About Voresky
Credits
Created, designed, and developed by
did:plc:v4txd7su4f4sww7xx7x4pthu
Additional engineering by
did:plc
vkkmcj74wa2f3i6vof4sti2
App icon by
did:plc:e4vqdak57dvjbvyoccrhico2
Maintenance page art by
did:plc:dl5o5llnvmur5sfrkxlcsvho
Mascot is
did:plc:d7d6yqb5eghpv6cdig5cea5y
Labeler service forked from
@skyware/labeler, licensed under
MPL-2.0.
Some icons used in this app are from
Game-icons.net, provided under the
CC BY 3.0 license.
What is Voresky?
Voresky is a custom Bluesky web client with a bite. It allows people to engage in profile play and roleplay within the Bluesky social network, while still enjoying the core features of Bluesky.
First this was a joke, after all the kerfuffle around gulpr, but it turned out this was a fun idea with potential. So, here we are.
Intention, Justification, and Goals
The intention of Voresky is to provide a space for people who enjoy roleplaying and profile play to do so in a way that is integrated within the Bluesky ecosystem. Voresky aims to be a fun and engaging platform that encourages creativity and self-expression. Obviously, this is not for everyone, and that's perfectly fine.
Now, as with absolutely anything roleplay related, consent is key. Voresky encourages users to respect each other's boundaries and to engage in roleplay in a consensual manner. Meaning the goal here is to let users be in control at all times, despite the appearance of the platform itself. As features are being added, you can expect more tools to help facilitate this in the settings panel of the Vore tab.
Now, as said before, this was supposed to be a joke. But not aimed at discrediting the gulpr folks. This was more of a playful jab at the whole situation, trying to construct something positive instead of just complaining. With this in mind, this isn't viewed as a competitor to gulpr, but rather a complementary tool that offers a different approach to profile play within Bluesky, with a different method of going about it.
How to Use Voresky
First, you need to have a Bluesky account. If you don't have one yet, you can sign up on their main website
here. Any Bluesky account can be used with Voresky, including those created on third-party Bluesky instances.
Next, you should subscribe to the Voresky labeler. To do this, navigate to
https://bs...oresky.app and click the "Subscribe" button. This will allow the app to show you who else is using Voresky, as well as show you that in normal Bluesky clients.
Then, simply visit the Voresky web client at
https://voresky.app/ and log in with your Bluesky account credentials. Once logged in, you can create a custom profile for Voresky by navigating to the "Vore" tab in the settings panel. Here, you can customize your profile picture, display name, and bio to reflect your roleplay persona, as well as a gallery. You are in control of whether or not your account receives a label indicating you use Voresky, it isn't automatic. As long as you have one character set up, you will have the ability to toggle the label on or off in the Vore tab.
There is already a lot of features in place, like housing, PFP manipulations by predators, stalking, etc. More features will be added over time, and there's a few plans in mind already. Obviously, gulpr has some features that are interesting, so those will be looked at for inspiration. But ultimately, the goal is to create a unique experience that stands on its own.
For a comprehensive guide to all features, check out the
User Manual. It covers everything from creating characters and paths to interactions, collars, housing, and more.
Feel free to explore the app and engage with other Voresky users. Remember to always respect others' boundaries and engage in roleplay consensually.
You can navigate back to the standard Bluesky experience by clicking on the little bluesky icon that's peppered throughout the app.
Additional features
Embeds work! You can use
voresky.app links in your posts or messages, and they will render a preview of the profile, similar to how link previews work in Bluesky. Even better: you can take any bsky.app link to a profile or a post, and replace "bsky.app" with "voresky.app" to get an embed of that content with a fun URL. For example:
voresky.app will show you an embed of the Voresky profile.
Technical details
The idea here was to build on top of an existing platform, not to create something from scratch. Therefore, Voresky is built as a web client that interacts with the Bluesky API, and leverages a database on the side to store additional profile information specific to Voresky users. This allows for a very lightweight implementation that can be easily maintained and updated, as the focus is only on the additional features needed for Voresky, and not on re-implementing a social network from the ground up.
Legal details
The
terms of service and
privacy policy for Voresky can be found on the respective pages. The reason they exist in the first place isn't to be an ominous big-corp legal mumbo-jumbo, but rather to comply with laws and regulations regarding user data and online services. Long gone are the days where you could just run a website without any legal considerations, so these are necessary to ensure that Voresky operates within the bounds of the law and respects users' rights and privacy. But rest assured, the aim is to keep things as simple and user-friendly as possible, as well as being as transparent as possible.
Source code
The source code is available in a source bundle that is shipped with each release, so you can inspect exactly what's running, or rebuild it yourself. Check out the
Source Code page for more details.
Stability and costs
Right now, the service runs on GKE's free trial, with $300 of credit, and the projected cost is between $60 and $85 per month. This means the free credit should run out between 3 and 4 months before actual costs kick in. But with that said, there are no current plans to monetize Voresky in any way, as the goal is to keep it as a free and accessible platform for roleplay within the Bluesky community. However, if costs do become a concern in the future, there may be considerations for voluntary donations or other means to help cover expenses, but this would be approached with transparency and user consent in mind. The current projected expenses are manageable out of pocket, and the hope is that the project can run without needing to ask users for money.
Roadmap
Curious about what's planned? Check out the
TODO & Ideas page to see upcoming features and ideas being considered. Feel free to interact through the Bluesky platform if you have suggestions or feedback!
voresky.app is the way to go.
Changelog
Want to see what's changed recently? Check out the
Changelog to see the latest updates, fixes, and new features.