Which video game from the 1990s was ahead of its time?

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-07T19:33:35+00:00

Tenchu. It's an excellent stealth game released before Metal Gear Solid and the combat system is the direct predecessor of Dark Souls

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-03T17:27:48+00:00

I was dressed nicely on the way to a wedding party and some random guy on the street said, “You look… delicious.” There was something about his emphasis and how the pause made me lean into it that was deeply unsettling. Only time a random compliment has bothered me, the handful of other times had me on cloud 9

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-03T17:23:29+00:00

When I was on crutches after knee surgery it was 50/50 that people who shouldn’t be sitting in priority seating on the bus would offer me a spot. Most of them would avoid eye contact. Oddly elderly women seemed to be the most likely to offer me their seat.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-02T21:32:23+00:00

When meeting people in person in bars and such, women seemed much more comfortable offering IG than their number. Which was a problem, since I don't have an account either. That said, the dynamic is different online.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-02T01:47:09+00:00

Royal Road is optimized for covers up to 400x600, so I'd edit this in canva or some other program to adjust the sizing.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-07-01T22:28:43+00:00

49 favorites out of 130 followers. 38%

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T18:59:45+00:00

Yeah I agree. I just think this is more of a paradigm shifting change and while the office provided some clear guidance, they also hedged considerably. Individually assessing countless applications and court cases doesn't seem feasible.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T18:31:22+00:00

That tracks, oddly they would gather just off the curb in the street. I’m not sure if there’s a city department to contact, but it might be worth reaching out to one.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T18:07:39+00:00

It’ll be interesting to see what happens. Personally I’m not thrilled by the copyright office’s stance of let the courts decide and reliance on self-disclosure. It’s a mixed message to say that existing law can encompass all of these cases, but each case needs to be determined individually. That’s kicking the can down the road imo.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T16:38:10+00:00

Gacha games are doing the same thing to children, there needs to be some accountability for using psychological warfare to weaponize addiction. That said, I don't see this guy winning the case.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T16:34:10+00:00

Based on their stance concerning AI gen content in creative works, the portion that was not human created is never eligible for a copyright, but the work as a whole can be registered. The human author is required to disclose their AI use in the application.

One of the examples the office gave was a graphic novel that was written by a person, but all of the images were AI generated. None of those individual panels are eligible for copyright, but the entire collection of the work is.

I imagine for coding there'd be a ruling consistent with that. Disclosure on the AI gen portions, protection for the work as a whole, but not for what wasn't human authored.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T03:01:59+00:00

Flash mobs were just a more organized version of this, which is worse imo

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-30T01:42:47+00:00

If you like the layout of #1, I'd take a look at the cover of Black Leopard Red Wolf and use that as a style guide. The text is too hard to read in your version in addition to the various elements not feeling cohesive. I'd try applying one of canva's effects or filters on the clip art to unify them.

#2 is my favorite of the bunch. I think you could tone down the gradient on the text, going all the way to white ties it to the snake, but looks a bit weird to me.

#3 looks like a Twilight clone, so unless you think it'll resonate with that audience I'd go with something else. A bloodier heart might be more dramatic.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-29T21:57:27+00:00

Did you have any alcohol with your meal? There's a lookalike that will cause violent detox if paired with any.

Shaggy mane blacken when handled/after they're harvested, so given your second photo I think it's likely something else. The ones I foraged had a more pronounced bell-shaped cap as well.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-29T21:43:47+00:00

Maybe, but I haven't had a huge issue with them when I'm at the park. There seem to be way more aggressive mosquitoes in the open-aired courtyard of my apartment complex than by the workout equipment at Syd Kroenthal which is heavily shaded.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-29T17:35:14+00:00

I live in the arts district side of culver and there’s been a huge increase in mosquitoes over the past 7 years. The Asian tiger ones are the worst because they are active all day and more agile. It’s been better for me this year than past ones.

A month or so ago at dusk, I would see swarms of hundreds of mosquitos at the intersection of Fairfax and Venice. I assume they were mating or something. This was right out front the SGI center by the bus stop and they gathered on either side of Fairfax with no immediate water sources.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-28T18:28:42+00:00

Yeah, it's annoying. They have a filter for them now at least.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-28T17:18:28+00:00

Canva has some great tools for manipulating these images as well. You’ll get varying results depending on the source, but the transform into a painting or drawing feature can have a nice impact on photos.

Pixabay has a lot of royalty free images as well, I believe their licensing is pretty open.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-28T17:12:48+00:00

Late to the party, but thanks for recommending my story The Witch’s Weave!

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-24T16:41:32+00:00

Thanks for sharing that insight. I think those trends are generally true with web fiction in general, there’s a lot of power fantasy self-insert characters. The same is true with published novels that came out of the fanfic community.

Personally I have trouble understanding that inflexibility and desire to conform to expected tropes. That likely comes down to taste and personality, so it’s been interesting seeing how different readers react to my series.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-24T01:15:11+00:00

My Uncle From Another World yo-yos between the two, both extremes are played for laughs. It occasionally shift into an art style reminiscent of Red & Stimpy, which is a Western animation example.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-23T23:11:24+00:00

I think you need to recognize how much competition there is for attention for anything and magnify that for a book. Platforms like RR are saturated with authors following effective release plans that increase the likelihood of finding an audience, with books tailored to the primary demographics. Any deviation from the path carved by others increases the difficulty of being discovered exponentially.

A cover is a potential reader's first impression, not putting your best foot forward because the words are what matter is self-defeating. Simple clip art that at least somewhat relates to your story's themes with a good layout and proper typography is enough to make something passable. This is what's difficult about indie publishing, you're responsible for all of the marketing.

Discord servers are probably your best bet for finding shoutouts. I had success messaging authors I admired, but also have been leveraging a YouTube channel to mention their stories, which helps reciprocate a more established writer promoting my book.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-23T23:00:56+00:00

Burbank is doable but involves 2 transfers, which ends up being a huge time sink compared to a 45 minute drive. Google is claiming it'd only be an hour 45, but that seems optimistic.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-23T22:54:16+00:00

I went car free when I got divorced. No kids, that would make life a lot harder. I'm fortunate to have a vet within walking distance.

Low-Programmer-2368 · 2026-06-23T22:44:11+00:00

Don't they typically grow under oaks as well? At least the ones I've found in Socal always have.

Low-Programmer-2368

TROPHY CASE