#fantasy software provider

[johnxaavie]

Fantasy Football API by Sciflare Technologies

At Sciflare Technologies, we are passionate about enhancing fantasy football experiences through our advanced Fantasy Football API. Our API provides developers and businesses with seamless access to real-time and historical data from major football leagues worldwide. Whether you're building a fantasy sports platform, developing analytical tools, or enhancing fan engagement apps, our API delivers comprehensive player statistics, team information, live scores, and more.

Key Features:

Real-time Updates: Stay updated with live scores, player performance metrics, and match events as they happen.

Comprehensive Data: Access detailed player profiles, team rosters, standings, and historical data for in-depth analysis.

Easy Integration: Simplify development with straightforward API endpoints, robust documentation, and reliable support.

Why Choose Us?

Sciflare Technologies ensures high data accuracy, secure authentication methods, and scalable solutions tailored to meet your project's unique requirements. Empower your fantasy football applications with our cutting-edge API and elevate user engagement and satisfaction.

Contact us today to explore how our Fantasy Football API can enhance your sports-related projects and drive innovation in fantasy sports technology. Website-

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Gackt - Lust for Blood 2003

Gackt is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. He has been active since 1993, first as the frontman of the short-lived independent band Cains:Feel, and in 1995-1998 the visual kei rockband Malice Mizer, before starting his solo career in 1999. He has released nine studio albums and, with forty-eight singles released, holds the male soloist record for most top ten consecutive singles in Japanese music history. Besides being established in the modern entertainment industry and a pop icon, Gackt's music has been used as theme songs for video games, video game films, anime series/films, and television series. In addition to his music career, Gackt has acted and voice acted, including characters inspired by him in video games like Bujingai and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. He also provided the voice samples for the Vocaloid software Gackpoid.

Crescent is his fourth full-length studio album, released on December 3, 2003. It is a concept album linked to its 2002 predecessor Moon and comes with booklets for both records (Moon did not originally contain one). Crescent also features a duet with L'Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde for "Orenji no Taiyou" with whom Gackt co-starred in the 2003 movie Moon Child. In the third counting week of December the album reached number five on the Oricon charts, with sales of 75,561 copies. It charted for 11 weeks. Since its release the album has sold more than 250,000 copies, being not certified Gold due to change of criteria, but Platinum by the RIAJ.

"Lust for Blood" received a total of 63,1% yes votes! Previous Gackt polls: #282 "Vanilla".

[unboundprompts]

Hello!!! I hope you don't mind doing this one,

Can you help me write a traumatized person who's having trouble talking because of past trauma? (They can still interact with people, but only with signs and movements, not voice) and also a little anxious

Tell me if you need more details =)

How to Write a Mute / Non-Speaking Character

-> healthline.com

-> verywellhealth.com

-> descriptionary.wordpress.com

Types of Mutism:

selective mutism: having the ability to speak but feeling unable to.

organic mutism: mutism caused by brain injury, such as with drug use or after a stroke.

cerebellar mutism: mutism caused by the removal of a brain tumor from a part of the skull surrounding the cerebellum, which controls coordination and balance.

aphasia: when people find it difficult to speak because of stroke, brain tumor, or head injury.

What Causes Selective Mutism in Adults?

having another anxiety condition, like separation anxiety or social anxiety

experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

having a family history of selective mutism or social anxiety

having fewer opportunities for social contact

having an extremely shy personality

having a speech or language disorder, learning disability, or sensory processing disorder

parent-child enmeshment, or lack of clear boundaries in the relationship

traumatic experiences

Traumatic Mutism vs Trauma-Induced Selective Mutism

if you have traumatic mutism, you may be unable to talk in all situations following a trauma.

with trauma-induced selective mutism, you may find it impossible to talk only in certain situations-- for example, in front of the person who hurt you or in a setting that resembles the circumstances of your trauma.

Different Ways Individuals with Mutism May Choose to Communicate:

Nonverbal Communication: they may rely on facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and body language to convey their thoughts, emotions, and intentions.

Writing or Typing: they may use a pen and paper, digital devices, or communication apps to write messages, notes, or responses.

Sign Language: they can convey meaning, emotions, and engage in complex conversations through hand signs, facial expressions, and body movements.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices: these devices provide individuals with a range of tools and technologies to support their communication needs. They can include speech-generating devices, picture boards, apps, or software that allows users to select words, phrases, or symbols to generate spoken or written output.

Communication Boards and Visual Aids: Communication boards or charts with pictures, symbols, or words can assist individuals in conveying their messages.

Assistive Technology: various assistive technologies, such as speech-to-text apps, text-to-speech programs, or eye-tracking devices that aid individuals with communication.

Tips on Writing a Mute / Non-Speaking Character:

Explore the vast array of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, gestures, and eye contact. Use descriptions to convey their intentions and reactions.

Utilize internal dialogue. Offer readers a window into their internal thought process, and turn their internal dialogue into a narrative that reveals their inner struggles, triumphs, and complexities so that reader can connect with the character.

Establish a communication system that is unique to your character (Sign language, written notes, telepathy in a fantasy setting, etc.). Having a communication system allows your character to interact with other characters and contribute to the narrative.

Surround them with Understanding Characters that can aid in communcation and fostering meaningful relationships.

Establish the Barriers/Conflicts They'll Experience. Don't forget to be realistic.

Your character is not defined by their inability to speak. Make sure you do not write stereotypes and cliches. Being mute is only one aspect of their identity rather than their defining trait.

Do your research! Seek out firsthand accounts, experiences, and perspectives. Check out online forums and resources to gain insights into their unique challenges, adaptations, and strengths.

If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! I also offer editing services and other writing advice on my Ko-fi! Become a member to receive exclusive content, early access, and prioritized writing prompt requests.

[davekat-sucks]

I couldn’t resist this thing we’re doing with Homestuck characters with Youtube channels so here we go.

Beta trolls first/

Aradia: 100% she’s a spelunker who’s video content is exploring abandoned urban areas and cave systems. She even has on hand dusting tools and a pickaxe to look for exposed fossils. Her uploads coincide within a day of a person dissapearing or the report of a murder.

Tavros: he’s Alternia’s biggest Pokétuber, or I guess in this sense, a Fidutuber. He likes to discuss the meta for competitive and lore about the fiduspawn series. He also dabbles in fantasy RPGs, especially if there is a girl with magical powers or a protagonist whisked away to a fantastical realm, tying back to his Pupa Pan obsession. What’s cool about Tavros’s playthroughs for his RPG games is they’re narrated and voice acted by his friends! He has Nepeta and Aradia do some of the female cast voice acting, as well as Gamzee and Karkat for male voice acting!

Sollux: twitch streaming speedrunner, very popular in the speedrunning community for his TAS tech and glitch hunting prowess. His uploading schedule is very infrequent due to his struggle with sensing the imminently deceased.

Karkat: 100% a movie reviewer like that of the Nostalgia critic, his review gimmick is he trues to violently destroy movies he considers “COMPLETE SHIT FESTIVITIES” by using threshecutioner style combat on the DVD boxes, or if the movie was digitally downloaded, corrupt it with one of his broken, shitty viruses.

Nepeta: survivalist vlogger who gives tips on living in a cave, animal hunting, preparing meals from the meats of different wild animals, and how to keep contact with the civilized world. Notably Nepeta has collaborated with Aradia to guide her through particularly hard to navigate caves.

Kanaya: fashion and aesthetics channel. She is a lifestyle blogger dedicated to showing you how everything can be shaped colored and placed to fit your personality. She’s got playlists for landscaping and gardening, fashion, and hell even how to make the food on your plate look appetizing!

Terezi: skit and parodies channel. Her on hand plushes make her a plush skit channel similar to SuperMarioLogan, and she loves to invite her friends to cast as different pyralsprites, action figures, paper drawings and even an occasional animal carcass for her new episodes. When her plushes are worn out, Terezi instead uses GMod and editing software to make her secondary skit show, think SMG4 but now the characters type in leetspeak and reference bugs and grubs a lot. For using copyrighted characters she has been sued many times and won every case. She uploads legal advice to a secondary channel on how to avoid getting copyright claimed and how to win in court.

Vriska: e-thot and competitive gamer. She plays a lot of ranked team games like Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, and even Team Fortress 2! She’s toxic, and has been known to call out and swear at her teammates and opponents, has doxxed her own moderators for her chat, and once sent Tavros a virus to his computer for wiping the floor with her at FiduFLARP, a modded game of FLARP that adds in fiduspawn monsters as catchable enemies. How she’s not banned is a sinple reason: she always streams with a crop top that’s worn low.

Equius: hybrid channel for electrical engineering and combat training. He’s like electroboom in that he gets shocked quite a lot, but different in that he could build a Boston dynamic robot in less than an hour. He has tutorials on constructing the control systems of military aircraft! His combat videos focus on a lot of boxing and hand-to-hand techniques, and especially how to concentrate the force of your blow. When he does demonstrations for weapon combat, he invites Karkat and Tavros over for battle strategies for Threshecutioners and Cavalreapers.

Gamzee: naturalist and spiritual healing channel. He streams often for calls with chat members asking for their ailments and providing healing advice or even trying a through-the-screen hypnosis method to cure chat members. He’s a fraud, but people love his calm demeanor and positive attitude so much people go to him for vibes, and his “cures” work often enough that some people even believe he has healing magic.

Eridan: strategy games and naitical technology. World of Warships no. 1 advertising advocate. He also dabbles in human games like Hearts of Iron IV and Sid Mires’s Civilization series. He thinks they’re actually really really easy games. When he reviews ships he likes to go to museums to review and describe war ships and how effective they were at sea. Sometimes he can even swim to shipwrecks if he feels like it, which is… rarely.

Feferi: Vlogger for ocean diving and nature documentation. Her positive attitude and natural optimism towards the unknown makes her view even the most ugly and aggressive deep sea life seem cute and misunderstood. Surprisingly her favorite sea life is the shark! When Eridan needs to explore a shipwreck, he uses Feferi as a guide to get him safely diving down to the wreckage, and so he doesn’t feel alone in the dark waters. Deep sea diving actually burns a LOT of calories, especially with how long her videos can get (2-4 hours) so on the side she does shorter Mukbang videos! Commenters are in awe that she’s so skinny despite eating half her weight in food every time she does a Mukbang.

Beta kids/

John: illusions and pranks channel, loves to live record strangers falling for his obvious trucks and deceits. Don’t worry it’s all for fun and no one gets hurt :) His magic even extends to cool programs you can do on your computer to make your desktop do something cool, or customize your pointer (yeah to this day he’s still an amateur at coding) when Karkat is reviewing bad movies, John is usually invited for skits where he’s the stand in for a stawman of the movie’s fandom explaining why the movie is actually good.

Rose: she’s like those atheist skeptic channels but instead of just debunking God and flat earth theory she also uses her magic to prove and convince her subscribers the horrorterrors are the only real cosmic entities who exist beyond the physical universe. In the case there’s a video going around of something crazy happening that could be a hoax, she invites John over so he can rant and expose the magic tricks the video uses to make it look real.

Dave: shitposter. He posts whatever he feels like whenever he feels like. Tony Hawk combo score, Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff comic dubs, Smosh skits with John, and a lot of Youtube Poops. He’s less a poster and more an editor. He’s done video editing for a bunch of other Youtubers, like Karkat, Kanaya, Sollux, Terezi, John, and Rose. He has a lot of time on his hands and he uses it for the best editing gags and cutoffs you could imagine. Like Caddicarus but even funnier.

Jade: she’s a mystery. You’ll see her everywhere and yet her main channel has less than 10k subscribers. She has made a cameo on EVERY character I’ve described so far. She’s dug up bones for Aradia, competed against Tavros in fiduspawn (and narrates for his RPG playthroughs, voice acting for some female characters too!) she playtests Sollux’s speedrun strats to see of they’re humanly viable, she’s done skits in Karkat’s video where she parodies prominent female characters alongside John, Dave, and Sollux. She is used as a practice combatant for Nepeta to demonstrate fighting various wildlife from foxes to bears. She’s done in depth explanations for various plant life and their living conditions in Kanaya’s horticulture videos, she plays in Terezi’s skits as a character who’s a stereotypical furry, she’s Vriska’s top pick for playing casual multiplayer games like UNO, or Worms, or Smash Bros. Jade was a featured teacher for how to build a homemade Nuclear Reactor with Equius. She was interviewed by Gamzee for her dog ears and her ability to see the future. She demonstrates how to handle various firearms in Eridan’s videos, and has even done 2-person mukbangs with Feferi. So after all that, what does Jade post on her main account? Squiddles character AMVs.

If I’m gonna do the alpha kids and trolls it has to be a separate ask, this is a very long one.

Hot damn! These are all so good!

[yiffos-official]

I am willing to give you or anyone else on tumblr the skills and advice the helped me get my dream job

the idea of working for TEK a few months ago would just be a fantasy

my background in education is English. I learned what I know now on my own and only by random chance.

This is why I am so critical of the linux commumity on tumblr.

They're tagging themselves as -official when they can't provide casual end user support.

They're entirely too horny to be in this sphere. Computers and linux should not be about how much you want to fuck/be fucked by X

it will deter end users

This is very cool that you will help other tumblr users with this stuff; i may actually take you up on this at some point :3

(my tone here is /g, /pos, /nm, /lh)

I do, however, kind of disagree with the other points. I think that for any other social media it's correct, twt or fb does not have the culture to make these sorts of parody accounts viable or not-counter-productive to increasing the linux market share. But I don't think that tumblr is the same.

I think that tumblr does. I think the tumblr community has always been this somewhat ephemeral yet perpetual inside joke culture where almost every user is in-the-know, and new users to the joke are able generally able to catch on quickly to it due to their general understanding of they way tumblr communities operate.

IMO, it's a somewhat quick pipeline of:

\> find first "x-official" blog -> assume it's real -> see them horny posting about xenia -> infer that RH corporate would probably not approve of such a blog

I can appreciate that it might be intimidating to seek out help as a new linux user, and especially a new linux & tumblr user, but looking through these blogs, you do see them helping out people ^^. heck, my last post was helping someone getting wayland working on an nvidia system.

The main goal of these blogs is not to be a legitimate CS service to general end-users. they aren't affiliated with the software their blog is named after, so in many cases they *cant*. The goal is instead to foster a community around linux, creating a general network of blogs of the various FOSS projects that they enjoy.

I think that final sentiment, of these blogs detering end users, is most likely counter to their actual effect on end users who are considering switching to linux.

We all know a lot of tumblr is 20 or 30 something year olds who have just stuck around since ~2012ish, and new users to tumblr join with pre-existing knowledge of the culture and platform. Almost anyone coming across these blogs are going to be people who can see the "in" joke, and acclimate. I do highly doubt that a random facebook mom who's son convinced her to install mint on her old laptop would find tumblr, find a -official blog, scroll through said blog, and be detered from using mint.

The other side of this is that any tumblr users who come across these blogs, be it with an inkling of desire to switch to linux or not, will see a vibrant and active community that fits very well into the tumblr community. They remember, or have heard of, the amtrac & OSHA blogs, and are therefore probably aware that this is a pre-existing meme on here.

In all likelyhood, this will probably further incentivize them to make the switch, as they would be more attracted to a community of their peers over a community of redditors telling them to read the arch wiki repeatedly

I can, on the other hand, definitely see that for people who have difficulties with parsing tone, and especially sarcasm, would have trouble with this. TBH, I have these difficulties (hence when I was speaking to you yesterday I used the /unjerk indicator, as I couldn't tell what the tone of the conversation was), and so it took me a little while of being in this weird "I'm 99% sure these *aren't* official, but what if?". I have been there forI think that maybe being more transparent with the fact that the blogs are parodies is probably important. I'm guilty of this, and after i post this, i'll add it to my bio.

[bardic-tales]

The Leviathan method: Step 11: Describe Your Protagonist(s)

Bianca Moore is a striking figure with golden hair that frames her flawless complexion and brown eyes, complemented by an hourglass figure. Standing at 5 feet tall, her appearance is both graceful and formidable, with white, black, and gold wings accented by golden feathers that hint at her celestial origins. Despite her angelic beauty, her elongated canines and aura of mystery hint at her hybrid nature. She is shaped by trauma and conflict. Bianca carries the weight of her tumultuous past with silent strength and often conceals her vulnerability behind a mask of pragmatism and reserve.

Quick Reference List

Tech Knowledge: Basic Modern Tech, Writing Software

Economic Class: Upper Middle-Class Author, Self-Sufficient, CEO Wife

Skills: Magic Combat (time-space-ice), Healing, Reality Manipulation. Swordsmanship (Noctemaris - Solstice)

Hobbies: Reading, Sketching, Writing

Classifications: Celestial-Demonic Hybrid, Otherworldly, Cosmic Horror

Vital Stats: Petite Build, Ethereal Glow, Dual Heritage

Bianca Moore: Detailed Character Breakdown

Technology/Tech Knowledge Bianca has a rudimentary understanding of modern technology but is far from a tech-savvy individual. She knows how to operate everyday devices like smartphones and laptops, using them primarily to write her novels or research. Her skills extend to basic software like word processors and communication tools, but she struggles with more advanced or futuristic technology. Due to her displacement, she has no need for advanced machinery, relying instead on her abilities. However, she is intrigued by weaponry and gadgets, particularly those she encounters in the world of Final Fantasy VII. Tech Knowledge: Basic Modern Tech, Writing Software

Economic/Social Class (during her marriage to Mordecai) Bianca’s economic status reflects her partnership with Mordecai, whose successful business ventures as CEO of Darklight Publishing ensured a comfortable and stable life for both of them. As an accomplished romance novelist, Bianca also contributed to their financial security. Her career, while not as lucrative as Mordecai’s publishing business, allowed her creative freedom and an independent sense of purpose. Economic Class: Middle-Class Author, Self-Sufficient, CEO's wife

Magic Abilities or Skills Bianca possesses a vast array of abilities tied to her celestial and demonic lineage. Her most prominent powers include spatial manipulation, energy projection, and the ability to interact with the souls of the departed. She has time, space, ice, nightmare, healing and protective magic, . Her combat style relies on agility, evasion, and precision strikes with her celestial blade, Solstice, and demonic blade Noctemaris. While she has some knowledge of swordsmanship, she excels more in magical combat and strategic planning. Skills: Magic Combat (time-space-ice), Healing, Reality Manipulation

Culture and Hobbies Bianca is a passionate reader, finding solace in romance and survival novels that mirror aspects of her life. She also enjoys sketching, often drawing scenes from her past or the people she holds dear. She appreciates moments of quiet reflection, writing in her journal, or exploring natural landscapes. Her hobbies provide a reprieve from her turbulent existence, grounding her in a sense of normalcy. Hobbies: Reading, Sketching, Writing

Classifications Bianca’s unique lineage as a celestial-demonic hybrid grants a distinctive appearance. Her golden hair, radiant complexion, and glowing eyes mark her as a being of divine origin, She has angel wings (black, white, and gold feathers). Classifications: Celestial-Demonic Hybrid, Otherworldly, Cosmic Horror

Vital Statistics Height: 5 feet (152 cm) Weight: 105 lbs (47.6 kg); 128.6 lbs (58.3 kg) including wings Age: 23 Health: Moderately stable, though influenced by her traumatic past Appearance: Bianca has waist-length wavy gold hair, piercing brown eyes that glows gold when she uses her powers, and an hourglass figure. Vital Stats: Petite Build, Ethereal Glow, Dual Heritage

tagging some fellow mutuals: @themaradwrites @whatwedointhecraft @megandaisy9 @watermeezer

@prehistoric-creatures @creativechaosqueen @chickensarentcheap @seastarblue

@inkandimpressions

[arkus-rhapsode]

So wasn't expecting to make this Gaming Hot Take of the day but after reading this from Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki I gotta be honest I had to write something

So look, I can kinda understand this stance in a very retrospective sense as he says "Fostered from the beginning." Playstation 1 in particular didn't really make a big distinction between its original IP and its Third Party IP. It's why you had Crash Bandicoot or Cloud Strife as basically the mascot of Playstation when both come from third parties. Compared to the likes of Mario and Sonic who were not only their console mascot, but company mascots respectively.

But by now, Playstation has an undeniable back catalogue of first and second IP that it can either revive or rerelease if need be. Like if we're looking at like multi entry series and not just one offs, by the PS2, Sony had:

Jak & Daxter

Twisted Metal

Ape Escape

Sly Cooper

MediEvil

Wild Arms

Dark Cloud

Everybody's Golf

God of War

Rachet and Clank

And by the PS3 we have

Infamous

Uncharted

Killzone

Resistance

Little Big Planet

Like Sony has their own catalogue that can stand on its own. Its not like they should be struggling now to play catch up.

Now if you read my recent Emio and Mages post, I am very well aware that in the age of modern gaming, a game doesn't get made without a team devoted to it. And with the rising production and time costs of making games, no company can release a hundred games and be profitable. So sadly some IP just do fall by the wayside in favor of others. Guerrilla Games isn't making Killzone anymore, because their efforts are spent on Horizon and Sucker Punch went from being the Sly Cooper guys to the Infamous guys, to now the Ghosts of Tsushima guys.

However, I feel like Sony has had some circumstances that compound this problem. Sony and Playstation are technically powerful machines-they want to fully utilize the hardware they're selling you for hundreds of dollars. It is their brand. However, the downside to this is because of this the rise in production costs, it's now taking much longer to make games that make use of the powerful hardware. We went from being able to release a full trilogy in a single generation to basically one. Its also made worse by the fact that Sony has been very active in shuttering studios and cutting costs. The biggest would be the loss of Sony Japan Studio, who were beloved for their more varied Japanese-y style games. It added flavor to the more Naughty Dog inspired games of the sixth and seventh generation. But now, Sony went all in on being that one big budget release that leaned more towards broader genres that could maximize the amount of sales like Uncharted, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, etc.

With this, a lot of mismanagement, its really made the PS5 era feel very sparse compared to the PS4. Now, I wanna stress this, I actually do not subscribe to the mentality "Playstation has no games." Playstation has tons of games beyond just their first party titles, some are exclusive like Final Fantasy 16, some are just way too powerful to be something that could be played on a switch like GTAV. Heck, I played Bomb Rush Cyberfunk on my PS5 and it's probably the game I've dumped the most time into this year. So yes, even if Playstation's first party offerings are few and far between, you're still capable of playing a lot of good games on this really expensive plastic box.

And maybe that's indicative of the fact that Playstation has always been about selling you the hardware on the basis of the hardware. Going back to the PS1, the main selling points was this was the haven for third parties after Nintendo really burned a lot of developers with the N64, and that this was a much more system than the N64. When you look at someone like Nintendo now, they're hardware is underpowered they live and die by the power of their software that only they can provide and no one else. But the playstation even if its not shooting out a new Jax & Daxter every year, they're still the place you can play something like Final Fantasy or Elden Ring at a really great clip. Perhaps Totoki was alluding to that reliance on hardware instead of software because in retrospect, they never really had that big homegrown system seller on playstation till the PS2 with things like God of War. And now fostering that, has made it hard to have that sort of Zelda or Halo that are so undeniably their companies IP and will move launch units.

But a reliance on just being the place where you can play games at a high fidelity, means that its still got competition from Xbox and PC. So Sony would have to offer a service the others don't and that can be software you find nowhere else. True story, I was genuinely conflicted about getting a PS5 or and Xbox X/S for my birthday because I knew I needed to at least have a strong machine to play with my switch. And ultimately I took PS5 because that was the console that would have God of War Ragnarok and Spider-Man 2. So yes, IP absolutely factors into purchases in my experience. And the fact that this generation Sony has really struggled to put out first party games, really makes that purchase factor feel so much thinner and thinner. When you know-you know Sony has loads of IP (Some that haven't left their respective console) that even a simple remaster on the PS5 could at least hold people over in-between their AAA releases. So to hear their CFO say that they don't have enough IP, gets very disingenuous.

To close this out, I wanna stress something. I don't think wanting to make new IP is a bad thing. Im glad Sony is willing to invest 8 years and millions of dollars into something new. But eventually, we reach a point where this has to be better managed. We have to have some smaller titles that can be released between the bigger ones. We gotta have some variation in the types of games we're getting from the platform holder. And sometimes leaning in on those fan faves for smaller titles would help. Are they gonna sell 10 million units? More than likely not. But if you balance the budget, having something move between 1-2 million units would be acceptable. Perhaps maybe allow more second party developers a crack at using that IP so your internal teams can work on the bigger blockbuster titles?

The PS5 generation has been a pretty all over the map one for Sony, and the more we learn about the thoughts and management behind the scenes, the more aggravating it can become when this platform does something really cool, but then seems to take two steps back. I genuinely can't tell you if I'll get a PS6. But if I do, it will probably not be out of optimism for classic Playstation franchises to return.

[damage-incorp0rated]

Hey, you! Psst! Over here!

i see that you've taken an interest in perusing the wonderful (subjective) nonsense of my blog - and to that i say, welcome! hello! bonjour! aloha! hola! and other words that mean "hello" in various languages.

and, since you've taken such an interest, i'll provide you with some basic information regarding myself and what you'll see here. i'll try to keep it brief (& fail at doing so)!

So (you may be asking), "who is this on the other line anyway? Who is this... complete and utter nerd I'm reading the posts of right now?" And, to that I answer:

hi! i'm bee. or b-model, sometimes people call me that. i don't really mind what you call me. my pronouns are... any, honestly, but if you want a default you can use they/them. i don't really care what you use for me.

i'm a musician, artist, aspiring paleontologist, video game nerd, among a lot of other things. i play guitar, bass, keyboard, and occasionally sing, and often like to use weird music software to see what i can get out of it.

"Alright, that's cool. What's this blog about?"

well, i'm VERY glad you asked! it's a blog pertaining to my interests, the most frequent ones you will probably be seeing will be listed below (my interests change focus frequently, but the ones in bold text are ones i'm always focused on to some degree.)

MUSIC, BANDS, & GENRES

Susumu Hirasawa (LITERALLY EVERYTHING HE DOES. P-MODEL, SOLO CAREER, ALL OF IT. My biggest interest by far.)

Visual kei (ESPECIALLY BUCK-TICK, MALICE MIZER, DIR EN GREY, LAREINE, EXIST†TRACE, ETC.!! I plan to get into many more bands, though. My understanding of the genre is still quite surface-level... this section also covers bands that were formerly vkei that I like/bands that are debated on whether they're vkei or not, but undoubtedly influenced the genre.)

Sakanaction

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Spitz

Metallica (Many of you might know me from when I was a Metallica fanblog, and it's where my current URL comes from. The band saved me in one of my darkest periods, but I'm not as majorly into them as I used to be. Saw them in concert twice, though!)

Daft Punk

Hideki Naganuma

Buckethead

VIDEO GAMES

Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku (Majima is my favorite character, my #1 favorite fictional character of all time!!)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Shadow the Hedgehog is my other favorite character of all time...)

The Legend of Zelda

Pokemon (my favorite character is Rika from S/V, and my favorite Pokemon is Blaziken!)

Devil May Cry

Genshin Impact & Honkai Star Rail (mostly for Arlecchino. I don't really like how Hoyoverse has handled some aspects of their games in recent times, specifically Genshin, but I stay up-to-date specifically because of her.)

Overwatch, Valorant, Fortnite, general shooter games. (I was raised on them, I don't play them very much, though. I do really like Moira from Overwatch in a completely normal way though (i want her so bad))

MISC. MEDIA & INTERESTS

Paleontology (what I plan to major in!)

The Lion King (yes, the Disney movie... another interest that's been stuck with me for a decade.)

Kaiju & Mecha, sort of. (Godzilla Minus One is one of my top five favorite movies, guess there's that.)

Anime... kind of. (I don't watch much, but I like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Death Note, Dragon Ball, & Jujutsu Kaisen)

Jurassic Park (Ian Malcolm is my favorite character. ME IRL!!!)

Dungeons & Dragons... and general fantasy settings.

Sci-fi

Speculative evolution/biology

Learning software, modding games, computers, all of that. I want to get good at doing all that stuff at some point...

3D animation and similar interest - I actually occasionally use Source Filmmaker!

"Alright, that's cool. Any DNI criteria or things of that nature?"

i don't really have anything too strict beyond the general criteria of "don't be an asshole, don't be a creep, and be a decent human being" - but i will say that if i don't like your content/it bothers me in some way, i will probably block you. if i do so, don't take it personally. although i'll rarely come to that endpoint because my triggers are so hyper-specific that you'd have to be a really specific kind of person to cross that line.

Obligatory Question Section:

"Are there any other ways to contact you outside of Tumblr?"

YES! my twitter, most preferably - i'm not very active on it but i'll probably see something of yours eventually. i usually retweet but sometimes i make an original post... i also have discord, but you'd have to message me personally if you want it - or add me when you get the chance to if i post it at some point. never be afraid to talk to me in tumblr messages or in the ask box and ask for it. i'll probably give it to you if i've been mutuals with you long enough!

OTHER SOCIALS: last.fm (rarely used) - rateyourmusic (rarely used) - strawpage - vk.gy (i only use this to look up bands, there isn't much)

[MORE WILL BE ADDED LATER ON...]

Fast facts & info:

i'm learning japanese and i am very bad at it. i know the kana although i have yet to learn proper grammar and words. when i'm more fluent, i'll update this section with how fluent i am.

my favorite animal is the hyena!

my favorite dinosaur is deinonychus, lambeosaurus is a close second, though.

i know way too much about internet drama because it's unfortunately one of the interests i've latched onto being knowledgeable about...

i have food allergies. that's not anything cool or unique though, besides the amount of times i've been to the hospital! haha! (god help me)

LIST OF TAGS:

#bees ramblings // the tag i use when i'm making regular textposts, whether it be about an interest or just a general personal anecdote. i use this one very frequently.

#bees scribbles // my art!!

#bees jams // the covers and music i make!!

#bees recs // music recommendations right from my playlists!!

#bee.mp3 // vocal recordings, voice asks, etc.

#bee.mp4 // videos i take. they won't be including my face until i buy that mask that'll make me look like a knockoff member of ejin, though!

That's all from me!!

if you stuck around this far, you deserve a medal for surviving my rambling and over-explaining...

[oliviamaitlandauthor]

Comprehensive List of Tips for Self-Publishing Authors

Cover Design

"Never judge a book by its cover" is a philosophy very rarely followed by most readers, so it's important to make sure your cover is as eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing, and true to your story as possible. The cover should encompass what your story is about and it should give the reader a glimpse into the world you've spent years creating.

For most of us who are not artistically inclined, trying to create a cover design on our own is incredibly challenging. When you find yourself unable to generate an exemplary product, you may need to turn to a freelance designer or a company that specializes in poster/book cover graphics. Here are some options for you to explore:

Fiverr - budget-friendly, ample reviews from previous customers, and examples of work are provided by the designer, but make sure to be aware of AI use so your product is made authentically.

BespokeBookCovers - this company asks that you give a short synopsis of your book, along with some basic details, then you will be contacted to discuss more about what you are looking for. They do require a 50% deposit prior to beginning the design, but you do receive the product within 12 business days. They also ensure you are completely satisfied with the product before the transaction is complete. This company may not be the best for fantasy authors as most of their covers have more of a Colleen Hoover-esque aesthetic.

Miblart - This is a wonderful cover design company for fantasy writers, as evident in the examples provided on their website's home page. They do not require prepayment and offer payment installations in case the total cost at once puts a financial strain on you.

Editing and Formatting

Similarly to traditional publishing, you need to thoroughly self-edit your work before submitting it for professional editing. Suppose you feel as though you are proficient enough in editing that you do not require professional services or you cannot accommodate the cost. In that case, I suggest using workbooks or software to make sure your grammar and syntax are as high quality as possible. Here is a list of editing tools that can help you review your work:

Grammarly - a good resource for spelling, but it often flags intentional word-choice and sentence structure to make it more simple, which may be incompatible with your writing style. Also be aware of incorrect suggestions.

The Copyeditors Handbook - offers a guide to book publishing and addresses common writing errors. Does come with a workbook to help you exercise your skills.

It's also important that you understand the risks of self-editing. Sometimes it's hard to see flaws in your own story/writing because you already know all of the details. The reader does not have this knowledge, so certain plot points, wording, or details may be lost on them. Having a second set of eyes is incredibly beneficial to help you solve this problem. Here are some outside editing tools:

UpWork - allows you to list a job and review applicants. Each applicant is verified to be real, and you can sample some of their work and their credentials by viewing their profile.

Reedsy - employs Big Five editors to find a proper match for your writing

Raab & Co. - a self-publishing company that helps match you to a professional editor

ISBN

An ISBN number can help readers identify and find your book across multiple platforms, given that an ISBN is a unique number. You can buy an ISBN through Bowker or ISBN.org. An ISBN number on this website costs about $150 USD. This is not a necessary step, so no worries if you don't get one. It simply helps your book be more recognizable and appear more professional.

Pricing

The best way to figure out how to price your book is to look at similar publications on the platform you intend to publish on. Amazon is the most common, so look at your options. Generally, you can publish the book for a fixed price, or you can use Kindle Unlimited. Here's a list of pros and cons for Kindle Unlimited:

Pros:

Paid per page read, which is amazing for longer works or series

Saves a lot of time and effort as most of the work is done by Amazon, and it can generate more income than other platforms

Gain popularity because each time someone checks out your book or adds it to their library, it counts as a sale in your sales rank, which can boost your profile

Cons:

Unable to publish more than 10% of your book on any other platform while it is available on Kindle Unlimited, which limits your ability to reach a greater audience

Sometimes the length of the book affects income more so than the quality of the writing itself, so your book may be incredible well-written but have a lower sales rank.

[whereismywarden]

Ko-Fi Commissions

Hi there!

I've made no secret that I've recently become unemployed, and atm pretty much every cent I receive from my unemployment benefits goes into rent, groceries, and bills.

So I've decided to reopen my Ko-Fi and do some art commissions in order to supplement that income. Regular Ko-Fi donations are also welcome, and if you wish to support me in other ways, you can buy prints of my work on Redbubble or on Society6. Reblogs are also highly appreciated.

Monochrome Sketch of your OC: €10

You will get a monochrome (colour of your choosing) sketch of your character from the shoulders up against a single-colour background.

4 slots available.

Colour Portrait of your OC: €50

You will get a fully rendered digital portrait (bust) of your character against a gradient background.

2 slots available.

Black & White Pinup of your OC: starting at €70

You will get a black-and-white digital half-body painting of your character in the nude against a near-black background.

1 slot available.

Terms:

You will need to provide references for your character. These can be screenshots, a faceclaim, fanart, detailed description, moodboard… The more detailed, the better.

The character is nude by default, but I can cover them upon request (this needs to be specified before I start working on the piece, preferably upon ordering).

I can do fantasy, but am limited to humanoid characters. I won't do animals, furry, anthro or mech. Sorry. (If you're unsure whether or not I can do your character, just ask me beforehand)

Note that the final result may differ slightly from the examples shown as I've switched to another software and currently use different brushes.

Commissions may take up to a month or two to complete depending on my schedule and complexity.

This art is for personal use only. You are not allowed to resell it (either on its own, as part of a bundle, on merch, in books, etc).

It doesn't have to be a DA character, I'm just posting on this blog rather than my art blog because it has more followers.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Gackt - Vanilla 1999

Gackt is a Japanese singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. He has been active since 1993, first as the frontman of the short-lived independent band Cains:Feel, and in 1995-1998 the visual kei rockband Malice Mizer, before starting his solo career in 1999. He has released nine studio albums and, with forty-eight singles released, holds the male soloist record for most top ten consecutive singles in Japanese music history. Besides being established in the modern entertainment industry and a pop icon, Gackt's music has been used as theme songs for video games, video game films, anime series/films, and television series. In addition to his music career, Gackt has acted and voice acted, including characters inspired by him in video games like Bujingai and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. He also provided the voice samples for the Vocaloid software Gackpoid.

Gackt released his second single "Vanilla", from his first full-length studio album Mars (2000), on August 11, 1999. "Vanilla" is one of his most popular and commercially successful songs. It peaked at number four on the Oricon Singles Chart and charted for ten weeks. With 248,360 copies sold, it was the 89th best-selling single of the year, and it was certified Gold by RIAJ. The single was later re-released in 2002. It charted for six weeks, reaching number twelve. "Vanilla" is a favourite among fans, particularly because of a live performance from Gackt's Mars tour, which contained a large amount of fanservice with Masa, his guitarist at the time.

"Vanilla" received a total of 72,5% yes votes!

[notfinancialadvice]

WordPress Shifts in industry news I am not a part of but enjoy gossiping about

I used to do a a lot of work using WordPress as a system. It's easy, cheap to build and maintain with, etc.

I do not anymore. This has nothing to do with WordPress. It was exclusively a "a few years ago I received the opportunity to bow out of the industry as a graphic designer in order to pursue a cocktail of art, fantasy, economy, and business"

I used to be a customer of Advanced Custom Fields. I am no longer, for the same reason as above, I am no longer a web developer. Their service was good to me and I enjoyed it tremendously while I had it.

I have therefore no stake in this game and thus no public opinion.

And yet I enjoy the drama of it all so here we are.

WordPress is forking.

Or maybe it isn't a fork.

The core, mesmerizing, (and I do not say this lightly) potentially civilization changing beauty of open source software is the ability to meet different, often diametrically opposing, priorities.

"Civilization-changing is kinda heavy language?"

via

No :)

A significant portion of the internet as we know it today is powered by WordPress. It has and will continue to shape the entire scope and scale of internet development for longer than anyone reading this will be alive -- for good and for ill.

WordPress was primarily a blogging system that could build websites as well. With the introduction of externally-based Advanced Custom Fields, it became a powerhouse web builder as well.

The short version: You could easily say "put this image / text / whatever here in the template."

It was a game changer to many smaller scale developers (hi) with a tiny staff. It allowed us (me + team) to grow much more powerful very quickly and very affordably.

Digging into the news further, there is / was chatter about pulling in the core functionality of ACF into WP's main system.

It brings an interesting point to the open source space.

And goes to my original points above.

If you make something open, how much control do you have over it? If you profit from it, how long can this last before it gets pulled into the core?

That is a risk as a developer -- you could potentially lose your business because it gets folded into the larger entity, but on the other hand, until that point, your reward was immediate accessibility to a market / system a million times larger than you, that you had previously no hand in building.

It is a tragedy of the commons.

I had long forgotten this phrase.

I'm familiar with the concept -- a public finite resource is at risk of overuse from all because it is available to all -- it largely joins with the core issue of economics itself -- how do you find balance with finite resources and infinite desires.

It is the nature of art on the internet.

Artists want to make art and it to be seen, they put it online. Audiences do not by nature owe them anything, the art is available to view for free, but without audience support, the art will stop or degrade in posting frequency.

More directly, to the WordPress sphere, what is the responsibility to the core system (thus other users)? What is the responsibility of the users to the core system?

Objectively speaking, building and maintaining a system like WordPress requires a lot of resources.

The open source nature allows for competing priorities to be served provided enough resources, because you can always say "I don't want to follow your path of ABC, I want to do BCD" and then do that.

The open source nature also allows you to say "I made a widget, it costs $100/year"

But the core can say "Hm. That would make our system stronger. Yoink. Now it's ours and is free."

Then you have a market race to push to build the better whatever.

I...

...do not have answers.

To any of this.

I am left realizing.

It feels like macroeconomics and personal economics grinding against each other in a way that is traditionally seen across countries (if not the world) and decades (if not centuries) -- but in this instance, it's a much smaller scale (kinda? WP powers a lot of the internet and influences a significant portion of what it doesn't power).

And weeks and months.

Instead of decades and centuries.

This is a fun piece of bone to chew on.

I freely admit it is fun exclusively because I am not involved. If I were, it would be fucking nerve wracking.

[shinsart]

Talksprite Commissions | Gacha Adopt Commissions | Open Adopts

Shin's Gacha Adopt Commissions

You can private message me, if you're interested. I will put you onto the Waitlist if I have no Slot open. Payment will be upfront and you can tell me up to 3 things that you do not want at all and I'll exclude them! If you're unsure about the Chromatic/Metallic Species distinction you're welcome to ask!

Reblogs appreciated!

Chromatic Gacha Slots:

- OPEN

- OPEN

- OPEN

Metallic Gacha Slots:

- CLOSED

- OPEN

Waitlist:

- OPEN

- OPEN

- OPEN

Rules are in the Read More! And for anybody who can't see the images, I'm putting all infos in text format under the Read More as well!

Finished Gacha Adopts Showcase! Examples for you to check out! (TBA)

GENERAL ADOPT RULES:

First come First Serve

PayPal USD/EUR only or Steam Gift Card

Will consider Trades for Friends

Don’t use it for hateful content, NFTs or feed it into AI software

Don’t claim the design as your own, please make sure you credit me appropriately (aka, first posting the art and crediting on their profile)

You are allowed to gift or trade the design

You are only allowed to resell at a lower price than the original!

If you have added additional art to this design, you may raise the resell price above the original.

Gender is free for you to choose and you may edit the design as well, as long as the it remains recognizable

This includes changing the species

If the design is POC you're not allowed to change those design elements

Adopts are not to be used for Commercial Use! If you want to use the Design commercially, you can ask for and buy a commercial use license

Thank you in advance!

------------------------------------------------------

Shin's Gacha Adopts Commission Info

Chromatic Gachas - 25$ :

You get to pick between Fem or Masc Adopt Base

You get an appropriately colored Capsule Image

Mostly Humanoid Species

Entirely Randomized Design

You can add Stickers for more Customizations

Metallic Gachas - 35$ :

You get to pick between Fem or Masc Adopt Base

You get a colored metallic Capsule Image

Humanoid Divergent Species

Entirely Randomized Design

You can add Stickers for more Customizations

Optional Stickers:

Any bought Stickers are added visually to your Capsule

Flower Sticker - 2$ Pick a Palette with up to 5 Colors

Candy Sticker - 3$ Pick a Design Style (Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Goth, etc.)

Star Sticker - 5$ Provide a Moodboard for the Design

Music Note Sticker - 5$ Provide a Song/Playlist for the Design

Bunny Sticker - 5$ Pick a Species (Limited by your Gacha pick)

Rainbow Sticker - 10$ Fully Customized Design, as many refs as you want

Heart Sticker - 10$ Your Capsule gets a cute little YCH styled addition

[throyalframes]

Masterpieces in Pixels: The Best of Digital Photo Artwork

When Technology Meets Imagination

Once, the masterpiece was born of brush and canvas. Today, some of the world's most breathtaking compositions begin with a stylus and screen. Welcome to the world of digital art painting, where creativity knows that there is no limit and pixels do not become poetry.

This article is a celebration of the digital renaissance - showing iconic digital photo artifacts, spotting impressive artists, and revealing how the technique is changing the visual stories.

The Rise of Digital Art: A New Chapter in Art History

The development of art has always been powered by equipment—stone, charcoal, oil, and acrylic. The digital era brought a new set of devices: graphic tablets, photo-editing software, and 3D rendering engines.

Why Digital Art Painting Deserves the Spotlight

Critics once rejected digital art as "less real," but the world of art has moved. Today, digital photo artwork is displayed in major galleries, collected as NFTs, and used in gaming, film, fashion, and advertising.

Here’s what makes it stand out:

 Versatility: From photorealism to essence, digital equipment suits every style.

 Efficiency: Premous, again, and layers use the experiment risk-free.

 Exception: Artists worldwide can cooperate, share, and sell their work.

Digital Masterpieces That Inspire

Let's dive into some standout examples that show the emotional and technical depth of digital art painting.

1. “Portrait of the Future” by Artgerm

A hyper-detailed science-fiction portrait that mixes Eastern aesthetics with the Western comic book effect. The signature of the artgerm is possible with the work of the complex layer in Photoshop.

2. “City of Light” by Beeple

One of the most famous digital artists of our time creates a dystopian world with quality like Bipal cinema. Their daily rendering leads the boundaries of digital storytelling.

3. “Dreams in Bloom” by Ross Tran

This colorful, chaotic, and joyful piece shows how digital equipment can reflect an artist's personality. Ross's bold brushstrokes and unique character design make their work immediately recognizable.

Behind the Scenes: How Digital Art Paintings Are Created

Creating a digital work includes more than just software. It is a process filled with vision, technology, and story.

Step-by-step Process:

Sketching the concept —just like traditional art.

Blocking in shapes and color —using layers for flexibility.

Adding depth and lighting—digital brushes simulate texture and light.

Refining details—highlights, shadows, effects, and final polish.

Meet the Masters: Influential Digital Artists

 Loish (Lois van Baarle)

Known for its dreamy characters and expressive brushwork, depiction and animation of bridges in a vibrant digital style.

 Feng Zhu

Concept artist for games like Star Wars and Transformers, Feng brings cinematic flair to every digital stroke.

 Magdalena Pagowska

Their fantasy-themed digital photo artifacts featured a mixture of realism and imagination, often accompanied by ethereal light and flowing texture.

How to Appreciate Digital Art

It is not certain how to read digital paintings. Here are things to see:

Brush technique: Is it painterly, smooth, or textured?

Lighting: Does it evoke a mood?

Composition: How are the elements balanced?

Emotion: What story is it telling?

Digital does not mean. In fact, with repetition and the ability to use it, digital art often captures deep emotional nuances.

Getting Started: Become a Digital Creator Yourself

Inspired? You can try your hand at digital art painting even as a beginner. Here’s how:

Beginner Tools: Try free apps like Krita or use an iPad with Procreate.

Learn the Basics: Study traditional drawing—digital is just a new medium.

Take Courses: Platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, and YouTube are goldmines.

Join the Community: Reddit, ArtStation, and Discord groups provide support and feedback.

The best way to improve? Just keep creating. Even the best artists started with stick figures.

The Digital Canvas: What's Next?

Technology leads the limits of creativity.

AI-assisted painting tools are helping artists generate ideas faster.

Augmented and virtual reality art is becoming more interactive.

NFTs and blockchain have created new art markets and collector experiences.

Celebrating Creativity in the Digital Age

Digital art painting is proof that artistry is not limited by medium. Whether it is painted on a canvas or prepared on a tablet, what matters is the story that tells it, and it is a feeling.

In Pixel, these works reflect the same passion, technology, and surprise that are hanging any oil painting in a museum. So next time you see a digital artwork, look closely - you can gaze into the future of art.

[anheliotrope]

Prison Architect has offputting aesthetics to me. This includes Prison Architect 2.

I know, I know, everyone has issues these days. Developers can't just make a game and not have people talk about structural social issues and oppression, yadda yadda. And I know the devs working on Prison Architect were explicitly thinking about how people might react or judge them over the game.

I think it is extremely exhausting for people who want to explore game design spaces to have to put a lot of effort into avoiding being framed as insensitive and problematic. We've reached such levels of this that for some people Minecraft is fundamentally dislikable because it instantiates a colonialist fantasy and makes people think this is okay, normal and unremarkable. I really don't agree with that take.

That being said, that doesn't mean that I don't feel disappointed by Prison Architect's aesthetics. The games look very generic! It's as if it's signaling that prisons are just like any other thing. We have Theme Park, Theme Hospital and now we have Theme Prison. Which in fact is the opposite of what the creative director, Chris Delay said was their intent!

Chris Delay, creative director at developer Introversion Software, told me that it deliberately picked the darkest part of prison life for the first chapter of the game. “It would be very easy to think of it as building a hotel or something,” he said. “Right from the very start, we knew we had to let the player know that this was a different experience, he has to think differently about it.”

(Also very funny last name for anyone in game development)

The aesthetics suggest the idea that the game has a neutral take on prisons. I am sure the developers didn't mean to say anything about anything. The game is trying to be inoffensive. But then you can also read the description of the game on Steam:

Only the world's most ruthless Warden can contain the world's most ruthless inmates.

Uh oh, sisters! This doesn't sound very focus on rehabilitation!

And well, there's a sort of good reason for that. The concept of prisons in game design will whispers into the ear of any mildly creative designer... inverted tower defense... Well, not necessarily tower defense specifically, but you know! Rather than building up your fort to keep people out, you do it to keep people in! It's interesting! For your inverted defense design to be validated, you need rowdy inmates.

---

Oh, jumping to a different thread in this topic. Prison Architect has you executing people the state tells you need to die. Of course I don't need to phrase it like that. Of course, the context of this is a western republic, so it's one of the less bad than if you're doing it in the context of Nazi Germany, but hmm... I just don't think the neutral aesthetics of the game combine well with me executing people.

Worth noting that you do have to research death row as a technology, it's not just thrust upon you.

Interestingly enough, if you execute death row inmates that were actually innocent, you will get fined. Do it three times and it's an instant game over. The moment you execute someone, you know if they were innocent. Which sounds a bit funny. All of it sounds a bit funny, because it's such an garbled idea of how the justice and penal system could work. I don't think this misinforms anyone, but does make the in-game prison appear (artificially?) more just. Ultimately, as far as I can tell, it's just a gameplay mechanic to force you to keep death row inmates around for longer, which provides a challenge.

---

And you know what, going back to the Steam description -- I do feel moderately motivated about the idea of containing some bad sons of bitches. By adding any amount of fantasy into the setting, you can have that, the fantasy that you're sure these people need to be here and stay here. But Prison Architect occupies this... diffuse position. The inmates are analogues for modern real world inmates, with all of their nuance. But they also look like very abstracted human beings and are mechanically simple. It's just kind of a straight forward game overall. The real world theme of Prison Architect implies nuance, but its mechanics don't really model that nuance.

Prison Architect's game design direction, at least in some sense, prefers that inmates be a problem that needs to be suppressed violently. And that's fine! This is the mechanical direction that I want the game to explore. I just think that if you make Gulag Simulator it should not have the aesthetics of Sims 2. Prison Architect is doing something like that but much less egregious.

And to be clear, I don't know that I care much about how this is problematic. Rather it's just that it feels... a bit spiritually impoverishing? There is the absence of something, a void. It's just kinda boring! Man, sorry to whoever had to draw all that shit, you did an OK job, okay? I just complain a lot on the internet.

We should strive for a balance between treating the medium very seriously and "it's just a video game".

---

But yeah there's so many other ways this could have been themed. And I understand why it was themed this way, it has the widest appeal, or rather the narrow anti-appeal. A lot of other takes would alienate more people. Boring them is a less bad outcome. And the current aesthetics are pretty flexible, you can project on them.

Anyway, here's a bunch of alternative themes that visited my mind:

Butcher Bay: You play as a corporation in the business of containing, exploiting and/or rehabilitating inmates through your private prisons. The theme dispenses with any pretense that you are benevolent. You're trying to find ways to maximize long-term profit. Maybe that's putting your prisoners through a program that gives them a useful skill and you a cut of their earnings once they get out, maybe it's something more violent. Of course, you get to set up big monitors that flash demotivational messages! Hey, I'm sure the other corporations are much worse?

Maxsec Dungeon Keeper: It's Dungeon Keeper, but instead of keeping heroes out, you keep heroes in. Bonus points if you brainwash and corrupt them to join your side! How evil! But is it actually unethical if they're having more fun now?

Bleeding Hearts Penitentiary: Your focus is to ensure good social outcomes for your inmates. Society might be crapsack, but your institution is the Mother Teresa of prisons -- well, minus the deeply objectionable parts of Mother Teresa. The prisoners are rendered in a high detail way, borderline fantasy, but still somewhat grounded. It could even look like everyone is out of a dating VN. You really want your roguish purple-haired murderer to repent and do well in life! Your relationship to the inmates is both that of antagonism but also they borderline feel like your own unruly RPG characters.

Supervillain Supermax: You don't need supervillains per se, they could just be your average level 12 D&D character. Ultimately they're very dangerous, they're superpowered and they've caused a lot of trouble and now you need to contain them. Better make sure you have a fallback for when the pyrokinetic's suppression collar malfuctions!

Moonscorch Reality Failure: OK, this one is kind of cheating, very tenuous relationship with the prison system. Everyone in your facility isn't there because they've done something wrong, but rather it's about what they are. They all look like normal people and at least most of the time, they are. But unfortunately, each and every one of them is also a potential reality breach that under certain conditions will trigger and cause them to morph into monsters, warping reality around them into a nightmarish landscape, which may or may not relate to their individual neurosis. Suffice to say, this is very bad. These poor fuckers can't even die anymore! Your job is to contain them and make their life be somehow tolerable. Your job is especially to avoid cascade triggers and do very good damage control. You may set the psychiatric-care-allegory dial anywhere from 0 to 10. Personally, I was just thinking 0, since I didn't consider that until finishing writing this paragraph. But other values could also be really interesting.

[gear-project]

Annon-Guy: What's your stance on Demo's?

Like there was a demo for Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN (You can play Arcade and Versus, but you can only select Sol and Ky). Unless other Guilty Gear games had demos, that's the first and only time Guilty Gear had a demo, not counting StrIVe's Open Beta's.

In the old days, Demos came as a Disc of multiple mini games packaged with a Game Magazine, and the demos themselves were very arbitrary and random.

Often they were just promotional trailers mixed with a five minute game or an incomplete build with a time limit on it that would kick you back to the title screen once the timer ran out.

Later demos were more generous and were often included packed with a game from the same publisher or developer, like Metal Gear Solid 2 and Zone of the Enders.

As time went on, trailers became more common on YouTube and other Internet venues, and game magazines became whole news sites or just got phased out.

There are now strange hybrid games that are best described as “perpetual beta tests” and some of these games never actually reach a finished state.

Location Tests were usually Arcade Launch events, or just a full demonstration at an EXPO. Arcades are much less prevalent now, replaced by Free-to-Play business models, though even those are somewhat restricted.

Demos are often something of a relic or collection item, because it contains game code that is either no longer used or written differently than the standard patch build of the game, sometimes with more instability and glitches too, or simply having assets the current game no longer uses or needs. To say the least, they provide insight in to the history of a game’s development.

Some Demos even go so far as to act like a sort of Pre Order DLC, letting you transfer your game save from the demo in to the final game with bonuses for doing so.

Some Demos are very exclusive in that they contain a part of the game you can’t experience anywhere else. There are even demos that were never released in public and were exclusive to private software circles among the developers, for their eyes only, as the saying goes…

Most often, demos are hardly a perfect indicator of a game, but they can at least pitch the overall idea of the game to potential fans and newcomers.

Do I like them? Depends on the content, though some older demos are somewhat unforgettable, like Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Final Fantasy VIII, or the demos for Battle Arena Toshinden, Tekken 2, and Bloody Roar.