#Usability Testing Guide

[edu-art9]

Usability testing is a crucial component of product development that ensures better performance and user satisfaction. This process involves real users engaging with a product, website, or application to assess its ease of use and effectiveness. By observing how users interact with the system and collecting their feedback, designers and developers gain valuable insights into any usability issues. Learn More In The Blog

[panaromicinoftechs]

Mastering Mobile App Localization: The Ultimate Guide

[cocodotgreen]

Simynthos - (almost) cc-free

With all testing done I am happy to share with you the (almost) cc-free version of Simynthos today! I was actually surprised by how quickly it could be transformed, and I have to say I'm very happy with how it turned out!

For this version I removed all decorative cc. The only cc you now need for full functionality are the rabbit hole rugs. The lots are so small, there wouldn't have been nearly enough room for the in game rabbit holes. The rabbit hole rugs can be downloaded here.

I still recommend using the performance mods from the original post here, just to make things a little more smooth and enjoyable during gameplay. But they are not strictly necessary. You could also go completely vanilla (more on that below).

There are a couple of things to note:

Some of the double beds are placed against a wall and therefore only one sim can sleep in them now. You can replace them with the one sided beds for two sims, the ones I used in the original version, if you like. The mattresses by sketchbook pixels can be found here, and some nice custom bed frames from @aroundthesims can be found here.

I did make use of @omedapixel's S3DT (Sims 3 Decorator Tool) in two or three places, just to place decorative items on surfaces where they cannot be placed in a vanilla game. You do NOT need the mod for these items to stay in place, as long as you don't move them when redecorating. Then they may slip back into normal mode and you will only be able to place them back with the mod. But it's only in a couple of places, so even if that happens, it will not have a significant impact on your game.

Replacing some of the cc did result in some interactive items not being usable at first, but I hope I caught all of those cases during the (quite extensively 😉) play-testing. So now all interactive items should be usable. If you find any place where an item can't be reached by the sims, please notify me and I will update the world.

How does it run?

I have tested this version of Simynthos in two scenarios: With the routing optimization mods I recommended for the original version (that's the save all the screenshots are from 😉), but also in a completely vanilla game, playing just a small family with one child, and it actually ran pretty well on my gaming laptop, even without any routing improvement mods (my game is optimized though)! If you're going completely vanilla, it may get a bit annoying in some places though, with sims not being able to pass each other, and toddlers not being able to be put down on the ground due to lack of space. But if you do not want to use any mods at all, it would probably still be playable with a small household that doesn't host huge parties 😉

Thanks again to the creators who have made this world possible:

Thanks to @nilxis, the creator of „Sa Pineda“, for the beautiful base to this world. The island on which Simynthos was build is entirely their creation. I did not change the island itself or the terrain painting outside the lots (except for some places where I placed the walkways/paths). All credit for that goes to them! You can find the original version here. Also make sure to check out their other worlds, while you‘ re at it. They are some of my favorite worlds!

Thanks to @nornities for their extremely helpful CAW guide here. Unfortunately I only found this guide when Simynthos was almost finished. I could have avoided some of the mistakes I made, had I found it sooner!

Some of you may know, that I am not the first to make a Greek version of Sa Pineda. Back in 2016 Vendela created Simtorini. This super cute world has the typical blue and white houses another Greek island, Santorini, is famous for. Go check it out here.

Download Simynthos (almost) cc-free (SimFileShare)

Alternative Download (Dropbox)

Link to original post for Simynthos (version with cc)

[crazyk-imagine]

Napping and Defending Friends

Pairing: Sanji x Straw hat!reader

Characters: Straw hat!reader, Sanji, Usopp, Zoro, Nami, Monkey D. Luffy, Kaya

Warnings: Sanji being sanji, everyone outing reader or sanji to the other, this is kinda cute, fluff, everyone is nosey as hell, everyone is tired of Sanji and reader going around one another's feelings, the last few lines with the crew make me giggle, reader is (not so secretly) a pirate with her own bounty 0-0

Word Count: 2,688

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You roll your eyes, listening to the two acting like children. You bump the green haired man to the side with your hip.  "Shut up already. You two are acting immature for your age." You lift your plate. "I'll take more."

Sanji shakes his head to the left, moving his bangs away from his eye. He lifts the ladle, giving you a decent portion. "And I'll gladly feed those who enjoy my food."

Zoro rolls his eyes, leaving you two to flirt some more.

-

The sound of Usopp's voice explaining what happened drew you all in, moving closer to listen to him.

You stop mid bite to listen. "I would ask to see his supposedly bloody fingers," you shrug. "But, whatever."

"Let him have his moment," Nami mutters.

"But it's more fun to get him stuttering if I make him tell the truth. It's very easy to break him into confessing."

"And I couldn't do it alone."

"Damn right you couldn't," you tell him, earning a chuckle from the group and your crew.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Let's hear it for the great captain Usopp," Luffy shouts.

Your lips tug to the side, "that's so not going to give him an ego boost."

Sanji chuckles, covering his mouth with his hand when Nami and Zoro turn to face him.

His eyes glance at you from the corner of his eyes and smiles, his heart races and stomach flutters at the sight of you (not so gracefully) scarfing down the food he cooked.

-

The calm mood falls when Luffy's grandpa announces he and the marine’s arrival.

"Hey, gramps."

He narrows his eyes at you, never quite taking a liking to you like his grandson did.

Although, he did find comfort in the fact that the rubber man had someone to help and guide him (which is why he disliked you). It also didn't help that you would feed into his "becoming the future king of the pirates" dream.

Before you know it, the two family members are in battle.

Your anger gets the better of you and you forget what you've been proud to consider a usable future trait, think before doing. "Don't hurt, Luffy."

As your friend flies back, you manage to latch onto the man, his head between your hands with just a mere few inches keeping his spinal cord intact.

His nails scratch the top of your hands, the adrenaline keeping you from feeling the pain.

You try to slip your feet underneath his armpits to pull his arms back and away from you.

"Stop it," Luffy mutters, still trying to get air into his lungs.

"Huh?"

"Let go of him."

"But he-"

"This is my fight."

You grumble under your breath as you push yourself off him and if your foot accidentally finds its way into his back, oh well.

The old man grumbles the pain.

You glare at his grandpa during their fight, never letting your tense posture go.

Sanji's hand hovers over your shoulder, he hesitates to give you some sort or comfort; his hand falls beside him as the orange haired girl takes a step-in front of you, preventing you from slipping past them.

"This was all a test?"

"Go. Arlong's pirates are still on the island."

You scoff. "Now you don't want to be a dick."

The chef coughs to hide his amusement.

"Shut up."

"You can't tell me what to do Roro Zoro."

"I told you not to call me that."

You stick your tongue out at him.

"Children, I'm dealing with children," Nami mutters.

Sanji shoves his hands into his pockets.

-

You sit across from the stove, observing the chef's knife skills.

"The harder you stare, the more likely he is to mess up," a deep voice brings you out of your thoughts.

"Do you want to try and do it?" You ask, resting your hand on your knuckles.

"You can't match his skill."

"You are too kind, madame."

"It's true. I still don't even know how you can do this, and I've been watching you prepare the vegetables for a while." You steal a chopped veggie and snack on it when the rubber man bursts in, setting a piece of paper on the counter.

"You finally got your own poster."

"Yeah, no more piggybacking off you."

"WHAT?"

"Nothing, look at the amount of berry's your wanted for."

"I know."

"Everyone's going to be after you now," Zoro tells him.

"Every bounty hunter is going to be after all of us in the East Blue," Nami adds.

"Finally, a challenge."

The orange haired girl shakes her head at you.

"Then it's a good thing we're not staying in the East Blue," Luffy explains.

You clap once. "Finally, you make sense. Let's go."

"Yes!" Luffy raises his hand for a high five which you gladly give to him.

"Come on, people. We're settin' sail. Move it."

-

"Have you seen a barrel on deck?"

Your brows knit together. "Sanji, did you find a plant you shouldn't have?"

"No, I-" He chuckles, "no, no. I just- I have an idea." He calls for the others and everyone gathers around. He sets his foot on top of the barrel. "I am gonna find the all blue."

Next, naturally was your oldest friend, "I'm gonna become king of the pirates."

Zoro puts his foot up. "I'm gonna become the world's greatest swordsman."

And then, Nami. "I'm gonna draw a map of the world."

Followed by Usopp. He hesitates, unsure of what his promise should be. "I'm gonna be a brave warrior of the sea."

Now everyone's eyes fall on you. "Oh, it's my turn. Uh- I don't know what to say. I feel like I've gotten things I didn't know I needed."

"There has to be something," Luffy says.

You lift your leg, "I'm gonna promise never to forget who I am."

"That's too easy."

A faux chuckle escapes you. "It's easy to forget who you were and your code," you tell Luffy.

"Alright."

"I like it," Sanji says.

"Thank you. See I knew someone would." You stick your tongue out at the rubber man. "That's enough. I'm going back inside. I need a nap."

"I can get started preparing tonight's dinner." He basically skips after you.

"I hope they figure out whatever they have going on soon," Usopp shakes his head. "It's getting really..."

"Annoying," Zoro adds.

"It's not- it could be worse."

"How much worse than two people going around their feelings for one another." Nami raises a brow causing the storyteller to look away because he did the exact same thing with Kaya.

"That's not what we're talking about right now." The man pouts and walks inside, not wanting to be outed anymore.

"Has anyone else noticed how easily he follows her after she hugged him."

"Yeah," Luffy nods, agreeing with the storyteller. "Wait- what hug? They hugged and I missed it. Oh man."

Nami shakes her head, "is that what you're really focusing on right now?"

"Yes. I think he'd be good for her."

"You do?"

"Clearly he hit his head too hard during that fight with his grandpa," Zoro adds.

"We probably should've checked to see if he had a concussion before boarding," Nami says.

"Why are you guys talking like I'm not even here?"

The three shared a look and chuckled.

"C'mon, guys. Tell me, please?"

-

You wake up from your nap to the smell of well-cooked food. You're still pleased Sanji decided to join the crew, it was time there was someone (else) who could prepare a nicely cooked meal and not burn eggs or not know how to cut a vegetable.

You lean against the doorway, enjoying the pleasant aroma of food coming from a few feet away.

"You're awake."

You open your eyes, not realizing you closed them. "Yes, I was persuaded to get out of bed because of what you're cooking."

"Is that the only reason?" He teases.

"Ask me again after I've finished my meal."

"Will you have a different answer?"

"Maybe."

He glances up from the ingredients he's mixing as the corner of his lips tugs upwards.

"In the meantime, I'll be over here with my eyes closed."

"Napping again?"

"No, just resting my eyes."

"If that's what you say, then I believe you."

-

"Is anyone going to wake her up?" Luffy asks, munching on his meal.

"Why can't you do it?" Nami asks, "she's your friend."

"And?"

"What are you all babbling on about?"

"They're trying to wake her," Zoro uses his head to gesture to your sleeping figure.

"Are you all so scared to wake such," Sanji glances down at your relaxed face, "a beautiful creature?"

Usopp groans, taking another bite of his meal. "Do something already."

The chef places hands on your shoulders, lightly shaking you until he finds himself staring at the ceiling, gasping to get the air back into his lungs.

Your face comes into view. "What were you doing?" You push yourself off him.

He groans when you pull him up.

"Waking you," he groans. "I see why no one wakes you now."

"I said, I was sorry," you mumble.

"And that's why we leave her alone," Zoro tells him.

"Shut up, make fun of Luffy or Usopp's love for food and Kaya."

"Woah, woah. Don't drag me into this. I did nothing." The storyteller raises his hands, dropping the meat he had in his hands.

"You all are going to get brought into this."

"I'm just gonna-" Usopp runs around to the other side of the counter.

You chase after him, he counters going around; eventually you stop following him and jump up on the counter and launch yourself in his direction. But are unable to catch- "You're such a bug. I am this close to squashing you under my foot."

"Your fingers are touching," Nami points out.

"Exactly, orangie," you smile at her. "Can you put me down now?"

"Are you going to continue acting like a child in my kitchen?"

"That depends on the bug."

"She's not, hold her so I can finish my-" Usopp yelps when you reach out for him.

"Stop trying to attack your fellow crew members." Luffy orders you, food flying out of his mouth.

"How did you ever deal with him?" Sanji mumbles, unable to keep himself away from you, "he has no manners."

"I don't know." You shrug, taking a bite of the dinner he prepared (as he stands beside you, leaning against the counter). You moan as the flavors hit your tongue. "Again, I'm very," you pat his arm unable to open your eyes due to the richness of the seasonings hitting your tongue. "Very happy you decided to come aboard."

He chuckles, not at all trying to hide that his cheeks are enflamed from anyone. "I am happy to hear that, mademoiselle. That is what every chef lives to hear."

"But you're not every chef."

Nami groans, closing her eyes at the sudden headache. "Can you two stop flirting for two seconds so we can eat in peace?"

You open your eyes and stare. "If you don't like it, then leave. We are enjoying ourselves and if you don't like it, then shut up."

"But-"

You stick your tongue out and shove another spoonful into your mouth. She sighs and doesn't say anything else. "That's what I thought."

"Could you say that again?" The blond asks, breaking the silence.

"Which part?"

"The part where you don't deny us flirting with one another."

"Oh, yeah." You don't know what else to do and use your spoon to move around the carrots on your plate, not entirely focused.

On the one hand this could be good, and you'd be able to confess. Although on the other hand, he could reject you and that can potentially lead to some awkwardness between you, him, and the rest of the crew. And in the case, he tells you he doesn’t feel the same, you will respect his wishes.

Is this a risk you're willing to take?

You take a deep breath. "I won't because it's true."

The others don't know what to do, this is not what they were expecting after they just started to return on their adventure for the grand line.

His breath hitches, "oh?"

You nod. "It's hard to deny the facts when they're right in front of you. Plus, these guys would make sure to do something about it at some point."

"What?"

"No," Usopp and Luffy scoff, as if they're offended.

"Okay, maybe but only because we know you two are good for each other," the rubber man argues.

"See," you use your utensil to point at the two. "They'd definitely be the first to try and plan something for us."

"Appreciate the thought boys, but I am capable of taking things into my own hands." He wraps an arm around your shoulders, leading you outside.

-

"Are you sure it's safe to leave them alone? I think we should go back."

He tilts his head, the corner of his lips tugged upwards. "Are you, dare I ask, afraid to be alone with me?"

You scoff, "hardly."

"Then why don't you admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"That you like me."

You roll your eyes, "you're crazy."

"Am I? Or is that maybe you don't want to admit it fully to yourself because you were perfectly fine admitting that we were flirting, so what makes this so different?"

"Okay, fine." You walk back and forth along the deck. "Maybe, I do."

"I'm going to need more than that."

You stomp your foot and speed walk to him. "I am not going to repeat myself for the sake of you just wanting me to repeat myself because-"

You barely have any time to acknowledge the kiss until his breath fans against your lips. "I figured I'd save you this time."

You frown. "This doesn't make up for when I saved you and Usopp at the Baratie."

He nods, "I know." He glances from one eye to the other, "this does." And he does it again.

You put a hand on his chest, pulling away this time. "We have an audience."

"What?"

"To your left."

He glances over at them and back at you, a hint of mischief twinkling. "Let's give them a show."

"Wha-"

He presses his hand against your back, cupping the base of your neck as he tips you down.

Usopp and Luffy cheer as Nami and Zoro give looks of disapproval (even though they're happy you two did something about your feelings).

"Okay, that's enough. We get it, you two are together and you knew we were here."

The blond pulls back and smirks down at your flushed face, winking when you catch his gaze. "We didn't know you were there, forgive us."

You owlishly blink, not at all focusing on everything going on around you. You return your attention onto him, feeling his thumb brushing against your side since your shirt had risen from his show.

"Are you alright?"

You nod, "I'm fine."

"Are you? I feel as though you are not. I shouldn't have done that, shouldn't I?" He shakes his head at his behavior. "I know, I know. I'm sorry but I- I was excited."

You gently remove his hand from you before stomping past Zoro (who puts his foot out to trip the chef).

"What? What did I do?"

You groan and spin around. "You make it so hard to be mad at you."

All the worry leaves his body. He happily chases after you. "What can I do to make it less hard on you? Not be as cute, perhaps."

Nami nods, "I'm gonna go puke now."

"Ah, come on. They're not that bad."

The echoes of Sanji's voice playing coy can be heard out onto the deck.

"It's cute," Luffy shrugs.

"They won't be as cute when he has to wake her up," Zoro adds.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Usopp nods. "Make him the target."

Nami covers her face with her hand. "You're an idiot."

"What?"

"Stupid says what," Zoro mumbles.

"What?"

"I rest my case," the orange haired girl adds.

Return to: Part I

[copperbadge]

So the ADHD Handbook post struck a chord with a lot of people...

I don't think I have it in me to write the book I suggested, mainly because most of what I want to write about is variable by situation. I can't actually offer a magic formula for getting a good assessment, all I would be able to do is say "Here are the warning signs, here's my personal story, shit's just rough". Which I could do but it'd be basically an entire book of "shrug emoji". The best possible way would probably be to offer it as a workbook, like "Here is a page for you to record every communication with the clinic doing your testing. Here is a page for you to write down possible other approaches to getting your medication if the pharmacy is out." etc.

I do think I might write it as a novel of some kind. Possibly even a novel about someone writing a handbook, I haven't decided. I had a dream last night about the book, in which I saw a woman watching a revolution taking place in the distance, thinking, "This is not what I intended when I set out to write a self-help book." Baller way to start a novel, honestly.

Anyway there were several suggestions for books in the notes, so I thought I'd compile those here. I have read none of these, so I can't vouch for their contents, but I'm including what my readers said about them.

@blogquantumreality linked to How To ADHD by Jessica McCabe, who is a well-known ADHD youtuber (I haven't found her videos super helpful but they're also not aimed at me). @knitsinweirdplaces added "The last section of the How to ADHD book is literally called 'how to change the world' and exactly points out we can advocate for a more disability friendly world that traumatizes ADHDer less in the first place. It's the only book I've read that hits the balance of 'your brain has immutable challenges' and 'these strats may help' right. Bonus, it is inclusive of people who use adhd meds and those who don't/can't."

@theindefinitearticle mentioned "I read how to keep house while drowning recently and it's been much more practical for me in terms of actual usable advice." This book has also come up numerous times during National Clean Your Home Month as a helpful guide to cleaning.

@buginateacup said "The year I met my brain is the only one I've read that actually felt like it was making useful suggestions for living with ADHD."

@cabloom said "iampayingattention on Instagram wrote How Not To Fit In."

@grison-in-space said "Do you have any idea how over the top excited I was when I found I Overcame My Autism and All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder?"

@doubleminorforroughing wrote "Please read Devon Price. He wants to tear it all down and I love it." I will add that I don't think I've read Laziness Does Not Exist but I have read Price's shortform work extensively and I think he's been very influential in rethinking how we frame laziness and productivity in relation to both work and neurodivergence, so I can second the recommendation.

[moonchild9350]

Lavender Fields-Chapter 1: Different

Summary: you give an insight into your daily life within the lab, a place you've never left after being brought here by humans. life is mundane and repetitive, that is until you meet Hyunjin, your new lab technician.

Pairing: Hyunjin x humanoid!gn!reader

Genre: sci fi au, romance, au, angst, fluff, eventual smut

Word Count: 3.4k

Warning: verbal and brief physical abuse

Notes: welcome to the Lavender Fields series! I am pumped to release this series and embark on this journey with y'all :) I hope you enjoy the first chapter and as always, let me know what you think!

Taglist open-comment or message me to be added! (age must be in bio or pinned)

Series Summary: you, a humanoid from a different planet, was born within a lab here on earth in the near future, your days filled with servitude and testing within the labs to learn more about your kind as your kind are not able to feel emotion. you had nothing to look forward to until you met Hyunjin, a technician assigned to you. you learn much at his hands and invaluable lessons, enlightening your once purposeless life.

If you enjoyed, please consider a like, reblog, or comment as it keeps me motivated ♡

Divider by @cafekitsune

Please do not copy, translate, modify, use, or repost this work without my permission. ©moonchild9350 (2024).

Series Masterlist

Next

“Time to wake up!”

You open your eyes at the shrill sound of the cheery voice that is speaking over the loudspeaker signaling the start of another day. You sit up, and blink, clearing the sleep from your eyes before swinging your legs out of bed to get up.

The minimalist room is cold, the chill brushing against your skin in the early hours of the morning. You don’t mind, however, as you are made to withstand the cold.

You walk to the door and open it, merging into the crowd of people hurrying down the corridor. You follow the queue, all of you on your way to the the morning room, a place where you prepare for the day. It is quiet, no one around you utters a word, casting an almost eerie silence, with only the pitter patter of bare feet on the floor.

Once at your destination, a lady dressed in blue guides you to a stall, your daily outfit hanging from the partition that blocks off a changing area so you can dress in privacy.

There's a small mirror plastered on the wall, tiny cracks scattered throughout from years of age, but still usable nonetheless. You look at your reflection, your face puffy from sleep and eyes bloodshot. You tossed and turned last night as you kept being awakened by vivid images flashing across your mind leaving you in a panic.

You eyes travel down to the small engraving on the side of your neck that has been there since birth. It blends in perfectly with your skin, the intricate swirls almost looking like a tattoo.

Sighing, you grab the white garment from its hanger and slide it over your head, the scratchy material rubbing against your skin, the feeling almost akin to sandpaper. You don’t mind however, as you can’t tell since you’re not programmed to feel unlike most humans.

Once dressed, the lady fixes your hair, brushing the long strands that travel down your back and land at your tailbone. She ushers you out of the stall once done, ordering you to follow the others in line to your assigned work room.

You arrive in minutes, your desk set up with your task for the day. Today looks like you’re organizing testing supplies as there’s a haphazard pile of tubes, wires, and other things in the center of the desks.

Sitting down, you begin your work, keeping your eyes on your materials that are in front of you. It’s silent in the room as no one says a peep.

Watchers pace the rows with their hands behind their backs, their eyes trained on you and your peers, ensuring the job gets done appropriately.

If you mess up a task, they scold you but it makes no difference. You do not understand the meaning behind the words, not understanding why they scrunch their face up in a scowl, spitting words in your face as to what you did wrong and how useless you are.

The morning passes and you work until your stomach growls, the sound loud in the otherwise quiet room. You immediately put down your supplies as there’s the ring of a bell over the intercom, signaling it’s time to make your way to the lab.

You only get food after morning work and going to the lab, the humans claiming it’s a treat, a present for being obedient. That’s why you obeyed, completed your work, and let them experiment on you without complaints.

So is the life here within Biofuture labs.

-- --

You are y/n, from the planet Gevora, which is light years away from planet earth in which you now reside. You resemble the humans here on earth, the only difference being you are emotionless, as they were not needed on your home planet.

Your only home that you’ve ever known is Biofuture labs, a name you’ve seen many times on the doors you pass on a daily basis. You were born here, within the confines of this building, and taken away from your mother at age five, where you were put with the other children from your planet.

You don’t remember much about your mother, but then again you don’t remember much of anything of your past. Only that you are 25 years old and you have the number 032518 inscribed on your arm.

Your days are busy and long here within the lab, the technicians making sure no one is idle. Mornings are spent completing your assigned task, similar to a job, a concept you know of because of a description you read in a book.

Mid to late mornings are spent in the lab, your assigned lab technician running different tests on you, jotting down responses and results.

You’re not sure what they’re testing for, but you’ve noticed they take special interest in you for some reason, as they run extra tests on you, whispering to each other while staring at you all the while.

Today was no different. An orderly leads you to lab five, the typical space you spent every day in for testing. You walk into the empty space, your eyes roaming the area to take in your surroundings.

The walls are a ghostly white and there’s a table with two chairs in the center of the room. There’s nothing else present except for a window on the wall next to the door. However, every time you try to look through it, you only see your reflection.

You walk towards one of the chairs, pull it out, and sit down, placing your hands in your lap. You look at the man across from you and wait for the session to begin.

Your lab tech’s name is Raoul. He’s bald with piercing black eyes that are unsettling to you, the feeling unknown but just doesn’t sit right. He never smiles at you and sometimes he'll scream.

When these events occur, you stare back at him as something bubbles up inside you. It’s a gnawing feeling deep in your gut, that sometimes spreads to other parts of your body. If it goes on long enough, you start to see spots and break out into a sweat, all while your hands start to tremble.

You’re not sure what is happening when that occurs and no one takes the time to explain...not that you ask. One time you discussed the sensation with one of your peers during a free period, away from the prying ears of the technicians. However, after explaining what occurred, they didn’t know what was happening either, as they’ve never felt that way.

You stared into this man’s eyes, hoping that it would be a good session, and not one where he screams as you really don’t want to feel that way again.

“Y/n, are you ready for today’s session?” Raoul asked as he pulls out a stack of cards.

“Yes,” you respond, your gaze flickering down to the cards in his hands.

You watch as he pulls out the first card and holds it up to you. You realize it’s the same test that you’ve completed this whole week, the same cards, the same images. You don’t understand why they keep making you repeat the test. Are you doing something wrong?

“What do you see here y/n?”

You gaze at the image, your eyes roaming the card. You tilt your head to look at it a different angle, trying to get a good grasp of the concept.

It’s a mess of a picture, the picture not clear cut, but if you look at it long enough you can start to make out wings of a maybe an…insect or a bird? You think a moment more before nodding your head, agreeing on your answer.

“A butterfly,” you say plainly, your eyes settling on Raoul again.

He doesn’t respond to your answer, but instead places the card aside just to pick up the next one.

“And here?”

Once more, you stare at the picture, the image strange. This picture has red on the top and bottom of the black image. You remember the feeling you had whenever Raoul screams at you, hurling names that are not yours and sound insulting. This picture reminds you of that in a way, but you can’t put a name to it.

Taking a breath, you respond, “bear with blood on its head and feet.”

You watch Raoul’s eyebrows raise briefly and within a second it’s gone, his face devoid of any reaction. Did you answer wrong? Why is he looking at you like that? Your eyes follow as he puts the card down and picks up another.

And so it goes, card after card as time passes. Your responses are simple, “two people, animal skin, another butterfly, another animal skin, a face.”

At the last three cards, you sit up straighter and your eyes get bigger as something warm flows through you. This is the same reaction you had the previous days of the week. Raoul watches your every move, ensuring he doesn’t miss your reaction.

“A tiger, a person, a crab,” you respond in succession.

You let out a breath as he sets the last card down, the test seeming to be over. Raoul leans forward and stares at you with narrowed eyes. You don’t move but stare back, waiting on the next test.

“You are nothing, you know that?” Raoul says, spittle flying from his mouth.

You cock your head, unsure of what he meant. He lets out a loud laugh at your reaction, his hands coming down to slap the table. You jolt in your seat at the sound, your eyes wide as the hairs stick up on your arms, and little bumps form. You feel your heart beat faster, the thump thump pounding against your skin.

Despite this, you continue to stare at him, watching as he turns red in the face from laughing.

“You don’t even know what you’re feeling! I knew it was too good to be true!”

What you are feeling? What does he mean by the word ‘feeling?’ You watch as Raoul gets up and walks your way, stopping right next to you. He grabs your hair and forces you to look up at him.

You comply without protest, your hands still in your lap.

“You. Are. Nothing.”

He releases your hair with a shove, your hands reaching out for the table to catch yourself from falling. You blink once, twice before an orderly is next to you, ordering you to get up and follow them out of the room. It seems today’s testing is over.

“Dinner will be in a few hours. You will wait in your room until said time,” the orderly saids, glancing at you in her periphery.

You nod and continue to follow her all the way to your room. She unlocks the door and lets you in, closing and locking it once you cross the threshold. You glance at the door before glancing at your room, taking in the few belongings you have.

Your bed sits in the corner, a simple blue blanket placed neatly on top, your pillow fluffed and ready for nighttime. Next to your bed is a pile of an assortment of books that you have acquired over the years. You often sit curled up in the corner reading, filling your head with other worlds and what is in them.

However, your most prized possession is the mural on the wall across from your bed that you have been working on. In different vibrant shades of purple, you have painted lavender flowers. The wall is covered in delicate strokes of the purple stems, accompanied by the brown stalk that anchors it to the ground.

You discovered the flower in one of your books, your eyes lighting up at the picture. You remember touching the page with your fingertips, lightly brushing over the image as you stared at the beautiful colors. After that moment, you worked extra hard to earn favor with some of the orderlies so you could acquire paints.

You were going to recreate the scene so you could go to the place with the flowers, the pretty lavender flowers. That was years ago. The wall was halfway painted in the beauties, causing you to feel warm inside.

Walking further inside, you grabbed your paints and paintbrush and kneeled down to paint, your mind drifting in the mundane task that you have grown accustomed to. Your eyes wandered over the wet paint, as you paid attention to the tiniest detail, wanting to get the picture just right.

Time passed and you painted, lost in the world of lavender, that you didn’t hear the bell outside your door signaling dinner. You jumped when you heard the door open, dropping your paintbrush in the process, the bristles brushing against the hem of your dress, staining it in purple.

“Dinner time, get up,” the orderly said, crossing her arms when she noticed you weren’t ready.

You had no time to put your supplies away so you gently set them down and got up, your knees cracking with the sudden movement. You followed the lady to a hall, and sat down next to one of your peers. Dinner was served and everyone ate in relative silence as there was not much to say when everyone did the same thing day in and day out.

The rest of the afternoon passed with no significance. Settling into bed, you pulled the blanket up to your chin. Yawning, you turned your head to gaze at the mural, your mind drifting to how it would be escape to the field, to smell their scent, and touch their delicate petals.

With these thoughts you drifted off, another day come and gone of your life here within the lab. — — Days passed, which turned into weeks. You were subjected to the same tests again and again. You were yelled at and chastised over and over, the same phrase repeated on a daily basis.

“You are nothing.”

You sat there as you were tossed around, your hair disheveled, your arms pinched, your face spit on as Raoul ran his tests day in and day out. You felt that weird sensation as before, but a new one had started to develop.

On a particular day, you endured the typical testing, but when Raoul repeated the same phrase to you, you felt a pang in your heart, and your eyes clouded over causing your vision to be blurry.

You had no idea what was going on and tried to blink, jumping in your seat as you felt tears fall from your eyes. Raoul stared at you in disbelief. He screamed that you were faking it, that you had no inkling as to what you were feeling.

Feeling. Feeling. Feeling.

You are nothing.

You continued to stare straight ahead as he screamed in your ear, chastising you for things you did not understand. Your hands were trembling, your heart beating rapidly until you heard a loud bang on the window.

Raoul stopped, and straightened up, narrowing his eyes once more at you before exiting the room. You let out a breath, your body sinking in the chair you were sitting on. It was over, or so you would hope.

— — Hyunjin watched as the director banged on the glass of lab five, the vibration causing the glass to rattle. He glared at Raoul as he watched the man release you and walk to the door.

In his four years of working here, he’s never experienced a technician as brutal as Raoul, and it was unfortunate he was assigned to you.

You. The anomaly.

You were different than your peers. Typically your kind does not experience emotions, do not even know what they are. However, you showed promise as a little girl, being subjected to testing from a young age.

His father remembers you and was in awe, watching as you were taken from your mother at the ripe age of five and brought to the room with the other children. You hesitated and held on tighter to your mother’s hand, fear etched in your eyes at the strange people coming to take you away.

His father went on to say it took you a while to adjust, your days spent separated from the other children, as you didn’t want to interact with them. Of course overtime, you forgot your mother, and fell right into the routine of living here in the lab.

You excelled on your testing, the technicians surprised at how your grasped emotional concepts the others have not. You were the only one in the hundreds of Gevorians that lived here that had an inkling of similarity to human kind.

Over the last six months, that uniqueness showed as you had interesting results after taking the Rorschach test over and over. It seemed you could learn to encompass the emotional capacity the others lacked.

Hyunjin took notice and became interested in your progress, wanting to know more about you. He looked through your files, all the way from childhood to adolescence, studied your results and the potential you had to make it in the human world, which is ultimately the labs goal.

He took to watching your sessions, notebook in hand to take notes. Imagine his horror when he saw Raoul abusing you, berating you for not being able to feel. Hyunjin’s heart broke for you in your predicament as he’s sure you were confused, not being able to understand the emotions that were going through you during the sessions.

Eventually, he had had enough as he saw you crying one day as Raoul spat in your face and called you nothing once more. He marched to the director’s office then and there and demanded Raoul be taken off the case and that he be assigned to you instead.

At first the director was hesitant, not sure if he would be able to handle you, but after many reassurances, he was granted the request.

Hyunjin went so far as to ask to have your sessions in different places throughout the building, to see if it’ll help in your journey. He was very persuasive, promising positive outcomes, which was risky, but a risk he was willing to take. He remembered silently cheering when the director granted him that power.

Now, here he was with several other technicians and the director himself, all staring down at Raoul.

“As of today Raoul, you are no longer y/n’s technician. Hyunjin will take over their sessions,” the director said in a commanding tone, his hands placed behind his back challenging any defiance.

“What the fuck! I’m making progress! Can’t you see that!” Raoul screamed.

Hyunjin shook his head in disdain, “How? By abusing y/n? Berating them? How is that going to help you son of a bitch?”

“Hyunjin!” The director said, shock in his eyes. He turned to look back at Raoul, “you are not their technician any longer. That’s final.”

The director turned around and marched out, the other technicians filing behind him. Raoul turned toward Hyunjin furious.

“You think you can handle y/n? Good luck, you won’t make a dent. Don’t come crying to me when the director fires you because you failed in your task.”

Hyunjin wiped the spit from his face and watched Raoul storm away.

He was definitely up for the task, wanting to make sure you could have a fulfilling life. One that was better than the one you lived within these walls.

He turned to stare at you through the two way mirror, watching how you stared straight ahead, waiting for someone to get you. However, he looked closer, and noticed your face was wet, as tears streamed down your face.

You didn’t wipe them, but let them fall down your cheeks, onto your clothes as you most likely had no clue what you were feeling.

He watched as an orderly came to retrieve you, watching as you walked past him, not even giving him a second glance.

He would be successful if it’s the last thing he does. He can’t let a promising, talented person like you rot here within the lab. He will mold you, teach you, and take you under his wing.

And once Hyunjin sets a goal, he follows it through.

He can’t wait for your first session together.

He can’t wait to meet you.

Taglist: @jehhskz @jeonginsleftcheek @simpforleeknaur @armystay89 @palindrome969 @slut4hee @ivydoesit23 @amarecerasus @kaysungshine @fun-fanfics @baby-stay92 @velvetmoonlght @possum-playground @frehyun @seungminsbest @nightmarenyxx @linocvp1d @ddroh @redlightsallnight @eastjonowhere @stayjinnie

[monocodoll]

MonocoDoll's Vile Ventures 1.1.0 (OnlySims WIP Update #4)

Hello everyone!

I know it has been a while since the last report. But I promise I have not been idle. Since the last report, I have been working on a side feature... Cosmetic Surgery. Miscellaneous features which would provide additional content. Alpha testing for bugs alongside a friend. And, I have been working on the guides as much as I could. They still need to be worked on more before they are completed. 🙂

Just a quick refresher, in past reports we have went over the main feature OnlySims. Some of the side features like Simstagram and LlamaPay. And a few of the Miscellaneous features, which include usable tumblers, Cannabis Gummies, and Cigars. In this report I will go over as much as I can that has been worked on since then.

Additional Miscellaneous Features

-New Drug Objects Introduced Into Vile Ventures

Weed Tray, this is an object where you could fill it up with a full cannabis baggy of a strain, rolling paper or swisher sweets, and a BIC Lighter. Depending whether you chose rolling paper or swisher sweets will determine whether the tray is filled with blunts or joints. Bietjie assisted me with setting up the geostates.

Cocaine Lines, this is an object that can be created from selecting a Cocaine Baggy and choosing to create a line. You can then choose the amount of uses this line has and once you place it somewhere you can choose to do the drug together with other sims. They will route to it and snort it. The Cocaine Lines are from MochaSims. They will be added to the credits for vile ventures once the update is released.

-Bubble Bar Can Now Be Filled With Cannabis

You may now utilize a Bubble Bar to consume your Cannabis. Simply have a full baggy of a Cannabis strain and fill up the Bubble Bar with it.

-Addiction Predisposition

Sims may now become predisposed to addiction or not. This is assigned to sims who are teen and above. This can be assigned either when the world is loaded into or when the sim becomes a teen.

Being Predisposed or not Predisposed to addiction is dependent on a few factors...

Any sim has a base chance of being predisposed between 15%-20%. The chance increases by 25% for each parent that is predisposed. And each Susceptible trait to predisposition adds an additional 5% increase to this chance. These traits are Neurotic, Grumpy, Brooding, Unstable, and Overemotional.

Being Predisposed just means that you will obtain drug addiction sooner. Meanwhile a sim who is not predisposed to addiction will be able to consume a bit more of the drug before they become addicts.

-New Addiction Chance System

Previously, addiction was formed randomly. It was a roll each time your sim consumed a drug after their first use. The first use was always a guarantee to never cause addiction. Now there are new factors that take into account when a sim may become addicted to a certain substance.

First, when a sim takes a substance, what is determined is whether the sim is already addicted. If the sim is already addicted, then the addiction moodlet timer is reset. Prolonging their addiction.

If the sim were to not be addicted, then what will be considered is the amount of times a drug has been taken, the sims age, and whether the sim has been "Chain Consuming" the drug. As well as whether the sim is predispoed to addiction or not. This is all taken into account, before a dice is rolled to determine whether the sim becomes addicted.

Example A:

We have a female young adult named Monica. She is predispoed to addiction, Has smoked Cannabis previously 6 hours ago, and has smoked Cannabis a total of 3 times throughout her lifetime.

By Default: Addiction Threshold For Cannabis is 10 and Chain Consumption Threshold For Cannabis is between 8 Hours. These values are tunable.

-Monica Has Smoked Cannabis a total of 3 times in her life. So she will be given +3 points

-Since Monica smoked Cannabis before 8 hours have passed. She wil be given +2 points.

-Since Monica is a Young Adult she will be given +2 points

-Since Monica is predisposed to addiction she is given a 50% boost to the value of the amount of a Substance taken. So in this instance (3*0.50 = 1.5)

Total Points: 3 + 2 + 2 + 1.5 = 8.5

Threshold For Cannabis: 10

Since Monica did not exceed the threshold she will not yet roll a chance to become addicted to Cannabis. Once she reaches that threshold in her lifetime, then she will roll 20% to get addicted each time she consumes Cannabis.

Example B:

We have a male Adult named Davis. He is not predisposed to addiction, Has smoked a Cigar previously 10 hours ago, and has smoked Cigars a total of 8 times throughout his lifetime.

By Default: Addiction Threshold For Nicotine is 9 and Chain Consumption Threshold For Nicotine is between 5 hours. These values are tunable.

-Davis has smoked Cigars a total of 8 times in his life. So he will be given +8 points.

-Since Davis has not smoked Cigars between 5 hours of smoking a cigar previously. He will be given -1 Points.

-Since Davis is a Adult he will receive no additional points

Since Davis is not predispoed to addiction he is given a 50% decrease to the value of the amount of a substance taken. so in this instance. (8 * 0.50 = 4)

Total Points: 8 + (-1) + (-4) = 3

Since Davis did not exceed the threshold, he will not yet roll a chance to become addicted to Nicotine. Once he reaches that threshold in his lifetime, then he will roll 20% to get addicted each time he consumes Cigars.

-New Setting Options For Vile Ventures

Remove Felonies, per popular request I made a setting where you can remove your sims felonies. Which prevented them from getting employment.

Set Opinion On Drugs, per popular request I made a setting where you can choose the opinion that other sims hold on drugs. Where as before the opinion was solely based on traits.

Set Addiction Predisposition, with the new Addiction Predisposition system, I also made a setting where you can set that up for a sim.

Check Addiction Predisposition, with the new Addiction Predisposition system, I made a setting where you can view whether a sim is predisposed or not.

-Big D*ck Problem Mod Integrated Into Vile Ventures

The BDP mod will be integrated with Vile Ventures. This is mainly because the associated traits could be utilized to obtain more likes and more subscribers from posting on your Simstagram and OnlySims.

The BDP mod that will be integrated has been updated to include better setting options and some changes were made to the Size Queen Gain method. Where previously it was a hidden skill. That is no longer the case. Also implemented tunable to disable BBC per request.

-X-Change Pills

Basically X-Change pills are fictional pills that instantly change your gender. They come with a color, duration, and a flavor. There are many more, but I only implemented these so far...

Color:

Pink: Transforms From Male To Female Sex.

Blue: Transforms From Female To Male Sex

Duration:

Basic: Lasts for 24 hours and cannot get pregnant

X-Tra Strength: Lasts for a week and can get pregnant. If you get pregnant, then the change will be permanent.

Plus: Change is permanent

Flavor:

Bimbo: You'll be able to alter your appearance when you change. However, you'll learn mental skills much slower.

Choice: You'll be able to choose when you switch back. However, if you lose the second pill to revert the change, then your change will remain permanent.

Clone: Transforms you into a specific sim. Need their consent.

Continue: Temporary pill where every time you woohoo, the duration gets extended. For example: If you have a 24-hour Continue and have woohoo, it will last another 24 hours.

Breeder: Greatly increases fertility (Pink Pill)

Bull: Greatly increases fertility (Blue Pill)

Surrogate: Allows you to become pregnant but you turn back afterward.(Pink Pill)

Note: I may cut/delay this feature from this update. I'm currently thinking that it may be too niche. And, I think this feature would be better with an update that introduces a reproductive cycle. Which is something I would be interested in implementing. As it is lacking in the sims 3.

-New Ways To Obtain Drugs

Kleptomaniac sims in the medical field in career level 3 and above may bring home substances after work.

Sims in the medical field from career level 5 and above may fill out fake prescriptions to obtain drugs in their mail.

-Nicotine Products Production

Cigars and Cigarettes can now be produced. The steps are as follows:

1)Obtain a Tobacco License. This will allow you to purchase Tobacco seeds

2)Grow Tobacco Plants. You will need to obtain Tobacco Leaves

3)Place Tobacco Leaves in Drying Rack

4)Collect Dried Tobacco Leaves once they are dried

5)Place Tobacco Leaves inside of an Aging Barrel and let the leaves age

6) With Raw Rolling Paper or A Dried Tobacco Leave select the barrel and choose to collect product.

7)Raw Rolling Paper will produce Cigarettes and a Dried Tobacco Leaf will produce a Cigar.

8)You can purchase Empty Cigarette Boxes or Cigar Boxes to fill them up.

-Sharing Drug For Interactions...         - Cigars         - Cigarette         - All 6 Strains For Blunts         - All 6 Strains For Joints         - All 6 Strains For Gummies         - Testosterone Enanthate         - Trenbolone         - Estrogen Blockers         - LSD         - Shrooms         - MDMA         - Xanax         - Adderall         - PainKillers         - Cocaine         - Meth         - Heroin

Under the friendly pie menu option, you may offer someone drugs. If they accept, they will take a use from your substance and consume it in front of you. The option only appears when the other sim is your friend.

-Do Drugs Together Interactions For...

        - Weed Tray (For Blunts and Joints of all 6 strains)         - (Pack of Gummies)All 6 Strains For Gummies         - LSD Sheet         - Shroom Baggy         - Cigarette Pack         - Cigars Pack         - Testosterone Enanthate Vial         - Trenbolone Vial         - Estrogen Blockers Vial         - MDMA Baggy/Pill Bottle         - Xanax Pill Bottle         - Adderall Pill Bottle         - PainKillers Pill Bottle         - Cocaine Lines         - Meth Baggy         - Heroin Baggy

All these objects now have an interaction where you can consume the drugs together. You can select any nearby sim and so long as they aren't against drugs they wil consume the drugs alongside you.

-Non Actives Autonomously Doing Drugs

Non active sims may now consume drugs while they are out clubbing at either of these two lots kEP3_DanceClubRave and  kEP3_CocktailLoungeAsian. The drugs consumed while clubbing include MDMA, LSD, Shrooms, and Lean

Non active sims will also now consume drugs while they are at a Juice Keg Party. The drugs that non actives can consume at these parties are All 6 Cannabis Strains, Shrooms, LSD, MDMA, Cocaine, Adderall, Lean, Xanax, PainKillers, Cigarettes, and Cigars.

-Misc Objects

        - Bath Bombs -Usable on Baths

        - Visa Gift Cards - Usable to redeem for cash

        - Lip Stick Packaging - Simply made to receive as fan mail as an OnlySims model. Can sell product for simoleans

        - Quencher Tumbler - Usable         - Simple Modern Tumbler - Usable         - Hydro Flask Tumbler - Non usable. Still sellable. So useful for extra funds when receiving it as Fan mail.         - Swell Stainless Steel Bottle - Non usable. Still sellable. So useful for extra funds when receiving it as Fan mail.

Side Feature: Cosmetic Surgery

Surgery Options

At the Hospital Rabbithole, your sim could go over a few procedures to boost their appearance for Simstagram and OnlySims. Which include... BBL, Breast Augmentation, Liposuction, Tummy Tuck, Lip Fillers, Thigh Augmentation, Calf Augmentation, and Corset Liposuction.

Custom Surgery Traits

These Custom Surgery traits are given to the sim once they go over a operation. These traits provide a boost to the likes and subscriber gain for their OnlySims and Simstagram.

Bodacious Booty (BBL)

Busty Beauty (Breast Augmentation)

DSL (Lip Fillers)

Bodacious Thighs (Thigh Augmentation)

Thick Calves (Calve Augmentation)

Flat Stomach (Tummy Tuck)

Small Waist (Corset Liposuction)

Natural Traits

Natural Traits are traits that can be earned naturally. And provide a boost to likes and subrscriber gain for their OnlySims and Simstagram.

Muscular: This trait is provided to a sim who has a high enough fitness Slider value. (This value is tunable)

Busty Beauty (Natural): This trait is provided to a sim who has a high enough breast slider value (This value is tunable)

Surgery Operation Steps

Although, Surgery is a great way to boost your engagement and earning potential on Simstagram and OnlySims. There are some steps to take into consideration...

First Surgery is expensive. For example, for a BBL the default cost is 20,000 Simoleons.

2. After they are finished with the operation, your sim will be taken into the Plastic Surgery screen. Where if you have custom sliders you can customize your own operation. In this example we are getting a BBL.

3. After they are finished with their surgery they will receive the associated trait and be thrilled about their new operation.

4. However, with every new surgery there will be a recovery phase. Showcased by a sore moodlet. Until that moodlet expires, your sim will be going through a recovery phase.

5. During the recovery phase they could face throbbing. Which can be mended with painkillers. Or worst death, as any procedure could go wrong. (Percentages are tunable.)

6. However, once the custom sore moodlet expires, your sim will have officially recovered and they can enjoy their new body in peace.

Bug Fixes

(Bugs That Were Present For First Version That Have Been Fixed)

- Implemented fix where if the world you were playing at had a Police Station in a combo rabbithole than the sim being arrested would be dropped off at a random location then take a taxi to the police station to be jailed.

 - Implemented fix where sims who obtained felonies were unemployable for all careers. Where they should have at least been able to join the Criminal, Culinary, Military, and Part time jobs

- Fixed bug where sims were able to deal drugs to their household members

- Made Tunable where you may disable receiving the Going Wild Moodlet for the MDMA, Shrooms, and LSD drugs. The going Wild Moodlet causes a temporary trait change. Which was reported to effect players who had KinkyWorld negatively. If you have KinkyWorld and face issues due to the temporary trait change, you may disable this feature through the tunable xml.

 - Implemented fix where a smuggling racket with the equipment upgrade was bugged. This bug caused you to be forced to hold exactly 25 packages or bricks to smuggle. Otherwise the function would not work.

-Implemented fix where arrests would sometimes repeat after a sim has been dropped off at the police station lot.

-Implemented method where your Drug Dealing skill can be carried over if you were to travel or move to a different world.

-Implemented cleanup methods when crafting drugs via chemistry lab, when drugs are confiscated when being jailed, while smuggling, when curing cannabis, when selling drugs to other sims. These functions simply removed the items from the sims inventory, but did not delete them. They were basically placed in no mans land. Without Nrass errortrap, these items would never get deleted and your save file would get bigger overtime. Now they are get deleted via my script.

(Bugs That Were Found During Alpha Testing New Version of Vile Ventures And That Have Now Been Fixed)

-Fixed Bug where two sims would recieve a woohoo tape after shooting a recording. Now only the sim that initiates the woohoo should get the tape

-Read and Respond to comments interaction now drains fun when on the phone. Just like the computer variant of the interaction

-Added null check when you try to make a Had Woohoo with... Post on Simstagram. This null check was necesarry, otherwise your game may crash if the sim you woohooed with would be deleted and you tried to make that post.

-Fixed bug where Add LinkTree would still be present on a computer or laptop. Even if your sim already has an attached LinkTree connected.

-Fixed bug where OnlySims skill and Simstagram skill would not transfer over when you move or travel to another world.

-Fixed bug where sims may get the option to whimper or brag about taking a big D*ck on Simstagram, even though they did not woohoo with anyone with the associated traits.

-Fixed bug where a sim who woohooed with a non active Big D*ck sim would not get the the sensual paradise or f*cking sore moodlet.

-Fixed bug where non active teens taking drugs would cause a script error.

So far we are almost done with everything in regards to the OnlySims update. Just a little bit more of Alpha testing to ensure that we fix as many potential bugs as possible and I need to finish up those guides for OnlySims and Simstagram. Next post regarding the update will most likely be in regards to it being released. I think this is a solid update. Especially with additional drug features to strengthen the update. Also, I know we all agreed on the next theme being a Sugar Baby update, but what if we took a small deteour and attempted a reproductive cycle update? Thoughts?🤔 Unless someone else is working on it. Then we will stick with the Sugar Baby Update. Also, sorry for all the limited photos. Was trying to fit the report all in one post, but tumblr only allows me to include 30 photos. 😣

[makereadgrow]

The Why of Sewing 4: How to Avoid Scammy Patterns

As your sewing skills progress beyond following straight lines on fabric you are going to want to start looking for patterns to make your dream outfits a reality. 

There are a lot of bad patterns out there, both in the AI generated flavor and in the more mundane human incompetence flavor. This guide is mostly going to focus on avoiding AI, but generally these tips will also weed out the worst of the ones poorly drafted by humans as well. Generally Etsy seems like the natural place to find indie drafted patterns, and while there are many designers posting their patterns on etsy who are legitimate, the market is FLOODED by scams at the moment. Beware of the Etsy sewing pattern. These are all things you should be able to spot BEFORE making the purchase. A later post can go into ways to figure out if it is you or the pattern causing issues.

Let's Lead with Positive Green Flags:

Multiple images of the model and garment where it is clearly the same person and garment from different angles. Many smaller indie companies are modeled by the designer, or just a couple models. The most important part is seeing multiple angles of the garment.

Line drawings that match the style lines of the sample garment.

Social media presence for the shop off of etsy. This is VERY important. All the big indie companies are on insta and make tags for their patterns (even though tags are broken). Instagram has been where the sewing community has lived for the most part and it is still pretty dang important now. 

The pattern should always have size charts, yardage charts, fabric recommendations, and notion lists available for review without purchasing the pattern. Never ever buy a pattern where you can’t see the size chart before buying. 

Cohesive design across the shop. It doesn’t have to be good design or interesting design, but it should look like the same person made the listing. 

Fat Models - this is a big green flag, but it feels slightly weird to say as a hot tip to look for. AI is really bad at making images of fat people and scammers rarely care enough to do so. This is also a green flag for inclusive sizing. 

Red Flags to watch for:

Headless models and stolen images - this is becoming less common as AI generated “samples” are taking over, but a quick reverse image search is a good idea. Some indie designers do prefer not to post their faces, but you can usually still tell that you are looking at the same person. 

Only front view images, or any single angle photo. 

A different model in every photo - this can be seen in well established indie companies who use lots of testing pools, but those tend to look very human and not the kind of human who earns their living with their appearance. Images of lots of models in sharp focus with an extremely blurry background. No human skin texture is a red flag. 

Seamlines that don’t match across the garment - watch for sleeves not matching one another for example. 

Way too many patterns in the shop at very low prices - pattern making takes a lot of work and having hundreds of $3 patterns is a huge red flag. At best its someone devaluing their work.

Weird videos of just a sewing machine stitching, usually not even threaded correctly. I don't know why this is showing up on so many AI pattern listing, but if the thread is just flopping around above the needle, buyer beware.

Okay so now you have learned how to spot some flags - where should you browse patterns and find something usable!

Threadloop - I should do an entire post on how good threadloop already is for a sewist and the makers are constantly adding new features. They are building a database of patterns and users can post reviews, link finished projects and I believe they have instituted a visible tag if users suspect a pattern has AI generated elements. 

Sewing Pattern Review - This site looks dated, but the creators are still super involved. There is an active community of makers posting pattern reviews and it's easy to look for a specific pattern, browse through recent reviews, or look at a category like “pants”. 

Curvy Pattern Database - this is a database of designers who have sizing that goes up to a minimum of a 60” hip and for any sewist with a larger body this is where I would start, but even if you are a straight sized sewist this is a fantastic resource. Every pattern is manually added and Sarah, the fantastic sewist behind the database, also does round up posts of new pattern releases. She includes free patterns and I’ve never spotted a scammy pattern company in the round ups. 

Instagram - this is probably the most annoying option for me, especially since instagram broke their tags. That being said, if a pattern company isn’t on instagram that basically means they aren’t marketing to the kind of sewist who can spot a scam.

The Fold Line - a UK based pattern sales portal that has both indie and big 4 patterns (the ones in the envelopes with the books at the fabric stores). Even if you don't buy through their portal they have some handy search tools and a pleasant browsing experience, they also put out some great youtube videos of new releases and videos matching up patterns to trends in ready to wear.

[mxrp-official-steve]

Your Janurary 2nd PARPdate: Hex in a pair of baggy overalls and a hardhat covered in soot edition.

It's been a few months- how about some CONTENT?

With The Troubles have subsided for the time being, Hex has been hard at work hammering out goodies for the Dreambubble update that will then be expanded into the Msparp Update. Rapid-fire lets GO:

Login screen with form validations and visual parity with DB1!

Logging system looking GOOD!

DARK THEME WORKING

A toggleable automatic contract adjuster!

Quirking system ported from dreambubble!

The BBCode system! Quirk compatible, just like back in the old country!

BONE (will be usable with [bone]text[/bone] or [font=Bone]text[/font] !)

Gradients! WITH a new input!

This one is

[gradient=red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet]example text[/gradient] OR [gradient=rgb(255,0,0),#ffff00,black]example text[/gradient]

Formatting expansions!

Tooltips!

[tooltip="this_is_a_tool_tip"]Example[/tooltip]

Dividers!

[div]

Dividers WITH TEXT

[div]DIVIDER WITH TITLE[/div]

These also work with both color and gradient tags!

Popouts! Good for chat descriptions! This one is: [modal buttonText=Rules] [div]RULES[/div] [gradient=red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet,rgba(0,0,0,0)]Be Kind[/gradient] [/modal]

Countdowns! This one is [countdown=1734422353] The number represents a unix timestamp! https://www.unixtimestamp.com/

Text bubbles! left: [bubble]text[/bubble] right: [bubble_r]text[/bubble]

Pop-outable text preview! Good for super long posts!

Tables!

This cool new thing where if you're scrolled up and a new message is sent, the bottom of the window changes color to match the text color of the new message!

Hex also got the presets ported and the basics of the character system set up!

Of note is that Hex has also set up a RUDIMENTARY TEST CHAT for DB2, available HERE:

Keep some things in mind though:

Some of the BBCode is broken

Nothing is saved to the database, only 100 messages are visible at a time because all the others get deleted.

clicky the funny box on the right to change characters

We'll have a better how-to BBCode guide up when DB2 is ready to go live (or sooner!), but that's how it's looking for now. MAN this was a lot of stuff. Hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and an excellent new year.

And thanks for sticking with us, it means the world!

[shinnith]

Best Sims 4 Script Mods✨

wanted a masterlist on this site of my "cannot live without" mods, so buckle up and get ready for your game to finally become even better!

Note: Playing on basic hardware and think your game can't run this high of scripts? My specs are a laptop with barely 4 GB of usable RAM and the most basic cpu+gpu out there. Go ham.

⭐List is under the cut and includes scripts like "All Worlds/Secret Worlds Residential", "Travel to Hidden World Easily", top notch map/loading screen replacements, ongoing projects like "sims 4 multiplayer" and more⭐

Gameplay Tweaks:

✨Darkmode ★ By: Dskecht

As of making this, both Arnie's Darkmode/Plumfruit are broken and will probably stay that way due to their retirement. Dskecht is currently hard at work with updating theirs though, which you can find at the link above, and their main updates about patch fixes here.

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✨All Worlds Are Residential ★ By: Zerbu

With this, destination type worlds (granite falls, selvadorada/ect) and hidden worlds (sylvan glade/forgotten grotto/ect) become residential or whatever lot type you want them to be. You'll need the creator's Venue Changes mod along with it. Cannot explain how important this mod is.

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✨Travel To Venue/Hidden World ★ By: TwelfthDoctor

Quickly travel to places like Forgotten Grotto and more- all from your cell phone!

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✨OMSP Shelf ★ By: AmoeBae

This "shelf" is basically a placeholder and has many slots, which doesn't conflict on placement and you can then turn invisible. If that sounds confusing, basically: wow shelf/table full of decorations instead of like two weirdly placed objects.

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✨More Traits ★ By: MapleBell

A lot of good traits, that I feel go well with a "maxis match" or "basegame" playthrough.

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✨Photographic Memory ★ By: RSVN

Take better photos with a custom camera and frame them in different frames, polaroids, canvases, calendars, ect. Beautiful work.

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✨Sacrificial's Mods

The creator of "Extreme Violence" brings you a ton of other elements. Armageddon, Zombies, Life tragedies, possessed or murderous children & so much more. Go wild.

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✨TurboDriver's Mods

Wouldn't be a complete list without the creator of "whickedwhims". Kudos, TurboDriver.

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✨Basemental's Mods

Mods which are full o' vices, if you catch my drift. All of their work is amazing and goes super well with sacrificial & turbodriver's work.

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More Scripts:

✨Dershayan & 20thCenturyPlumbob Maps/Loading Screen Replacements

I can't choose a favorite set- both creators have made beautiful work, though Dershayan only offers map replacements.

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✨More Columns in CAS ★ By: weerbesu

CAS UI is incredibly irritating and this helps by giving more columns. You have different choices for how many you want.

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✨Better BuildBuy ★ By: TwistedMexi

Will change your life and TwistedMexi will become like family. Oh, and did I mention it has live camera (tab key) in build mode?

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✨ColorPicker ★ By: Carl's Guides

Hate the game's colors with objects? Carl is here to help.

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✨T.O.O.L ★ By: TwistedMexi

Total manipulation over otherwise locked assets in game (ex. non-editable player items/buildings/terrain like those freaking apartment windows you can't delete or change). This creator is currently working on a huge project for this entire community, and is also another concrete presence.

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✨Big Ongoing Projects✨

🏆Sims 4 Multiplayer

Creator Simsmultiplayer brings you something we've all talked over for years. It's released, but I haven't tested it myself.

🏆Sims 4 Create-A-World

TwistedMexi comes through once again, but this time with the most complex sims mod were seeing being developed. It has years of work already and is currently still in development. Updates at link above.

----------

Kudos to all mod + creators- big and small💞 This game has been tweaked, redesigned and literally fixed by modders time and time again and our community gets even more vibrant each day with their talents. After almost ten years in this community, I have seen such amazing work and tireless effort to creations of assets & mechanics, fixes to game bugs of all types and providing of technical support. We love you guys💖

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New data model paves way for seamless collaboration among US and international astronomy institutions

Software engineers have been hard at work to establish a common language for a global conversation. The topic—revealing the mysteries of the universe. The U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) has been collaborating with U.S. and international astronomy institutions to establish a new open-source, standardized format for processing radio astronomical data, enabling interoperability between scientific institutions worldwide.

When telescopes are observing the universe, they collect vast amounts of data—for hours, months, even years at a time, depending on what they are studying. Combining data from different telescopes is especially useful to astronomers, to see different parts of the sky, or to observe the targets they are studying in more detail, or at different wavelengths. Each instrument has its own strengths, based on its location and capabilities.

"By setting this international standard, NRAO is taking a leadership role in ensuring that our global partners can efficiently utilize and share astronomical data," said Jan-Willem Steeb, the technical lead of the new data processing program at the NSF NRAO. "This foundational work is crucial as we prepare for the immense data volumes anticipated from projects like the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Square Kilometer Array Observatory in Australia and South Africa."

By addressing these key aspects, the new data model establishes a foundation for seamless data sharing and processing across various radio telescope platforms, both current and future.

International astronomy institutions collaborating with the NSF NRAO on this process include the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO), the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), and Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry European Research Infrastructure Consortium (JIVE).

The new data model was tested with example datasets from approximately 10 different instruments, including existing telescopes like the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder and simulated data from proposed future instruments like the NSF NRAO's Next Generation Very Large Array. This broader collaboration ensures the model meets diverse needs across the global astronomy community.

Extensive testing completed throughout this process ensures compatibility and functionality across a wide range of instruments. By addressing these aspects, the new data model establishes a more robust, flexible, and future-proof foundation for data sharing and processing in radio astronomy, significantly improving upon historical models.

"The new model is designed to address the limitations of aging models, in use for over 30 years, and created when computing capabilities were vastly different," adds Jeff Kern, who leads software development for the NSF NRAO.

"The new model updates the data architecture to align with current and future computing needs, and is built to handle the massive data volumes expected from next-generation instruments. It will be scalable, which ensures the model can cope with the exponential growth in data from future developments in radio telescopes."

As part of this initiative, the NSF NRAO plans to release additional materials, including guides for various instruments and example datasets from multiple international partners.

"The new data model is completely open-source and integrated into the Python ecosystem, making it easily accessible and usable by the broader scientific community," explains Steeb. "Our project promotes accessibility and ease of use, which we hope will encourage widespread adoption and ongoing development."

[edu-art9]

https://www.edu-art.in/usability-testing-complete-overview-for-better-performance/

Usability testing is a critical component of the design and development process, and Edu-Art offers a comprehensive overview to enhance performance. This testing method involves real users interacting with a product or website to assess its user-friendliness and overall effectiveness.

[ankitparmar09]

Ever spent hours perfecting a design, only to watch users struggle with it? (I have—and it was humbling.)

Startups often face this challenge: They focus on creating a product that looks incredible but forget one key principle: Design is about problem-solving. Here’s the reality: A good design doesn’t just look great—it guides users effortlessly and drives measurable results. Yet, many founders unknowingly prioritize aesthetics over usability. The result? Higher bounce rates. Lower conversions. So, how do you fix this? Here are 3 principles I live by: 1️⃣ Start with user research: Understand your users deeply—their pain points, frustrations, and goals. 2️⃣ Simplify the journey. Every click should have a clear purpose. 3️⃣ Test early, test often. Feedback isn’t just helpful—it’s everything. I learned this lesson the hard way: While working on a SaaS product, I saw how a visually stunning interface left users confused. Revisiting user personas and reworking navigation led to a 20% increase in engagement. Simplicity wins. Every. Single. Time. What’s the biggest UX mistake you’ve seen that could’ve been avoided? Let’s start a conversation. 👉 DM me for a free UX checkup—I’d love to help!

[wedesignblog]

A Quick Word About Prototyping 🛠️✨

Prototyping is a crucial step in the design process that allows you to visualize and test your ideas before final implementation. Let’s break down what a prototype is and why it’s essential!

What is a Prototype?

Interactive Mockup: A prototype is an interactive version of your design, showcasing how users will navigate through your website or application. It simulates the user experience without being the final product.

Not Final Design: Keep in mind that a prototype is not set in stone; it’s a tool for exploration, feedback, and iteration.

Why Prototype?

Test Functionality: Prototypes help you validate whether the functionality of your design works as intended. You can identify any usability issues early on.

User Feedback: By sharing prototypes with users or stakeholders, you can gather valuable feedback that informs improvements before diving into development.

Visualize User Journey: Prototyping allows you to map out the user journey, helping to ensure a seamless experience and identify any roadblocks.

Types of Prototypes

Low-Fidelity Prototypes: Often hand-drawn sketches or simple wireframes. Great for brainstorming and early feedback on layout and flow.

High-Fidelity Prototypes: More detailed and interactive, resembling the final design closely. Tools like Figma, Adobe XD, or InVision can help create these.

Best Practices for Prototyping

Keep It Simple: Focus on key features and flows rather than perfecting every detail.

Iterate Quickly: Don’t be afraid to make changes based on feedback. The prototyping stage is about refining your ideas.

Involve Users Early: Get input from real users to understand their needs and pain points.

Quick Tips:

Use prototyping tools that suit your workflow and team collaboration.

Document the feedback you receive to guide your next design iterations.

Share your prototypes in various formats (links, presentations) for wider accessibility.

Prototyping is an invaluable part of the web design process, allowing you to explore ideas and create better user experiences. Embrace it to enhance your web design journey! 🌟

What prototyping tools do you find most effective? Share your favorites below! 👇

[sittiejanimahdisimban]

Week 11: Progress of the Manuscript and Consultation on System Development

by Sittie Janimah A. Disimban

Feedback. Documentation. Details.

This was packed with important milestones as we focused on completing Activity 3 for our Software Design and Engineering course. This activity involved creating a detailed tutorial video that demonstrates how to navigate the user manual and brochure of our developed system. The goal is to provide clear instructions on how users can interact with the system effectively. This is a key component of the user functional and usability testing process, as it allows us to gather feedback from users on the system’s ease of use and functionality. The tutorial video, along with a copy of the user manual, will be shared with our testers to guide them through the process and ensure they can make the most of the system’s features.

Additionally, this week, we had another consultation session with our instructor. The session was incredibly valuable as we discussed the overall progress of our system development, with a focus on refining the processes involved. We also went over the manuscript paper we’re working on, receiving feedback and suggestions to improve the quality of our work. This consultation allowed us to clarify any questions about Activity 3, and we were able to align our efforts with the expectations of the project.

Through this week’s activities, we gained a deeper understanding of how to effectively present our work to users and testers, ensuring that the system we’ve developed is user-friendly and functional. The consultations and the preparation for testing have set us on the right path for the next phase of the project, and we’re excited to move forward. This week has been essential for solidifying the documentation and preparing for the crucial testing phase, and we’re looking forward to seeing how our users will interact with the system.

[kggreenindiaproperties]

Unlock Your Dream Investment: Insider Secrets to Buying Farm Land in Chennai

Are you looking for a secure and lucrative investment in one of the most thriving cities in India? Investing in farm land in Chennai offers you more than just a property; it’s a chance to secure a promising future. Whether you're looking to develop a beautiful farmhouse, grow crops, or simply invest for future returns, purchasing farm land in Chennai can provide a range of benefits. But how do you make sure you're making the right choice? This guide will provide you with the insider secrets to buying farm land in Chennai and help you unlock the investment potential that awaits.

Why Invest in Farm Land in Chennai?

Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, has become a hotspot for real estate and agriculture-based investments. Known for its growing infrastructure, increasing demand for residential and commercial spaces, and a rich agricultural landscape, Chennai presents an excellent opportunity for investors looking to diversify their portfolios.

The city’s rapid growth is extending beyond its urban limits, making the surrounding agricultural land a prime target for investors. If you're seeking long-term returns, farm land investments in Chennai are an excellent choice due to:

Future Growth Potential: As Chennai continues to expand, areas that were once considered remote are becoming key locations for residential and commercial development. Farm land in these areas is bound to see a rise in value.

Agricultural Opportunities: If you have an interest in farming or want to start an organic farm, Chennai offers fertile lands perfect for a variety of crops. The rising demand for sustainable and organic produce adds value to agricultural investments.

Ideal for Customization: If you're interested in creating your dream farmhouse or retreat, investing in farm land gives you the freedom to design and develop your property as you see fit.

Step 1: Identify the Right Location

One of the most critical steps in buying farm land in Chennai is choosing the right location. You should focus on areas that are likely to see development in the future. Areas on the outskirts of Chennai, such as Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, and Maraimalai Nagar, are emerging as real estate hubs.

Look for land that is close to upcoming infrastructure projects like highways, transport hubs, and commercial zones. Proximity to these developments will increase the land’s value over time, making your investment more profitable.

Step 2: Research the Land’s Legal Status

Before purchasing any land, you must ensure that the title is clear and free of any legal disputes. Verify the land's ownership records with local authorities and ensure there are no encumbrances or claims from third parties. It's also important to check if the land is classified as agricultural and confirm that zoning regulations allow for the intended use.

Working with a reputable real estate agent or legal professional can help you navigate the complexities of land documents, ensuring you are protected from potential legal issues down the line.

Step 3: Evaluate the Infrastructure and Accessibility

For a farm land investment to be successful, accessibility and infrastructure are key. Assess how easy it is to reach the land and its proximity to key facilities like water sources, roads, power supply, and markets. The accessibility of your land will determine its usability, whether for farming or developing a farmhouse.

Farm land with good connectivity to main roads and transportation routes will be more valuable in the future, as it will attract potential buyers or tenants for both agricultural and residential purposes.

Step 4: Assess the Soil Quality

If your intention is to use the farm land for agricultural purposes, the quality of the soil is a critical factor to consider. Conduct soil tests to evaluate its fertility and suitability for the type of crops you intend to grow. Different regions in Chennai offer varying soil conditions, so it’s essential to understand the potential of your land before making a purchase.

Soil quality directly impacts the success of farming ventures, so make sure the land you buy can sustain your plans for cultivation.

Step 5: Understand the Investment Costs and Returns

Farm land can be an excellent long-term investment, but it's important to have a clear understanding of both the upfront costs and potential returns. The cost of land in Chennai can vary based on location, land size, and future development prospects. Calculate the total investment, including registration fees, taxes, and other associated costs, and compare it with the anticipated returns.

Keep in mind that farm land values tend to appreciate over time, especially in areas seeing growth in real estate development. When purchasing land for a future project, such as a farmhouse or commercial complex, be sure to factor in potential land value increases as part of your long-term investment strategy.

Step 6: Get Expert Guidance

Finally, it’s always a good idea to consult with real estate experts who specialize in agricultural land. A professional can help you make informed decisions, provide insights into upcoming developments, and guide you through the entire buying process.

At KG Green India Properties Pvt Ltd, we specialize in helping clients find prime farm land that meets their investment needs and future aspirations. With years of experience in the industry, we understand the nuances of the Chennai real estate market and can help you unlock the potential of your farm land investment.

Why Choose KG Green India Properties Pvt Ltd?

With a legacy of delivering quality projects since 2008, KG Green India Properties Pvt Ltd is the trusted name when it comes to investing in farm land and real estate in Chennai. We have a wide range of properties, including residential buildings, flats, bungalows, and commercial complexes, and we’re committed to ensuring that every project meets the highest standards of quality. Our expert team will guide you through every step of the process, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish.

If you're ready to explore farm land opportunities in Chennai, reach out to us today. Let’s work together to make your dream investment a reality.

Ready to unlock your dream investment? Visit our website at KG Green India Properties Pvt Ltd to explore prime farm land opportunities and start your investment journey today!