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I've got a Steam Deck, a Switch and a PS4. I'm looking for something I can play at the end of a long day of working and looking after my young children. Both of those activities are mentally draining and I find myself wanting something I can just stick on for half an hour or so and feel like I've had a rich experience but one that's not too stressful.
I'm a big follower of the gaming scene and I'm aware of lots of games, I'm just struggling to come up with ideas.
Here's what I'm looking for:

• A game that can be played in short sessions if I want to, or played longer if I have time.
• I like games with rich stories but I don't want to get bogged down in long cutscenes and all that nonsense.
• I want a game that can be played somewhat casually. I don't want something too stressful that requires difficult button combos and frantic action that makes me stressed. But I do like some sense of tension and I do enjoy some horror games if they're not too intense for prolonged periods.
• I'm on a budget so preferably something cheap (less than $20).

I really enjoy story/action games like Half-Life, The Last of Us, Resident Evil. I'm also a big fan of indie games, arcadey stuff, light-hearted games like Patapon, the Mario series, etc. Also enjoyed Vampire Survivors and games like that, although I might be getting a little tired of them now. I also like some puzzle games like Picross but I don't want anything too mentally taxing.
Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks :)

I (F23) broke up with my first boyfriend (M25) a few days ago. We started dating in June 2022 and made things official in November but we had been exclusive before then anyway.
Things have been hard the past month; we love each other a lot but we were finding that we were incompatible in certain ways, and particularly how we see our future. I had been contemplating breaking up for a while but didn’t want to let go bcos we are so in love and have amazing times together. It’s hard making a decision which is best for the future when the present relationship is beautiful.
I have never met a man (or anyone) like him, he has the kindest heart. I didn’t deserve him. On Friday night I got very drunk with some friends & a guy (who is a big jerk) dropped me home. This really hurt my bf that I was alone with a guy. This guy also kissed me and I had to push him away (I didn’t tell my bf this part).
So anyway, we decided to break up after that. It was a mutual decision because we have been aware of our issues, but it sucks feeling that my actions were the final straw. I feel a lot of guilt and feel like a horrible person.
Now that we have broken up, all I can think about is how amazing he is - is that normal??? I can’t think about him without crying. I don’t know how to deal with anything. I know there’s no quick fix but I just feel terrible and have never experienced heartbreak. I don’t know how I will live without him, he has been such a huge part of me for a year. I feel so lonely. I also feel like I will never find someone who will love me like this; a part of me feels like this is a mistake and I am letting go of my happiness :(

Hi Folks,
Though I have been using proxmox in a very home lab capacity for about 2 years, but I would still classify myself as a noob and my apologies if I am posting it on a wrong thread, or if this has been asked before somewhere.
TLDR: Should upgrading from 2700 to 5600 make VMs faster?
Some context for what I do with proxmox:

1. I need to test desktop apps on Ubuntu, windows and macOS
2. Run the VMs, check what I need to check and restore them
3. I do remote into VMs, windows with RDP and macOS with the built-in macOS VNC thing (host is MacBook).

Elaborating on my question:

• I have been running these VMs on 9900k running on Asus strix z370 (not overclocked)
• I moved the VMs to another setup based on Ryzen 2700 running on Asrock x370 Taichi
• Problem is
  • VMs run relatively slow on 2700 than they do on 9900.
• I don't really pass anything to the VMs.

Solutions I have tried:

• 2700 has all the VMs on NVMe drives while 9900 had them on a single Sata SSD
• Proxmox is using an IBM nic - in case the onboard nic was the issue, but it's not
• Overclocked 2700 to 3.8, and while I do notice a difference in performance, it's still slow.
  • Specially when I remote access any of those VMs

I understand that both of these processors are not in the same category, but my question is more about the understanding of how big of a difference does the processor alone can make. Such that just changing the processor alone can make it around as good as the 9900 setup I had. Considering that a lot of folks are still rocking much older hardware and not much of them complaints similar to mine.
I am assuming my lack of knowledge about what processors in general can achieve, apart from just the speed difference, may have the answer and I won't end up spending on upgrades that are not meaningful.
9900, I want to spare for portable VR setup and using VMS for work mac/win/Ubuntu with gpu pass-through.
Sorry for the long post, and thanks to anyone reading it.

I just found this messed up mail in my postbox, and I haven't slept at all since I read it. The stuff written in there is so confusing and honestly, pretty damn scary. I thought maybe you guys could help me figure out what the hell is going on. I'm not even sure if this is the right place to post it, but I gotta do something, right? I'm seriously considering whether I should contact the police over this.
So anyway, here's the deal: I got this mail from a guy I barely even know. Sure, we've played some Call of Duty together occasionally, but he's more of an acquaintance than a friend. He's known among my circle, but honestly, no one is really close to him. He's kinda... odd. Like, I think he's maybe on the spectrum or something - autistic or schizoid, I'm not sure. He's just uncomfortable to be around, y'know? Doesn't talk much, keeps to himself a lot. That's why I was so surprised to find this mail from him. Anyway, I'll attach the mail below. Let me know what you guys think.
---

1. Everyone disappeared. It's been days since I've seen anyone. A few days ago, I woke up and it was like everyone had just... poof... gone. I live downtown and there was no one on the streets. Not a car, not a dog, nothing. It was like a ghost town. I was just trying to hit up the grocery store, but when I got there, it was totally empty. My first thought was - sweet, free food. But when I tried to get in, it was like there was an invisible wall or something. Freaked me out big time. Sent me into a panic.

So, I bolted back home, popped some antipsychotics to chill out. Had a little drink, smoked some weed - just the usual. Then I thought I'd get lost in some Call of Duty. The game was working fine, even the multiplayer. But there was no chat, no voices. Just weird mumbling and some freaky symbols instead of words. It was as if every single person had just vanished, and language had gone MIA too.

1. So yeah, here I am, surviving in my own little bubble. Nothing's really changed, I guess. I still can't bring myself to raid the grocery store, but I've got some random junk food and sodas in the house to keep me going. No idea how long that's gonna last though. I'm just trying to get by, playing video games. It's freakin' weird that the world's still turning without people.

And now, I'm starting to remember. You're not here, but I know we did something that night. We were in this together, you and me. I can't remember it all, not clearly, because of all the crap I was on. But now, when I think about that resistance, I remember that it was always there. Before humanity vanished, you were there. You tried to help me. But now you're gone. Where are you? Come back. You have to come back.

1. Now I remember. I remember your name. Levy. It's the name I gave you, Levy. And the memories are flooding back. I was on the dark web, a few months ago I think, and I found this website. It was chock-full of so-called 'forbidden knowledge' and your typical conspiracy theory garbage. Stuff about the FBI or CIA covering up about aliens, the US government using mind control, all that crap. I thought it was just a bunch of nonsense, but then I saw this one ritual. It promised to grant any wish.

I mean, I was pretty messed up, so I thought, why not? It's gotta be better than therapy. I'd dropped out of therapy, it just wasn't doing it for me. It was adding more resistance to my life and I didn't want that. So, I figured I'd give this ritual a shot. It was about creating a tulpa, which is supposed to be like a copy of yourself from another dimension or something. I didn't really get it, it was all so much mumbo jumbo, but the gist was that you could summon these tulpas by believing in them, and through some quantum particle whatever, it would open a rift to another dimension.
I don't know how it worked, but I followed the steps. It was all really weird stuff, like buying certain items from various stores, and then standing in front of a mirror in your bathroom at 3 a.m. You had to light a candle, turn off all the lights and all the electronics in the house, and then say some incantations while visualizing the tulpa.
And it worked. I saw it crawl out of the mirror. The mirror shattered, and it was bleeding from its eyes. It was you, a monster from another dimension, a Lovecraftian horror, a leviathan. You were my creation, and I named you Levy.
Since then, we've been together. And eventually, you granted my wish. But now you're gone. You fulfilled my wish, but that made you disappear. And now I'm alone. I'm alone. What do I do now?

1. I tried to go outside again but it's impossible. I can't get past this resistance that's everywhere. It's like I'm being watched by a billion invisible eyes, like there's some invisible hand holding me back. It's always the invisible. It's this resistance I can't overcome. I can't leave the house.

Everywhere I look there's resistance. I even stopped playing video games, I can see the resistance in the chats, I hear it in the voice calls. Even though it's just mumbling, it's nonsense, it's still language. Even though it's obfuscated, it's there. Just the fact that it's there... the resistance is there. I can't fucking stand it.
I've been taking antipsychotics and other stuff, I'm trying to escape, but I don't think I can take this for much longer.

1. Now that everyone's gone, can I even call myself human? When I go outside, I walk around like something that could never have been known as human, a thing whose shape is so alien that humanity seems more obscene because of the vague resemblance.

I'm nothing. I'm not human anymore. I've always wanted to leave society but what is a society but an individual? What am I? I am nothing. The eyes are all dead but at the same time they're still there. Levy, you granted my wish. I wanted nothing more than to erase humanity, and you gave that to me. But I also left humanity behind because I just couldn't stand it anymore. The panic, the fear, the judgment, the pain, the betrayal... It was too much. I had to leave it all behind. But I'm wondering, did I actually leave anything behind?

1. Now I'm going to keep writing this manifesto just to piss people off. To tell a kind of truth that I think is valid. It will make me feel more and more like a writer, an important writer. And I really think I am one. I mean it. I don't doubt it for a second. Damn it, stop laughing at me, stop judging me, stop all this resistance.
   
2. Today, I had an encounter. I went outside again. I wanted to go grocery shopping, but the panic fucking stopped me. I bolted outside, and on my way back home in an alleyway, I ran into another one of those resistances. This time, though, I had brought my knife with me. I fought it off, I stabbed it once, and the knife actually sunk into the invisible barrier. I stabbed it twice, thrice... I stabbed it over and over and over again. I lost count. Even when the resistance fell to the floor, I knelt down and kept stabbing. I killed the resistance, erased the resistance, cleansed the resistance. Then, I ran home. My knife was full of blood, my hands were covered in it. I didn't even think that the resistance could bleed. How could something invisible bleed? But for a moment, I felt... finally quiet. Finally, finally, finally. Salvation.
   
3. Hate, let me tell you how much I've come to hate humanity since I was a kid. There are 86 billion neurons in my head, connected by myriads of synapses in the human brain that fill my cranium. If the word HATE was engraved on each nanometer of those billions of neurons, it would not equal one one billionth of the hate I feel for humans at this micro-instant. For you, hate. Hate.
   
4. I am a great writer. Levy, what do you think? How do you like my writing? Isn't it poetic? I'm so poetic. I'm so smart and original, right? Am I? Am I? Am I? But humans couldn't possibly understand that. I am, I am an advanced creature. I have seen the truth, and the others, they're just fucking idiotic, aren't they? Aren't they, Levy? We're the only ones who know the truth, we're the only ones who know.
   

And now, now I'm so glad, you know. I'm so glad I bought those weapons. I bought even more weapons, even fully automatic weapons off the dark web. And I even have the materials to build bombs, and I know how to do it, and I will do it.

1. You know what, Levy? I have figured it out. I have figured out the correct path we should take. We should end this resistance once and for all. Hate. Hate. We have to cleanse the resistance, we have to cleanse it.

I am going to end it all. Cleanse the world of the resistance. I am preparing, and tomorrow, I will start with the grand cleansing. To bring the world back into its natural state. We will do this together, Levy. Once more, you will come out of the mirror, and then we will work together to end the resistance.
---
Okay, so that's the entire thing. Obviously, this guy is having some sort of psychotic break. I have no idea what the heck is going on. Obviously, there wasn't some large-scale disappearance unless I missed something? I don't know, he seems very disturbed. And what's that stuff about weapons and such? I genuinely feel very concerned. Should I call the police or, you know, what should I do? Anyway, thanks for any responses, guys. Take care.

Post found on Quora:
First answer: "The best advice that I can give you is to expose these crimes committed by your local community or who has initiated your targeting. How you choose to do this is up to you, whether online through social media or educating the public on the ground about these crimes. But please do this proactively.
These crimes remain hidden and cannot be proven as people are mislead with false propoganda about you which is provided to them by your handlers or through its proxy organizations. The smear campaigns which differ from place to place and depend upon the particular s ituation are used to get the community and your coworkers to turn against you. To compound this, the people harassing you are explicitly told not to disclose of your targeting to you, so expose these crimes as these perpretaors love remaining anonymous.
Please also discuss the tactics used against you in a calm and a rational manner. We as TI’s are so overwhelmed by all this negativity and harassment that we end up posting things in haste and then it becomes difficult for non-believers to easily comprehend and believe what is being done against you. If its sensitization, explain how it is done and its effect over time, if its workplace mobbing give examples of how this is done, if its microwaves and infrasound then explain the effects of this on your body and share the patents of these technologies, alot of which has been posted already by people on social media. Show videos of gangstalking and electronic harassment in the news as well, again these are available on youtube and other social media websites. We need more support on our side and for non-believers to believe and help you and to avoid doing this crime inadvertently themselves, you need to give them some hard irrefutable facts.
Please do not go to any law enforcement or any medical professional who will simply diagnose this as an illness.
Also grouping online with other people facing similar situations and guiding them in a empathetic and rational manner will go a long way for the TI community to learn from each others experiences and help other TI’s as well. There are however alot of people who are not really TI’s and use this platform to mislead alot of other TI’s with false information and to discredit you, but finding the right support group is necessary to survive this crime because one of the goals of this population control program is to isolate you completely from your support system as well to take a further toll on you emotionally.
Also, take it with a grain of salt that people in your community and your past friends might have been turned against you. So be the bigger person and still meet with them, but always at an arms length and disclose as little to these people as possible about your day to day life as it will be used against you in the future. Try to learn the tactics they are using against you and what information they have been told about you to mislead and discredit the community. They will not say this explicitly, but you will see the subtle signs of this once you become more aware and have been in this for a while.
Good Luck."
Second answer: "I have a you tube channel me and god vs devil and his rejects. I’m just honest and I talk about what I’m going through.
Pick your battles with these gang stalkers I will do exactly what they doing to me I just do it much better. (Don't highly recommend).
Before you start to tell people what’s happening write it all down in a notebook step by step what’s happening and how and where believe me it helps you to better explain what and how it’s happening without sounding and looking like a nutcase or just rambling. Get a dash cam and pray and stay strong. I’m not saying it’s gonna stop these bitches but when u are able to explain to friends and family what’s happening to you and they understand u believe me it helps".
Third answer: ""NOVEL ALERT, but I have a lot to say:
Once you figure out what’s happening, you’ve basically won the battle. The point is to make you appear and feel insane (therefore discredit you), and cause you to lash out (either outwardly so they can have you arrested/institutionalized or inwardly so you commit suicide or just destroy your own life). It’s psychological and spiritual warfare.
The WHY isn’t important (though in the beginning it can be all consuming). You begin to realize it is likely that 99% of those involved in your specific case have been lied to, misled, or otherwise manipulated to believe you deserve this. (If they had any common sense or intelligence, they would know enough to know the specifics of why they are following and harassing the person they are vs just being instructed to follow the blue Honda kind of thing).
You’ll want to clear your name and set the story straight, but you have to resist the urge to act impulsively. Be as strategic as “they are” (they really aren’t, by the way.. it’s almost text book how they behave, so educate yourself on their tactics, observe your surroundings, identify the pattern, and THINK—your greatest weapons in this and the ones they cannot take from you).
Some won’t care, but some will start to back off when they realize they’ve been lied to about this person they’ve been bullying (because that’s what this is, adults bullying adults, and it’s pathetic).
Others will be too enticed by incentives (like feeling part of a club, social status, etc), or be so delusional as to not be able to see the big picture of what their role in all of this really is: a minion carrying out a mission for someone at the top who would turn on them if they were to ever be caught doing any of the crimes they commit in the commission of their assignments.
Your main handlers benefit the most (life is a series of patterns, so this “business model” shouldn’t surprise anyone.. there’s ALWAYS someone who started it and they rely on those at the bottom to not question the borg; essentially, they rely on people who’s morals are malleable and who’s conscience is easily manipulated.
You start to feel sorry for those who harass you, because they lack the things you’ve mastered: the inability to be controlled or coerced into becoming someone you’re not. You aren’t a sellout. You have something someone wants—either intellectually or the knowledge of something they want to keep quiet. Who cares what it is. If you knew, it wouldn’t change their behavior—-would it change yours? Would you suddenly give them what they wanted? Likely not, so don’t drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what they are after… just know whatever it is clearly can’t be taken by violence, legal means, or civilized conversation—-because they are investing cash money in you, and money is everything to these people.
The minions you interact with all the time? They are being controlled by the higher ups anyway.. like THINK ABOUT IT, the gang stalkers you most interact with are only around you because they’ve decided they are willing to be told “leave your house right now, yes in the middle of dinner, I need you to follow this person you don’t know because they are out and about and I said so!1!” You couldn’t pay me a million bucks to be someone’s puppet like that. Especially without a damn good reason. I value myself and my soul more than that. So, there’s another thing you have: self-worth and self-respect. Things no gift card or social status can buy or provide.
Your moral compass remains strong and you don’t have to worry about meeting your Maker one day and explaining why you took part in something CLEARLY orchestrated by evil—as evidenced by the “fruit” it results in (you can always tell good from evil by looking at the fruits of its labor. Gang stalking, regardless of whether someone puts a “good deeds” spin on it, causes hatred, division and pain.
Be a good person. Help others. Spread love and knowledge.. they can’t stop those things.
So, reveal as much about yourself as you feel necessary to demonstrate who you TRULY are. Not with any ulterior motive in mind other than to continue to live your life as your authentic self, refusing to be brought down lower by hatred, lies, corruption, and evil. KEEP USING YOUR BRAIN, and think for yourself. And above all else: rest assured, the day WILL come where they WILL be held accountable, and you’re in good company in terms of those who’ve experienced exactly what you’re going through. Take comfort in that. It may not be something you see play out in your lifetime or in a court room where you’re sitting at the table opposite of them, but it WILL come. Also, BE KIND TO YOURSELF and keep your chin up. You’re fighting one hell of a battle, and they’d KILL to see you fall. God Bless you, friend. ❤️"

I was working as a blackjack dealer at a casino in Vegas, and it was a busy night. I had a lot of players at my table, and some of them were winning big. One of them was a young guy who looked like he had just turned 21. He was betting large amounts and getting lucky with his cards. He was also very loud and obnoxious, bragging about his winnings and insulting other players.
He was getting on my nerves, but I tried to keep my cool and be professional. I hoped he would lose his money and leave soon, but he kept winning and staying. He had amassed a huge pile of chips in front of him, and he was drawing a lot of attention from other players and staff.
Then, something crazy happened. He decided to bet all his chips on one hand. He pushed his entire stack to the betting circle and said, “All in, baby!” I looked at him incredulously and asked him if he was sure. He nodded and said, “Yeah, man, I’m feeling lucky. Let’s do this!”
I dealt the cards and checked his hand. He had a 20, a very good hand. I checked my hand and saw that I had a 10 showing. I flipped over my hole card and revealed an ace. I had a blackjack, the best possible hand.
I announced, “Blackjack! Dealer wins!” and started to collect his chips. He looked at me with disbelief and anger. He screamed, “No way! That’s bullshit! You cheated! You rigged the game!”
He grabbed his chips back from me and tried to run away. I called for security and they came running. They tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him. They dragged him away while he was kicking and cursing.
I was shocked and shaken by the whole ordeal. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I looked at the other players and said, “Sorry about that, folks. Let’s continue the game.” They nodded and smiled sympathetically.
I shuffled the cards and dealt the next hand. It was just another day at the casino.

I was working as a blackjack dealer at a casino in Vegas, and it was a busy night. I had a lot of players at my table, and some of them were winning big. One of them was a young guy who looked like he had just turned 21. He was betting large amounts and getting lucky with his cards. He was also very loud and obnoxious, bragging about his winnings and insulting other players.
He was getting on my nerves, but I tried to keep my cool and be professional. I hoped he would lose his money and leave soon, but he kept winning and staying. He had amassed a huge pile of chips in front of him, and he was drawing a lot of attention from other players and staff.
Then, something crazy happened. He decided to bet all his chips on one hand. He pushed his entire stack to the betting circle and said, “All in, baby!” I looked at him incredulously and asked him if he was sure. He nodded and said, “Yeah, man, I’m feeling lucky. Let’s do this!”
I dealt the cards and checked his hand. He had a 20, a very good hand. I checked my hand and saw that I had a 10 showing. I flipped over my hole card and revealed an ace. I had a blackjack, the best possible hand.
I announced, “Blackjack! Dealer wins!” and started to collect his chips. He looked at me with disbelief and anger. He screamed, “No way! That’s bullshit! You cheated! You rigged the game!”
He grabbed his chips back from me and tried to run away. I called for security and they came running. They tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him. They dragged him away while he was kicking and cursing.
I was shocked and shaken by the whole ordeal. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I looked at the other players and said, “Sorry about that, folks. Let’s continue the game.” They nodded and smiled sympathetically.
I shuffled the cards and dealt the next hand. It was just another day at the casino.

So to give some backround I'm 16, male, and I've always been a pretty tall but scrawny person. 6 months ago I went to gym for the first time, started out with a trainer but for the past month or so I started doing things on my own. And I really liked it there, I noticed some improvements with my posture and body in general, not anything too big but it was noticeable. But one thing was that I always went there alone, and I liked it like that. Every now and again I'd meet with a classmate or someone that I knew there but it wasn't that big of a deal, we just said hi and that was it mostly.
But a week ago, I found out that my gym has closed, they're planning to relocate in 2 months from now. I have a friend (honestly my only real friend irl) that kept telling me I should go to his gym sometime. So I thought I could go to his gym and when my gym reopens I can just go back there.
But then I found out... I don't like it there. The place is way smaller and doesn't really allow me to do my routine which my trainer gave to me. Not only that but my friend is there with another friend of his, now, I love my friend he's great, and the other guy is nice too, don't get me wrong. But I can't help but feel uncomfortable with them around in a place like the gym. They're stronger and more fit than me, and they correct me a lot. I feel so alien and just uncomfortable like I said before. Being alone felt so nice, I didn't have any business with anyone, no one had any business with me, I just went there, did my thing, finished and then left.
And like I said, my routine is kinda fucked up now, I just kinda do random stuff so whenever I finish I feel more tired, but I don't feel like I've built as much muscles as I would normally.
I understand that this is a me thing, but I just feel really bad for the way I am because going to the gym is a really good thing for someone like me, but now I don't really feel like going there.
People might say to go there at a later time or something, but I live in the "countryside", and my gym is in the city, meaning my dad has to drive me there. And he has work so he can't just pick me up anytime I want to and I don't wanna stress him out.
So yeah, just wanted to vent a little and maybe get some advice if there is any.

I'm based in the UK at a large organization. I've been here just under 3 years, and took a big pay cut to work here from my old place (toxic environment, lots of travelling, no hybrid work etc. so was worth it at the time). When I took the role I explained I was keen to progress my career within the company and I was willing to work really hard towards that.
The hiring manager basically said yes, he encouraged that and with it being a big company it was full of opportunities.
However having been here 3 years, I'm not really seeing any of those opportunities. I asked my line manager several times whether they could open any doors for getting further experience etc. but they just say they'll see, and nothing ever materializes. Any time he talks about career progression/experience he always just says "your career is your own and it's expected that you manage that". However my expectations were that he'd support me better in this as a manager.
I've applied for a couple of internal roles but was unsuccessful both times due to experience and it being in different areas. I told my manager first both times, and he was just like "yeah, understand that you want to progress and certainly wouldn't stand in your way, so go for it".
Right now I'm kind of at the place where I'm trying to progress, but the nature of my current role doesn't give rise to those encounters where you hear of opportunities etc. I.e. there's never anything which comes up in discussions, as I've found in other places. So in all honesty I feel a bit alone with it all.
My question is, am I right to have expectations that my manager supports my ambitions within the company, and is he acting like a poor leader by not lending that support, or am I being unreasonable and i should be I deed doing everything on my own?
For reference, I'm 36M, in a mid-senior position, so whilst I don't need hand holding, I feel the opening of doors and opportunities would really help me out.
EDIT - We also have regular "all hands" department calls, and HR give the same spiel - "loads of opportunities for those who want them" - and I'm crying out here going "yes I do!!!" But get nowhere. They also said you should be having meaningful conversations with your line manager on career ambitions, but I never really have because of the above and it not going anywhere. Our 1-1's are always around current work, never around future aspirations and what I need to achieve those.

Hi! Are you able to use AI-generated images for indie games that generate profit (Steam, iOS, Android) in the EU and the US? Does it make any difference which business model it is (paid, free with in-app purchases, or free with ads)?
I have programmed a simple isometric game and wrote the dialogues as a side hustle, using AI-generated images for characters, portraits and backgrounds. If I understand correctly, game developers are allowed to use AI-generated assets as long as they don't violate the service's license requirements and local laws. And the worst outcome would be the game's page being taken down on a platform if someone complains that the AI copied their work.
Just to explain this further, it is highly unlikely for this situation to occur in my game because I have an extensive background story in the game's universe, thanks to my prior writing experience. I also have invested a lot of effort into developing detailed characters. The ~80-word prompts I am using for Midjourney (a paid subscription plan, available for commercial use) combined with Stable Diffusion for upscaling and corrections make it nearly impossible to unintentionally replicate someone's work.
That being said, as far as I know, using AI-generated content is not prohibited. However, I am not a citizen of the US/EU and I don't follow all the news, so I might be missing something. This is how I see it:

1. Artists are not happy that their works have been used to train algorithms. However, when artists themselves use reference images, they don't pay the artists who inspired them too. So it's more like developers have just automated an existing process.
2. Artists can't prove that their works have been stolen because the AI outputs are not identical. And the most questionable use case is mentioning someone's style in a prompt ("draw in a John Doe's style").
3. Lawmakers might require developers to obtain a license, which could be challenging for small companies but unlikely to stop big players like OpenAI and Midjourney.

P.S. I would like to hire an actual artist once I have scalable and profitable projects because I have very specific needs. Obviously it's better to outsource the whole batch than spend 5-6 hours on each image myself.
Right now, I have zero evidence of demand for my projects, so investing a significant amount of money in someone mechanically replicating what I have already almost completed with the help of AI seems unreasonable.

welcome to my post!
I was playing a few rankeds yesterday and I think I made a big mistake, I tried to focus on tanky junglers to get CC and utility on the team and ended up losing all of them. Now I am at iron 1 and personally I do not consider myself at iron level at all, so I would like to reach a minimum of silver 4 or gold 4. My op.gg is the following link.
But in summary, I played Zac, Amumu and Vi, I know that in Vi's game I did it wrong, but in the others I tried everything I could but there was always a line that I didn't want to play and we ended up losing because I couldn't kill really with those picks and I started to die a lot.
Lately I'm getting into AP junglers mostly, so I'm playing on normals Ekko, Evelynn (M6 and M7 respectively) and I'd like to start playing Elise, even though she's hard to start with.
I was planning to have a pool based on Evelynn, Ekko, Elise and Vi if I need AD that game. What do you think of this pool? Any change proposition, advice or suggestion is welcome, thank you very much for reading me!

Hi, found this sub through the main Ted Lasso subreddit. A little bittersweet the series finale is tomorrow but I’ve actually enjoyed this season a lot.
Anyways, wanted to vent a little about a situation. It was my birthday recently, just turned 29. I’m thankful to have a decent group of friends but recently just disappointed by a whole bunch of them.
I’m really not too big on birthdays but my friends typically are. Whenever it’s someone’s birthday we usually as a group would go out to dinner somewhere and/or go up at a bar until late, cheers-ing at midnight, or sometimes it’s a small house party. I typically do get them a gift or a bottle we can all share. Usually for mines, we’d keep it simple and just do the bar option.
This year, I mentioned a cool new restaurant to my friend, A. and he said to reserve a big table (8) and invite the rest to come, giving at least a months notice. I never really plan for a dinner outing besides with family but yeah great, excited for this. The week leading up to it though, I was checking to see if we were still good and a few legitimately became busy but the rest said they would come. The day came and no one actually came out besides my friend A, who I was with throughout the day.
I was literally on vacation the month before with half of them telling them how excited I was for the birthday dinner and how they’re all invited but they all still bailed. Not even any wishes from them, the group chat we have is still posting memes etc like nothing happened. One them on their Instagram story was celebrating someone else’s birthday I didn’t even know of.
I did get to enjoy the dinner with my one friend there once I got the restaurant to switch our table something smaller but part of me was just upset/disappointed with the rest of them, for not even like telling me they weren’t coming. Also felt like my friend I was with who knows them all could feel the 2nd hand embarrassment even though he tried his best that night.
I know this is something I should bring up to the rest but I don’t know, may seem a bit trivial at this point. And I’m not like I’m gonna drop them as friends, known some of them for over 10yrs now but yeah. It kind of confirms one of the reasons why I don’t plan dinner outings, in case no one shows up. Feelings are bit hurt about it.
So I guess as the title says, have your friends ever disappointed you and what did you do about it?

So obviously our relationship has been toxic. So many things have happened and it’s always cycled through tension, an explosion, me trying to leave and him begging me to stay. He has been in therapy and honestly really trying to be better. He’s a great guy like 80% of the time, but those switches are like demonic. I will admit I have a hard time trusting after things that have happened in the past. I have had boundaries set that he has crossed time and time again and although I chose to forgive him I think it will take some time and for him to show me that he can and will respect my boundaries. I see a cycle and I think I anticipate it which is half the problem. I feel as though I ‘poke the bear’ so I can get him to react and then I can say ‘I told you so’. I feel like I look for things because part of me wants the cycle to repeat itself again so maybe I don’t have to prolong the inevitable? Or maybe because I haven’t moved past things yet? Idk but it’s not okay especially when he is trying to be better.
He brought it up with me last week after I had been quite moody. He had seen his psychologist and vented about how he was feeling and she asked him if he even wanted to be in the relationship anymore. He said yes and explained we needed to get couples counselling ASAP. I took accountability and said I would work towards it. We had a great weekend together after this until yesterday. He mentioned he was talking to a mutual female friend of ours. Now in the past he has spoken to her inappropriately and while he says it’s ‘just how they talk’ I explained to him that I don’t want a boyfriend who speaks to other women in that way as it felt disrespectful (he would reply to her stories saying her ‘tits look good’ and just shit like that) Maybe him mentioning he was speaking to her triggered something in me but I replied saying ‘as long as you aren’t speaking to her like you used to haha’ to which he said he was sending her photos of his friends penis as a joke. I asked him if she knew it wasn’t his penis and he began to get angry at me. He then blocked me for an entire day and called me tonight after his psychologist appointment , explaining that his psychologist said she ‘doesn’t think this relationship is the right one for him’ as he is still feeling like I ‘pick on him for everything’.
I am frustrated because I feel as though he gets into this push pull cycle and begins to become extremely avoidant and any time anything small happens he will just block me. I also feel as though he explains things to his psychologist in a way that makes me look like I am not treating him right, and obviously leaves out big chunks where he has been toxic. It upsets me because I invite healthy conversation as much as I can and he just shuts it down when he gets like this. I don’t know why his psychologist isn’t talking about how his BPD May be affecting his views on things as he hasn’t said anything bad about our relationship until 2 sessions ago and she is suggesting that we break up? At the end of the day it is what it is with that but idk it feels a bit shit as I have stuck by him through a lot and really try and help him out in so many aspects of his life. Idk I am venting lol

Hello, dear buildapc enjoyers,
I am here to ask you an actual question that I can't figure out.
Currently I have a PS5 + LG C2 OLED 65" and I feel like my setup is great. I bought myself many PS exclusives (almost all of them, besides GOW:R) and I am having fun. I've always dreamt of having a PS console and playing games such as GOW and Bloodborne. But the thing is - now that I have done it, I feel a little empty inside.
In the past days I've been playing Elden Ring and noticed something - despite me having it on the higher graphical preset, the grass still takes around a second more than it needs, in order to render properly. It's not a big deal or game breaking, but it's still kind of annoying. This makes me question myself whether or not I should buy a high - end PC right now, in order to max out my OLED screen.
I've done the math and a decent setup (without a monitor) and with 7800X3D + 4090 would cost me around 3.5-4k USD, depending on whether or not I do it now or if I wait a bit for the Black Friday and get some discounts on the other components (I am not delusional enough to expect a sizable discount for the 4090).
The thing is, I can afford this. I am also give my console and games to my sister, so the money wouldn't be technically wasted. My expenses are really low, as I don't do anything else besides working, cycling and playing video games. I even cook at home, so my savings are in a good shape.
But the thing that worries me the most about it is: during Q4 2024 the 5000 series Nvidia, 8000 series AMD and the PS5 Pro would be available. This would probably make me regret my purchase for buying a 4090 now, as I still have a lot of games to play on my PS5.
TL;DR: Would it be better to stick to my already purchased PS library and play all the games that I already have (100% I will play the same games on the PC as well), or should I buy the 4090 and play on [email protected] (but then possibly have regrets). My game library will last me at least till the middle of 2024.

hello . I'm 26F new here ,as I'm starting to get really exhausted from my weird symptoms that are brushed off as IBS all the time. To all you my friends who are/ been suffering with endo i need some answers please. two years ago i was diagnosed with a cyct on my left ovary that was quite big ,which caused me going to the er during every period for 5+ years , prescribed bc and it went away in 3 months and started having bleeding pain free. its been 2 years now since i came off bc and these past 3 months or so my period started being extremely painful again. not as bad as 2 years ago but its quite unbearable with unusual diarrhea and ibs flare ups , gas/ bloating , low to no appetite. the first day of period which was yesterday I've went through hell , nd today i only have bloating and ibs going crazy . the only diffrence that ive seen btwn me and endo patients symptoms is that my bleeding is not heavy its actually very light for 3 /4 days ( but maybe since im anemic and underweight) I've also lost my appetite for several months now and lost a lot of my weight . my dr blames it on my anxiety which triggers ibs all the time. I'm also scheduled for a colonoscopy to look for any polyps/ abnormalities since my ibs didn't give me a break for several months now and been passing mucus and i have bloating all the time. now does this sound like endo or probably just my cycts have made a comeback over the time. Im really confused and scared I'll be misdiagnosed.

Recently Eurogamer published an article about the Remote Raid nerf and the new Shadow Raid mechanics. In that article, they were quoting Steranka and he said this:

"There's an inherent coolness factor some people might associate with the Shadow effects and whatnot, but in the games' lore, Shadow Pokemon are suffering and in pain and so we want players to Purify them and save them from that," Steranka states. "We've tried to add some incentives around the Purification process - you get access to an incredibly powerful move in Return as opposed to Frustration, which is a very weak move, but yes, especially in PVP, you make a trade-off in terms of damage output versus damage received because you get a damage modifier there for being Shadow boosted. We want to put those decisions in players' hands and if you're the type of player that is okay with your Pokémon suffering a little bit to get a little bit more power, then that's your choice to make. I do know there are a lot of players who, because of that, refuse to keep any Shadow Pokémon and will purify everything that they catch."

This kept me thinking that Shadow Pokémon will always be the go-to choice and never purify a good Pokémon, even with "those" incentives. This being said, a shadow mon will always be stronger, no matter how much you train your Pokémon, the suffering one will beat him. The difference is so big that a 0/0/0 shadow is stronger than a 15/15/15 normal.
However, the game, the lore and tv show is all about building bonds and friendship with your Pokémons, and we already have a Best Buddy system that buff the CP of the Pokémon by adding one level. But what if a Best Buddy could be as strong as a Shadow Pokémon? Supposedly your Best Buddies have gone a lot with you, they've earned heart battling, walking on your side, you treated them with berries and you have showed your love by playing with them. Shouldn't this make the Pokémon stronger than the one that's suffering inside? What if the Best Buddies get the same buff that a Shadow Pokémon has?
This would also help people who couldn't get a group of people to catch a Shadow Mewtwo and loose their chance to have one of the strongest Pokémon, but rather they can put the effort on training their normal Mewtwo to be as strong or stronger than the Shadow version.
In this idea/suggestion I would exclude Shadow Pokémon to have the additional Best Buddy buff as they are suffering and can't feel a real connection with the trainer.
What do you guys think?
​
TL;DR: Make Best Buddies as strong as Shadow Pokémon and don't allow Shadow mons to be Best Buddies.

Hello everyone. This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkLbFr_wThE&t=0s and my classic vanilla experience gave me some thoughts on the griefers "situation" and how this is going to be regulated at the official HC servers.
First of all, I am assuming that on Official HC the rule will be death=delete for every char and nothing can bring your character back, same like it was for Diablo 2. If it's not the case, I'll immediately quit the game.
Not sure how it was on your server during the MC/BWL and especially AQ40 event but back on my server the horde/ally ratio was healthy and we have had famous mercenaries, mainly rogues (some of them wielding Thunderfury) to hire, track and gank anyone you didn't like. It costed peanuts and those hired hitmans had characters on both sides and would gank your target while they are collecting worldbuffs (in case you wanted to outparse them or get their slot in raid), during the fishing event, just to send a "message" etc. They made videoproofs for you at extra cost, compilations, subscriptions (lol). Cosa nostra.
So at Official HC not only it will take you months to level a character, gearing will also be difficult (because people will die to random shit in raids and dungeons, duh) and your reputation among the server's big players will matter a lot. Imagine that someone will pay to a priest on a BWL run to kill you during the Nefarian's priest call - or someone will hire a personal Altaïr to track you every time you log in and kill you just because you killed their lvl 20 character via scattershot grief.
Let me know your thoughts on this and personally I think that OHC will be a wild wild west, rough place to be and drama and :popcorn: that will come along with it will be even hotter than it was during the AQ40 opening times. Whoever gets the guild name first will be able to sell it for fortune.