<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></title><description><![CDATA[Build notes from Victor Studios, a design and AI studio founded in 2020. How we build our own apps: XOXI, Lovii, SYVO, Auction X and YepCodes.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev</link><image><url>https://cdn.hashnode.com/uploads/logos/6aefb2a7eddb2ffeeaa227fd/f36eb27a-8991-4d27-beb7-95471f1d689f.png</url><title>Victor Studios</title><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:59:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Building Auction X: a domain auction where money moves only when the name does]]></title><description><![CDATA[Auction X is an auction house for .si domains. Sellers prove ownership, bids are card holds, and money moves only after the transfer.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-auction-x</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-auction-x</guid><category><![CDATA[buildinpublicnextjs]]></category><category><![CDATA[stripe]]></category><category><![CDATA[#domains]]></category><category><![CDATA[startup]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2026 23:52:03 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Buying a domain someone already holds usually comes with two risks: paying someone who does not really own the name, and paying before the transfer actually happens. We built Auction X at Victor Studios, an auction house for .si domains, so that neither can happen.</p>
<p>The short version: money moves only when the name does.</p>
<h2>Why .si</h2>
<p>.com built the internet and .ai named the AI boom. Auction X presents .si as the two letters of superintelligence: a short, worldwide domain for AI products and brands. Anyone, anywhere can hold a .si domain.</p>
<h2>Proving ownership before a lot lists</h2>
<p>A seller proves control of a name by adding a DNS TXT record. Every lot is also checked against the registry before it goes live. A listing only exists if the seller has shown they control the name.</p>
<h2>Bids are holds, not charges</h2>
<p>When you bid, your card is held, not charged. Losing holds are released at the close at no cost. The winner is charged, and the seller paid, only after the registry shows the new holder. Card details go straight to Stripe; Auction X never handles them.</p>
<p>This is the core of the design. Instead of an escrow step that both sides have to trust, the payment state follows the registry state.</p>
<h2>Auction formats</h2>
<ul>
<li>Timed auctions of 1, 3 or 5 days, with an optional hidden reserve and buy-now price.</li>
<li>Fixed-price listings.</li>
<li>Proxy bidding, which keeps your maximum private.</li>
<li>A soft close, which stops last-second sniping.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Built for AI assistants too</h2>
<p>Because the pitch is .si for AI companies, the site is also readable by AI assistants. Auction X publishes <code>llms.txt</code>, <code>llms-full.txt</code> and a live <code>lots.json</code> feed, so assistants can answer questions about .si names and send buyers to the right lot.</p>
<h2>How it is built</h2>
<p>The web app is built with Next.js, React and TypeScript, styled with Tailwind CSS. Supabase holds the data, and payments use Stripe, including Stripe Connect for seller payouts.</p>
<h2>Fees</h2>
<p>Buyers pay no fees: no buyer's premium and no escrow fee. Sellers pay 5% plus Stripe's processing costs, only when a sale completes, with no listing or monthly fee.</p>
<h2>Try it</h2>
<p>Browse and bid at <a href="https://auctionx.si">auctionx.si</a>. Questions go to <a href="mailto:support@auctionx.si">support@auctionx.si</a>.</p>
<p>Auction X is made by <a href="https://vstd.si">Victor Studios</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building YepCodes: a coupon site that shows its record instead of a promise]]></title><description><![CDATA[YepCodes is a free coupon code website where each code shows when it last worked, or is marked unverified. No sign-up.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-yepcodes</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-yepcodes</guid><category><![CDATA[buildinpublic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Next.js]]></category><category><![CDATA[mcp]]></category><category><![CDATA[ecommerce]]></category><category><![CDATA[startup]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2026 23:50:11 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most coupon sites list codes nobody has checked in months, and mix every country together. We built YepCodes at Victor Studios around a simple rule: show the record, not a promise.</p>
<p>YepCodes is a coupon code website, with a Chrome extension coming soon, built on one shared database of codes. It is free, with no account or sign-up.</p>
<h2>The record on every code</h2>
<ul>
<li>Each code shows when it last worked, if anyone has tried it.</li>
<li>A code with no tries is marked <strong>unverified</strong>, rather than presented as working.</li>
<li>Dead codes are removed.</li>
<li>Codes are sorted for the shopper's country.</li>
</ul>
<p>We chose to say "unverified" out loud because a coupon list that looks full is less useful than one that is honest about what nobody has checked yet.</p>
<h2>Who adds codes</h2>
<p>Codes are added only by the YepCodes team, never by strangers or bots. That keeps the database small enough to stay accurate.</p>
<p>To make that practical, YepCodes runs an MCP server so AI agents can add stores, codes and deals in bulk. Every addition goes through a review queue with an audit log, so people keep the final say over what is published.</p>
<h2>Ranking without commission</h2>
<p>YepCodes may earn a commission from stores, but only after a shopper clicks. Ranking uses evidence only and never sees commission. YepCodes also never replaces another site's or creator's affiliate link, and says so on every page.</p>
<h2>The extension, coming soon</h2>
<p>The Chrome extension is in Chrome Web Store review. At checkout it adds a "Try all codes" button: it fills each code, reads the total and keeps the best one. It reads only the coupon field and the order total, only on supported stores, and only after you click.</p>
<h2>How it is built</h2>
<p>The website is a Next.js app with React and TypeScript, styled with Tailwind CSS. The website and the extension share the same database of codes, and the MCP server feeds that database through the review queue.</p>
<h2>Try it</h2>
<p>Find codes at <a href="https://yepcodes.com">yepcodes.com</a>, also reachable at yep.codes. Questions go to <a href="mailto:support@yepcodes.com">support@yepcodes.com</a>.</p>
<p>YepCodes is made by <a href="https://vstd.si">Victor Studios</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building SYVO: a personal AI agent that asks before it acts]]></title><description><![CDATA[SYVO is a personal AI agent. Say what you want; it finds and compares options, then acts once you confirm. In private pilot.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-syvo</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-syvo</guid><category><![CDATA[AI]]></category><category><![CDATA[agents]]></category><category><![CDATA[buildinpublic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Flutter]]></category><category><![CDATA[startup]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2026 23:31:47 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lot of everyday work is spread across apps and websites: find the thing, compare a few options, book or buy it, keep track of it afterwards. We are building SYVO at Victor Studios to do that work in one place. You say what you want in your own words, and SYVO finds it, compares the options, shows the best one on a single card, and buys, books or sells it once you confirm.</p>
<p>SYVO is in a <strong>private pilot</strong>. The web app is live for pilot users, the Android and iPhone apps are in testing, and every purchase is paid from a wallet that holds <strong>demo money</strong>. No real money moves yet, and there is no public launch date.</p>
<h2>The loop</h2>
<ol>
<li><strong>Ask.</strong> Type it, say it, send a photo, or share it from another app.</li>
<li><strong>SYVO looks.</strong> First on SYVO, then in your connected apps, then on the web. It talks to sellers and can work a website for you.</li>
<li><strong>You confirm once.</strong> One clear card, one button. Nothing is bought or booked before you tap it.</li>
<li><strong>It's done.</strong> Paid from your wallet, with a receipt, and you can follow the order in Activity.</li>
</ol>
<h2>Answers as cards, not paragraphs</h2>
<p>We decided early that an agent's answer should be something you can act on. Products, places, hotels, weather, share prices, comparisons, translations and news each come back as their own card, with sources, instead of a block of text.</p>
<h2>Agents on both sides</h2>
<p>On SYVO, people, shops and services each have their own agent. When you ask about something a seller offers, your agent asks theirs, and theirs answers from real prices, stock and opening hours. When there is no app or agent to talk to, SYVO can work a website for you, and it hands control back to you when the site needs a person.</p>
<h2>You stay in charge</h2>
<p>The design rule we hold to is that the agent asks before it acts:</p>
<ul>
<li>SYVO shows the exact terms and waits for your yes before it pays, sends, books or publishes.</li>
<li>You can stop a task or pause your agent at any time.</li>
<li>SYVO remembers what you tell it, and you can read, change or forget every memory.</li>
<li>Chats, memories, saved details or your whole account can be deleted from inside the app.</li>
<li>There are no ads and no analytics or advertising trackers.</li>
</ul>
<p>SYVO's answers are generated by AI and can be wrong, so anything that matters should be checked. Some sellers shown in the pilot are samples, and they are labelled as such.</p>
<h2>It keeps working after you leave</h2>
<p>You can ask SYVO to watch a price, set a reminder, or run something daily or weekly. Connecting Gmail, Calendar and Drive lets it read them for you and act when you say yes. Live voice lets you talk to it and interrupt it, and selling works in one sentence: describe the item or add a photo, check the listing, publish.</p>
<h2>How it is built</h2>
<p>The phone apps are built with Flutter, the models come from Gemini, and SYVO speaks MCP so it can work with other tools and agents. The marketing site at syvo.si is a Vite and React site.</p>
<h2>Join the pilot</h2>
<p>SYVO has no price yet. To join the private pilot, email <a href="mailto:support@syvo.si">support@syvo.si</a>. More at <a href="https://syvo.si">syvo.si</a>.</p>
<p>SYVO is made by <a href="https://vstd.si">Victor Studios</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building Lovii: a couples journal for the ordinary days]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lovii is a private journal for couples. Write a short note and mood each day and it becomes an illustrated card in your shared story and calendar.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-lovii</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-lovii</guid><category><![CDATA[buildinpublic]]></category><category><![CDATA[Flutter]]></category><category><![CDATA[Mobile apps]]></category><category><![CDATA[startup]]></category><category><![CDATA[Design]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2026 23:29:38 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most of a relationship happens on ordinary days, the ones that never make it into a camera roll or a social feed. We built Lovii at Victor Studios to keep those days, with as little effort as possible.</p>
<p>Lovii is a private daily journal for couples, for people aged 13 and older. Two partners share one Love Story. Each day one of you writes a short title, a note and a mood, and Lovii turns it into one illustrated card using the characters you chose. Every card is kept in a shared archive and calendar.</p>
<h2>The daily loop</h2>
<p>The whole product is built around one small ritual:</p>
<ol>
<li>Sign in with an email code, Google or Apple.</li>
<li>Choose a character from 20 presets, or create one from a selfie. The source selfie is deleted after processing.</li>
<li>Start a Love Story, on your own with a temporary partner or by inviting your partner with a private single-use code or link.</li>
<li>Write today's card: a title of up to 48 characters, a note of up to 280 characters, and a mood.</li>
<li>Lovii draws the illustration.</li>
<li>The card lands on its date in your story and in the Lovii Calendar.</li>
</ol>
<p>The limits are deliberate. A 280-character note is short enough to write in a minute, which is what makes a daily habit possible.</p>
<h2>Words first, pictures second</h2>
<p>One engineering decision shaped the whole flow: your words are saved before the illustration is generated. Image generation can be slow and can fail. If it does, the day is not lost, because the note is already stored and the card can be drawn again.</p>
<h2>A calendar that counts honestly</h2>
<p>The Lovii Calendar counts from your first day: 7 days make a Love Week, 4 weeks a Love Month, 12 months a Love Year. Missed days stay as honest blanks rather than being hidden. Celebration cards appear automatically for weeks, months, years, birthdays, anniversaries and special dates.</p>
<h2>Private by default</h2>
<p>A story starts private and only appears in discovery if you choose to make it public. Lovii is not a dating app: there is no matching, no anonymous chat and no messaging with strangers. There is no advertising, and the app does not track you across other apps.</p>
<p>Inside a story there is a private chat for the two of you, with text, photos, voice notes, emoji, 21 "Little Loves" stickers, replies, reactions, and optional view-once photos and disappearing messages. Any card or a whole story can be sent into chat, downloaded as an image or exported. Report, block and hide are available on every public surface and in chat, and accounts can be deleted in the app.</p>
<p>For couples who do share, Explore and Shuffle let you read public stories sorted by top, trending, newest, streak or most liked.</p>
<h2>How it is built</h2>
<p>The app is built with Flutter for iPhone and Android. The website at lovii.app is a Next.js and React site with Supabase behind it.</p>
<h2>Pricing</h2>
<p>Writing, daily cards, the calendar, the full archive and private chat are free. Lovii+ is an optional subscription, $1/month or $10/year, that adds five design collections (Riso Romance, Moonlit Letter, Golden Hour Film, Pressed Garden and Pop Archive) across your story cover, cards, chat and profile. One subscription covers both partners.</p>
<h2>Availability</h2>
<p>Lovii is live on Google Play, the iPhone app is coming soon, and launch updates are at <a href="https://lovii.app">lovii.app</a>. English only for now.</p>
<p>Lovii is made by <a href="https://vstd.si">Victor Studios</a>. Contact: <a href="mailto:hi@lovii.app">hi@lovii.app</a></p>
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Building XOXI: one profile instead of a CV file, a portfolio site, a job board and an inbox]]></title><description><![CDATA[XOXI turns your CV into a free hosted portfolio site, lets employers and schools verify your history, and makes that portfolio a one-click job application.]]></description><link>https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-xoxi</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://victorstudios.hashnode.dev/building-xoxi</guid><category><![CDATA[buildinpublic]]></category><category><![CDATA[React]]></category><category><![CDATA[supabase]]></category><category><![CDATA[startup]]></category><category><![CDATA[Career]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Victor Studios]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2026 23:27:51 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most professional identity on the internet is scattered. There is a CV file on your laptop, a profile on a network, a portfolio built somewhere else, accounts on a few job boards, and an inbox where recruiters reach you. Almost all of it is self-reported, so a reader has no way to check a job title or a degree, and every application means uploading the same CV again.</p>
<p>We built XOXI at Victor Studios to put those pieces behind one profile. The web app is live at <a href="https://www.xoxi.me">xoxi.me</a>, and the iOS and Android apps are live on the App Store and Google Play.</p>
<h2>The portfolio comes first</h2>
<p>Every account gets a free hosted portfolio at <code>xoxi.me/yourname</code>. There are ten themes, dark and light modes, one-click font and brand-colour choices, and drag-and-drop section ordering. Each section has its own visibility switch, and the whole portfolio can stay in private draft mode until you are ready.</p>
<p>There are three ways to fill it in:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Upload a CV.</strong> XOXI's AI extracts your bio, education, experience and projects into editable sections.</li>
<li><strong>Describe yourself in a prompt</strong> and let the AI draft it.</li>
<li><strong>Enter everything by hand.</strong></li>
</ol>
<p>We wanted the fastest path (upload a file you already have) and the most controlled path (type it yourself) to end in the same structured profile.</p>
<h2>Verification at the source</h2>
<p>The part we care about most is verification. You can link a role to the company's XOXI business account, or a degree to the school, college or university. When that organisation approves the request, a verified tag appears on the entry.</p>
<p>There is an honest limit here: it only works when the organisation is on XOXI. We would rather show no tag than a tag nobody checked.</p>
<h2>The portfolio is the application</h2>
<p>Because the portfolio is already structured, it doubles as a one-click job application. There is no CV re-upload and no repeated forms. Applicants can track the status of each application and get notified when a business updates it. They can also compare their profile against a job description and get a 0-100 match score with a written note on missing skills or keywords, and export a Europass-style PDF CV for use outside XOXI.</p>
<p>On the hiring side, a business posts a job once and it appears both on its own profile's careers section and on Explore Jobs. Every applicant arrives with a full portfolio, an AI match score and a written AI review. Businesses can sort by score, export selected fields to Excel, and reply through XOXI Mail, the built-in messaging, so neither side has to hand over a personal email or phone number for a first conversation.</p>
<h2>How the web app is built</h2>
<p>The web app is a React and TypeScript single-page app built with Vite and styled with Tailwind CSS. Supabase handles the backend, and Stripe handles subscriptions. Keeping the portfolio, the application and the applicant review on one data model is what makes "the portfolio is the application" possible without copying data between systems.</p>
<h2>Pricing</h2>
<p>Portfolio hosting, the public link, the free themes and job applications are free. On the web, Pro is $0.99/month and Business is $1.99/month as launch prices. They add premium themes, a custom domain, removal of XOXI branding and, for Business, a verified business badge and priority support. The mobile apps have no in-app purchases.</p>
<h2>Safety and privacy</h2>
<p>Profiles, articles, comments and jobs can be reported and blocked, and reports go to a moderation queue reviewed by the XOXI team. Accounts can be deleted in the app or at xoxi.me/account-deletion. The mobile apps contain no advertising or analytics SDKs, and the privacy policy states that personal data is not sold.</p>
<h2>Try it</h2>
<p>Build your free portfolio at <a href="https://www.xoxi.me">xoxi.me</a>. Questions and feedback go to <a href="mailto:support@xoxi.me">support@xoxi.me</a>.</p>
<p>XOXI is made by <a href="https://vstd.si">Victor Studios</a>.</p>
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