under consideration in 1966 for AAP lunar missions and would see IU navigational and communications electronics serve double-duty as experiment data support equipment.

Configuration 1 was most in keeping with the role of the LASS vehicle as a sequel to an S-IVB-derived laboratory in low-Earth orbit. The LASS vehicle's LH2 tank would be lined with 3940 pounds (1785 kilograms) of micrometeoroid shielding and thermal insulation before launch from Earth; this weight would be subtracted from the weight available for payload above the IU.

About 7700 pounds (3490 kilograms) of the payload above the IU would take the form of a two-man shelter similar to the SSESM proposed for the Earth-orbiting S-IVB laboratory. Life support gases and liquids and other expendables would account for 4500 pounds (2040 kilograms) of the payload. Experiment apparatus with a total weight of 500 pounds (227 kilograms), a 1000-pound (454-kilogram) unpressurized Lunar Scientific Survey Module (LSSM) rover, and a one-or-two-person Lunar Flying Unit (LFU) of unspecified weight would make up the balance of the payload.

Configuration 1 would see the two astronauts lower themselves into the LASS vehicle LH2 tank by unspecified means through an airlock in the shelter. The LH2 tank would then serve as either a laboratory or an emergency shelter. The crew would live in the LASS vehicle for up to 14 days before they reactivated their LM and returned to the Apollo CSM waiting in lunar orbit.

The other four LASS payload configurations would not make use of the LH2 tank, so the weight of the shielding and insulation surrounding it in Configuration 1 could be applied to payload above the IU. Configuration 2, with a 30-day lunar surface stay time, would include a 13,000-pound (5900-kilogram) four-man shelter, a 3800-pound (1725-kilogram) small (though possibly pressurized) rover, 4500 pounds (2040 kilograms) of science equipment, and 5700 pounds (2585 kilograms) of expendables. The Douglas/IBM team did not explain how four astronauts could reach the LASS vehicle on the Moon using the three-man CSM and two-man LM.

Configuration 3 would include a four-man shelter, an LSSM, science equipment, and 8500 pounds (3855 kilograms) of expendables. The four-person crew would remain on the Moon for 59 days. Configuration 4 would include a two-person shelter, a small rover, scientific equipment, and 11,000 pounds (4990 kilograms) of expendables. The crew would evenly divide their time during their 120-day lunar surface stay between the shelter and the small rover. Configuration 5 would include a two-person shelter, an LSSM, scientific equipment, and 13,800 pounds (6260 kilograms) of expendables. The crew would evenly divide their time during their 195-day stay between the shelter and the LSSM.

The Douglas/IBM team suggested that the astronauts might tip the roughly 60,000-pound (27,215-kilogram) LASS vehicle on its side to place its payload above the IU — which in this case would not include a shelter — close to the lunar surface. They did not, however, explain how the astronauts might accomplish this feat. They suggested that the crew could live inside their LM while they unloaded equipment from the tipped LASS vehicle and converted its LH2 tank into a shelter.

A LASS vehicle with more extensive modifications — for example, a large rectangular hole cut into its LH2 tank for mounting a telescope — might be tipped on its side and converted into a lunar surface astronomical observatory. Ultimately, multiple upright and tipped LASS vehicles might be dragged together to form a 'LASS Modular Lunar Base.' The Douglas/IBM engineers ended their report by declaring that 'LASS is envisioned to be the vehicle to support all lunar surface programs.'"

Information from Astronautix.com: link

Information from the "No Shortage of Dreams" blog: link

[compneuropapers]

Interesting Papers for Week 12, 2025

Distinct patterns of connectivity with the motor cortex reflect different components of sensorimotor learning. Areshenkoff, C. N., de Brouwer, A. J., Gale, D. J., Nashed, J. Y., Smallwood, J., Flanagan, J. R., & Gallivan, J. P. (2024). PLOS Biology, 22(12), e3002934.

Persistent activity during working memory maintenance predicts long-term memory formation in the human hippocampus. Daume, J., Kamiński, J., Salimpour, Y., Gómez Palacio Schjetnan, A., Anderson, W. S., Valiante, T. A., Mamelak, A. N., & Rutishauser, U. (2024). Neuron, 112(23), 3957-3968.e3.

Ants integrate proprioception as well as visual context and efference copies to make robust predictions. Dauzere-Peres, O., & Wystrach, A. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10205.

A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect in mice. Jhang, J., Park, S., Liu, S., O’Keefe, D. D., & Han, S. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2455–2465.

Compartmentalized pooling generates orientation selectivity in wide-field amacrine cells. Lei, W., Clark, D. A., & Demb, J. B. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2411130121.

Trans-saccadic integration for object recognition peters out with pre-saccadic object eccentricity as target-directed saccades become more saliency-driven. Liang, J., & Zhaoping, L. (2025). Vision Research, 226, 108500.

When visual metacognition fails: widespread anosognosia for visual deficits. Michel, M., Gao, Y., Mazor, M., Kletenik, I., & Rahnev, D. (2024). Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 28(12), 1066–1077.

A dynamic subset of network interactions underlies tuning to natural movements in marmoset sensorimotor cortex. Moore, D. D., MacLean, J. N., Walker, J. D., & Hatsopoulos, N. G. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10517.

Local changes in potassium ions regulate input integration in active dendrites. Nordentoft, M. S., Takahashi, N., Heltberg, M. S., Jensen, M. H., Rasmussen, R. N., & Papoutsi, A. (2024). PLOS Biology, 22(12), e3002935.

Neural Correlates of Category Learning in Monkey Inferior Temporal Cortex. Pearl, J. E., Matsumoto, N., Hayashi, K., Matsuda, K., Miura, K., Nagai, Y., Miyakawa, N., Minamimoto, T., Saunders, R. C., Sugase-Miyamoto, Y., Richmond, B. J., & Eldridge, M. A. G. (2024). Journal of Neuroscience, 44(49), e0312242024.

Partially dissociable roles of the orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in context-dependent hierarchical associations. Peterson, S., Chavira, J., Garcia Arango, J. A., Seamans, D., Cimino, E. D., & Keiflin, R. (2024). Current Biology, 34(23), 5532-5545.e3.

A computational account of self-control. Suri, G., & Paap, K. R. (2024). Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 123, 102886.

Category boundaries modulate memory in a place-cell-like manner. Theves, S., Schäfer, T. A. J., Reisner, V., de Cothi, W., & Barry, C. (2024). Current Biology, 34(23), 5546-5553.e3.

Action similarity warps visual feature space in working memory. Trentin, C., Falanga, L., Jeske, J., Olivers, C. N. L., & Slagter, H. A. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2413433121.

Organizing space through saccades and fixations between primate posterior parietal cortex and hippocampus. Vericel, M. E., Baraduc, P., Duhamel, J.-R., & Wirth, S. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10448.

Predicting modular functions and neural coding of behavior from a synaptic wiring diagram. Vishwanathan, A., Sood, A., Wu, J., Ramirez, A. D., Yang, R., Kemnitz, N., Ih, D., Turner, N., Lee, K., Tartavull, I., Silversmith, W. M., Jordan, C. S., David, C., Bland, D., Sterling, A., Seung, H. S., Goldman, M. S., Aksay, E. R. F., Wille, K., … Williams, S. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2443–2454.

Multiplexing of temporal and spatial information in the lateral entorhinal cortex. Wang, C., Lee, H., Rao, G., & Knierim, J. J. (2024). Nature Communications, 15, 10533.

Autism spectrum disorder variation as a computational trade-off via dynamic range of neuronal population responses. Wertheimer, O., & Hart, Y. (2024). Nature Neuroscience, 27(12), 2476–2486.

Dynamic tuning of neural stability for cognitive control. Xu, M., Hosokawa, T., Tsutsui, K.-I., & Aihara, K. (2024). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(49), e2409487121.

Applying the efficient coding principle to understand encoding of multisensory and multimodality sensory signals. Zhaoping, L. (2025). Vision Research, 226, 108489.

[thesims3help]

Sims 3 - Gameplay enhancing mods: Sim, Social Interactions, Social Groups & More.

A category-based mod post. Mods and links previously featured in our Masterlist. All credits to their rightful owners.

Categories include: traits, romance, interactions, social groups, behaviour, lifetime wishes, illnesses, new abilities and similar related mods.

Autonomous Fun In The Sun

Bring "Mysterious Drinks" (Chemistry Set Potions) To Others

Ask To Join Fishing

Advice Social Interactions

Better Greet

Deep Conversations

Sleep on the couch, new interaction

Prank Calls

Sim Like Evil Interaction by Kuree (simlogical.com)

More Negative Moodlets

The Sims 3 Awkward moments & Humiliations "Immediate Interactions"

The Sims 3 Demonic Powers

The Sims 3 Passion And Romance

The Sims 3 V*olence And Aggression

The Sims 3 Disasters & Blessings "Immediate Interactions"

Have Sim Arrested Mod

Break into house Mod *ARREST UPDATE*

Back to Nature -- Lifetime Wishes for Farmers and Outdoorspeople

One with Nature

Better Rich and Famous Lifetime Wish - 1.67

nraas Vector - custom Disease mod; must download main Vector mod + wanted modules for diseases.

Enhanced Hospitals(Updated 30/1/23)

No Social Groups

No Rebel Social Group Influence from Adding Herb to Meal

More/Less Opportunities, No Answer Phone, Call Anytime, No auto smartphone tasks

nraas - Woohooer

Better Polyamory

Retuned Attraction System

More/Less Attraction Calls & Love Letters - 4 Flavors

Romantic Socials TYAE - Same Sex - Revised

More Traits for All Ages

Hidden Traits Unlocked

Hypochondriac Trait (Scripting Mod) [For Testing] - A Simlogical First by Sims MX

Higher/Lower LTR, Unhidden Traits, AllTraits for All Ages

Mod The Sims - **UPDATED: 26-July** Cigarette Smoking Mod - OVERHAUL

Let Me Take a Selfie (Update 9/3/23) - Pets Fix

Sunscreen

Acne Mod (Update 7/22/23) - Version 2.2

The Journal Mod

Take Sims To Court - Sue Sims, Become a Lawyer, Have Court Weddings and More!

Social Clubs Mod (+ banking) - Grow Memberships, Push Activities, Make Bank Accounts and More!

Truely Unique Sims

9 New Death Types

Just Sit (script mod)

Aging Manager

Faster shower, use toilet and brush teeth mod, including slower versions!

Relieve Bladder in the Shower

Pee Here (Scripting Mod) by Sims MX (simlogical.com) - Males pee on terrain.

Unrestricted Sponge Baths TYAE

Change At Home After Work

More waking up time for your sims, available in 5 cool flavors!

More/Less Alien Abductions

Lower/Higher Lifetime Reward Prices

Herb Nausea Mods

Midlife Crisis Tuning Mod

Weddings for inactives (new interaction)

Nosy sim interactions

[arknights-global-news]

[Global] Path of Life

Duration: December 3, 2024 - December 24, 2024

Official Event Page

Wiki.gg Event Page

Event summary below

Event PV

New Operators

Ulpianus - 6* Crusher Guard

Lucilla - 5* Hexer Supporter

Underflow - 5* Sentry Protector Defender (in Event Store)

Rerun Operator

Scene - 5* Summoner Supporter (Gold or Blue Certificate Store)

New Skins

Melanite - For the Banquet (18 OP)

Gladiia - I Am the Tides (18 OP)

Penance - Scribing (18 OP)

Grain Bud - Fragrant Pace (18 OP)

Rerun Skins

Fartooth - Hear the Wind Sing (18 OP)

Shalem - The Fruition (18 OP)

Paprika - The Road to Here (18 OP)

Saga - There They Be (18 OP)

Manticore - Invisible Dirge (Event Store)

Siege - Legacy (Gold or Blue Certificate Store)

Available December 17 to December 31, 2024 (ignore the banner dates)

Flametail - Sport For All (18 OP)

Aosta - Light Gun Adjuster (18 OP)

Kirara - Trendsetting Player (15 OP)

Available December 17 to December 31, 2024 (ignore the banner dates)

Czerny - Freeland Tuneseeker (18 OP)

Furniture

New Modules

Modules added for all Hunter Sniper operators, Medic Amiya, Lucilla, and Underflow.

Also, Gladiia, Ifrit, and Penance receive second modules.

See DragonGJY's overview of the modules here.

More Newbie Rewards

New players to Arknights will now receive the following items during beginner missions. Players who made accounts before this event will receive them upon logging in to the game up to 180 days after the event drops.

Top Operator Transfer Permit - Starter (Select from Blaze, Exusiai, Mountain, Saria, SilverAsh, or Thorns)

Ten-roll Kernel Headhunting Permit

Headhunting permit

Senior Operator Training Invitation Letter (immediately promote a 5 star operator who is at most Elite 1 into Elite 2 for free. Any resources already spent on the operator will NOT be refunded.)

Senior Operator Training Apparatus (Immediately raise a 5 star operator who is at least elite 2 level 1 to the maximum level for free. Any resources already spent on the operator will NOT be refunded.)

Advanced Material Voucher (Select 3 tier 3 upgrade materials of your choice)

In addition, the starter headhunting banner has been updated. Featured 6 stars are now: Blaze, Exusiai, Mountain, Saria, SilverAsh, and Thorns. See wiki page for 5 stars.

Voicelines

New English Voices:

Underflow

Lucilla

Ulpianus

Gladiia

Thorns

Indigo

All operators will receive new voicelines for anniversary and New Year greetings.

Other

A login event will give 200 orundum and a unique furniture, among other rewards.

The Secret Sanctuary will be superseded by the Crystallization Sanctuary and Contract Bounty will be exchanged into Crystal Contract Bounty at a 1:1 ratio.

Record restoration added for Lingering Echoes on December 17, 2024.

New Operator Records and Paradox Simulations for: Coldshot, Deepcolor, Insider, Lucilla, Lutonada

Afterglow-Styled Music Room pieces available in furniture store starting December 17, 2024.

[phoebejaysims]

Mod Updates

Bubble Bath Runs Out

The bubble bath now doubles as shower gel! Your sim will use it when taking a shower. This can be edited in the tuning if you don't wish to use this feature.

Did some internal cleaning up of the code.

Download: Simblr.cc - Bubble Baths Runs Out

Social Clubs

Added 'Practice Speech' from the podium and 'Make Potion' from the Chemistry table to the list of club activities.

The ATM can now be used autonomously so you may see positive trait scoring inactive sims using it. See ITUN for details. No deposits, withdrawals or bank card details will be stolen when interacting autonomously.

The calendar no longer shows clubs that have no members.

Download: Mod The Sims - Social Clubs Mod (+ banking) - Grow Memberships, Push Activities, Make Bank Accounts and More!

Send Greeting Cards

Added tunings to control the chance of being sent greeting and birthday cards from inactive sims. Overall, it will be less frequent with a higher chance in the summer (and on birthdays).

When buying cards from the stand or opening card packs, the card pre-set will be randomised.

Card recipients no longer have the option to change the contents of the card.

Download: Mod The Sims - Send Greeting Cards

Functioning Printer (plus financial module)

Printing coupons will now return 3 coupons instead of one.

Printers can break after use and may need repairing.

Dogs can bark at printers when in use.

Hopefully fixed issue with CV causing certain sims to reset.

Download:

Enjoy!

[anim-ttrpgs]

Cover your eyes! Announcing the Gorgon Initiative for Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

(promotional art by @theblackwarden, one of our team artists)

Okay so, we had a bunch of stretch goals in the Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Kickstarter, and we actually did hit more of them than expected, but there was one of them we didn’t hit, the playable gorgon.

The gorgon being a playable monster type was stuck at the very back of the stretch goal list, mainly because we thought of it way later than all the other stretch goals, but honestly it was one of the possibilities that I was most excited for, and apparently, so were a whole lot of our fans. The gorgon monster type would perfectly round out Eureka’s roster of playable supernatural creatures, and we would really like to make it happen, despite not really having the budget for it since we didn’t hit the stretch goal.

Here are a few of what the gorgon’s key features would have been:

>Anyone who makes direct eye-contact with the gorgon turns to stone.

>A venomous bite, making them gorgon the second playable monster type to be able to inflict a poison effect.

>Cold-blooded. Won’t feel great in low temperature environments, but won’t show up on thermal sensors either.

>Scaly skin.

>Snake hair optional.

>Claws.

>Eating people like a snake.

And all this wrapped up in Eureka’s unique humanity-focused approach to monsters. How will your PC cope with their power to instantly kill anyone who looks at them wrong, whether they want to or not? That’s the kind of character development you can look forward to with a gorgon in the party.

So here is what we are going to do to make it happen despite the budget not accounting for it. It’s going to be a patreon initiative.

(promotional art by @qsycomplainsalot, one of our team artists)

If we can get up to 50 total paid patreon subscribers by the end of June, we will put the gorgon in the game. Currently, we have 33, so if y'all can manage to make that climb to 50 by July 1st, we will promise to make time and budget to add the gorgon in to the rulebook before final release. Ultimately, even 20-ish more patreon subscribers is less money than the stretch goal would have been, but we feel that it would be a good enough addition to the game to justify, especially because it's what the fans want, and because long-term patreon support is very valuable. You get regular Eureka rulebook PDFs as a part of the patreon, and even though there is also a free demo, the more more-updates copies or Eureka floating around, the better. We want people actually playing this game, and playing better and better versions of it. We’d release it all for free if we didn’t need the money to “earn a living.”

Supporting us on patreon isn’t pure charity either. At the $3 tier, you get access to our patreon discord server where our team discusses development of the game and gets feedback from fans, as well in a vote on which projects we tackle next.

At the $5 tier and beyond, you get that, plus regular PDFs of the most current and up-to-date version of our projects. In addition to a version of the Eureka rulebook with many more features than the current free version, there’s stuff you currently can’t get anywhere else, like Eureka adventure modules, short stories, and even a novella, all unreleased anywhere else.

So, sign up to our patreon, it’s only a few dollars a month, and help out with the gorgon initiative. At the time of writing this, we have 33/50 paid subscribers, and I’ll update the goal as we go.

And below the cut, I’ll show you the current changelog for the Eureka rulebook, so you can see what all $5+ patreon subscribers are going to get in the next big patreon update coming Thursday, June 6th. This changelog isn’t even fully conclusive, as work will continue on the rulebook throughout the week to make it even better before Thursday. That's a whole lot for just $5! I will also post the rough notes that exist for the gorgon mechanics as they appear right now.

(A new version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy will be coming to $5+ patreon subscribers on the first Thursday of the month every month until final release, and after that you'll start getting the beta versions of whatever our next project turns out to be.)

CHANGELOG

CHAPTER 1

Have started working on replacing the examples of play with updated ones that actually fit the current and slightly more stable version of the rules. These will be found in various chapters. You can see them in the table of contents.

Added a Foreword, a section on other media to offer you inspiration when playing eureka, and a section on some of the subtler themes of eureka

Copy-edited Foreword

A few minor clarifications in the Making Rolls section

Added a chart explaining the percentage chances of failures, partial successes, and full successes for modifiers from -7 to +7. 

Added Heat optional rule. A whole new set of mechanics for tracking how much police attention the investigators may be drawing, as well as how law enforcement will respond. Currently a work-in-progress, but mostly functional already.

CHAPTER 2

Added the Forgery skill to write-in skills

Many new snoops have been added. 

Removed the “Seating” stat for vehicles, you know how many people can safely fit in a car

Removed the placeholder boat entries from the item list because we did not hit that kickstarter stretch goal

Added Skateboard to item list. 

Added four-wheeler to item list. 

Added Acceleration values to all vehicles in the vehicle list. Acceleration is a new stat used with the new way that Speed is calculated for Chases.

Adjusted the Driving bonus of motorcycles and dirtbikes.

Changed Large Mansion cost to 25 Wealth Points in character creation.

Started copy-editing this chapter.

CHAPTER 3

Added vehicle crashes to irregular forms of damage section

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

Completely revamped the way that Speed is calculated. 

Added a mechanic to determine how many nodes ahead a fleeing character starts.

Added an optional rule for bringing an end to chases 

Added vehicle attack rules for use during car chases

Added more guidelines for how to make your own obstacles

Added recommended numbers of nodes for chases and recommended distance between obstacles 

Added the work-in-progress random obstacle tables

On-Foot Urban Chase Obstacles table is finished but not edited

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

Increased capacity of an unfurled thing from beyond’s ‘stomach’ from three to fourteen.

Thing from beyond can now more easily attempt to engulf more victims after already containing one or more. This now prompts an escape attempt by victims inside rather than automatic escape.

Thing from beyond can now get a bonus to mimicry attempts by consuming a sample of the intended mimicry target’s DNA. 

Thing from beyond can now attempt to mimic a person they have never seen or heard by consuming a sample of their DNA, but narrator makes a hidden roll about it, so accuracy of mimicry will be unknown.

Gave acceleration value to witch’s brooms and other flying transportation

Gave Acceleration of +6 to Superhuman Speed trait

Gave vampire small bat manifestation +2 Acceleration

Gave vampire wolf manifestation +4 Acceleration 

Gave vampire massive bat beast manifestation +4 Acceleration

Gave wolfman wolf form +4 Acceleration

Gave lycanthrope wolf form +4 Acceleration

Added ability to resist curses to fairy and witch

Added ability for fairy to transfer curses to different names as a means of protecting themselves from curses. This gives them more of an incentive to collect names. 

Added a tiny bit about the fairy world

Added Monsters Eating Monsters section to provide rulings for some edge cases where monsters might eat other monsters and what would happen if they did

ROUGH GORGON DESIGN NOTES

[Notes: Turn people to stone by looking them in the eye. Definitely not a power that the Gorgon can turn on and off, they will have to cover their eyes somehow, such as dark sunglasses or a veil, to prevent it happening to everyone they make eye contact with. Also works the other way around so you could protect yourself by wearing dark sunglasses. Still works even if the Gorgon is dead, like in the legends. Does not work through cameras, reflections, images, etc. Turning to stone is permanent, basically instant kill? Works like the witch curse except with infinite duration unless a witch undoes it like a curse. If there is no eye protection, could be a reflex roll on the gorgon’s part or on an aware victim’s part to break eye-contact quickly enough for the curse not to take effect. Also, they could have some kind of bonus to Threaten because all the legends say that they look particularly frightening.

Have claws and maybe scaly skin or scales in patches, maybe snake-like eyes and snake tongue that can taste air? Sharp teeth and maybe venomous snake fangs? People will really really want their gorgons to have snake hair even though in the legends, it was only Medusa herself that had snake hair. Compromise by making it an optional rule agreed upon by narrator and player that they have snake hair. Snakes may have venomous bite attack but the trade off is that it makes it way harder to conceal the gorgon’s identity as a Gorgon.

Gorgons do not regain composure points from turning people to stone, all other monsters regain composure points by *consuming* their victims in some way, except for fairies who regain composure from playing mean pranks because it makes them happy. Keeping with the rule of monsters eating people and also the fact that the legends always describe gorgons as having snake-like trait, maybe they swallow victims whole like a snake? Great horror concept but takes a long time. Could mechanically work very very similar to thing from beyond’s composure restoration where they gain 1 composure point each day for however many days. Could advise loose and bulky clothing to cover this up. Cannot really decide how to codify this because the most obvious way would make it pretty impossible to hide for a very long time. Could probably make multiple optional rules that regain composure at different rates and digest victims at different rates. One option that gets a lot more composure over time from a single victim like the thing from beyond but is very conspicuous that entire time. Other option that digests the whole victim extremely fast so they are only conspicious for a short time but ultimately less composure from a single kill. No option to regain composure from victim without killing them, like thing from beyond. No composure restoration from normal food but can eat it to stay alive, like the thing from beyond?

Do they have proper weaknesses besides just the normal things that everybody is weak to, like sharp objects? Probably should not have the Unkillable trait, but need to come up with at least one weakness that does not stray too far from the legends. Maybe they are cold-blooded, following the snake theme? Makes them very vulnerable to cold temperatures, and jackets and blankets don’t help because they don’t produce their own body heat. Big Physical skill penalties when they are in cold environments?

What is their second mandatory monster trait? They don’t *need* one but every other monster has their powers split across two monster traits.] 

Actually it would be pretty good if they had to make a Monster(fear) Composure check if they saw their face in the mirror

Their blood is either healing or poisonous depending on if it is from the left or right side. left side kills, right side heals. Make it  veinous vs arterial blood.....  But this would have no effect on vampires 

We have GOT to get the gorgon in if we have time, it’s such a good idea

Elegantly designed and thoroughly playtested, Eureka represents the culmination of three years of near-daily work from our team, as well as a lot of our own money. If you’re just now reading this and learning about Eureka for the first time, you missed the crowdfunding window unfortunately, but our Kickstarter page is still the best place to learn more about what Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually is, as that is where we have all the fancy art assets, the animated trailer, links to video reviews by podcasts and youtubers, and where we post regular updates on the status of our progress finishing the game and getting it ready for final release.

Beta Copies through the Patreon

If you want more than just status updates, going forward you can download regularly updated playable beta versions of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy and it’s adventure modules by subscribing to our Patreon at the $5 tier or higher. Subscribing to our patreon also grants you access to our patreon discord server where you can talk to us directly and offer valuable feedback on our progress and projects.

The A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club

If you would like to meet the A.N.I.M. team and even have a chance to play Eureka with us, you can join the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club discord server. It’s also just a great place to talk and discuss TTRPGs, so there is no schedule obligation, but the main purpose of it is to nominate, vote on, then read, discuss, and play different indie TTRPGs. We put playgroups together based on scheduling compatibility, so it’s all extremely flexible. This is a free discord server, separate from our patreon exclusive one. https://discord.gg/7jdP8FBPes

Other Stuff

We also have a ko-fi and merchandise if you just wanna give us more money for any reason.

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[rideboomindia]

Here's how auto rickshaw drivers can sign up to be part of the RideBoom rideshare service:

Download the RideBoom Driver App: Auto rickshaw drivers will need to download the dedicated RideBoom Driver app on their smartphone. This is where they can register, submit required documents, and manage their RideBoom driving account.

Provide Vehicle Details: Drivers will need to input information about their auto rickshaw, including make, model, year, license plate, and seating capacity. RideBoom will need to verify these details.

Submit Required Documentation: Drivers will need to submit copies of their driver's license, auto rickshaw registration, and any necessary permits or licenses required in their local area.

Complete Vehicle Inspection: RideBoom may require drivers to bring their auto rickshaw to an approved inspection center to verify the vehicle's safety and condition before being approved.

Sign Partnership Agreement: Drivers will need to review and sign RideBoom's partnership agreement, which outlines the terms, commission structure, and other policies they will operate under.

Get Vehicle Branding: RideBoom may provide customized branding or signage for the auto rickshaws to help passengers identify the RideBoom vehicles.

Attend Onboarding Training: New RideBoom drivers may be required to complete an onboarding training session, either in-person or through an online module, to learn the app features and service guidelines.

Once this process is complete, auto rickshaw drivers will be ready to start receiving ride requests through the RideBoom platform and grow their business. The company will provide ongoing support and resources to help drivers succeed.

[asamis-jodhpurs]

Out of the Abyss NPC Profile: Eldeth Feldrun

All art in this post belongs to my friend @fruuths and my gf @demynom! The rest is discussion of how I adapted Eldeth for our Out of the Abyss campaign and what changes I made from the module.

Age: 25 Race: Shield Dwarf Class: Champion Fighter Background: Soldier Voice: The best Cockney accent I can manage in consultation with @dnainers. "Fuck" used liberally and pronounced so it rhymes with "book". Basic Premise: As it turns out, becoming the person you always wanted to be is terrifying.

Playlist Because I'm Unwell

Backstory: In the version of Out of the Abyss I've been running, Eldeth remains intensely proud of and loyal to her home city of Gauntlgrym. I decided her parents were soldiers in the inner guard of King Bruenor Battlehammer. Her father was killed and her mother paralyzed by a spinal injury during the re-taking of Gauntlgrym from the drow, and she's been raised internalizing that her family is only so esteemed and well looked-after because of the grand deeds her parent committed. Her mother's love for her is unconditional. But her pride in her is not. Growing up, Eldeth was eager to follow in the footsteps of her parents and the great heroes she heard sung of in legends. Her instructors were often quick to observe when she failed to measure up to those standards, so when she heard someone being attacked on the outskirts of the city, she rushed to their defense, to find Zaen, our party's monk, under attack by Shoor Vandree. Together, they were captured and imprisoned by the drow.

Party Niche (Mechanical): Since the party already had a ranger in Alderick, I re-spec'd Eldeth as a fighter with the Unarmed Fighting style so that the party had a frontline tank. Once she accrued some better armor, and a 20 AC, she could start functioning as an effective tank without as an NPC dealing so much damage that she gets kills too often.

Party Niche (Narrative): Eldeth is the first to think about how the party's story will be told. She's been raised on a tradition of retold epics and grand heroes, and she's the first to grasp when an action they choose might be a blight on their legacy, or a chance to become people worthy of song. This has played out very interestingly in her relationship with Zaen who, despite being a royal, struggles heavily with accounting for public perception of her actions. It also makes Eldeth acutely conscious of her status as an npc. She is a plain, non-magical fighter, in love with the wronged and noble queen of a great nation. She knows, when push comes to shove, which of them in this story is meant to die to save the other. Zaen lives forever, and death is a horror to her, but for Eldeth it's a necessary bookend to a story, and the two of them haven't fully reckoned with how they see that disconnect. Also, on a lighter note, when the party has an idea that is truly bugfuck insane, Eldeth, as the only person here who received any level of STEM education, is the character I reach for to nip it in the bud.

Act Two Goals: Despite losing her parents' shield and hammer in captivity, Eldeth returned to Gauntlgrym a hero, having rescued Zaen from the Underdark and brought crucial news of the incursion of the demon lords into the Underdark. Like her parents before her, she is a respected member of the king's inner circle. She spent all of Act One fearing she would die in ignominy, and now she labors under the knowledge that for better or worse, her actions will be remembered for centuries to come. She has a Part. She's the Knight. She has to become the person she always dreamed of being, on pain of death. And her girlfriend/queen cannot stop getting downed and falling limp in her arms.

Art dump! Featuring Eldeth's reaction to Dewd and Zaen's plan to use Destroy Water to "get rid of the Darklake and just walk from here", her truly dreadful lockpicking skills with an assist from lizard!Dewd, and her dynamic with Zaen: