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lokidjarin-7567 · 7 months ago

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Kinktober Day 7: Secret Relationship

Spencer Reid x you

Contents: fem!reader x Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds), oral sex fem receiving, flashbacks, ooey gooey feelings

W/C: 3.2k

Ok so I’m behind again, oops, but I’m proud of this one! Again, not the kinkiest but I got carried away with the fluff and I also got into a cipher-related rabbit hole so I hope you enjoy regardless :))

PS: This is also a love letter to pre-boyband hair season 5 Spencer, AKA my favourite hair era, as depicted below

Kinktober Masterlist | General Masterlist | AO3

“Do you want to grab some coffee?” A voice whispered beside you, a touch too close to be just colleagues. You smiled uncontrollably, heart rate picking up as his hand brushed across your back.

“Sounds good.”

That’s how you found yourself pressed against the door of the copy room, Spencer’s lips on yours, his hand up your skirt.

“We’ve got time, baby…” He practically whined between kisses, bucking his hips into yours.

“Spence! We have…“ you checked you watch absentmindedly, “5 minutes until briefing.” He grinned.

“I take that as a challenge…”

His head started to dip, moving to kneel down, but you grabbed his hair with a fake gasp of disbelief, pulling him back up to his usual height, looming over you.

“Oh honey, I don’t doubt you could, but I’m not sure these walls are soundproof.” Your fingers moved to his cheek, and he sighed into your lips, his hands returning to your waist and squeezing.

“But you left so early this morning, I didn't have time to start your day right…” You were grinning ear to ear, noses bumping into each other clumsily, and you whimpered into his mouth as his teeth grazed your bottom lip.

“I know, I know, I’ll make it up to you later, I promise…” You kissed him one last time with finality, pushing off the door and smoothing your skirt, but he was slightly less keen to leave, pressing himself against your hip as he helped straighten your hair and lip gloss. “I should probably leave first. You clearly need a minute.” He huffed behind you, but you had already slipped out of the room, heading into the bullpen as if nothing had happened.

You’d had a crush on him for a long time before anything happened. You joined the team a couple of years ago as a linguistics and code-breaking expert - something that was surprisingly helpful in the cases the BAU took on. You’d harboured years of butterflies, coy glances, occasional hand grazes… and you thought you’d done a pretty good job at hiding it. You’d known it was unrequited - he never so much as looked in your direction unless he was asking your opinion on something he was working on. It was starting to get to you. Your feelings had slowly been growing, swelling in your chest as you watched from afar, to the point where you had considered transferring departments. And then it all changed.

It was a case in California; a serial killer who was carving encrypted messages into his victims posthumously, only you had no idea what cipher he had used. You and Spencer had been working tirelessly for days to crack it while the rest of the team were searching for physical evidence, and it was a distraction you were grateful for. Even though you were working alone with him in close quarters, it was one of the few times you could briefly forget about your feelings, too consumed with your work to allow yourself to think about him.

It was night 3 of sleeping at the station. JJ had predicted it was going to happen, moving your go bags from the hotel to the precinct on the first day, and you and Spencer had been taking turns napping on the small couch whenever you physically couldn't keep your eyes open. You were sleep deprived and strung out, but you were close. You could feel it. You knew it wasn’t a shift cipher or some kind of alternate alphabet converted back and forth - you had exhausted every possibility of that days ago. You had been testing more complex ciphers, Garcia running everything imaginable through software to attempt to decipher it, but with no luck.

“What haven’t we tried?” Spencer muttered, pacing the room after a last ditch attempt at some kind of converted polybius square. Garcia was on speaker, confirming that she had tried every option available to her twice over.

“I mean, at this point, it could only be some kind of complex Vigenère cipher that somehow hasn’t been deciphered through Garcia’s software, or…” You didn’t even want to say the other option aloud - just the thought that three days work would’ve been completely wasted sent a shiver through your body.

“Or it’s a one-time pad.” Spencer said what you were too scared to, collapsing on the sofa with a sigh.

“A one-time pad? Is that the…”

“Unbreakable cipher. Yeah.” He confirmed.

“Unless…” A thought struck you, and you stood to the whiteboard you had set up in the room, scribbling down the ciphertext from the first body and converting it to numbers. “We need to think about this from the unsub’s point of view. He wouldn’t use a true OTP because if he truly wanted to hide this code, he wouldn’t carve it on his victims. But, the key might not be random.”

“Yeah, but then it would’ve been picked up on Garcia’s systems…”

“Not if each body had a different key….” You had written and converted the next two bodies’ codes while you were speaking, and you stood back briefly, showing Spencer what you had written. “We’ve been collating the messages and running them as a whole, but…do you see a pattern?” He paused, eyes scanning over the board frantically, and then he calmed visibly, a wave of realisation hitting his features. You smiled as he saw what you did, standing quickly and grabbing another pen to scrawl the keys beneath each.

“The Bible.” He whispered. “A Vigenère is hardest to break if the key is as long as the plaintext. Seven letters. Six letters. Nine letters. Genesis. Exodus. Leviticus.”

“It might work.” He nodded, brow furrowed in thought as he stared at the lettering.

“Let’s try it.” He wrote the corresponding letters as you did the sums, converting them back to the alphabet and - to your shock and relief - it was making sense.

P. L. E. A. S. E. H. …

E. L. P. M. E. I. …

C. A. N. T. S. T. O. P. J. …

“Garcia, can you read the last body please? The one we don’t have photos for yet…”

“No need.” Spencer muttered, writing it down without glancing up. You forgot how immaculate his memory was sometimes.

“Thank you.” It was seven letters. Perfect. You wrote numbers, he converted, you did the sum and muttered the letters aloud…

A. M. E. S. T. O. L.

“James. James ‘tol’? Is that a name, or the start of one?” Garcia asked over the speaker, but Spencer wasn’t listening, muttering to himself as he moved to the files quickly, flipping through them.

“No, I…” You answered for him, “I think Spence is onto something Pen…”

“Get Hotch on the line.” He barked, finding what he was looking for and bringing it to you.

“Hotch here…” A tired voice rung out in the small room just as you realised what Spencer was showing you, a gasp escaping your lips.

“It was David.” He breathed immediately, his words tumbling out at a breakneck speed. “The message on the bodies said something about James followed by T-O-L, and that reminded me of your interview…”

“David kept referring to a colleague throughout the interview, a James, that ordered him around a lot…”

“If he kills again, I bet the phrase would be completed. James told me to, maybe?” You mused, and Spencer nodded.

“Garcia, have you got his file.”

“Yes, I’m opening it now and… oh my god.”

“What is it?”

“He had a brother called James. Hung himself when David was 11.”

“And all of his victims died from strangulation.” The pieces had fallen perfectly into place.

“Address?”

The unsub’s home had been closer to the hotel, so Hotch and the rest of the team went to his listed address, leaving you and Spencer to wait nervously in the precinct. You were pacing frantically, knotting your hands as the sound of your heavy boots echoed throughout the room. Spencer cooed your name calmly, and you turned to him, blushing lightly. He was sitting on the edge of the sofa, leant forwards with his arms on his knees looking up at you with… a look you’d never seen before. Concern mixed with something else, something foreign to you. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with a kind smile.

“Just sit for a minute. Try and relax.” You nodded weakly, perching on the edge and trying to still your racing heart, leg bouncing and hands still twisting in each other with nervous energy.

“Sorry, I… I know we’ve done our bit now but I hate not being there when the team are apprehending him…”

“I know what you mean,” he muttered. You sat in silence for a few minutes, mind racing with what might be happening. What if he was armed? What if he’d decided to shoot his way out? They could all be dead right now, and you would have no idea….

Spencer’s phone rang. He stood, answering it quickly. It was Emily, and you heard him mutter a few affirmatives, smile playing across his features.

“Did they…” You asked as soon as he hung up, and he nodded.

“Yep, it went perfectly. He’s in custody, and they’re on their way back now.” The relief you felt was palpable, a sigh falling from you as he sat back down on the sofa next to you, sinking into it and resting his head back, mirroring your position.

You hadn’t realised your leg was still bouncing until his hand fell to it. Your breath caught in your throat as he squeezed lightly, stilling you effortlessly. He was so warm, slender fingers fanned out across the space just above your knee, and it took a moment for you to compose yourself. You turned your head, and he was already gazing at you, the mysterious expression from earlier back, his dark eyes meeting yours with warmth.

“You were incredible today…” He muttered, hand still resting on his leg, and you couldn’t help but blush. He was the most intelligent person you knew, and likely would ever know, and even without your feelings being involved, a complement from him was about the highest praise a person could get in your line of work.

“Thank you, but I couldn’t have done it without you…”

“Bullshit.” He whispered, and you laughed.

“Ok, maybe I could’ve, but it would’ve taken me twice as long.” He chuckled then, eyes scanning over your face with an intensity you only saw when he was trying to analyse something. It felt as though his eyes were boring into your skin, and you had to look away, heart near beating out of your chest. His hand shifted slightly on your leg, and oh sweet Jesus you just remembered it was still there. It had a strange affect on you - like when you put a harness on a cat and they suddenly couldn’t walk. You were frozen solid, trying to breath and staring at the ceiling.

Then his hand touched your chin. It was light, delicate, just guiding your eyes back to his and it wasn’t until that moment you finally realised what that look had been, the one you couldn’t identify. It was a reflection of what you had been feeling for months. The longing, the restraint, the need that swirled up inside you every time you stole a glance at him, and now, seeing those same emotions in his soft eyes, it was sobering. He wanted you too.

He moved first, gently pulling your lips to his and kissing you, light as a feather. It was tentative and sweet, so unsure and your body took a second to process that the thing you had been imagining for years was actually happening. And then you smiled, hands moving to the base of his neck, fingers twisting into his gorgeous hair and you pulled him back to you, lips clashing in a kiss full of years of pent up desire and desperation. You felt his body relax under your touch as the kiss deepened, his hands wandering to trail your waist and hips, before tangling in your hair and holding tight, pulling you closer. You had twisted until you were practically on his lap, hands falling to his shirt and bunching it up as his tongue finally hit yours, every bone in your body turning to jelly as you tasted him. It was magnetic, everything you had wanted for a long time finally coming to fruition and you couldn’t even break away for a second of air, so lost in him that breathing was no longer important.

And then the Precinct door banged open, and you jumped away as though you had been electrocuted. You laughed, cursing quietly as you tried to smooth your hair, tousled from his hands, while he just smiled, gazing at you.

“Spencer!” You whisper-shouted at him, still grinning uncontrollably, and he finally moved, straightening his shirt and placing his jacket over his lap. You giggled like a school girl, standing and moving to the whiteboard to try and convey a more believable working situation, and to put some distance between you and him, not sure how well you’d be able to hide your smile if he was so close to you.

You still jumped when Rossi opened the door to the room, although, you were more surprised when he didn’t speak. You turned to him, confused, and he pointed at Spencer. When you followed his eye line, you realised he was pretending to sleep, head slouched to one side and mouth slightly parted. He looked beautiful.

It had been six months, and you were stronger than ever. You honestly weren't sure how you were still keeping it a secret. You had had years of practice when you were just pining after him, sure, but it was a hell of a lot harder to not give anything away when every time you looked at him, you got flashbacks to the night before. Even if the team somehow did suss out a vibe, no one said anything, which was something you were grateful for. Spence was a lot better than you at masking his feelings, so anyone who noticed something probably assumed you just had a crush on him. Which was true enough.

You had managed to avoid looking at him the entire briefing, which was honestly a miracle, but your mind was ever so slightly distracted by your rendezvous in the copy room. As JJ spoke, you heard something about male victims, and she might have mentioned Tennessee, but all you could think about was that travel meant your date night plans were cancelled. And you were always cautious in hotels - too close to your other colleagues. It was hit or miss; sometimes, the fear of it was fun, the idea that someone could knock and catch you in the act, but if you had adjoining rooms with any of your teammates… well, them hearing you scream his name might just be a bit awkward. So, naturally, all you could think about now was finishing what you started earlier. You wanted this meeting to be over, to get him somewhere private and to let him completely wreck you before the long plane ride, to get this idea out of your head so you could focus on the case at hand. And then, at last, came the magic words…

“Wheels up in 20.”

The team dispersed quickly, and you caught Spencer’s sleeve just before he left the room.

“My car?” You muttered, earning a grin.

“Change your mind, baby?”

“Shut up.” You smiled. “I’ll meet you down there…”

“What’re you doing?” You practically whimpered, as he opened the passenger door instead of joining you in the backseat. He chuckled.

“Just making space.” You were about to ask what for, when he deftly moved the seat forwards, before getting in the back. Oh. You grinned as he pressed his lips to yours with hunger, backing you into the corner and you let yourself be dwarfed by him. His fingers trailed your collarbone, to your waist, and gripping onto your thigh with urgency. You whined as his lips left yours, earning another soft laugh. He managed to fit his tall frame mostly in the footwell, pushing your skirt up to your hips as you bit your lip, admiring him. He was so beautiful, the way his hair fell over his face, his earnest eyes, almost pleading in the way he looked up at you, his long fingers that so deftly moved your panties to one side.

“Can you…” he muttered gesturing to his hair, and you giggled, hand running through the front locks and holding them away from his face. Your leg draped over his back as his head dipped, tongue going straight to your folds, lips circling your core and kissing your sensitive bud with a hum of contentment. Your body relaxed into him, moan escaping your lips. He’d always been enthusiastic about eating you out, and you’d never complained about it. He was good. Really good. And today was no different.

He was lapping you up, relishing every taste and you were getting closer to your orgasm with every circle around your clit, cunt clenching around nothing.

“Spence…” you managed to gasp out, writhing in the seat, “fingers…” He didn’t hesitate for a second, one of the hands firmly holding your thighs apart trailed down to your centre, two fingers slipping into your soaking core. Your groan was filthy as he found that spot that made your toes curl with such perfect precision it was blinding.

“Oh god Spencer…” you choked out between moans and pants… “baby I’m so close…” Your hands tightened in his hair, pulling him closer, and he groaned into you, sending a wave of pleasure through you that sent you over the edge into that searing hot pleasure you were so used to receiving from him. He held onto you as you rode it out, his tongue still circling you until you were finished, finally stopping when you started to whine and squirm from overstimulation.

“Fucking hell, Spence.” You muttered, as he gently returned your panties and carefully let your skirt fall back around you. You watched in awe as he quickly licked his fingers clean, but it was mostly pointless, as his lips and chin were covered in your slick. You giggled.

“You might have to rinse your face before you join the team.” He grinned, pressing his lips to yours with force, and you could taste yourself on his tongue, making you hum into him.

“Now you will too.”

After a quick clean-up in the parking lot toilets, you both joined the rest of the team, entrances tactically staggered. For once, you couldn’t help but look at him, stealing glances as much as possible, watching as his hands scanned pages as he read and all you could think about is what those hands were doing to you just minutes earlier.

When you started looking into the case, you would be focussed, fully invested, but… you just wanted to stay in this headspace a moment longer. A happy one. A scary one still, for sure, but a fun kind of scary. A hopeful kind of scary. It was peaceful. And peaceful moments were rare in your line of work. His eyes caught yours, sending you a soft smile, and you knew you were in for the long haul, no matter how many people you had to lie or, or how much time you had to hide it for. It was all worth it for the moments of peace with him.

Taglist 🩵 - @emma-e-a

#kinktober 2024 #kinktober #fanfic #spencer reid #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid smut #Spencer Reid soft #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds

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hplonesomeart · 10 days ago

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Here’s an short unsuccessful test I did today; attempting to create an animation in a program I quite literally have ZERO experience with using ahaha :’)

Storytime/long ramble (unimportant):

I wanted to be like the “cool kids” and shift out of my comfort zone—no more relying solely on FlipaClip! Gotta branch out to a more effective program (ideally one that has an interface resembling animation software used directly in industry work)! I’ve seen people make good use of AlightMotion and figured it’s worth a shot!….that goal quickly fell apart <<

There’s definitely a wide variety of tools and especially emphasis on built-in editing features. I was intimidated by the sheer amount of mechanics going on at first, but gradually you get used to navigating stuff (even if some stuff I’m still trying to figure out the purpose of lmao). The only issue is that (to me at least) AlightMotion seems to handle tweening better then frame-by-frame animation. Which immediately lands me in a predicament of sorts since uh…can’t say I’m good at tweening. That would require me to actually finish coloring characters/have the ability to polish things using clean linework :P

Tweening (from my perspective) is about making something visually appealing by rigging separated assets of characters (like you would for puppets) rather then the whole. Or alternatively, some people tween by slightly moving the same drawn lines around on a singular drawing…so TLDR the exact opposite of frame-by-frame. I’m not an illustrator, I’m a storyteller. I can only manage rough line work with uncolored motions. Usually the smooth flow of frame-by saves me, else it would all look rather unfinished. I know where my strengths and my weaknesses lie; I’ve given AlightMotion a shot, but unfortunately it’s not gonna be solving the FlipaClip replacement problem 🥲

Was still beneficial challenging myself to play around with an unfamiliar environment! It’s a step in the right direction to encourage myself to try different things/figure out what works or doesn’t. If my patience didn’t wear thin, I’m sure I could’ve attempted authentic tweening instead of trying to push the program to work with frame-by-frame (it kept crashing, lagging, and pixelating while I tried to force it to comply with my methods. Think it’s safe to assume it doesn’t like me fighting against tweening lol). Who knows! Might return to AlightMotion in the future or might not. Depends on how adventurous or up for a challenge I’m feeling :3

Also goes without saying that online video tutorials would have probably helped—I’m just stubborn & prefer taking hands on approach sometimes. Learning any new program is gonna be overwhelming and scary at first, it is normal! I don’t think anything bad about AlightMotion. Just not for me at the moment. Was fun to play with while it lasted

#hplonesome art #mr puzzles and leggy animation #mr. puzzles and leggy #leggy and mr. puzzles #smg4 leggy #smg4 mr. puzzles #mr puzzles smg4 #smg4 mr puzzles #leggy smg4 #update #(not feeling up for other tags since I kinda deviated too much in my rambling :P)

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theoutcastrogue · 8 months ago

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"The majority of high-tech patent lawsuits are brought by patent trolls—companies that exist not to provide products or services, but primarily have a business using patents to threaten others’ work. Some politicians are proposing to make that bad situation worse. ...

The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, S. 2140, (PERA), sponsored by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Chris Coons (D-DE) would be a huge gift to patent trolls, a few tech firms that aggressively license patents, and patent lawyers. For everyone else, it will be a huge loss. That’s why we’re opposing it, and asking our supporters to speak out as well.

Patent trolling is still a huge, multi-billion dollar problem that’s especially painful for small businesses and everyday internet users. But, in the last decade, we’ve made modest progress placing limits on patent trolling. The Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in Alice v. CLS Bank barred patents that were nothing more than abstract ideas with computer jargon added in. Using the Alice test, federal courts have kicked out a rogue’s gallery of hundreds of the worst patents.

Under Alice’s clear rules, courts threw out ridiculous patents on “matchmaking”, online picture menus, scavenger hunts, and online photo contests. The nation’s top patent court, the Federal Circuit, actually approved a patent on watching an ad online twice before the Alice rules finally made it clear that patents like that cannot be allowed. The patents on “bingo on a computer?” Gone under Alice. Patents on loyalty programs (on a computer)? Gone. Patents on upselling (with a computer)? All gone. ...

PERA’s attempt to roll back progress goes beyond computer technology. For almost 30 years, some biotech and pharmaceutical companies actually applied for, and were granted, patents on naturally occuring human genes. As a consequence, companies were able to monopolize diagnostic tests that relied on naturally occurring genes in order to help predict diseases such as breast cancer, making such testing far more expensive. The ACLU teamed up with doctors to confront this horrific practice, and sued. That lawsuit led to a historic victory in 2013 when the Supreme Court disallowed patents on human genes found in nature.

If PERA passes, it will explicitly overturn that ruling, allowing human genes to be patented once again. ...

“To See Your Own Blood, Your Own Genes”

From the 1980s until the 2013 Myriad decision, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted patents on human genomic sequences. If researchers “isolated” the gene—a necessary part of analysis—they would then get a patent that described isolating, or purified, as a human process, and insist they weren’t getting a patent on the natural world itself.

But this concept of patenting an “isolated” gene was simply a word game, and a distinction without a difference. With the genetic patent in hand, the patent-holder could demand royalty payments from any kind of test or treatment involving that gene. And that’s exactly what Myriad Genetic did when they patented the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene sequences, which are important indicators for the prevalence of breast or ovarian cancer.

Myriad’s patents significantly increased the cost of those tests to U.S. patients. The company even sent some doctors cease and desist letters, saying the doctors could not perform simple tests on their own patients—even looking at the gene sequences without Myriad’s permission would constitute patent infringement.

This behavior caused pathologists, scientists, and patients to band together with ACLU lawyers and challenge Myriad’s patents. They litigated all the way to the Supreme Court, and won. “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated,” the Supreme Court stated in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics.

A practice like granting and enforcing patents on human genes should truly be left in the dustbin of history. It’s shocking that pro-patent lobbyists have convinced these Senators to introduce legislation seeking to reinstate such patents. Last month, the President of the College of American Pathologists published an op-ed reminding lawmakers and the public about the danger of patenting the human genome, calling gene patents “dangerous to the public welfare.”

As Lisbeth Ceriani, a breast cancer survivor and a plaintiff in the Myriad case said, “It’s a basic human right to see your own blood, your own genes.” "

#information wants to be free #theory #I fought the law

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mariacallous · 9 months ago

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At the 2023 Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas, prominent AI tech companies partnered with algorithmic integrity and transparency groups to sic thousands of attendees on generative AI platforms and find weaknesses in these critical systems. This “red-teaming” exercise, which also had support from the US government, took a step in opening these increasingly influential yet opaque systems to scrutiny. Now, the ethical AI and algorithmic assessment nonprofit Humane Intelligence is taking this model one step further. On Wednesday, the group announced a call for participation with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, inviting any US resident to participate in the qualifying round of a nationwide red-teaming effort to evaluate AI office productivity software.

The qualifier will take place online and is open to both developers and anyone in the general public as part of NIST's AI challenges, known as Assessing Risks and Impacts of AI, or ARIA. Participants who pass through the qualifying round will take part in an in-person red-teaming event at the end of October at the Conference on Applied Machine Learning in Information Security (CAMLIS) in Virginia. The goal is to expand capabilities for conducting rigorous testing of the security, resilience, and ethics of generative AI technologies.

“The average person utilizing one of these models doesn’t really have the ability to determine whether or not the model is fit for purpose,” says Theo Skeadas, chief of staff at Humane Intelligence. “So we want to democratize the ability to conduct evaluations and make sure everyone using these models can assess for themselves whether or not the model is meeting their needs.”

The final event at CAMLIS will split the participants into a red team trying to attack the AI systems and a blue team working on defense. Participants will use the AI 600-1 profile, part of NIST's AI risk management framework, as a rubric for measuring whether the red team is able to produce outcomes that violate the systems' expected behavior.

“NIST's ARIA is drawing on structured user feedback to understand real-world applications of AI models,” says Humane Intelligence founder Rumman Chowdhury, who is also a contractor in NIST's Office of Emerging Technologies and a member of the US Department of Homeland Security AI safety and security board. “The ARIA team is mostly experts on sociotechnical test and evaluation, and [is] using that background as a way of evolving the field toward rigorous scientific evaluation of generative AI.”

Chowdhury and Skeadas say the NIST partnership is just one of a series of AI red team collaborations that Humane Intelligence will announce in the coming weeks with US government agencies, international governments, and NGOs. The effort aims to make it much more common for the companies and organizations that develop what are now black-box algorithms to offer transparency and accountability through mechanisms like “bias bounty challenges,” where individuals can be rewarded for finding problems and inequities in AI models.

“The community should be broader than programmers,” Skeadas says. “Policymakers, journalists, civil society, and nontechnical people should all be involved in the process of testing and evaluating of these systems. And we need to make sure that less represented groups like individuals who speak minority languages or are from nonmajority cultures and perspectives are able to participate in this process.”

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my-castles-crumbling · 5 months ago

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I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, which makes school extremely difficult and challenging. I'm not really sure what accommodations I can ask for (ik every school is different, especially in different countries, but any general accommodations ideas would be really helpful)

Hi!

I'm so sorry about your illness <3 I hope there's some sort of treatment to make it manageable

I think accommodations, laws, etc can vary greatly depending on age, school, and country (like you said) but a few that might be helpful are:

Designated note taker/provided notes or study guides/recorded class sessions

Flexible attendance requirement (like if a class normally punishes missed classes, that can be waived)

Extended exam time/ alternative testing environment (not testing with the rest of the class, testing at home, having extra time to test)

Alternative or minimized assignments, as long as mastery is shown (for example, if the teacher normally assigns 50 math problems, they only give you 20, as long as you get them correct)

Use of technology for assignments when it helps with any fatigue or mobility issues (like if it is more comfortable to type versus write assignments, or have an e-book versus carrying a textbook, or have a speech-to-text software if writing is painful)

Flexible seating and adjustment to environment (seating near the door if you often have to leave, a different type of seat if you have mobility devices that are difficult to access when sitting at a traditional desk, access to an elevator, use of non-LED lights)

Blanket permission to leave the classroom to go to the bathroom, nurse, guidance, etc without raising your hand/requesting a pass

Permission to have a cell phone out and accessible to converse with a medical professional, access medical monitoring devices, etc

Depending on your illness some of these may be wildly unhelpful but these are the most common ones I see! In most schools, you would just need to have a meeting with the school (and a parent/gaurdian) if you are underage) and bring a doctor's note to get these accommodations. In public schools in the US, you would be given what is called a '504' which is a plan legally requiring teachers to give you these accommodations.

I hope this helps!

#asks #ask #ask cas

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urlknight · 6 months ago

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Hi there, Love your work! I'm also doing stuff in Unreal and it feels like it's rarer to find other indie devs using it. I love how clean all your UI feels, and UI is something I seem to really struggle with.

Do you have any recommendations for workflows / tips / sources etc for getting better at UI?

Also I'd love to know more about the material / shader workflow for your latest post if you have more information anywhere.

Thanks :)

Hello there! Thank you!! I hope you don't mind me answering publicly as I feel like some people might be interested in the answer!

I really appreciate your UI (User Interface for those not knowing the acronym) compliment as it's something I've spent a long time working on and specializing in, in my career as a software engineer. UI/UX often goes completely unacknowledged or taken for granted even though it takes a lot of time and hard work to create and develop. In the engineering world I frequently had to advocate for and explain user experiences to those who didn't have as deep of an appreciation for UI or a very sophisticated understanding of why a good, visually appealing user experience makes, or on the flip side, can break everything. I think it's a very challenging, overwhelming topic to grasp and communicate, but just by being interested in it you're already way ahead!

There's a lot going on with UI. From visuals to knowing common design elements to successfully conveying a story to the user to implementation to testing to designing for accessibility to animation and I probably didn't cover everything with that run-on sentence. There's frontend engineers out there whose role is solely to maintain and improve UI component libraries for companies. And that's without throwing games, whose UIs are all uniquely visually tailored to their experiences, into the mix... I could keep going on about this honestly, but I'll get to what I think you can do personally! 1. Learn about common design patterns. What's a toast? What's pagination? What's a card? Little things like that. These apply to all software UI/UX, including video games- and knowing these off the top of your head will make it so much easier for you to invent your own UI designs and patterns.

2. Study the UI in the everyday applications you interact with. Step through menus and think about how you got from point A to point B. Take a moment to think about the why someone put a button where they did. Study the UI in your favorite video games, too! Take a lot of notes on what you think works really well and what you think doesn't. And also there's online resources that are great for inspiration. I personally spend a lot of time on the Game UI Database. - https://dribbble.com/ - https://www.gameuidatabase.com/ 3. Don't be afraid to start with basic sketches or even just simply representing everything with grey boxes. All my UI starts out as really crappy sketches on paper, or tablet sketches on top of screenshots. Visualize your ideas and then keep iterating on them until you've got something. For example, I went from this:

To this. (And come to think of it I might actually still want to make those cooler looking buttons in my sketch) 4. Break everything out into pieces and individual components. A good UI is made up of building blocks that you can reuse all over the place. That's how it stays consistent and also saves you a lot of stress when you need to go in and update components. Instead of a million different looking UI pieces, you just have to update the one! These individual components will make up your very own UI Component Library, which will be the standardized design system and source of reusable components for your project. This also applies to your visual elements that don't do anything (like I personally have a whole mini library of diamond and star shapes that I reuse everywhere).

For reference, here's a breakdown I made of my Inventory UI. On the right, I've labeled most of the individual components, and you might be able to see how I'm reusing them over and over again in multiple places.

5. Spend some time listening to designers talk, maybe befriend some designers! Many of them have an unique, interesting view of the world and how we interact with it even beyond just software. Their perspectives will inform yours.

6. Test your UI on users whenever you can. Get feedback from others. This is the best way for you to see what works and what doesn't. As game devs we spend so much time with our games it's easy for us to lose sight of the full picture.

7. Be patient and don't give up. Continue to be open to expanding your knowledge. These UI skills take time to develop. I personally am still learning even after like 10 years of doing it. Coming up with the visual elements is very challenging for me and I spend a lot of time rearranging things in photoshop before I actually start coding anything at all in Unreal.

Whew, that was a lot, but I hope that gives you some thoughts and a place to start!

I don't have any posts out there about Blender/Unreal shader workflows right now, but I'll consider making another post sometime soonish. I appreciate you asking and you're welcome! :)

#ask #ui/ux #long post

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peskellence · 7 months ago

Text

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: Post Pacifist Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Angst, Hurt/ Comfort

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Summary: In the aftermath of Detroit's android revolution, Nines grapples with the complexities of his newfound deviancy. As he seeks to establish his place in a newly transformed society, his resolve is put to the ultimate test when he is paired with Detective Gavin Reed-a notoriously volatile human with a well-established hatred for androids-to investigate a series of murders.

While initial impressions of his partner seem to suggest his reputation is well-deserved, the more time Nines spends with him, the more he is forced to challenge his judgments. As they form an unexpected bond, the RK900 is also pushed to examine truths about himself he would much rather seek to forget. (A Retelling of 'More Than Our Parts' from the POV of Nines.)

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Depression/Self Destructive Behaviour, Eventual Smut

Word Count: 6.2K

Tag List: @sweeteatercat @wedonthaveawhile @gho-stychan @tentoriumcerebelli @negative-citadel @faxaway @moriahadi424 @unicorn4genocide @cptjh-arts

Detective Reed's apartment was almost indistinguishable from his dismal preconstructions.

Initially, they struggled to even enter the home, with the man using his entire body weight to force the door open. While he slipped through the narrow gap with relative ease, Nines had much greater difficulty. His broad shoulders collided with the frame multiple times, as the bunched runner at his feet hindered his progress significantly.

Emerging inside, the reason for their difficulty soon became apparent. The android had always failed to understand how humans could endure such unfavourable conditions. They derived no pleasure from it, yet this discomfort often stemmed from their own complacency.

It was one of the worst examples he'd seen. Already tiny, the space was dwarfed by a staggering expanse of debris and clutter. It proved as hazardous as it was disorganised, with tight tangles of electrical cords snaking across the floor. They were partially concealed beneath a layer of brown paper and packing peanuts, ready to trip anyone who crossed their path.

"Don't mind the mess," Reed said flippantly, turning towards a nearby coat rack. It was layered high with a dense pillow of clothes. He paused to assess—as if considering how to expand the load without causing a collapse. "I just moved in a few months ago. Haven't finished unpacking."

'Mess' proved a gross understatement. It didn't begin to cover the profound level of squalor the man was inhabiting.

Despite this, he carried with him no discernable shame. If anything, he seemed proud of it—canvassing his surroundings with a contented sigh as he slipped an arm free from his jacket.

Nines struggled to maintain mental clarity in response to the confounding behaviour before reminding himself of his objectives. Studying the home in greater detail would be beneficial. Combing through the chaos in order to find personal items that could provide deeper insights into Reed's psyche.

In spite of any lingering aversion, Nines widened the scope of his optical units and determinedly proceeded. Considering the limited space in the apartment, his partner's use of it was far from optimal. The majority of his sparse shelving was cluttered with unnecessary memorabilia: cheap trinkets from tourist attractions, as well as numerous framed photographs.

The pictures were old, featuring the face of a much younger Reed—and a man Nines did not recognise. His facial identification software proceeded to resolve this, confirming the identity of the stranger:

> CHRISTOPHER JAMES REED

> BORN: 1ST DECEMBER 1972

> STATUS: DECEASED.

Nines failed to understand why his partner didn't discard some of his less essential possessions, given the skyline of unopened boxes towering behind them.

"I would think that a few months would have been sufficient time to unpack. I wager the delay has more to do with a lack of space."

"Yeah, well, there's that—" Any previous calculations were abandoned as Reed callously tossed his outwear at the stacked pile. "I'm still working out the logistics."

Nines considered sharing the findings of his spatial mapping, noting to Reed that there were few logistics to be calculated. However, he quickly determined the advice would be wasted, a reality the man would likely reject.

Instead, he mirrored his actions, shedding the outer layer of his Cyberlife uniform and folding it neatly in preparation for storage. It was a gesture he hoped would be received positively, demonstrating a willingness to adhere to the human's domestic customs.

The action certainly inspired a response, although not one Nines had anticipated.

With the jacket held in his grasp, he detected an elevation in Reed's core body temperature. This wasn't unusual, given the recent shift in climate. What proved peculiar, however, was an accompanying spike in heart rate and respiratory patterns.

Glancing over his shoulder, he sought to investigate further. His target didn't notice the shift, attention otherwise preoccupied by the definition of Nines' central chassis.

The detective's gaze followed a path down his undershirt, starting at the shoulder blades and continuing until it settled on the convex mould of the android's posterior.

Rising temperature intensified—a heat which pooled in his cheeks—as his expression flitted between alarm and intrigue. He was a man at war with himself, wishing to avert his eyes but unable to pull away.

It seemed the frustration Reed felt for him stemmed from more than just contempt. Sights lingered to the point of shameless transparency, and Nines couldn't help but draw amusement from it.

Despite all claims of 'advanced cognition', the humans around him proved remarkably driven by their base urges. Reed was no exception, as lust breached walls of prejudice with shameful ease.

Turning back towards the hangers, Nines feigned obliviousness to the ogling. Positioning his coat with much greater finesse than his partner, he stored a record of the behaviour for future reference.

As he removed his shoes, placing them neatly on the stand, a flicker of light caught his eye. It was reflected from a framed poster hanging askew on the peeling surface of the adjacent wall. Depicted was a young woman lying in bed, the covers clutched tightly to her chin as wide, fearful eyes reflected the gleam of five drawn razors. They hovered in perfect alignment above her face, threatening to swipe.

A subsequent analysis was triggered as his systems sought to identify the origin of the image:

> SOURCE IDENTIFIED

> CLASSIFICATION: RECREATION OF PROMOTIONAL POSTER ASSOCIATED WITH CINEMATIC PRODUCTION

> TITLE: 'A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET'

> RELEASE YEAR: 1984

> DIRECTOR: WES CRAVEN

The image was shouldered by several of its ilk, each depicting iconic figures or scenes from their respective franchises.

"You're a fan of horror films," Nines mused, closing the diagnostic branches. "Specifically, titles from the late twentieth century."

Reed was snapped back to reality, eyes freed from their magnetic hold on the RK900's backside. He looked up, visibly flustered, as if he'd been caught in a compromising position.

Nines maintained his facade of obliviousness. Hands folded neatly behind his back, he emphasised his 'curiosity' with a subtle cranial tilt.

"...Dad loved his horror," the man ultimately replied, stiff posture relaxing as he glanced up at the posters. "Got me into it young. I'd watched most of the Nightmare movies before I started junior high."

The longer he stared, the more his features softened—until a gentle smile spread across his lips. It was unlike any expression Nines had seen him wear. Absent of his usual bravado or smugness, it revealed a genuine vulnerability.

"That hardly seems like appropriate viewing material for such a young child. Was your father aware that most of these films possess an R rating?"

Reed tensed again, sharpness returning to his eyes as they fixed on Nines with a resentful glare.

"It didn't do me any harm; just meant I didn't grow up to be a total pussy."

His retort was hissed through clenched teeth as though causing him physical pain. The assessment had clearly touched a nerve. One that remained profoundly sensitive—despite all the time elapsed.

Recognising his mistake, the android sought to mitigate the damage, swiftly recalibrating his approach.

> RECALIBRATION SUCCESSFUL.

> CONVERSATIONAL ROUTE DETERMINED.

The solution came fast, much to his annoyance. It was as though RK800 was speaking to him directly, guiding his actions through their temporal channel.

> EXECUTING RECOMMENDED APPROACH.

Reed's uncouth remark posed an immediate hurdle. Nines held his tongue, silencing the sharp retorts that crowded his thoughts. Instead, he grasped for geniality—maintaining a performative interest in the decor:

"Do you have a favourite film?" Nines asked before observing his partner closely—gauging subtle cues in his body language, keen to assess the effectiveness of their ongoing engagement.

> TARGET ESTABLISHED — 'DETECTIVE GAVIN REED'

> TRACKING RESPIRATORY AND CARDIOVASCULAR FEEDBACK...

> ASSESSING MUSCULAR TENSION, PUPILLARY DILATION, AND FACIAL MICROEXPRESSIONS…

Reed gawked at his partner, blinking slowly as though seeking to determine if he had heard correctly. Then his jaw tightened reflexively, like an innate biological refusal to lower his defences.

"Why do you care?"

> WARNING.

> MUSCULAR TENSION: ELEVATED

> MICROEXPRESSION(S) IDENTIFIED: DISTRUST, DOUBT.

Reed had already detected his insincerity, a disheartening realisation for the RK900.

There was a period of despondent introspection, during which his partner appeared goaded to press on—solidifying their shift in dynamic, with Nines the one under scrutiny.

"You don't actually care, do you?"

In the wake of his failure, Nines almost wished that RK800 were guiding his communications. He was forced to manage the fallout whilst making a note to pursue further training in the art of social coercion.

"...I do not," he conceded, determining honesty to be the best option in mitigating the consequences of his deceit. "I believe I am trying to engage in what humans refer to as 'small talk'"

"Well, you're shit at it."

The insult came fast and biting—without a hint of hesitation. Nines resented how quickly the human cut him down, undermining any hope for an affable dialogue.

He tried to ignore it, but the words refused to abandon him. Charging through his mind in niggling currents, relentlessly persistent.

Nines stepped forward, and Reed instantly regretted the openness of his ridicule. Self-congratulatory titters were stifled as he glanced up at the opposing figure now looming over him.

"Through no fault of my own," Nines said sternly. "CyberLife did not provide me with an advanced social protocol. When taking part in a conversation, I learn from experience. Meaning I am only ever as adept as the partner I am engaging with."

The implications were not lost on Reed, who scowled in response. Fists tightened at his sides, although the combative gesture was undermined by a series of fraught twitches.

Corrective measures were made to hide them, and with a steeling breath, he straightened his back—lengthening his posture as much as possible.

The difference in their statures remained staggering, and Nines was forced to suppress a chuckle, understanding just how deeply this must have bothered his partner.

A ruthless assault on his already fragile masculinity.

> ACCESSING FILE — 'DETECTIVE GAVIN REED'

> UPDATE IN PROGRESS…

"Fuck you."

While disappointed the man couldn't think of a more meaningful insult, the android was far from surprised. His optic units were rolled in a tight flourish before he took a step back. The leg was swung with laborious slowness as though teasing the possibility of aborting the action.

"Aside from showing me your lovely home, what exactly are we doing here, Detective?"

"Stick it up your ass."

A far more riveting response. Nines was unable to show appreciation for the vivid picture created as Reed pivoted sharply on his heel.

Back turned to the android, he began pacing the room in disordered patterns, muttering nonsensically under his breath. " Where the hell … she's probably hiding because she's scared of you, tin-can."

Amusement dissipated, giving way to confusion. "...She?"

Reed ignored him, refusing to provide any clarification. Instead, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called across the room, interspersing his words with clicks of his tongue.

"Tiff, I'm home."

He was greeted with silence. After waiting a moment, Reed moved further into his home, heavy footfalls scattering litter as he charged toward an open doorway. Peering around the threshold, he swung his neck back and forth in a steady motion.

"Tiffany!" he called again, this time with increased insistence. "Come here, girl—"

His calls remained unanswered, and it appeared that Reed was losing patience with the absent individual. He retreated back into the living room, punctuating his failure with a dejected curse.

Nines found the situation odd—inconsistent with the personal data he had collected on his partner. Establishing a link with the DPD staff database, he searched for any updates or revisions that might clarify the disconnect:

> ACCESSING EXTERNAL FILE 'det_gavin_reed_3345'

> SEEKING MATCHES — SEARCH CRITERIA 'TIFFANY.'

As he awaited the results, Nines scanned Reed's possessions again. This time, he focused on anything that seemed out of place: clothes ill-fitted to his body type or hygiene products that he certainly wasn't using on himself…

> NO MATCHES FOUND.

Then he noticed it: the large structure positioned beside the television. It was made of carpeted plywood, platforms spiralling around a column of thick, corded rope. The arrangement came complete with cartoonish animal prints adorning each side.

> PRODUCT: LAYERED CAT TOWER — GREY — 6 FT (#CH-2984)

> DISTRIBUTOR: CLAW HAVEN PET GOODS LTD.

> RETAIL PRICE: $199.99 (46% ABOVE MARKET AVERAGE)

> DIMENSIONS: 6 ft (H) x 2.5 ft (W) x 2 ft (D)

This finding effectively resolved any logical inconsistencies. He hummed in understanding before disregarding his previous hypothesis.

"Tiffany is your pet."

"No shit." Reed, who had dropped to his knees at some point during his search, moved to stand back up. A felt mouse impeded his efforts, the tail catching under his foot until it was brushed aside with a firm kick. "Have you not seen the cat hairs all over my clothes? So much for being a super detective."

"I was aware you have a cat; I thought for a moment that you might be cohabiting—although a review of your personnel file suggested this was unlikely."

The assessment struck another blow at the man's already bruised confidence. He pulled back, posture restored to its usual hunched slump. Nines might have called it wariness had it not been for the palpable aggression still radiating from him.

"Oh yeah? And why is it so fuckin' unlikely?"

"Because your files indicate that you are recently single. Not to mention, the name 'Tiffany' would suggest a female-presenting individual, which would be inconsistent with your established orientation."

The human faltered, jaw flapping open and shut without any identifiable purpose. As he spoke, he did so in fragments, struggling to form a sentence. "That is—you—that is none of your business—"

"I wouldn't have thought you'd take issue with me stating the obvious. You answered 'Homosexual' quite openly in the most recent police census."

Reed responded to the information as though it were an insult—nose wrinkled contemptuously, and he took a margined step forward, seemingly ready to strike back.

The additional hostility proved puzzling, given the android had done nothing but state an objective fact. Perhaps he had missed some subtle nuance, a tone or gesture that would have warned of the growing aversion…

Still, now that a dialogue was open, it seemed a shame to waste the opportunity. If not to foster their 'connection', then to assess how pressing further might influence Reed's emotional state.

Inspiration struck, and boldness manifested in a mischievous smirk which tugged at his lips.

"Not to mention…" Nines began, deliberately slowing his words, drawing them out with a husky lilt. "When in the proximity of conventionally attractive males, your physical responses are consistent with sexual arousal."

The reaction of his partner escalated. He abandoned any advance, recoiling as if struck. Tension gripped his body; the muscles in his neck pulled taut, bulging through flushed skin.

However, beyond this surface pressure, there lingered hints of receptiveness. The marginal dilation of pupils and the nervous bobbing of his throat…

"...Why did I let you into my apartment?" he snapped, pulling himself forcefully from the grip of salacious temptation. "Go wait in the rain. I'm done with you."

"I am afraid I cannot do that," the android deadpanned. "If I leave this building, I cannot ensure that you will return to the station, and I require your assistance in reviewing our case."

"Well, shut up then. Stop being an asshole for five minutes and shut your damn mouth."

Nines had no intention of obliging, curious to see how far he could press the teasing. To observe how fast his partner might fold, omitting his principles in favour of carnal appetite…

Then, there was a sudden shift from across the apartment, and the experiment was forgotten. The RK900 perked up, his auditory processors adjusting as he attempted to identify the source. His partner had heard it as well, as after another sound—more like a wail—a spark of familiarity passed his gaze.

"There she is. Probably stuck in the bath."

Rounding his worn leather couch, Reed approached a sealed door flanked by two stacked bookshelves. He reached for the handle before freezing mid-motion, casting a contemptuous glance across his shoulder.

"You wait here."

"I can assure you that isn't necessary." Nines smoothly countered. "I am quite comfortable in the presence of felines."

It was a guarantee that felt justified.

While the recent changes to his residence meant he had not yet acquired pets, it hadn't stopped him from building a rapport with the local strays—a group of felines who would routinely visit him, drawn by the promise of food.

Lately, their visits had started to linger, with them trusting the android to attend to more intimate care requirements. Grooming and shows of affection—honours that did not extend to other residents in the building.

"It isn't about you being comfortable, genius. It's about her not freaking the fuck out."

The comment stirred a slight ripple in his confidence. While drawing an undeniable enjoyment in testing the limits of his partner's tolerance, the RK900 had no intention of extending this treatment to his pet.

"I take it she is not particularly friendly?"

As if in response, the distressed cries grew louder from behind the door. The scratching of tiny claws followed as if the animal was trying to dig free from its confines.

Reed's jaw clenched, and his grip tightened firmly around the handle." "No, she isn't."

Hesitancy quickly deserted Nines. It seemed clear that his partner—in all his abrasiveness and impatience—was far from the soothing presence the pet required. He felt a strong urge to observe—prepared to intervene if more effective methods were required to ease distress.

With a twist of the handle, the door swung open with a soft creak. Nines moved in step with his partner, earning a small grunt of dismay. Reed seemed aware of the android's determination to assist, regardless of invitation, and had begrudgingly resigned to it.

"Just keep your distance," he murmured gruffly, pinching the bridge of his nose, "and don't make any sudden movements. Got it?"

Already lacklustre hygiene standards deteriorated significantly upon entering the bathroom.

There were thick layers of grime caked on all visible surfaces, suggesting the space hadn't been cleaned in a significant amount of time. Were Nines to speculate how long, he would say the event likely preceded the human's tenancy.

The smell was repulsive, wafting around them in pungent coils. Organic matter clogging the drainage system accounted for most of it, concentrated with the greatest intensity in the open plug of the bathtub.

It was a detail the android soon overlooked in favour of the set of vibrant green eyes peering at him from across the rim.

They were framed by a canvas of inky black fur, save for bands of white that spanned the creature's chin and nose. Her jaw widened, eclipsing the eyes as she revealed rows of sharp teeth.

Nines was completely enchanted, unable to look away as his partner reached across and deftly scooped her up.

"Come on, wide load. You could get yourself out; you don't need to be airlifted."

Reed skillfully adjusted his hold, allowing the feline to blanket herself on his forearm. As he brushed his dominant hand across the top of her head, she responded with a series of throaty rumbles, nudging into the presses and arching back to reveal her stomach.

It was then that Nines noticed the large protrusion.

It seemed disproportionate to the feline's size and raised concerns that it might have resulted from inappropriate feeding. Frowning, he fired a biophysical analysis—examining for any health concerns and ready to scold Reed for any transgressions.

He received a concise overview of Tiffany, including her age and relevant weight and fitness metrics. Nothing proved especially concerning; however, he did encounter an unexpected detail:

> VITAL SIGNS DETECTED — MULTIPLE.

> GESTATIONAL STAGE: THIRD TRIMESTER.

The system prompt lingered on his HUD as he quietly absorbed the information.

"... She's pregnant," he eventually said, closing the diagnostic channel. "Were you aware?"

Reed, who had appeared to revel in the distraction from their close proximity, was rudely reminded of his existence. He grimaced before seeking to return to his previous tranquillity.

Forcefully sidling past the android, he clipped his shoulder in an effort to make for the exit. "I'm aware; must've been a stray. Getting his dick wet is about to cost me a fortune in vet bills."

Nines was tempted to inform his partner of how easily this situation could've been avoided had he done his due diligence getting the feline spayed. Instead, he lingered on the broader implications of the statement, hit with a wave of excitement mingled with trepidation.

"Do you intend on keeping the babies?"

"Hell no, I can barely afford to keep this one."

Nines felt reassured by this. While the upcoming birth was pleasant news, the idea of more animals being subjected to the current unsavoury living conditions was deeply alarming.

That said, Tiffany appeared to be coping well, given the circumstances. She was healthy and proved visibly content in Detective Reed's company—an extremely novel achievement that few could claim.

Nines followed the man out of his bathroom and into the neighbouring kitchen. Despite his earlier insistence that his pet could move, Tiffany remained cradled in his arms for the entirety of the short journey.

Rocked by the steady vibrations of footsteps, she nestled peacefully into the groove between her owner's chest and neck. Whiskers brushed against coarse stubble, causing Reed to flinch before he firmly corrected his posture—a silent pledge not to disturb her.

Unfortunately, he was unable to maintain this vow. As they reached their destination, he was forced to shift her aside in order to access a nearby pantry.

It did not escape the android's attention that the majority of shelves were barren, save for the central reservation, stacked to the brim with pet goods. Reed leafed through the glossy food pouches, browsing the selection until he settled on a product ambitiously advertised as 'Premium Chicken Breast in Rich Gravy.'

He pinched the pouch between his fingers and flipped it onto the counter, the contents displacing with a wet splat. "Mystery meat giblets with jelly and eyelids—bon appétit."

Despite the disparaging claim, it transpired that the heading on the packet was fairly accurate. This was determined by an internal scan of the foil, with a subsequent cross-reference of the barcode suggesting the brand was far from economical.

It seemed Reed had a habit of excessive spending as it pertained to his pet. Interesting, given his purported financial struggles and the absence of his own basic provisions.

"My scanners indicate that the meat is poultry, with some additional supplements and flavour enhancers—the balance of proteins and vitamins should provide more than adequate nutrition."

"Heh, is that so?"

Beyond the attempted nonchalance, Reed seemed genuinely pleased with the information. After preparing Tiffany's meal and setting it on a nearby mat, he stopped momentarily to card his fingers affectionately through the back of her coat.

"Good to know that what I'm feeding her isn't total shit. She seems to like it, anyway—that's all that matters."

The human stayed that way for some time. Looking down at his pet, smiling fondly, before moving to discard the pouch in an overflowing waste receptacle.

As Nines watched, persistent notifications flooded his HUD. At first, they focused on the litter cascading to the floor, displaced by a heavy hand. Then, attention shifted to his partner's current behaviour—elements misaligned with his interpersonal records.

> ANOMALIES DETECTED.

> ACTION REQUIRED.

"I would surmise that she eats better than you," he continued, attempting to move past the disruption. "Her vitals are all normal, and her physical appearance suggests optimal health. You are taking excellent care of her."

> SUGGESTED ACTION: CHANGES REQUIRED TO CHARACTER FILE — 'DETECTIVE GAVIN REED'

Resigned to the fact that the prompts would persist until acknowledged, the android complied and opened the file. A descending procession of text followed, pushing past the alerts as it readied itself for review:

> DETECTIVE REED LIKES DOGS.

Irritated that such an inconsequential point would cause such a pronounced disturbance, Nines revised it nonetheless—inputting an elaboration before realising its redundancy and scrapping both in favour of a unified statement.

> DETECTIVE REED LIKES DOGS.

> DETECTIVE REED LIKES CATS.

> DETECTIVE REED LIKES ANIMALS.

With the profile updated, Nines hoped to secure some form of cognitive release—the freedom to observe Tiffany without interruptions, sharing vicariously in her contentment. No such luxury came, as the charge of data soldiered on:

> REED SHOWS COMMITMENT TO THE CARE AND WELL-BEING OF HIS PET.

> BEHAVIOUR COMES AT THE DETRIMENT OF HIS OWN PERSONAL WELL-BEING.

Nines attempted to exit the file but found himself unable to do so, no matter how many commands were sent to his processor. It remained locked in his consciousness, a branch of cognition demanding expansion:

> DETECTIVE REED DEMONSTRATES SELFLESSNESS.

This proved a step too far for the RK900. It was a notion that verged into the obscene and one he refused to dignify, rejecting the addition as soon as it appeared. This did little to assist, as in the wake of the dismissal, his cognition looped back to the start of the strain. Seemingly just to mock him.

> DETECTIVE REED LIKES ANIMALS.

> COMMON GROUND ESTABLISHED.

His partner, unaware of the pronounced conflict Nines was experiencing, emitted a terse snort.

"Since when are you capable of giving compliments?"

The noise broke his focus, granting the android an opportunity to escape the state of mental paralysis. He looked up at Reed, noting that he had pulled away from his pet in favour of leaning against the countertop. His hands gripped the stained granite, unperturbed by the smear of grease now coating his palms, as he awaited a response.

"It was not intended as a compliment," Nines quickly clarified. "I was simply making an observation—"

Then he stopped himself, the rationalisation trailing off, unfinished. It occurred to him that adopting the man's skewed narrative might simplify matters. Feeding into whatever conclusions Reed wished to draw whilst shamelessly reaping the benefits.

"Feel free to interpret it as one, though, should you wish."

Much to his vexation, the detective remained unconvinced—despite the performance being shaped by this narrative. His eyes narrowed into slits, the corners of his mouth twitching as if considering something. Whatever fleeting thought had passed was quickly discarded with a sharp click of his tongue.

"Let me guess, Connor taught you to say that? Don't pull that fake compassion bullshit on me. It won't work."

Nothing else was said on the matter as Tiffany interrupted them. Beckoning her owner's hand with an insistent mewl, unenthused by its sudden absence.

Reed rolled his eyes, but the gesture was clearly performative as he dutifully resumed his duties. This time, crouching down to reduce the proximity between himself and the animal.

"Jeez, you're a needy bitch..." He cradled the back of her skull, targeting the junction between her ears with gentle presses. "There, head scratches—you happy now?"

Nines grimaced as sticky residue transferred onto the feline, matting her fur. It seemed he was the only one concerned by this, as Tiffany responded gleefully. Rumbled purrs reverberated in the back of her throat, and she rolled into her owner's touch, seeking further contact.

It was an action that Reed had undoubtedly performed countless times and one that also struck Nines with a sense of familiarity.

He wondered how the glossy coat might feel between his own fingertips. How the sensory input would differ from that of his dishevelled, street-bound companions…

His body ached with the need to satiate this curiosity, compelling him to mirror Reed's actions. His knees bent slowly, bringing him to the floor with precise movements. Each motion was carefully calculated to ensure he wouldn't startle the animal.

Despite his caution, Reed responded as though he had brandished a lethal weapon at her. His body tensed as he protectively manoeuvred himself between them.

"Hey, watch it— I'm not kidding around, Nines. She hates everyone. Get any closer, and you'll be android sashimi."

There was little credible threat in the warning. The RK900 was able to withstand military-grade ballistics and was entirely incapable of feeling pain. The worst outcome of an attack from a domestic cat would be the inconvenience of minor cosmetic damage.

Nonetheless, he halted. While his partner's claims could not be verified, he was reluctant to participate in any behaviours that may cause Tiffany undue stress. It seemed best to allow the pet to approach, assessing for herself that he posed no threat.

With a swift calibration of his physical routing, Nines stood up, briskly smoothing out the creases that had formed in his uniform. "Very well."

"...Well…shit." The human whistled low, brows raised, and lips quirked in exaggerated appreciation. "You actually listened to what I said. Full of surprises today, aren't ya?"

Beneath the surface of smug teasing, there appeared to be a hint of sincerity. The man was angled towards him, his posture open and gaze locked forward.

It spat in the face of apathy, as no measure of this behaviour could be determined false. Evidently, there was a part of the human that sought to mirror Nines' current goals—extending his own understanding of his partner.

This curiosity served as the final piece in a rapidly assembling picture he'd created of Reed. It extended past the bounds predicted, and the RK900 sought to expand the scope further with another testing push.

"I could say the same thing about you, Detective."

The coy smirk vanished instantly. His face shifted, features pinching in a bewildered crease. As though seeking to determine the veering turn their conversation was now taking. "...What do you mean by that?"

Reed could have easily ignored the android, attempting to steer off course, but he didn't. There was a part of him, however dormant, that had hoped for this development.

To Nines, it seemed an opportune time to facilitate these wishes. While he lacked the skills required to promote any long-term benefits, he hoped the fleeting psychological release would prove a useful means to an end.

"In the time we have been working together, I have observed certain patterns in your behaviour…" Nines began, tone neutral—but stern enough to probe a response. "While you present yourself as hostile and uncooperative, this seems inconsistent with your underlying motivations."

"Where the hell are you going with this?"

"There must have been a reason you joined the police force. A cynic might suggest a desire for power, but I believe the reality is more compassionate."

Hands folded behind his back, the RK900 honed his gaze with ruthless focus. It was a calculated divergence from the approach of his predecessor, as it had become clear that Reed did not appreciate RK800's signature sympathies.

The gentle intricacies were wasted on him—in favour of a disproportionate value placed on something less nuanced. An instinctive need to engage in conflict to the point he revelled in it.

"You desire to protect those you deem vulnerable. In turn, this makes you feel more assured—powerful."

The words struck their mark flawlessly as Reed bristled in response. He then rose from his crouched position, meeting the challenge head-on." Are you fucking psychoanalysing me?"

Nines knew he couldn't back down—to show any form of weakness or hesitancy. In sticking firm to the current trajectory, he assuredly charged on:

"Whilst preoccupied with archaic views on strength and masculinity, you are a deeply sensitive person. Perhaps wounded from some unresolved trauma. This results in a great deal of insecurity for you."

"You are, aren't you?" Reed attempted to match the assurance, but his underlying resolve proved woefully unequipped to meet these demands.

Cracks had already formed, buckling under increased pressure as his defiant posture began to stoop. Arms wrapped around his chest, a habitual motion he seemed to perform whenever he felt vulnerable.

"Look, I've been real nice to you today, tin-can. Taken you out to lunch, put up with your shit, but this is where I draw the line—"

"I wouldn't call it psychoanalysis. I am simply assessing your physical response to specific statements and stimuli."

With Reed cornered, Nines determined it was time to deliver the final blow. Striking with precision, driving deep into the swell of his concealed chest.

His blade came laced with a subtle mockery, ensuring the words left a sting.

"Your insecurity is unwarranted, at least concerning this aspect of yourself. While you are brash and uncouth, and your work ethic severely lacking, I hesitate to admit that you possess qualities some might consider…endearing."

His pitch shifted towards the end of the sentence, utilising a snippet of the voice sample he had collected from Officer Chen.

Recognition sparked in his partner's eyes, mingled with a building frustration, as he realised he'd been defeated. A tense silence settled between them, leaving Nines in brief anticipation for how his partner may take the loss.

Then, the human responded—jaw clenched with such pronounced tension that he seemed in danger of shattering his teeth. "You ever going to get tired of playing games with me? I bet you think this is funny , don't you?"

The RK900 pondered on this, fully absorbing the man's expression before performing a reading to assess his own response. While there were myriad uncertainties in his capacity to feel—complexities he was still navigating—in this instance, the answer proved straightforward.

"Perhaps."

The confirmation did little to clear the dense fog of contempt that had descended across his partner's gaze. Still, the transparency sought to inspire some secondary sentiment. Glowing embers of curiosity, not yet extinguished, cast a small glow of light through the mist.

Then Reed shook his head as though attempting to rattle the undesired thoughts from his skull. His subsequent address was stiff and insistent, tension betraying an enduring struggle as he brusquely changed the subject.

"You know what? Break time's over; let's talk about work." The man secured a worn plastic chair from a nearby table, flopping into it clumsily. "So—what do we know about our killer so far?"

More than happy to reroute the dialogue to something more substantial, the RK900 complied with the deflection—as entertaining as the teasing had been.

Accessing his temporal link to the DPD directory, he swiftly located the relevant case files. Once prompted, the assigned photos and text revealed themselves, circling around the perimeter of the kitchen. The ordered formation stood in stark contrast with the pronounced clutter it overlaid.

"There have been no eyewitnesses who have come forward for either murder. Aside from what we have ascertained regarding their clothing—namely, that they were wearing a black polyester jacket at the time they murdered the MJ100—we have little to go on in terms of a physical profile."

"That's just peachy, Nines," came a sardonic reply. Reed reclined further in his seat, threatening to tip off it, "but I asked what we did know. Your signals jammed or something?"

Truthfully, there had been a delay in analytical cognition. This was not a consequence of signal disruption, however, but something more tangible.

Tiffany had abandoned her meal in favour of sniffing curiously at his feet. Nines waited to see if she would act in hostility—the veritable flaying Reed had warned of—but no such advent occurred. Instead, she continued to circle his ankles, the relaxed positioning of her back and ears suggesting no aggression.

Reed pulled forward, his chair following the motion with a disconcerting squeak. He observed his pet with stunned bewilderment as if she'd ascended onto her hind legs and begun walking upright.

"... Well, I'll be damned," he eventually said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Nines barely heard him, as all his energy was now focused on keeping the discussion on track. Disregarding the drive to abandon work in favour of scooping Tiffany into his arms, rewarding her geniality with well-deserved praise.

"In regards to the first case, a contact number for Thod Graws has been found in the HR400's diary—

We have been able to trace the number, as well as the SIM card, to its last known location. An outgoing call was made to the victim from a Cedars Motel approximately 12 hours before the murder. No doubt, to arrange a booking for the victim's services."

Gavin pursed his lips at the deduction before humming in muted agreement. "Might be worth asking Reception if they saw anything suspicious…"

He then paused, catching a glimpse of something over the android's shoulder. His attention diverted fully as his lips pulled into a tight frown. "Will have to wait until tomorrow, though. You were right; we've gone well over an hour. Fowler is going to fucking lynch me."

"For what it is worth, I haven't found this experience completely abhorrent." Nines had also looked away, his attention shifting to the purring bundle of fur still rubbing against his legs. "I have enjoyed meeting Tiffany."

"You weren't kidding about being 'comfortable with felines'—I wouldn't have pegged you for an animal lover."

"My interactions with animals have been limited. However, I find that their company is often more pleasant than humans."

Reed looked back at him, his nose wrinkled, bunching the span of his nasal scarring. Then, he started to chuckle, a noise which quickly escalated into a rich laugh.

For a moment, it was as though all contentions between them had been forgotten—something that could have easily been mistaken for camaraderie if viewed from an outside perspective.

"Yeah, well, I guess we can agree on that one."

A prompt flashed on his HUD once again, this time received with significantly more positivity by the android. Releasing that infiltration had been successful, with his partner now open to the possibility of congruity existing between them:

> COMMON GROUND ESTABLISHED.

#ignore that the chapter numbers are now a bit weird #it is the consequence of my own timeline fuckery #dbh #detroit become human #reed900 #dbh nines #dbh gavin #dbh rk900 #dbh fanfiction #dbh fanfic #gavin reed x rk900

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accessiblemindstech · 11 months ago

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storysims · 2 years ago

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HORSE RANCH - GAMEPLAY REVIEW 🤠

Confession time, I actually dislike horses in real life! I have been known to dramatically call them 'vehicles of satan' when pressed, so I was a little concerned about this pack's appeal for me specifically.

But considering I never really wanted horses in the first place, I'm happy to say that I mostly enjoyed my time with the pack! Buckle in, this review turned out to be an especially long one.

I was provided with an early access copy of Horse Ranch to review via the EA Creator Network! Software was not final at the time of my gameplay.

(quick preface - if you see any extreme typos or letters in random places, no you don't! my bird has developed the habit of crashing her little body into my keyboard at high speeds for fun. 😂 catching the typos and fixing them has definitely become a challenge for me! thanks in advance for the patience!)

The easiest place to start both this review and gameplay is the ranch community board! Much like the boards in other packs, this object is scattered throughout the world and contains a wealth of information about new content and events. Important options on the board are also available elsewhere - for example, calling the animal exchange to purchase animals can be found on feeding troughs and horse competitions can be entered from the equestrian center in town. While there isn't a traditional new career included in the pack, ranching has proven to be a full time job. However, options like community jobs and competitions can earn your sim more than enough to keep the ranch running. I was able to easily earn §250 to over §1,000 a day with only my test sim and her horse, and that's not accounting for nectar making and mini sheep + goats!

I chose to start my ranch with a foal and sim fresh out of create-a-sim, but horses of all ages can be purchased from the aforementioned animal exchange! Foals, when compared to full grown horses, have a slightly limited set of interactions and skills. In my opinion, this didn't detract from the experience of having a foal whatsoever! My sim was still able to bottle feed her foal, teach her to eat hay from both the trough & patches of wild grass, and give her lots of loving attention. Of the four available horse skills, foals are only able to progress in the temperament skill! Temperament is a skill built by interacting with and caring for your horse. As their temperament increases, horses exhibit less "undesirable" behaviors, like bucking. Horses with a high temperament skill will have additional social interactions, such as your sim being able to come to them for comfort while in a sad mood. As all of the horse skills go up to level ten, I would highly recommend focusing on temperament with your foals. Foals with a high enough temperament skill even receive a bonus trait after aging up!

After aging up, horses gain access to their remaining three skills: agility, endurance, and jumping. Each of the skills work together to create a well rounded horse, especially for competitions.

Agility - affects how quickly and easily a horse can move. horses with high agility are better at using training barrels, completing certain community jobs, and competitions

Jumping - horses with high jumping skill love to reach for new heights! they are better at using training jumps, completing certain community jobs, and competitions

Endurance - all about how resilient a horse is! a horse with high endurance skill will become fatigued less often, and do better completing certain community jobs, and competitions

Once your sim is able to mount their horse and start riding, they'll begin building the horse riding skill. Don't expect a smooth ride - from a sim's visible discomfort in the saddle to being bucked off, an unexperienced rider will definitely face some difficulties. However, sims with a high enough riding skill will find they can no longer be bucked off horses! Sims are able to go for a ride with their horses at three different speeds - a relaxed, energetic, or intense ride. Much like sending your sim for a jog to build the fitness skill, going for a ride will build your horse's endurance! The more comfortable your sim becomes in the saddle, the faster they'll be able to direct their horse - both while riding for skill and traversing the world.

While the horse riding and endurance skills can be built virtually anywhere, training jumping and agility require two new objects - training barrels and jumps! These can be found dotted around the world or placed on your home lot. As your horse's skill progresses, so will the training options! Sims can add additional jumping rails, direct horses to train alone, or train intently with the horse themselves. Intense training is a great tool - it builds skill faster, but also tires your horse out at an increased rate!

With horse skills covered, it's time to compete! Normal competitions take place every day from 7am to 7pm at the rabbit hole equestrian center in the Historic Appaloosa neighborhood. You can compete in four different competitions - Barrel Racing, Endurance Racing, Show Jumping, and Western Pleasure. Each competition has four levels of entry - beginner, intermediate, expert, and master. As your horse rises through the different competition levels, different skills will be required for entry. An expert barrel race, for example, will require both agility and endurance. Sims aren't exempt from skill requirements either! They'll need to meet the required horse riding skill for each competition. Every Saturday in game, the Ultimate Horse Championship takes place at the equestrian center. This challenge will require both you and your horse to have maxed all the new horse related skills.

Placing at the Ultimate Horse Championship is a requirement for the aspiration, so any aspiring champions will want to make sure they're in the best possible position to win - especially since this is a once a week activity. Prior to competing in any competition, I found it especially helpful to initiate the 'encourage training' interaction with my horse. If all the horse's needs are met, they will become confident! Confident horses do better in competitions. After completing the Championship Rider aspiration, your sim will receive the Grand Champ Trainer trait. Sims with this trait are able to train horses faster, build more fun while riding, sell horses for a higher price, and give competition advice to new riders.

In addition to purchasing horses, your sim can also rescue a horse! Rescue horses come at a reduced cost (§250 vs §1000), but also tend to have more negative traits, like being aggressive or defiant. The game even goes as far as to warn you about the 'difficulties' of rescue horses before choosing one, but that absolutely shouldn't be a deterrent. Difficult traits and all, there were few differences in training up my rescue. He needed a bit more reassurance during training, but he became a champion regardless.

Two horses of the opposite sex are able to breed, provided their relationship is high enough! Much like with cats and dogs, sims will have the option to encourage the horses to interact and eventually breed. Horse pregnancy in game was astoundingly fast - just hours after breeding, a notification and a small baby bump confirmed the pregnancy! Pregnant horses cannot be ridden or compete in competitions.

Pregnant horses will labor for a handful of in game hours before a foal magically appears alongside them. Foals born in game have the ability to be born with unique traits, such as curious, playful, and hardy! Horse genetics matter! If one (or both?) of the parents have won competitions, foals can also inherit the Champion Genes trait. This trait allows for faster skill building and a higher sale value for the horse.

Let's talk about unicorns. While they do actually sparkle in game, unicorns are unfortunately not a new occult in this pack - they're just normal horses. A unicorn horn can be applied to any horse from the 'head' category and will remain on the horse through outfit changes - much like tattoos or skin details for sims. Foals can also be unicorns, albeit their horn is a bit different! Until they age up into an adult horse, their horn will be a tiny nub.

Mini goats and sheep are the real stars of the pack in my eyes! Not only are they incredibly cute, they provide help in the garden and help your sim earn money! Most importantly unlike the livestock in Cottage Living, the minis aren't tied to an object. Fill your pockets full of sheep or goats and take a community job. These little guys will host a goat yoga class or even a sheep sleep study! Sheep and goats also provide wool and milk, respectively. Without Cottage Living installed, these are instantly sold for simoleons. With a high enough relationship, your sim can ask for help in the garden - sheep eat weeds and goats eat bugs! (Full disclosure, I did have some issues with this in early access. Maybe my lot was too big, maybe they don't like planters! I've seen a sheep eat weeds though, so who knows?) Additionally, if your rancher is feeling a little sleepy during the day, find a fluffy friend and talk to them about counting sheep! You'll have a quick (and adorable) power nap!

Sims can now make nectar! This skill goes up to level five and even has an aspiration to match. While leveling up in the nectar skill is a slow process, it pays off! If your rancher has the time to make nectar, it's a great somewhat passive source of income. Nectar needs to age to become profitable, which means you won't be selling your freshly made nectar any time soon. Store your unopened nectar in the new storage rack to start aging! While the storage racks can be placed anywhere, nectar will age faster in a basement. In addition to increasing profits, aging nectar also enhances any benefits associated with it. Different types of nectar provide different perks, which are listed below!

Apple Nectar - helps sims feel inspired. if nectar is at least lightly aged, inspiration persists after nectar wears off

Grape Nectar - helps sims feel confident. if nectar is at least lightly aged, a confident feeling persists after nectar wears off

Strawberry Nectar - helps sims feel flirty. if the nectar is at least lightly aged, a flirty feeling persists after nectar wears off

Potato Nectar - helps sims feel especially happy, or the opposite if they overdo it. if nectar is at least lightly aged, the consequences of overdoing it are significantly reduced

Prairie Grass Nectar - helps sims feel happy and reduces tension. surprisingly filling! if nectar is at least lightly aged, tension and hunger reduction is stronger

Trash Nectar - helps sims feel happy while making them a bit smelly. animals seem to react quite positively. having nectar that is at least lightly aged will improve the smell

Energy Nectar - helps sims feel happy and staves off sleep for a short time. if nectar is at least lightly aged, sims get more energy and happy feeling persists after nectar wears off

Vitality Nectar - helps sims feel happy. extends vitality for the living by a little, and for the dead by a lot

Berry Nectar - helps sims feel happy. if nectar is at least lightly aged, happy feeling persists after nectar wears off

Fruit Nectar - helps sims feel happy. if nectar is at least lightly aged, happy feeling persists after nectar wears off

In addition to these, there's three additional nectar types that can be made with different packs installed. I was not able to make them, even after having access to all of the packs. They were unlisted in the nectar maker. In the interest of including a full list, the missing nectar types are:

Plasma Nectar (requires Vampires) - helps vampire sims feel happy and refreshed. non-vampires should avoid. if nectar is at least lightly aged, vampire refreshment greatly increases

Valerian Nectar (requires Realm of Magic) - helps sims feel happy, with a little something extra for spellcasters. if nectar is at least lightly aged, spellcaster effects increase significantly

Moonpetal Nectar (requires Werewolves) - helps sims feel happy. werewolves may enjoy an increased sense of calm. beware, any werewolf who drinks too much will surely struggle to maintain control...

I'll be the first to admit - it was a bit of a bummer seeing another single step aspiration, especially one where I viewed the §100,000 goal as completely unattainable. Spoiler alert, its not. I've never made more money in this game than I have selling nectar! By the time my early access period ended, I had made just shy of half a million simoleons. After completing the aspiration, your sim will be rewarded with the Nectar-Know-It-All trait. These sims have the ability to craft pre-aged nectar, a stronger bladder while drinking nectar, and their negative emotions have less influence on their current mood.

Nectar is plenty profitable when sold normally, but this man is completely responsible for my unreasonable amount of early access wealth. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the Mysterious Rancher will appear in New Appaloosa and offer to buy your nectar for above face value - he claims nectar is in high demand every time, even though I surely singlehandedly ruined the nectar economy. For comparisons sake, I took 6 bottles of nectar to the rancher. In my sim's inventory, those bottles would have sold for §15,834. The Mysterious Rancher, however, paid §19,795. All of my sims are about to be incredibly rich.

As I said before, ultimately I did really end up enjoying this pack! For me personally, enjoyment doesn't always mean I would recommend something. If you love horses, I truly think this pack will be a great experience for you! My personal opinion is that I found the gameplay extremely repetitive. I don't see myself playing with horses again any time soon, and you will absolutely never catch me entering the Ultimate Horse Competition again. Ultimately, while fun, this just isn't a pack that I would pay full price for.

#the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 horse ranch #eacreatornetwork #eagamechangers

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