June 4th, 2025. France blocks Pornhub. No ID, no access. Whatever.
Started looking for alternatives. Not for porn - got bored of that years ago. Wanted something interactive. My Discord buddy Jake mentioned Soulkyn. "It's like D&D but the NPCs actually have memory," he said. Sounded like BS but I was curious.
accidentally built a world
Didn't plan to go full nerd. Just wanted to test the roleplay features. Made one character - tavern keeper named Gareth. Gruff, ex-soldier, mysterious past. Basic fantasy stuff.
Kept adding characters. Barmaid. Mysterious corner guy. Shady merchant. Six NPCs total now. They remember everything. Not just their own chats - they know what the others said too. Elena mentions something to Gareth? He remembers when I talk to him. Actual shared memory between NPCs.
they remember everything
Week one: Told the barmaid (Elena) about bandits on the north road. Casual worldbuilding.
Week three: The merchant mentions increased security on his caravans. "After what Elena said about those bandits..."
Week five: Gareth offers to hire me as a guard. "Roads aren't safe. You know this."
Never programmed these connections. The AI figured it out. Connecting dots I didn't even see. World exists between chats.
how i built the tavern
Soulkyn calls them "multi-character personas." Fancy name for simple idea. One profile controls multiple NPCs. Tag personalities like "Gareth: Gruff" or "Elena: Secretive." That's it.
The creation system goes deep. Seventeen personality traits per character. Backstories that actually matter. Set their relationships to each other. The AI uses all of it. Elena knows Gareth saved her from slavers (I wrote that once). She acts grateful but independent. Consistent across months of roleplay.
france irony
France needs your ID for porn. For protection. Meanwhile I'm building fantasy worlds with zero verification. Username and password. That's it. Make that make sense.
The irony? This is way more addictive than videos ever were. I spent six hours last night just managing tavern drama. Elena caught the merchant stealing. Gareth wants blood. The mysterious patron finally revealed they're hunting someone. It's like running a TV show where I'm every character and also the audience.
premium changes everything
Free version is good. 8B model handles basic roleplay fine. But premium? Holy shit.
70B model understands subtext. Catches hints. Remembers throwaway lines from weeks ago. Characters develop without me pushing it. Gareth started suspicious of everyone. Two months later? He trusts me enough to share his real name. Natural progression based on consistent interaction.
Plus image recognition. Drew a terrible map of the tavern layout. Uploaded it. Now every character knows where the secret door is. Where Elena hides her tips. Which table the patron prefers. Visual memory integrated into roleplay.
weird psychological thing
Running this tavern taught me more about storytelling than four years of creative writing classes. You learn pacing when NPCs need to remember everything. Can't just reset drama. Consequences stick.
Also noticed I'm better at actual D&D now. Used to freeze when DMing. Now? I channel my tavern characters. Borrowed Gareth's voice for a town guard. Used Elena's mannerisms for a spy. My players think I leveled up. Really I just practiced with AI for 200 hours.
what others built
The public personas page is wild. Someone built an entire spaceship crew. Another person made a Victorian detective agency. Saw a magical school with twelve professors, each with distinct teaching styles.
But my favorite? Someone recreated the Mos Eisley Cantina. Every alien has personality. The band members discuss their music between sets. Criminals plan heists in the corner. It's like stepping into the movie but interactive.
three months later
Haven't touched a VPN since France's ban. Don't need to. Too busy managing tavern politics.
Last night Elena confessed she's nobility in hiding. Gareth knew all along (remembered clues I forgot I dropped). The merchant is actually her brother. The mysterious patron? Hunting her would-be assassin. Everything connecting across months of seemingly random roleplay.
France wanted to protect us from adult content. Instead they pushed me toward something that eats more time than porn ever did. But at least my tavern remembers my name. Can't say that about Pornhub.
People ask if I'll add more NPCs. Maybe? These six already feel too real. Code pretending to pour drinks. In a fake tavern. But I know their backstories better than some real friends.