Fantasy baseball dynasty rankings

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Im a first time dynasty player getting ready for my first dynasty rookie draft and im trying to get as much info as i can but ive found so many different rankings out there that i was wondering if there was a tool out there that aggregates rookie rankings from various sources into 1 overall ranking?
So far ive found keep trade cut rankings, fantasycalc, dynasty nerds and a couple others.
Is there anything out there that does this or am i better off just picking one source and using that for my rankings? thanks!

I know what you're thinking: no way; there's no chance Tim Duncan is the GOAT. He's not even the best player of his generation you might say. You're thinking there's no way Tim Duncan belongs in the same category as MJ or LeBron. If you believe this, there are three things that you'll probably bring up as I make this argument.

1. The Second Act: If you're the kind of person who rates players through spreadsheets, his career in the 2010s is statistically underwhelming.
2. The Peak: You might say that Duncan never had a real peak where he was the most dominant player in the league on a daily basis, like Shaq.
3. Greg Popovich: Duncan has always had Pop, arguably the greatest coach of all time in his corner.

I hear you, and I will address these later on in this post. First, let me address Duncan's stats and accolades.
Duncan's notable accolades from his NBA career are as follows:

• 5 Championships
• 15 All-Defensive Teams (8x First Team, 7x Second Team)
• 15 All Star selections
• 2 Regular Season MVP's
• 3 Finals MVP's

Duncan's 5 championships are more than Larry Bird or Wilt Chamberlain, his 15 All-Defensive selections are the most of anybody ever, his 15 All Star appearances are tied for 3rd all time, he has as many regular season MVP's as Kobe and Shaq combined and only MJ has more Finals MVP's.
Don't forget about his college accomplishments though, because remember: Duncan came out of Wake Forest after four years despite people like Jerry West who said he could have been the number one overall pick had he left after his sophomore year.
Duncan's accolades form his collegiate years:

• 3x NABC Defensive Player of the Year
• 2x ACC Player of the Year
• 2x consensus All-American
• 1997 Naismith Player of the Year
• Most rebounds in NCAA history.

These NBA and collegiate snapshots of his basketball career, should be enough to have him at the table of the GOAT conversation. You're not convinced yet, let's dig into some more numbers.
Here's where Duncan ranks all-time on some of the major statistical categories across his NBA career:

• Points: 16th
• Rebounds: 6th
• Blocks: 5th
• Steals: 158th
• Assists: 100th

These career totals, admittedly, are substantially less impressive than other players at his position, like Kevin Garnett (19th in points, 9th in rebounds, 18th in blocks, 18th in steals, 55th in assists), Karl Malone (3rd in points, 7th in rebounds, 70th in blocks, 12th in steals, 61st in assists) or Dirk Nowitzki (6th in points, 26th in rebounds, 53rd in blocks, 94th in steals, 155th in assists). And that's because you can't judge Tim Duncan's numbers like you can with most players. Imagine in 15 years if somebody said to you that Russell Westbrook was better than Steph Curry, citing how many PTS, AST, and REB Westbrook had. You'd laugh right? Because you know that numbers do not always tell the full story. It is impossible and irresponsible to discuss a player's ranking without mentioning the stats that exists, but by measuring players purely by their basketball reference page, you're leaving out context and the story in which those numbers were achieved. That context is what makes those numbers meaningful.
Such is the case with Tim Duncan, whose success and greatness transcends a box score. You can't judge Tim Duncan with numbers alone. The fact of the matter is, that if you ran a team and if you could pick from any NBA player that ever played the game, and your goal is to win, you would pick Tim Duncan.
Offensively, Duncan was dominant for his first ten years in the NBA. From '98 to '08, he averaged 21.6/11.8/3.1 while playing on one of the slowest teams in the league. In that span, the Spurs never ranked in the top half of the league for PACE. Adjusting his stats for PACE and looking at his stats per 100 possessions (31.2/17.1/4.5 with 3.5 BLK at 50.8 FG%), you're looking at a big man who was every bit as productive as any other offensive player in the league at the time.
You already know about his skillset. He was, after all, The Big Fundamental. He could pass out of double teams, face up and break down the defense with surprising agility, consistently knock down shots from the elbows, and torch any big man in the league with his array of moves in the post and suddenly imposing physicality. He could masterfully run a PnR with any guard with working limbs. And, of course, he had his signature bank shot, one of the most consistent and reliable shots of all time along with Kareem's Sky Hook and Dirk's fadeaway. Those skills never deteriorated throughout his career, except perhaps his last year.
This is where I want to attack the 2nd idea that his second act was unexceptional. His scoring numbers dipped in last 8 years, where he never averaged over 20 PPG. But, as the Spurs offense became more collaborative and free-flowing, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili shouldered more of that scoring burden as Duncan aged. Duncan's shot attempts fell, though he remained efficient. His skills hadn't waned; the Spurs just didn't need him to score 28 points every night. He retained his role as alpha dog during this stretch and contributed in other facets of the game. He could pick his spots, put his teammates in position to succeed, and save himself undue punishment and wear until is was needed. That's why in 2013, at the age of 36, he became the oldest player ever named to First Team All-NBA.
Duncan was never a prolific scorer, even in his prime. His game was never predicated on gawdy point totals like Malone or Dirk. With a different offense, he took fewer shots, and with fewer shots, he scored fewer points. In his last eight years, he remained a tremendous rebounder, was the go-to guy in crunch time, and the best defender, maybe ever. And this is what hurt his stats: the lack of flashy numbers for defense outside of blocks and steals. It's so hard to measure how much a drive was cut off because of his presence or a shot that was altered because of his contention. There are some metrics that attempt to measure this, like DRTG, Defensive Win Shares, and Defensive +/- , and while it is an inexact science, these measures do a fairly good job at assessing a player's impact on defense. Duncan's ranking in those metrics is unmatched:

• 95.6 DRT (3rd all time)
• 106.3 Defensive Win Shares (2nd all time)
• Defensive +/- (5th all time)
  These metrics along with his All-Defensive selections serve as a testament to how Duncan thrived when the opponent had the ball. Legendary basketball writer, Jack McCalllum wrote this for SI in 2016 after Duncan retired:
  

"Duncan guarded centers and power forwards (sometimes even small forwards) with equal success. And as the NBA became more and more of a high pick-and-roll game, Duncan accepted the extra responsibility of getting involved at the perimeter, while never abandoning basket responsibility. Nobody was better than Duncan at being both an advance guard and the final fortress."
FiveThirtyEight published this article in 2016, where analyst Neil Paine calculated career WAR values that took into consideration defense and offense, and Tim Duncan led the WAR rankings, by a mile:

1. Tim Duncan: 109.2
2. KG: 96.2
3. Karl Malone: 95.4
4. David Robinson: 89.3
5. Hakeem: 85.9
6. LeBron: 82.8
7. Kareem: 78
8. Larry Bird: 74.2
9. Shaq: 73
10. Pippen: 72.7

What does all of this mean? It means that Duncan was a tremendous offensive player, despite the lack of volume, and one of if not the greatest defenders of all time. In short, his value as a two-way player is virtually unmatched in the last 50 years of NBA basketball.
Enough with the numbers. I want to talk about Duncan when it mattered the most: the playoffs. You can look at any numbers, read any article, or talk to any fan who paid attention to the game at the time, and you'll come to the same conclusion: Tim Duncan was a killer in the playoffs. All of his most memorable performances came in the postseason, and more often than not, came in crucial games when his team needed him most. From his near quadruple double in 2003 to close out the Nets and earn his 2nd championship to his 25 point first half against the Heat in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals ten years later, there was never a moment too big for Duncan. Here are his playoff numbers, significantly higher in almost every category than he his in the regular season:

• Points: 6th
• Rebounds: 3rd
• Blocks: 1st
• Steals: 46th
• Assists: 33rd

His '99 championship run was phenomenal, where he tore through a young Kevin Garnett, the newly assembled Kobe-Shaq Lakers, Rasheed Wallace's Trailblazers, and the Patrick Ewing-less 8-seed Knicks on his way to being named the second youngest Finals MVP ever. His 2002 campaign was incredibly underrated, as he carried one of the worst teams of his career to 60 wins and outplayed Shaq before being beat by the two-time champs. His 2003 season was his best season, and we'll get to that in a second. Just know that his running mate, David Robinson, averaged 8.5 PTS and 8 REB in the regular season and that Duncan's 5.9 win shares in that playoff run remain the most of anybody in a single postseason.
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Duncan's Spurs remained a fixture in the playoffs against competition like Dirk's Mavs, Nash's Suns, and Kobe's Lakers. He repaid them with two more titles in '05 and '07. He also gave us one of the clutch shots of his career in Game 1 against the Suns in 2008 with this 3 point game-tying three pointer in OT.
Like I said earlier, in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, at age 36, playing against Wade, Bosh, and apex LeBron on the road, Duncan put up 25 points in the first half. It would have gone down as an all-time series clinching performance had it not been for Ray Allen's iconic game-tying 3-pointer. Looking for revenge in the 2014 Finals, Duncan set the tone in Game 1 with the classic 21/10 game, while shooting 9/10 from the field. As his final playoff hurrah in 2015, trying to defend the title at the ripe age of 38 in Game 7 of a first round series against the Clippers, Duncan reached all the way back and put up 27/11, sinking crucial free throws to tie it, before Chris Paul hit a clutch, game-winning shot near the buzzer.
The same Tim Duncan giving the business to a 22-year-old Kevin Garnett, was the same Tim Duncan taking a 26-year-old DeAndre Jordan to school. Duncan was ready to win championships from the day he entered the league to the day he left. And I think that is why his peak is used against him as an argument for GOAT status. The fact that his championship window lasted his entire 19-year NBA career and that his teams were always somewhere between 50 and 60 wins meant that it's hard for any one of his seasons to stand out from the rest. And for some unfathomable reason, being consistently great is less of an accomplishment than being great for short stints.
Like I said, his 2003 season was his best, after leading his team to 60 wins and his 2nd consecutive MVP, Duncan eviscerated everything in his path as he tore through the playoffs. He upended the Suns, ended the Lakers 3-year reign as champions, and outdueled Dirk before absolutely torching the Nets in the finals. By the time he was holding the trophy, it was clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that Duncan was the league's best, most complete player.
Now, I'd be lying if I said that Duncan's peak was higher than Shaq's. But I also wouldn't feel comfortable saying that the difference between the two is great enough for me to lose sleep over. To me, the truth is that Shaq was so much more of a spectacle. To watch peak Shaq was an experience unlike anything else. To see someone of his size and stature move so powerfully and fluidly is still something of a miracle. To see Duncan at the peak of his powers was a lot like seeing him seven or eight years later. He was just a little faster, a bit stronger, and a touch quicker in his prime. But do aesthetics denote superiority? I'd say, no. And though Shaq in his prime was certainly a more dominant offensive player, there was never a time where he could match Duncan's abilities as a defender, leader, or teammate. The two are the antithesis of each other. Shaq loves fame; Duncan loathes it. Shaq would sometimes show up to training camp out of shape, often battle with his co-stars and finished his career having played for six different teams. Duncan took great care of his body, cemented himself as the cornerstone of his franchise, and is one of the most celebrated teammates in NBA history. Shaq left a little on the table. You can never say the same thing about Duncan. Shaq cared a little too much about what everyone thought of him, while Duncan couldn't have cared less.
Let's tackle the third criticism: that he always had Pop. To me, Pop is the greatest coach of all time, but he would be the first one to tell you that he wouldn't be here without Tim Duncan.
For one, Duncan can play any style of basketball, in any era. You want to go slow school, old-pace, dump it off to the big man down low, let him bang and be solid on defense? Titles. Remove the hand-checking and illegal defenses, increase scoring and start moving toward the perimeter? Titles. The league goes small ball, the pace explodes and shooting and ball movement is more important than anything? The largest margin of victory in NBA finals history.
Secondly, he can play with any team. Honestly, has any superstar done more with less? Jordan had Pippen his entire run and Rodman for the last half. Bird had McHale and Parish. Wilt had West and Hal Grier. Russell had Cousy, Jones, and Havlicek. Magic had Kareem and vice-versa. Kobe had Shaq and vice-versa. And LeBron has had Wade, Kyrie, and AD. Duncan's best teammates? Old David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, who combined for 5 Third Team All NBA appearances and 4 Second Team appearances during their time with Duncan. Parker and Ginobili are long shots for the HOF, and even though Robinson's in the HOF, he wasn't playing at a HOF level alongside Duncan.
Third, and most importantly, Duncan forged the culture of the Spurs. Pop was essential in acquiring players and reinforcing the culture that Tim wanted, but Duncan was truly the most vital component. The NBA is a star-driven league and finding a great player who hasn't gotten a coach fired is like finding a good Star Wars movie: they're few and far between. Not only did Duncan not get Pop fired, he let Pop coach him harder than any superstar ever. If Tim had ever thought to himself, "you know what I don't feel like getting my chops roasted in front of the whole team today because I didn't box out well in practice" he could have gone right to RC Buford, and Pop would have been gone - end of story. But Tim understood what Pop was about, and trusted him enough to be mentored in an unprecedented way. He set the example for his teammates, that no one is immune to criticism and that it's expected of everyone to leave their egos at the door.
In 2017, the Spurs SB Nation blog, Pounding the Rock, spoke to Sam Walker, author of "The Captain Class," a book which examines winning culture in team sports, from field hockey to rugby. In an exchange, Walker said this:
"[T]he book's main conclusion is that the only one factor that must be present in order to maintain greatness over a long period of time is the presence of a particular kind of selfless, relentless, independent-minded, publicity-averse, emotionally composed captain with strong communication skills. And that's Tim Duncan. Duncan was a pure example of the species."
I love Pop, but I have to believe that Duncan was the catalyst that powered Pop to be what he is now. This isn't Belichick-Brady where you wonder who made who. Pop is the greatest coach of all time, because of Tim Duncan. If you want to take credit away from Duncan by saying he played for the best teams, you might be right, but only because he made them the best team. He gave up touches, let other guys hold the torch, put everyone around him in the best position to succeed, and he enjoyed it when they did.
When I said earlier that the thing that hurt Duncan's stats more than anything was a lack of defensive numbers, I lied. The thing that hurt Duncan's stats more than anything was the fact that he never gave a shit about stats or awards. Ever. He wanted his teams to succeed and he wanted to win. That's it. Just read about how his teammates talk about him:
"The best PF ever! Thanks for the memories old man. A great player and teammate."
- Lamarcus Aldridge
"Sometimes all you NEED to say is THANK YOU....To the BEST EXAMPLE of a Leader, Brother, Friend."
- Bruce Brown
"Even tho I knew it was coming, I'm still moved by the news. What a HUGE honor to have played with [Duncan] for 14 seasons!
- Manu Ginobili
I don't think there is a more beloved teammate than Tim Duncan. In the words of NBA commissioner Adam Silver, "...his understated selflessness made him the ultimate teammate." Duncan was always the big brother. Correcting his teammates when they made mistakes and throwing his arms around their shoulders when things didn't go their way. He led in the most effective way possible, not with tweeting, bombastic words, or showy halftime speeches, but by example.
Of all the end-of-career farewell wishes, the one from his former teammate, Brent "Bones" Barry stuck out to me the most. He quoted Mark Twain, saying "'To be good is noble, but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble'; for your brilliance TD, I am grateful. For your skills as a player I am in awe. And for your friendship I am honored."
Milwaukee Bucks coach and former Spurs Assistant, Mike Budenholzer said to ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz in 2016: "The magnitude of that, the number of people in this league who have enjoyed opportunity or found fortunate spots in the league, you can trace it back to this one guy -- to the way Timmy played ball and the way he conducted himself. The 'culture' is Timmy."
The NBA is a league of superstars and dynasties - from Russell to Jordan, from Wilt to LeBron. We'll remember its history through its champions, and in the history of North American sports, no team has been as good for as long as the Spurs. San Antonio's success is completely unprecedented in the world of basketball. Aside from his lockout shortened sophomore season, Duncan won 50 or more games and qualified for the playoffs in every season of his NBA career. He finished his career with a win percentage of 71%, the highest of anyone, in any sport, ever. The Spurs run of success started in 1997, the year they drafted Duncan. Since then, he was the cornerstone, the engine of the franchise that has perpetually defined what winning culture looks like - in and outside of basketball.
And so I say again, if you could pick any NBA player from any era of basketball and your goal was to win, you would pick Tim Duncan. His abilities as a basketball player are what made him a superstar. But his consistency, willingness to be coached, love and support of his teammates, and humility are the things that make him transcendent.
I'll let Pop have the last word. This is what he said to the press after Duncan announced his retirement:
"Everybody always talks about who they'd like to eat dinner with, if you had one night and you could go to dinner or lunch with someone. Some people say Mother Teresa, Jesus, the Dalai Lama...I could honestly tell you, my dinner would be with Timmy. He is the most real, consistent, true person I've ever met in my life."

Anyone have OOTP fantasy leagues that they follow for any particular reason? Whether it’s on the forums or its own website.
Currently reading Universal Baseball Association by Robert Coover and would love to read deep fantasy leagues OOTP players came up with.

Blog Post
Hey everyone it's your favorite sports PT back breaking down another injury.
What is it an internal brace procedure?
An internal brace procedure is a type of surgical procedure used to fix a torn ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL. It is an alternative to Tommy John Surgery (TJS)
How does a UCL tear happen?
The UCL attaches from the lower humerus (arm bone) to the ulna (one of the forearm bones) and acts as a stabilizer of the inner elbow
When throwing an object, your shoulder muscles work hard to both accelerate and decelerate your arm. When your muscles don’t properly decelerate the arm, you can create more stress on the ligament and weakening it over time. Usually some small tearing will be seen before a full rupture occurs, either from contact (in Purdy’s case) or non contact in the case of a baseball player.
It’s thought that strength imbalances, throwing volume, velocity, fatigue, and muscle activation timing are risk factors for injury.
Prevalence of UCL injury was .4 for every 10,000 games or practices for football, compared to 1.12 for baseball
Tommy John Surgery (UCL reconstruction)
Traditionally this has been the surgery that has been performed. Similar to an ACL tear, a graft is taken, usually from a wrist muscle. Because of this, the beginning of rehab is significantly delayed due to a process called ligamentization. Ligamentization is the process of a non ligamentous structure (a tendon in this case) turning into a ligament. After the graft is attached the elbow, the graft weakens and dies before a new blood supply is taken, and it begins to strengthen.
One study looked at MLB players and rate of return to play (RTP) for TJS. Mean time to RTP was 11 months, with 85% of players returning to the same competition level or higher. This study was 94% baseball players, and there is essentially no studies on QBs.
Internal Brace
Instead of reconstructing the ligament, the procedure is a repair of the native ligament, and then an “internal brace” is used to supplement the repair. Because there is no need for ligamentization, we see quicker rehab times for this.
You might ask why everyone doesn’t do this procedure. The short answer is that it’s new, and we KNOW that TJS has good outcomes even if it takes a long time. It’s better in younger population (around 20 years old) and it’s only possible in the case of an avulsion injury.
One study looked at overhead athletes who had an internal brace procedure, and 92% of overhead athletes returned to the same or higher level of competition with a mean time between 6 and 7 months.
Conclusions for fantasy:
RTP rates for baseball players (who throw harder, higher quantity, and a smaller ball) are very good with both TJS and internal brace
Players with internal brace return typically within 6-7 months
Purdy is reportedly on time with his rehab, and began a throwing program 12 weeks after surgery (March 10)
Sept 10 will be exactly 6 months since surgery, which is the first game for the 49ers.
Happy to answer any questions, would appreciate anyone who checks out the blog post with added images. Subscriptions to get emails for my posts are appreciated but not necessary!

I’m setting up a dynasty fantasy basketball league on sleeper and want to get the startup draft going mid woj bomb season so early July. Does anyone know historically when they add the incoming rookie class?

Since playing through DDDA I've been on an RPG kick, desperately trying to find a game I enjoy as much as that (and no I cba to wait for the sequel)
I'm looking for 3D, open world, first or third person (not isometric or top down), action RPGs (not turn based). Fantasy settings where you can create your own character is a plus but not a must.
Platform: Xbox One or Nintendo Switch
RPGs I've played recently:

• DDDA
• Kingdoms of Amalur
• Greedfall
• Divinity II
• Outward
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Monster Hunter Series
• Medieval Dynasty
• Kingdom Come Deliverance

RPGs I've played historically:

• Fable series
• Fallout series
• TES series
• The Witcher series
• Middle Earth series
• Dark Souls series
• Zelda series
• Darksiders series
• Assassins Creed series
• Mass Effect series
• Mount & Blade series
• Dragons Age series

RPGs that I am considering but not completely sold on:

• Elex 1/2
• Rune Factory 4 Special
• Technomancer
• The Serpent Rogue

As you can see I've played a fair amount of RPGs so I'm looking for more obscure stuff that I may have missed. Any recommendations would be more than appreciated.

One of the best chapters I've read in fantasy! Koska/Morveer, Shivers/Friendly, Monza/Shankt/Orson. All hitters! Especially the final twist with them three! Do the 2 other standalone beat Best Served Cold? What is the ranking of the 3 in your opinion?

Video games provide a safe, easy way to explore an alternate reality that you usually can't achieve easily in real life. That is, unless you are playing a competitive game. As someone who plays nothing but these games, and after trying to play them 'non-competitively', I can safely say the only fun thing about these games are 'beating other people', which you can do in just about any other sport out there. There's no fantasy or escapism element to competitive games whatsoever... people play these games simply to compete, and if you're looking to compete, doing it in the real world is 100% better. I wholeheartedly endorse escapism (with moderation of course), as it provides a way to relax and not overwork yourself; it allows you to open your mind and explore alternate ideas and things you may have never imagined. Competitive games, however, do not offer any of this. On any fucking level. Competitive games are not escapist games, as they often have more stress than regular real-life sports. But anyways, here are my...
Reasons why sports/real life competition is better than competitive games in every single way possible:

1. No manipulative algorithms like SBMM/EOMM: Yes, I understand that games like chess have ELO which is the same thing used in games like CS:GO, and I'm sure that athletic sports have a similar ranking system (I haven't looked into it or had any experience, just assuming), but even then, there's no algorithm behind it. Nowadays, casual games like COD and Fortnite have SBMM in regular public matches and it completely destroys any desire to get better or compete. In real life, there are public tennis/basketball courts or soccer fields where anyone can hop in; you might play against someone who is way better than you, or you might get the chance to dominate someone. There is much more variety to 'matchmaking' in real life, because, well, there is none. Just like hopping into a server browser of ye' olden days, you can go to any public sports court and get a varied experience without feeling like your matchups are being manipulated. And let's not forget EOMM; matchups are not dictated for 'retention' in real life. There is not some manipulative algorithm in place in real life games; it's either thoughtfully picked out by a reasonable human, or there is no 'matchmaking' at all, in the case of going to public courts.
2. Technology isn't screwing up your performance: In real life, there is no 'ping'. There are no 'framerate drops' or 'lag'. There are no 'hitreg' issues or 'poor server tickrates'. There's no 'input delay'. In real life, nothing is hindering your performance, except for possibly the wind and maybe the pressure of the ball, but it's pretty much 100% your fault. In real life, nothing is affecting your performance, except for you.
3. Perfect balancing: Maybe an exception is airsoft or paintball, but all sports are perfectly balanced. There is no 'OP' strat or ball in sports. Skill is determined solely on player ability, rather than an 'OP' mechanic in the game. Matches in real life games feel fair; you don't feel cheated. Speaking of which...
4. Strict on cheating: In real life, it is much harder to cheat, and way easier to take care of it. In real life, there are no mechanical aimbot arms or mechanically augmented legs (okay maybe in the future that might happen lol); the only thing close to a 'cheat' in sports is steroids, and even that does not give you an insane competitive advantage like an aimbot or a wallhack will in games. Additionally, if somebody does break the rules of the game, maybe through a foul, then there are referees watching the game to enforce the rules, or often, even the players on the field will have good enough sportsmanship to agree to enforce the rules themselves. In games, you can click that report button but it's gonna do jack shit, and that cheater is just gonna keep cheating, and you can't do fuck all about it. Also, speaking of sportsmanship...
5. Much less toxicity: Yes, of course real-life sports can be pretty toxic and unsportsmanlike, but in no way are they as toxic as competitive games. The intensity of toxicity in real life is way less, and so is the amount of it. People generally want to have sportsmanship, especially in more formal matches. Never in a million years are you going to hear some dude in a real-life match telling another guy to "shut the fuck up kill yourself you fat worthless ni**er black fuck your family was a mistake"; the worst you will probably hear in real life is "you suck dude" but that's it. Since people are playing over screens anonymously, they can say and do whatever the fuck they want, because there are no consequences. Additionally, they forget there is another human behind the screen, so they don't treat people like people. In real life, you are accountable for your social actions, so as a result, people are much less toxic. You also see the person in real-life and understand them as a human, so there is much less of a desire to be toxic.
6. Much better hand-eye coordination in real life: Interfacing through a mouse+keyboard or a controller is difficult and can feel restrictive (plus input latency problems); using your hands in real life or using things like a tennis racket or golf club have much better hand-eye coordination, and again, there's no input lag (unless you yourself have input lag lol).
7. You don't need upgrades to compete: Yeah you might need better shoes for performance in real life to compete, but that's about it, and even then, shoes really aren't a massive upgrade to your performance. Want to get good at Warzone? Alright, well you will need a $50 high polling rate gaming mouse, a $100 Cherry MX Red mechanical keyboard, then we gotta throw in the $200 144Hz 1ms monitor, and then a $50 gaming headset to hear footsteps better. But wait, now we need a PC to push all those frames! That's another $1,000+ just to get a PC that can push those frames at low settings. So in total, to be able to compete in games, you gotta spend a total of around $1,500+ just to do good. In real life, all you need is just a somewhat decent pair of shoes, maybe a good tennis racket if you're playing that sport, and you are set; you probably spent less than $200 to be able to compete.
8. Real life sports don't really have 'patches': Ever been pissed off by a weapon/strat being nerfed/buffed to shit? That's not a problem in real life; sports have remained the same since they were created. Sports really don't change. There's no need to worry about your favorite strategy getting pummeled into the ground by the developers; you can carry on playing the way you like.
9. No pay-to-win mechanics: Shoes and specific tennis rackets/golf clubs will give you a very slight advantage in sports, but it's negligible. In video games, bundles and lootboxes run galore, and everything is pay-to-win. To win, you must pay. There is no level playing field. Even if it's just cosmetics, games like COD will often put people who haven't bought microtransactions into people of higher skill levels with expensive cosmetics to get those players to think that microtransactions will get them better at the game. In real life, this does not happen.
10. You get the same feelings as games give you: As said before, a ton of games are so appealing because they allow us to do and feel things we can't really do in real life. Meeting extraordinary people, traveling to incredible lands, engaging in a story that we would probably never have in real life; in competitive games, this is not the case. The thrill of these games is tied to dominating and winning, which is something you can do and experience just as well in real life, if not even more. However, unlike most video games, competitive video games are the only ones where you get frustrated rather than feeling satisfied. Your feelings towards winning/losing a game in COD/Fortnite/CS:GO/Apex are probably just the same exact feelings you get from winning a game of basketball, and I'd even argue the defeats feel worse on video games due to all the reasons listed above, and the victories feel much less appealing than real life victory.
11. You (usually) only need to put in around the same amount of time and effort as a sport to compete in a game: I think another reason people play other games other than competitive ones is that they are much easier than real-life; it is much easier to build a relationship with a character in a game than in real-life. It is way easier to build a house in Minecraft than it is to build a house in real life. It's way easier to strategize a plan in Civilization than to actually go through with it in real life, since time speeds up in those games so fast. However with competitive games, the amount of time and effort you have to put into these games to be able to compete and learn them is just about as much as any other sport in real-life, if not maybe even more. One might argue that on a competitive level, high level athletes must exercise and do training regimens to do well unlike gamers, but the same is true for many esports players in high level play; they must exercise, eat healthy, and get good rest to play at their best. The same can't be said for 'casual' competitive players like in public matchmaking on games, but then again, that is usually the case for real life players in sports too.
12. More sunlight and exercise: With all of the cons for competitive gaming adding up compared to regular sports, it hurts it even more when you realize that you're getting all these cons, with the addition of competitive gaming being somewhat sedentary. This is the only reason I could think of for playing competitive games (not having to move to play them), but even then, sweats still exist in these games, and are often very tense in these games like in real life. In real life, you can get all the benefits from sunlight, fresh air (maybe depending on where you live lol) and healthy exercise.
13. More/Stronger friendships: With games disbanding lobbies constantly and people being toxic towards each other regardless, making friends on competitive games nowadays is basically fuckin impossible. In real life, if you see a good player (and he has good sportsmanship), everyone will admire him and you might want to genuinely learn from him and befriend him, and he'll probably want to do the same with you. In video games, if you see a good player, he's 'a sweat', a 'no-life', a 'loser tryhard', etc. and you will hate them. In real life, there are no disbanding lobbies, so you can play with the same person for hours on end as long as you like and develop a much stronger relationship with them. Also, the 'social features' in real life are so much simpler and better; there's no convoluted crossplay systems or terrible social network interfaces in the game or glitches with the social features. Just get the dude's phone number or insta or whatever messaging service you use, and you're friends forever (hopefully!).

The only reason I can think of as to why people would play competitive games is that they live in hot/cold climates where playing outside is unsuitable, they are physically unfit, or that they have social anxiety. In real life, there is an exact alternative to almost every competitive game. Every single shooter game on planet earth (except maybe fortnite, cuz the turbo building mechanic) can be done through airsoft/paintball/nerf guns. I can't fathom why people play sports video games since they are just real life sports games but way more boring. MOBAs can be replaced with chess or games like Risk (I am not much of a MOBA player and I don't know a lot about it but I'm sure there's a lot of strategic board games out there that will scratch the MOBA itch for a lot of people). Fighting games can be replaced with boxing/MMA.
So in conclusion? I get that for a lot of people, giving up on vast adventures in Minecraft or Skyrim or whatever is difficult because you can't get things like that in real life that easily... but in competitive games, you can. There are no pretty much pros to playing these fucking games over regular real-life sports. Yeah you'll suck at sports initially, but you sucked at whatever competitive game you started playing just as much as you'll suck at sports. Just like in the games, just improve and learn. It'll be just as easy as in games. Give this shit up while you can, and try a real sport, they are better in every single way.

With my update after latest reads...
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https://fanfiaddict.com/benders-top-litrpg-gamelit-progression-cultivation-reads/
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With not much “standard” sub-genres in this genre, I’ve went with my own! If you are new to the genre, here’s something that may help you make sense and pick up books to your liking.
What the heck do these sub-genres indicate?
GameLit is in general books which have elements which you might have seen or played in a game e.g skill trees, stat sheets etc. These elements may feature to varying extents, but present they will be! Now there are various permutations and combinations on how this will occur in a game and I’ll try to elaborate on some here
LitRPG is a sub-genre of GamLit and probably the catch all. Technically it is to capture books which feature the Role Playing (RPG) elements, but in practical use, LitRPG and GameLit are being used interchangeably.
But then, genres and titles are what we deem it to be. So pay less attention to the classifications and let’s get down to the books themselves.
Post/Apocalyptic Earth
Now, this is my favourite sub-genre! As the name indicates, books in this sub-genre takes place in relatively modern Earth. In most books, Earth has been assimilated into a bigger multi-planet universe is ruled by a “system” that implements game elements on all acquired worlds. Now this assimilation is mostly a forced takeover which usually results in death of vast swaths of humanity with the rest forced to adapt and fight for survival. Though the books start off with a ‘apocalypse’, being end of earth as we know now, the stories are post-apocalyptic survival in new Earth.
These are sweeping books which span over multiple geographies of current Earth and often venture out to space and include alien planets and species as Earth-people come to grasp with the macro “System”. It’s closest to epic fantasy and one which would include multiple game genres. You get the RPG elements of MC being forced into a leader of survivors leading them to salvation, RTS elements of MC forced to re-build towns/cities which were destroyed by the apocalypse and First Person Action elements where MC leads the fight against the ‘minions’ one vs one!

• Defiance of the Fall by Thefirstdefier – 9.5/10
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman – 9.5/10
• System Apocalypse by Tao Wong – 8.0/10
• Shadow Sun by Dave Willmarth – 8.0/10
• Phase Shift by Kyle Johnson – 8.0/10
• The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound – 7.5/10
• Primal Hunter by Zogarth – 7.5/10
• Advent Red Mage by Xander Boyce – 7.0/10

Set in Game World
These are books where
– Much of the plot happens in a world that has game elements, and/or– Where the MC is from Earth but are transported to the above said magical world having game elements where they have their adventures, trials and tribunals.
Now, these are a [very] close second favourite of mine as they might have many of the features listed in earlier sub-genre, i.e. having RPG elements of MC being forced into a leader leading them to safety, RTS elements of MC forced to re-build towns/cities and First Person Action elements of MC leads the fight against the ‘minions’ one vs one!
Fantasy:

• He who Fights with Monsters by Shirtaloon – 9.5/10
• Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar – 8.5/10
• How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe – 8.0/10
• Dragon Mage Saga by Rohan Vider – 8.0/10
• This Trilogy is Broken by J.P. Valentine – 7.5/10
• Portal to Nova Roma by J.R. Mathews – 7.5/10
• Ten Realms by Michael Chatfield – 7.5/10
  • [Books 1-4 are a must read and 9/10 brilliant]
• Crystal Shards Online by Rick Scott – 7.5/10
  • [All books are unique and different. Last book is nowhere in sight]

Science Fiction:

• Drone Ensign by Kyle Johnson – 7.0/10

Other notable series:
Chaos Seeds by Aleron Kong
Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games [VRMMORPG]
This is a set ins current/post-modern earth Earth where MC has access to ‘Total Immersion’ Virtual reality modules which connect directly to MC body/brain and provide a fully real life experience but in-game.I love this because this not only has full fantasy world experience, but may also include a side story of the game AI trying to gain sentience through in-game experiences, which adds a whole new dimension to the story.

• Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell – 8.0/10
• Ascend Online by Luke Chmilenko – 8.0/10
• Way of the Shaman by Vasily Mahanenko – 8.0/10
• The Completionist Chronicles by Dakota Krout – 7.0/10

Other Notable series:
Good Guys by Eric UglandThe Gam3 by Cosimo YapLimitless Lands by Dean HengarNew Era Online by Shemer KuznitsRipple System by Kyle Kirrin
Progression & Cultivation Fantasy
Straight from the words of Andrew Rowe:“Progression Fantasy is a fantasy subgenre term for the purpose of describing a category of fiction that focuses on characters increasing in power and skill over time. These are stories where characters are often seen training to learn new techniques, finding ways to improve their existing skills, analyzing the skills of opponents, and/or gaining literal or figurative “levels” of power.
Progression in the subgenre title specifically refers to character power progression, not other types of progression (e.g. increasing wealth, noble rank, etc.) that occur in stories.”
You’d ideally see defined power levels that a character will have to progress as he travels to his objective.
Fantasy:

• Cradle by Will Wight – 9.5/10
• Mark of the Fool by J M Clarke – 9.25/10
• Warformed Stormweaver by Luke Chmilenko and Bryce O’connor – 9.0/10
• Immortal Great Souls by Phil Tucker – 8.0/10
• Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe – 8.0/10
• Mage Errant by John Bierce – 8.0/10 *
• The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin – 7.0/10

\ Mage Errant in my humble opinion is more of mainstream fantasy rather than Progression, but is often listed in here.*
Science Fiction:

• The Way of Etherforging by R.J. Shoke – 9.5/10

Cultivation:
Cultivation Books is very similar to Progression, but we see higher degree of influence of Martial Arts where characters progressively get stronger by “cultivating” their own body. Most books are based on or have inspirations from concepts from Wuxia, Xianxia etc, though there are good books which port the same into a western Setting.

• Desolate Era by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi – 9.0/10 *
• A Will Eternal by Er Gen – 9.0/10 *
• Coiling Dragon by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi – 8.5/10 *
• I Shall Seal The Heavens by Er Gen – 8.5/10 *
• A Thousand Li by Tao Wong – 8.0/10
• Street Cultivation by Sarah Lin – 8.0/10
• Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar – 8.0/10
• Quantum Cultivation by Jace Kang – 7.5/10
• The Weirkey Chronicles by Sarah Lin – 7/10

\ The books are translated from Chinese and available for free at freewebnovel.com. It certainly is a good translation, but there may be slight awkwardness to the prose, dialogue and naming conventions which takes some getting used to. But give it time and get past it and you’ll get treated to a the ultimate OP MC + epic battles progression fantasy of all time!*
Slice of Life Fantasy
Books in this genre are set in a fantasy world and may have added elements of fantasy, GameLit, Progression or Cultivation but the focus is on a contemporary skill/job. e.g. the MC is a farmer or a cook and the plot focus is one day-to-day aspects of the job spiced up with game/fantasy elements. It’s a loveable niche genre that is the epitome of comfort reads guaranteed to put you in a blissful state of mind!

• Morcster Chef by Actus – 8.5/10
• Beware of Chicken by casualfarmer – 8.5/10
• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree – 8.0/10
• Battle Mage Farmer by Seth Ring – 8.0/10

GameLit – Time Travel / Tower Ascension
I’m actually clubbing two distinct sub-genres in here. Most of these books involve either time travel and/or climbing a tower with levels of different difficulty to achieve a objective. Each level features varying challenges and difficulty, making this close the game but very interesting nevertheless!

• Reborn Apocalypse by LM Kerr – 8.0/10
• Towers of Heaven by Cameron Milan – 8.0/10

GameLit – Dungeon Core
This sub-genre has books where the MC has become/reincarnated as a core controlling a dungeon and has to protect it’s inhabitants against people who want to invade/clear it. Fascinating sub-genre as we have a MC who’s a Dungeon Core and can’t interact with his subjects through normal means and provides a completely different perspective to people-management.

• God of Gnomes by Demi Harper – 8.0/10
• Divine Dungeon by Dakota Krout – 8.0/10

Other Notable Series

• Derelict by Dean Hengar

Special shout-out to God of Gnomes to it’s scintillating prose making it one of the best in genre!
GameLit – Crafting Based
Now these are books purely focused on rafting elements. These are people who create stuff and not directly involved in fights like most other genres. This is a niche genre as these elements are usually included partly in other genres described above, but for enthusiasts, below are books which concentrate purely on crafting and intrigue associated with that (believe me, they are interesting!)

• Fair Quest by Kit Falbo – 8.0/10
  • [Book 2 goes on a tangent, but Book 1 is a class self contained read]

All prices are in USD. Add an additional $5 to the total for shipping.
I live in Canada, but close enough to the border to ship to either country domestically.
All games CiB unless stated otherwise. Pics are available upon request.
NES
Battletoads $115
Isolated Warrior (label wear, loose) $30
SNES (both loose)
Battletoads In Battlemaniacs $35
Mortal Kombat $10
GameCube
Sonic Heroes (Player's Choice) $20
Time Splitters Future Perfect (no manual) $60
Wii
Little King's Story $20
Pikmin 2 $70
Wii Party $40
Switch
Gear Club Unlimited 2 (Porsche Edition) $10
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild + Explorers Guide $65
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond $35
DS
Dynasty Warriors DS Fighter's Battle $10
Elebits The Adventures of Kai and Zero $30
Harvest Moon Island of Happiness $15
Scooby-Doo Unmasked $10
Sonic Colors $15
The Sims 3 $10
3DS
Adventure Time: Hey Ice King $10
Code of Princess $60
Mario Kart 7 $25
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire $35
PS2
Castlevania Curse of Darkness (no manual) $40
Dark Cloud 2 (no manual) $20
Darkwatch $25
Manhunt 2 $45
Need for Speed Most Wanted $10
Need for Speed Underground 2 $15
Raw Danger $25
Rogue Galaxy $15
Spy Fiction $40
The Warriors (Greatest Hits) $35
Ultimate Spider-Man (no manual) $25
PS3
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance $10
MotorStorm Pacific Rift $10
PSP
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII $10
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower $20
God of War Ghost of Sparta $50
Legend of Heroes III Song of the Ocean $155
Xbox 360
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 $30
Fist of the North Star Ken's Rage 2 $40
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection $35
NCAA Basketball 09 $25
Top Gun Hardlock (sealed) $30
Genesis
Ariel the Little Mermaid $15
Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Quest (no manual) $15
Chester Cheetah Too Cool to Fool (no manual) $15
Dynamite Headdy (no manual) $30
Greatest Heavyweights $10
Jurassic Park (no manual) $10
Jurassic Park Rampage Edition (loose) $10
NHL 98 $30
Road Rash 3 (loose) $10
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (loose) $10
Talespin $20
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (loose) $20
Miscellaneous
The Croods Prehistoric Party (Wii U) $65
Donut County (PS4) $55
Final Fantasy Adventure (GB) $30
Gravity Rush (Vita, sealed) $70
Hitman 2 (Gold Edition) (Xbox One) $30
The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask (Collectors Edition) (N64, box wear) $200
Nightmare Creatures II (PS1) $50
Shaman King Soaring Hawk (GBA, loose) $10
The Warriors (Xbox) $20

Keyword research is a big part of any search engine optimization (SEO) or pay-per-click (PPC) campaign and picking the best keyword lengths to target for your website is super important for long-term growth.
In this post, you'll learn the key details about long tail keywords and short tail keywords to help you make the best choice between these two options for SEO and PPC.
Note: There’s a dedicated guide on this topic over at the SEO Chatter blog here: Long Tail vs Short Tail Keyword in SEO, but this post includes the most important highlights to help you quickly understand the topic of short tail and long tail keyword types.
Long Tail Keywords
Long tail keywords are phrases that consist of four or more words, such as “buy cheap running socks”, “hotels in Austin Texas”, “what is the color of grass”, “how do ducks quack”, “best protein powder for women”, and other long tail keyword expressions that address specific topics.
Advantages of Long Tail Keywords:

1. They have less competition for SEO and PPC, so you can save time and money.
2. They have higher conversion rates, so you can make more sales and profits.
3. They can rank quickly in the search engines without many backlinks, so you can get more traffic and visibility.
4. They capture people at the bottom of the marketing funnel, so you can reach them when they are ready to buy.
5. They don’t require long web page content (e.g., 500-1,000 words), so you can create more content faster and easier.

Disadvantages of Long Tail Keywords:

1. They have low search volume, so you might miss out on some potential customers.
2. They generate less brand awareness, so you might need to work harder to build trust and loyalty.
3. They typically only rank for a specific phrase and close variations of it, so you might not capture all the relevant searches.
4. They require a lot of web pages on a site when focusing on a long tail keyword strategy, so you might need to invest more time and resources in content creation and optimization.
5. They can be harder to research and find, so you might need to use more tools and methods to discover them.

Short Tail Keywords
Short tail keywords are terms that comprise one or two words, such as “egg”, “marketing”, “shoes”, “dogs”, “cat food”, “buy laptops”, “fast food”, “Chicago hotels”, “Miami weather”, “cheap sunglasses”, “baseball bats” and other short tail keyword words that encompass broad topics.
Advantages of Short Tail Keywords:

1. They have high search volume, so you can reach a larger audience.
2. They generate the most brand awareness, so you can build a strong reputation and recognition.
3. They capture people at the top of the marketing funnel, so you can introduce them to your products or services.
4. They can rank for a wide variety of terms, so you can cover more topics and keywords.
5. They can work well with Smart Bidding, so you can let Google optimize your ads for more conversions automatically.

Disadvantages of Short Tail Keywords:

1. They have a lot of competition for SEO and PPC, so you might have to fight hard to rank well and bid high to get clicks.
2. They are broadly focused rather than targeted topics, so you might attract a lot of irrelevant or low-quality traffic.
3. They have low conversion rates, so you might not get a lot of sales or leads from them.
4. They usually require long web page content for SEO (e.g., 3,000 words or more), so you might have to spend more time and effort in writing and editing.
5. They can be harder to optimize for user intent, so you might not match what people are looking for exactly.

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We are Azure Infinitum
Visit us at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/)
You may have seen us in the Aether data center's party finder during our weekly events, or may have seen our recruitment shouts around the realm in-game in Midgardsormr, but there just isn't enough space in those places to really explain everything wonderful about what our Free Company and community is.
Azure Infinitum is an LGBTQ+ friendly community, and welcomes players of all experience level, play style, and availability. We're a warm home with a balance of online players, weekly optional activities, and flexible ranks from our membership, to our support & leadership categories. We have a 24/7 Support Team, a Councilship that governs each tier, seasonal events of our own, and many resources between the games we support and online services.
Who We Are
We are an established 9-year old community who's home is in Midgardsormr Server of Final Fantasy XIV. We are a structured, well-rounded, welcoming, friendly, and organized community that hosts daily events (check out our calendar: https://azureinfinitum.com/events/ ) that provide opportunity for members to excel. We work to provide an arena and opportunities to establish strong bonds and camaraderie between our members. As a community we are driven, we carry each other forward, and we are proud.
Our Name & Philosophy
Learn more about our global community here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/aboutus/)
Learn more about our FFXIV Free Company here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/ourffxivfc/)
Azure Infinitum means "Azure/Blue Infinity or Infinite Blue/Azure" and there is some mythos behind the name that stems from our guild-wide philosophy of kindness, freedom, vigilance, diversity and activity. We promote positive fellowship among members in an organized guild, with our sights open to our unending endless skies, full of possibility and success together.
Our motto is "As Free As The Azure Sky!" which stuck well when our FC was restructured from an old guild in 2014 as Azure was founded, and it was first shouted as we looked out at a clear blue sky above. has continued to be our electric victory as we continue to snowball in success and activity, our members soaring high through the Azure Sky, flying together!
Ranks
Click here to learn more about our community ranks: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/ranks/)
Our community has an organized ranking structure beginning with Members who comprise the majority of the roster. Scouts are our support team of Members who've stepped up to more officially support the FC, some work on obtaining a future leadership rank. Lieutenants and Officers comprise the proud Azure Council, a diverse group of players of different specialties and services to the FC, making up lower and higher tier leadership, seeing over the Scouts and the FC weekly events, aside from being admins. The FC Infinitum Master oversees all and leads the Azure Council and the company forward while always keeping the heart and vision of the community alive and in sight. Currently we are re-assessing ranks in the free company, giving more support permissions and duties to our Scouts, while the current council operates as a small team of Lieutenants lead by the FC Master.
Everyone Welcome and Who Fits Best
We have an open door policy. Whether you're casual, a returning player, a veteran, or a newbie, we have a vast array of players in our member roster. Our weekly schedule is organized and provides an array of activity for players of most levels, however we like to ask players who're pretty new or under the level cap, to be extra vocal about their needs while they're still unable to attend some daily events or higher level content that most of our weekly lineup focuses on. We want everyone to have as much fun as possible and have the most success. We find that most players enjoy Azure Infinitum, many have stated that they subscribed to FFXIV much longer than they ever would have imagined after they have been around in our community, as they've gotten involved and experienced all that we offer.
Our FC keeps a daily schedule (see here: https://www.azureinfinitum.com/events/) of events that are hosted by permitted Scouts and Council ranks, these range from 8-man and 24-man raids and map parties, to WT journal groups and trial clear parties or farms, and more- and attending anything isn't mandatory at all here. We're happy to have you, and its up to our members how much they'd like to get involved. Attendance is optional! There's never any stress to attend FC functions.
Savage Raiding Statement
We find that some hardcore raiders looking for free companies just to join their statics who don't already have one, might not fit well if savage raiding is their only or greatest focus, because traditionally Azure does not have a Savage Static, but focuses more on allowing members to organize their own groups and also provides resources to do so. Despite not supporting an official static for the FC, we hope that hardcore raiders enjoy the wealth of our community's wealth of harmony and overall fun, and that everyone may take initiative to seek out or build a raiding static within our community if they are interested, as opposed to missing out on experiencing Azure. Depending on the content season, we may have an Unofficial static lead by a leader, and routinely offer limited time Savage-learning events that may run for a number of months.
Rules and No Drama Policy
Please take a moment to look over our Rules Page at (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/rules/), we find that rude individuals and people who create drama are the outsiders here that don't fit well. We know its a big page, so at least visit the General Rules section before joining.
Recruitment Care & Activity
People of Azure Infinitum are often if not always good natured players who found their way to our community looking for a place with structure, friendliness, organization, and great activity, or they've been scouted during recruitment drives and have been well screened. Its a place where one can be social and attend everything, or relax in the background and enjoy the services and facilities of being in an active, organized, and friendly FC. We actively recruit periodically to assist with upkeep of community activity levels, and to meet new comrades. A community that closes recruitment can be doomed to stagnation. Its normal for a community to have an inner core of die hards who log in daily regardless of content releases, and also have an outer core of individuals that range from those with less availability to those who check in during Patches. This is why we take extra care in keeping the fresh blood flowing into Azure, cautious recruitment, and support our active model by always staying welcoming and sometimes running recruitment campaigns and other services. Like this ad!
Handling Online Drama
Because we keep a no-drama policy and have a strong communication network, it is leadership's ultimate priority to handle any issues that may come up as soon as possible, and most people appreciate our problem solving which has inspired many other communities. Between our Support & Leadership ranks, we use a number of report and resource channels to handle situations, and perform problem solving protocols & tactics to fairly address issues as possible. Drama is inevitable at some point for any online community, so its important to have a large and strong list of moderators (currently around 60!) and a council of leaders (15+) to quickly handle any problems. Luckily, we don't have a lot of drama, but we're always very well equipped and very prepared. Our community has been commended by game staff in the past for our methods, and we have worked with the FFXIV Special Task Force to ensure as much safety to our community as achievable. It should be stressed that it is up to our membership to report to GM's in-game, and to Azure Leadership should any issues or concerns come up. Its also highly recommended that our members appropriately document evidence that can be used to help us assess situations and make proper decisions. Documenation such as screenshots of harassment is a great example! Our members online safety is greatly important to us and is a number one concern of our leadership team. Our Rules Page at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/rules/) describes a bit more in Chapter 3, including other entries on avoiding/ignoring trolls, playing while intoxicated, depression, and more.
Our Philosophy
We believe in our community and its people, how far we can go, how much we can do for each other, being an experienced community who's core values are positive fellowship, formation of bonds, and indomitable unity.
Azure Infinitum tightly grasps success and masters a casual and lucrative weekly play schedule while inspiring motivation and providing avenues for further success, friendships, and camaraderie among all who freely fly together among our Azure skies.
Founding on the principles of intricately forging a generally drama-free experience with keen leadership and a zealous and mighty membership, Azure has striven to guide and support many hundreds of players through every era of Final Fantasy XIV.
With an illustrious history, company lore, impressive statistics, and a model that is adaptable and blessed with innovative ability, Azure Infinitum claims a dominant presence of excellence and player growth that is possible in our community and extended services.
Estate Organization
We have the entire set-up at our estate, from gardens for members and Krakka Root production (free for members' chocobos), to our stables, nicely uniform clean lawn with hangout spots that are popular, with crafting stations, all available NPCs for simple mats and repairs, cut-scene viewer, toybox, triple-triad board, a fully operational and geared fleet of airships and subs, and our Azure Infinitum Assembly Chamber on the top floor for our meetings where announcements are made at our Grand Assemblies. Check it out if you like at Mist Ward 7 Plot 1.
We also have an organized form of gathering for weekly events in the yard, places to relax, food that is always available on tables at our Cellar, and hold a lot of special events and social games at our Hall. We're also conveniently located next to a Market Board and a Retainer Bell outside of our estate.
Communication and Extended Azure Services
We have multiple services of which none are mandatory, but we provide being (azureinfinitum.com) where our Forums, Event Calendar, News, Company Meeting Summaries, Seasonal Merch Giveaways, Contests, Rules Page, and more take place and can be found. We also have a popular and active Discord Server.
We also have a Facebook Group, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Steam Group, (Look us up! Or visit: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/socialmedia/) and Linkshells like our Infinitum Alliance LS for contact and aid from our allies if needed, our Azure Hunters LS for Hunters, and our Azure Industry LS which connects our members to our inner crafting/gathering community for newbies to pros.
Also worthy of mention is our big Company Meetings in-game, known as Azure Infinitum Grand Assemblies. Even though we have several avenues that keep people connected, our live assemblies gather the FC in unity where announcements are made first, and all proposals, ideas, and more, can be decided together live with the Azure Council present.
This network ensures a lot of information and communication gets around and has been exceedingly useful to us.
More On Events
One part of our reputation that often precedes us is our event crafting and hosting.
First, let me make sure its clear that attendance is never mandatory, but those who can make use, when possible, of what we provide each day, benefit from our events each week.
Since our beginning, traditions like our Thursday Treasure Thursdays events have run each week. Our weekly line-up presently begins on Tuesdays post-weekly reset, and consists of Raid Tuesdays, Wondrous Wednesdays (WT Journal Parties, often doubles as Trial Clears and Pony Drops), Treasure Thursdays (Endwalker's timeworn maps with groups of 8 doing up to 3 rounds of maps allowing for up to 24 maps ran), 24-Man Tuesdays (full pre-formed Azure 24-member alliances are made and raids are cleared, will be returning upon the release of EW's 24-man), Super Azure Slayer Sunday (our weekly meetup to do all sorts of PVP content be it Rival Wings or Frontline), and Monstrous Mondays (helps clear the current and previous patch extreme trials).
Special, Seasonal, and Quarterly Events
More info here: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/azureday/)See the latest event news & more at: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/news/)
We also have what we call Special and Quarterly Events. These types of events are Weekend-Long-Events that usually consist of a theme or celebratory social events we craft. During these events we hold big Riddle Races, Costume/Glamour shows and contests, 3-Story Mansion Maze Races, Speedrun Dungeon Races, Hide and Seek games, Custom Quest Events, Discord events like Cards Against Humanity nights, Comedy events, PVP Tournament Circuits, and more.
Our Special and Quarterly events are Azure Day Weekend (Takes place 3 times a year across a weekend, celebrates the FC), Azure Summer Festival (3-days at the end of August in partnership with Child's Play, raises money for children in long-term care, anniversary of historic FC event called the Lunar Rebellion), Anniversary Azure Day (a big weekend event in November that celebrates our Founding), Azure Day Saint's Wake (celebrates Halloween/All Saint's Wake), Azure Starlight Day (celebrating Starlight Day/Christmas/December Holiday Season), Azure Grand Melee and Duel Tournaments (PVP Circuit series crowning our PVP Champions) and more.
Azure Day Weekends
If you've been around our server you may have heard of our Azure Day Weekends. Our Azure Days take place quarterly as mentioned just above, with four evolved editions called Azure Summer Festival, Azure Day Saint's Wake, Azure Starlight Day, and Anniversary Azure Day. With Azure Day Weekends and related events traditionally occuring quarterly our members are always excited to see the next big weekend of crazy and fun social games, and our showering of the free company in gil and prizes galore. We go all out when we celebrate the free company, and Azure Days are another way we find for leadership to give back to the community. 2023 and beyond is now host to additional seasonal Azure Day events!
We're always giving our members a chance to have fun, win big, and make some great memories in the in-game family we've become. Something fun is always on the horizon in Azure.
Community
I almost can't stress enough how friendly our community is. We have a vast variety of members from hardcore gatherers and crafters, social butterflies, chill veterans, experienced raiders, level grinders, support teams, PVP aficionados, mechanic specialists, and mentors. We're also very friendly to all casual players as well and we keep an open door so long as recruits are always aware that we have a no-drama tolerance here.
​Evolution into a Gaming Clan & Network
Plans are in the works and foundations are being laid that is slowly turning our community into a larger gaming network, with our first established Azure Wing with regular occurring activity being founded in Monster Hunter World, this has led to a successful Destiny 2 clan and more. Becoming a member of our Discord and/or Free Company now means access to things like our huge discord, Azure Wing membership in other games, and being able to join in on any of our other activities in the general community. Azure Network as its being called at the moment, is growing with an all-new website and community features for playing together across Final Fantasy XIV and to Azure Skies beyond!
Activity
We rank high as one of the top FC's in Worldwide Activity on lodestone, and have for a long time. Most of our players are divided between the US East and West Coasts, members in East and West Canada, and a few outside the US or in EU or Aus zones. Because we do have an activity policy (mentioned below) we keep a standard flow of people, and have crowds in the early morning, late morning, early afternoon, afternoon, evening, and late night crowds.
Elitism isn't our style. Our community boasts a broad range of characters, great personalities, the proud, and also some silly goofs. But elitism isn't welcome, no matter how successful we are or how large we grow. We're always welcoming towards fresh faces interested in joining our guild, and the in-game activity ranges between 30-60+ online at once during prime time hours, sometimes around 70+ on patch days, and usually always with half the roster logging in throughout a 24 hour period, and around 15-30+ during the night.
Activity Policy
We ask that our members do not go missing without logging in for more than 60 days straight. If we hear word from someone or have some kind of decent excuse, we place our members on our On Vacation rank, which lasts presently until 90 days have passed. Exceptions are made for military deployments, hospital stays, financial issues, disability/health related issues, moving, or other reasons that might fall on a case-by-case basis.
All members not heard from in 60 days (roughly 2 months) or currently 90 days (roughly 3 months) are discharged. We allow 3 joins to Azure Infinitum in total, but exceptions can be made due to reasons listed above. If removed for inactivity, or you've left our FC for another reason and haven't already joined 3 times, you're always welcome back, but please remember, we are not a revolving door.
Keeping our roster full of members who have been online and presently play the game actively ensures an active environment for our players who play often. It also keeps our credits and clerical processes balanced across our network, and allows space for new faces to join our big happy in-game family of comrades.
How to Join
Quick Instructions here for joinin us in FFXIV & more: (https://www.azureinfinitum.com/howtojoinazure/)
If you are interested in joining our Azure Infinitum free company, please register an application at our site and/or FC in-game. You can also seek any of our Scouts, Lieutenants, Officers, or the Master of Azure Infinitum in-game and ask for an invite. You can find their names on the roster page at our website.
If you read everything on this page, you are awesome, and you should let anyone you talk to who recruits you know that you read everything on this page which will greatly expedite your invitation to join.
If you have any questions whatsoever feel free to send a /tell in-game to me or any of our Scouts or Lieutenants listed on our official roster here: https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/freecompany/9232519973597911137/membe
You can also message us at our FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/AzureInfinitum
Discord here: https://discord.gg/azureinfinitum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/azureinfinitum
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/azure_infinitum/
Main Site: https://www.azureinfinitum.com/

Looking for Active managers for a potential rebuild (with some solid young pieces), 1st year Dynasty league 12T H2H Points league. 18 Man rosters with 5 minor leaguers , 200M soft cap salary cap, and few orphan teams available msg if interested.

Greetings,
I am writing a dark fairytale fantasy in a world of dreams, illusions, and nightmares. The protagonist is a 12 year old princess who suffers a curse, causing physical impairment and mental anguish. For most of her childhood, she lay bedridden escaping into her fables: the tales tell of guardians blessed with celestial gifts who once protected the realms from nightmare monsters--until their magic faded away. With the loss of the guardians, oppressive royals rule the Kingdom to control wishes and remove dying realms from their domains. And anyone who is cursed with nightmares is an outcast. Thus the Princess wishes to learn the ancient magic, and trains with her guardians to be free of her curse and help her dying realm.
The story outline is finished, and I know where her character arc goes in later books. I am considering rewrites to introduce more character drama and royal lineage shenanigans in the beginning of the story. However, major changes could potentially affect her childhood upbringing, upset the parent-child dynamic of the story, and distract from the overarching themes [compassion, resilience, loyalty, sacrifice, and fear vs faith]. Therefore, I'm hesitant to make changes.
I'd like feedback on which of the following subversions is the most compelling permutation for the beginning of the story. These alternate versions have existed for years and I ruled them out many times, but if the overwhelming consensus favors an alternate over the original, I will consider changes.
SUBVERSION:

• The primary subversion rests with the Princess being cursed. She is not living the 'fairytale life' in any capacity, yet she still pretends to be one. The differences among the following permutations lies between the juxtaposition of her internal and external conflict: whether she grows up as a commoner or a royal outcast

[NOTE: proper terms have been excluded, and everything is subject to change]
ORIGINAL "HIDDEN PRINCESS UNKNOWN" VERSION

• PROLOGUE: A newborn Princess is believed to be an omen of disaster, and her parents refuse to remove her magic capability; the royal family is soon assassinated and the Princess is cursed
• CHILDHOOD: She is hidden in a faraway village by her guardians who raise her to defy her curse; she pretends to be a Princess [though she does not know she is one], and the bratty noble children who rule the realm tease her for being delusional
• WISH: She wishes to be free of her curse so she can express herself without causing trouble or scaring everyone; she also wants to make the village less boring
• CONFLICT: She is an outcast from the village and the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', which makes everyone afraid of her
• CATALYST: The Queen of the Kingdom removes sovereign protections from poor realms, and her village loses its protection, leaving its magic unstable; disaster strikes the village and Princess blames herself for causing it
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne; at this point her royalty is revealed to her
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents
• PRINCE: The Dark Prince is an enigmatic character whom she meets in Kingdom's capital castle
• EVENT: In the kingdom, she must face 3 trials which end with a grand ball to become a guardian

ALTERNATE "HIDDEN PRINCESS KNOWN" VERSION

• This is the same as the above, except she knows she is a Princess being kept from her destiny, and her guardians disagree over whether this should be kept secret. Thus, her playing pretend has greater significance

​
ALTERNATE "FORBIDDEN PRINCESS WITH SIBLINGS VS RIVAL HOUSE" VERSION

• PROLOGUE: A newborn Princess is believed to be an omen of disaster, and her parents refuse to remove her magic capability; the royal family is soon assassinated and the Princess is cursed
• CHILDHOOD: She is raised by her guardians in her castle who train her to defy her curse; she is forbidden from leaving the castle and doesn't get along with siblings [2-6 sisters and/or brothers]
• WISH: She often sneaks out of the castle to hang around the village children; she wishes to be free of her curse to inherit the magic power and royal duties from her parents, help the villagers, and belong somewhere
• CONFLICT: She is forbidden from leaving the castle or inheriting the ancient magic powers that would help the villagers; the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', which makes everyone afraid of her
• CATALYST: A Dark Prince from a rival house challenges the throne and imposes his gloomy vision over the realm, forcing the royal family into hiding
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient of magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents
• PRINCE: The Dark Prince is the rival who causes trouble for her realm and opposes her claim
• EVENT: In the kingdom, she must face 3 trials which end with a grand ball to become a guardian

ALTERNATE "FORBIDDEN PRINCESS DISASTER" VERSION

• Same as above, except the Dark Prince doesn't challenge the throne of her small realm, and simply removes the sovereign protections of the realm which leads to the original disaster;

​
ALTERNATE "EXILED PRINCESS AND BROTHER" VERSION

• PROLOGUE: A newborn Princess is believed to be an omen of disaster, and her parents refuse to remove her magic capability; the royal family is soon assassinated and the Princess is cursed
• CHILDHOOD: She is hidden in a village on the outskirts of her realm by her guardians, who train her to defy her curse; she knows she is a princess, but her [older? younger?] brother is the heir and he is raised to rule [by their uncle?] instead
• WISH: She wishes to be free of her curse to end her suffering, reclaim her birthright and help her village; but most of all she wants to belong somewhere
• CONFLICT: She is an outcast from her village, the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', and she's forbidden from learning the ancient magic
• CATALYST: The Queen of the Kingdom removes sovereign protections from poor realms, and her realm loses its protection, leaving its magic unstable; disaster strikes the village and the Princess blames herself for causing it
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne; at the same time, her Brother travels to the kingdom to appeal to the Queen
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents; the brother also serves as as foil to the princess and may or may not be a POV character
• PRINCE: The Dark Prince of the story is an enigmatic character whom she meets in Kingdom's capital castle
• EVENT: In the kingdom, she and her brother must face 3 trials which end with a grand ball to become guardians

​
ALTERNATE "EXILED PRINCESS AND BROTHER NOT ORPHANED" VERSION

• Same as above, except the parents are either alive after the prologue, or only one dies, and the remaining parent raises the brother instead [of whomever]

​
The reasons I eliminated all of these alternate ides are:

• I didn't want to distract from the guardian/mentor parent-child relationship, because he is meant to be a POV character, and I'm not killing him off [like literally every story does]
• I've always thought it was weird if the Princess remained in the castle after her parents died, therefore, whisking her to a faraway village or raising her far from the castle made more sense
• I think a commoner living in a village struck by disaster is the most poignant inciting incident relatable to more people, I feel more emotionally impacted by this happening to her people
• Changing the Princess's character arc too much ruins her personality
• Also want to note that the Princess is from a Principality within the Kingdom. The Kingdom is ruled by a King and Queen who reside over seven realms, so the highest rank the Protagonist can have is Crown Princess unless her realm secedes from the Kingdom.

​
FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!!