Yep, were once again on the gen 9 weather train. This time using Sandstorm instead of Snow. Of the four weathers, my personal oppinion is, Sun is the best Snow has potential Sandstorm was the biggest hit Rain is more well rounded.
That being said I did try my hand at a sand team and would love any feedback or team replacement ideas.
Tyranitar @ Assault Vest Ability: Sand Stream Tera Type: Rock EVs: 252 HP / 88 Atk / 168 SpD Careful Nature - Stone Edge - Crunch - Dragon Claw - Earthquake
Dragapult @ Aguav Berry Ability: Infiltrator Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Helping Hand - U-turn - Light Screen - Draco Meteor
Houndstone @ Choice Band Ability: Sand Rush Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Last Respects - Shadow Sneak - Play Rough - Stomping Tantrum
Wo-Chien @ Leftovers Ability: Tablets of Ruin Tera Type: Dark EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpA Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Giga Drain - Pollen Puff - Ruination - Light Screen
Lycanroc @ Choice Band Ability: Sand Rush Tera Type: Rock EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Accelerock - Close Combat - Play Rough - Drill Run
Hippowdon @ Smooth Rock Ability: Sand Stream Tera Type: Ground EVs: 88 HP / 168 Def / 252 SpD Impish Nature - Slack Off - Yawn - Stealth Rock - Stomping Tantrum

I’ve been keeping the Everfolk Point Lighthouse for around four years now. It’s a decent enough job, although probably not what one might imagine if they signed up to be a lighthouse keeper.

I figure that people probably picture me living alone on some desolate rock, spending my days tending to chores and looking sternly out at the sea during the evenings with a cup of warm grog but that’s really only half true.

For starters, I’m not alone. There’s always been at least one other person with me during my rotations at the lighthouse. It’s better to work in teams, partially because it’s good to have company and partially because in case anything happens, it’s better to have someone who can call for help. Working at any lighthouse can be dangerous. When you’re that close to the sea, any storms that come your way hit you like a brick and if you’re not prepared, they will kill you dead.

Working at a lighthouse is hard work too. I’ve met some folks who think that the job is just turning the light on and off again, but it’s nowhere near that simple. All lighthouses, even the automated ones still need maintenance. The storms that come off the water wear them down quickly, so you spend most of your time shoring them up, making repairs, and doing maintenance. In the four years, I’ve worked at Everfolk Point, I’ve probably repainted the whole property two or three times and I wouldn’t be surprised if I have to repaint it two or three more before I get transferred.

That said, while they work me like a dog, it’s not all bad. I don’t actually stay at the lighthouse 365 days a year. I spend one month there, and then I get one month off. In effect, I’m really only working six months out of the year. They do it to prevent people going stir crazy, like you see in the movies, although it doesn’t stop you from going a little crazy.

Simply put - when you’re working at the lighthouse, things can get a little weird and that’s okay! You’re more or less completely cut off from the rest of the world save for one radio you’re only expected to use in an emergency and little to do in your leisure time. Put in those circumstances, people tend to find some interesting hobbies to keep themselves occupied.

For example - one of the guys I often worked with, Gideon took an interest in taxidermy and collecting bones. He’d find dead animals washed up on shore or out in the woods and turn them into little projects. He actually got pretty good at it. Once he even brought home a freaking moose skull. It was simultaneously the creepiest and coolest thing I’d ever seen in my life. He brought that skull home with him after our rotation ended, and as far as I know, it hangs in his living room to this day.

Personally? I always passed the time by baking bread. I’d originally only started doing it out of necessity (we had to make most of our food completely from scratch) but after my first few batches turned out badly, I wanted to up my game and may have gotten a little obsessed with it. Oh, I could talk for hours about baking bread! I’ve even come up with my own recipes! I make this fantastic, spicy, cheesy bread that’s to die for! It’s great for a sandwich. And lately, I’ve been expanding into bagels which is kinda an art form in and of itself. If you’ve never made bagels from scratch before, you just haven’t lived. A real homemade bagel makes the stuff you get at the grocery store look like a sad joke. One taste of the real thing and you’ll never be able to go back!

Ah, but there I go getting all carried away. I didn’t sit down to talk about bread. That’s not what’s really on my mind tonight, no.

See, I got back from my last rotation about three days ago but I’ve had this particular incident on my mind for almost two weeks now. I really don’t know what to make of it. I’ve filed the relevant reports, of course, and as far as I know, the situation is technically resolved but that hasn’t given me much in the way of closure. I suppose I’m hoping that by sharing it here and putting it out into the world, that will change.

I worked at a few different lighthouses before I got posted at Everfolk, and as I said before I know that sometimes the isolation can make you a little weird. But in my experience, it’s always been the people who’ve been weird, and up until I went to Everfolk I hadn’t seen a single thing I couldn’t logically explain. But when I started finding the dolls, that all changed.

I first noticed them a few months after first starting my posting at Everfolk. It’d been a quiet Sunday morning and I’d been going down the beach to do some fishing when I saw one. I’d initially figured that it was just garbage. We saw plenty of it washed up on the rocky beach. Usually, I’d just pick it up and get rid of it. But as I went to grab it, I noticed the puffy cheeks and squashed nose. As I looked down at the face, it clicked that what I was looking at was the face of a baby and I felt a brief stab of panic before realizing that this thankfully wasn’t the corpse of an actual baby. It was just a doll. It was worn down by the elements, yes and it sure as heck looked like it’d seen better days, but it was just an ordinary baby doll.

Well… mostly ordinary. When I picked it up to inspect it, I couldn’t help but notice that somebody had gone through the effort of putting actual baby clothes on it. This stuff looked handmade. Honestly, the sight of it kinda broke my heart. Once upon a time, somebody must’ve really loved this doll and it was a little tragic to find it washed up on some faraway shore. The idea of just casually throwing it out didn’t really appeal to me. Call me sentimental, but hurling something that well loved into the trash just felt… wrong. So, I kept it and as I went down to my usual fishing spot, I carried it with me so it would dry and not soak the contents of my backpack. I guess I’d wondered if maybe I could somehow find its owner. The internet is a big place, maybe if I posted it when I got back home I could reunite it with whoever the original owner was. Even if they didn’t want the doll back (it was in pretty rough shape) the clothes could probably still be salvaged.

***

“That’s gotta be the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” said the girl I’d been working with back during my first rotation at the lighthouse. Her name was Ashley and she'd been there for two years longer than I had.
“Oh come on, look at his little coat, it’s kinda cute,” I’d replied.

Ashley had just grimaced.
“It’s still got weeds tangled in it,” She said. “And look at the eyes, the paints faded off.”
“Eh, give him a little TLC and he’ll be right as rain,” I said although Ashley didn’t seem convinced. She just stared mistrustfully down at the doll, inspecting it without daring to put her hands on it.

I was busy preparing that day’s catch for dinner, and Ashley reached over to take one of the wooden spoons we used for cooking so she could use the handle to turn the doll over.
“Look at the teeth marks on it too… something’s been chewing on this,” She noted.
“They’re battle scars,” I said. “No fun going on an ordeal like this without some battle scars, right? And besides, I always thought flaws like that gave something a little bit of personality.”

Again, Ashley just huffed.
“There’s some cracks on the back of the head,” She noted.
“I saw some coyotes down by the beach the other day, maybe they thought it was food,” I said with a shrug. “I’ll glue it and patch it up. Then see if I can’t find the original owner. I’ll bet some kid probably wants this back.”
“You are aware that this thing’s probably been floating out at sea for years, right?” She asked.
Again, I just shrugged.
“Well, maybe I’ll make some random woman's day, then,” I said and that was that.

True to my word, I did post some photos of the doll I’d found online when my rotation ended although I never heard anything back about it. A few people commented on just how creepy the doll was, but I didn’t really pay them much mind. It was an abandoned doll that had washed up on a remote beach in Labrador. Of course, it was doomed to be a little bit creepy. But I was hoping that somebody would claim it all the same, and when nobody did I still kept the doll, putting it on the desk of my apartment just in case. It still felt wrong to just throw it out after all.

***

I found the next doll about four months later, during one of my winter rotations. I was working with Ashley again, and we’d been trying to shore up the lighthouse against an oncoming blizzard that was due to hit us that night. The winds were pretty strong that day and had already torn some shingles off of the shack where the fog horn was kept. It’d blown them down toward the beach, and I’d gone down to collect them. We couldn’t fix the shed until after the storm, obviously. Just being too close to the fog horn would’ve shattered your eardrums. Even from down on the beach, the periodic drone from the horn made my entire body shake. Even in the cabin, we had to time our conversations around it lest it interrupt us. But, I figured it was better to at least have the shingles so we could do the repairs later and while I was collecting them I noticed another shape lodged between some of the rocks.

This doll was in significantly worse shape than the last one I’d found. In fact, I didn’t even recognize it as a doll at first. The head was completely missing and the body was tattered to the point where I could see the bendable joints inside.

This one was past saving, but I still brought it with me if for no other reason than to get it off the beach. After I’d finished up outside, I came in to find Ashley drinking a cup of hot chocolate in our kitchen, sitting comfortably under a stained glass mural of a ship she’d painted.

“Made you a cup,” She said gesturing to a steaming hot cup of coca on the table beside her, before noticing the tattered doll in my hand. “Oh God, not another one!”
“Found it down on the beach,” I said.
“You gonna fix this one up too?”

I looked down at the broken doll, before shaking my head.
“Too busted,” I said before deciding that this one needed to go in the trash.
“So that’s two now?” She asked, pausing to wait for the fog horn to sound before continuing, “Is this gonna be a thing with you?” She only seemed to be half joking.
“Well, you gotta admit it’s a little more interesting than stained glass,” I teased.
“Hey, screw you, man!” She replied, cracking a small smile. I took my coca and took a sip of it. The fog horn blared again, allowing her to continue.

“For something to keep me from going crazy, at least it’s constructive. And you gotta admit that I’m getting pretty good at it!”
I looked up at her mural and nodded in agreement. She was getting good at it.
“We all go crazy in our own little ways,” She said. “I make stained glass, you collect weird beach dolls.”
“I mean, I don’t think taking the other one home was that weird,” I said, as the fog horn sounded again.

“I was talking more about the fact that there even are beach dolls,” She said. “That’s a little weird, don’t you think? Usually, we just see bottles, and pieces of plastic. Stuff like that. Never seen any dolls on the beach before.”
“Ocean currents, maybe?” I asked, “There’s a lotta crap out there.”
“Maybe,” She said with a shrug, “I guess it’s not the weirdest thing you could possibly find but… I dunno.”

The fog horn punctuated her sentence and I looked down at the ruined doll again. Studying it closer, I couldn’t help but remember how Ashley had mentioned that the last one looked like something had been chewing on it. This one sorta looked the same, although much worse for wear. I shrugged off the state of the doll and tossed it in the trash. No point in looking too hard at it, I figured.

***

Over the next couple of years, I found another doll once every few months down by the beach.

They weren’t all the same. Each one was different in its own unique way. The next one I found was further down the beach, near the bottom of a charming little waterfall I sometimes visited during the hikes I took during my downtime. This one opened and closed its eyes depending on if it was laying down or not, although the eyelids had partially rotted off, meaning that they technically stayed open no matter what. It seemed a little bit older than the others and was actually starting to grow moss on it. But it was intact enough that I took it with me.

I’d been working with Gideon that month, and when he saw me bring the doll in, he actually laughed at the sight of it.
“Found another one?” He asked.
“Down by the waterfall,” I replied, holding it up to show him. “Gotta say, this one doesn’t seem to be in all that bad shape!”
He just shook his head in disbelief.
“That’s easily the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” He said.
“Creepier than the moose head?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue.

I spent that afternoon cleaning the moss baby while I waited for my bread to bake. Getting the moss out of his hair was the hardest part, and even when I was done it still had a greenish tint to it. When I got back from my rotation, Moss Baby was the second doll I posted online. Just like the first, nobody came forward to claim it.

Two months later and I found a crocheted baby doll on the beach. This one was in very rough condition, having almost completely dissolved into wet threads, but I kept it anyway and tried to put it back together. It became the third I posted, although I ended up throwing it out after trying and failing to put it back together for the better part of two weeks.

As time went by, the dolls in my apartment piled up. Every few months, I’d find one I thought I could save and brought it home with me. The office of my apartment started to become something of a museum, with shelves lined with the sea battered dolls I’d found. I started seeing them less as things I hoped to return and more as mementos of my days at the lighthouse. I even kept them beside some of the gifts I’d traded with my colleagues. A mounted elk skull I’d gotten from Gideon and a stained glass sign that Ashley had painted for me as a gift that read:

Advice From The Ocean
Be shore of yourself
Take time to coast.
Avoid pier pressure
Sea lifes beauty
Don’t get tide down
Make waves!

I still never really considered doll collecting to be my ‘weird hobby’ but it was still turning into a hobby, I suppose… right up until I found the red haired doll.

***

It was a clear night. Gideon, Ashley, and I were all working a rotation at the lighthouse and had decided that it was the perfect night for a campfire. Ashey had brought marshmallows for just a night like this and was greedily toasting one after another and shoveling them into her mouth while Gideon sat nearby, calmly reading a book.

I’d gone down to one of our sheds near the beach to get more firewood when in the light from my lantern I saw a speck of red among the rocks. I’d paused before going to investigate and finding yet another doll there.

This one was plastic, with an ugly moping face and frizzy red hair. Someone had scribbled all over her face with a marker, giving her big glasses and an attempt at a smile, although with her face bleached pale from the sun, it made her face look more like a grinning skull than anything else.

I held on to the doll while I grabbed the firewood and brought it back with me to the campfire. I’d barely even made it back when Ashley noticed the doll.
“Oh God… Gideon, he’s got another one!”
“Seriously? Steve, where do you keep finding these?”
“On the beach,” I said plainly as I set the firewood down and held up the doll for them to see.
“It’s official, this is the worst one yet,” Ashley said, popping another marshmallow into her mouth. “Does this one look chewed up too?”

I frowned and looked down at the doll.
“A little bit,” I admitted. “But you gotta admit, it’s one for the collection!”
“Oh, so now it’s a collection,” Gideon said. “You know the first step is admitting that you’ve got a problem.”
“That what you did with your deer heads?” I teased.
“It’s not a problem, it’s art,” He replied.
“Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”

In an effort to annoy my colleagues, I set the Sad Skull Girl (as she had just been christened) down by the fire beside me. Ashley just shook her head and smoothed back her long brown hair before sitting back and reaching for another marshmallow.
“Did anyone ever claim any of those dolls you’ve been collecting?” She asked.
“Nah, they’re sitting on a shelf at home,” I said.
“There’s a shelf now?” Gideon asked, “My dude, how many of these things do you have?”
“I dunno, seven. Eight, now I guess.”

He just shook his head in faux disgust.
“Crazy…”
“Hey, I’ve still got them up online,” I said. “Maybe one day, someone will claim one!”
I had no idea how prophetic those words would turn out to be.

***

I posted Sad Skull Girl to the usual places, asking if she belonged to anyone but I never expected to get a response.

First time for everything, I guess.

I woke up around a week after I’d posted her to an email from a woman named Lillie Thompson that read as follows:

Mr. Lawson
A friend of mine has shown me the doll you posted to social media recently and I regret to inform you that I do recognize it.
I have a close friend - Donald Trantham who’s granddaughter owned a doll identical to the one you shared. A doll who was with her at the time of her disappearance last year.
Please Mr. Lawson, can you reach out to the St. John’s police? Show them what you gave found. Donald is a dear friend of mine. He and his family have suffered greatly from their loss and I want nothing more than to see them receive some closure.
Yours - Lillie Thompson

I think it goes without saying that reading that email sent a chill through me. The markings on that doll were distinct. While I was sure that identical dolls existed out there, none of them would have had a face like Sad Skull Girl. Someone had drawn on her. Tried to change her face. Tried to make her smile.

And that someone had been missing for over a year now.

Obviously, I reached out to the St. John’s Police. I sent them photos of the doll I’d found, along with Lillie Thompson’s email. Then around three days later, I had the police knocking at my door. I answered their questions, told them where I’d found the doll, and even mentioned that Gideon and Ashley had been with me when I’d found it. I even showed them some of the other dolls I’d found washed up along the shore and let the police photograph them. I didn’t think that anything would come of it… but not even a week after they’d interviewed me, they came back.

Six of the seven dolls I’d found had been connected to children who’d gone missing in the past five years. The police took them as evidence, brought me in for questioning and I told them everything. They even brought in Gideon and Ashley to confirm my stories, since they’d been with me when I’d found a couple of the dolls.

Ultimately, I wasn’t arrested. My story stood up to every question they asked. But I was still shaken down to my core. All those dolls… the ones whose owners I could not find, were mementos from some missing child, and I couldn’t deny what that probably meant.

It was a few days after the police questioned me that Ashley invited me out for coffee. We didn’t live in the same city, but she’d come down to talk to the police and figured she’d check in on me while I was there.

“All those kids…” I said, staring lifelessly down into my cup, “And what about the dolls I didn’t save… how many more…”
“Hey… you had no way of knowing,” She said, putting a reassuring hand over mine. “And you were trying to do the right thing, posting those dolls, trying to see if anyone recognized them! If you hadn’t been doing that, then those parents wouldn’t have heard anything at all! The Police wouldn’t know where to look for…” She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence but I didn’t see any point in trying to spare my own feelings.
“Look for the bodies,” I said. I wasn’t stupid… I knew what the abandoned dolls probably meant.

Ashley gave a grim nod.
“You did what you could,” She said. “That’s all any of us can do.”
“Yeah… I guess…” I said softly, although I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t enough. Then again… what would be enough?
“And look on the bright side, you’re not a suspect anymore! So… there’s that!” She tried to force a smile but it seemed hollow.

“Yeah, and whoever the hell’s been doing all of this is still out there,” I said. “I never saw anywhere the dolls could have come from… I never… all I was able to tell the police was that it wasn’t me!”
Ashley’s fake smile faded. She shifted uncomfortably.
“What?” I asked and she sighed.

“Okay… well… that might not be entirely true,” She said. “When I was talking to the police, they asked me if I saw anything strange out at the lighthouse over the past few years. Something that might be connected to the dolls and… I dunno, maybe it was nothing but I remembered something.”
“Wait, really?” I asked, leaning in a little closer.
“Okay so, it could be nothing!” Ashley said, “I mean, it’s probably nothing! But every now and then I saw this boat, out on the water. It wasn’t all that big. Gunmetal gray, kinda boxy looking. I usually saw it early in the morning. It only really popped up once every month or so but it was out there pretty frequently. And… look, maybe I’m just making a connection that isn’t really there, but sometimes I thought I saw him throwing something into the water. I always figured that the guy was just out there fishing… but with this stuff about the dolls…”

My stomach turned.
“You think it was him?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Ashley said. “But the police asked if I remembered anything and that’s what I remembered!”
She took a sip of her coffee, her brow furrowed as she did.
“Maybe it’s nothing,” She said.
And maybe it was… I hoped it might be.

***

When it was time to rotate back to the lighthouse, I was almost afraid to go. I was even more afraid that Ashley and Gideon wouldn’t be there with me, but they were. Our first few days back were quiet and almost blissfully uneventful. We did our maintenance, we tended the light and we kept to ourselves. In the evenings, I baked bread while Gideon read and Ashley worked on her latest stained glass project and if ever any of us needed to go down to the beach, I let one of them do it.
I didn’t think I could handle finding another doll, knowing what it would probably mean.

For two weeks, we just sort of existed… until the morning where Ashley saw the boat again.

I’d been asleep when I heard her yelling, and coming down the stairs.
“Gideon! Steve, get on the radio!” She called.
I sat up, groggy and only half conscious as she burst into my bedroom.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The boat,” She replied, a grave look in her eye and it took me a moment to realize what she meant.

Gideon had just barely poked his head out of his bedroom when I ran out. Ashley was already heading back out the door, a pair of binoculars in hand while I got on the radio to call the coast guard. I saw Gideon barreling down the stairs past me, running out the door after Ashley to watch the boat.
“This is Everfolk Point Lighthouse,” I said into the radio. “Calling in regarding a suspicious watercraft.”

I told them everything, before switching out with Gideon when he came back inside so I could see the boat for myself.

The gunmetal gray boat sat below the rocky cliffs in the distance, although seemed to be already moving away. Ashley offered me the binoculars and I took them, staring out at the distant boat.

Behind the wheel, I could see a man. He looked to be somewhere in his forties, with a thin scuff and dead eyes. He stared vacantly ahead, not even noticing us as he passed. I noted every detail of his face… knowing that I may need to identify him again.

He’d made it a good distance away from the cliffs when we saw the coast guards' ships arriving and as they boarded him, I felt a quiet sense of relief wash over me.

If this was the man… then they’d gotten him.

***

We heard nothing from the coast guard or the police over the next few days, although once my rotation ended and I made it back home, I heard plenty both on the local news and through a friend of mine who’d married a cop.

The man on that boat was identified as Brian Ligon. Apparently, he lived in a small cottage, outside of a town several kilometers down the coast from our lighthouse. And while they found no bodies in that cottage, they clearly found enough to arrest him.

“The way I heard it, the guy was completely nuts!” My friend said, “Soon as they booked him, he’d started screaming and ranting about how he had to kill those kids… how he was actually a good person and he had to ‘feed something’.” She’d shaken her head in disgust, “This is why I never ask about these things. It just makes me sad!”
“Well… I appreciate you asking for me,” I said.

My friend took a sip of her coffee, giving a frustrated sigh.
“Supposedly, he was throwing those dolls into the ocean because he believed their souls lived inside of them, and were feeding something in the water or something like that… either way it’s crazy.”
“Crazy…” I agreed, although my mind wandered back to the teeth marks I’d seen on some of the dolls.

I tried not to think too hard about it.

I read somewhere that Ligon was found dead in his cell the other night… and I can’t pretend that I don’t find the news of his death a little relieving. It’s clear to me that he was a monster… and that there are parts of this story that I do not want to or need to know. I’ve told myself that I won’t pry any further for the sake of my own mental health… I have enough nightmares about the dolls as it is now and there’s a very large part of me that just wants to forget that any of this ever happened.

But the questions still gnaw at me all the same.

Ligon was probably crazy… and when he said that he believed he was feeding something in the ocean, those were probably little more than the words of a deeply disturbed individual. But I can’t forget the teeth marks I saw in the plastic flesh of some of those dolls. I know it’s probably nothing, logically it has to be nothing!

And as I sit here tonight, staring at the only doll I have left, the first one I took from the beach, I can’t help but look at those old scars in her flesh and wonder.

There's no Datamine megathread, even like four hours after the datamine (EDIT: but naturally like ten minutes after I posted this), so fine, separate thread it is! Admittedly, I have not actually been logging into the game the last few days. But my limited interest in the daily in and out of the game doesn't stop my interest in its development and its new characters, and I know lots of people like having this analysis.
As usual, I may misread information, as it's well past midnight, so please let me know of any mistakes so I can correct them. Also also, any time it comes to exact damage numbers, I'm clueless - other people handle that math, so while I might be able to give a good 'sense' of them, don't expect full accuracy. Consider this an introduction, not a perfect analysis.

Steven (Special Costume) & Stoutland (Shiny)

Cheren's Replacement is a Normal Tech. He is like a better Classic Red, designed around helping a single ally shine. His opening Tackle in battle will inflict a Variable Rebuff 1 based on the target's weakness, and gives the party status immunity for good measure. He then has a few tools: Super Effective Up for an ally is welcome by lots of units (though more can give themselves it these days, it is a sync multiplier!). His other TM adds Spd +2 and Phys Next Up 3 to an ally for non-sync turns. And he can also use B Leer 3 times, as long as a rebuffed target is around; this inflicts AoE PAtk, PDef, and Spd -2, as well as Restrain and Can't Dodge. And for good measure if he tackles a unit who can't dodge, he can buff party speed, because sure. Why not. Steven might not have the big fat numbers people usually associate with modern techs, but he is going to be a super welcome ally any time you want to make another unit's numbers get fat, especially if they're physical, and is easily the star unit this month.
Wanna go all in? 2/5 adds a 50% confusion to Tackle, MP Refresh for his super useful TMs, sandstorm support (sure, why not), Auto Party Speed +1, and help with gauge generation and chances of self PDef/SDef buffing when tackling; the MP refreshes are definitely the focus here. 3/5 ups his TM to Phys Next +4, gives Adrenaline 2 (give him another through Lucky Skills to shave an entire cycle!), lets his own sync give stuff like free move next and MP refreshes, a sync damage bonus against restrained foes (this won't make it nearly as good as you expect from techs though), and adds flinch and accuracy debuffs to tackle when hitting units after B Leer. Honestly you could absolutely just leave Steven at 1/5 and be perfectly fine, but the extra sync cycle skip at 3/5 and further damage buffs are going to be super welcome for a lot of people.

Shauna (Special Costume) & Klefki

Steel Support. Brings the always welcome Potions, and a TM that gives party Status Move Defense and Debuff Defense, as well as party Crit +2; both of these also give herself PDef and SDef +1. She then fills the time with Mirror Shot or, more likely, the 1-gauge Tackle. But every time she uses an attacking move, she inflicts a random stat -1 to the target to give a +1 to the entire party for it. Oh, and this random stat steal occurs every time she's hit, too, though that stolen buff only goes to her. And that's... the whole of it. This over time stat stealing is absolutely focused towards longer form fights like Legendary Arenas, where it will have lots of time to be really powerful; not sure she'll be all that useful for champion stadiums at base though.
2/5 adds the usual potion nodes, upgrades Mirror Shot to a 60% accuracy debuff, gives auto regen and party PAtk/SAtk +1 options, and adds a 50% chance of Trap on hits to add some free chip damage. 3/5 fills out those Potion nodes, adds Reflect to her TM, gives auto-Endure, adds a party All Stats +1 after her first sync, and doubles down on her stat stealing - both on defense and on offense (though the extra offensive steal is only 50%). All those extra tools definitely will help her party out if you're trying to use her in faster settings, so she'll probably feel like she 'needs' it a little more than most limited supports.

Zinnia (Special Costume) & Thievul

Dark Tech. She has X Attack All and a 2-use TM that gives Debuff Immunity temporarily, as well as Eva +1 and Crit +2. I started by mentioning those because her first TM use in battle, whichever you choose, also inflicts Dark Rebuff 1 on all foes. Then she has Crunch, but also a 1-use B Night Slash (just requires something to be dark rebuffed to use), which is a high damage attack that always hits, is guaranteed crit, steals enemy stat buffs, and temporarily inflicts a new effect, No Stat Increase to the enemy field, preventing them from benefiting from TMs. Her sync multiplier is based off her own buffs, while a passive also gives her Free Move Next when hitting unbuffed foes. A natural Vigilance rounds it out. One of many 'mess up the enemy buffs' units, but in a new way that will make her a welcome ally to anyone trying to maximize the damage of, say, Lear or SS Korrina's Sync, and timing that B Night Slash well might really trivialize some fights actually. Not a must have, but a neat one.
Take her to 2/5 and her TM also gives her a random stat buff, Crunch becomes a 60% PDef debuff, and she can get some small buffs like Eva +3 and Supereffective Next Up when dropped to critical, or after her first sync. As you expect from a tech, 3/5 is big stuff. Crunch gets an entire extra PDef drop, then she gets move buffs for lowered PDef and opponents having no boosted stats, and fat sync multipliers for her own buffs and enemy missing debuffs, much like what makes Lear's sync number huge. There's also some other small boons like a 70% chance to flinch when the target is unbuffed and Extension for the No Stat Increases effect, so she's more likely to be able to take advantage of all these things. As is tradition for a tech, her utility is at 1/5, and her damage mode is locked behind 3/5.

Lyra (Special Costume) & Phanpy

Not what I expected out of this event. Ground Support with pretty fat natural defenses. Her personal TM is party PAtk +1, PDef +3, and gives her the same type resistance effect as Thorton, which is a good effect for a tank, Thorton's just not a great unit so it's not made much of a mark up to this point. She also packs Mini Potion All to help the party, so she'll be great for surviving physical fights. Beyond that, she has 1-gauge Mud Shot to debuff accuracy, or Earthquake for AoE to proc her other special advantage - Ground Rebuff 1 on her first hit on targets in combat. She also buffs the party's PAtk by 1 whenever she's hit, and when she uses her first sync in battle gives the party a Phys Moves +1. All around a very solid anti-phys support or general ground amplifier, especially if you're not keen on sandstorm or don't have Excadrill.
Wanna give her duplicates? 2/5 adds Speed debuffs to Earthquake, Potion MP refreshing, some Sandstorm buffs (she's naturally able to get immunity), and Sterner Stuff 2 to reduce damage further when hit physically, as well as a 30% chance of free move when hit. 3/5 adds master healer and more MP refresh to mini potion, boosts her TM to +2 PAtk, and gives natural access to Vigilance, as well as First Aid 4, party crit buffing when using a move, auto party SDef +2, and Protect after using her sync. Overall both of her upgrades add a good chunk, with 3/5 making her able to buff a wider variety of stats; nothing mandatory but nothing most players would turn down either.

Lorelei (Variety) & Cloyster

I'mma be real: Variety scouts could just be Spotlights and it would be better for the game. Anyway, Ice Support, a pretty rare type. Her 1 use TM is party PDef +4, Crit +2, and Endure; then she also brings X Attack All, Protect, and a 2-gauge filler. That filler is pretty strong for a support due to a guaranteed 5-hit Icicle Spear, but it's still support offensive stats - the kicker is that each individual hit has a 50% chance of generating a move gauge refresh and a 30% chance of self healing. She does have the physical bulk for that to matter too... but it's not exactly a stellar kit, is it, especially without maxing any of those stats she buffs either.
Duplicates do help. 2/5 gives her TM a refresh that makes it much better, lets X Attack All buff her speed a bit, and interestingly adds a 20% chance per hit speed debuff to Icicle Spear, as well as a bit of Hailstorm assistance (immunity is at 1/5) and an automatic Reflect when she hits low HP. 3/5 lets X Attack All buff PDef if you don't want to rely on the MP refresh, adds innate Vigilance, plus First Aid 4 and Auto Regen for much more bulk. It also further adds 20% PDef debuff chance to each hit of Icicle Spear, and lets her Sync partly heal the party and give Phys Next Up 1 after its first use. All these upgrades do make her a more interesting support with a more complete kit; but while I won't say she needs 3/5, it sure feels like she will to be worth paying attention to.

Bruno (Variety) & Onix

Rock Support feels pretty rare. He brings the always welcome Dire Hit All +, and a 1-use TM (though with MP refresh at 1/5) with party PAtk +2, PDef +6, and Phys Next Up 1. This is backed up with Screech for -2 PDef filler, or Rock Throw if you need just 1 gauge. This is rounded out with Auto-Endure, party Speed buffs whenever hit, and extra damage reduction against physical moves. And... yep. That's it. There's nothing wrong with this kit, but even as nice as defensive buffers with debuffs are (hi BP Clemont)... well, let's say that this kind of unit being limited is part of why I'm falling out of love with the game.
But if you're a mega fan of Bruno's muscles, does it get better with dupes? 2/5 adds Speed buffing on the TM and at battle start, extra defense against electric attacks, and usual support 2/5 stuff like Quick Cure. 3/5 adds party PAtk buffs to Rock Throw, guaranteed 2 gauge refill on Screech so it's basically free, party Regen on the TM, a 30% chance to retain Endure, and Protect and Party Phys Next Up 1 after sync. ....so, uh, no, it doesn't really get that much better with dupes. Again, I'll stress - still a useable unit, but this is the least impressed I've been with a unit in a long time. At least Lorelei does interesting things with Icicle Spear.

Steven (Lodge) & Cradily

Everyone knew it would happen eventually. Rock Tech, and our second Stealth Rock unit - though frankly anyone who has used Bertha knows how unimpressive that is; he does get Accel the first time he does it, and his sync is keyed off it being active, but that's still not much better. His TM is self SAtk +2, SDef +2, and self Endure, which isn't bad. He has Ancient Power, but also Acid, which thanks to a passive is a 1-gauge move with 50% SDef debuffing, which isn't the worst either. Natural extra defense against water also rounds out the kit. Fill out his grid and you can add some other buffs to Stealth Rock (self Crit Next and Supereffective Next help a sync a lot actually alongside a sync multiplier for some solid numbers), and more SpAtk buffing to his TM. You can make Ancient Power a 90% self omnibuff, which is kinda cool too I guess, as well as gaining a 30% flinch on whichever attack you'd rather, and some general move damage ups that probably won't save his low base power. Again, everyone who has tried using Bertha knows how mediocre Stealth Rock is, but he has a fairly spicy nuke capability and the Ancient Power gimmick is cute, even if he can't leverage most of those stats. Not a unit you'll chase the original Steven for though.

Buffs To Old Units

Caitlin & Reuniclus will be receiving the traditional Masters Day 5* unit buff. 1/5 gains completely free SpAtk and Speed buffs. 2/5 adds Crit +2 to her TM, and a move damage boost based on SpAtk buffs. Finally, 3/5 adds Sync Power Flux for a multiplier, and Free Move Next every time she lands a supereffective Move, which will help a lot with her low speed. Is this gonna be transformative? I doubt it... but it's also sure nothing she'll turn down; pretty much any attacker would want to have that. She's still kinda gotta struggle against the fact Giovanni exists though.
Steven & Metagross get their Pokefair rerun expansion. 2/5 adds flinch immunity, but also Tough Sync 3 for some extra punch. 4/5 adds the relatively useless Protect After First Sync, but does also add an AoE PDef -2 after using his sync, which isn't too bad but is nothing super urgent. 5/5 adds Vigilance (still at 10 energy cost), or a guaranteed flinch on your Bullet Punches. Unlike some of the more recent 5/5 expansions, this is relatively chill and not a 'must have' to make the unit succeed. The damage boost is down at 2/5, the extra stuff is just some extra icing options.

And that's... mostly it? Or it would be, but EXes just got added to a ton of units. Note that minus the first one we'll cover, all these units don't have new outfits - but they do have access to the buff of becoming an EX.

Roxanne & Probopass will get their EX (with outfit!) on Masters Day. Roxanne's already one of the better F2P supports; she'll absolutely love the extra tanking stats from going to 6* though and the boosted sync buff from Supports is always welcome.
Bugsy & Scyther need a goddamn rerun already, but hey, he gets his EX! His phys-assisting kit might be aging, but a support EX helps him achieve his goal quite a bit!
All BP Units are getting their EXes. Of note, the Supports obviously are super welcome, because Support EX is always solid. The others? Ehhh. Erika is a toxic stall unit, where sync damage doesn't matter much to start with. Then, the others - Zinnia, Candice, and especially Karen - don't have excellent syncs to begin with. You could make a case for Sophocles though; his sync is actually alright and adding AoE makes it much easier for him to finish a fight before recoil takes him out.
All Lodge Units will also be receiving their EXes. Again, the Supports obviously love this. However, many of the Lodge attackers also have acceptable syncs to begin with - Silver, Rose, N, Marnie, and especially Serena have syncs that already break the 2m raw damage threshold, and sure wouldn't mind getting stronger. The rest aren't that impressive, sadly.
Finally, The Eeveelution Trio (Lucas & Flareon, Kris & Jolteon, and Lyra & Vaporeon) from the first Variety Scout are also getting their EXes. I know not many pulled for these units, which fair - but anyone who grabbed any of these and raised them to 3/5 probably knows that they actually had some very high damage syncs even without an EX. And I mean that - Flareon actually has the third strongest Fire sync, and this should easily move him to second place, only behind the insane SS May. If you invested into these units, go the extra mile for the EX and watch them soar.

So this is basically the things that I'd really want and hope to be in Life By You. I hope someone on the LBY team can see this, because the Discord isn't open yet, but I'd like to get some suggestions in as early as possible so they have more time to consider or work on ideas. So, here are my ideas/wants/hopes:

-Custom music, and custom music stations/genres, and possibly in-game playlists (separate from stations/genres).

-The ability to make a shopping mall would be very cool. I'd love to make my own indoor mall. Or outdoor too of course. I saw you can make your own retail lots, but a mall would be a bit more complex, which is why I'm listing it

-The ability to make furry characters, such as anthropomorphic wolves, tigers, horses, etc. (but with the round head that you see with most furs, not the humanoid shaped head) I feel like there's hardly any lifesim games that gives you the option, and there's not much furry representation. And I know there are haters out there, but they don't have to make furry characters if they don't want to.

-I saw specific dates being a thing (ex: June 18), and I LOVE that. A small thing is that I hope we're able to keep track of the year. Maybe it starts on 2023 and goes forward. Also, I'm hoping for basic weather and seasons.

-In-game photographs. I imagine this will be a thing. But, more specifically, the ability to better organize photos, making photo albums, renaming photos, sharing photos with others (maybe a great reaction to giving photos taken of two people together when sharing the photo with the other person), and timestamped with in game date and time to know when you took the photo.

So, that's the major things for me right now I wanted to bring up for suggestions. Some things I brought up may already be planned, but I wasn't sure. So, I'm sorry if I missed something and listed something that was confirmed. Feel free to comment with your own ideas too! This game looks very promising (especially with Rod Humble on the team), and I love it so far! Thank you guys so much for working on this game. That alone is already amazing. And thank you to all who read this.

This is part 3 of a week long game we started early in the week.
Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/useJamesonRhymecomments/123swtw/about_6_dates_to_marry_first_date_the_picnic_who/
Part 2: https://www.reddit.com/useJamesonRhymecomments/124em91/6_dates_to_marry_second_date_disneyworld_who/)
But to recap, I’m fixing you up on a blind date with 6 people. Each day, you will eliminate the contestant you are least interested in. At the end of the week, we’ll see who democracy has chosen for you.
Yesterday, the sub eliminated Penn.
You called Penn up to break the news, and thankfully they were understanding.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Redditor. I rather enjoyed our chats. You’re a great hang, but I understand. I’ve been single for a while so what’s a little while longer? I’m sure I’ll find the one soon and I hope you do too. Thanks for two great dates- you’re top notch.”
For the third round, your dates are taking you out to someplace that they love and you’ll get to experience a bit of what makes them tick.
Select the person you’d like to eliminate and tomorrow, you will go on a fourth date with the remaining 3 people. You can also revisit the links up top to review the first and second dates if you want to refresh on your previous experience with each of the remaining prospects.

Jessen

“Hey there’s an open window. That’s perfect, let’s go in!”
Jessen leads you through a busted out window into the cement decay of an abandoned building that looks like it hasn’t been inhabited since the 70’s.
“Are you sure this is okay?” you ask.
“Totally! I do this all the time. I love finding new abandoned buildings to explore and see what I find. It’s like modern archeology. My parents don’t know though, so don’t say anything if you meet them.”
“Sure. How did you get into this?”
“Mmm. That parts kinda weird. But long story short, I used to cut myself a lot when I was really depressed. I’d come to places like this because nobody was here. But don’t worry, that’s all in my past now. These days I just explore and mess around. You can throw a brick at a wall or break a window and who cares. It’s just fun. Wanna try it? Take this rock and throw it at anything.”
“Uh…ok.”
You take the rock and half-heartedly throw it at a cinema poster on the wall.
“See. Who cares, right? Wasn’t that fun?” Jessen then walks over and kicks a small filing cabinet over.
“Take that, you stupid filing cabinet!” Jessen says laughing. “I’ve been trying to learn to look at the bright parts of life. But sometimes it feels good to kick over a filing cabinet.”
You guys spend an hour or so there talking about life. You learn that Jessen is a receptionist at a dentist’s office, but doesn’t really like the job, but also doesn’t know what else they’d do. Money is not an issue because they live at home and their parents cover a lot. So for now, Jessen is just killing time in life.

Brux

You’ve found yourself at a nice park on the outskirts of town. Sitting on a bench facing a large green area, Brux hands you some fabric and a needle and begins teaching you how to knit.
“It’s a little tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it,” Brux assures.
“So you knit here a lot?”
“When I can. It’s super peaceful and I like the fresh air.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m surprised you’re into knitting. You don’t seem like one of those fashion-obsessed types.”
Brux smirks lightly. “You calling me a slob?”
“No, no, I-“
“Relax, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Some things are more about the process than the result.”
“I guess you have a ‘point’ there!” you say, making a mock stabbing gesture toward Brux with your needle. But in a flash, Brux drops everything, grabs your needle hand, bending it behind your back, and shoves your torso toward your knees. After a second, they release their grip and apologize profusely.
“I’m so sorry!! It was a total reflex, I didn’t mean to do that! Please forgive me,” Brux says with a heavy blush as they help you back upright.
“Okay sure…but you need to tell me what’s up. Last time we met, you Houdini’d my wallet out of my pocket without me ever feeling a thing. Today you Bruce Lee’d me into a pretzel in the space of one second. I get that it was a reflex, but not a lot of people have that reflex. What’s the deal here???”
“It’s actually just from work.”
“Work?”
“I’m a stunt double. I work on films and stuff. My specialty is martial arts, so I stand in for a lot of the female macho types.”
“What?? Why am I just hearing this?”
“I don’t like to tell people because then they get all weird and start asking about celebrities and whatever. But I’m not a big red carpet type. It’s just a job for me. My parents put me in martial arts from an early age and I got scouted at a tournament and so I started taking film gigs because…money. But it’s not my identity. Sitting here on a bench with my yarns and good company is more my speed.”

Blue

And now for something complete different. After the blast you guys had at Disneyworld, this was a total contrast.
“Alright, we’re here!” Blue says as they park their SUV in a space beside a mountain. “This is the best hike in town!”
Blue then takes a swig of their energy drink and belches loudly as you guys open your car doors to get out. That burp sounded way louder than it needed to.
“Wow, you’re a rugged one, aren’t you?” you comment.
“I guess! I do a lot of camping and hiking and all that.”
Finally! That was the perfect segue to bring up that burning issue that’s been in the back of your mind. Sure, Blue was a sculpture-ready work of art, but that first date…
“Oh, so you do a lot of outdoor stuff? I guess that skill came in handy for that, uh, accident at the picnic the other day. I’m so glad you weren’t sick or anything. I was worried.”
“Accident? I didn’t have an accident. I took a dump. Just like everyone does- and a fat one at that!” they said with a comically exaggerated wink and a click of the tongue.
“But right behind a tree?” you say, trying to force a laugh so things don’t get too awkward.
“Life’s too short to hold onto energy. You see the peak on that mountain? That’s the challenge. You see this apple and granola bar? This is energy. Energy in, energy out, keep moving. Anyway, I grew up in a house with a dad and three brothers. We were always outdoors. But I’m kinda the high-fiber, water guzzling health nut in the family. My dad always jokes that my dog should carry a plastic baggie for me when we go out! But anyway, I’m human. I poop. Who cares. Now let’s get going- I’m about to take you on the best hike of your life and I can’t wait to see the smile on your face!”
Blue lets out a roar as they grab your hand and drag you toward the trailhead.
One thing about Blue you noticed is that they are always overflowing with energy. But they were a great hiking guide and knew all about the types of animals and plants you encountered. Blue shared lots of survivalist info and you could tell they were a master of the outdoors. You knew from previous conversations that they were a department store model and cashier at Abercrombie & Fitch, but you learned today that they’re in training to become a wilderness survival guide specializing in beginners who, as Blue described, “have never experienced the pure awesomeness of nature”.

Naeve

You didn’t even need a car. Naeve had you meet them in a rougher part of town and you set out down the street on foot. Soon, you understand why Naeve told you to dress down a bit. Naeve as usual is wearing thrifted indie clothing, so no change was necessary for them.
“I want you to meet some of my buds around here.” they say as they led you to a tent up the way.
“This is Jim. He’s the funniest guy you’ll ever meet.”
Jim is a homeless guy with a friendly smile. He’s been homeless since the Pandemic and Naeve occasionally brings him food when possible. Over the next couple hours, you accompany Naeve, meeting the homeless of all walks of life. You learn that Naeve was homeless for a few months, but they didn’t even seem to mind it that much. Now they live in a rent-controlled apartment near the homeless encampment but still stays in touch with the others and does everything possible to encourage local restaurants and grocery stores to donate food that’s about to go to waste. Naeve also participates in local activism to help reduce homelessness in the city and pass socially focused legislation.
“See, that’s what I call a perfect exchange,” Naeve said. “We had a great time, met some cool cats, and it didn’t cost us a dime. People today waste too much money. The world is already free entertainment!”
One thing you notice about Naeve is that they don’t need good looks to feel confident. They may be on the lower end of average, but they have a knack for relating to anyone and matching their energy. They kept you included in all the conversations and by the end, you felt really knowledgeable about a portion of society you didn’t know anything about.
**************
Who do you want to eliminate?
If you hit the bell, I'll let you know tomorrow when Date 4 happens with the remaining 3 people ;-)
View Poll

I can't link to other threads, but.. long story short,
I'm barely knowledgeable on PCs. Mine's a prebuilt by a company. In short, something went wrong. Booted up DRG (Deep Rock Galactic) and Phasmophobia the other day, and after a while in multiplayer, it shut down by itself. No warning, no blue screen, as if the power switch was flicked. Happened quite a bit. Asked about it on the tech support subreddit, and they basically said "if it isn't overheating, it's probably your PSU."
Well, I cleaned it just today, and my GPU dropped 30*C from ~70*C to ~40*C during normal operation. Tested out DRG again. Got through a round, felt so happy, then it shut down. Task Manager says my GPU runs ~90*C during gaming, before and after I cleaned it. So, yeah, it probably isn't overheating cause of clogged fans and vents.
Well, my PSU is the " AIGO GP50 550W 80+ bronze Black cable PSU ". Roughly 65-70 in my local currency. I'm asking: Should I replace it with the same PSU, or look for a better, higher quality one? Concerned that a new one won't fit or something. I mean, the PSU is roughly 2.5 years old by now. Maybe its just old age?
My PC specs if you guys need more info to make a decision:

TecWare Nexus M2 mATX Casing w/ 3 fans ASRock Motherboard A32M-HDV AMD Ryzen 3 3300X ViewMax ENIGMA X RADEON RX 570 4GB KLEVV Performance DDR4 Retail Pack DDR4-2666 CL19 1.2V UDIMM 16GB PNY CS900 240GB 2.5" Sata III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) COMFAST Intel AX200 WIFI CARD PCIE & BLUETOOTH 500GB Internal HDD 2.5"

Thanks.
Edit: Oh yeah, if you guys do recommend a new PSU, some recommendations would be nice.

My sister in law is 30 years old and hot as fuck. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby for this past 7 or 8 years without sucess.They have went to many doctors but everything they have tried has failed. However, while the hormone meds that they gave her have failed to help her get pregnant, they made her tits swell quite alot and I am more horny around her now than I used to be.
Being a total degenerate, the fact that she can't get knocked up is the fuel for one of the many fantasies I have about her.
In my fantasy we are having a long time affair and what turns her on most is being rough fucked and humiliated. So I decide to see how far she will go...
I go to her house one morning while her husband is at work. When she opens the door I dont share any pleasantries with her, I just grab her and pull her towards her bed room.
"I'm only here for one thing slut" I say as I roughly push her face down bent over her bed. She is still in her pyjamas which I pull along with her panties down around her ankles then take out my own cock which is rock hard already. No foreplay, I just shove my dick into her cunt which is soaking wet already and I start fucking her.
"look at you you nasty bitch" I say "getting dicked on your marriage bed while your husbands away. What a fucking slut".
She just moans, not replying.
"Look how I am fucking you bareback whore. Dont even need to use a condom on an infertile cunt like you, no risk" I sneer.
"please dont say that" she pleads, but she betrays herself as at the same time she starts to puch back at my cock. Shes getting off on the humiliation.
"I will say what I want whore. you are not even a real woman, the only thing you are good for is the fuck"
I pound her harder and reach round putting my hand up her top and grabbing her tit. I doubt I will last long.
"The good thing about a worthless whore like you is that men dont even have to waste money on condoms, your a human condom you nasty cow."
at this stage she is fucking back hard and her cunt is dripping, yet still she keeps saying "no" "please" and "dont".
"Young women can have babies and look at you. You are a worthless bitch, only good for one thing which is taking mens cum in you. A no risk fuck"
At this stage its too much for me and I cum, dumping a load in her infertile cunt.
I pull up my trousers, button up and leave her there face down on the bed.
"clean yourself up before you half ass husband comes home you whore" I say as I close the door.

There are many different rum brands from all over the world, each with their own unique flavor profiles and characteristics. Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses or sugarcane juice, which are fermented and then distilled. It is believed to have originated in the Caribbean during the 17th century and has since become a popular spirit worldwide.
There are many different types of rum, each with its own unique characteristics, flavor profiles, and production methods. Some of the most popular types of rum include white or silver rum, gold rum, dark rum, spiced rum, and aged rum.
Rum is a versatile spirit that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, including as a base for cocktails or mixed drinks, served neat or on the rocks, or used in cooking and baking. Some popular rum-based cocktails include the Mojito, Daiquiri, Piña Colada, and Mai Tai.
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With more and more brands entering the market, it can be quite intimidating in choosing the best. Check out the top bestselling rum brands in USA. The best way to choose a rum brand is to try a few different ones and see which you prefer.

Top Rum Brands

Bacardi
Bacardi is a rum brand that was first produced in 1862 by Facundo Bacardi Masso in Santiago de Cuba. The company is now headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and is one of the largest producers of rum in the world. Bacardi is known for its smooth, light-bodied rums, which are aged in oak barrels and blended to create a consistent flavor profile. Some of the most popular Bacardi rums include Bacardi Superior (white rum), Bacardi Gold (amber rum), Bacardi 8 (aged rum), and Bacardi Black (dark rum). The brand is also known for its signature cocktail, the Bacardi Mojito, which is made with Bacardi Superior, lime juice, mint leaves, sugar, and soda water.
Captain Morgan
Captain Morgan is a brand of rum produced by the British alcohol company Diageo. The rum is named after Sir Henry Morgan, a Welsh privateer who became a famous pirate in the Caribbean. Captain Morgan rum is made from a blend of Caribbean rums and is available in several different varieties, including original spiced rum, white rum, black rum, and flavored rums such as coconut and pineapple. The brand is well known for its distinctive bottle, which is shaped like a squat, rounded flask with a handle, reminiscent of the bottles that would have been used by pirates in Morgan’s time.
Mount Gay
Mount Gay is a rum brand that has been produced in Barbados since 1703. It is one of the oldest rum brands in the world and is known for its high quality and distinct flavor. Mount Gay rums are made from a blend of column and pot still distillates and are aged in oak barrels.
There are several varieties of Mount Gay rum, including Mount Gay Eclipse, Mount Gay Black Barrel, and Mount Gay XO. Eclipse is the brand’s flagship rum and is a blend of rums aged between 2 and 7 years. Black Barrel is a small-batch rum that is finished in charred bourbon barrels for a rich, complex flavor. XO is a premium rum that is aged for at least 8 years and is known for its smoothness and complexity.
Mount Gay rum is enjoyed around the world and is often used in cocktails such as the Rum Punch and the Mai Tai.
Appleton Estate
Appleton Estate is a Jamaican rum brand that produces high-quality, premium rums. The brand has been in operation since 1749 and has a reputation for producing some of the best rums in the world.
Appleton Estate produces a range of rums, including the Signature Blend, Reserve Blend, Rare Blend 12 Year Old, and the 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum. Each of these rums is made from a blend of rums that have been aged for different lengths of time in oak barrels, giving each one a unique flavor profile.
The Signature Blend is a medium-bodied rum that is perfect for mixing in cocktails, while the Reserve Blend is a smooth, full-bodied rum that is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. The Rare Blend 12 Year Old is a complex and rich rum that has been aged for a minimum of 12 years, while the 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum is a luxurious and indulgent rum that has been aged for at least 21 years.
Ron Zacapa
Ron Zacapa is a premium rum brand from Guatemala. The rum is named after the town of Zacapa, where it is produced, and is known for its complex flavor and smoothness.
Ron Zacapa rums are aged using the Solera system, which involves blending different rums of various ages to achieve a consistent flavor profile. The rums are aged in a combination of American whiskey, sherry, and Pedro Ximenez wine casks, which contributes to the distinctive taste of the rum.
Ron Zacapa produces a range of rums, including the Zacapa 23, which is aged for a minimum of 23 years, and the Zacapa XO, which is aged for up to 25 years. These rums are highly regarded by rum enthusiasts and have won numerous awards for their quality and taste.
Flor de Cana
Flor de Cana is a rum brand produced in Nicaragua. The company was founded in 1890 and has since become one of the most well-known rum brands in the world. The rum is made from sugar cane grown in Nicaragua’s volcanic soil and distilled using traditional methods.
Flor de Cana offers a range of rums, from their classic 4-year-old rum to their ultra-premium 25-year-old rum. They also produce flavored rums, including their popular coffee-infused rum.
In addition to their high-quality rums, Flor de Cana is committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility. The company has implemented numerous initiatives to reduce their environmental impact, including using renewable energy, reducing water usage, and implementing sustainable farming practices.

Age - 30
Sex - Male
Height - 183cm
Weight - ~75-80kg
Race - Caucasian
Duration of complaint - Few months, seemingly getting worse
Location - Arms and legs. More noticeably in the legs. Right leg in particular. Around my shin area is a burning/aching pain that only goes away to be replaced by pain either in the forearms or other leg. Right now it's just pretty bad on the right lower leg.
Any existing relevant medical issues - Not that I know of.
Current medications - None
Include a photo if relevant - Not relevant
Comment - How do I get this looked at? I saw a doctor about a month ago and received a nerve study at a neurologist. They zapped me a few times but didn't really find anything. Doctor wants me to go back but due to a few ongoing things requiring me to take time off work, I stepped away from neurologist (Braces tightening, general dental, a few heart scans). The pain today is so bad I'm regretting that choice. What could it be? How can I test for it? I'm in Australia

Okay this is a long post. But I do not know if I am right or wrong so I would like different opinions and suggestions. Timeline is from September to now so when I say it's a long rant, it really is.
I'm an international student in Chicago and do not have dental insurance. In September I started experiencing pain in my left bottom teeth region. I detected its tooth number 19 and after reading through reddit, UIC was the cheapest and the best rated option for me to go to. I book an urgent care appointment near the end of September and the student worker detects cavity on tooth #19. She cleans and does temporary filling. She states that to have a permanent filling, I need to be a permanent patient there. Meaning I need to have my xrays taken and have an evaluation which takes time. She also states to come back in 6 weeks to have a permanent filling.
I leave with relief that atleast I won't be in pain. I tell her I'll become a permanent patient. I pay and get my xrays done (around mid of October). They approve me to be their patient and I end up going for their evaluation on the second week of Nov. I go for evaluation where I find out I have a bunch of other cavities. The senior dentist comes and tells me throat looks swollen and red and I need to be cleared for a medical consultation by the senior dentist (I also tell the senior dentist that I have a history of cancer sores in my throat but at that moment I didn't have any). So now I book an appointment for a primary care for the first time in the US (around 3rd week of November). Co incidentally I had a very sharp right pelvis pain as well during my medical consultation. The gp tells me your throat looks fine to me right now and any infections that you could have had could be due to cavities and he did not understand why the senior dentist needed consultation clearance. For my pelvis pain he orders a CT scan and bunch of blood work, he suspects appendicitis. I told him I've had same pain a month ago as well. Anyways, before the scan I find out its for $8,000 and my medical insurance will only cover $350, the blood work came around about $500 after the insurance covered, so I choose just to get the blood work. (Note my sister is a doctor and she told me to get the blood work done before the scan as she suspected it could be kidney stones) I go for the tests and wait for my blood reports. My blood reports come that same evening and mostly all the reports are normal except C-reactive protein and eGFRprotein were slightly high. I observe my pain and its fades down and completely goes away by night. The plan was to go to the ER if the pain ever returns, at which point my insurance would cover it 100%. The next few mornings I monitor myself and there's no pain at all, and I haven't had that pain since then. The gp had signed the medical consultation form that I needed for my dental clearance. I'm mid moving apartments at this point and I lose that piece of paper (worst mistake I made was not to have a picture of the paper). I ask the GP to fill the paper again, to which he refuses and says if I don't get the CT he won't fill and sign the paper (basically he voids the first note he made). I know the gp was protecting himself as well but I honestly have not had this behaviour from a doctor before.. and I have lived in the middle-east, asia and europe before. It literally felt like 'you wont give me what I want, then even I wont give you something you want'. I try for the student dentist to speak to the gp and the gp tells her im not clearing her for the dental work because she didnt make it to the scan (first time in my life i experienced a doctor refusing his word but idk how things run in America). This is now mid of December. I tell the student dentist that I do have tooth pain for which I have proof of on texts. I end up going to another gp (who also states that cavities can cause mouth infections), she runs tests again which all come normal this time and clears me for dental work. Also turns out my pelvis pain was ovulation pain according to a gynaecologist. At this point (first week of Jan) I tell the student I'm still in pain and she said temporary filling can stay long and the tooth was cleaned and the pain can come from the tooth adjacent to it which has a decay as well. I go to UIC in the second week of January, 15-16 weeks after my temporary filling was done. She does my permanent filling and does cleaning of the teeth. She rushes through the cleaning and says ill complete the full procedure of cleaning next time you come. All this time I think she's been helping me so I cooperated a lot as well. I know the medical consultation were also my fault as I misplaced the paper so im fully responsible for that.
But im still in pain after the permanent filling. So sept - January.. still in pain. I spent $500 at UIC and I am in pain. I don't reach out to her again and decide to go to another dentist now. The new dentist tells me there's a lot of tartar buildup around tooth 19th. She tells me the cleaning was not done properly and the filling is also not right. The dentist cleans as much as she could and prescribes augmentin and calls me back. (This is third week of Jan). The pain goes away idk because of pills or the proper cleaning? When she calls me back she says she'll re-do filling for #19 and does filling for #18. When she opens #19 she says there's a lot of decay that was left behind and is shocked as to what was done. She even does a hole on the side of my molar which was never done at UIC. She shows me the color inside of the tooth and explains the difference between a decay and normal tooth structure. But the decay was very close to my nerve, she tells me she's trying her best not to reach the nerve but if the pain still persists then I need an RCT. She gives me another round augmentin as an insurance if the pain persists. (4th week of Jan) This is also when I tell student dentist what the second dentist has claimed and done. She apologies and says she's sorry and admits she rushed the cleaning, but says the doctor checked the tooth at every point during the filling and it's unfortunate I had to go somewhere else for my pain. I ask her simply if I can get reimbursed for my money because I didnt get what I was supposed to (which is relief lol) she says 'You came in for an urgent care appt back in sept we took an X-ray of the tooth bothering you and there was a cavity there so we treated it. We do not provide cleanings for an urgent care appt. I don’t think we can offer reimbursement for everything but just see and ask'
Now in the meantime, I am trying to call UIC customer service. Left voicemail in December to get help, no one ever called back. Left emails, no response. Then in February I find out about UI health and someone answers my calls (first time talking to someone about my experience other than the student dentist). They take a note and I get a call from the department who handles the Dentistry. She asks me what has happened, I tell her all the above. She asks me what I want now, I tell her I want my money back. She says she'll speak the the doctor in their department. The doctor asks for my xrays and doctors note from the other dental clinic. I send them on 1st of March. No reply for 2 weeks after sending many follow up emails. I get a reply back mid of March that she herself was on vacation for 2 weeks. Note: no out of office automated email lol. Then mid of march she says everyone's on Spring break, wait for 20th March for doctors to come back. I follow up, with initially a response to wait. Followed up several times later, no response. I email her saying 'I'm in a lot of pain and I need a root canal. Can you please help me with this? If not I need a supervisor. I can not wait further. I have been suffering since September. I'm a student myself and im on a visa. I am taking ibuprofen and tylenols everyday since September which has its own side effects. I'm at the verge of crying. I can't even get help from the UIC customer service side now?' Got an answer today saying 'Doctor reviewed your x-rays and took in consideration your concerns. He determined that the refund we would only be provide to you for the prophy (cleaning), which was not finished by the student. For #19 filling, which you informed us that after being seen by the outside provider you are now in need of a root canal and based on the x-rays provided, we would not be able to do a refund since we were not given the opportunity to see you for the toothache prior to seeking care elsewhere. Unfortunately at this time we see no wrongdoing on the student’s end based on what we stated “the x-rays we would once again not be able to provide a refund for #19”.' I have sent her a proof of the doctors note saying she did code D2392 and it was completed. And my prescription.
Now I do not know what to do.. should I leave everything, and continue with my money gone to waste? Or should I fight? What are my rights as a patient? Or am I wrong? I take tylenols and ibuprofen for my pain daily. I am not mad at the student i know shes learning and i get it, but there are so many senior dentists there who looked at me.. and this was the result? Did they look in rush because they have so many patients? I don't know what to do.. obviously I can't afford a lawyer to start a case so yeah im just lost.

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Time passes like a blanket drawn over the world,
Fluttering away to a quieter realm to disintegrate.
You follow behind time just as fate foretold,
And no photos nor journal entries can slow the fade
Of your tanned face. Every crease and fold
Once so familiar in my hands now evades
The persistence of memories that I hold
To my heart as I chant: One day
You’ll return, and we’ll grow old
In the treehouse colored white and jade.
But time passed like volcanic rock turned gold
And hardened my resolution so I hardly ever sway.
The persistence of memory isn’t all that strong,
And now the mere thought of you is foreign and wrong.

Hi!
Bonus to you if you get the Cinnamon Girl Type O Negative reference :P
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with someone around my age or older. Friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way. I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season
I had to list this one because I just adore the fall and everything that comes with it. My birthday is in October too so it's always been my favorite month. I much prefer fall and winter over a muggy humid summer. In the cooler seasons there's always ways to warm up.
• Candles and Incense
I love scented candles and incense and stuff like this!! I feel like you don't find guys into this stuff that much but I definitely am an exception. Right now I’m burning a citrus and sage one from Yankee Candle! Smells so nice.
• Technology
I'm good at fixing electronics and I'm quite nerdy in that aspect. So if something breaks I can fix it ;) I'm also good with my hands and quite inclined mechanically and quite the nerd.
• Music
I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order. But I like tons of older and newer bands as well. such as: Bauhaus, Velvet Underground, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Type O Negative, Nirvana, Rush, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, the Wipers, Spacemen 3, Meshuggah, Megadeth, Buzzcocks, MC5, Stooges, 13th Floor Elevators, Screaming Trees, Green Day, Alice in Chains, Asylum Party, My Bloody Valentine, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jefferson Airplane, etc.
• Cooking and Baking
I like to cook and learn new recipes, as well as bake fun things too! It's always nice when the house feels nice and cozy and smells good. I appreciate the simple pleasures in life, a cozy cup of tea and music or a movie in bed or sitting outside is so nice!
• Animals
I love animals of all types, and I currently have an older cat which I adore to death! We rescued her from the local shelter. She's the sweetest thing. (I think I love her more than anyone in the house lol, she just makes me so happy) :) I also don't kill insects or bugs, I catch and release them outside.
• Art
I enjoy art, both creating it from time to time such as drawing, and admiring other peoples work. There's just something so fun about it and seeing things so beautiful.
• Houseplants
I love houseplants and really anything nature related and also spiritual such as crystals and rocks. I love to help my mom in caring for all of our plants and also gardening outside when its a good growing season. Its fun! I also like cottage core and goblin core type vibes and enjoy sitting out on the deck burning incense, its peaceful :)
• Photography
I recently got a DSLR camera, a Nikon D5500 and a D200 and I've really been enjoying taking photos of my cat and nature landscapes! This includes closeups, photos of trees, the fields, etc. I've been working a lot on composition, long exposures, getting nice blurred backgrounds, depth of field, etc. It's interesting to me.
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.
Me: https://ibb.co/mqNwyRp https://ibb.co/YdxZtcH https://ibb.co/NLLmpvt https://ibb.co/4pT04Kk https://ibb.co/sF4q4TR https://ibb.co/Kj21Tmp https://ibb.co/Hh0n7wN

Orthodontix is a term that likely refers to Orthodontics, which is a specialty field of dentistry that focuses on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of malocclusions (problems with the bite) and misaligned teeth and jaws. Orthodontists are dental specialists who have completed additional training and education beyond dental school to become experts in the field of orthodontics.

Orthodontic treatment can involve a variety of procedures and appliances, including braces, clear aligners, retainers, and orthognathic surgery. The goal of orthodontic treatment is to improve the function and appearance of the teeth and jaws, as well as to promote long-term oral health.

Orthodontic problems can affect people of all ages, from children to adults, and can have a significant impact on a person's self-esteem and overall quality of life. If you are experiencing issues with the alignment of your teeth or jaws, it's important to consult with an orthodontist to determine the best course of treatment for your individual needs.

Damon braces are a type of orthodontic braces that use a unique self-ligating system to straighten teeth. Traditional braces use elastic or metal ties to hold the archwire in place, which can cause friction and discomfort for the patient. In contrast, Damon braces use a sliding mechanism that allows the archwire to move more freely, which can lead to faster and more comfortable tooth movement.

Damon braces are available in both metal and clear (ceramic) options, and are suitable for treating a wide range of orthodontic issues, including crowded or crooked teeth, overbites, underbites, and crossbites. They are also designed to require fewer office visits than traditional braces, which can be convenient for patients with busy schedules.

In addition to their unique self-ligating system, Damon braces also feature a low profile design and smooth, rounded edges, which can help reduce discomfort and irritation in the mouth. They are typically more expensive than traditional braces, but many patients find that the benefits of faster treatment times and increased comfort are worth the extra cost.

As with any orthodontic treatment, it's important to consult with an orthodontist to determine if Damon braces are the right treatment option for your individual needs. They can provide more information about the benefits and drawbacks of Damon braces, as well as other treatment options that may be appropriate for you.

Teeth whitening is a cosmetic dental procedure that is designed to remove surface stains and discoloration from the teeth, resulting in a brighter and more attractive smile. The procedure involves the use of a whitening agent, which can be applied to the teeth in a variety of ways, including as a gel, paste, or strip.

There are several different types of teeth whitening procedures available, including in-office treatments performed by a dentist, at-home treatments using custom-made trays, and over-the-counter whitening products such as whitening toothpastes and strips.

In-office teeth whitening treatments typically involve the use of a high-concentration whitening agent that is applied directly to the teeth and activated with a special light or laser. The entire procedure usually takes less than an hour, and patients typically see dramatic results immediately.

At-home teeth whitening treatments involve the use of custom-made trays that are filled with a lower-concentration whitening gel and worn for several hours a day for several weeks. While the results are not as dramatic as in-office treatments, at-home whitening can still produce significant improvements in the color of the teeth.

Over-the-counter whitening products such as whitening toothpastes and strips are also available, but these products are typically less effective than professional treatments and may take several weeks or months to produce noticeable results.

Teeth whitening is generally safe and effective when performed by a qualified dental professional. However, it may not be suitable for everyone, especially those with sensitive teeth or certain types of dental restorations such as crowns or fillings. It's important to consult with a dentist to determine if teeth whitening is the right cosmetic dental procedure for you.

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Note: Adapted from a devlog posted to itch.io. Edited for clarity, specificity, and usefulness.
Hello again, gamemaker. As part of the ongoing development efforts for my project, Reality Layer Zero, I've been tinkering around with optimization and profiling recently. I wanted to share some of my personal discoveries here, on the off-chance they're remotely useful to anyone other than me.
To preface matters, this post will largely be talking about diagnostic techniques. When you know you've got a problem and you don't know what it is, you might employ some of these steps to figure things out. The appropriate optimizations to apply, once appropriate diagnosis has occurred, tends to be a somewhat obvious thing, so that side of development is of lesser interest to us for the duration of this write-up. We'll still talk about it a little bit, in-brief, but not to any satisfactory degree if you're not yet totally comfortable with common optimization techniques and why they work. Just a little bit of optimization talk, as a treat.
I should also mention that, while much of this post will be spent discussing very "3D graphics"-related topics, the techniques outlined here should be fairly universal across all Game Maker projects (2D and 3D) and, indeed, game development in general. The only difference will be what numbers you think are acceptable, depending on what your target platforms are and how your game "ought" to run.
So, about two weeks ago, a friend of mine tried to run my game on a 10-year-old laptop with a 2GB VRAM discrete graphics card. This was the result:
Hey... That's not the usual crash message box...
After doing a real quick Google, I found that this error is (usually) caused by the DirectX application-- in this case, my game-- allocating more texture memory than is available on the host device.
To be honest, at the time, I dismissed this as being not a very critical issue-- after all, the hardware was old, probably not representative of a typical modern system, and could have had untold other problems of its own that caused the crash.
However, something kept bugging me about it and, after about 2 weeks of sitting on it, I decided to properly investigate.
As it turns out, this wasn't exactly the first sign that not all was well with the game's VRAM usage. The first time happened almost a month prior when a different friend recorded this clip of the game running on a GTX1050. There's a stutter in the framerate that occurs once every three seconds or so, and, curiously, only in "exterior" scenes. The GTX1050, for reference, has 4GB of VRAM.
On first brush with this footage, I couldn't even hazard a guess as to what was going on-- after all, the profiler said the game was running fine! The framerate was comfortably in the middle-hundreds, and memory usage was reported at around... 900MB. Well, okay, I guess that sounds a little bit high, but it's a 3D game with real-time lighting and shadows! Besides that, RAM is cheap! It... it is 900 MB of RAM, isn't it?
So, the only answer I can give is... Maybe? The documentation is somewhat vague on this point. I'm actually still not sure whether the memory usage displayed in the debugger graph is RAM, VRAM, or a lump sum of both.
After applying the optimizations I'll talk about in a moment, the profiler reports memory usage as being <= 500 MB (or 300 MB less than the control) under the same conditions. I'm not sure if this was a product of the optimizations to VRAM usage or of a separate, unrelated effort wherein I applied compression to some of the internal audio files (thus reducing their memory footprint when loaded by the game). I'm leaning toward the latter as the explanation, which would indicate that the debugger graph only shows RAM usage. This... Seems like, possibly, not the best thing in the world for video game diagnostic purposes. However, I'm unwilling to say that I've confirmed this to be the case definitively.
My favorite corner of the screen.
In a similar information deficit, the more in-depth profiler view only shows call count and execution time. This is great for figuring out certain performance bottlenecks-- stuff that isn't executing as efficiently as it could be-- but not so good for figuring out when you've, say, allocated an unreasonable amount of texture memory for a shadow map that, in truth, just doesn't need to be that nice in the first place. Not to spoil the punch-line or anything.
First place is good, right?
So, VRAM, right? There's something going on with the VRAM, according to the DirectX error in the first image. Furthermore, it might have something to do with exterior scenes, judging by the video clip. However, the Game Maker debugger isn't doing a very good job of telling me how much VRAM the game is using-- I can't, using the built-in tools, watch the game and see how the memory reacts to figure out what's going on (at least, I don't think I can-- would love to be proven wrong, though).
To give me a little bit more insight, I enlisted the help of a 3rd party profiling tool-- GPU-Z, in case you're interested. Then, I cracked open my IDE and started tweaking areas of the code that seemed memory-inefficient.
At first, I thought the overuse of VRAM was related to the way I'm rendering text-- I'm actually using multiple surfaces at 1080p to render nice outlines and drop-shadows underneath the letters in a reasonably-fast manner at runtime (and then simply downsampling to lower resolutions, which results in some pretty nice-looking words, I think). However, whenever I reduced the size of these text surfaces, I noticed that GPU-Z was only reporting a very slight reduction in VRAM usage-- like, between 30-50MB. That's not nothing, but it's not really "make-or-break" numbers for a GPU, either. So, what gives? What's the real problem?
To borrow the words of Tetsuya Nomura, it was the darkness.
... Or more specifically, the shadows.
Angry duck noises.
The effect pictured above is accomplished using fairly traditional texture mapping as described in this excellent thread. The summary explanation of how it works is that, to figure out what parts of the scene should be "shaded" and what parts should be "lit", we basically snap a photograph from the perspective of the light that's casting a shadow, and anything that shows up in that photograph gets lit up-- everything else remains tinted by only the "ambient" color of the scene, which determines the darkness (and color) of the shadows that remain.
In order to accomplish this, though, you need paper to print the photograph onto-- virtual paper, of course, for virtual photos. In Game Maker, this is accomplished by rendering the snapshot to a surface and then converting that surface to a texture. There are simpler ways to do this in more recent versions of GMS2-- surface formats-- but I'm still running version 2.3.0.529, so I can't use 'em!
The smaller the shadow map surface, the worse the "quality" of the shadows. If you don't know what I mean by "quality", take a look at this:

Chunky pixel shadows!
See how the shadows become kind of boxy and deformed? That's the "quality" I'm talking about.
Now, the above image, admittedly, looks kind of cool, in a stylized sort of way-- but, low-quality shadows can introduce some weird-looking visual artifacts due to, I think, rounding errors-- one of the main offenders being "shadow acne" that jitters around and is, overall, not quite as aesthetically pleasing as the shadows in the above image.
So, you don't want to go too low-- avoid the artifacts. However, you also don't want to go too high. Every time you create a texture, you need somewhere to put it, after all. Further, since it's a texture we're talking about, the only place for it is in texture memory. What happens if the texture you create is just way way way too big to fit into the available texture memory on the host device? May I refer you back to the image at the top of this post?
So, yeah, basically the problem was that the shadow map quality in the exterior scenes was turned up absurdly high, resulting in absurdly large textures that 2GB graphics cards (and below) simply couldn't deal with. I figured this out when I, by total chance, entered an exterior scene and noticed GPU-Z reading-out these numbers:
<_>
Your eyes might go cross-eyed looking at this image at first, but the important row is the one labelled "Memory Used". It's reading out 3481 megabytes! That's over 3 gigabytes of texture memory! That's not just eye-crossing, that's eye-popping!
Mind, it's not 3 gigabytes from the game alone. My GPU (yours, too, probably) allocates what I'm gonna call "ambient memory" for basic system tasks, other open applications, and all of those Google Chrome tabs you're keeping open for whatever reason. For my development PC, this ambient usage is usually between 500 MB to 1 GB, and at the time this number was recorded, was close to 1GB.
In other words, the shadow map for this exterior scene required around 2 gigabytes to store in memory. That's, put simply, excessive!!
This was caused entirely by turning the quality of the shadow map up too high, which resulted in a texture that was unnecessarily large being generated and subsequently taking up far too much space on the GPU. I cut the quality of the shadow map in half, which bought back about 1.5 GB of texture memory without resulting in... really, any noticeable visual difference. Huh. Well how about that.
I should mention here that this isn't something unique to shadows or my implementation of them. Any time you create a surface, that surface is stored in texture memory. Create one that's too large, and you'll quickly exceed the limits of many GPU's. This is something important to keep in mind, both because it might not be intuitively obvious and because Game Maker (and your own development hardware) might not do a good job of warning you when you've done something unreasonable.
While I was testing all of this, I noticed that VRAM would also creep up turn-by-turn in the debate mode until the debate ended (at which point, the allocated memory would be freed)-- a kind of "localized" memory leak, so-to-speak. This, too, was related to shadow maps-- or, specifically, to the class which manages all of the shadow maps. Turns out, it wasn't cleaning up the maps associated with the temporary spotlights created by card effects in the debate mode. In effect, that means you'd play a card, and then the pretty lighting effect would flash, and then the shadow map that the light generated would just hang out in memory for the rest of the debate, taking up valuable space! Fixing this problem was simple, but I wouldn't have ever noticed it if I wasn't looking. Since this could potentially result in progressively terrible performance or even a hard crash if a debate goes on long enough on a small-enough GPU, I'm rather glad I managed to catch this problem when I did. Even if it was a, uh, a month after the first public release...
In the interest of not doing anything halfway, I added a graphics option in the options menu to allow the player to further reduce the shadow map quality if desired (all the option does is modify a scalar "shadow quality" global). This can save a respectable amount of VRAM as well, although the majority of the performance gains here came from the reduction on my end.
- To Wrap Up -
At this time of writing, I can confirm that the fix I applied here did fix the crash that kicked off this post. The 10-year-old laptop in question is now able to run Reality Layer Zero largely without complaint... At between, usually, 30 and 50 FPS on the lowest settings. So... It's not perfect, but it's a fair measure better than it used to be! I wonder if it'll run on a 1GB card...
In conclusion, test early, test often, and make sure you profile your VRAM usage in addition to your RAM. And, perhaps most importantly... Remember to play Reality Layer Zero on Steam or Itch, since it's both a really cool demonstration of what you can do with GM and, if I'm allowed to say so, a pretty cool game in its own right!

Bumping “Angeles” by Elliott Smith rn. We’re in the Los after all.

FBE World Tag Team Champion Capital STEEZ vs FBE Junior Heavyweight Champion Misery
Getting the block hot in the Grand Olympic Auditorium was a true Clash of the Champions, Capital STEEZ and Misery channelling their inner Ricky Steamboat vs Ric Flair as the greatest FBE World Tag Team Champion in history put on an intense fight with the woman rapidly approaching the longest reign as FBE Junior Heavyweight Champion! As seesaw of a battle as you’d ever see, King Capital and the Mis lived up to the hype and more, displaying exactly why they’ve held their respective titles for as long as they have whilst showing off that they can do just as much of a jam-up job under Pure Rules too, two Shining Light League favourites from B and D Block respectively tearing the house down. With the last such potential Semi Final preview seeing Misery’s Death to Juniors stablemate Joshua Epps pick up the win, she was determined to make that 2 for 2. Tangling with an all-time great was no easy feat, but in the end it was indeed Misery picking up her career’s biggest win yet!
Misery (8) def. Capital STEEZ (7)

A Block: Mr. Calcote Miller [2] vs Paddy Murphy [0]
Despite carrying the burdens of heartbreak on his back after Michael Kalamity lived up to his surname, cruelly ending the fan-favourite Sham-Rock N’ Scot Connection, a determined Paddy Murphy headed into Blitz tonight looking to complete the Journey To The Centre Of The First Win all the same to kick off a different tournament campaign the right way. Mr. Calcote Miller with the strongest standing of A Block currently, sitting on top with an uncontested 2 points, he had everything to lose here, the pressure on him immense to maintain his standing above the rest. And yet, he appeared to handle it rather well, not cracking despite the climbing temperatures. Unfortunately for him, Murphy’s been starved for too long of his moment, firing on all cylinders here to show he’s not as 2nd Rate as it may have originally been thought, producing an unstoppable performance to lead him to his first win in FBE!
Paddy Murphy [2] (10) def. Mr. Calcote Miller [2] (4)

C Block: Ripley [2] vs Travis Broski [0]
Since the final night of the Carnage Tour, the world’s been frothing at the mouth for a chance to see the Ripple in Time and the Undercity Underdog get in there with each other again, their tantalising draw leaving more to be wanted. Lucky for everyone, fate did its job, pairing them up here in the Shining Light League’s C Block for another certified banger no matter how you spin it. Ripley boasting the upper hand with two points to his name thus far, Travis Broski was left fighting from underneath for a chance to redeem his own first night performance, which worked perfectly in his favour, at his best in circumstances like these. That being said, he still had a mountain of a fight to summit, a landslide headed his way courtesy of The RISE member, though Travis managed to pull Ripley in its way instead to kickstart his own comeback in this tournament!
Travis Broski [2] (9) def. Ripley [2] (5)

PROVINCE (FBE Television Champion T.M Imran & Erick Koeman) vs The Ark (Cactus Mike & FBE World Tag Team Champion Code Blue)
With a nostalgic episode of Wide World Of Sports preceding tonight’s show, featuring The Ark man himself Code Blue, the excitement for this one was only further launched through the roof, the Pasadena Paralyser set to stand across the ring from his former PRIMETIME partner for the first time since Mayflower Mayhem 2021! At very different points in their respective careers now, T.M Imran running ship with PROVINCE, deep in his second FBE Television Championship reign, Flying Dutchman by his side, and Code Blue… running boat with The Ark, amid the greatest FBE World Tag Team Championship reign in company history, Cactus “Ark Ark Ark” Mike by his side, there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in anyone’s mind that these lot were at their very best when they tangled under Pure Rules.
Mike soon set to challenge Imran for his title, a big focus was placed on those two as they got familiar with each other’s body of work in order to strategise effectively for the pay day, whilst incorporating sound tag team wrestling on both ends, Blue brandishing his obvious unparalleled experience, and Koeman yet again proving himself to be a valuable glue like he was back in WarGames. Whilst the champion end definitely brought it, it wasn’t to be their night, The Ark gaining the New Hardcore Legend some key momentum!
The Ark (Cactus Mike & Code Blue) (11) def. PROVINCE (T.M Imran & Erick Koeman) (4)

C Block: EED [0] vs Mark Steel [0]
Neither of these two men strangers to high-profile tournaments, EED involved in the crowning of the very-first FBE World Heavyweight Champion and the Shining Light League’s own predecessor, the E1 Climax, and Mark Steel a member of last year’s stacked Punish & Crush and Heyman Classic line-ups, they channelled the many lessons they’d picked up along the way here, wrestling efficiently so as to not burn themselves out yet still slamming down on their respective gas pedals enough to drive to victory. EED on the lighter schedule, he was the fresher of the two here, though found himself less conditioned to take shots the way Peak Performance was, steeling his way through the Notorious’s offence to give the OG a surprise. Nevertheless, the most accomplished man in his Block by miles, EED didn’t let it get to him, continuing to push on, though he’d have another thing coming when Mark scored one of the biggest upsets of his career, knocking off the legend to secure two points!
Mark Steel [2] def. EED [0] (NS)

A Block: FBE Pure Champion Dr. Logan Wright [1] vs Arslan Malik [0]
With the A Block leader stunned earlier in the night, Dr. Logan Wright was presented with the perfect opportunity to capitalise and launch himself into first place after a gruelling opening match, though Arslan Malik would not make that easy, knowing what beating the FBE Pure Champion would mean for his career, delivering in prime “Ass-Kicker” form. The Doctor got stabby like it were an XPW show, wanting to inject Malik with the right dose to knock him out for the 3-count, whilst Arslan did his best to avoid the needle and score the winning shot of his own, Malik’s blows just as sharp as Logan’s. In a war of two very different forms of sedation, it was the man with the medical license that eventually won out, the FBE Pure Champion remaining afloat as the tides rose him to 3 points and block leader!
Dr. Logan Wright [3] (12) def. Arslan Malik [0] (3)

Non-Title/British Rounds: FBE World Heavyweight Champion Inferno vs Joshua Epps
The long-awaited third instalment to the budding saga between Inferno and Joshua Epps came to a head right here in what’s been dubbed “The Wager in the Aether”, FBE World Heavyweight Champion and God’s Greatest Athlete out to prove who the undisputed better man is between them. A traditional 15-minutes on the clock, though split into three 5-minute rounds with a 20 second break between each, Blitz witnessed its first-ever and hopefully far from last British Rounds match in the holy grounds of Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed, its two competitors primed to show what pure wrestling is all about.
Epps one of the biggest success stories on Season 2 of Blitz thus far, it was clear just why with him putting on another masterclass on his end, wowing the onlooking judges with a perfect hybrid of catch wrestling and powerhouse bidness that wouldn’t look out of place at all on an episode of World of Sport 6 decades ago. Inferno answered with Marty Jones and Billy Robinson inspired techniques, paying homage to some of the men that’ve influenced his very British style of working, whilst remaining every bit of a cocky bastard as he could be in between, the Gatekeeper of Pure Rules working that mission statement to bring down any new blood that tries to size him up on his domain. Ultimately, three closely-fought, superb rounds resulted in the judges leaning their scorecards in Baba Blitz’s favour, Inferno staying on top of his home turf!
Round One: Inferno (9) def. Joshua Epps (4)
Round Two: Inferno (9) def. Joshua Epps (4)
Round Three: Inferno (8) def. Joshua Epps (5)

A Block Standings:

Place	Competitor	Points	Record
1	Dr. Logan Wright (c)	3	1-1-0
2	Paddy Murphy	2	1-0-0
2	Mr. Calcote Miller	2	1-0-1
4	Jay Castle	1	0-1-0
5	Arslan Malik	0	0-0-2

C Block Standings:

Place	Competitor	Points	Record
1	John LaGuardia	2	1-0-0
1	Travis Broski	2	1-0-1
1	Ripley	2	1-0-1
1	Mark Steel	2	1-0-1
5	EED	0	0-0-1

Three fabulous nights down, but still many more to go. Interesting results are starting to break through here in the tournament as the last of the competitors begin to assume their spots in their respective Blocks, so stay tuned for next week as we see all 20 wrestlers officially be brought into play! Until then, keep wrestling the good wrestling, and pure rules.

Clearview dental of round rock photos

Star Wars BF Modding

Signs That It’s Time for New Tires

Tire Damage

Not Holding Air

Tire Slippage

Dry Rot

Issues Outside of Your Control

The Importance of Timely Tractor Tire Replacement

Yokohama Off-Highway Tires America