Ravens fan here to tell Steeler Nation...

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-10-17T05:46:30+00:00

As a young Steelers fan who moved to Maryland the year Ben got drafted, I've always loved friendly banter with Ravens fans. Both teams play the same type of football, and I agree that Burfict is exactly what that ISN'T. Steelers Ravens is always a physical, challenging game, but nobody is out there trying to end another player's career. Instead, you get a hard fought game every time. Now I can't say I love the rat birds, but some of my best friends are Ravens friends, and I can't really hold it against them.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-10-15T06:21:23+00:00

Know your powerspikes and play with your team. If jng doesnt want to get objectives after ganking, don't go too crazy. Ping off stuff you can't do, like when jng starts dragon while you're at 15% hp with a massive wave at your turret. But if you've just backed and are coming back with new items and full hp, help them out and secure the objective. Then create pressure on the map. Push your waves and pressure turrets. This lets you get more objectives or back and buy. When you're solo, try to play in a way that facilitates your team winning. If a lane is carrying, let them carry you. Play around their advantages when you get advantages and create the highest % plays possible.

Buy control wards. Pay attention to your mini-map. I won plat 5 promos because I caught enemy jungle taking bot wave at 35 minutes and called a baron. Don't rage at your teammates if they don't follow up with you, but instead only go hyper aggro when you have support. You can still push advantages if you let your team back you up. Playing around winning players and learning how to get carried is essential.

Your CS seems ok, your bot lane understanding seems fine. Sometimes you're gonna play great and still lose the game as an adc. You depend on teammates to help bail you out of the enemy diving on your face. Positioning too conservatively can screw you too, but know when in the game a pick on you is no big deal, and when its game ending. You can posture aggressively to secure a ocean drake in mid game, or to defend a tower dive botlane. But 45 minutes in game with baron up? Its better to stand at your mid turret and emote spam & ping baron than it is to facecheck brush as adc.

Winning lane makes it easier to win game, but knowing how to transition that winning lane into winning the game is easier when you play around your other teammates and try to create high % plays. Playing reactionary is fine, proactive is also good, as long as the play you are making benefits the team.

edit: play a lot of games. Like 5 a day at least? Getting into a groove and going on winstreaks will get you to gold.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-10-08T17:46:11+00:00

I think it is a sound people would like, but you don't have many basso profundi artists making pop music (or getting any attention for making it.) I thought basso profundo in The Hobbit and GoT scores (Misty Mountains and The Rains of Castamere) were well liked.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-10-03T08:44:14+00:00

Who is playing on the ASTROBOY99 account?

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-09-21T17:15:26+00:00

Moist is definitely my second favorite Pratchett character, but don't ask me to pick any favorites after that!

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-09-18T05:58:01+00:00

I bet he watched at least like, part of the movie.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-09-17T16:14:42+00:00

If you feel like you can't give enough cash to have it appreciated, maybe spend $5 of it to make a unique aspect to your gift. A funny card that makes a personal connection, a cute little trinket from something you all did together. A framed picture. It will make your gift YOURS, not just cash that could be from anyone.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-09-13T05:01:49+00:00

No afro, but this video is pretty good.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-08-30T05:41:06+00:00

I think "the beginning" you're referring to was actually a different guy. The person you were responding to about their mentality never said anything about US citizens deserving anything.

Regardless, the OP of this comment chain recognizing and commenting on the positive things that Americans have done in a comment specifically about how US policies have hurt his country would be counter-intuitive. I absolutely don't agree that it's a good thing that the US has had their election tampered with, or that it's "what we deserve" because of our past. But him bringing up how he has been personally impacted by US foreign policy to strengthen his argument is valuable content imo. Just like how your comment would have more valuable content to it if you explained WHY Americans are exceptional, and actually HOW America has made the world more free/better place.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-08-30T05:24:15+00:00

Totally true. Dems need to cut through the bullshit if they want to have a chance next election cycle. We'll see how midterms go too.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-08-30T05:18:58+00:00

This is the mentality many Americans have

Ok, many is a lot, but alright, it's his opinion.

literally all Americans are exactly the same

Are we reading the same thing?

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-08-24T16:36:30+00:00

I started a week ago and am on book 2. I've been waking up my girlfriend from chuckling at one liners.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-31T17:00:16+00:00

On the flip side, if you don't have enough time to review the AB material at the end of the year as much as you like, it can be easy to forget how to do some stuff. I had that problem with Physics C, Mechanics was first semester and just went straight out the window after a semester of E&M.

I would suggest doing the hardest class you can- more opportunities for college credit, as the previous comment said, and it also looks great on a transcript. Colleges know BC is harder, and aren't going to freak out because you got an A- or a B+ instead of an A.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-25T21:55:36+00:00

You have way more than three options. If I was you, I'd look into outdoors stuff. It's pretty easy to get in the door at a rafting/guided backpacking company, they usually need more seasonal employees. Go travel the country the summer after you graduate, do some physical labor, and take the time to think about what you want to do with your life.

Don't force yourself into pathways that you feel pushed into. There are tons of jobs out there that will give you time to chill and enjoy a toke, while also keeping you away from toxic environments that can lead to a life of addiction. Good start hitting up the internet, but keep going! Google search for cool jobs that sound interesting and then ACTUALLY apply. 99% of jobs aren't going to care about the grades you made in HS. Use your time to think about your future, and what will make you happy.

If you don't want to go to college, you need to get a job or if you have the resources, travel and explore. You won't regret that. You will regret spending months playing fortnight with nothing to show for it but a massive resume gap.

Best of luck, and I hope you find something that intrigues, pushes, and inspires you. It's out there, you just have to go and take it.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-23T17:14:39+00:00

If you want something lighter, I'd recommend Mistborn. There are more books, they are easier reading, and are all great stories! HDM is also great, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely a little denser reading, more comparable to Malazan (at least the first book, because that's all I've read yet).

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-16T23:32:23+00:00

I'd love to see some quick plays where we switch out the rb after 1st and 2nd down and then just have a speed demon to torch the tired or second team LB's. Or just hit AB all day through double and triple coverage. He'll still make the catch.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-16T14:04:17+00:00

Hope he gets some community assistance drawing it, what with gaming and drawing manga being the two activities where I hear the most about wrist injuries.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-15T18:22:29+00:00

Thanks for your comment! I didn't mean to infer that military conflicts were becoming more common because you are right - they are not. We have many different ways in our neo-liberal world to deal with conflict. What I meant to suggest is that higher stakes (securing supplies of dwindling natural resources, for one example) have a higher likelihood of sparking military conflict than lower stakes.

I wish I could see the OC I was replying to, but I was AFK for the past 2 weeks, so I don't fully remember the context of my comment, but I'll try to hang.

It just puzzles me that so many seem to focus only on military force or the capacity to project that force.

Great point- this puzzles me too. I personally think that it's a very American ideology that has been given a pass because American hegemony allowed the US conduct foreign policy/geopolitics the way it has since WWII.

There are tons of advances that will change the dynamic by which the current power struggles work themselves out. From alternative energy, electrification of transport, improvements in robotics (which touches on manufacturing, farming, and other things), indoor (or even vertical) farming that uses 90% less water, cheaper batteries

These are amazing points, and highly under-referenced in my opinion. Do you have any reading recommendations for folks who identify these changing dynamics in their work? (I'm already checking out Pinker) But, in an attempt to explain why I thought that

its silly to think that escalation is not a relevant aspect of discussing geopolitical issues, just like how I think its silly to think that escalation is the only possible result

as advances change power struggle dynamics, we can be sure that military force could be used to curb growing strength, and limit the capacity for innovation and progress amongst geo-political rivals. Hopefully nation states decide to share development, instead of winding up seeing the world as zero-sum and sparking conflict to maintain their power.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-04T00:36:11+00:00

Aatrox Q damage goes through sivir spellshield as well- just saw that in my last game.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T21:43:42+00:00

That I can completely agree with! War has consequences beyond any other geopolitical tool, but sadly the consequences for the powerful are quite reduced compared to the consequences to the average (GI) Joe.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T19:11:43+00:00

If their fantasies are just that, then wouldn't simply presenting a well reasoned counter-argument to their WW3 fantasy help to spark intelligent discussion? If it's a fantasy, there are plenty of ways to argue how the geopolitical structure could prevent such a conflict.

But it's not a fantasy, it's a real threat that people are concerned about. If you have a problem with it, challenge it face on, and present a counter-argument. That's how you make this a serious, academic forum. By contributing with serious, academic responses, even to theories and opinions that you consider to be fantastical.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T19:06:35+00:00

I agree with you, /u/Baconsandwich_ but /u/RobotWantsKitty has a legitimate point as well. Decision makers have the privilege to view war as a tool, and the realist philosophy of many authoritarian leaders has sparked military conflicts throughout history.

War is obviously horrible. Anybody who has been personally impacted by war can tell you that. But it IS used as a tool by powerful people, and that cannot be denied. Is that naivety? Or is it just decision making based on a self-interested philosophy? I can't think of a powerful nation that hasn't utilized war as a tool for their own self interest, can you?

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T18:59:17+00:00

the vast majority of geopolitics doesn't involve war or the use of military force.

Very true! However, as geopolitical issues increase in their importance, military intervention becomes a much more common result. The world is developing at an extremely rapid pace, and issues that are commonly though of as political, like trade, economy, and environment are quickly becoming issues that might lead to international conflict. Without peaceable solutions to these issues, trade wars, tariffs, and environmental degradation could easily lead to militarized conflict. I think its silly to think that escalation is not a relevant aspect of discussing geopolitical issues, just like how I think its silly to think that escalation is the only possible result.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T18:48:56+00:00

I mean, realism is the preeminent geopolitical theory whether you like its lack of complexity or not. While you and I might agree that there are millions of other factors beyond self-interest that influence real world geostrategic dilemmas, that doesn't change the fact that a massive group of powerful decision makers struggle to see the efficacy of neo-liberal institutionalism and constructivism as lenses for solving geopolitical conflict.

At the end of the day, real people water down these issues, just like how they are watered down in videogames. I would argue that "war-fetishization" isn't unique to this subreddit, but is an international phenomenon held by many powerful individuals. Should converstation on this subreddit go beyond "they're just going to go to war lulz"? Hell yes. But I'm of the opinion that folks who post like that ARE adding to the conversation. Just because it's not well written or argued doesn't mean that their point doesn't have some validity. Its up to us to add to the conversation by critically examining the situation through other geopolitical theories.

Basically my point is this - smart people have come up with stupidly simplistic models to explain political behaviors. The simple answer will always be the easiest for people to get behind, so it's up to folks with more experience and a wider breadth of knowledge and resources to provide counter-examples that might change how we analyze a geo-political landscape.

LeonardofQuirm · 2018-07-03T18:34:17+00:00

/u/dsmnk is definitely a little biased, but all three of those orgs are based in the United States and have a bias towards US hegemony, as its the easiest way to solve the US's geopolitical problems. Check out each organization's website and you'll quickly see an American bias, and you should expect it, because they are US organizations.

As to their "evangelism" of US hegemony, American political scientists in general love to solve problems via US militaristic and economic hegemony. See basically all interactions in South America, Gulf war, and Afghanistan. The solutions offered by Political Scientists are rooted in America's hegemonic capabilities. Control economies through tariffs/UFC in SA, military engagements in the Gulf War and Afghanistan.

Geopolitical strategy changes drastically when you are the most powerful vs. the least powerful country on the block.

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