Tag: FTW Explains

‘Final Fantasy 14’ — what is it, and why has it suddenly become so huge?

What’s all the fuss about Final Fantasy 14?

Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Here’s a special edition concerning Final Fantasy 14, which will hopefully answer any questions you might have about the game.

If you orbit the world of video games, you may have heard people talking about Final Fantasy lately. Square Enix’s role-playing series has been one of the most popular video game franchises since its inception in 1987, but Final Fantasy 14, in particular, has seen a massive uptick in interest in recent months, with scores of players signing up to join its sprawling, always-online world.

If you’re curious about why there’s been a surge in popularity, here’s everything you need to know about the wildly popular Final Fantasy MMORPG.

A non-hockey fan’s guide to understanding why Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s offer sheet is hilarious

Why a Finnish hockey player you’ve never heard of is at the heart of the NHL’s funniest offseason story.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen that the Carolina Hurricanes tenured an offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but you’re not sure why it’s making headlines. We’re here to help.

If there’s one thing hockey fans love, it’s a surprise offseason offer sheet. On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes turned heads with an out-of-nowhere offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL’s first offer sheet in two years (and we’ll talk about that one, don’t worry).

The news made waves in the hockey world, in part because of the rarity of offer sheets, but also there’s some extremely juicy history between the Hurricanes and Canadiens when it comes to offer sheets. If you’ve clicked on this article, you’re probably wondering why the hockey fan in your life or those you follow on Twitter are having a laugh at this development.

Good news! We’re here to explain why a Finnish hockey player you’ve never heard of signing a contract is the best, most hilarious NHL story in some time. Let’s begin.

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Here’s how the NBA play-in tournament works

A quick explainer on how the NBA’s play-in tournament works

The NBA play-in is right around the corner. It all starts on Tuesday ahead of the NBA’s playoffs.

We know what teams are playing in the tournament with the exception of the 7 seed in the West where it could be either the Lakers or the Trail Blazers slotted to make the play-in.

Although there was a play-in tournament last year, things are a bit different this year as the NBA has looked to make it more of a feature. So the format this go around are a bit different.

Not caught up? Don’t worry! That’s exactly what I’m here for. Here’s a quick explainer on how the NBA play-in tournament works.

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Why Ty Dillon, not Bubba Wallace, is driving for Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team in preseason Clash

Explaining how Ty Dillon ended up in Bubba Wallace’s ride for the Clash, a NASCAR exhibition race.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have heard about a substitute driver filling in for one race for Bubba Wallace on the new No. 23 Toyota team, but you’re not sure what’s going on. We’re here to help.

Although the Daytona 500 famously opens the NASCAR Cup Series season, the Sunday, February 14 race isn’t the first time drivers will compete at Daytona International Speedway.

The season actually starts with the Clash, an exhibition race set for Tuesday (7 p.m. ET, FS1).

23XI Racing — Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s new team making its debut this year — will have a car compete in the preseason race on Daytona’s road course, but Ty Dillon, not full-time driver Bubba Wallace, will be behind the wheel, the team announced Wednesday.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on:

What is NASCAR’s Clash?

The Clash — this year officially named the Busch Clash At DAYTONA — is a preseason exhibition event during the week leading up to the Daytona 500.

In the past, the Clash has been the weekend before the Daytona 500, but this year, it’s Tuesday, February 9. It’s a 35-lap race, and instead of being held on the iconic 2.5-mile oval, it’s on Daytona’s 14-turn, 3.61-mile road course.

The road course is relatively new to the Cup Series still after making its debut in August because of scheduling changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do all NASCAR drivers get to compete in the Clash?

No, only certain drivers are eligible for the exhibition event. There are several ways drivers can qualify, including:

  • Previous Clash winners who ran full-time seasons in 2020
  • Daytona 500 champions who ran full-time seasons in 2020
  • Previous Daytona 500 pole winners who ran full-time seasons in 2020
  • 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers

Another way drivers can qualify for the Clash is by being the pole winner for any race in 2020. However, because the COVID-19 pandemic led to shortened weekends without traditional qualifying for the majority of last season’s races.

So now, drivers who won any race stages in 2020 are eligible as well. And that brings us to Ty Dillon.

Why is Ty Dillon driving Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing’s car in the Clash?

Bubba Wallace is not among the 24 drivers eligible to compete in the Clash, but Ty Dillon is. Dillon won one race stage in 2020 during the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, and with the new qualifying criteria, that gives him the option to run the Clash.

Why doesn’t Ty Dillon run the Clash in his own car then?

After four full-time season in the Cup Series, Dillon is without a ride at NASCAR’s top level. His previous team, Germain Racing, closed up shop after the 2020 season, and he’ll attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Gaunt Brothers Racing.

Dillon is also one of several drivers who will compete in a handful of races in the second-tier Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing. So basically, Dillon can compete in the Clash but doesn’t have a Cup car.

In its debut season, 23XI Racing has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, so it makes sense that the brand-new team would tap a Gibbs driver without a ride to get behind the wheel for the preseason exhibition race. Plus, it could help the team prepare for the second in-season race, which is also on Daytona’s road course.

So that’s how Ty Dillon ended up in Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 car for the Clash?

Pretty much.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V09dfjIiM6g

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Why the 76ers are playing the Nuggets with 7 players, explained

This is not good.

Despite positive COVID-19 tests from Seth Curry and a team staff member, the Philadelphia 76ers are still going to play in their game on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets at the regularly scheduled time.

That’s not all, though. Not only will they play in the game, but they’ll only be playing in the game with seven players actually available to play.

Yes, you read that correctly.

They’re only going to have seven players available. And, through this season, the league is requiring teams to have eight active players on a roster for each given night.

So, you probably have lots of questions by now. How did we get here? Why don’t the Sixers have eight active players? And how are they playing without eight?

We’ve got all the answers for you right here.

Wait, what happened to all of the 76ers players?

On Thursday, the Sixers found out Seth Curry tested positive for COVID-19 in the middle of the team’s game against the Wizards.

They’d initially placed seven players who came in close contact with Curry on the team’s health and safety protocol list. However, three of them, including Joel Embiid, Danny Green and Paul Reed, were cleared from the list ahead of the game.

In total, the Sixers had nine players to go into Saturday’s game, giving them enough to actually play.

So then what happened?

It became pretty clear that the Sixers just didn’t want to actually play in the game after Curry’s test. At least some of them, anyway, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Shortly after that, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid popped up with ghost injuries that came out of nowhere.

With both of them now out, the Sixers only had seven players available to play the game.

So then they couldn’t play, right?

Wrong, actually. They still had to play the game because these injuries were not reported to the NBA ahead of time.

Therefore, the game couldn’t be postponed. But the Sixers still had to play. So Mike Scott suited up and went through warmups, though Doc Rivers said he won’t play him in the game.

That made Scott the Sixers’ 8th player which prevented the Sixers from having to forfeit the game.

Wow. That’s wild.

Yup. And they weren’t happy about it. Rivers made it clear that the Sixers didn’t believe they should be playing the Nuggets tonight, but it was beyond any of them to actually make that call.

This is ridiculous.

Yup. Here’s how ridiculous it is.

Man, this is already a mess.

Yup. And it’s probably going to get worse. The NBA has postponed one game already this season, but this certainly looks like it should’ve been the second. Especially with the players being this uncomfortable.

This is the first time we’ve seen this scenario this season, but it certainly won’t be the last. And that’s unfortunate.

The Trae Young – Grayson Allen beef, explained

Let’s get you caught on the latest beef in the NBA between Grayson Allen and Trae Young.

Welcome to FTW Explains, our series where we try to quickly get you caught up on things going on in the world. Today, we’ll be tackling the Trae Young – Grayson Allen beef. 

Who are these people now? 

Trae Young is a star guard for the Atlanta Hawks, and one of the best up-and-coming young players in the NBA. Grayson Allen is on the Grizzlies, and is primarily known for his time at Duke, when he became one of the most hated players in a long line of guys who were hated at Duke.

Why’d people hate him?

He flopped a lot, and had one of those faces … but also he was often accused of being a dirty player, specifically because he had a habit of tripping players, which is relevant here.

Why is tripping players so bad?

In this NBA, you’ve got very large men running at incredible speeds at one another on a hard court. It speaks to their body awareness and agility that people aren’t hurt all the time. If someone is intentionally tripping players, that puts the player being tripped at risk, and anyone else in his path. It’s bad news.

Got it. So what’s this beef?

On Sunday, Young shared video of Allen appearing to intentionally step on his heel during the Hawks game against the Grizzlies. It happens quickly, but Allen does appear to reach his foot out to catch Young’s heel.

…This is incredibly dangerous, I should point out, even more so than your garden variety trip, because an Achilles injury has ruined careers before. Allen misses and catches up high on the heel, and bad, bad things can happen.

Was it intentional?

No idea. The only person who knows that is Grayson Allen.

Did he respond?

You bet he did!

Wow.

Yep. And there’s history here, too.

Oh is there?

You better believe it. It started back in Summer League 2018, when they first got into it.

Then picked up earlier this month:

I am feeling caught up on this situation. 

Well good. I am glad.

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FTW Explains: What is this ‘Larry, I’m on Ducktales’ thing?

Let us catch you up on the spectacular Danny Pudi meme.

Welcome to For The Win Explains, our little feature where we get you caught up on things going on in the world. Today, we tackle the internet meme “Larry, I’m on Ducktales.”

OK, so who’s involved in this whole thing?

The two main characters to know are Larry King, he of the many interviews and softball questions, and Danny Pudi, a comedian and actor who’s been on shows like Community, Mythic Quest, and — importantly here — a reboot of Ducktales, the animated series.

They rebooted Ducktales? 

Yep. In 2017. It’s decent!

OK, cool. So, what’s this everyone is talking about?

Pudi went on Larry King’s new show for an interview and during the interview King asked him what was a luxury that he couldn’t live without. Pudi thought for a moment and then said, “Coffee.”

I love coffee.

I do, too! It was a good answer.

So what’s the problem?

Larry King did not think it was a good answer.

Oh.

Larry King insisted that coffee is not a luxury, and in one of his rare instances in getting tough as an interviewer, insisted that Pudi think of another luxury. Pudi, sort of flabbergasted, thought long and hard and then said “Uh, socks?” As in he loves a good pair of socks.

Another nice thing.

Absolutely.

I’m guessing King didn’t like that answer either.

You guessed right. King was frankly disgusted by this answer, and demanded Pudi come up with a better luxury that he couldn’t live without. Pudi, out of ideas, then asked King to tell him a luxury that fits him. King smiled a chilly smile then said “a private plane.”

A private plane?

Yes. And that set up Pudi’s spectacular line, and the meme you’re seeing everywhere: “Larry. I’m on Ducktales.”

Oh that’s good.

Exactly. Pudi, with just a quick, perfect, self-deprecating sentence, shows King how he’s living in a totally alternate reality from even the very successful people he’s having on his show. It’s the perfect answer for any of us who’ve ever had a very wealthy friend make some ridiculous suggestion, like that we should all get away to Aspen for a weekend. Like, I’d love to go to Aspen, but Larry? I’m on Ducktales. 

I’m glad I understand this now.

I’m glad you do, too.

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Everything you need to know about Fortnite’s Galactus event

This is going to be fun

Gamers have no idea how Fortnite’s current season will end.

Will they be sucked into another black hole like the start of Chapter 2? Will any semblance of the old map be recreated in some virtual cataclysmic event? Will there be some sort of extended downtime on the game as a result?

Again, we have no idea. What we do know, though, is that Marvel super villain Galactus will undoubtedly be part of whatever is coming.

In Fortnite’s current season players have been recruiting heroes from Marvel’s universe to prepare for the battle against one of the brand’s most dastardly villains. Now, that time is here. Or, uh, it will be soon.

Wait, I have no idea what’s happening.

Long story short, chapter 2 season 4 has basically been a big Marvel crossover.

Superheroes like Wolverine, Iron Man and Mystique have all made cameos in the game and have been recruited by players to help them battle Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, in the season finale today.

Alright, so who is Galactus? I’ve never heard of him

Woo, buddy. Y’all thought Thanos was bad? Galactus is far and away the more powerful villain in Marvel lore. They don’t call him the Devourer of Worlds for nothing.

He’s a cosmic villain who literally eats planets to sustain himself. He first appeared in Marvel’s Fantastic Four comics in the late 60’s and is still one of the brand’s toughest villains. Thanos, even with the Infinity Gauntlet, doesn’t even compare. That’s how tough this dude is.

And now he’s in Fortnite?

Yup! They’re playing out an event called the Nexus War where players have to defend the island from Galactus with the help of Marvel’s heroes.

Yes, and that’s exactly why people are suspecting that he’s going to swallow up the planet it exists on and cause another “black hole” type of reset.

Yo, that’s crazy! When does this all happen?

Everything is set to ring off at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. It’ll be pretty fun to watch.

Wait, can I play it?

Uhhh, maybe. If you aren’t a big Fortnite player, it’s probably best to just sit this one out and watch from a YouTuber’s stream. Or keep your eyes locked on the Fortnite Twitter account just in case they choose to stream from there.

It’ll be a struggle to actually try and get in on the event. The game’s servers fill quickly when things like this happen and it becomes almost impossible to log in.

Try jumping on as early as possible if you really want to take part in the event. Wait around in a lobby and try to enter the event as soon as it goes live.

Best of luck to you. With Galactus, you’re going to need it.

Here’s what Twitter’s new ‘Fleets’ feature is all about

Fleets!

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

Twitter announced on Tuesday that it was rolling out a new feature known as “Fleets,” which sound really familiar if you use other social media platforms. And they should sound familiar! They’re REALLY similar.

The reaction was basically that, along with lots of people wondering, “do we really need these?”

If you’re wondering what the heck this is all about, that’s what we’re here for. Let’s break down what Fleets are and how you can use them on Twitter going forward.

What’s this now?

Fleets!

I thought you said this was an explainer.

I just like saying it out loud.

What the heck is a Fleet?

Fleeting tweets = fleets. They’re basically little photos, videos and texts you can post on Twitter BUT they’re not actual tweets. Fleets live for 24 hours and disappear.

So they’re basically like Instagram Stories?

… Yep.

Or Snapchat Stories?

Mhm.

Or Facebook Stories?

Uhhh … yeah.

What’s the point here?

According to Twitter’s blog, it’s to get more conversation going on the site. Users might not want to tweet more “casual thoughts,” so maybe they’ll Fleet them:

Those new to Twitter found Fleets to be an easier way to share what’s on their mind. Because they disappear from view after a day, Fleets helped people feel more comfortable sharing personal and casual thoughts, opinions, and feelings. These are early findings from our tests and we’re excited to learn more about how Fleets are used by you.

How do I do it?

Fast Company has the answer:

1. Tap the “Share” icon at the bottom on a tweet.

2. Select “Share in Fleet.”

3. Add whatever you want—text, photos, videos, emojis, etc. (Currently, live broadcasting and stickers aren’t available for Fleets, but the company says they’re coming.)

4. If you choose to, customize your background and text.

What about an edit button on tweets?

We’re still waiting for it.

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What is All Soul’s Day? The holiday, explained

Understanding All Souls’ Day, which falls on November 2nd of this year.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world.

Today is All Souls’ Day, and for those of us outside of the Catholic faith, you might be asking the question: Say, what is All Souls Day?

All Souls’ Day is a Christian holiday, sometimes referred to as Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, which allows practitioners to say prayers for the departed.

Often people light candles and pray for souls they believe may be trapped in purgatory. The holiday has many different traditions around the globe, depending on both country and faith.

It is connected to the Mexican holiday of The Day of the Dead, by the way. That holiday, which allows families to come together to pray for those departed, begins on All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and concludes on All Souls’ Day (November 2).

Now you know. Go forth and celebrate as you see fit.

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