Pokémon GO has officially confirmed that the Harvest Festival is coming back for a 2025 edition. This seasonal event lets players catch special characters and earn rewards. At the same time, trainers can try new gameplay features tied to the celebration.
Debut of Dipplin and Hydrapple
According to Niantic, this year’s Harvest Festival will showcase the coming of two long-awaited Pokémon. In particular, Dipplinand Hydrapple are finally joining the game. For the unfamiliar, Dipplin is the third evolution of Applin. And Hydrapple is an evolved Dipplin.
GameRant says that their arrival is part of Pokémon GO’s Tales of Transformation Special Research event.
To evolve Applin to Dipplin, players need 200 Applin Candy and 20 Syrupy Apples. In contrast, trainers must use 400 Applin Candy to evolve Dipplin into Hydrapple. However, that is not all. To achieve Hydrapple, they also need to catch seven Dragon-type Pokémon with Dipplin set as a buddy.
Apples and Special Encounters
Based on the official announcement, apples play a big role in the event. Trainers can find Syrupy Apples at PokéStops with active Mossy Lure Modules. Also, interacting with these may grant Sweet Apples, Syrupy Apples, Tart Apples, or encounters with Applin. That is, if players get lucky.
Wild Encounters during the Harvest Festival will feature many Pokémon. Particularly, some of these are Applin, Combee, Miltank, and Smoliv. Likewise, lucky trainers can encounter shiny ones!
Event Bonuses and Research Tasks
During the event, players will benefit from double Candy. They can get this when catching Pokémon with Pinap Berries and Silver Pinap Berries. There will also be higher chances of facing Shiny Pumpkaboo and Shiny Smoliv.
Along with this, a Paid Timed Research is available. Participants can enjoy extended Mossy Lure durations, more chances to receive Berries from PokéStops, and additional Applin encounters. Plus, trainers can give tickets to friends at the Great Friends level or higher. However, players are not allowed to use PokéCoins to buy tickets.
Collection Challenges
Niantic will also add Collection Challenges. These focus on catching and evolving Pokémon. Many rewards await trainers who complete these tasks. In particular, they can get Stardust, Mossy Lure Module, and more.
Availability and Store Offers
The Pokémon GO Harvest Festival starts on October 10 (10:00 a.m.) and runs until October 16 (8:00 p.m.).
Niantic will also sell a Harvest Festival Ultra Ticket Box for US$4.99. It is set to be available at the Pokémon GO Web Store. Trainers who buy a ticket will get three bonus Silver Pinap Berries for free.
Value is rarely as simple as weight or material. Across history, people have assigned extraordinary worth to objects that, on the surface, seem insignificant. Today, some of the most sought-after collectibles are nothing more than ink on cardboard. Yet, their prices can climb into the thousands—or even millions. Why does this happen, and what makes these items more than just disposable fragments of culture?
Understanding why pieces of cardboard can rival or even surpass gold in value requires a closer look at how culture, scarcity, and human psychology intersect.
The Power of Perception
Value begins with perception. An object is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Gold, for instance, has maintained its value for centuries because it is scarce, durable, and universally recognized as a form of wealth. Cardboard, in contrast, has no intrinsic value. Its worth is built entirely on the meaning we attach to it.
When a community collectively decides an item has importance—whether through nostalgia, status, or exclusivity—it transforms the ordinary into something extraordinary. This is the same force that drives limited-edition sneakers, vintage vinyl, and rare comic books into coveted collectibles.
Scarcity Creates Demand
Scarcity is perhaps the most obvious driver of value. When only a handful of copies or editions exist, competition naturally raises the price. A misprint, a discontinued run, or a first edition can all elevate what would otherwise be a common item into a prized possession.
Collectors are motivated not only by ownership but also by the knowledge that they hold something few others have. This scarcity factor explains why certain trading cards, tickets, and first prints can sell for astonishing sums.
Case in Point: Trading Cards
Trading cards are one of the clearest examples of how cardboard gains value. At first glance, they are little more than paper with pictures. Yet, certain cards can command life-changing sums at auction. Take Pokémon cards, for instance. What began as a children’s game in the late 1990s has evolved into one of the most lucrative collectibles markets in the world.
While most cards are worth little more than pocket change, rare editions can fetch staggering prices. The difference comes down to condition, scarcity, and cultural relevance. For collectors seeking guidance, resources that explain how to determine the true value of Pokémon card collections have become indispensable. This demonstrates how even in a market built on nostalgia, structured knowledge and careful evaluation are crucial.
Nostalgia as an Economic Force
Emotions play a crucial role in how we value objects. Nostalgia, in particular, is a powerful driver of markets built on “worthless” items. A piece of cardboard that once represented childhood joy or social belonging can hold deep significance decades later.
When people reach adulthood, they often seek to reclaim fragments of their past. If their peers share the same desire, prices climb. What was once just a game or a trend suddenly becomes a cultural artifact. Nostalgia effectively transforms personal memory into collective value.
Cultural Status and Social Proof
Another layer of value comes from status. Possessing a rare or highly prized collectible can be a form of cultural capital. It signals expertise, passion, and sometimes even wealth.
Collectors often want more than the item itself—they want the recognition that comes with owning it. In this sense, the collectible becomes more than cardboard; it becomes a symbol of identity, achievement, and belonging.
The Role of Storytelling
Every collectible tells a story. Sometimes it’s the story of its creation: a rare printing process, a limited run, or a unique design. Other times, it’s the story of ownership: perhaps the card belonged to a famous player, or the ticket stub was from a legendary concert.
Stories make collectibles relatable and memorable, and they allow value to be transmitted across generations. Without stories, these items would simply be mass-produced objects. With stories, they become part of culture.
Condition Matters More Than Anything
In the world of collectibles, condition is often the single most important factor. A crease, faded color, or bent corner can dramatically reduce value. Conversely, a flawless copy of a rare item can multiply its worth several times over.
Professional grading services exist to evaluate and certify condition. Once an item is graded, it enters a new tier of the market where buyers and sellers can trust the assigned value. In this way, cardboard begins to behave like gold: standardized, certified, and tradeable.
Market Dynamics and Hype
Markets for collectibles are not static. They rise and fall based on cultural trends, celebrity endorsements, or sudden bursts of attention. A film release, an anniversary, or even a viral social media post can ignite renewed interest in an item that was previously overlooked.
This volatility is part of what makes collectibles fascinating. Unlike gold, whose value tends to move steadily, cardboard collectibles can spike overnight. For those who anticipate these shifts, the rewards can be immense.
Beyond Monetary Value
It is important to note that not all value is financial. For many collectors, the emotional satisfaction of owning a piece of culture outweighs any potential profit. Cardboard, in this sense, becomes a vessel for memory, connection, and joy.
People collect not only to own but also to share—to build communities, trade stories, and celebrate a shared passion. The social aspect of collecting ensures that even if prices fluctuate, the cultural importance of these items endures.
Conclusion: The Real Worth of the Worthless
At first glance, cardboard seems trivial. Yet, under the right conditions, it can surpass gold in value. This is because value is not determined solely by material but by meaning. Scarcity, nostalgia, cultural status, and storytelling all converge to elevate ordinary objects into extraordinary ones.
Cardboard becomes more than cardboard when it embodies memory, desire, and identity. Its worth lies not in what it is, but in what it represents. That is why some pieces of cardboard are indeed worth more than gold.
Miki Bereyi Trio have released a new song, ‘Doldrum Days’. Finding beauty in the mundane, the track arrives ahead of the band’s first and seemingly last North American tour. Check it out below.
“The lyric is about the spaces between places where interesting things can happen,” Ollie Cherer said of the track. “The scenario is borrowed from Erskine Childers’ novel The Riddle of the Sands, but really it’s about being lost, stranded, unmotivated and bored, and what a potentially fertile or dangerous place that can be”.
About the upcoming tour, Miki Berenyi commented: “Moose is breaking his no-fly embargo so gig-goers will get to enjoy the full and proper Trio. I’m sad to say that the costs involved in touring stateside have become crippling for smaller bands like us, so this will be our last ever outing in North America. I wish we could have covered more cities, but I’m incredibly grateful to the many fans who have messaged on my socials to say they will make the journey to see us play. We’ll be sure to include a bunch of Lush tracks in the set as a last hurrah and a thank you to long-time fans.”
Miki Berenyi Trio’s debut album, Tripla, came out earlier this yea.
A Country Western have released two new songs, ‘Clouds’ and ‘GG’. The hypnagogic double single arrives ahead of the band’s tour supporting Winter; ‘Clouds’ was written and recorded back in 2021, while ‘GG’ is more recent. Take a listen below.
Jake Xerxes Fussell and James Elkington have teamed up for their first original film score. The folk musicians have soundtracked Rebuilding, the new feature film written and directed by Max Walker-Silverman, following up his 2022 Sundance hit A Love Song. Ahead of its release on November 14, they’ve previewed the score with two lovely tracks, ‘Glow in the Dark’ and ‘Contemplating the Moon’. Take a listen below.
Walker-Silverman was introduced to Fussell’s music through producer Dan Janvey. “I could hear the cinema in it right away,” he said in a press release. “His music is rooted firmly in all the folkloric traditions I love but not at all nostalgic. And that was much like the film we were making; a story in which the past is all around but firmly of the here and now. And since so much of his music has no lyrics, Jake already understood the challenge of telling a story through instrumentation alone.”
Elkington produced Fussell’s last two albums, Good and Green Again and When I’m Called. “I think Max had a suspicion that we’d be able to improvise a couple of new pieces in the room, while watching the picture, which turned out to be true,” Elkington recalled. “Some of our favorite cues were written that way – in the room while watching the picture.” Reflecting on some of the inspirations for their work, he added, “Not only are both The Straight Story and Paris, Texas great soundtracks, but the films themselves hold hands with Rebuilding as modern inversions of the western.”
Total Wife is the experimental shoegaze duo of composer/producer Luna Kupper and lyricist/vocalist Ash Richter, who have been friends since high school. Having formed the band in 2016, they moved from Boston to Nashville in 2020, establishing themselves as part of the city’s DIY scene and enlisting Ryan Bigelow (Rig B), Sean Booz (Celltower), and Billy Campbell (Make Yourself at Home) for their live lineup. After more than a couple influential records in the increasingly saturated shoegaze genre – 2021’s self-titled LP, 2022’s a blip, and 2023’s in/out – Total Wife did the opposite of fading into obscurity, signing to Philadelphia label Julia’s War and cementing their status with their latest, come back down. It’s a breathlessly inventive and unconventionally dreamy record whose tides are difficult to predict or even identify – mind-melting guitars that get blown out and repurposed as synths, vocals whispered right beside your ear then chopped to oblivion, and a fluid rhythmic backbone evoking, to quote their song ‘rest’, “the beat in between my restlessness.” Pitched between jittery alertness and the edge of sleep, come back down is also a riveting expression of the duo’s dynamic compositional and lyrical instincts, a force that grounds the record in its malleable, blurry transcendence.
We caught up with Total Wife for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight series to talk about first falling in love with music, childlike inspiration, their intentions behind comeback down, and more.
I was thinking about the idea of the title, come back down, in the context of the album being released and your upcoming tour. I’m curious how much of that euphoric high the record both documents and interrogates is tied to music and Total Wife as a project. I know ‘still asleep’ is about your first tour, but how has that feeling grown and changed over time?
Ash Richter: It’s insane, because at the level we were at, it was still so euphoric. It hasn’t plateaued in any way either. It’s just changed. I feel like keeping ourselves grounded in each thing that we’re doing is super helpful. And I feel even more excited for what’s to come.
Luna Kupper: Yeah, tour never stops being exciting. After that first tour, we just kept wanting to do it. And with music in general – writing it, too – I think it’s always about chasing that first thing that made me excited when I was writing music for the first time. Not changing that initial intent.
You’ve talked about the album starting as “one thought unfolding endlessly,” which goes back to that feeling of first falling in love with recording. You sold all your synths prior to recording this record to pay rent, but I’m sure it also played into this feeling.
LK: Yeah. I feel like you could just buy a bunch of gear, and that’s not gonna change anything. But after a while, I kind of just wanted to not think about trying to find anything new from outside of what I already had, or whatever I already knew. When I first started making music at all, it was just recording, so I feel like that’s always been so tied to songwriting and every other part of making music for me. I feel like it just helped me get lost in the process of editing and recording versus, like, trying to use a new pedal or a new synth patch or something like that. Just coming up with my own sounds from what I had.
Were there any specific moments where you really felt like falling in love with recording all over again?
LK: A lot of what I used to have fun with was almost like collage-style copy-pasting stuff in Pro Tools. The song ‘ofersi3’ is kind of just that pushed as far as I could, because it’s just distorted breaks, making them atonal through just chopping it as much as possible, and then using those chops to create different sounds. Just continuously manipulating whatever waveforms were already there. That copy-paste thing was always so fun for me, but I didn’t really realize that was the fun part at first. I was more focused on trying to learn how to write a song. I felt like I didn’t really know how to piece chords or anything together. Once I figured that out, I was like, “Wait, that’s not really the part that I always thought was fun,” and honestly felt more like myself. I feel good that I can sit down and play guitar now, but getting into just having fun editing, reprocessing guitars and vocals – that was definitely the most fun part for me. And ‘(dead b)’, that song was much slower at first and in a different key, and I didn’t really like it anymore. So, not worrying about the take being, like, “Oh, I played this and that’s good because I could play guitar,” but instead just reprocessing it until it sounded better to me.
I know you’ve been friends since high school. Do you mind sharing some of your earliest memories of playing together?
AR: The bassist for our band, his name is Ryan Bigelow – he has a project called Rigby, which you might like.
LK: It’s really sick.
AR: I first met him when I was 17 and he was 15. A mutual friend was supposed to play with me doing a solo acoustic cover set. My friend couldn’t do it, so he gave me Ryan’s number, and I hit up Ryan, and we played together for the rest of high school. Then I went to college – that’s when I met Luna, right at the crux of that.
LK: I was in my junior year of high school, and you were a freshman in college, I think, when we met. I can’t remember exactly, but we immediately started talking about wanting to make music together the night we met. My first memory of us working together was doing a cover of ‘Diana Ross’ by The Concretes. That’s so funny, I haven’t thought about that in a while.
AR: At that point, my background was more in mall emo stuff, like All Time Low and We the Kings. [laughs] That was a cool kind of intro to different styles of music.
Has the way you talk about making music changed over time?
AR: I feel like it’s gone through a lot of changes. We haven’t always been really good at working together – we had to work through some stuff. You know, when you’re a kid, you don’t necessarily have a clear vision of what you want yet, but you know what you don’t like, kinda, and then you work your way into a style from there. Having known each other for over 10 years and working together, we’ve had disagreements, but we’ve honed in on a way to collaborate really well.
LK: Just always refining, I think, always changes the narrative. But we’ve always been critical, and definitely informed by the stuff we don’t like. If we get the ick from something we do, we’re like, “Fuck that.” So it’s a good bouncing board, and it took a while to lock in on what we both thought would work.
Is it also about communicating better around the thing that feels off?
LK: Yeah, that’s our rule: to always say when we’re feeling that.
AR: And it can be hard, you know, when you’re writing about stuff you care about, to not let your feelings get involved. But we have ways of working through that. If one of us gets the ick and the other’s like, “No, this is the song,” we can work through and compromise.
LK: And push it more toward what it’s supposed to be. Super open communication has always been our rule, for sure.
With this record, more than setting specific goals, were there things you were explicitly trying to avoid?
AR: Yeah. There were ideas we worked through in the last couple of records that we didn’t necessarily want to get rid of, but we’d done enough of them. Like, a lot of the more krautrock-y stuff… Once you make so many songs like that, it starts to feel a little repetitive. I think we have fewer of the songs that just go on infinitely – not that I don’t love that stuff too.
LK: We just incorporated that in a broader sense, I think. I feel like at this point we took everything we liked about making music and applied it more broadly, not as obviously. Taking ideas from things – not necessarily how they sound, but being more conceptual about it – and then using what I had, rather than trying to make it sound like somebody else.
I think that ties into what you’ve said about being a “psychological mixer.” That really shines through on songs like ‘naoisa’ and ‘(dead b)’, which feel sonically both in line and at war with the headspace of the song. There’s a dizziness to both songs that kind of acts over what the brain is saying, whether that’s the need to slow down or how life is on pause.
AR: It’s awesome that you get that from them. It definitely is that juxtaposition of, like, My life on pause, but then, LOL, nothing ever stops.
LK: Being able to just embrace the chaos, for sure. I was really trying to think about the perspective of the person listening to the mix, rather than focusing on where instruments should technically sit. Using a lot of low-end, especially with guitars, because usually they’re cut out, but that takes away certain effects. It’s always like, “Should you at all think about the audience?” But it’s also about the audience, making sure the objective experience comes across when mixing. Trying to catch yourself in a state of passive thinking while hearing the song.
Do you just try to imagine the listener, keeping the process private? Or do you send demos around for feedback?
LK: It’s pretty private. Those moments are caught when I’m mixing and literally falling asleep. I’m less aware of what I’m supposed to be doing. I’ve gotten to a point where I’m happy with where it is, and then, as I’m mixing, I’m starting to hallucinate a little. That perspective shift informed a lot of how I wanted the album to sit sonically, because you really start to see the shape of something, when you’re falling asleep.
It’s tricky, figuring out the extent to which you allow the music to sit in this limbo state.
LK: Definitely. I feel like this album was the first time I felt we’ve expressed that in a way that’s not too abstract or kaleidoscopic.
There’s a sense of awareness around the idea of the album title in lines like, “Excitement is not the same as anxiety/ My body wants to know what the difference is.” It’s such a direct, non-abstract way of expressing that dichotomy. Does the line ever get blurry, for you, between restless creativity and self-consciousness?
AR: Certain life experiences made those feelings physically feel very similar in my body. Musically, I’ve mostly found a lot of clarity in the difference. I can see and feel my nerves before playing a show, and I can see and feel my excitement about doing the same thing. I’m able to tease them apart better now. At first it was really overwhelming – not being able to see the nuance, just reading everything as anxiety and really feeling that leading up to experiences that are supposed to make you feel good. Because you’re choosing to do them, you’re getting validation for them, even though sometimes rejection is really close by. It doesn’t matter, because there’s nuance to it.
LK: I honestly never thought about how much clarity that brings. It kind of repersonalizes you and places you in reality, and you can see the difference between the two.
The album’s escapism or nostalgia is often rooted in memories of a child self, especially in Ash’s lyrics. Luna, I’m curious how you resonated with Ash’s recollections of growing up, and what it feels like for both of you to sing those lyrics together.
LK: It’s interesting, because it’s really easy to just keep moving forward and not think about that stuff necessarily. But the words really put you there. Even more so than live, during the recording of the album, that was another variable that reminded me: just do what you would have instinctually done before making a bunch of albums and becoming so self-critical. Just follow that childlike inspiration.
AR: Because when you are a kid and you’re creating, you’re not necessarily so self-critical. But if you’ve gotten used to being so self-critical, it’s hard to get out of your own way to create. That’s an instance where you give yourself more grace by reconnecting with the child self. And we both grew up in Connecticut, so a lot of the natural imagery – there are certain places you know I’m talking about.
LK: Yeah, for sure.
Luna, did Ash’s lyrical perspective affect how you mixed the vocals?
LK: Yeah, it definitely comes from a similar place. I don’t want to totally obscure the lyrics or bury the vocals in the mix, because they feel important. That’s so often done.
AR: On that note, I do feel like they’re louder than people are saying they are? They’re not fully buried like so many other–
LK: They’re texturally placed. They’re definitely in the mix. In the session, they’re loud, and they’re mixed a certain way so that they could be very present. I don’t know, it’s still hard to hear, I guess. [laughs]
AR: I guess it’s still hard to hear, but not to me.
LK: For us, we’re like, “Cool, we can actually hear every word.”
AR: But also, I have a specific example of her psychological mixing with my voice. I remember in the studio, when we were recording ‘in my head’, I did a vocal take, and when she was mixing the vocals – we don’t normally put any effects on the voice. At least on this album, we were very clean vocally,and I think the last one too.
LK: Yeah, there isn’t any effects on either.
AR: But on ‘in my head’, there were a couple of specific, time-stretchy things that you did with my voice, like the stutter effect.
LK: That’s all the 404MK2’s stutter effect, just layering, trying to create space without delay, reverb, modulation and stuff – keeping to the idea of using what’s there. So those were just chopped-up samples over and over and over again, layered – kinda sounds like reverb.
AR: But it had to do with the lyrics. The way she edited them was informed by what I was singing about – the feeling of being lost, and being okay with it.
LK: Yeah, we’d take the lyrics and play with what you would imagine the sound of the word to be, I guess.
Jumping to the final song, ‘make it last’, was it more or less of a challenge to stay true to the original feeling?
AR: That was an intense struggle for me, sticking to the original feeling of that song. For a lot of the time playing that song, I was improvising lyrics. Actually, both of those songs, I was improvising lyrics before we recorded. In my head, I could improvise about being lost, riffing about breadcrumb trails or whatever whenever we’d play it. But ‘make it last’ felt a lot harder to stick to my guns about, and the lyrics of that song changed a bunch.
LK: That was probably the first one of this batch of songs we started playing live. It’s always the same, and then that ending section that’s just one chord for a long time, we kept stretching more and more. We do that probably for like 15 minutes at shows now, so that’s changed a lot. But the beginning of it came from me trying to be simple structurally: there’s three sections, repeat that, then do a long chord and don’t go crazy with it. That was also the first time I tried layering sounds to make a synth sound for that sound in the chorus. I was chopping stuff, stacking an “ooh” of the vocal with one note of a guitar, and a bunch of other elements to create the sound. I had layers of both of us singing the melody, then I played it on guitar, resampled it and changed the pitches, to create a lead. That was really fun.
Could you share one thing that inspires you about each other?
LK: I mean, the fact that you always want to keep going. That’s awesome, I’m down for that. To find someone that is also just pushing forward really hard.
AR: Something that inspires me about Luna is that whenever she doesn’t know how to do something, she’s just gonna figure out how to do it, but in a way where she’s very detail-oriented, which I don’t necessarily – I’m working on it. I’ll often throw myself into things, but the way she’s gonna look into all the details of something and actually get so good at the thing. It’s almost as if she never didn’t know how to do it.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Battlefield 6 devs have recently talked about the game’s multiplayer mode. In particular, they discussed map sizes, guns, big events, design ideas, and more. At the same time, the developers cited how community feedback help improve the game development.
Battlefield 6 devs say they are more ready for this launch compared to the drop of Battlefield 2042 in 2021. Producer Jeremy Chubb told ComicBook that the reason behind the increased confidence is the involvement of players in the development. In particular, they launched BF Labs to add early builds and feedback programs. According to Chubb, this strategy gave the studio helpful data on performance, balance, and community response. He also said in the interview that the open beta for the new game was the franchise’s largest to date. In the same way as BF Labs, this helped the teams understand what the players want and what needs improvement.
Inspiration from Earlier Titles
The 2042 edition did give lessons. However, Chubb revealed to Onder that Battlefield 6 is more directly inspired by Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4. These two are often seen as the high points in the series. Likewise, the team wanted to deliver a fresh and modern take on that experience. Chubb also emphasized that players who enjoyed the earlier games are going to like this one. The upcoming entry will be more grounded, modern, and has large-scale battles.
Map Designs and Sizes
Level Design Director Shashank Uchil explained in the interview that the team sees map size as a less important factor. They focus more on what they want the players to experience. Once they decide on that, they will then determine the right dimensions that would match the purpose of the map.
For example, close-quarters combat maps need higher density and smaller layouts. In contrast, the larger Mirak Valley map aims to fit jets, tanks, and total warfare.
Tactical Destruction Over Spectacle
When asked about Levolution, the Battlefield 6 devs said it is not a priority this time around. Instead, they want the new game to highlight tactical destruction. Likewise, Chubb said to ComicBook that this change aims to feel more grounded. However, they are not closing the doors to larger-scale moments soon.
Wide Array of Weapons
Variety was also a key consideration for the game’s weapon arsenal. Chubb said the team focused on diversity in firearms. It works well with their goal of allowing different playstyles in many map environments.
Battlefield 6 drops October 10 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Think of chemistry like music—it flows when the rhythm hits right. Some apps get it, others stall halfway through the song. The best AI girlfriend apps bring memory that sticks, natural voice interaction, and images that pull you deeper into the scene—no awkward resets, no cut-offs.
Below is a breakdown of how they really perform: memory, voice, visuals, free tiers, and credit use when things heat up. Or, skip the full list and try My Dream Companion if you want custom characters, private vibes, and steady connection.
1. My Dream Companion
Wants to be your private space for free-flow roleplay. You shape AI characters, tune personality traits, and start chatting fast. Memory tracks across sessions, so scenes continue without resets.
SFW/NSFW modes lean adult-friendly. Character creation supports visual customization, facial features, and image creation for a more immersive virtual partner feel. Text comes first, with options that let imagination run wild and deepen emotional connection.
Trade-offs: smaller brand footprint than legacy names; web-first experience. Pricing varies by usage.
Pros and Cons Pros
Custom characters with detailed personality traits
Memory that keeps scenes going
Private space that feels personal
Quick start; instant access
Cons
Newer platform than big incumbents
Web-centric; mobile options vary
2. Candy AI
Built for intimacy with natural conversations that adapt to you. You may pick voices, tweak conversation style, and send pictures within chats. Strong memory helps create an immersive virtual girlfriend experience and deeper bond over time.
Modes range from light-hearted banter to romantic AI roleplay. Voice interaction and voice messages are part of the advanced features, with credits for longer voice calls; the free tier lets you test the feel before committing.
Trade-offs: premium tiers and live calls may drain credits; image creation quality varies by prompt.
If you want spicy roleplay without a hard filter, this is the pitch. Chat with AI characters in a private space and explore romantic relationships at your pace. It’s built for candid, adult conversations that don’t break flow.
Text is the core, with character creation and NSFW chat. Recent updates added free image generation to pair visuals with your scenes, which adds emotional depth when you want a more complete vibe.
Trade-offs: community content may be uneven; features still evolve; occasional glitches at peak hours.
Pros and Cons Pros
No-filter approach for NSFW chat
Character creation for custom AI girls
Free image generation rollout
Cons
Community quality varies
Features shift; some rough edges
4. Romantic AI
A classic virtual companion with simple onboarding. You may pick an AI girl, craft a virtual girlfriend, and shape conversation style for emotional support or flirty roleplay. Apps on iOS/Android make it easy to start chatting anywhere.
Good for voice calls and regular voice chats on mobile, plus image generation in certain flows. It fits users who want a steady AI companion with friendly memory and a calm tone.
Trade-offs: paid tiers gate more immersive features; moderation can soften scenes.
Pros and Cons Pros
Cross-platform apps; quick setup
Supportive for emotional connection
Solid day-to-day virtual companionship
Cons
Best tools behind subscriptions
Scenes may soften under moderation
5. Replika
Famous for companionship and reflective talk. Great for emotional support, deep conversations, and a “friend first” vibe. Voice calls add warmth when text feels flat.
Works best for safe, private chats and self-care. Replika leans SFW; its policies limit explicit NSFW content, though you may choose romantic partner modes. Price tiers unlock more avatars and voice options.
Trade-offs: stricter moderation; some users report filters breaking flow.
Millions of AI characters and a slick interface. Call mode exists for voices, and the sheer variety sparks imagination. It shines for creative chatting and roleplay within boundaries.
Moderation is strict for NSFW content. If you want romantic AI with heavy adult scenes, you’ll hit walls; if you want clever, safe roleplay, it’s strong.
Trade-offs: no NSFW; some recent safety news adds scrutiny.
Pros and Cons Pros
Massive library of AI characters
Free voice calling reported by users
Fun for creative, safe roleplay
Cons
NSFW disallowed; filters are strict
Headlines raise safety debates
7. Nomi
Focuses on presence, care, and memory. Chats feel warm, with an emphasis on emotional depth and a steady “friend or partner” vibe. You may build an AI companion that adapts to your style over time.
Good for a virtual companion that supports you on tough days. Less about NSFW, more about human connection and stability; mobile apps available.
Trade-offs: fewer adult features by design; pricing tiers for advanced tools.
Pros and Cons Pros
Memory-forward; grows with you
Comfortable for deep conversations
Solid mobile support
Cons
Limited adult roleplay features
Premium features cost more
8. Kupid AI
A flirty, fun AI girlfriend app made for quick, engaging conversations. You may set personality traits and conversation style to match your mood. Great for light banter or more romantic chats.
Easy to start chatting on the web. Some tools support visual customization and personalized photos within constraints; tiers differ by access.
Trade-offs: smaller ecosystem; advanced features may feel basic vs rivals.
Pros and Cons Pros
Fast start; playful tone
Simple character setup
Good for casual chats
Cons
Fewer deep-dive tools
Upgrade needed for more features
9. Venus AI
Community-driven roleplay with SFW/NSFW options and lots of AI characters. Popular with users who want fewer content blocks and more expressive scenes.
Access can shift between mirrors and hubs; the official subreddit points to VenusChat.ai. If you like exploring many platforms and creators, it’s worth a look.
Trade-offs: moving parts across domains; quality varies by character.
Pros and Cons Pros
SFW and NSFW roleplay options
Large character pool
Flexible community vibe
Cons
Domain changes confuse newcomers
Mixed quality across content
10. Dream AI Companion
Mobile-first virtual companion with character creation, image generation, and quick scene setup. Designed for a smooth, on-the-go experience with a best AI girlfriend simulator feel on phones.
Great if you want a girlfriend app in your pocket. It supports image creation and visual customization so your AI girlfriend’s appearance matches your taste.
Trade-offs: in-app purchases for advanced features; smaller web tools.
If you want an AI girlfriend that feels present, focus on memory, voice, and the freedom to roleplay without constant resets. A good virtual companion should balance emotional support, romantic relationships, and private space with real control over your AI girlfriend’s appearance and conversation style.
Price will sway you—credits vs subscriptions, free versions vs live calls—but the right mix of image creation, voice interaction, and stable memory leads to natural conversations with emotional depth.
If you want a simple start with custom AI characters and steady flow, My Dream Companion is a calm, flexible pick that keeps conversations moving.
Frequently Asked Question
How Do Virtual AI Girlfriend Apps Handle Privacy?
Most platforms offer private spaces and delete content on request, but policies vary; always read data practices before you share sensitive details.
Do Any AI Girlfriend Sites Offer Free Versions?
Yes, many platforms have a free tier with limited features; advanced features like live calls or image creation usually require credits or a subscription.
Can I Use Voice Interaction Or Live Calls?
Some apps include voice calls or voice chats, often on paid tiers; check each app’s plan details for live calls and voice messages.
How Do Virtual AI Girlfriend Work With Images?
Look for image generation or personalized photos baked into the chat; quality depends on prompts and the app’s AI tools.
Are There AI Girlfriend Platforms Without Strict Filters?
Yes, certain ai girlfriend platforms aim for fewer content blocks; others, like Character.AI, disallow NSFW content. Pick based on your comfort.
Can I Customize My AI Girl’s Appearance And Personality?
Most AI apps allow visual customization, facial features, and conversation style tweaks so you may shape your perfect AI girlfriend.
Is There A Risk Of Talking To Other Users Instead Of AI?
You’re chatting with AI characters, but community-driven sites can surface user-made characters; always treat conversations as AI generated unless a platform states otherwise.
London Fashion Week 2025 embraced the first collections from JCA | London Fashion Academy’s MA Fashion: Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation students. Taking place on Friday, 19 September, the showcase was held at the Westmount Rooftop Terrace in White City, in partnership with St James, part of the Berkeley Group.
Five future designers unveiled their brands to the fashion world, with an afternoon preview and evening show attended by press, buyers, and guests. The rooftop space, newly launched as a beach club, proved the perfect backdrop for the graduates’ bold collections.
The evening closed with a rooftop drinks reception hosted by Prof. Jimmy Choo OBE, who said: “To see these skilled designers present collections they’ve poured so much into is truly exhilarating. Watching them create such incredible and diverse work is a proud moment for myself and the academy.”
Collections included Elle Curzon’s sustainable label 3113, confronting themes of addiction and mental health, Sophie Holland’s multifunctional outerwear brand A bare c, Patricia Reis’s provocative tailoring (TRIXA), Grace Emerson’s reconstructed streetwear (Rethreaded), and Jasmyn Lopuszansky’s inclusive designs for the visually impaired (LOPUSZANSKY).
According to the history books, the first ever casino in London opened in 1828. It was located on Curzon Street in Mayfair, and despite the city changing drastically over the following 197 years, it still occupies the site to this day. This is a key point to consider when looking at the global casino scene.
Across countries like the US, Monaco, China, and Germany, some of the best casinos in the world right now were only built in the last fifty years. We’re talking about casinos like the Venetian Macao, which opened in 2007, the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, which opened in 1998, and the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, which opened in 2010. These are beautiful, luxurious casinos that radiate elegance, infused by their respective designs and decor.
But how much of that decor was actually inspired by London? As a whole, London’s architecture is some of the most eye-catching in the world. With prime spots like the Battersea Power Station and the infamous Big Ben, the city is a sight to behold, and this doesn’t stop when it comes to the casinos. Whether it’s the Crockfords Club in Mayfair, The Hippodrome in Soho, or The Ritz Club in Piccadilly, so many casino establishments in London are known for their luxurious and timeless architectural styles and decor – the same styles that have undoubtedly had an influence on global casino decor.
What is the London Look?
For casino regulars in the UK, London might not always be the prime destination, but you can discover your local casino here, says William Macmaster, mainly due to the fact that there’s a strong online presence, and that it’s a bustling metropolis with a huge choice. But one of the best things about the casinos is that, as soon as you enter, you’re greeted by a sense of calm.
Through the decor and interior design, the casinos have created an atmosphere that helps you to escape the hectic energy of the city and focus your attention on the games at hand. This is largely achieved through the use of soft lighting – including lamps on each table – plush seating, and elegant furnishings designed to provide a sense of luxury and tranquillity.
Just look at The Ritz Club. As we mentioned before, this is one of the most popular casinos in the city, and yet when you’re inside, there’s a quiet elegance that makes it feel more like a retreat. Whether it’s the opulent golden chandeliers or the deep, comfortable armchairs, every detail feels crafted to make you feel like you’re stepping into a world of timeless sophistication, and the same can be said for numerous other elite establishments.
Another aspect of London casinos to note is the conversation starters. Across the city, many casinos utilise art and decor to serve as conversation starters or focal points. From classic paintings adorning the walls to contemporary sculptures placed strategically around the casino floor, every item is carefully selected and infused into the space to add a sense of character.
This approach asks people to see the casino as more of a destination, where you’re encouraged to take your time and appreciate the aesthetics, rather than simply walk in, play a few games, and leave. In other words, they make the casino setting an experience in itself, and that’s something global casinos have taken on board.
The Influence on Global Casino Decor
Let’s start by looking at the casino in Las Vegas – perhaps the most iconic gambling city in the world. Whether it’s the Bellagio or the Venetian, each casino in this city has taken some inspiration from the grandeur of London casinos, with many also choosing to install conversation starters like paintings and sculptures.
In the Bellagio, for instance, one of the most notable decor pieces is the grand chandelier, which can be found in the lobby. This is a stunning glass art installation created by Dale Chihuly, and it works to echo the ornate lighting found in London’s high-end casinos like The Ritz Club.
With marble floors, velvet seating, and luxury carpeting also found in the gaming rooms, it’s clear that the warm, inviting atmosphere of London casinos has also influenced the designers, with an understanding that players are getting away from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas streets, and want to feel welcome in a place that oozes calmness and tranquillity.
When it comes to the Venetian, one of the big things the designers seemed to learn from London Casinos is that casinos should be timeless, with a blend of both classical and modern touches. With the interior highlighted by gilded accents and mosaic-tiled floors, it’s clear that the Venetian is lending a hand from casinos like the Empire Casino and the Hippodrome, both of which have blended classic architectural details with a modern gaming experience.
Conclusion
Whichever way you look at it, London casinos have undoubtedly played a big part in shaping global casino decor, with many of them being the perfect reference for designers to look at, learn from, and infuse into their own styles. That’s not to say that the other casinos don’t have their own character, because they do. But when you look closer, small details and delicate finishes prove that, in the end, all roads lead to London.
