Basketball Aesthetic

... they didn’t fit the modern aesthetic. David Ortiz is a perfect... and more homogenized. Just like basketball pushed spacing and threes, baseball...

... activities such as playing basketball and travelling. Aesthetic Taking a page out...

... improved cushioning. Mirroring the aesthetic of a heritage basketball sneaker, this heritage style...

... element that defined the program's aesthetic for generations, now features metallic... black helmet further reinforces this aesthetic, giving the look an authentic... next year's Buckeyes. Ohio State basketball made it back to the ...

... JT lets others touch the basketball (JB too, though apparently not... and how that correlates to aesthetic and effective basketball.

... a variety of activities, including basketball, camping, and hiking. Its regular... those who appreciate a minimalist aesthetic. Manufactured by adidas, a brand...

... silhouette, paying homage to the basketball legend's legacy while infusing it ... feel. Retro Aesthetic: The trainers have a retro-inspired look that nods to the basketball culture of...

.../didn't in pursing continuation of basketball, and what this is right... early fit impressions, and even aesthetic cues seem fit to how ...

... slam-dunking finishing moves with a basketball dribbled with the other? Just... the tailor to unlock various aesthetic upgrades like witch’s hats and..., electric guitar, and the aforementioned basketball to add some slapstick to ... two players each had the basketball equipped, they might be able ...

... styled in a mid-century modern aesthetic, with vintage touches and pops... character from the popular ‘90s basketball manga series Slam Dunk, Regene... knows your husband likes playing basketball.” We honestly can’t think of...

... Uses: Although primarily designed for basketball, its versatile design makes it... sports functionality with a trendy aesthetic. The shoe is true to...

... look, it's very 70s military aesthetic and I appreciate that. To... ball! Look at this oddly basketball sized hole that leads directly...

i really like the aesthetic of the game but after 15 minutes of walking up that big building to the door it started becoming tiresome for me, idk maybe i missed something...now at the basketball court, its really hard to hoop the ball without any pointer to score it in the basket, hope i didnt miss anything there

... guns grafted onto the stumps Basketball game at gold saucer Gravity..., but it clashes with the aesthetic

... guns grafted onto the stumps Basketball game at gold saucer Gravity..., but it clashes with the aesthetic

... guns grafted onto the stumps Basketball game at gold saucer Gravity..., but it clashes with the aesthetic

... because they don't match your aesthetic expectations for how they should... Thomas AND Horton. Like in basketball. 3 AND D. Or like...

...+ Qubein Arena provides the high-end aesthetic that networks like CBS and... the top 10 most-watched college basketball markets in the country, often...

..., more so than these clean aesthetic WAGs.... Lewis posting in the... post his pic on the basketball court or kylie didnt post ...the tour esp of the basketball court then no one would ...

... is more than just an aesthetic reboot for Martinez, who is... info on Michigan State football, basketball, and recruiting sent straight to...

... more into the Ace Trainer aesthetic, the Espeon PUMATECH-X (Alpine Snow..., while Mewtwo receives a spacey basketball jersey and shorts set. It’s...

... given my obvious bias my aesthetic assessment is suspect, but the... Michael Jordan wanting to play basketball with his nine-year-old boy who's...

... Now £17.99 They're the basketball shoe that became a cultural ... nods to a '90s running aesthetic, but goes all out on...

... without compromising on the sporty aesthetic. The upper part of the... and are particularly suited for basketball and other sports activities. Manufactured...

With the recent trend of NBA teams rebranding their logos to be more circular, Ive really come to appreciate how WNBA logos tend to have more unique silhouettes. Even circular logos like the Indiana Fever look way more aesthetically pleasing compared to ones like the Pistons, Raptors and Nets (the worst offender, literally just a white basketball with a B in it lol). NBA teams like the Thunder have so much branding potential, but don't really deliver. I hope that WNBA teams dont follow the circular trend if they decide to rebrand. I'm excited to see what the future expansion teams will look like. submitted by /u/Terrovax666 to r/wnba [link] [comments]

I'm tired of yall playing around like newbies when your log hours say you should be a legendary. But today is your lucky day. Let's get crackin'. So, most of yall are out here running your character around using a lvl 1 fit trying to pick up girls flashing their lvl 150 DLC pack. And I need you to stop. You got to look into armour upgrades, character stat adjustments, avatar changes, and acquiring new skills. Okay? Let me break it down: 1.) ARMOUR UPGRADES Wearing basketball shorts and a hoodie to a date is like a Tank wearing light armour lvl 5 peasant rags to a boss fight. No go. Instant kill. Find something classy and use the correct style to correlate to the area you are entering. Chill drinks and casual lunch? Thats a level 50 area, go for mid-tier casual like collared shirt and clean pants (roll up the sleeves for +5 bonus charisma). Unlocked fancy dinner? Thats a lvl 80, you need a suit (lose the tie). Always shoot for armour that is a slightly higher level than the area you are entering in order to complete your quests more easily. 2.) STATS ADJUSTMENTS You're trying to match with a girl who's endurance, charisma, and perception stats are off the charts while you're just skipping around with the same numbers you walked into the tutorial with?? You dumb?? She's been putting in the hours on side quests to upgrade those stats, and better herself, so you gotta match her. This means work on personality traits like active listening, caring nature, joyful and humorous conversation. This also means habits such as good hygiene, handling money well, having life goals and passions. ALL these go into those stats my dude. And yes, its a tall order, but if you want to be able to duel a pro, you gotta become a pro yourself. HIDDEN TIP: Dont forget to use your "gift" items in your bag. Regular usage will increase your bond, BUT remember, sentimental gifts have a much higher reward than generic gifts. So lean more towards love letters, her favorite flowers (ask her to unlock this info) and other person-specific gifts. 3.) AVATAR CHANGES In this game certain physical characteristics such as height, facial structure, and natural hair color are not available for changes(you and me both be crying on this one). HOWEVER, characteristics such as physical build, hairstyle, and overall hygiene ARE available to ALL users at no extra cost. (You get me?) Physical Health is always a must, so remember invest time and effort in order to increase your stamina. (Youll need it later) this feature not only affects aesthetics but performance in certain tasks... Hairstyles are tricky as they hold hidden buffs and debuffs unique to each user. Try out new styles to unlock extra charisma (i know some of yall walking around with the same cut since 6th grade.) HIDDEN TIP: Hygiene does a HUGE bonus to your charisma, though few dudes seem to grasp this concept. Get yo dirty ass in the shower and wash ya clothes. 4.) NEW SKILLS I can guarantee you your girl has a PLETHORA of hidden skills, so make sure to develop your own too (dont be a dull dude standing next to wonder women, okay?) Start playing a sport, go hiking, take online classes and certifications, learn to dance, etc. GET SOME HOBBIES! HAVE SOME DREAMS! SHOW SOME INTEREST IN YOUR OWN LIFE FOR GOSH SAKE Ahem... anyways. You also get +10 perception for each time you show interest in her skills. So dont forget to implement that easy one. --- HIDDEN NOTE: The Importance of Side-Questing (And by side-questing, I mean hanging out with each other and doing fun stuff to just get to know each other. i.e. MAKE YO GIRL YA FRIEND AND ACTUALLY HAVE FUN YOU DUMBIES) If you drive straight through the main quest line, you WILL burn out and get stuck pretty darn quick. Some of yall out here Leroy Jenkins -ing this game and its a total turnoff. The best part of this game is the side questing. DONT OVERLOOK IT. ---- -Sincerely, A girl who is sick of men falling short of their potential. (Goodluck dudes, go forth and conquer) submitted by /u/Desperate_Quest to r/dating_advice [link] [comments]

What is everyones favourite rare carti aesthetic? submitted by /u/Gulve to r/playboicarti [link] [comments]

Was walking past the Super Duper Mart and found bro chillin' submitted by /u/KregerTech to r/fo4 [link] [comments]

Just curious what do you guys think is the best looking/aesthetically-pleasing basketball shoe? submitted by /u/aydenzxz to r/BasketballShoes [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/808gecko808 to r/HawaiiSports [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/coolassninjas to r/billsimmons [link] [comments]

Something really satisfying about watching DJ Burns cook people in the tournament a few years ago. Not to be crass but Audi Crooks on the women’s side is doing the same thing. Even though I’m not overweight I still want to model my pickup game after them. submitted by /u/sacwax69 to r/billsimmons [link] [comments]

When the WNBA was created, they made one logical, science-based adjustment , they made the basketball slightly smaller to fit women’s hand size and grip strength. Totally reasonable. But then they didn’t lower the rim, even though elite female players’ vertical reach (standing reach + vertical jump) is only about 85% of men’s. If the rim were scaled the same way as the ball, it would be around 8′6″–8′9″ instead of 10 feet. Even Shaquille O’Neal has said the WNBA should lower the rim now to make the game more dynamic , more dunks, more blocks, more above-the-rim moments. Volleyball already solved this problem. Women play with a net height that’s lower than the men’s , not because anyone thinks they’re “less equal,” but because it makes the sport fast, athletic, and fun to watch. Nobody thinks women’s volleyball is “less legitimate” for using a net that fits physiology. If the NBA raised its rims high enough that men dunked as rarely as women do now, the men’s game would instantly be less exciting. So why does basketball cling to a one-size-fits-all rim? They adjusted the ball, but not the hoop, which makes zero sense scientifically or aesthetically. It’s not about ego; it’s about design that actually fits the athletes playing the game. submitted by /u/K6g_ to r/unpopularopinion [link] [comments]

I was like…. I dont know how to use this Furniture. Then ta-dam… you are a basketball idol baby buppi ☝️ and sora is an astronaut. I Wish they could wear a different outfit to match My ideias submitted by /u/gggorgeouss to r/HelloKittyIsland [link] [comments]

OK.......... It's time for my annual Rant and Predictions. 27 years of attending Burning Man. My name is Zapper Jones and I first came to Burning Man in 1997 at the age of 17. It has been a privilege to watch this insane thing evolve from the 90's Underground Apocalypse-Anarchy-Nudist-Freedom-Festival it was back then, to the Cutting-Edge-Technology-Driven-Community-Focused-Art-Exposition it is today. I'm not one of the Jaded-Burnery-than-Thou-assholes who only talks about how good it was back in the day. I'm one of those Jaded-Burnery-than-thou-assholes who thought the old days sucked just as much! Burner Culture is ever changing and always evolving. We are in a new ERA after the Rain Storm of '23. And now Burning Man isn't the Exclusive-VIP-Dream-Experience- for-the-Upper-Class-Festival that it was in 2019. Burning Man isn't Hot anymore, and that is pretty cool. Marian McBorg is obviously completely sick and fucking tired of doing Burning Man. But I am sure as hell not!!! I'll be here to watch it all go down in Flames - Until the very last Burn. So for all of you Debbie Downsizers, Half-Wit-Hippies, Budget-Burner First Timers, and Jaded-AF Old Timers let's build a better vision of the future for yesterday together today, starting right now. PREDICTIONS The Weather It will be Hot and Dusty, of fucking course. However we may be in for a dustier and cooler year than normal. And if the Gods are good, a Hail storm would really fill out the Burning Man Weather Bingo Card. Hail Satan! We are still rejoicing from the Rain of two years ago, but could use some Dust Storms and Hail Fire from above to rinse out the weak ass bitches like Diplo and Chris Rock. Burning Man is at its BEST when the weather is at its WORST. The Man The design this year is basic as fuck. It looks exactly like last year's'Man, just with less wood. It matches this year's Apathetic Vibe from the BORG. I can see why they went with Basic-Ass- Bitch Man this year. Anything else would not match the Faux Cost-Cutting Measures the BORG has set in place. The design looks about 100 Steps short of being wheelchair accessible, because They clearly chose the cheapest Man Build out of the catalog this year. It's OK, everyone is Burning on a Budget this year. The Burning Man himself might as well be too. THE THEME "Tomorrow's Yesterday Today" is just "Yesterday's Today Tomorrow". Walt Disney already fucking did this - it's called Epcot Center in Florida. The whole Retro Futuristic Aesthetic was Cheeze-Dick when Walt Disney did it, and now it's even more Cheeze-Dicky now that Burning Man is doing it. I do like the honesty from the BORG that Burning Man is actually a giant TRADE EXPO where Artist, Artcars, DJs, and Event Coordinators share their products that are ready for market. Everything and Everyone here is actually for sale. ( I Also Rant for Weddings, Funerals, Birthday Parties and Bar mother fuck'n Mitzvahs ... For a Small Fee of course). This year's rant is sponsored by the Makers of Ketamine: "Ketamine. Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's keteattmilnmmeffferrr." I'll be at the Rant Pavilion showcasing new Megaphones technologies all week. Every Green Technology Startup in San Francisco has been throwing solar panels at the BORG to get that sweet de-commodified advertisement space. TESLA should showcase Yesterday's new Car of the Future again Tomorrow. Just like they did in 2007!!! That's right! TESLA literally showcased a life-size plastic model 1 TESLA, originally used by the company for wind testing. They brought that stoopid shit out to Burning Man in 2007. Never forget. And if the BORG allowed it once - in return for funding - why not do it again. Given the BORG's current financial problems, I am sure they would love to Whore themselves out to TESLA again. Next maybe let them showcase TESLA's new AI technology by installing it inside the Burning Man Effigy. Allowing the Man to answer all our deepest Burning questions about Life, the Universe and Yeast Infections. Then on Saturday night , WE KILL IT WITH FIRE. THE ART With Burning Man feeling the downsize from ticket sales ,and the BORG's focus on world vision, large-scale art is in decline. It's not a great deal for the artist, as the grants don't cover costs. Best case scenario, the art piece will end up being recycled into an Installation, at an off-the-strip Vegas Casino, selling for a fraction of the cost. The only artists willing to bring large-scale art to Burning Man are international sculptors who have never been to Burning Man. Over the past 28 years, the BORG has burned bridges with every large-scale art maker in the United States. Now all of the art is off-shore manufactured and imported to the USA. Get ready for half-finished Scandinavian Troll-Themed Pieces and barely-started Mid-Century-Spanish-Colonial-Inspired Trash-Sculptures. The problem with hiring international artists who have never been to Burning Man before is that they radically underestimate the amount of work it takes to do a large-scale art piece at Burning Man - because they have never fucking been to Burning Man before. THE THEME CAMPS In this economy? Camp Fundraiser events have turned into High-Pressure Timeshare Seminars, with Camps offering Amenities at lower rates than competitors, while hiding hidden costs and additional fees. All the Tech-Bro Plug-and-Play Money left with the Hashtagger-Instagram Crowd after the Rain of 2023. And now the Economy of Theme Camps have Radically Changed. Gone are the days of filling out Applications to prove you are "Good Vibes Only" enough to fork out $1,000 in Camp Dues for a Shiftpod in the sun and a Gross Meal Plan. Now any Dooshbag with $300 can get an AC unit on a dedicated circuit for a Hexyurt in the shade and be eating hamburgers every goddamn night! In the Economics of Theme Camps, this year is a Campers' Market. Don't want to pay $300? No fucking problem! Just do it your goddamn self in Open Camping! OPEN CAMPING The BORG spent years creating a Culture of Scarcity and set off an ARMS RACE for the biggest and most well-funded Theme Camps to fight for placement fueled by Rich-Fuck Plug-N-Play Money. For years the BORG would emphasize the importance of Community Building and Connections through being a Contributor to a Theme Camp. This only perpetuated the Plug-N-Play problem. Open Camping was abolished, allowing the BORG to tightly curate every goddamn inch of the city, and hold leverage over any camp not meeting BORG standards. Not enough interactivity and your camp could lose placement all together. Forcing camps to schedule hundreds of unnecessary workshops throughout the week, and enlist annoying dip-shits with megaphones to YELL advertisements at passers in hopes of keeping up with the BORG's ever increasing demands for more interactivity. The Placement department became a political entity that required lobbying for position and bribes for location. NOW that the Theme Camp Economic Bubble has Burst, and HUNDREDS of Theme Camps have called it Quits, the BORG has been forced to Open up to Open Camping! This is bad for ticket sales but is Fucking Awesome for Burner Culture. The spontaneous Magic and Connections that happen when people are free to camp where they want, and do as they please is what this city was built on. That and Adderall. Open Camping allows Burners to step out of their Friend groups and social cliques and experience the community in a very different way. Lets face it - You never would have met Bill DeLong from Reno - 62, works as a Paleontologist - who, years ago, excavated bones of a Wooly Mammoth just north of the Playa, and drinks good whiskey. Hanging out with Bill Delong is fucking awesome ... and if you had gone with paying $300 in camp dues to your local Burner Circle you would have been stuck dealing with Samantha and Ronny, a Struggle-Couple who fights all week and fucks way too loud in the Shiftpod Next door. Open Camping is a great option. It's not guaranteed tho... Your neighbors could end up being Uptight-Shirtcock-Hating-Doosh-Lickers who spend the whole time in the RV and only go out at night to chase DJ sets, while ignoring the community around them. Or even Worse: You could end up next to some Entitled-Forth-Year-Burn-Shamers who are obsessed with following ALL the rules. They assert dominance by making sure that everyone around them does too....These are the type of people who will scream Radical Self-Reliance at you if you dare to ask for a can opener. You never know who will be next door when setting up camp in Open Camping. Still prolly better than dealing with Samantha and Ronny's Bullshit. THE MUSIC At one point in time, the Music of Burning Man was a wide diverse range of talented musicians from around the world, who would play specifically curated sets that would be heard nowhere else besides the Playa. Each large-scale Sound Camp would have a different type of music ...everything from Techno, Downtempo, Trance, GayHouse, DubStep, PsyTrance, Drum&Bass and BreakBeats could be heard. But along with the onslaught of Plug-N-Play Camps came the Deep-Playa-VIP-Instagram-House-Music that completely took over the Burner music scene. The music became a MONO-Culture of the blandest of bland. Now in the Aftermath of the Influencer Infection we experienced for the past 8 years...I am happy to report that the Deep-Playa-Deep-House-Hashtagger-Sunrise-Selfie-Scene is diminishing. Sure there will still be Doosh-Bags and Doosh-Bonnets Serving Caviar on Charcuterie Boards at Sunrise, while Late-to-the-Party-Influencers fight each other to climb to the top of the Robot Heart Heart for Online Clout and Self-Righteous Selfies. But in recent years, other Large-Scale Artcars like the IceBerg and Double Dragon have pulled attention and stolen momentum from the Exclusive-VIP-Only Vibe that Robot Heart and Aztec Warrior once held. Now with tickets being more accessible and Theme Camp placement desperate to fill space this year, we will see a larger variety of music than past years. Especially at smaller and mid-sized camps in the city ,and even in Open Camping. Where can you find music that isn't Doosh-Baggy-Deep-House? I am glad you asked....... The Zapper Jones Guide to finding less Doosh-Baggy Electronic Music. Psy-Trance. Simply follow anyone who does not speak english. Psy-Trance is hated by every pretentious Burn-Wad in the USA. However, it is incredibly popular world wide. They have the best designer drugs and can out-party and out-dance even the best of American Ravers. Careful ... this genre of music is for advanced party people only. Amateur ravers may find themselves with their teeth in the dirt after only 36 hours of Psy-Trancing. Drum&Bass. If it's one thing that rich white people can't stand to listen to, it's Drum&Bass. Everything about it is lower class. Go to almost any Trailer Park in the USA and you will find at least one Drum&Bass DJ. To find a camp that plays Drum&Bass, go deep in the city (past F) and look for the most run-down camp with a Crappy Mackie Sound System. Usually it will be some fat sound boy selecta dude throwing down some sick tunes in the Hot sun with his Skinny pal in the DJ booth egging him on while they play to nobody. Business Techno. Business Techno is cornering the market share that the Hashtag-Deep-Playa-Deep-Doosh-DJs have vacated. Most large Dayparty camps have invested in the Big Business Techno franchise, as this is clearly the future sound of Burning Man. It's Big, It's Bland, and it Means Business. You can find It everywhere that music is played. Tech-House ... is what happens when you buy music from Wish com. Find the Burners who look like they are from the cast of Jersey Shore and they can tell you what stages have the perfect soundtrack for non-player-characters. If they have a personality, they are not a Tech-House DJ. Trance. Find the hot MILFS with Fake Tits dressed in 2000s era Rave Gear. They know about uplifting......music. OR ask any Grey-haired DILF who is shirtless under a Furry Vest. These people will know where the Trance music is. Unfortalny It's only played at Swinger Sex Parties. I have not heard Trance at Burning Man since Paul Oakenfold in 2003. White Dudes with dreads get to be Polyamorous. However, They do not get invited to Swinger Parties. There are rules. Dubstep. Simply follow the sound of hissing nitrous oxide tanks and you will find some wacked-out-wook with a wicked ketamine addiction they should be able to tell you exactly where Camp Question Mark is. TRENDS Downsizing is all the rage this year and everybody is doing it. Whether it's the Large-Scale Art, Theme Camps, Artcars and even the Burning Man himself, Downsizing is the Hottest New Trend to hit the Playa. Burners nationwide have realized the upside to the downsize. Why do so much work when you can instead do the minimum to achieve the maximum! Darkwading is a new dumb thing. These Dipshits intentionally don't put any lights on and roll around darkwading on purpose. And if confronted about the dangers of operating at night with no lights, they proudly dismiss and decline offers of charity lighting. There are already too many Fucksticks on electric bikes going way too fast for me to want to go darkwading. But hey the Darkwad Dipshits and the Electric Bike Fucksticks should meet up randomly sometime and eat dust together on deep playa. One-Wheels are out. People only bring an electric One-Wheel to Burning Man once. Nobody likes breaking a collarbone twice. The better at riding a One-Wheel that you think you are, the more likely you will be "popping yer collar". Fucksticks on Electric bikes still suck. It's 5 mph, Fuckstick. And apparently the Darkwad epidemic is upon us. So slow the fuck down and pay attention. I could not give a fraction of a fuck about your personal safety, but I do happen to care somewhat about mine. So if you are going to be a Fuckstick speeding way too fast on an electric bike, Put a fucking light on it so I can move out of the fucking way... Asshole. Food Camps are hot right now! This was never a thing before. Now it's a thing. And It's fucking awesome. Back in the day we would survive for a week off of three cans of Hormel Chili, and a bag of beef jerky. Now you can get a hot dog at Camp Me-PHO Horny and get served Miso soup at Dick's Wiener & Shirtcock emporium. GIFTING is out of fashion. If I can't Snort it, Eat it, or Fuck it, I don't want nutt'n to do with it. Unless that camp medallion gives access to any of the three things previously mentioned, nobody needs it. Yoga is on the decline. Sorry Lindsey and Darren but you may have to walk more than two blocks to find a yoga workshop this year. Because without the BORG's over emphasis on interactivity for placement, it turns out that most camps never actually give a fuck about yoga-wellness-workshops. The only reason the camp let Becky bark out downward dog commands at 7:00am was for Map Placement next year. Lets face it, Becky has never taught a yoga class before - she just loves telling people what to do. And Lindsey and Darren only went to a Yoga class as a way to compensate for their guilt, related to using Ketamine. None of this was necessary in the first place. Diplo sucks even more than before. Last year, when someone had turned on a lightning effect at the Fluffy Cloud stage, Diplo stopped the music, dropped his headphones and started running away like Forrest Gump into the darkness of Deep Playa. The Reason was that apparently he is terrified of rain and has massive cloud cover anxiety. Look, anyone who Bailed out early because of the rains of 2023 should have never been allowed back. I have ZERO respect for anyone who turned their backs on the community and ran away. There was no valid reason for anyone to leave. Work is not a valid reason for leaving. If you got fired from your job because you went to Burning Man, then you need to get a different fucking Job. Did you need to leave early because you brought kids? If your kids can't spend a few extra days in the rain then you should have never fucking brought them along in the first place. Or maybe you just need to get new kids. Either way, None of Ya'll should ever be welcomed back. Models of Instagram are OUT and Burners of TIkTok are in. The only thing more annoying then the Hashtag-Sunrise-Model-Shoot-Influencers is Synchronized-Dance-Routine-Content-Creators. Fortunately Burning Man isn't cool anymore so the new generation of Influencer-Influenced-TikTokers will never have as large of a presence as the Hashtagging-Insta-Models did. This a good thing - otherwise Robot Heart would turn into one big synchronized country line dancing move for TikTok. Even so, It didn't stop the BORG from investing money into Advertisements on TikTok, trying to cash in that No Caps Gen-Z Rizz. Featuring snowboarding the desert? Wow! How Cray, Cray. OMG Synchronized Dance moves on Trampolines? Bruh Are they Delulu? A Basketball court in the middle of the desert? Burning Man 4real on god, out of pocket Fam! The only thing more pathetic than the BORG's pandering to TikTokers is the BORG'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Every Video is pure BORG propaganda featuring documentaries about the Green-Washing-Bullshit-Carbon-Neutral-2030 project. I am not convinced planting native grass at out at the Fly Ranch - AKA Rich-Fuck-Ranch-for-Creepy-Donors - is actually a valid carbon offset. This is for OPTICS, not impact. Then next time you watch a Fluff-Piece-Good-Vibes-Only-Marketing-Video featuring Self-Centered-Ego-Driven-Artist explaining the importance of Civic Responsibility for 45 minutes straight. Luckily for us, most of their brainwashing PR bullshit falls on deaf ears because the videos are too cringe to finish watching. I would rather they focus short-form PSA announcements about the 10 principles with a 'Jessie Voiceover" on TikTok than Suffer through 90 minutes of being Green-Shamed by an Angry-Vegan-Burner on Youtube. THE CULTURAL ECOSYSTEM OF BURNING MAN AND OLD NAKED DUDES ON BIKES The Black Rock City Dong-Watchers Society reported a Higher number of Old Naked Dudes on Bikes than Scientists expected last year. This speaks to the true resilience of the species. Their natural habitat has long been overpopulated by Hashtaggers and Doosh-Baggy-Plug-N-Players. The ever-expanding increase in registered Theme Camps destroyed the OPEN CAMPING that had traditionally been the natural nesting grounds of the Old Naked Dudes On Bikes population. Scientist and Dong-Watcher Groups have been advocating for more OPEN CAMPING for years. Not only is it necessary for ONDOB's, it is Also much needed habitat for Shirt-Cockers to mulch their trousers. Migration patterns of Shirt-Cocker Flocks is not well understood by scientists but studies have shown that as when Shirt-Cock-Flocks move into an area, the numbers of Assholes with Megaphone also increases. Assholes with Megaphones help diversify the ecosystem allowing for other more common Burner Species, such as Dirt-Ravers, Hairy-Naked-Weirdos, and Tit-Bouncers to thrive! The cultural ecosystem of Burning Man appears to be the right path for recovery. CATCHPHRASES FUCK YER BURN is classic basic-ass-burn-hole phrase that you will hear all the time. Here are some suggestions on how to respond in relation to the Principles of Burning Man. "Fuck my BURN? OK then, Fuck ALL of your Burns!" ( Radical-Self Reliance) "Fuck My BURN? No, Fuck OUR Burn, Collectively Together" ( Radical Inclusion ) "Fuck My BURN? At least SUCK MY BURN before you FUCK my Burn" ( Civic Responsibility ) "Fuck my BURN? NO! FUCK THIS BURN! ( Participation ) "Fuck my BURN? ok well then Fuck Your Festival (Immediacy) Other great catch phrases for this year! Best DisneyLand EVER!! SLOW DOWN FUCKSTICK! Robot LARP Aztec Warrior LARRY HARVEY please report to the front gate! Don't Diplo out on me. Sparkle Rancher. Debbie Downsizer Definity a Festival. ShirtCocking is not a crime. ADVICE FOR FIRST TIMERS Keep your head high and expectations low. Whatever preconceived notion that you have about Burning Man, it is not what is going to be like what you think. A large part of the experience actually sucks pretty bad. The BURN will test you in unexpected ways. After going 26 times I am still Tested in new ways every year. Whether it's being challenged by large builds, difficult projects, angry neighbors or gnarly weather conditions, it teaches me what I am truly capable of. And apparently I can drink a 24 pack of Coors Light in one afternoon. We learn valuable lessons about ourselves from the challenges that the Playa provides. Be Social. Don't just spend the whole BURN chasing down DJ sets, or overloading your schedule with canceled workshops. (60% of workshops get canceled ) Amanda thought Teaching a healing-wellness-self-improvement workshop was a good idea four months ago when they put in the activity book, but she is never going to show up to teach that workshop because she is still tripping balls from the night before. If you are in Open Camping, meet your neighbors. If you are with a Theme Camp then take the time to visit and interact with the camps next door. Don't just stay in your social network bubble the whole time. Bring enough Party Supplies for the week. This isn't a Grateful Dead lot. If you ask anyone for drugs they WILL assume you are a cop. Also Don't smoke Weed or Do Drugs in Public because Cops will definitely try to bust your ass if they catch you. Keep everything on the DL and you will be just fine.. Be Careful pissing on the playa at night. If you are a Dude, learn how to Pee while walking backwards and always look for Headlights and Cops before you do so. Ladies, sorry but you gotta be as quick as possible with the pop-n-squat. Then please hide your shame by kicking dust over the puddle when you are done. Of fucking course it's best to use a porta-pottie when can. But Sometimes you are just not gonna make it. Pee Jugs are a thing too. They are useful in your personal camp. It's nice to not have to stumble out of your tent while drunk as fuck at 6am, find shoes and then run two blocks down the the nearest Porta just to just to take a leak. Read the Ten Principles. Not because they matter, but because you will be shamed by 4th year Burners unless you can Pledge Allegiance to this Burn and recite all ten on the spot! Don't say you are a Virgin Burner. In the old days of Burning Man, saying you are a Virgin Burner meant that you had not had sex on the playa before and would often be met with unwanted propositions. And to this day, it is met with cherry popping jokes about prom night. It will help you avoid some stoopid conversations. Nevermind the Survival. Don't let the Survivalist-Burner-Types-Fools fool you with their military style planning and prepare-for-War attitudes about packing. You just need enough Food, Water, Drugs, and a place to Fuck. Ya you might be low key miserable sleeping in a hot tent in the sun while hungover. Just roll with the decisions you have made, wake up, start drinking and go about your day. THE RANT Marian's Global Infection Point! "The world needs Burning Man and our global mission is more important now more than ever" ( Marian McBorg 2025 ) Marian needs to leave the country more. It's like *"*BISH!!, Have you ever even been to Europe? Have you ever heard of Brazil? They don't need any help with Art Festivals, Community and Culture. Believe it or not they have had a vibrant Arts and Festival Culture that dates back hundreds of years. They are doing just FUCKING fine without us" .... The whole GODDAMN FUCKING reason Burning Man is successful is because Americans have been STARVED of Arts, Community and Culture. The Burning Man Model and Ethos really only works in America. And It's extremely ethnocentric to think our Burner Culture is superior to other Arts Culture worldwide. The BORG acts like the fucking Mormon Missionaries trying to spread the good word about our lord Larry Harvey and how he died for our sins, then came back from the dead to deliver us the Ten Principles from atop Fly Hot Springs. Marian's Focus on the globalization of Burning Man is ethically wrong. Radical Inclusion does not mean Radical Expansion. Especially when these things come at a cost to the actual BURNING MAN EVENT. Hearing how tone-deaf Marian's plea for funding and subsequent comment responses in her "Inflection Point" essay made it clear that she wants the festival to die off so the BORG can focus on philanthropy, legacy, and cultural expansion worldwide via regional networks. Unless the Borg can achieve a massive Donor to pay for the actual event, they are going to run this thing into the goddamn ground. Big Boners for Big Donors! How fucked up is it that a De-Commodified Non-Capitalist Art Festival's only hope for survival is the Pew Charitable Trust or the American Doge Foundation for Useless Arts? It's pretty fucked up, but I do understand the appeal. A one-time donation of one billion dollars would give 80,000 people free tickets for the next 17 years. Or 1 billion dollars would keep ticket prices at $650 for the next 100 years *give or take when adjusted for inflation. I can't think of a more radical self-reliant business strategy than to ask Elon-Zucker-Google to just make a small donation of 1 billion dollars. And for Elon-Zucker-Google, what a great way to make us Communist Hippies remember that capitalism paid for our Anti-Capitalist Art Festival Dirt Rave in the Desert, in what could be a huge pwning of the Libs lasting hundreds of years. Commodify the De-Commodification of Burning Man by making a legacy donation. Burning Man could be an example of what a scarcity free society could be. The AI Sector are all about that shit, and they basically are the new dot com, and Burning Man was built on dot com money. Just ask Elon-Zucker-Google. They wrote the check back then, and it's time for somebody to do it again. Put your money where your Skynet-Robot-Mouth is. Realistically the only reason that nobody from the Big-Boner-Doner-Class has not stepped in to save Burning Man is because what with Marian McBorg at the helm of the organization, Big Doners can clearly see she is far too Hyper-focused on her own philanthropy and legacy projects. She would waste any budget given on the further colonization of Gerlach and Globalization of the Culture. Colonization of Gerlach First it was just a tiny schoolhouse the BORG purchased to turn into a museum. Then they bought the hotel for law enforcement to stay in. Then the restaurant. Then the adjacent empty lot. Then they bought Rich Fuck Island - aka Fly HotSpring Ranch - then bought the 360 Acres project. Part of 360 was originally going to be a community center for people who don't live in the local community. However, local zoning ordinances have prohibited it. The BORG's goal is to be majority land holders in the township to gain control of local laws and zoning regulations. They BORG is already balls deep controlling the local politics. After 5 million dollars in land investment they filed lawsuits against clean energy companies wanting to do geothermal energy projects in the area. You can take the NIMBYs out of San Francisco and put them in the middle of the desert but they are still gonna be NIMBYs from San Francisco. REGIONALS ARE PART OF PROBLEM! The BORG's outward expansion and colonization mindset is part of the reason ticket sales are crashing. Why go to the real thing when you can get the crappy Temu version and get a fraction of the experience at a fraction of the price! Regional Burns actually suck! No matter how hard your inner Burner ethos copes, Deep Down you know goddamn well even the best of Regional Burns are not even fucking close to the "Big Burn". Regional events actually take away from Burner culture more than they contribute. They offer a watered-down experience that discourages people from attending the actual festival. And instead encourages the culture to play it safe, stay close to home, and only interact with their small local Burner community. Regional events are just Burning Man themed frat parties. Going naked under a Toga at a Phi-Alpha-Gamma Keg party and visiting the Parthenon in Athens are two totally different experiences. Look, I think it's all fine and Fun for local Burners to get together and do a lil party, but stop acting like they are a valid alternative to the REAL THING. STOP ASKING FOR IDs AT BARS!!!! There is NO LAW that requires you to ID everyone. You can stop asking Grey Bearded dudes and their Big Floppy Titted Wives to show their ID. Don't be a dick and refuse service because you are afraid of getting a ticket. Just serve 'em. It would be entrapment to send in a Shirtcocking Middle Age Dude for a drink and give the bartender a ticket for not asking for ID. . Unless you are bartending at a Big Ass Doosh-Bag Day party camp like Dickstrikt, the chance of you getting a ticket is super fucking low. I set up a Mobile Tequila Bar and gave out Margaritas and shots of Mescal to all the kids in Kidsville and never had any issues with law enforcement. If you are old enough to come to Burning Man you are old enough to drink. HARRY LARVEY Larry Harvey never existed. He was a fictional character created by Marian McBorg and Danger Ranger. They came up with the concept for the Larry Harvey Character in 1991 after realizing Burning Man had great Cult potential. The only thing missing was a Messianic figure to lead the way. It's not really a Cult if there isn't a Cult Leader. And Marian McBorg did not have the talent or charisma for the part. Danger Ranger is only good at two things: Dangering and Rangering. So they hired long time friend and Bay Area Actor named Harry Larvey to play the role of Larry Harvey: The Lovable Artist / Father Figure who could always give a rational explanation of the BORG's activities. He was someone who would actually pretend to care. This allowed for the BORG to take risks behind the scenes and always have a Front Man to blame when issues arose. Too Many RAVE camps? BLAME LARRY. Ticket Prices too HIGH? Blame Larry! Too many Plug-N-Plays camps? You Guessed it..... Blame Larry. Unfortunately for the BORG, their main player character was forced into Retirement in 2018 after a Shirt-Cocking related injury. The BORG has since struggled to find a viable replacement. I miss having a Larry Harvey character around to tell us It's all going to be OK. Without Larry to guide us, and Marian McBORG too focused on world domination to care about the actual Festival, it's up to all of us Burn-Wads, Doosh-baggers, Tit-Bouncers, Dirt-Ravers, Shirt-Cockers, TikTokkers, Party-Rockers, Swingers, Dingers Open Campers, Theme-Pampers, Fucksticks, Burn-Fuckers, Psy-trancers, Trippy-Hippies, Old Timers and FIRST TIMERS to Come Together and guide the Culture to where we want the FUTURE of Yesterday's Tomorrow to BE. My Name is Zapper Jones. You can find me at most Bars during the Day, and at all the places playing Less Doosh-Baggy Music at night. See all you Fucks in the Dust and remember: Burn IN, Burn OUT, AND most of all BURN ON!!! submitted by /u/zapperwippersnapper to r/BurningMan [link] [comments]

First | Previous | Next Patreon | Official Subreddit | Series Wiki | Royal Road Ilunor had remained silent following our spur-of-the-moment sightseeing trip to Acela. In fact, all three didn’t have much to say at all until Thalmin finally broke the silence as we snapped back to reality. “Emma… although I have described your people as a nation of scholars, it was always meant as a tentative hyperbole. Because while I can understand that such an abundance of information might be necessary for a certain social class of commoners — scholars, scribes, civil servants, and the like — I cannot see how said abundance would be useful for your average commoner.” He posited only to be answered, not by me, but by Thacea. “It aligns with what Emma had claimed from the onset.” She began. “That there exist no gods or kings, but only the masses. And with that comes the responsibility and the burden of collective rule, facilitated by collective intelligence, which necessitates an abundance of accessible knowledge.” She turned towards me, as if knowing I was ready to tag team off of that statement. “We all share and chip in, in carrying the burdens that come with civilization. Or more accurately, the responsibilities of maintaining civilization. We all benefit from it too, of course, and much of what you saw was either blatant benefits, or just utilitarian tools in making daily life a little bit easier.” Thalmin blinked at that, gesturing at the ZNK-19. “That was somehow an attempt to make life easier?!” “Well… it makes things more seamless. Especially as it pertains to stuff like travel, scheduling, and so on and so forth. Beyond that, there’s also the added benefit of having both the compendium of all human knowledge, current events, and the infosphere plus the extranet at your fingertips.” I’d lost the prince right about at the last sentence, the man resorting to staring blankly whilst Thacea’s eagle eyes narrowed even further until they were only pinpricks. “Erm, I shouldn’t get into it right now, but suffice it to say our incorporeal world also comprises a sort of… communications network. A perpetually active web of intangible streams of information communicated over our infrastructure, creating this sort of…” “Webway.” Thacea offered. “Yeah, something like that. Like a web composed of lines of communication, coalescing into this always-active hive of live data that anyone can access.” “What purpose would having a webway for the masses serve—” “A tool for politics, I’m assuming.” Thacea interjected once more, swerving right into the lupinor prince’s winding and confusing train of thought. “If Emma’s world is what she claims it to be, then the only means by which the masses can rule themselves without a single or consolidated group of individuals becoming disproportionately powerful, is by a sort of… democratization of not just the legal mechanism of politics, but its dissemination within socio-cultural lines as well.” I blinked rapidly at that, my mouth hanging slightly agape at the princess’ rationalizations. “That’s a huge part of it, actually.” I nodded rapidly. “‘Free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny.’ High Commissioner Pravin Lal.” I promptly quoted. “Our modern democratic institutions were molded and reformed with transparency for the masses in mind. Discourses in all levels of the legislature are open to public scrutiny, and even those hidden for security concerns, have statutes on just how long they’re able to be hidden away. Scrutiny by the masses is made possible by our hyperconnected world, so much so that it’s often said that there are three auditing institutions a politician has to be wary of. The first being the Judicial Review Council, the second being the Office of the First Speaker, and the third being the High Court of Public Review — the prying eyes of a billion participants active in the infosphere at any given point in time.” Silence once more descended on the trio, with Thacea’s eyes closing down tightly, as if in deep thought following that. Thalmin, meanwhile, had barely shifted in his expression, remaining in that sort of flabbergasted look of disbelief as if still processing it all. It would be Ilunor, however, who eventually broke the silence with a simple, understandable rebuttal. “Madness.” He scolded. “A system doomed for failure, either through collapse or indecision.” “There were times that happened, I admit.” I acknowledged. “The First Intrasolar War, to be precise, but that’s why reforms happened and… well, that’s a story for another day.” I laughed it off awkwardly before Thacea finally opened her eyes, staring at me with a sort of wariness I’d become accustomed to by now. “These are solutions to a problem that didn’t need to exist, earthrealmer.” Ilunor surmised. “Such complications arise as a result of a resistance against what should be self-evident — the natural inclination for chaos without strong rulers. This is why royalty, nobility, and the aristocracy are needed. This is why even with your manaless dispositions, a tyrant masquerading as a monarch might simply be more reasonable than the unnatural state you force yourselves into. You waste so much in propping up something which should not exist, whilst we—” “Can’t even provide a decent quality of life for your people.” I countered. “That’s the underlying difference between our two mindsets, Ilunor. We measure our success based on how best we can elevate the quality of lives of the masses; how well we treat the most vulnerable to the average joe. Meanwhile, you measure success exclusively by the exploits of nobles, tallying your achievements solely by their accumulation of power, both magical and otherwise.” We were just about ready to butt heads yet again, if not for Thacea promptly stepping in between us, placing both hands to separate our growing feud. “Emma.” She began sternly. “Isn’t there more you wish for us to aid you with, in regards to your… artifice’s machinations?” “Oh, yeah, I was hoping to get some readings on some basic spells and magic. As well as like, a basic rundown of the types of mana just to calibrate the wand and—” [Notice: General equipment calibration in process… User interface prototype in queue… Warning: Additional data aggregation will result in a decrease of processing efficiency and reserve processing capacity. Suggestion: Delay additional testing until further notice.] “... maybe that can wait.” I quickly added. “We’re burning daylight, and I think I wanna get some sparring done with Thalmin before we get back into the thick of things with the wand.” I offered, garnering a nod from the princess and a disgruntled shrug from Ilunor. The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. En Route to the Hall of Champions. Local Time: 1535 Hours. Emma I took the EVI’s pleas for leniency as an opportunity to finally take on Thalmin’s offer, as we both left for the Hall of Champions, leaving a visibly upset Ilunor to mope at the heels of an increasingly contemplative Thacea. While excited by both prospects, the thought of filling out additional paperwork in the form of annexes, addenda, and appendices when it came to the more technical projects sent shivers down my spine. Though ironically, perhaps one of the largest sections to be filled in this week’s action report wasn’t about the WAID, but something that had yet to transpire — the GUN’s first true joint military exercise with a truly foreign polity. A paradigm ‘first’ in all but pomp and circumstance. A paradox was quickly forming. Wherein a lot was happening in my mind without much, if anything, truly precipitating into words, let alone actions. Words and ideas passed me by as quickly as new thoughts came in to replace them, creating this constant buffering where I had too much to say, without anything being said at all. Excitement, anticipation, and giddiness all clouded my mind, as I struggled to really approach what was quickly coming to be. The sheer number of implications that this simple sparring match carried with it would’ve required a hundred committees to parse… before inevitably collapsing, re-forming, and then collapsing again all in the span of months. And here I was, tackling it alone. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t get past the understanding of what this truly was — a friendly matchup and nothing more. This wasn’t something grand, epic, or truly reality-defining. Instead, it felt like a natural evolution. Another step in the path towards forging stronger bonds between two comrades in arms. It was probably this functional disconnect between what was technically happening, versus what was actually happening that was messing with me. And at the end of the day… I was probably just overthinking things again. But I couldn’t help it, especially given how the soldier in me often butted heads with the diplomat I was also meant to embody. This stray thought eventually gave rise to an opening talking point that was very much needed. “So… how do you do it, Thalmin? How do you handle being so many things at once?” “I’m sorry?” The prince responded, cocking his head as he did so. “As in, how do you handle your disparate responsibilities? From what we’ve discussed, you are as deep into the military pipeline as you are a royal. How the heck do you balance state administration, international diplomacy, and your martial responsibilities?” “Ah, so the pressures have finally gotten to you, haven’t they?” The lupinor chuckled, crossing his arms as he did so. “It probably should’ve gotten me ages ago, but I guess the constant stressors have either started to wear off… or… my brain chemistry has probably adapted to being swamped in adrenaline 24/7. Either way, the effect remains the same. I kinda want to know how you manage to deal with it.” The prince chuckled cockily at that response, crossing his arms in a show of personal pride. “Breeding, heritage, lineage, and blood, Cadet Emma Booker.” Thalmin spoke uncharacteristically, sporting a smarmy grin that eventually broke out into an uproarious laugh. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself.” He managed out in between breaths. “But tell me, how was my Ilunor impression?” The flurry of emotions that quickly followed was both confusing and cathartic, leaving me with little option but to catch the lupinor’s contagious laugh, letting out a series of cackles in the process. “Pretty good, perhaps too good if you ask me.” I let out through a relieved sigh. “Honestly, if our deluxe kobold carried himself with just half your stoicism, then he’d probably be a lot more menacing than he is.” “Well, consider me flattered, Emma.” The prince acknowledged with a dip of his head. “But in all seriousness, I will say that it’s quite impressive how well you’ve held your own, especially for a commoner. To be quite frank, the way you carry yourself and the decisions you’ve consistently made have pushed me so far as to have completely forgotten that aspect of your identity.” He offered, before promptly adding with a sheepish smile. “And I mean that as a compliment. I hold nothing but respect for your achievements as an individual, not in spite of or because of your supposed status.” “Right.” I acknowledged with a nod, prompting the lupinor to quickly shift his tone. “But to address your question, Emma? I’ll need to preface this by saying that I’m quite possibly the least conventional royal to ask for advice. Havenbrock and its royal family is, after all… quite unconventional, if you haven’t already noticed.” “That does seem to be the general consensus, not that I agree it's warranted.” I replied diplomatically. “Indeed. How I personally manage the handling of so many disparate responsibilities is simple — exposure. Exposure and experience are the keys to tempering the panic and nervousness that come with encountering unforeseen circumstances. This is the fundamental principle that both my father and uncle have raised me by, and the one I credit for my continued survival.” He paused as we reached one of the many twists and turns between the dorms and the stadium. “The life of a Havenbrockian royal isn’t about glitz, glamor, or stately decorum. It is moreso centered around the literal fight for survival, which in turn makes almost everything else seem superficial by comparison.” Thalmin eventually capped that off with another snarky smile. “I told you this wouldn’t be the answer you were looking for.” “No, no. That… honestly aligns pretty well with something my Aunt said a while back, honestly. Especially the whole perspective shift thing about having been in life-and-death situations, and seeing everything else after that point as being kinda… trivial, so to speak.” This prompted Thalmin to raise a brow, just as we were finally about to leave the towers. “I take it your aunt is also a warrior in some capacity?” “Yeah, she was. For a pretty long while too.” I answered frankly. “Might I ask what sort of role she served?” “She served in our version of…” I paused, trying my best to actually explain the whole mission statement of the Terrestrial and Space Expeditionary Corps to Thalmin. “...a form of elite rapid response strike, recon, and pathfinding group trained for any environment; from space, to any realms floating within it, to traditional surface operations.” The lupinor paused, pondering this for a moment with wide eyes. “So… does your Aunt ride those firespears we witnessed earlier into combat?” “Well… sort of. Like I said before, the ancient firespears I showed you are a thousand years behind me, so she’s—” “So I was right.” Thalmin whispered under his breath, fist bumping the air in the process. “I’m… sorry?” “You showed that those firespears could supposedly be used to deploy people to the void and other realms. Internally, I had theorized that they could likewise be repurposed for the deployment of soldiers to any point within a realm. A sort of void legion, or perhaps even a void diver of sorts.” I paused, blinking rapidly at the excitable lupinor who I could only smile nervously at. “I mean… you aren’t too far off in your assumptions, Thalmin. Our firespears, even in that era, were also weaponized.” I admitted. “I just didn’t have time to include that in our presentation since explaining the void was much more of a priority.” I trailed off, garnering a narrowing gaze from the lupinor. “Understandable. However, I would like a glimpse at such weapons in the future, if that is at all possible.” “Yeah, sure, I’ll… put that on the list of presentations when we get to it.” I offered nervously, prompting an equally suspicious nod before the lupinor moved onto another topic entirely. “Forgive me if this is intrusive to ask, but considering your aunt’s service, am I correct to assume that you belong to a lineage of warriors and soldiers?” The lupinor questioned, raising a hand to rub the bottom of his snout as he did so. “I mean, it’s somewhat of a tradition, one that members of my aunt’s side of the family tend to take on sporadically. But it isn’t enforced or anything if that’s what you’re asking.” “I see.” Thalmin nodded, a glint of some deep thought behind those eyes. “You will have to tell me more about your aunt in the future, Emma, as well as her exploits as this… void diver of sorts. Provided, of course, that she’s seen active service.” “Oh, she definitely has.” I chuckled cockily. “If anything, she’s quite literally the most well-decorated veteran in living memory. Considering she’s participated in practically every major engagement in a flashpoint conflict in one of our realms. The one and only conflict to have erupted in our otherwise three centuries of uninterrupted peace.” Thalmin raised an excited brow at that, a fangy grin forming soon after. “I can start to see why your people chose you to be their candidate, Emma.” The Transgracian Academy for the Magical Arts. Hall of Champions. Liring’s Training Stadium. Local Time: 1557 Hours. Emma We arrived at the Hall to an audience of one. Meeting a certain felinor who, after much convincing, approved us for a private booking of one of the smaller halls to the side of the main stadium. However, her reluctance to approve us at first stemmed less from our intent to spar, but a more pertinent issue still fresh in her mind. “And you are certain that you have fully healed, Cadet Emma—” I addressed the professor’s concerns with a swift movement of my pinkie, bending it to within its natural limits, before reaching it out to her much to her surprise. “I pinkie promise it, professor.” The bewildered professor paused for a moment, before simply going with the flow and completing the foreign gesture with a protracted pinkie claw. “Is this the work of some miracle panacea, or a result of your natural regeneration abilities, Cadet Emma Booker?” She pointedly asked. “A little bit of column A and a little bit of column B I suppose.” I answered coyly, causing the felinor to simply let out a sigh before donning a polite smile, one which was barely able to hide the burning curiosity behind those slitted pupils. “Very well. I won’t take much more of your time Cadet Booker. Prince Havenbrock.” She turned to face Thalmin for a moment, dipping her head slightly in respect. “If you need me, I will be in the stadium’s offices.” With that, the professor quite literally leaped away, disappearing into the rafters to the tune of a mana radiation warning and the whirring of the calibrating WAID. At which point, I was reminded to quickly address the elephant in the room, before it became too large of a talking point during the spar. “EVI?” “Yes, Cadet Booker?” “Training mode, on. Active Assists, off. Save for the bare minimum of actual threat mitigation emergency countermeasures, of course.” “Acknowledged.” If this was to be a proper training session, then I needed the EVI’s active assists deactivated. Otherwise, there really wouldn’t be a point to this. Thalmin wasted no time in speed-walking us to the smaller training stadium, opening those two sliding dark oak doors to reveal what was, by all measures, a cross between one of those traditional dojos and a high school basketball court. The vibes and general aesthetic definitely fit the former, what with the heavy use of wood for the floors, pillars, and rafters. However, the presence of bleachers, stands, and magical lighting equipment alongside the wrought iron scaffolding gave it an undeniably ‘modern’ aesthetic that was difficult to ignore. The space certainly was more appropriate for a one-on-one session, though, as the size wasn’t anywhere near as overwhelming as the big open stadium it was connected to. “I’d be remiss if I did not address a fundamental disconnect between our two peoples, Emma.” Thalmin began as he strode his way up and through one the bleachers, navigating us through to the center of the gymnasium. “The proverbial wyvern in the nursery, so to speak.” He continued as he moved closer towards me before deploying a privacy screen. “A tool — nay, a weapon — that grants commoners the ability to kill from a hundred paces.” The lupinor stopped, gesturing at the distance between us. “Bridging the martial gap, in a way that only mages and the gifted can. Without once making use of magic, neither inherent nor enchanted.” He finished his statement, raising his right hand and extending a single index finger whilst clenching the rest of his fist, as if in an attempt to mimic the shape of my pistol. “The martial gap?” I parroted, unclasping my holster in the process. “Aye, that which separates commoners from nobles, a fundamental crux rendering their attempts at harm completely null and void — distance.” The prince elaborated, taking the time to walk circles around me with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. “Physical distance is what underpins the martial gap, a functional disadvantage spurred on by a noble’s inherent natural advantages.” “Ranged attacks.” I offered bluntly. “Precisely.” Thalmin acknowledged, before once more stretching out his arm. “A noble’s capabilities in war are only limited by their imagination. Whilst those in their service, be they chosen ones or men-at-arms, would be provided the training or enchanted weapons necessary for accomplishing much of the same, albeit to an admittedly lesser capacity.” The prince paused, halting his walk as he did so. “Roads to power, both soft and hard, can be traced to magic and those that wield it. For those without, their fates are sealed — sidelined to irrelevance by virtue of their inefficacy.” He let out a sigh, raising both arms out to his sides. “For even if a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand commoners were to march towards a castle’s walls… they would be burned, drowned, frozen, subsumed, or imploded before once setting their eyes on their intended adversary.” “And even those gifted with enchanted weapons all rely on mages not only for their production but also for their fuel, upkeep, and maintenance.” I reasoned, crossing my arms as I did so. “Precisely. Which is what I wished to address next — that the martial gap applies to matters beyond the functional disparity of distance, but is also a term applied to the inherent gap that naturally arises as a result of this status quo.” I exhaled sharply at that. As despite Thalmin simply reinforcing what I’d already worked out, it just felt… jarring to hear it all laid out so blatantly, as a named principle at that. “Your kind, despite lacking magic, have created a weapon capable of breaching that gap. Not just physically, but in every sense of the word.” Thalmin continued, his features stiffening if only for a moment, as it was clear something was currently spooling up behind those yellow eyes. “Now tell me, exactly what did your training entail?” He transitioned abruptly, as if trying to steer away from a subject matter that was bound to crop up eventually. “Well… my training wasn’t exactly what you’d call typical.” I began frankly. “For starters, I was run through an unconventional combo of Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training tailored just for this mission, while also taking class hours for stuff typically reserved for Officer Candidate School. BCT typically takes six months, followed by anywhere from six months to a year for AIT, but—” “I meant the actual contents of your training, Emma.” Thalmin interjected, letting out a frustrated sigh as he did so. “Oh, right, sorry. Yeah, so, most of it was accelerated BCT. So stuff like physical training, small arms weapons instruction and drilling—” “Small arms?” Thalmin quickly interrupted. “As you might expect, we have a lot of weapons types that have spawned over the years.” I pulled out my gun for emphasis. “The sheer variety of weapons required an equally diverse classification system in order to categorize them as a result. With small arms eventually coming to encompass any individual-use firearm that does not require the use of partially powered or fully powered exoskeletons to function to their fullest capability.” Thalmin blinked rapidly, before once more narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “You mentioned exoskeletons.” Thalmin inquired sharply. “A-are you implying your people are in some way… arachnous or insectoid—” “Oh, nonono. By exoskeletons, I basically mean this—” I paused, gesturing at my armor for emphasis. “It’s a complex system of… well… machines, basically. Machines that clamp all around a user in order to bolster and boost their strength by the power of mechanical force!” I beamed. “As such, what I meant was that there are some weapons that work functionally as small arms, but are only ever usable for individuals wearing some form of exoskeleton-assist kits.” Thalmin’s suspicions didn’t fully subside however, though he seemed to just run with it for the time being. “And what happens if one uses one of these weapons without the aid of an… exoskeleton?” “The recoil will dislocate or break your shoulder and/or wrist.” I replied bluntly, causing the prince to blink rapidly in response. “As you can imagine, firing a traditional chem-kinetic weapon comes with the caveat of force being generated. So… the larger the explosion in the gun, the more kickback you’ll expect.” I shrugged. “I see.” Thalmin responded slowly. “I… assume the next category up from ‘small arms’ to be ‘large’ arms, and perhaps ‘medium’ arms too, yes?” “Erm…” I paused yet again, reaching for the back of my neck in preparation for the explanation to come. “The next ‘step up’ as it were, is actually light weapons.” That answer prompted the lupinor to simply stare at me blankly, his mouth curling up in a fit of confusion. “But we started with small arms—” “The next step up following light weapons is heavy weapons, if that helps any.” I smiled awkwardly. “Of course it is.” The prince acknowledged with a drained breath, gripping the bridge of his snout in the process. “I apologize for leading our conversation astray. I was not anticipating, nor at all ready, for another semantics lesson. To no fault of your own, of course.” The prince let out a polite sigh, before gesturing towards me with a single hand. “Let us return to our original line of discussion.” “So, yeah, small arms training. I had plenty of that, along with light and heavy weapons training in accordance with my Advanced Power Armored Specialist, or APAS certification.” I inhaled deeply, steadying myself for a rapid-fire delivery of mil-spec jargon. “Then there was advanced equipment training because of the power armor, along with advanced electronic operation’s training as a baseline requisite, tactics and strategy training, battlefield drone and recon training, expedited forward operations training, and of course, there was also Close Quarters Combat, or CQC training.” While the lupinor’s attentiveness waned with each piece of jargon, it was that latter category that prompted Thalmin to perk up and chime in. “And this… close quarters combat, I assume it is a sort of martial art?” “Various martial arts distilled into a condensed package.” I nodded. “It draws from many ancient and modern disciplines, but with a core focus on surviving unarmed.” I continued methodically. “The first lesson, if anything, is preventative — consisting of tactics on how not to lose your primary in the first place.” “Your primary being your gun, correct?” “Yup!” I nodded. “Proceed.” The wolf urged. “In addition to that first lesson, you got lessons on controlling your assailant during an all-out brawl; open hand strikes, knee strikes, anything and everything to get them off of you. Really, you’re not gunning to win a mixed martial arts match here. You’re more or less just trying to disengage ‘safely’ to the point where backup arrives or where you’re able to regain control of a weapon.” The lupinor’s features morphed from one of stoic intent to one drowning in thoughtful contemplation, his eyes beckoning some internal turmoil rumbling away beneath the surface. “This sounds less like a tutelage on dueling, and more like instructions for when you’re driven to the last resort.” He offered with disappointment. “Precisely.” I nodded. “The idea is that if you’ve reached a point where you’re left unarmed and fighting, then something’s already gone terribly wrong.” Thalmin acknowledged this with a series of slow nods, his hand gripping the bottom of his snout as he did so. “And… melee weapons?” “Oh, right, there’s this.” I acknowledged with a nod, and a quick draw of the Mark XIV multipurpose combat and utility knife. “Fourth generation composalite with a leading monomolecular diamond edge.” Thalmin stared at the blade with a quirk of his brow, looking not too impressed by, well… everything about it. However, that expression soon shifted to one of contemplative realization, returning to the very face he’d led this conversation with in the first place. “So you really have abandoned the notion of melee weapons as a primary offensive tool.” He whispered under his breath, the implications of which prompted him to lock his gaze onto my pistol with increasing intensity. “Yeah. No offense to you and your arts, of course, but swords and melee weapons have been obsolete in our realm for the better part of a millennium.” I acknowledged frankly. “It’s just… no longer an effective killing tool. At least, not when stacked up against the sorts of weapons I’ve shown you.” I quickly added. “And in conflicts, that’s kinda what counts, right?” “Along with the capacity to maintain said weapons of war. Capability is meaningless without sustainability or scale.” Thalmin reasoned. “Though… if what you stated weeks ago was anything to go by…” He trailed off, allowing me to address that particular point. “Sustainability, logistics, and scale are the hallmarks of what makes modern warfare, well… modern.” I answered plainly. “So everything I said in that conversation wasn’t posturing, but an abject fact.” I shivered just referencing that conversation, especially given its preceding context — the null fight — was still as fresh in my mind as the day I’d faced it down. “There’s enough guns in my realm to arm every human currently living a hundred times over, and that’s not to mention the ammunition…” “But surely that’s accumulative—” “It is! But it wouldn’t really take too much to churn them out either. We have the industrial capacity to probably flood the entire surface of a realm in guns if we wanted to.” I paused, before letting out an awkward chuckle, once more reaching the back of my head awkwardly in order to defuse the situation. “That’s… not a hyperbole. Practically speaking, we could do it. But just because we could doesn’t mean we will.” Thalmin’s face reflected the same ghostly visage he’d shown on that day, as his features quickly darkened along with his tone of voice. “But you could.” “Yeah, we could. But like I said, we probably won’t have a need to.” I attempted to calm the situation down some. “I mean, unless the Nexus really gives us a reason to… but I doubt that’ll ever happen.” I offered sarcastically. To which Thalmin could only reply with a weary smile. “So to confirm what you said previously, every soldier in your realm, every man-at-arms and void legionnaire, every sailor and flyer, all of them—” “Go through some form of BCT, in which all of them are trained in the art of the gun, yeah.” I intercepted the man with a grin. Though it was clear his expressions were far less receptive, and more so mortified at the implications that came with this confirmation of what I’d only alluded to before. “So you really have crossed the martial gap, all without once casting a single spell.” He reasoned, before once more narrowing his eyes. “And if your Void Diver Aunt is of any indication, not only have you crossed the gap in weapons, but likewise in conveyances too.” “Yeah… but that’s a whole other story, Thalmin.” I chuckled darkly. “Suffice it to say, engagement distances in modern warfare aren't measured in meters, but in kilometers and then some.” That comment seemed to cause the man to shudder even moreso. “Snipers engage enemies kilometers out at a time, same for frontline drone operators, and I’m not even going to get into remote—” “I see, Emma.” Thalmin interjected warily. “I see.” He sighed. A moment of silence punctuated our little back and forth, before he finally elongated his blade, forming the longsword I’d seen only a few times before. “So you have mastered the manaless art of breaching the martial gap, creating entirely novel forms of not just weaponry, but the arts and industries required to sustain and maintain it all.” “Yup, that’s right.” I nodded proudly. “Then I must ask… with what you currently have at your disposal, do you feel as if your tactics and strategies will be viable in the long term?” “Yup! In fact, every piece of equipment I have with me was chosen just for that specific task. It’s the whole reason why they chose this specific model of armor to use as the base for my mission, despite it not being the most advanced or up-to-date. This logic extends to my gun, the ZNK-19, and every piece of tech I have with me. So the production of caseless ammo? Completely viable if not a non-issue whatsoever.” “But that requires the use of your larger equipment, no? Your tent, your… manaless microfactoriums.” “Indeed.” I nodded. “Our quest will take us away from these comforts of manaless logistics, Emma. And while I understand that you may take as much ammunition with you as possible, there always exists a possibility that it may simply not be enough. What then?” The mercenary prince posited, extending both of his arms in the process. “Your skills with the blade may prove more necessary than you initially expected, Emma.” I paused, taking into consideration the lupinor’s words, as all of it did ring true to one of the many contingencies the IAS had anticipated. “You do have a point, Thalmin.” I acknowledged. “You were trained in the martial arts as a last resort, while I was trained in it as a first.” A daring smile formed across the lupinor’s face, the longsword suddenly crackling to light with a momentary surge of lightning. “Let us humor this hypothetical scenario then, and see how you fare, yes?” First | Previous | Next (Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thalmin and Emma finally have a chance to start geeking out together over military affairs in this one! :D It's the first time we've really seen them properly interacting together without the other two, or without any pressing issues casting a shadow over them! I really hope their dynamic works as I intended, and I really hope I wrote their interactions well enough! :D But yeah! I really do hope you guys enjoy the chapter! :D The next Two Chapters are already up on Patreon if you guys are interested in getting early access to future chapters.) [If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 130 and Chapter 131 of this story is already out on there!)] submitted by /u/Jcb112 to r/HFY [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/asapshrank to r/nba [link] [comments]

I've never seen a pair of Jordans that I liked. They all look awkward and clunky, and the colors look like they've been picked by someone on their 4th red bull. They seem to be over hyped, I don't know anything that can stay instyle for decades besides these shoes. I also hate that they're basketball shoes that are too expensive to play basketball in, same as a luxury off road vehicle, pointless. Just cause they are expensive doesn't make them look nice. I hate when people pair them with suits. Sure wear a navy suit but pair black and red sneakers with them. Edit: I don't care what race you are when you wear these shoes. I understand they have a cultural significance but I'm speaking from an aesthetic viewpoint only. submitted by /u/dimeadozen1 to r/unpopularopinion [link] [comments]

Sure, there's no dunking. Aesthetically it looks different from men's basketball and that take some getting used to. But if you're looking through r/nba/new in August there is DEFINITELY no reason you can't get into the WNBA. It's a more fundamental style of basketball with an emphasis on post play but there's still a bunch of awesome guards who can really stretch the floor. More sets and x's and o's. And there's just as much (if not more) soap opera style drama that you guys love so much. Only 12 teams so it's not that hard to get into. And tickets are super cheap and the fans are generally pretty chill. I'm glad I made the leap into following it. Discussion of the W always devolves into laughable strawman on here ("I'm being forced to pretend to enjoy it") so I thought I'd provide a countervailing opinion. Edit: The point of this post is obviously not to say that you're a bigot if you don't watch it, or you're a close-minded person, and if you read it that way it's telling that you still think you're being oppressed somehow by fucking WNBA fans. The point is that there's a bunch of people in the comments who actually like watching it, and maybe you will too if you come in with a good attitude. Cheers submitted by /u/metjetnet to r/nba [link] [comments]

Being good at basketball and having an aesthetically pleasing game aren't necessarily the same thing. What player fits the former but not the latter? I'll start with Joel Embiid. His playstyle really grinds games to a halt with the iso heavy play and foul baiting. He's an MVP caliber player but I can never finish a Sixers game because of him. submitted by /u/SpeedMalibu to r/nba [link] [comments]

- - - - - - - ------------ ******** ***IM NOT OP*** Disclaimer: I edited OP's original post to make it easier to read Mood: Uplifting and sweet Original title: AITA for getting my sister expelled from school Link for original posted 21 days ago I (14m) recently got my twin sister (14f) expelled from school after reporting her for the bullying she did. I don’t think I did anything wrong and my grandpa (72m) is on my side but parents (40m and 40f) think I betrayed sister. My sister has never been the nicest person, she got in trouble for bullying in elementary school and earlier in middle school, has gotten detention and ISS(In School Suspension) before, but this is the worst punishment she’s gotten so far. She can be mean to our siblings and cousins too, if she wants to. We are in 8th grade now. A few weeks ago, I was playing basketball outside during lunch (which we’re allowed to do),my friends and I were having a good time when we saw a boy crying on the grass. My friends and I went to see what was wrong. This boy was telling us about how he was being bullied by a group of kids for being “preppy” (posts skincare routines on TikTok, Starbucks iced coffee, generally seen as a more feminine male aesthetic), kids were calling him gay and the f slur when he’s not gay. We told him we thought he was cool, he started discussing skincare and fashion with us, we don’t know much about it so me and my friends were trying to talk about Nike and stuff about fashion we did know (mostly sports stuff), and he actually knew quite a bit about it, said he’s started taking courses at a local college about fashion history, he’s also in 8th grade like us. After we calmed him down, we asked him if he wanted to play ball with us and we were amazed at how good he was, he said he’s not really into sports but he was so naturally good, had us playing our hardest and scored against a few of us when playing in teams, we encouraged him to potentially try out for the team in high school and he said he’d consider it. Over the few weeks, we’ve started to hang out with him more and more, we were at the park playing with him and he dropped his phone, one of my friends picked it up and unintentionally opened up the messages on Instagram since he got a notification for it, he saw someone text him homophobic stuff, the boy noticed my sister was one of the kids sending him the messages, we told him it wasn’t ok and that we’d go to AP with him. My sister and her friends was called into the office and they all got in a bunch of trouble, it was her, 3 other girls and 2 other boys, one of which is her boyfriend. My sister was the ringleader and the cruelest, so she got the harshest punishment and was expelled. My mother and father said I shouldn’t have gone to AP and instead talked to them, my grandfather has a different perspective since he was involved in progressive activist groups in his teen years and college years, and while he’s straight, he saw his gay friends get bullied and was horrified about what she was doing, even though it was to a straight boy. My sister is calling me an asshole, a snitch and says she hates me, my friends are reassuring me we did the right thing. ---------------------- No, even after my parents gave her a talk about homophobia she said she was showing the boy “the real world” and insisting she did nothing wrong ------- They did give her a talk on homophobia being bad and looked at her YouTube watch history, but my sister is defending her actions saying she was showing the boy “the real world” ------ If he’s gay, that’s cool with us to. ------- They think they could’ve handled it better without her getting expelled, they gave her a standard homophobia is bad talk and looked at her YouTube watch history to see if there was anything homophobic but haven’t done anything since ------- I think part of the reason we have compassion is the sense of community me and my friends have, if one of us is hurting, everyone is. We do everything together and getting constant love and validation feels good, my basketball coach also encourages the love among us and is such a cool dude and role model. ------ I don’t think they’re bad people, I just think they value loyalty to the family way too much. They aren’t homophobic like my sister. I wish they valued loyalty less, I love my sister but she was bullying a boy who’s so kind and sweet. I’ll definitely try to talk more to them later. ------- Link for update posted today ​ I’d like to thank everyone for the love and support I got on my last post Original post: (2) AITA for getting my sister expelled from school : AmItheAsshole (reddit.com) I want to update everyone on what happened recently, I didn’t expect my post to blow up In the comments of the last post, I mentioned how my sister had her phone taken away, well a few days ago, my parents were cleaning her room and found a burner phone, on there she had Discord, when my parents opened it up they found a slew of extremely racist and homophobic content that my sister was both consuming and writing, the other male friend (the one that is not her boyfriend) was also involved, he has gotten in trouble at school for past homophobic behavior. He’s one of the kids who tries to be edgy, his parents aren’t bigoted, but also really didn’t do anything to curtail his behavior in the past, besides just saying he shouldn’t say that and he’s being an ass. He’s on the football team and his teammates/friends have never liked his edgy views, but when they heard about what he was sending, they talked with him and are trying to connect to him on why what he’s doing is messed up. My sister and him have expressed no remorse so far. Once they saw those messages, my parents were horrified and grounded her for a few weeks from hiding this from them, and are looking for a therapist to try to do deradicalize her views. My new friend is doing better then ever, my sister’s boyfriend has shown genuine remorse, despite his parents defending him (they see their kids as doing no wrong, if their child bullies someone, it’s always the bullied kids fault), but he has an older brother who’s 15 and is an amazing guy. The brother talked to his younger brother about his behavior and made him realize it was messed up. The other 3 girls involved have not spoken to him since, but one of them was seen bullying some random kid in a TikTok comment section, so I doubt much has changed with them. Our new friend is going to join us at an overnight basketball camp, we met his parents and they thanked us for helping their son, they found a guy for private basketball lessons after me and my friends were pushing him to try out next year, the trainer said he was really good naturally and he’s developed an increasing like of the sport. His dad is a vendor at a local antique store, and bought me and my friends some signed basketball memorabilia as a gift, his parents said they haven’t seen him this happy in a long time, their son never opened up about the bullying to them. They told us he’s much less angry now and went on about how we “brought back the little boy who was always happy”. Me and my friends are counting down the days to camp. As for the advice, I just encouraged my grandpa to stand up more, but they didn’t care until the burner phone, for those complementing my writing and grammar, you can credit my coach, who’s also my English teacher. submitted by /u/HoneydewHaunting to r/BestofRedditorUpdates [link] [comments]

I (14m) recently got my twin sister (14f) expelled from school after reporting her for the bullying she did. I don’t think I did anything wrong and my grandpa (72m) is on my side but parents (40m and 40f) think I betrayed sister. My sister has never been the nicest person, she got in trouble for bullying in elementary school and earlier in middle school, has gotten detention and ISS before, but this is the worst punishment she’s gotten so far. She can be mean to our siblings and cousins to if she wants to. We are in 8th grade now. A few weeks ago, I was playing basketball outside during lunch (which we’re allowed to do), me and my friends were having a good time when we saw a boy crying on the grass, me and my friends went to see what was wrong. This boy was telling us about how he was being bullied by a group of kids for being “preppy” (posts skincare routines on TikTok, Starbucks iced coffee, generally seen as a more feminine male aesthetic), kids were calling him gay and the f slur when he’s not gay. We told him we thought he was cool, he started discussing skincare and fashion with us, we don’t know much about it so me and my friends were trying to talk about Nike and stuff about fashion we did know (mostly sports stuff), and he actually knew quite a bit about it, said he’s started taking courses at a local college about fashion history, he’s also in 8th grade like us. After we calmed him down, we asked him if he wanted to play ball with us and we were amazed at how good he was, he said he’s not really into sports but he was so naturally good, had us playing our hardest and scored against a few of us when playing in teams, we encouraged him to potentially try out for the team in high school and he said he’d consider it. Over the few weeks, we’ve started to hang out with him more and more, we were at the park playing with him and he dropped his phone, one of my friends picked it up and unintentionally opened up the messages on Instagram since he got a notification for it, he saw someone text him homophobic stuff, the boy noticed my sister was one of the kids sending him the messages, we told him it wasn’t ok and that we’d go to AP with him. My sister and her friends was called into the office and they all got in a bunch of trouble, it was her, 3 other girls and 2 other boys, one of which is her boyfriend. My sister was the ringleader and the cruelest, so she got the harshest punishment and was expelled. My mother and father said I shouldn’t have gone to AP and instead talked to them, my grandfather has a different perspective since he was involved in progressive activist groups in his teen years and college years, and while he’s straight, he saw his gay friends get bullied and was horrified about what she was doing, even though it was to a straight boy. My sister is calling me an asshole, a snitch and says she hates me, my friends are reassuring me we did the right thing. submitted by /u/circagym262 to r/AmItheAsshole [link] [comments]

Am I the only one noticing this with an emphasis on the refs? They let the players play and allow them to be physical. It was embarrassing seeing Team USA hunt for fouls then actually playing (Example Kevin Love trying to lean into a player for a foul). It was also nice not having the last minute of the game be hogged down by advertisements and reviews. submitted by /u/Nuclear-Waffle to r/nba [link] [comments]

Introduction Since 2011 was 10 years ago (2021 – 2011 = 10), I thought it’d be a good idea to reflect on what is considered one of the best years in gaming – I’d personally consider 2011 to be the peak of AAA gaming. Since AAA development cycles 10 years ago were half of what they are today (see this interview with Uncharted 1-3 director Amy Hennig), and live service games were a lot less common, we also got a greater quantity of AAA games than we do now. And while the indie scene was still blooming – 283 games released on Steam in 2011 versus 8290 games in 2019 – there were still a lot of high quality indie games that released in 2011, and the average quality of an indie game on Steam and the three consoles at the time was higher than it is now. A lot of things were happening in 2011: the release of both the 3DS and the PS Vita (Japan only for the PS Vita, 2012 for the West) were technically the start of the eighth generation. Furthermore, the 3D gimmick was big around this time, particularly in movies, and the 3DS allowed you to see these effects without the need for glasses. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 also supported stereoscopic 3D in a lot of their major titles in the early 2010s, with Killzone 3 and Gears of War 3 being some notable examples from this year. Sony’s PlayStation Move and Microsoft’s Kinect had released the year prior, and Nintendo’s Wii Motion Plus in 2009. Motion controls were a frequent hot topic on message boards, and Sony and Microsoft steering down this path halfway into the seventh generation made gamers fear for a much gimmickier future in gaming. Free to play games were beginning to take shape on PC and mobile devices but wouldn’t really come to consoles until a few years later. World of Warcraft was still dominating the MMORPG space, though the controversial Cataclysm expansion had released in December 2010. Skylanders was the first major “Toys to Life” game and would inspire several other Toys to Life releases, including Nintendo’s very own Amiibo in 2014. There was also a resurgence of local multiplayer in AAA games in 2011, including some of the biggest games of the year: Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Gears of War 3, etc. I’ll be going through the list of games released for each of the major platforms with a little description for each. Keep in mind I haven’t played every game on this list but did a little bit of research for the ones I was less familiar with. This post is going to focus on North American release dates – even just 10 years ago release dates varied a lot more than they do now. Even Pokemon had separate release dates for each region 10 years (up until Pokemon X/Y in 2013, after which every mainline game has had a single international release date). Since the PS Vita only released in Japan in 2011, I’ll just leave this list of the 26 launch titles for the PS Vita in Japan. Multiplatform AAA Games Dark Souls – The spiritual successor to 2009’s PlayStation 3 exclusive Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls would expand its audience to many more platforms and would eventually spawn a whole subgenre titled “Soulslike” – nowadays it’s hard to remember a time when there weren’t multiple Souls inspired games every year. Dark Souls also took the level-based nature of Demon’s Souls and instead introduced a more open progression of levels. Dark Souls has become synonymous with difficult games, and although I think it’s a bit overblown, it’s easy to see why people think the series is so difficult: it’s a AAA game that allows you to get lost, doesn’t outright explain every mechanic, allows other players to invade your world to impede your progress, etc. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – This game still remains highly influential in the RPG genre nearly a decade after its initial launch. The game would go on to spawn many DLCs and ports, but despite its many bugs – particularly on the PlayStation 3 – it would become the mainstay of open world RPGs. It’s notable on PC for its modding scene, and its cultural influence, particularly on the Internet, can be seen in the many memes its spawned over the years: from “arrow to the knee” jokes to “like Skyrim with _____” to “you can play Skyrim on your fridge.” Rayman Origins – After an eight year hiatus, Ubisoft brought Rayman back to the delight of many and won many accolades in the process. The game was 2D, a lot faster paced, had 60+ levels, and featured four player local co-op. Rayman Origins and its 2013 sequel, Rayman Legends, are still seen today as some of the best 2D platformers of all time. Sonic Generations – It could be said that Sonic Generations was the last good 3D Sonic game. It was a celebration of the series’ history, featuring both 2D and 3D levels from previous games in the series. Through some time warp shenanigans, 2D Sonic and 3D Sonic worked together to thwart the plans of Dr. Eggman. Sonic Colors had released the previous year exclusively for the Wii, and it was thought that this might be a golden era for 3D Sonic games. Sadly no 3D Sonic game has matched the acclaim of Sonic Generations since, so it still remains the gold standard (though of course we had 2017’s Sonic Mania as the best 2D Sonic game possibly ever). Portal 2 – The original Portal was packaged together with a number of other Valve games in 2007, but Portal 2 was a complete package that stood on its own, with a much longer campaign and a separate co-op mode that could be played in split-screen or online. Dead Space 2 – Dead Space was very much a 7th generation series. EA has since seemed to drop the series, but between the main trilogy, its three spinoff games, and five comic books/novels between 2008-2013, it was a major discussion piece at the time. The sequel to the first game performed just as well as the original but replaced a little horror with a little more action. A lot of people didn’t like the direction Dead Space 3 went, so the second one (technically the third if you count Dead Space: Extraction) could be viewed as “the last good Dead Space game." F.E.A.R. 3 – F.E.A.R., like Dead Space, was another trilogy that existed for the 7th generation of consoles but died off soon after. The game allowed two player local co-op for the main campaign, and a local competitive multiplayer mode for up to four players. F.E.A.R. saw a free to play online co-op entry in 2014 on Steam, but it shut it down just months after its release and the series has been dormant ever since. Crysis 2 – This was yet another seventh generation shooter series that died off after its third entry. Despite the first game being used as a benchmark for PC performance back in 2007, the sequel expanded its audience to console gamers (though the original did release for consoles three years after its initial release). Crysis 2 also feature an online PvP mode. Deux Ex: Human Revolution – Deus Ex was the first game in the series since 2003’s Invisible War. It was both a prequel and soft reboot taking place in 2027, 25 years before the events of the original game. Despite skepticism during its development, the game received high praise from critics and fans alike. Batman: Arkham City – The new wave of Batman games beginning with 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum would spark a rebridled confidence in video game tie-ins. Arkham City expanded the scope of the series with an open world and introduced dozens of hours of more gameplay. This was well before “open world fatigue” – open world games were still novel during this time, so Arkham City was better appreciated for its incorporation of an open world. Alice: Madness Returns – After 10.5 years, fans of the cult classic American McGee’s Alice finally got a sequel. This told the story of Alice recounting the events of the day of the fire that took her family’s lives. The game came packaged with the original on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. EA marketed it as a horror game much to the ill wishes of American McGee. de Blob 2 – de Blob 2’s gameplay revolves around painting objects to bring a city back to life. The original de Blob was exclusive to iOS and the Wii, but the puzzle platformer expanded to the other consoles with its sequel. In addition to its split-screen party mode, deBlob 2 also introduced two player co-op to the main campaign, with the second player controlling a “helper” much akin to Super Mario Galaxy’s co-op. Bulletstorm – Serious shooters were the flavor of the day back in 2011, but Bulletstorm took a less serious and more arcady approach to its action. The developers even released a free to play 20 minute parody titled “Duty Calls” that mocked the popular gun metal gray corridor shooters like Call of Duty of its time. Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds – Marvel vs. Capcom 2 released 11 years earlier, so the announcement of a sequel in 2010 produced a lot of excitement. With such a long hiatus, newer characters from both universes were introduced into the series for the first time, like Viewtiful Joe, Virgil, and Frank West. Mortal Kombat – This was technically the ninth installment as well as a reboot for the series. It performed better than the last decade of new entries in the series and brought with it the 300 Tower Trials. These were a series of mini-games and fights strewn together, sometimes altering the gameplay in significant ways. L.A. Noire – This was a neo-noir detective game with real time facial animation set 1940s Los Angeles. The player would make dialogue choices in the game when interrogating suspects, and there were also action sequences. Dirt 3 – Dirt 3 ditched the “Colin McRae” in the title and just became Dirt with this entry. This off-road racing game featured 98 courses, a career mode, and online play. Catherine – This was Atlus’ weird game of the year. A man is torn between two love interests – Catherine and Katherine. The game featured a combination of social simulation, platforming, and puzzle solving. Battlefield 3 – Battlefield 3 was one of the best looking games out there at the time. Battlefield 3 was unique for the series in that it introduced an online co-op mode, in addition to the single player campaign and online competitive/versus multiplayer mode. Rocksmith – Guitar Hero and Rock Band were still pretty big franchises around this time. Players could used a real guitar for this game. Just Dance 3 – Ubisoft continues to make Just Dance games, but Just Dance seemed to be at its peak popularity during the Wii era, though the games were also available on the other two major consoles of the time. Just Dance incorporated motion controls to dance to the beat of the music. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – This was the finale to the Modern Warfare series. Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg claimed that Modern Warfare 3’s release was the largest retail release in the industry’s history. I don’t know how true that is, but it’s certainly very believable. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – This was a linear action RPG with split-screen co-op. The game takes place at the dawn of the Second Age and follows a different cast of heroes from the original trilogy, and allows players to choose who they play as. Dragon Age II – Dragon Age II wasn’t loved as much of the previous game or the one that proceeded it, but Dragon Age II still performed well in spite of adopting a more hack and slash approach to its combat system. In terms of black sheep in video game franchises, Dragon Age II is a cut above the rest at least. Homefront – This was a FPS that received quite a bit of hype but ultimately failed to live up to expectations despite receiving decent reviews. The game takes place in 2027 with a united North Korea and South Korea that has invaded and taken control of parts of the U.S. The game was banned in South Korea and generated some controversy for its subject matter. Homefront also feature online multiplayer. Dead Island – The success of this game’s trailer actually pushed the release date ahead of schedule. The development team hired more people to cash in on the hype, but the actual game had little to do with the trailer and received middling reviews when released. Duke Nukem Forever – Duke Nukem Forever spent 15 years in development before finally releasing to extremely poor reviews in 2011. Gameplay aside, the game was also considered offensive for its portrayal of women and spawned an online petition with 7500+ signatures asking Walmart to remove the game from store shelves. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure – Skylanders kickstarted the “Toys to Life” genre in 2011 – Disney Infinity, Nintendo’s Amiibos, and Lego Dimensions would follow in the subsequent years. The franchise had a new entry every year from 2011-2016. By February 2015, the franchise had exceeded $3 billion in sales, and by 2016, the franchise had sold over 300 million toys, and Skylanders had become the 11th biggest console franchise of all time. With a lack of new releases its influence has fallen considerably, but Skylanders was hugely popular in the early to mid 2010s. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Saints Row the Third Driver: San Francisco Shift 2: Unleashed Need for Speed: The Run Brink Shadows of the Damned Serious Sam 3: BFE Rage Red Faction: Armageddon AAA PC Exclusives In 2011, Steam hadn’t yet been the one place to go for every PC game (of course this has also changed in the last couple of years). None of the games listed below appeared on Steam until some time after their initial release. The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings – This was one of the few cutting edge PC exclusives of its time (it would release on Xbox 360 a year later). The series hadn’t yet gone open world, instead focusing on a more linear narrative. The Witcher 2 is actually the first game I know of to have elements of it inspired by a Souls game – Demon’s Souls from 2009. Star Wars: The Old Republic – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Repbulic 1 & 2 were single player RPGs developed by Bioware released in 2004 and 2005 – The Old Republic expanded the series into the MMORPG space. This was back when every MMORPG was competing for that World of Warcraft spotlight. While it didn’t quite meet expectations, it still received great reviews. It eventually went free to play a little over a year later and continuous updates improved the overall quality of the game. Age of Empires Online – This was to be the original Age of Empires IV but instead went down a different path. This iteration probably isn’t remembered as fondly as others on the list, but it represents a big publisher’s early dip into the free to play space. The servers for the game only lasted until July 1, 2014 before they were shut down – less than three years after its initial release. Total War: Shogun 2 PlayStation 3 Exclusives Sony’s studios emphasized multiplayer in their titles a lot more in the latter of the PlayStation 3’s life, even including it in titles that games that are traditionally solo experiences, like inFAMOUS 2, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, and later God of War: Ascension (2013). Sony’s 2011 line-up included a great mix of single player, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer games, as well as a few PlayStation Move games. Of the 11 non-PS Move games listed below, 6 of them included local multiplayer and 9 included online multiplayer. LittleBigPlanet 2 – This was a big evolution of the original game and introduced a number of mechanics that expanded what could be done with the level editing tools. Like the first game, this one would receive a large number of DLC packs, but unfortunately some of them – like the Marvel Level Pack – were removed a few years ago due to licensing expirations. The marketing really wasn’t a lie this time around, it truly went from “a platformer game” to a “platform for games” with the wide array of different tools at your disposall, including the addition of tweaking physics, cut-scenes, Sackboys, and even changing the camera perspective. MotorStorm Apocalypse – This was the last major entry in the series (a spinoff released a year later) and made for a great trilogy of racing games on the PlayStation 3. The game featured both online and split-screen multiplayer, as well as number of different vehicle classes: dirt bikes, ATVs, buggies, monster trucks, big rigs, etc. The courses would be altered from apocalyptic happenings as you raced through them. The developer, Evolution Studios, is now defunct so this series might be gone for good. inFAMOUS 2 – This continued Cole’s story from the first game and was set in Louisiana. The sequel also brought with it a unique online sharing mode that allowed for some small customizable levels. inFAMOUS: Festival of Blood would also release later in the year as a small scale standalone title. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – While Uncharted 3 didn’t outdo the overwhelming critical reception to the second game, it still performed very well and featured a lot of content: the single player campaign, split-screen online multiplayer, and its co-op mode. Uncharted 4 would abandon the split-screen and co-op mode. Resistance 3 – This marked the last major release in the Resistance series. It featured online and local co-op and an online multiplayer mode. Resistance 3 brought back the weapon wheel and health packs from the first game, as many felt Resistance 2 borrowed too heavily from Call of Duty. Killzone 3 – After the long wait for Killzone 2, Killzone 3 released just two years later. It featured local co-op and an online multiplayer mode. The online scene introduced classes with different functions. Killzone 3 also dropped the weight and heft of the guns from the second game and introduced stereoscopic 3D functionality. SOCOM 4 – From 2002 to 2011, SOCOM had ten games released between Sony’s consoles and handheld. SOCOM 4 was the second SOCOM game on the PlayStation 3 and the last entry in the series released since. In addition to the online multiplayer mode the series is known for, the game also featured a single player campaign. Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One – This was a top down platform game that could be played with up to four players online or locally. It allowed players to choose their character: Ratchet, Clank, Qwark, or Dr. Nefarious. MLB 11: The Show – Believe it or not, this game was actually released for PlayStation 2 as well, and also PSP. It also featured two other gimmicks of its era – stereoscopic 3D and PS Move functional f Home Run Derby mode. PlayStation Move Ape Escape, PlayStation Move Heroes, & EyePet and Friends – We can’t forget the motion controls of this era. Unfortunately none of these games performed well and people saw the crossover of Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper as a wasted opportunity in PlayStation Move Heroes. Disgaea 4 Yakuza 4 Xbox 360 Exclusives Microsoft seemed to push its seventh generation gimmick, the Kinect, more than Sony pushed the PlayStation Move, especially later in the generation. While we never did get to see Milo, Kinect would see a number of games built around it beginning with its launch in November 2011. I’m not going to go through all of them, but here were a few notable ones from 2011: Kinect Sports: Season Two, Dance Central 2, Kinect Fun Labs, The Gunstringer, Rabbids: Alive & Kicking, Rise of Nightmares, Microsoft Kinectimals Now with Bears, and Child of Eden (not exclusive). Gears of War 3 – Gears of War 3 was to supposedly wrap up the series into a neat little trilogy. We of course know better now, but regardless, Gears of War 3 retained its high pedigree for the series. Gears of War 3 would also introduce a fun novelty to its time – Stereoscopic 3D. Forza Motorsport 4 – Forza Motorsport 4 was the first Forza Motorsport game to include Kinect functionality. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition – This was a remake of the original 1 years after its original launch. You could switch back and forth between the graphics of the old and new version of the game on the fly. This version also featured Kinect functionality via voice commands for video navigation, in-combat directives, and environment-scanning. Kinect Disneyland Adventures – This was one of the better reviewed games built around Kinect (73% on Metacritic). It featured an open world play style with mini-games to engage in Players could also customize their own character. Wii Exclusives Nintendo was winding down the Wii generation in 2011 and showcased the Wii U at E3 2011. The Wii got a few multiplatform games like Rayman Origins, de Blob 2, the Lego games, and a bastardized version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Modern Warfare 1 had received a demake port the same day Modern Warfare 2 was released for other consoles, and Modern Warfare 2 never saw the light of day on the Wii. In addition, there were a few shorter AA games that would probably be downloadable only games for a smaller price if they were released today. Some examples include The Kore Gang, Lost in Shadow, Go Vacation, Fishing Resort, and Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – This was the first console Zelda game since 2006’s Twilight Princess. It used the Wii Remote Plus. Releasing halfway into the Wii’s life, few games really utilized the Wii Remote Plus, which was an add-on for the Wii Remote that improved the motion controls. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land – Kirby shed its yarn aesthetic and returned to a style more reminiscent of 2000's Kirby 64. This game had four player local co-op and allowed players to play as many other Kirby characters, and it also had a separate mini game mode. Fortune Street – This was a crossover between Mario and Dragon Quest characters. It was like a fusion of Monopoly and Mario Party, though it didn’t feature any mini games. Featuring a number of boards from both Mario and Dragon Quest, players are challenged to play real estate and stock markets to win. Mario Sports Mix – Originally released in 2010 in Japan, Mario Sports Mix made its way to the West in early 2011. Mario Sports Mix featured four sports: basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and hockey. This was the third Mario developed by Square Enix, after Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario Hoops 3-on-3. In addition to the traditional cast of Mario characters, there were a few of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest characters as well. As with many later Wii games, the game gave you the choice to play with or without motion controls. The game received mediocre reviews overall. Conduit 2 – High Voltage Software was a studio that wanted to bring more mature experiences to the Wii, like the ultimately canceled The Grinder and the Conduit games. If you followed the seventh generation hype train, you would know about the first The Conduit game – a sci-fi FPS exclusively developed for the Wii, released in 2009, that’s ultimately been forgotten about in the test of time. Given the middling reviews of the first game, Conduit 2 didn’t receive nearly as much hype and scored roughly the same as its predecessor. Conduit 2 included a single player campaign, online multiplayer, and added split-screen multiplayer, which was not in the previous game. Wii Play Motion – As Wii Play featured a number of mini-games centered around the capabilities of the Wii Remote, Wii Play Motion did the same but with emphasis around the Motion Plus attachment. It also expanded the number of mini-games from 9 to 14, but in my experience nothing matched Wii Tanks from the original game. It received mediocre reviews overall. AAA Local Multiplayer Games for Consoles A lot of AAA games in historically split-screen-heavy genres – namely racing games and FPSs – dropped support of the feature at the beginning of the generation and allocated resources towards online play for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This was especially damning given that these consoles weren’t entirely backwards compatible and the indie scene hadn’t really taken off yet (indie games are a huge source of local multiplayer games in today’s market – see my post here). It should be noted that the Wii was a great system for local multiplayer from the beginning and end of its life, and a lot of its marketing revolved around local multiplayer games, similar to Nintendo’s marketing today. That said, the second half of the generation saw a lot more AAA games incorporate local multiplayer, and 2011 was the best of them, in my opinion. Several of the series that introduced local multiplayer in the second half of the seventh generation ended up removing the feature at the start of the eighth generation, such as Uncharted 3 (2011) to Uncharted 4 (2016), Killzone 3 (2011) to Killzone: Shadow Fall (2014), and Far Cry 3 (2012) to Far Cry 4 (2014) – these series each have only had one entry with split-screen multiplayer, all around the same time as each other. There were a lot of options from this year alone. Since I already covered them earlier in this post, I’m just going to list them below. LittleBigPlanet 2 MotorStorm Apocalypse Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Resistance 3 Killzone 3 Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One MLB: The Show 11 Gears of War 3 Forza Motorsport 4 Portal 2 de Blob 2 Mortal Kombat F.E.A.R. 3 Just Dance 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Rayman Origins Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Lord of the Rings: War in the North Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game Driver: San Franciso F1 2011 Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Fortune Street Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics Mario Sports Mix Wii Play: Motion Conduit 2 [Yearly sports games, including the notable NHL 10] Indie/Small Scale Games Terraria – It’s hard to believe Terraria released 10 years ago and is still receiving updates – I really can’t think of too many other indie game that has received updates for that long. Terraria originally released just for PC and was referred to as “2D Minecraft” a lot more when it first released, but it’s since been ported to a number of different platforms, has received a number of updates, and has carved out quite a legacy for itself. The Binding of Isaac – This came from one of the creators of Super Meat Boy, Edmund McMillen, which received universal acclaim the year prior. The Binding of Isaac came out well before the wave of roguelites/roguelikes we see today, and with many new updates, it still remains one of the best around. To the Moon – To the Moon tells the story of two doctors fulfilling the last wish of a dying man using artificial memories. This is probably the most notable game using the RPG Maker game engine. Funnily enough, there are no RPG elements to speak of – the game instead focuses on its narrative and solving puzzles for the gameplay. Bastion – Bastion was developed by Supergiant Games, the same developer behind Hades. Bastion shares some similarities with Hades, but it’s a shorter adventure with no roguelite elements. Bastion had the unique twist of a man narrating your actions in the game, as if he was telling a story. Trine 2 – Trine 2 is a physics-based sidescrolling action platformer featuring three player local co-op. You used the powers of the three different characters – the wizard, the thief, and the knight – to navigate each level. Trine 2 performed better than the first game and delivered a pretty unique experience back in its day. Ms. Splosion Man – Ms. Splosion Man is a sequel to 2009’s 2D puzzle platformer Splosion Man. The main campaign can be played in local or online co-op for up to four players, and there is a separate campaign designed around the co-op experience. Solo players can still play the co-op mode by controlling two characters in what is termed “2 Girls 1 Controller.” Outland – Metroidvanias were coming back to life around this time, and Outland was an early example of this. It’s primary mechanic was switching between blue and red energies to overcome obstacles and barriers, similar to Ikaruga. It featured online co-op for the whole campaign, and a separate co-op mode with challenges built with two players in mind. The developer behind Outland is currently working on Returnal, due in April 2021. From Dust – This came from Ubisoft Montpellier (totally not indie but small scale) and was one of the few console entries in the “God Game” genre. Players would control certain types of matter in real time and would help save a nomadic tribe. Minecraft - Minecraft technically released in 2011, after first being available as an Early Access title in 2009. Payday: The Heist DS Games Although the 3DS released the same year, the DS would still be supported long after the 3DS thanks to its extremely high sales. Pokemon Black/White – This technically came out in 2010 in Japan, but Westerners wouldn’t get their hands on it until 2011. Pokemon Black/White expanded the roster to 649 Pokemon but only allowed you to capture the 156 new ones until you finished the game. It would be the last mainline 2D Pokemon game. Kirby Mass Attack – This title played a bit differently from most games in the series, although the Kirby series is no stranger to new gameplay mechanics. Kirby Mass Attack was a Lemmings-styled platformer, with the player using the stylus and touch screen to play the game. Using up to ten Kirbys on screen at once, the player could send commands to the Kirbys, or use them as projectiles. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective – First released in 2010 in Japan, Westerners first got play one of Capcom’s more unusual games in 2011. This was directed by Shu Takumi, the creator of the Ace Attorney franchise. Ghost Trick was an adventure game that had you controlling a dead man named Sissel, who would use his ghostly possession powers to save lives. Aliens: Infestation - Developed by Gearbox Software (Borderlands series) and WayForward Technologies (Shantae series), Aliens: Infestation was a Metroidvania with an interesting permadeath mechanic – the player controls one marine in a party of four, and if that one dies, the player then plays as a different marine. The player loses the game if all four die. The development team created 20 unique characters with game’s dialogue carefully rewritten 20 times for each of the characters, to give some emotional investment to each one of them. Professor Layton and the Last Specter – This was first released in 2009 in Japan, and in 2011 Japanese players already had their hands on the sequel, Miracle Mask. These games were a big part of the seventh generation, seeing eight releases between 2007 and 2013. Since then, there’s been just one title released, in 2017. 3DS Games The 3DS was released for $249.99 USD in Q1 2011 in NA. The 3DS was a novel concept at the time as it allowed you view games in 3D without the need for those pesky glasses. While the 3D effect was abandoned on 3DS games in later years – and Nintendo even introduced a budget 3DS called the 2DS with no 3D capabilities – at the time it was a fun novelty. It also introduced AR (Augmented Reality) and the eShop to the wider market. While the DSi technically introduced the eShop, it was the 3DS that made it standard for the generation. The 3DS wasn’t selling so well for its initial five months, and so the price was slashed significantly, down to $169.99. Early 3DS adopters received 10 NES games and 10 GameBoy Advance games on the 3DS as compensation for being early adopters. These games were only ever available for early adopters only. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D – If you wanted to play Ocarina of Time at more than 20fps, this was the way to do. This was a full fledged remake and not a port, and it introduced many quality of life improvements in addition to the 3D effect. Star Fox 64 3D – Star Fox 64 3D added more dialogue between missions, gyro controls, and a new “3DS Mode” that adjusted the difficulty and objectives of the original game. There was also a four player battle mode, though this was only through LAN. Super Mario 3D Land – Previous Nintendo handhelds outside of the original GameBoy had mostly hosted ports or remakes of older Super Mario platform games, but the 3DS would bring with it an entirely new title, one that was 3D in both senses of the word. Mario Kart 7 – This may just be seen as another Mario Kart game in a long series of games, but at the time, this still produced a lot of excitement. With this entry, players were able to customize their vehicles with different kart frames, wheels, and gliders. The game also introduced the hang glider and underwater sections. Nintendogs + Cats – Despite the high sales figures of the series, this would be the last Nintendogs game for what has now been an entire decade. Previous entries only included dogs, but – inspired by his own pets ability to get along and the Disney film The Incredible Journey – Shigeru Miyamoto wanted to make a game with both species of animal. Pushmo/Pullbox – Possibly the single biggest downloadable only 3DS exclusive to come to the system, Pushmo (Pullblox in Europe) came at a time when there weren’t a lot of small scale games. It’d probably be viewed as an indie game, but this was actually developed by Intelligent Systems, the same people behind Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, and Advance Wars. Studio Closures Unfortunately every year is greeted with a number of studio closures – it’s easy to forget them over time, so let’s take a look at some of the ones that went away in 2011. Black Rock Studios – Pure, Split/Second – Although both Pure and Split/Second received favorable reviews on Metacritic (low to mid 80% critic average), its parent company Disney Interactive Studios decided to close the studio – after having reduced the size of the studio just a few months prior – likely due to the poor sales of Split/Second. Split/Second ends with a “To Be Continued,” and while the initial phases of the sequel had been worked on, it’s likely it didn’t get very far in development given that it was canceled in December 2010, while the original had released in May 2010. This video talks about the canceled sequel. Bizarre Creations – Project Gotham Racing, Geometry Wars, Blur – Blur and Split/Second were two arcade racers that released within a week of each other in May 2010 – in addition, Red Dead Redemption released the same day as Split/Second and a week before Blur. As a result, Red Dead Redemption stole much of the spotlight and the two arcade racing games ate into each other’s sales. Like Disney with Black Rock Studios, Activision also decided to shut down the then 17 year old studio. Bizarre Creations released a video retrospective of their work. Team Bondi – L.A. Noire – Team Bondi was a source of controversy in 2011 shortly after the release of its one and only game that took seven years to make. Former employees criticized the long working days and managerial style that resulted in high turnover, and The International Game Developers Association launched an investigation into the studio as a result of these interviews. Team Bondi also left or incorrectly listed 130 L.A. Noire staff members in the game’s credits and later developed a website called “L.A. Noire Credits” that gave credit to the previously uncredited. At the time of the studio’s closure, Team Bondi owed over $1 million Australian dollars to 33 staff members. Despite the studio’s closure, a definitive edition of L.A. Noire would be remastered for eighth generation consoles. Blue Tongue Entertainment – The Polar Express, de Blob 1 & 2 – This THQ studio mostly produced games based on movies and TV shows up until de Blob in 2008. The studio was closed down under a restructuring and realignment plan by THQ. Kaos Studios – Frontlines: Fuel of War, Homefront – Despite a lot of hype surrounding Homefront, the game received mediocre reviews and parent company THQ suffered a 26% stock drop shortly after the game’s release. Most of the studio was transferred to THQ’s Montreal studio, which was now developing the Homefront sequel. THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and was later acquired by Ubisoft, while the Homefront sequel was developed by Crytek UK. THQ Studio Australia – The Last Airbender, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown – Yet another THQ closure in 2011, THQ Australia had an eight year run and developed mostly games based on popular Nickelodeon TV shows. AT the time of their closure, they were working on an The Avengers video game. Closing Hope you enjoyed looking back on some of these games. The market was a bit different back then – stereoscopic 3D games, motion controls, a prominent handheld market, etc. Many games from back then still remain impactful today, most notably Dark Souls, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Portal 2, Terraria, and The Binding of Isaac. Others you probably haven’t heard about in awhile but are great all the same. It also featured some great experimental games from larger developers as well, like Capcom’s Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, Gearbox Software’s and WayForward Technologies’ Alien: Infestation, Ubisoft’s From Dust, THQ’s de Blob 2, and Intelligent Systems’ Pushmo/Pullbox. One thing I like better now is that every game that comes out for a Nintendo console essentially doubles as both a handheld and console game. Even up until a few years ago there were handheld exclusives that people wanted on consoles (Mario Party: The Top 100 from 2017 is a notable example that was 3DS only). As someone who prefers playing on consoles and doesn’t have as much of a need for handhelds, I also personally like that Sony’s studios are all focused on making games for the PlayStation 4/5, and resources aren’t being spent on the PS Vita. The biggest thing I love though, is the explosion of the indie scene and having much more of them on consoles now. One thing I liked better back then were more finite single player/co-op experiences from AAA developers. There’s a lot more bloat now in single player/co-op AAA games now, so thank goodness we have the indie scene to fall back on. Although it is important to note that many people complained about 10 hour $60 single player games back then, so there’s no appeasing everyone. On one hand we get a lot more bang for our buck now, on the other it seems studios like Naughty Dog will never be able to reach the output of past generations given how long development cycles are now (four games for PS1, PS2, PS3, three games for PS4, possibly less for PS5), even with longer console generations. Where were you in 2011? What do you think of some of the games looking back? What about the market did you like better back then compared to now? What’s better about games today? Were there any games listed here that you hadn’t thought about in awhile? submitted by /u/Underwhere_Overthere to r/Games [link] [comments]

Context: "Unfortunately, in both situations, in New York and in Los Angeles, there were competing [factions] from within the organizations," says Laurel D'Antoni, the coach's wife and daily sounding board. Laurel, who has been with Mike since his playing days in Italy, long ago internalized her husband's run-and-gun, share-the-wealth basketball aesthetic. "I hate iso," she's said often, including in a recent Lee Jenkins Sports Illustrated story. But her view is also evolving—thanks to Houston's breakthrough season and out of deference to Harden's unique brand of scoring genius. "He's just morphed because of his players," Laurel says of Mike. "My husband is in looove with James Harden. I mean, I would like to have a little bit of that love that he's giving James Harden in my household. But I understand why. Because Mike said he's the best offensive player he's ever, ever, ever coached." Source submitted by /u/urfaselol to r/nba [link] [comments]

That the first version of the redesign is coming is no surprise. It has long been announced and rollouts are occurring more often for people. You are welcome to form your own opinion of the design at new.reddit.com. From our side, however, we have serious problems. /r/procss launched on April 21st of ‘17, just over a year ago. On April 25th, rNFL mods added a notice on the sidebar and posted our position. In that thread, admin told us We aren't going to leave you out to dry and we want to support as much customization as possible with the structured styles. All too readily, we were left out to dry. As stated in that thread, “We need mods like you to engage with us during development so we can build the tools you need to achieve both of our goals.” While we’ve engaged, the return has been less than optimal. It has, in fact, been empty. rNFL prides itself on being a bellwether of reddit design in many ways. We, through no fault of our own, were notorious for crashing the site in earlier years thanks to the success of game threads. The Super Bowl was a guaranteed downtime for the entire site for quite some time. Our CSS implementation pushed the boundaries of what subs could do, allowing the flair you choose to dictate the header you saw during playoffs, drafts, season start, and other high-activity times. We used the system that reddit gave us and made it better for this community. Now they are taking that away. Recently, reddit has: Offered a flair system that requires individual designation of up to 300 flairs—originally 100. While rNFL stays under that threshold, many sports subs do not. And while we fit that criteria, we no longer will be able to have verified flair for players, coaches, etc., who are using the sub and doing AMAs. Their system is clunky to set up, lacking spritesheets completely without CSS. This turns minutes of work into hours and disincentivizes mods from putting in work to better a sub. Rolled out a chat beta without consulting moderators. This has almost no moderation tools built into it and requires 24/7 moderation because it does not save any text after 24 hours and reports do not go to moderators. Admin expects us to entirely pick up the slack of watching it. While it currently sits as opt-in, Reddit has shown that opt-in usually means delayed rollout without tools. Are now pushing for a news tab and rolling in major subs without asking first. Again, they’re looking to direct people to rNFL that we’ve put up walls in attempts to stop brigades and troublemakers from easily accessing the sub to bother our amazing user base. All of this comes when reddit is doing less and less to support moderators. When we have trolls, it can take a minimum of three days to get admin to help enact their measures. Sometimes it can take weeks. Often, no reply is ever received and we just have to guess that we’ve gotten help from above. Or we haven’t. Reddit has become the amazing website it is thanks to community. Our goal as mods has always been to first and foremost foster a community that allows for rich discussion, unique experiences, and beautiful aesthetics. We adamantly support reddit and the potential it brings to communities across the world. To some, these may not seem like issues worth the time put into the complaints, which is an understandable position to take. To that, though, we say this: Nothing on reddit is worth the time taken unless it gives us a better community. The corporate growth of reddit has shifted from creating a site that not only lets community thrive, but allows it to create its own sense of self, and is looking to package it neatly into a one-size-fits-all design that neuters the individuality of a sub, reducing the color that each community brings to reddit. As we said in our thread one year ago, we are not against a redesign. What we are against is one that takes no consideration of the moderation needs and desires that make our communities thrive. We welcome a more updated reddit—we even crave it—but we desire for it to be done in ways that don’t reduce us to a black-and-white canned community. The internet is an amazing place and fires can be beautiful. For now, we’re turning off our CSS as a reminder of what reddit is like when you remove our individuality. If you are not a fan of the change, please head to /r/redesign and voice your concerns. You can also message /r/reddit.com and speak directly to them. Unlike admin, we want to be open to you with how this process is going and what you can expect moving forward. Right now, there is very little we can tell you. We hope changes will come soon. Solidarity /r/baseball /r/cfb /r/collegebasketball /r/NBA /r/soccer /r/colts /r/hiphopheads /r/Panthers /r/squaredcircle /r/buildapcsales /r/GreenBayPackers /r/hockey /r/torontoraptors /r/WWEChampions /r/DenverBroncos r/TennesseeTitans r/reddevils /r/AFL /r/collegehockey /r/Ducks /r/ShittyRobots /r/Skiing submitted by /u/NFL_Mod to r/nfl [link] [comments]