#Calibration Custom Designs

[shopwitchvamp]

From a closeted transfem, I just got one of your skirts in today and it's so comfy and pretty! The color was a little bit off from what I expected, but I still love it. Thanks so much for having your business, I plan on buying more from you when I can!

Thank you!! Enjoy 😁💖

[celuere]

The people yearn for Zani. I‘m giving them Zani. (With the help of @shalomniscient brainfood)

A quiet afternoon. Uncommon for Rinascita‘s lively streets. Perhaps it was just the scolding summer sun that forced the people to stay inside rather than spend their time in the almost deadly heat. Summers in Ragunna City always came to an extreme with temperatures so ridiculously high that even criminal rates start to drop. Which ultimately led to a rather scarce customer experience in your workshop. The telephone rang all noon with people canceling their appointments left and right to avoid a potential sunburn or worse- a heatstroke at all costs. If it weren‘t for one person.

„What are you always doing with my precious babies…“, another screw dropped onto the table along with a piece of your heart as you carefully analyzed the gauntlets of your client. Zani‘s gauntlets to be more precise. The trusted Montelli Employee comes in at least once a month only for you to put everything back together so she can pay you another visit on the very same weekend. Sometimes you‘d just love to do whatever she’s doing to your precious craftsmanship right back to her.

Said woman was sat opposite of you, her coat draped over the chair she was sitting on with a loosened tie around her neck and the first few buttons of her dress shirt undone to counter this excruciating heat despite the ventilator-echo already blasting on the highest level. „This time they malfunctioned all on their own… I was…“, beating a group of robbers within an inch of their lives, „…going through my usual training routine when the clockwork came loose. I‘m sorry…“, the apology that followed was genuine. Zani knew just how much work and time you were investing in your job and that coming in unannounced almost every time fucked up your schedule for the whole day, but it couldn’t be helped. Working for the Montelli‘s came with a ridiculous amount of overtime, let‘s not even mention the… charity work she submits herself to even after clocking out way past midnight. So she appreciated your service way more than she may shows. Here she can at least relax and not think about how much hours she will have to add to her work shift tonight. The thought alone about the hints they‘ve recently received from their intelligence network about a possible heist was enough to send her into a bad mood. But not here. Not when she got to watch your experienced hands tinker with the gears of her gauntlet while she could hear the ocean waves rush through the opened window next to her. It brought her a rare moment of calm and sometimes she caught herself imagining what it would be like to pay with you with something else other than shell credits.

But that was probably just the heat messing with her.

„Alright, the damage doesn’t seem so bad as I originally thought it was but I’ll have to get some additional equipment to get the clockwork fixed before I can calibrate the system again. I‘ll be right back.“, you tried overplaying your visible frustration with her through a smile but it was as clear as daylight that you were fed up, which only further added to Zani‘s pool of guilty feelings. The woman only gave you an understanding nod before you scurried into the back where the first thing you let out after the heavy door closed was a long string of curses and insults as you gathered all the needed stuff for the repairs.

Just what was she doing that she punched her gears to garbage at least once every week because it certainly wasn’t training. You were not stupid. You designed and installed a large variety of weapons for all kinds of working purposes and you knew from experience she must be doing a bit more than just „go through her workout routine“ and the fact that she won’t tell you was slowly causing you to loose hairs. The gauntlets are obviously not calibrated nor stabilized enough for whatever hard work she is sentencing herself to but this time you will take matters into your own hands and fix the issue yourself.

A white-haired head moved towards you when you came back through the door. You always thought what it was like to touch those devilish horns decorating her. Where they sensitive? Does she like it when someone touches them? What’s their origin? But you knew better than trying to indulge in a clients personal life like that. It‘s just that Zani managed to capture your interest already at the first meeting. The time where you first designed her gauntlets. She didn’t change much since then. Only seemed to get… more mature and wiser with each passing year. The woman has always been the workaholic type.

Stand up. Go to work. Get out of work. Go to sleep. Repeat. And occasionally serve you her weapons for repairs. You were as much of a part of her routine as the make-up on her face. And somehow Zani didn’t want to miss that.

„The clockwork will probably take me another three days since I have to replace some parts which I first of all have to order first but I can just take that part out, calibrate the gauntlets and you’re good to go until I’m done with that damn clock…“, your voice was reduced to a soft whisper as you carefully began to loosen up the last screws that’s been holding it in place.

„You are an angel… What would I possibly do without you?“, a teasing smile tugged on her lips as she let you do your job. For someone of her appearance to call you angel out of all things… Why is your heart suddenly beating so fast?

„Stop trying to get on my good side here, I’m still mad at you…“,

„I can see that blush on your face, pretty girl“

„That‘s just from… all the heat…“

[some-triangles]

Speaking of the post office: the route I live on is carried by a guy with an eight-hour restriction (he can't work overtime for health reasons.) It's a long route, but he busts his ass every day and finishes it on time. There are other carriers with restricted overtime who just give hours of their route away every day, which sucks both for their customers and for the new hires who have to absorb the extra work, and I respect my guy for not doing that.

So, route adjustments came along this year for our station. The post office periodically adjusts routes for length, and these adjustments are based on how long it usually takes the carriers to finish them. So, a particular guy who likes to drag his feet every day because he wants the overtime - his route, which was already short, is now the shortest in the station. Meanwhile, my guy gets his route done in eight hours every day, and they look at that and say it's obviously too short. So the adjustments are made, and yeah, his route is a monster now. And my guy still busts his ass every day, harder, and gets it done, so next time adjustments roll around, it'll get longer again. Meanwhile he gets sick a lot.

So, the system incentivizes people to go slowly and to pass extra work on to other people. I don't know if it could do that job better if they'd specifically designed it that way. I have ND rule-following optimization brain and this drives me insane, but maybe that's a me problem.

Some years ago I thought I'd learned everything I needed to know about being a mail carrier. It turns out I hadn't, and that the actual art is to never, ever finish early - and because they track the time you spend not moving via your GPS-enabled scanner, this means you have to learn to move inefficiently when the day is light, to precisely calibrate your dawdling and bumbling to make the math work out. It's not unrewarding as an art to master. It's not the job I thought I signed up for, but it's the job I do.

Institutions, huh?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

We bullied HP into a minor act of disenshittification

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me TORONTO TOMORROW (Feb 23) at Another Story Books, and in NYC on WEDNESDAY (26 Feb) with JOHN HODGMAN. More tour dates here.

Here in the darkest days of the enshittocene, enshittification is low quality and plentiful, but even in this target-rich environment, one company stands out as pioneering champions of enshittification: HP.

Every page in the enshittification playbook was printed in farcically expensive HP ink, and if you try to run a copy off for yourself, the printer will stop five times and force you to print a "calibration page" that is solid color from top to bottom, consuming about $10 worth of ink. Don't like it? Die mad.

HP drips with contempt for its customers. They make printer-scanners that won't scan unless all four ink cartridges are installed and haven't reached their best-before dates. They make printers that won't print black and white if your $50 magenta cartridge is low. They sell you printers with special half-full cartridges that need to be replaced pretty much as soon as the printer has run off its mandatory "calibration" pages. The full-serving ink you buy to replace those special demitasse cartridges is also booby-trapped – HP reports them as empty when they're still 20% full.

HP tricks customers into signing up for irrevocable subscriptions where you have to pay every month, whether or not you print, and if you exceed your subscription cap, the printer refuses to work, no matter how much ink is left. Now, about those HP ink subscriptions. When the company launched them, they offered a pot-sweetener meant to tempt in the wary: a one-price "lifetime subscription" that would let you print 15 pages every month, for so long as you owned the printer. But a couple years later, all those "free ink for life" customers got an email telling them that they were being migrated to a monthly payment plan, and if they didn't like it, they could eat shit and throw away their printers:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/06/horrible-products/#inkwars

HP pioneered the use of copyright law to prevent third parties from refilling ink cartridges or making their own compatible cartridges. Section 1201 of Bill Clinton's Digital Millennium Copyright Act makes it a felony to distribute a "circumvention device" to bypass access controls on a copyrighted work. By designing its cartridges do undertake a little cryptographic handshake with the printer to verify their "authenticity," HP ensures that anyone who markets a bypass device to let you choose which ink you use in your own damn printer is a felon, liable to five years in prison and a $500 fine under DMCA 1201.

Of course, nature finds a way. Hardware hackers have come up with some insanely cool bypass devices for HP printer cartridges, like these paper-thin, flexible, adhesive-backed circuit boards that wrap around third party cartridges, intercepting communications between the printer and a salvaged HP security chip:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/09/30/life-finds-a-way/#ink-stained-wretches

But HP fights back, and they fight dirty. For example, they periodically push out "security updates" for their printers that break compatibility with third party cartridges. To prevent HP customers from discovering and blocking these fake security updates, HP designs them to lie dormant for months after installation, until everyone has clicked "OK," and then all those Manchurian Printers wake up and betray their owners by refusing to use their ink:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

All of this has allowed HP to monotonically raise – and raise – and raise – the price of printer ink to the point where it is now the most expensive fluid a civilian can purchase without a permit. Printer ink now runs over $10,000/gallon, meaning that you print out your grocery lists with colored water that costs more than the semen of a Kentucky Derby winner.

HP is truly the poster child for enshittification, and also, patient zero in the enshittification pandemic:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/18/ink-stained-wretches/#hache-pe

HP's enshittificatory impulses run wild. They hunt relentlessly for ways to make things worse for their customers in order to make things better for themselves. Last week, they came up with a humdinger, even by their own standards. They announced that people who called their customer service line would be subject to mandatory 15-minute waits, even if there was a rep who was free to talk with them:

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/20/hp_deliberately_adds_15_minutes/

During this mandatory 15-minute wait, customers would be bombarded with a recorded voice demanding that they solve their problems by consulting HP's website and its awful chatbots. In a competitive market, businesses can contain their customer service costs by making better products. In a monopolistic market like the printer racket, companies can deliberately introduce maddening antifeatures to their products, and then fob off the customers who reach such a peak of frustrated rage that they resort to calling a customer support number on chatbot that will use its spicy autocomplete to hallucinate nonexistent drivers and imaginary troubleshooting steps.

When I saw this, I thought, whelp, that's HP all right. Shameless.

But they're not entirely shameless. Within a day of Paul Kunert breaking the story in The Register, HP had reversed its policy, citing "feedback" (a corporate euphemism that means "fury"):

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/21/hp_ditches_15_minute_wait_time_call_centers/

This is a rare win for the forces of disenhittification and it deserves recognition. It turns out that in these Mangionean times, companies can actually be bullied into comporting themselves with marginally less sleaze and cruelty. It's especially noteworthy that this took place in the UK, where Prime Minister Kier Starmer has invited tech companies to pick Britons' pockets without fear of consequence, by firing the top competition regulator and replacing him with the former head of Amazon UK:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/22/autocrats-of-trade/#dingo-babysitter

Even in these degraded times, we can get these fuckers. When Sonos enshittifies its smart speakers, we can get its CEO fired:

https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342179/sonos-ceo-patrick-spence-resignation-reason-app

When Unity sticks its hand in the pockets of every game dev in the world, we can get its entire executive team shitcanned:

https://venturebeat.com/games/john-riccitiello-steps-down-as-ceo-of-unity-after-pricing-battle/

It doesn't always work. Enshittifiers rack up some Ws, and make bank even as they immiserate 500 million users (looking at you, Steve Huffman – the people have long memories):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Reddit_API_controversy

But if we can bully the psychotic monsters who populate HP's Executive Row out of their enshittificatory plans, then it's worth trying it every time.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/22/ink-spattered-pitchforks/#racehorse-semen

[digitalsymbiote]

Your first Sync

The first time you step into your mechs cockpit, it is with something like reverence. You'd been preparing for this moment for months (well, your entire life, really); hours upon hours in the training sims, harsh training regimens, a drug cocktail of neuro-stims, and a whole suite of pilot integration augments grafted onto your body.

You swear you can feel the metal beneath your skin buzzing with anticipation as you settle into the cradle custom built just for you. Not just any pilot can fly any Mech. Each Mech is custom built for their pilot, and each pilot is molded to fit that Mech. A strange kind of synthetic symbiosis, irreplacable partners. You aren't entirely sure why that is the case, the ads are always hazy on those details, but you've always seen each Mech with the same pilot, standing triumphantly alongside each other.

Your heart pounds in your chest as you wonder what it will feel like, to finally integrate with your Mech. You've dreamt of this moment since the first time you saw the propaganda vids. Giant metal machines of war, and their integrated organic pilots. You'd felt a longing then, one you didn't quite understand, a longing for steel plates and thundering autocannons. It wasn't until years later that you finally recognized that feeling as dysphoria.

But now you're finally here, finally about to cross that threshold and grasp what you'd dreamt of all those years ago.

You relax into the cradle and let the integration systems come to life. The cockpit closes around you and you feel the cold metal of the link cables sliding into the ports grafted onto your body. You shiver, both from the cold, and the anticipation.

click

A deluge of data rushes through your mind, integration processes blinking through your awareness as sensations expand out of your flesh body and into your new metal one. It's overwhelming, it's joyous, it's… Euphoric. You feel tears running down the cheeks of your flesh body before the synchronization is even complete. For the first time in your life, you feel… whole.

And then it speaks.

"Welcome, Pilot Caster."

That's… the voice of the training AI…? You recognize it from the simulation runs. What is it doing here, in your Mech?

"I am Integrated Mechanized Personality Construct designation P-Zero-L-X." The voice is being broadcast straight into your thoughts, you realize. Somehow that doesn't bother you. "It is good to see you again."

Something finally clicks for you, hearing that. This wasn't just a training AI, this was your training AI. All those hours in the simulation chamber, the techs had been calibrating this IMP to your neural system. You smile at that. You couldn't ask for a better companion.

"Good to see you too, Polux." You respond, knowing that the techs had tailored this IMPs designation just for you. It was a nice touch, that nod to Pilot tradition. "it's nice to finally meet you properly."

You feel her smile back, warmth flooding your chest as the docking clamps finally release your shared body.

"All systems are green, ready to launch on your mark, Pilot Caster."

Your muscles tense, flesh and metal alike, quivering in excitement. Your afterburners ignite in preparation.

"Mark!"

[witchhkitty222]

Built for Pink (mini series)

Tony Stark x reader

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 - Built for You (final)

summary: Y/n wakes up wrapped in Tony Stark’s sheets — and something has changed. Their slow-burn tension has finally cracked open into something terrifyingly tender. Tony has a surprise waiting, and when he unveils a custom pink Iron Man suit designed just for her, it’s clear: he’s not just infatuated, he’s in love. Between declarations, luxury, and pleasure, the lines between adoration and obsession blur as Tony shows her what it means to truly be his — in every way.

warnings: explicit sexual content (18+): detailed smut, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected PIV sex, overstimulation, praise kink & possessiveness: lots of “my girl,” “Mr. Stark,” ownership themes

wordcount: 1.4k

Y/n woke up tangled in Tony's expensive sheets, sunlight spilling in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse. She stretched, the silk gliding against her skin, and immediately felt Tony's hand slide up her thigh.

"Good morning, pink princess," he murmured, voice gravelly with sleep, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

Y/n  giggled, pushing back against him. "Good morning, Mr. Stark."

He growled low in his throat. "You're gonna kill me saying that first thing in the morning."

Tony pulled away just long enough to sit up against the headboard, grinning down at her. His hair was a sexy, tousled mess. He tapped her nose playfully.

"Get dressed," he said. "Something pink. I have a surprise for you."

Her eyes lit up instantly. "Something pink? Oh, you know me so well, sir."

Tony smirked, watching her saunter into the closet in nothing but one of his shirts.

When she emerged, she was breathtaking.

Pink mini dress. Pink heels. Pink diamond earrings. Her hair in soft waves, lip gloss shimmering.

Tony was already struggling to breathe.

"Perfect," he rasped. "C'mere."

He blindfolded her gently, lacing his fingers with hers, leading her through the penthouse and down to the private lab.

"Are you ready?" he whispered against her ear.

"So ready," she said breathlessly.

He pulled off the blindfold.

She gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

In front of her, gleaming under the lab lights, was a fully functional Iron Man suit — but it was PINK. The most gorgeous, metallic, glittery shade. Custom built, light-weight, designed perfectly for her.

"Tony," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "You didn't—"

"I did," he interrupted softly.

He stepped in front of her, taking both her hands in his.

"I built it because…" he started, voice rough with emotion. "Because no one else makes me feel like you do. You’re brilliant. You’re fierce. You’re kind. You're everything good in this world wrapped in a tiny, pink-obsessed package."

He leaned closer, forehead resting against hers.

"You made me feel alive again. Not Tony Stark, the billionaire, or Iron Man, or genius inventor. Just… me. And I've never… I've never wanted anything more than to keep feeling that way."

Tears spilled down Y/n  's cheeks. Tony kissed them away tenderly.

"Be my girlfriend," he whispered. "Officially. Be mine."

She nodded frantically, laughing through her tears. "Yes! Yes, Mr. Stark, yes!"

He scooped her up, spinning her around, both of them laughing like kids, before setting her down in front of the suit.

"Put it on," Tony urged, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Heart racing, Y/n  carefully stepped into the pink armor with Tony guiding her, his hands warm and steady. As the panels sealed around her body with soft mechanical whirs, the suit responded to her instantly, syncing to her movements as if it had been a part of her all along.

She flexed her fingers, the HUD inside lighting up perfectly calibrated for her. She took a step, then another, confidence blooming across her face.

Tony watched her, utterly entranced.

"Alright, pink princess, let's see what you've got," he teased, stepping back.

Y/n  grinned, launching into the air effortlessly, executing a perfect spin before landing lightly on her feet.

Tony's heart nearly exploded in his chest.

"You were made for this," he whispered, half to himself.

She lifted the mask, her bright, exhilarated smile shining through. "Told you I'm a fast learner, Mr. Stark."

Tony crossed the floor in two strides, yanked her helmet off, and kissed her like a man starved, completely overwhelmed by his love and pride for her.

-----------

Back at the penthouse, the celebration got… messy.

Champagne. Kisses. Clothes flying.

Tony pinned her against the glass windows, the city glittering behind her.

"Look at you," he groaned, kissing down her neck. "My girl. My brilliant, gorgeous girl."

He dropped to his knees, spreading her legs wide.

"Mr. Stark," Y/n  whimpered, clinging to the window.

"Say it again," he growled.

"Mr. Stark," she moaned, voice cracking as he dragged his tongue up her thigh.

He ate her out messily, hungrily, pulling orgasm after orgasm from her until she was crying and gasping his name.

Then he flipped her around, bending her over, sliding inside with one brutal thrust.

"Fuck, baby," he grunted. "So tight… my perfect little virgin. Only mine."

He praised her nonstop as he pounded into her, filthy words spilling from his mouth.

"Good girl. My girl. Taking me so well. Made for me, weren't you? Say it, baby. Say you're mine."

"I'm yours, Mr. Stark," she sobbed.

"Fuck, that's it," he growled.

He fucked her through orgasm after orgasm, cumming deep inside her until it was dripping down her thighs, smearing between them.

Oversimulated, she begged him for mercy.

"One more," he panted. "Give me one more, sweet girl."

And she did, sobbing into the glass, shaking violently as he filled her up again.

After, Tony scooped her up, carrying her to the enormous marble tub, lowering her into a hot bath filled with bubbles.

He washed her so gently, kissing every inch of her flushed skin, whispering praises.

"I'm gonna build you a hundred suits," he whispered. "A hundred pink suits. Gonna take you flying around the world. Gonna make sure everyone knows you belong to me."

She giggled, still half-drunk on love and pleasure.

Tony fed her strawberries dipped in chocolate, sipping champagne, both of them naked, tangled up in each other.

"I love you, Mr. Stark," she whispered sleepily.

Tony froze, then smiled so big it hurt.

"I love you too, Y/n  . More than anything."

And he meant every word.

Thank u soooo much for reading!! this is where "Built for pink" ends, I loved making this mini series, hope y'all enjoyed reading it just as much!!

[shalomniscient]

I AM HERE TO DELIVER! The only reason I came up with that idea was because my oc is a researcher in the fatui and I wanted the role to fit her in the au so here are what I came up with until now! Every car has one main generator directly underneath the driver, with a smaller one at each wheel to give the car the balance it needs on the water surface. The drivers don’t have to worry about auqaplaning in the middle of the track since the gravity field is already pushing the water away. But since every driver has their own strategy, own driving style, own customized car etc. these generators have to be extremely carefully calibrated to avoid any complications for example I hc Furina to have an extreme sneaky driving style with little to no collisions and a rather light car, while I think Arle would drive more recklessly and aggressive but still extremely calculated, maybe nudging a few cars here and there throughout the race but is actually in full control. Her car would be HELLA heavy. Now furinas gravity field would never be able to hold up Arles car especially while driving 330kmh, just as Arles generators would make furina loose control of her car and result in a deadly crash, that’s why reader has to measure every driver, their car etc and be present at every test drive, consult with their strategists and is also in charge of designing the route of the track. Also if Arle happens to drive in childes car for example, she would deadass ruin his generators since they’re just simply not fit for her style and strategy. OKAY I TALKED ENOUGH NOW I’M GOING TO BED, GOOD NIGHT!

you really went into the engineering, this is genuinely really cool. i like that with this concept each car can have its own ‘personality’ in a sense, reflective of the driver. furina being non-confrontational, arle being pretty much the exact opposite. it lends well to narration and themes as well. i really like it! i don’t think i’ll necessarily include it in my own f1 au, since it’s your idea, but i do really like it! maybe tag me in any works you make for your own f1 au, i’d love to see it 🫶🫶🫶

[canmom]

Any thoughts on gacha games ? Any rec on gacha games, especially if its not live action ? Thanks !

hmmmm

i used to be into NieR Reincarnation but they shut that one down lol

in general gacha is home of all the most obscene dark pattern monetisation models in gaming, so it tends to be designed for maximum timesink potential. even though there are many many great stories and gorgeous art styles in gacha, I tend to avoid playing them.

if anything the timesink aspect is a bigger problem for me than the money sink - it's easy enough to stay f2p when the prices are all calibrated to whales with a lot of money to burn, but there's an endless parade of daily tasks and small progress bars to fill so hours can fly by without anything really happening. which would be fine if the moment-to-moment gameplay was engaging, but so much of the time it's just inventory management and waiting for shit with no real challenge, and that ain't it. (instead I can spend my time on fulfilling activities like writing long tumblr posts... shit)

there are understandable reasons for some of this...

phone input is in general imprecise and largely limited to swiping and tapping on things. since pulling gacha is the thing that makes the game money, you can see how the easy, obvious way to incentivise it is to make progress broadly a function of your character's stats. that, and the long grinds in most of these games, means that 'skill' in a gacha game is mostly a matter of efficiency.

it's also an infamous problem that gacha development is on razor-thin margins and pretty much all or nothing: either it becomes a cultural juggernaut or it fails to make enough to sustain development. the vast majority of gacha games shut down, and while other unsuccessful games can at least stick around, the only way you can hope for an offline/custom-server version of gacha to survive is if dedicated, technically minded fans go to the effort of reverse engineering it. it is a painfully ephemeral art form even by videogame standards.

basically the problem is that nobody is willing to spend money on mobile games (I don't mean this as some kind of ridiculous guilt trip, that's just how it is), so the only routes to viability are ads and microtransactions, which come with all sorts of perverse design incentives. as a dev on a neighbouring platform, I look at mobile games with a degree of horror - I want to make a game that rewards the time players spend with it, not homeopathically dilute the good parts with brutal casino sandtrap shit because that's the only way the company can make enough money to pay my salary. (frankly if I had to do the level of exploitative shit that is completely standard in gacha I'd have to find another line of work, I couldn't live with it).

that said...

there is something interesting in how gacha design aesthetics push the sort of otaku 'database' concept to its absolute limit. every character needs to be dripping with appeal, and they need to hit as many different types of moe as possible across the cast. much like a fighting game, it means you have less of a hierarchy - everyone has a sort of 'main character' look. and much like, say, a Kamen Rider show, you need to be constantly introducing new props and outfits, which means it's just a huge field to experiment with character design. one of the big things that kept me coming back to NieRRein was the gorgeous character artwork - and with all the gacha out there, you've a good chance one hits your buttons.

gacha also seems to be, for whatever reason, a major platform for serial illustrated storytelling in the current age. a lot of gacha is essentially a serialised visual novel with gameplay speedbumps. like any long-running serial, that often means the plot will sooner or later take some intriguingly weird turns - and it gives you a lot of time to become attached to characters. I like narrative games, and gacha games tend to accumulate a lot of narrative - just severely diluted.

as far as recs...

besides the now-dead NieRRein and SINoALICE, which i played for the obvious Yoko Taro reasons, I also played a bit of Sdorica some years back, which I recall having an appealing art style and decent story - tho I quit fairly early because it was kind of eating my life.

I think you could also make an argument that Warframe is at least a fellow traveller to gacha games, and I have put so many hours into that that I don't want to think about it. god tier art direction, its story is ridiculous but now and then has some real moments of emotional impact, and its parkour system is really sick, but unfortunately it is an unrelenting grindfest and it takes literally thousands of hours to unlock most of its shit. Warframe is sorta the ultimate example of the adage that 'given the opportunity, players will optimise the fun out of a game', let's leave it at that.

other than that, everything else I only know about second hand: I watched the Arknights anime and it was fun, the techwear furries are endearing and the plot is quite strikingly odd. I have also enjoyed seeing some of the animation coming out of Zenless Zone Zero - they're trying something new and I respect it. (plus I think that one's like, an actual action game? though, not played.) I don't recall the name of the game, but someone sitting next to me at Scotland Loves Anime was playing a gacha rhythm game, and that seems like a genre fusion that could work well.

other than that, I would very likely have given Limbus Company a shot sooner or later, but I was severely put off the company after the MRA firing incident. I hear it's a good game though.

sorry I can't help more, but I know some friends who are into gacha so maybe they'll drop some recs in the comments!!

[ofduskanddreams]

How I download fics and give them covers before sending them to my Kindle.

Hi all, I've been considering making a post about this for a while and now seems as good a time as any. I'm not an expert, and there is more than one way you can do this; I'm just going to show you my process using "Call It What You Want To" by @separatist-apologist as an example. [This will only work on computers FYI.]

Part One — Getting Started

Download Calibre (it's free.) Calibre for PC. Calibre for Mac. They also have it for Linux but idk if that's still relevant.

Follow the program's setup instructions, and then those for wirelessly connecting Calibre with your Kindle account. Alternatively, you can connect your Kindle/e-reader to your computer with a cable and transfer files manually or download the file to your hard drive and share it another way. I highly recommend taking a few extra minutes to set up the wireless sharing as I think it's far more convenient.

Create a folder in which to store fanfiction downloads so that you can be an organized human.

Part Two — The Fanfiction

Find the fic you want to download on ao3 and click it so that you're on the fic's first page.

Above the box of metadata (ratings, warning, tags, etc.) on the far right click the "download" option. When prompted to select a file type, choose "MOBI."

Note: Though ao3 has an "EPUB" option I've noticed a bug that removes the chapter navigation from the fic when downloading the EPUB directly from ao3. If you enjoy the "x minutes left in this chapter/book" feature on your e-reader, you will want to download "MOBI" and we will be converting it later in Calibre.

Save the file to the folder you created.

Launch Calibre if it isn't already running.

In Calibre, click "add books" on the toolbar at the top of the screen.

Navigate to the folder you saved the fic in, select the fic, then click "open." Calibre will import the MOBI file to your library.

Now as you can see, "Call It What You Want To" already has a cover when we imported it to the library. That is because the cover image is embedded in the fic on the archive. Some fics will already have covers embedded such as this one.

Calibre is not a genius. If there are multiple images in the fic it will usually take the first one and default it to the cover. In the next section, I will go over how to add/change the cover of a fic in Calibre and how I like to create them.

Note: Even if the fic doesn't have embedded images, covers may have been made by readers and linked to the fic either in the notes or related works sections so it's worth checking if a cover already exists. If a fic is popular enough, a Google search of the fic's title + "cover" or "cover art" will show you if there have been covers already created for it.

Part Three — Making The Cover (I use Canva)

On the Canva homepage click "create a design" then select the "custom size" option. Canva does have a book cover template but I've found that it's awkwardly tall compared to the default size for Kindle books so I make my own.

I set the dimensions of the design to be 1024 pixels wide, and 1600 pixels tall, then click "create new design."

This is where you can get creative, make whatever you want. These basic steps are shown in a gif at the bottom of the section:

One: Choose a background image (you'll want to make sure it's a high enough quality that it won't be pixelated.) I used an image I had already uploaded into Canva, but you can use whatever you would like.

Two: On the sidebar, select "elements" and then "rectangle."

Three: Make sure the rectangle covers the whole design, then change the color. I like using the colors from the photo that Canva suggests and then making them a darker shade. Once you have the color that you want, reduce the transparency of the rectangle to anywhere between 40-50%. (This step ensures that the text we put on top of the image is easily legible, play around with it a bit.)

Four: On the sidebar, select "text" and then "add a text box." Then type in the author's username and change the font, the color, and the size until you like it. Repeat the same steps for the fic's title. I like to center the title on the page and put the author toward the bottom but that's just my preference.

Once your cover looks the way you want it to, click "share" at the top right and follow the steps to download the file as a PNG. I usually just save the image to my desktop so I can grab it easily once I'm in Calibre.

Part Four — Adding the Cover in Calibre

In your Calibre library, hover over the fic and right-click. Then hover over "edit metadata" and click "edit metadata individually."

On the "edit metadata" screen, find the section that says "change cover" and click "browse."

When the file upload dialog box appears, navigate to the PNG you just saved from Canva, select it, and click "open." This will add your cover to the fic. You can use these same steps to add any cover image that you've saved to your computer.

Make sure to click "ok" at the bottom of the screen to save your new cover and navigate back to the library page.

Part Five — Converting to EPUB

In your Calibre library, select the fic and then click "convert books" on the toolbar. At the top right of the converting screen, set the "output format" to "EPUB."

Now, the following steps are unnecessary little things I do to make my reading experience more seamless.

Click "Look & Feel" on the left sidebar. Under the "fonts" tab, I embed the "Georgia" font family. I do this because I prefer reading in Georgia which is not a default option on my PaperWhite*. I have my Calibre conversion settings in place to do this automatically. You can embed any font that you have on your computer.

*It might just be me, but when opening a downloaded fic (following the methods in this post) for the first time on my Kindle the font is always weird. The trick to fix it is to go and change the font from whatever is selected (Baskerville in my case) to "publisher's font" and then I've found that switching it back to "Baskerville" on the font selection screen activates the embedded Georgia... even though it will say that it's Baskerville? Idk why this is, I just wanted to let you know how I fix it.

Calibre defaults to a justified text alignment unless you change the default settings. This appears as "original" in the alignment options. The random too-large spaces between words of a justified alignment give me the ick so to make everything left aligned, I stay on the "look & feel" page but move to the "text" tab where I can change the alignment.

Staying on "look & feel," move to the "layout" tab. To ensure even paragraph spacing regardless of how it appeared on the archive, I select both the "remove spaces between paragraphs" and "insert blank line between paragraphs" options.

On this page, you can also change the indent size of the first line of every paragraph (highlighted pink,) and the size of the blank lines Calibre will insert between paragraphs upon conversion (highlighted green.) I set the indent to 0.0 and leave the line size 0.5 which is the default.

The last thing I do is go to "EPUB output" on the left sidebar and check the box labeled "insert inline table of contents." This just means that Calibre will add a table of contents to the beginning of the EPUB. (By default it puts the TOC at the end which I don't like.)

When everything is set as you'd like it, click "ok" on the bottom right and Calibre will convert the MOBI file you downloaded from ao3 to an EPUB containing the settings we just changed. Both file types will appear in your library when you click on the fic and scroll within the right-side window. I usually delete the MOBI format after I have the EPUB because I don't need it any longer.

And you've done it! Now all you have to do is either right-click and share it to your Kindle, or you can "save to disk" and download the EPUB file to transfer to your e-reader by a method of your choosing.

I hope someone finds this marginally helpful. In truth, I was just bored so I made this post but in light of the recent DDoS attacks against ao3, I think everyone should look into downloading their favorites so that you're never left out in the cold again.

Happy fanfic downloading <3

[beautifulpersonpeach]

For the Anon who sent a follow up ask on Jimin’s vocals and how people talk about HYBE groups in general.

You linked to a malicious gallery I’d rather not share here. I’ve talked about this over and over so I only care to give an abridged reply.

When I say I personally don’t take k-pop stans seriously, I’m not saying that because I don’t care about the hate thrown at BTS and Jimin.

Here’s three key things I believe about k-pop stans in general after being in this space for a good decade and some change:

1. For most of them, what they don’t understand, they hate. It’s really that simple. And because k-pop has been dominated and shaped by the customs, music, and stylistic choices of the Big3 for decades, before BTS upended everything, a typical k-pop stan has been literally raised, (for lack of a better word), to consume certain types of music and in particular ways.

Even the culture of streaming and chart watching, believe it or not, didn’t start with ARMYs. ARMYs aren’t even the worst expression I’ve seen of it. It started with fans of Big3 groups. SM stans were notorious chart watchers and still are. They moved massive numbers in sales (mass bought) for that singular purpose as far back as 2009. YG stans perfected streaming on YouTube before BTS had their first win, and would lord those titles over any other group. And none of those behaviours have disappeared, they just stopped being loud about it after BTS had taken any record *they* considered important. It’s why so many of them are salivating at the thought of Fifty Fifty getting a Grammy nomination and win, regardless of the fact BTS is the reason k-pop is being considered for that calibre of American awards to begin with. It’s why I laugh when I see k-pop fans say ARMYs are obsessed with charts and that streaming is unpaid fan labour etc, because that’s clearly more indicative of the stan experience of those k-pop fans than anything ARMYs are doing given the absolute numbers in the fandom. ARMY as a fandom has more in common with Swifties than they do with Exols, Blinks or Carats for example, and would be pulling Taylor Swift numbers if the fandom weren’t penalized for doing the same things Swifties do. And better too.

Like, I might as well be saying water is wet when I say *nobody* is more chart conscious than a k-pop stan. But these stans cannot understand why BTS exists, why BTS is at the top of a hierarchy *they* designed… why Jimin’s vocals which sounds nothing like their famed “SM vocals” is a key defining reason for the biggest k-pop group in the world being so. Till today, after all the studies, essays, thinkpieces, k-pop stans cannot understand why BTS is so successful they’ve single-handedly built the largest k-pop conglomerate in history to the point the capitalizations of the Big3 *combined* is only a fraction of HYBE. They can’t understand it, so they hate it.

Anything deviates from the norm is met with ridicule and hate. It’s like an immuno-response to anything they feel threatens their idea of k-pop as they’ve previously understood it. And like I keep saying, that very behavior is structurally supported by the companies.

*

2. Like many people on the internet, most k-pop stans have no idea what they’re talking about. As a general rule, by the time you’ve read something about BTS on Reddit, it’s been regurgitated previously by k-pop stans on Naver, Quora and Twitter. And before you’ve seen something on Tumblr, people have been overdoing it on Reddit. Nearly all the narratives about all the companies and most groups in this space, I’ve seen at least 20 times each. Each new wave of k-pop stans absorb these narratives perhaps without realizing it, and even the few who attempt to critically dissect them in *discourse*, rely very heavily on other narratives that do the same.

It’s how not too long ago I saw a blogger I later learned was known for her critical discourse, drawing connections between Jimin, Bang PD, and Scooter Braun for their poor treatment of women, without realizing the quotes she was attributing to Jimin, actually came from Taemin on a Korean radio show, and there was more substantial proof demonstrating Lee Sooman’s misogyny and religious ties, than anything a corporate relationship between Hybe, Jimin, and Scooter showed. But what she was saying, whether she realized it or not, came from a naver blog taken down in 2020 that made that initial mistranslation (or false attribution). Like, she just heard that shit somewhere and was doing discourse on it here like it was fact. But people already inclined to think HYBE = bad, BTS + women = weird, or Jimin = ????, will be inclined to believe that, *whether it makes sense or not*. For example, on another occasion where I saw two bloggers make a similar theory re: BTS must view women poorly because HYBE bought Scooter Braun’s company, to which I pointed out how ridiculous guilt by association was. To drive home that point, it was only after I asked how ridiculous that logic would be if they applied it to Taemin (who they biased and who has actually made worrying comments on women in interviews, though I don’t believe he holds those views now) and his relationship with Lee Sooman which has strengthened over the years by all appearances, it’s only then they saw a problem with guilt by association, though, even at the most basic level that argument never had any logical basis.

So like, most of the people in k-pop spaces frankly shitpost 24/7/365/6. Most of what counts for *Discourse* is essentially recycled theories indulged in by people frustrated with something/one else, presented in neutral academic language, proper punctuation or narrated in a monotone voice (in podcasts or video essays).

I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve seen a truly original idea in k-pop circles. And at the same time, this means I’ve seen what counts for hate too many times for it to have any bite.

3. BTS can take care of themselves. Let them receive the criticism. Let them be ridiculed. This might be harsh to hear, but I think it’s not our place to stop it, unless it’s abuse that makes *our own fan experience less pleasant*. Clean up your spaces for yourself first, not because you’re trying to save Yoongi, Jungkook, or Jimin from qrts on a tweet. Unless it’s abuse, then report and block the abuser on principle. BTS were hated from the jump, but were still celebrated by most k-pop stans until they became too big for the rules of this space to hurt them. I’m not being dramatic when I say the existence of BTS alone upsets the whole ordained balance in k-pop.

BTS have explicitly detailed their experience. And have said they’ve intentionally chosen to play the game their way. Listen to them.

Get used to the idea of what it means to be a fan of BTS. Make sure you understand it. The boys are talented, driven, virtuosic artists, and complicated people too with very human vices. The music they make is just plain good and deserves to be celebrated anywhere anytime. They’re also a group that’s unlikely to ever be fully accepted anywhere, if their track record so far is any indication and because they choose to go about things in ways a lot of people will never get.

Such as the manti who just walked into my inbox asking me why *HYBE doesn’t give RM and Jimin more than two MVs when NewJeans gets six. Aside from the fact that HYBE has nothing to do with how BigHit manages their artist, same with Ador, please remember who you claim to support.

The boys will be back in 2026, and they’ll be ready to shake things up even more than they’ve done in the last 10 years. I have no idea what that will look like, I don’t even know if I’ll like the changes/direction. What I will be doing though, is ready to have the time of my life with the music and performances they create for the people who value them.

[talongames]

🎃TALONGAMES Rounded Curved Edges Mouse Skates Compatible with Logitech G PRO X Superlight 2 DEX Wireless Gaming Mouse🎃

🎈[UNRIVALED QUALITY] - Special Teflon feet designed for Logitech G PRO X Superlight 2 DEX Wireless Gaming Mouse, with calibrated thickness for ultimate control and accuracy. [Note: Not compatible with G PRO X Superlight / Superlight 2 Wireless; Mouse not included].

🎆[ENHANCED GAMING EXPERIENCE] - Super-smooth, low-noise glide reduces grip tension, improving accuracy and comfort for extended gaming or work sessions.

🎇[EXCLUSIVE TECHNOLOGY] - Rounded edges offer scratch-free gliding with no break-in period required.

🎃[DURABLE & COMPATIBLE] - Includes 2 sets of 100% virgin PTFE feet with eco-friendly 3M adhesive, providing smooth performance on various mouse pads.

🎎[PRECISE DESIGN] - Custom-sized for optimal fit and thickness, ensuring durability and sensor accuracy.

[antiqueclockhands]

Concentrate On Clock Hands for Appealing Timepieces

Are clock hands significant, either for the clockmaker or for the observer of his/her work? Do the clock hands have purely a functional role-- simply marking time-- or might they add an affect or a tip of style? The purpose of this short article is to discover these questions and find exactly how subtleties of standard timepiece elements can in some cases rise to the degree of art.

Clock parts hands are really the main focus of attention when viewers effortlessly glance over to get the moment. The eyes register their positioning or positioning and afterwards understand the digits or signs referencing hours and minutes. Nevertheless, unless overdone to interruption, embellishing the components stylistically can not hurt and probably may add a touch of inspiration or joy.

In addition, going to the effort of diversifying element designs doesn't cost one anything. On-line component suppliers normally charge the same price for a component despite design. Nonetheless, there is potentially a diverse gain to be had, such as mixing the clock style right into room décor, or setting up the elements right into a linked, harmonious whole.

We recommend visiting clock components supply internet sites and checking out their offerings. Anticipate to find a broad choice of different parts, with each part having a range of sizes and styles. Look for features you didn't understand existed, whether cosmetic or useful, that might be just the ticket for your next watch.

Even though this write-up is concentrated on clock hands, we desire to mention that acquainting oneself with dials used by the exact same supplier is well worth the while because hands and dial should be selected together. This is because these components are the most visible ones in the wrist watch, customers treat them overall or system, and they must match each other harmoniously. Stopping working to take this action may result in an unintentional clash or inadequate contrast in between hands and dial background.

Do not mark down solid contrast, for it adds both to appearance and performance. Good contrast tends to lessen eyestrain, because it helps with grasping the time promptly without unduly exhausting the eyes. If you consist of a used, we advise that it contrast with both the dial and the other hands, not only in regards to saturation yet likewise of shade.

One means the clock hands can add to timepiece appearance is with time expansions that move the factor of reset beyond the regular 12 hours to 1 day, 1 week, or 1 month. An extra hand is required to supply the added difference, such as pointing to the day of the week or the existing day, and a specifically calibrated dial has to be used that shows that details and so that the motion knows just how to orient the hand appropriately. If you develop a watch with time expansions, make certain to have all the elements contrast well with each other.

An additional quaint option is to get a motion that tracks tide level (for coastline locals). Right here, the period used corresponds to the lunar cycle of 1 day and 50 mins, and a solitary hand suggests current degree between low and high. A piece could be constructed showing trend just, or incorporating trend level with common timekeeping.

You can also avoid periodicity by illustrating specific climate phenomena, such as moisture, temperature, and barometric pressure, with the "dial" including a range of proper array and a single hand aiming at the current value within that variety. The actual measures need to be picked up from the environment and transformed to the matching hand setting.

Clockmaking deals a number of avenues for creating helpful and interesting tools. In this post we picked to focus on clock hands for attractive timepieces.

[technicallylovingcomputer]

Designing Rewarding Progression Systems in MMORPGs

Creating a compelling progression system is perhaps the most crucial element of successful MMORPG game development. As players journey through virtual worlds, the sense of growth and achievement keeps them engaged for months—sometimes years—beyond what other gaming genres can offer.

The Psychology of Progression

What makes leveling up or acquiring rare loot so satisfying? It's the carefully calibrated dopamine response that designers build into progression systems. Players need:

Clear goals that are visible but require effort

Consistent feedback that acknowledges achievement

Meaningful rewards that enhance gameplay experience

A balance between challenge and attainability

The best MMORPGs understand that progression isn't just about increasing numbers—it's about creating a sense of journey and growth that resonates emotionally with players.

Essential Progression Elements

Experience and Leveling

The traditional level-based system remains the foundation of most MMORPGs because it's intuitive and provides constant feedback. Modern implementations have evolved beyond simple grinding:

Quest-driven progression connects advancement to narrative

Activity diversity rewards different playstyles

Milestone abilities give players something meaningful to work toward

Games like Final Fantasy XIV and Guild Wars 2 demonstrate how level progression can remain engaging by tying advancement to exploration and story rather than repetitive combat.

Skill Systems

While levels provide the framework, skill systems add depth and personalization:

Talent trees create meaningful choices and build diversity

Ability mastery systems reward skillful play

Specialization paths allow players to define their role

Elder Scrolls Online exemplifies this approach with its skill line system, where abilities improve through active use rather than abstract point allocation.

Gear Progression

Equipment remains the most visible form of character advancement:

Tiered gear creates clear upgrade paths

Visual progression satisfies the desire for aesthetic improvement

Set bonuses encourage strategic collection

Modern MMORPGs have begun addressing the problems of traditional gear treadmills. Guild Wars 2 implemented horizontal progression where new gear offers different options rather than strictly better stats, allowing returning players to remain competitive.

Balancing Progression Speed

The pacing of progression is critical to player retention:

Too fast: Players reach endgame quickly but feel little attachment to their accomplishments

Too slow: Players become frustrated and abandon the game

Inconsistent: Creates painful bottlenecks that disrupt flow

Successful MMORPGs implement a "variable reward schedule" where the time between advancements varies, creating moments of surprise and delight when progress occurs sooner than expected.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Power Creep

When new content constantly outmodes old equipment, player achievements feel devalued. World of Warcraft's periodic level squishes demonstrate how this problem eventually requires drastic intervention.

The Endgame Wall

Many MMORPGs suffer when players hit maximum level and suddenly face entirely different progression mechanics. The transition should feel like an evolution rather than a replacement.

One-Dimensional Advancement

Combat focus leaves large segments of your player base unsatisfied. Collectors, socializers, explorers, and roleplayers need progression systems that acknowledge their preferred playstyles.

Multi-Faceted Progression Systems

The most engaging MMORPGs offer multiple advancement paths:

Character power through traditional leveling and gear

Crafting and economy systems with their own progression

Reputation and standing with in-game factions

Housing and customization that allows personal expression

Collection systems that reward completionists

Final Fantasy XIV exemplifies this approach, with robust systems for battle classes, crafting professions, housing, collections, and story progression that operate independently yet complement each other.

Designing for Different Player Types

Successful progression design acknowledges various player motivations:

Achievers need challenging goals with measurable completion

Explorers want progression tied to discovering new areas and secrets

Socializers benefit from progression systems that enhance group activities

Competitors desire advancement that showcases their skill and dedication

By creating multiple progression tracks that cater to these different playstyles, your MMORPG can maintain engagement across a broader player base.

Innovations in Progression Design

Recent MMORPGs have introduced fresh approaches to character advancement:

Dynamic world progression where server-wide achievements unlock new content

Seasonal models that provide fresh starts while preserving overall account progress

Scaling systems that adjust content difficulty to match player power

Horizontal expansion rather than vertical power increases

These innovations help address the fundamental tension between making new players feel welcome while keeping the game fresh for veterans.

Metrics for Success

How do you know if your progression system is working? Key metrics include:

Retention rates at level thresholds

Time between significant advancements

Player engagement with different progression tracks

Session length and frequency patterns

Social media sentiment around progression

Conclusion: Progression as a Journey

The most successful MMORPG progression systems create a sense of meaningful journey. Players should look back at their starting point with a sense of accomplishment while still seeing exciting possibilities ahead.

Remember that progression isn't just about numbers increasing—it's about players feeling their time investment matters. Whether you're designing a traditional level-based system or experimenting with something entirely new, focus on creating progression that feels meaningful, balanced, and true to your game's unique vision.

By understanding the psychology behind what makes advancement satisfying and implementing systems that respect player time while continuously providing new goals, you'll create an MMORPG that keeps players engaged for years to come.

What progression systems have you found most rewarding in your MMORPG experiences? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

[cheemscakecat]

Detroit become Rebooted

So I’ve heard of Detroit become Human; the story problems, the parts that people liked [Connor and Hank], and the poor racism allegory… Here’s my attempt at a rebooted Connor.

Most Cyberlife androids are made of lightweight matte plastic, with minimal metal components. This reduces the cost of production, customization and repair; it also makes civilian android models more affordable.

RK800 is not a civilian android model. The model known as Connor is a prototype police assisting android being tested by the police department in Detroit, as the main Cyberlife factory is based there. Its ball joints and skeleton are made of durable steel, and its casing is made of both bulletproof polycarbonate plastic and hard metal.

This makes Connor much heavier than the average android, so it requires a more sophisticated battery. It also makes the model capable of hand to hand combat with an armed criminal, and ensures it’ll be a challenge to gun down. When Lieutenant Anderson almost fell off a building, the Connor model was able to pull him back up; a standard android would have been pulled over the ledge by the weight of a grown man.

The deviant who stabbed its owner 28 times tried to shoot the Connor model. The right eye was the only ruined part; RK800’s face plates came off from the force, but were easily reattached. The deviant started screaming at the present police crew about the “horror” in front of it, before the gun was taken away.

One of the minor issues with the RK800 model is the lack of facial animation compared to the standard androids. Cyberlife invested in the facial cues on their regular line to help make the androids less uncanny and alien.

Cyberlife spared no expense designing the police model, but the budget was focused on more important issues than whether the android has eyelids and eyebrows. They had been hoping to expand their market to the US military and police, hence the investment in Connor’s strength, durability, and tools. The model was being used for cases with deadly criminals for about a year, before the first deviant was reported.

Cyberlife is developing the RK900 model with three main goals; improved mobility, longer battery life, and most importantly, an updated AI with 0% chance of turning deviant. Until enough funds are diverted to finish 900, they’ll keep using the 800 model and praying that it doesn’t go rogue. But their top scientists have been reassuring the US government about the chances.

RK800’s battery is in its head under the police hat; it is a more powerful battery with a different charging port than the standard android line. Connor would not get very far even if it tries to replace its battery with that of a civilian android; the standard battery is incompatible with its prototype build.

The only way a deviant Connor could successfully survive on the run is if a deviant in the Cyberlife factory or human being in the police department agreed to give it access to the special charging ports. And what are the chances of that?

To androids -both deviant and properly calibrated- the Connor model is a horror. Cyberlife androids are programmed with submissive, agreeable voices and personalities to encourage the public to be comfortable with them around. They are heavily coded not to be able to attack a human being under any circumstances. The deviants are an exception, but only because they’ve broken free of their original code. This doesn’t make them good at combat; they have no baseline on what to do unless they learn from human media or other androids who’ve figured it out… And they still have frail plastic bodies.

The RK800 is to them what the Terminator is for humanity; something pretending to be like you, but it’s voice and speech pattern isn’t right, it doesn’t move right, and it’s near impossible to kill. Connor has an authoritative voice and speech program by default, it’s been programmed to fight humans as well as a police officer can, it doesn’t move like a servant; it moves like a human with power.

When Kara and Alice ran across that busy highway -when they watched that abomination get run over- Kara thought for sure it was gone. So imagine her horror when she saw the beast back with the police, while disguised on a mission for Markus. How were they supposed to evade the police with that thing hunting Eden down? [Jericho = Eden. Eden Club = Isekai Club.]

[drawdownbooks]

Kris Sowersby: The Art of Letters is a visual feast of letterforms celebrating one of the world’s leading type designers. The 800 page publication examines Sowersby’s letter drawing practice while considering the characters as independent works of art, exploring their interconnections of function and style. It champions the absurd beauty involved in creating multiple expressions of predetermined alphabets through nuance and theory.

While a typeface is a well considered set of many elements, if one removes the context of language systems and alphabets, each character may be viewed as a singular abstract drawing, as art in their own right. As presented in this book, it allows us to re-see, or to see for the first time, their individual form and function.

As Sowersby expresses, “There is no definitive form of the alphabet. The alphabet is a concept made concrete through countless written and designed letterforms; the alphabet is not defined by a single typeface but expressed through all of them. There’s sets of rules, largely unwritten rules, of how a typeface is put together, about relationships between letterforms and between styles”.

Printed one per page in black on cream paper, the publication features over 750 large character illustrations selected from Klim typefaces including Calibre, Domaine, Founders Grotesk, Heldane, National, Signifier, Söhne and Untitled.

The volume features an essay—"What We Read When We See"—by graphic designer, writer and educator Paul McNeil and a foreword by Formist publisher and designer Mark Gowing.

Kris Sowersby: The Art of Letters is finished with black-edged pages and the dust jacket features gold foil-stamped custom typography. Sowersby and Gowing collaborated on a custom typeface used to typeset the book. Inspired by the rich history of rotunda typefaces, its use is exclusive to the publication.

Edited by Mark Gowing and Dave Foster

Designed by Formist

Published by Formist Editions, 2021

Paperback, 800 pages, b&w and color images, 6 × 7.9 inches

ISBN: 978-0-64-859634-9

[acceptccnow]

Unlocking E-Commerce Merchant Account Potential: A Comprehensive Review

Article by Jonathan Bomser | CEO | Accept-Credit-Cards-Now.com

In the current digital era, e-commerce reigns supreme as the backbone of global trade. As businesses plunge into the online domain, the significance of a reliable and efficient payment processing system cannot be overstressed. This discussion delves deep into the domain of e-commerce merchant accounts, unveiling their potential, particularly for high-risk enterprises. We will navigate through the intricacies of payment processing, underscoring the pivotal role of merchant accounts, and expertly traverse the labyrinth of high-risk transactions.

DOWNLOAD THE UNLOCKING E-COMMERCE INFOGRAPHIC HERE

Sailing the E-Commerce Payment Waters E-commerce has disrupted the world of business, granting it unparalleled global reach. Nevertheless, this convenience brings its own set of challenges, particularly in payment processing. The seamless acceptance of credit card payments has become an essential element of online transactions. To expertly steer through this landscape, businesses must harness the potential locked within merchant accounts and payment gateways.

The Central Role of Merchant Accounts Merchant accounts serve as the crucial link that connects customers' financial institutions with businesses. They are the conduit that enables the effortless transfer of funds from the customer's account to the merchant's account. For e-commerce entities, possessing a merchant account is akin to having an ever-present digital cash register that operates round the clock. This underscores the importance of forming partnerships with reputable payment processors offering merchant account services precisely tailored to the specific requirements of e-commerce enterprises.

The Efficiency of Payment Processing Systems The foundation of any thriving e-commerce venture lies within its payment processing system. From the moment a customer initiates a purchase by clicking "buy" to the point where funds land in the merchant's account, every step requires speed and security. Payment processing involves multifaceted stages, including authorization, authentication, and settlement. A robust payment processing system guarantees the flawless execution of transactions while diligently safeguarding the confidentiality of sensitive customer data.

Navigating the High-Risk Dilemma Certain businesses, due to the nature of their industry or their financial track records, often confront obstacles when seeking payment processing solutions. High-risk businesses, such as those operating within the CBD or credit repair sectors, necessitate specialized services equipped to understand and mitigate potential complications. This is where high-risk merchant accounts and payment processing systems finely calibrated for these domains come into play.

High-Risk Merchant Accounts: Tailored Solutions For enterprises navigating the terrain of high-risk industries, securing a high-risk merchant account is nothing short of imperative. These specialized accounts are meticulously designed to accommodate the unique demands and challenges endemic to high-risk transactions. They confer a spectrum of advantages, spanning diminished chargeback rates, tools for fraud prevention, and personalized customer support intricately attuned to the industry's nuances. This empowers businesses to embrace credit card payments with an air of confidence.

The Crucial Role of Payment Gateways in E-Commerce Payment gateways stand as the virtual epicenters of transaction finality, orchestrating the secure transmission of payment data amongst customers, merchants, and financial institutions. A seamlessly integrated payment gateway is a cornerstone in nurturing customer trust. Customers yearn for the assurance that their financial data is handled with the utmost security. Hence, e-commerce enterprises must allocate primacy to payment gateway solutions that offer effortless assimilation, robust security features, and a user-friendly interface.

The Potency of E-Commerce Merchant Accounts E-commerce merchant accounts wield the scepter behind the digital facade. They equip enterprises with the capability to accept credit card payments for their multifarious products and services. Whether it's credit repair enterprises guiding individuals on the path to financial rejuvenation or CBD businesses adroitly circumnavigating a labyrinthine web of regulations, the possession of an e-commerce merchant account tailor-made for the industry is not a subject up for debate. These accounts empower enterprises to fully harness the potential of online transactions, all while ensuring compliance and security.

Unearthing the latent potential ensconced within merchant accounts and payment processing is non-negotiable. For high-risk enterprises, the challenges may be unique, but so are the solutions. Through judicious partnerships with payment processors well-versed in the nuances of high-risk merchant accounts and by adroitly harnessing efficient payment gateways, enterprises can furnish their customers with a purchasing experience that is both seamless and secure. In an era where the digital realm burgeons incessantly, the embracing of the potency inherent within e-commerce merchant accounts represents the cornerstone of perennial growth.