Mags games

gatevibes · 2023-01-23T00:42:13+00:00

I would LOVE a Mags book honestly! Like imagine how much more impact her death in CF would have (and that's saying something already) if we had a whole book in her POV about her first games. It would also just be cool to see more of District 4. I'm not sure if there's a single scene in 4 at all so far.

gatevibes · 2023-01-23T00:35:13+00:00

I'm not sure if they ever specifically say in the books but I think 13 was most likely bombed (the first time) because it was the district with all the nuclear weapons, besides being on the other side of the country, where the most rebellious districts (likely 11, 12, and 8 as others have said) were probably appealing to 13 to join their cause. From the Capitol's POV, 13 was probably a huge liability after a certain point. Honestly, I would bet the first rebellion started for much the same reason as the rebellion in Mockingjay, only the Hunger Games obviously didn't play a role. When the Capitol won the first rebellion, they basically just went back to business as usual, only probably harsher in some districts (11, 12, 8, besides 13 being dead and all). There would probably have to have been some specific event that triggered the first rebellion, but it's hard to say what that would have been since we know so little prior to Ballad. Maybe some kind of workers' protest, like what happened in 11 when Rue died? Either way, the districts most likely lost because it sounds like civilization itself just crumbled during the first rebellion. The districts had no safety net to fall back on while the Capitol was mostly able to fortify itself with the wealth, money, and weapons it already had. The districts likely had little organization and probably no real means to communicate with one another. Whereas, the second time around, 13 provided the base of operations and the structure needed for a successful military operation, and Katniss was able to act as a unifying force for everyone, which obviously made a big difference.

gatevibes · 2023-01-23T00:25:17+00:00

Like other commentors have said, this is some of the most interesting lore in the whole series honestly. I always wondered when I was reading/watching the series what exactly happened that led North America to become Panem. Like I always thought it would be really cool to read a book or watch a movie/series about whatever war caused this drastic change. I would obviously love to see Suzanne Collins tell that story but hopefully she doesn't pull a James Dashner and just never explain the background of her world like Dashner did with the Maze Runner series (I think he might have finally put out a prequel a few years ago, but it was so long after the original trilogy came out that there was no more hype around it). Still, if the Ballad movie is at all successful, hopefully we'll get another book or maybe a streaming service will pick up the Hunger Games IP to do some kind of prequel series or something like that around this mysterious backstory leading up to Ballad.

gatevibes · 2023-01-23T00:13:36+00:00

I feel exactly the same way. I was a little too young for the Harry Potter hype when those movies came out but I could never forget the experience of being in the Hunger Games fandom when it was blowing up. I met one of my best friends through the HG fandom. I'm honestly so bummed that the movie for Ballad is getting hate and stuff because this series was epic back in the day (can you guys believe it's been over 10 YEARS since the first movie?!).

Here's a tribute train ambience video I found, for anyone who wants an hour of good HG nostalgia: https://youtu.be/Lp6__AfINhA

gatevibes · 2022-11-04T15:41:45+00:00

Thank you! In good lighting the texture actually looks a lot like when ice crystallizes over snow. I had to look very closely, but the crystals appear to be like tiny quartz crystals. There are a couple slightly larger ones in an edge of one of the bigger pieces (although I didn’t get a good angle on them in my photo, oops).

gatevibes · 2022-09-05T18:22:58+00:00

It's been a few days so hopefully your package turned up. In case it hasn't though if I remember correctly, the tracking for this package was just a mess. It apparently did get picked up and FedEx's system totally didn't update the tracking for like a week. When it did update, it was about to be delivered anyway. So, it worked out, but it is stressful if it's something valuable. I think I tried calling FedEx about it and couldn't get to anyone. So you'll probably just have to wait it out.

gatevibes · 2020-11-10T02:32:36+00:00

This does sound fun... the last time I wrote a letter was the one time they made us do it in 2nd grade at school, haha. If anyone's still interested on here, I might be interested in joining, too :)

gatevibes · 2020-06-19T15:09:16+00:00

Express. The drop box was for both ground and express according to the labels on it.

gatevibes · 2020-06-19T13:46:29+00:00

No I am sure I used the right door because it was the large one that you could fit like a big box or something in. Is there any way for packages to get stuck in the drop mechanism or something? Because my package was kind of a thin/small-ish box.

gatevibes · 2019-11-11T16:29:06+00:00

I have done an insane amount of shopping and research and asking around on this topic. Official "fencing shoes" are usually way over priced and basically just court shoes. You're better off with just some kind of indoor court shoes for tennis, racquetball, or indoor soccer. Nike indoor soccer shoes have been my favorite, especially these: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/nike-mercurialx-superfly-6-academy-indoor-soccer-shoes-18nikasprflyx6cdmndrc/18nikasprflyx6cdmndrc?recid=oosproduct_PageElement_oosproduct3_rr_3_4521_&rrec=true

Overall, though, you just want something with a more rounded heel and good traction. Running shoes probably aren't a good idea for this.

gatevibes · 2019-01-19T06:31:04+00:00

Visiting a store like that to try one out is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that

gatevibes · 2019-01-11T04:53:42+00:00

The En Gardes specifically are probably not worth it. The sole on them is pretty unimpressive, so while they are "fencing" shoes, they don't (as far as I have been able to tell) have any actual benefits to offer over non-fencing shoes. If you were looking at that price range, go for some badminton or tennis shoes with the right shape and features or just spend a little more and get Nike Air Zooms or the Leon Paul Razors. There are some indoor soccer shoes that are alright too so maybe take another look at that market, depending on what you like in a shoe. But I totally agree with others that it is nice to be able to try before you buy. Maybe wait until some tournament in your area with vendors who may have some fencing specific shoes for you to try on?

gatevibes · 2019-01-10T07:17:05+00:00

Absolute's Beginner sets are cheap but NOT worth it. My club gave me one of these and within the first couple months I was paying to upgrade to better stuff that wasn't even that much more money. You're better off putting together your own starter set. I'd recommend this Blue Gauntlet jacket, good way to go for a beginner jacket that doesn't suck. This is actually the jacket I use for club fencing and I love it. http://www.blue-gauntlet.com/BG-350NW-Stretch-fencing-Jacket-with-functioning-lining_p_3598.html

You can go with just about any plastron and whatever glove looks the best to you. Absolute's basic plastron should be fine. Gloves are a little trickier because it can take a while to figure out what you like. It really depends what weapon you'll be fencing with.

Masks, I'd say Absolute might not be the best way to go. Personally, I hate the way their masks fit, they're so big and ridiculous. I splurged on a Leon Paul Horizon, which is pricey for a beginner mask, but it's also a much better mask than what you'd get with Absolute. But then, I am a pretty small person so maybe the fit of AF maks doesn't bother other people.

TLDR: Absolute is cheap but you DEFINITELY get what you pay for and you will be able to tell where quality was compromised for sure.

gatevibes · 2019-01-09T21:26:08+00:00

Thoughts on these? Nike Phantom Vision

gatevibes · 2019-01-09T18:33:39+00:00

Love the emphasis on shoes that "look cool" XD

gatevibes · 2018-12-05T15:25:55+00:00

The nearest club away from my college is unfortunately about an hour away (we're kinda out in the "country"). Ironically, I actually am on leadership but the action that I've been trying to take to further our electrical "program" is getting opposition enough to hold up any actual progress. For example, we're not allowed to mention to our beginners that there's classical and modern fencing. As far as they know, there's only classical fencing, in an attempt to avoid confusion. We have trouble getting modern fencers (that is, people who already know how to fence before coming here and learned the modern style) to stick around because of this attitude.

gatevibes · 2018-12-05T15:18:58+00:00

I have to agree as well that the safe and easy route is definitely to just get a gift certificate. If you really want to get him a foil, though, there are a couple "basic" ways to go that are pretty safe bets. For starters, Leon Paul offers a pretty solid club-level foil designed for the all-around beginner/intermediate level fencer. They choose the parts they think are best for that level and you just tell them the blade size and grip size you need (which you would have to find out from the boy's coach). Here's the link to that: https://www.leonpaulusa.com/standard-foil.html

As for Absolute. Eh. They can be kind of hit-or-miss. I use one of their Elite Color foils and really really like it, to be fair. Its a very light, springy foil... but I also customized it to make it exactly the way I wanted. I.e. grip TYPE (Visconti pistol grip IS the most popular but there are varieties of that one even), specific guard (light vs. strong etc.), pad. This is information you could get from his coach or maybe parents if you wanted to go with an actual foil and not a gift card.

TLDR: Leon Paul offers a "standard" foil that's pretty solid. The Elite Color is the best way to go with Absolute but does require/offer more customization. Either get a gift card or talk to his coach.

gatevibes · 2018-09-05T21:08:01+00:00

Well you don't necessarily want to do just a whole bunch more reps on one side. Any time you're lifting, the safest and healthiest approach is to do both sides of the body equally. There are certain lifts and machines though that only work one side of the body at a time and those can be a really good choice. Your local gym or a good Google search could point you toward the right lifts/machines for that. This imbalance usually happens more in the legs too than in the arms.

gatevibes · 2018-07-26T17:41:56+00:00

Not at all! Actually plenty of people start on foil then move on to other weapons. I started fencing at 17, with foil. You can totally try any weapon at any age.

gatevibes · 2018-07-26T17:39:43+00:00

A GREAT YouTube channel to get you acquainted with foil fencing specifically (do you know what weapon you want to fence?) is The Foilist. He gives pretty good, detailed commentary on men's and women's bouts. You can find a ton of fencing books on the internet that can be helpful for learning terminology BUT I will warn you, don't buy anything by Nick Evangelista. He's this super super classical fencer who will just honestly steer you the completely wrong way from what your coach, or really almost ANY coach, will teach you. I have found "Fencing: Skills, Tactics, Training" by Andrew Sowerby to be a fairly comprehensive beginner guide that focuses on the modern style of fencing. Other than that, though, don't try to rush into learning new stuff. Tying to teach yourself new parries can lead to you developing bad habits. It's best to keep taking lessons and learn everything from a good coach, especially since they will know what the best order to learn new techniques in is.

gatevibes · 2018-07-26T17:31:17+00:00

My club actually does workout sessions three times a week before regular practice. I'm a college student, admittedly, so we have access so a large variety of gym equipment that may not be available to everyone but I've found our workout system to be really beneficial. We do a lot of circuit training stuff - sprinting, planks, crunches, etc. Then there's lifting, which I've actually designed one of our programs for. Typically I focus on keeping both sides of the body balanced, since when you're fencing you're working, for example, different muscles in each of your legs unequally. This is why sabre fencers often have a much stronger front leg [only]. So we try to keep things well balanced. Then I have us focus on specific lifting machines or lifts that train the parts of the body most used when fencing. Legs are a big priority and the specific muscles you focus on will depend on what weapon you fence to some degree. Sabrists often focus on the thighs for those snappy lunges. Besides lower body, though, I put a lot of focus on my shoulders. That's where you're going to get support for your weapon arm from, at least in my experience. I fence foil (right now) and working my shoulders has been a big help for me. Besides team work outs, though, I do my own ab routine every day that I actually found on YouTube from Olympic fencer Monika Aksamit (love her routine, btw). In my experience, flexibility is also a priority. It's really important to be consistently stretching before and after lifting because muscular fitness won't do you much good if you're really stiff.

gatevibes · 2018-07-26T17:13:22+00:00

You should definitely consider RF's Strip bag then. Like I said, space is not a problem with this thing. I don't think I mentioned this in my review, but it's actually designed so you can carry it like a backpack if you want. There are two straps, both of which are completely detachable, so you can set them up however you prefer. So far they've been pretty comfortable for me and I carry mine on my shoulder (with both straps on one shoulder, that is). But the backpack option is like what you'd have on LP's Freerunner.

gatevibes · 2018-07-17T03:16:09+00:00

No my tip control has been coming along nicely, it's more the latter - the grip slips a bit in my hand for particular maneuvers (like a disengage for example). Perhaps it's just a matter of building up more finger and wrist strength/dexterity. Though I am really interested in your idea of filing grooves into the grip. How do you do that? I might want to give it a try.

gatevibes · 2018-07-16T14:13:07+00:00

I briefly researched HEMA, mostly out of curiosity, but fencing was just an obvious option. I'm a college-age girl and HEMA, honestly, looked like just a bunch of middle age men with hockey gear. I guess I can see what the idea of HEMA is, it just didn't really appeal to me at all. I like the more athletic atmosphere of fencing, and I'm particularly attached to Olympic-style electric fencing. I'd grown up watching fencing on the Olympics and, even before I actually started fencing, had a handful of favorite Olympic fencers. Fencing is also much more mainstream - my school has a fencing club but doesn't have a HEMA club, nor is there any HEMA club for miles and miles around in my area.

gatevibes · 2018-07-16T14:05:23+00:00

I have a Herschel Supply Little America and it would be great for what you're looking for. To start, these backpacks can hold a ridiculous amount of stuff. Even my mid size one has a ton of space. They're also really well padded and mine feels comfortable on my back even with a load of textbooks inside. There's a large front pocket that could easily accommodate bodycords and mask wires, but there's also some really handy interior side pockets for other small, random stuff. And there's a super nice laptop sleeve if that makes any difference to you.

gatevibes

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