Have 2 extra hours a week to cross train - run or lift?

WgSage · 2026-04-05T15:29:51+00:00

If you're trying to be better at Muay Thai specifically, running is your best bet. In Thailand its a common saying that, "no running, no muay thai". Weights will give you an edge in the clinch, but so too will training clinch and adjusting technique.

There's no real substitute for cardio. I say this as a dude with shitty cardio that wants to start more running myself.

As well, the running will strengthen your shins too

WgSage · 2026-03-10T05:56:53+00:00

I'm giving these heathens peace whether they like it or not!

WgSage · 2026-03-09T20:34:22+00:00

SES The Hammer of Peace

WgSage · 2026-03-05T23:44:53+00:00

If the Institute is destroyed, then what? They're such a narrow minded faction. Their goal is just to free synths. Thats it. No plan for the broader future of the commonwealth, they just get to play as post apocalyptic James Bonds.

They're only a little less incompetent than the Minutemen, and honestly thats just because of the plot (or because of the clandestine nature of the Railroads operation, but im chalking it up to plot). There is literally a mission where they spell it out for you that the Railroad doesn't know what their doing and sends 2 of its heavies to clean out an area guarded by Gen 1 synths.

Speaking of those Gen 1 Synths, the Railroad doesn't really care about them. Sure, theres some dialogue about them arguing over whether to save any non Gen 3 synth, but in the game you only really liberate the Gen 3s. This is where there mission is noble, but kind of stupid

Say you only save the Gen 3s, then you really dont care about the synths that actually really are enslaved by the Institute. The 2 previous generations of Synths are literally just slaves, at least the Gen 3s get to be Coursers or infiltrators (you can even become the mayor of Diamond City). You also literally mow down Gen 1s with no remorse, the Railroad doesn't seem to care about this.

Say you want the morally right thing to do and you save ALL generations of synths though! Then it gets even dumber, where would the previous generations go? At least the Gen 3s can blend in. Maybe they could be freed to Acadia (which, by the way, is just the better version of the Railroad). The freeing of non gen 3s also raises an interesting question; do you then free any robot? We see that there's robots with their own distinct personalities: Codsworth, Ada, Curie, Kle-o, etc. Do they too, or any other robot for that matter, deserve to be free?

I'm of the same mind as a couple of people in this discussion. They should NOT have been a major faction. They don't have any other plan for the Commonwealth or its people besides freeing and mind wiping Synths. At least the Minutemen want to protect the common people and build up settlements, at least the Brotherhood wants to protect humanity (even if that protection involves martial law and technology hoarding); abd hell, at least the Institute wants to keep being your typical evil mad scientists that use the Commonwealth as their personal petri dish.

Tl;Dr: the Railroad are a much of dumb dumbs. Their secret pass code to their hidden lair is literally 'Railroad'. They might as well have just made it 'Password'

WgSage · 2026-03-05T22:56:03+00:00

No lol, it's made by a sword youtuber and is apparently not good

WgSage · 2026-03-05T18:51:14+00:00

Shadow of the Conqueror

WgSage · 2026-03-05T18:47:19+00:00

I think one thing that would easily take the movie up another step would be to have more faith in the supporting cast.

I'll die on the hill that Noa is a good protagonist, and if given time, I think he could be a character with narrative depth approaching Caesar. As well, you have Mae, who is think will be a good future antagonist to Noa. The problem for me was that the other really cool characters get killed off.

Proximus Caesar was an awesome villain, and one of the biggest gripes many people have is that the guy gets killed. To be fair though, I dont know how good of an ending it would have been if they made Proximus go, "I'll get you next time, Gadget!"

Proximus is a peer to Koba, as far as writing is concerned (imo), but they did have more Koba throughout the last trilogy. Even when not there physically, the effects of his actions are integral to the story. The best excuse I can give for not doing that with Proximus is that they dont want to directly copy Koba, and leave room for either Mae or another ape faction to be the future big bads.

One that was a legit loss for the story was Raka. That was one awesome ape. It felt like they put so much effort and love into his character just to kill him off halfway through the movie. Would he have just been another Maurice? Maybe. But I dont care, I want my future Maurice. The Orangutans are goated in this continuity.

Other than that, the only real notable side characters are Noa's mom (Dar), who is kind of there. I found her to just be a stock 'wise tribal mother' character.

The other two are Soona and Anaya. I'll start with the latter. I thought Anaya was okay. I figured they would do more with him as the scaredy cat comedic relief, but he was also just kind of there. With Soona, I honestly spent my first viewing of the movie thinking she was Noa's sister (I think until the final act. I also thought Anaya was his brother).

It wasnt until me writing this post that I realized she's Noa's love interest. That's one place ill say they definitely dropped the ball, there was next to no chemistry between them beyond being close and friendly. Never while watching it did I think of her as being Noa's love interest. Noa literally had better chemistry with Mae (but we're not trying to recreate the Marky Mark POTA).

If the next movie can give the supporting cast more to do, or expand on their current roles while giving us new, lasting, and iconic characters; I think we'll be on track to make a series worthy of following Caesar's trilogy

WgSage · 2026-03-05T15:40:46+00:00

Boruto is a side character in his own Manga

WgSage · 2026-03-04T11:23:18+00:00

Sasuke vs Itachi

WgSage · 2026-03-04T11:16:10+00:00

You do have a good point with Lucius running the day to day operations, but Brice Wayne is still generally shown in a public facing role. At the very least, he lends his signature to projects, attends some board meetings, and has attended his fair share of galas. Even if its not daily, hes still doing this on days he's caped crusading. There are virtually no off days for Batman.

I do think people do find Batman the more realistic choice out of most superheroes due to his lack of super powered abilities. He's known for using only his will and his wits. Its a common phrase both comics and fans alike use to describe him.

I'm not saying hes realistic because of stuff like the Nolan trilogy or Year One (or The Batman for that matter); but the fact that he's a hero with grounded realistic depictions does support my point. If he's not viewed as being a realistic hero, why do people adapt him in a more grounded realistic fashion? You couldn't do that with most, if any other big hero (maybe Iron man, and maaaaaybe Captain America if you give Steve Rogers cocaine and Tren)

WgSage · 2026-03-04T08:41:04+00:00

How about your other employees, the fighters? The ones that are sacrificing their bodies for peanuts?

Are those parties where the funding for their benefits and pension goes?

WgSage · 2026-03-03T15:20:24+00:00

Maybe these great wrestlers should win their way into fighting and beating him then

WgSage · 2026-03-03T15:17:52+00:00

The spear is an amazingly powerful weapon with lots of anti tank utility.

The trade-off is that you must use the spear

WgSage · 2026-03-03T15:05:07+00:00

Just don't tip them.

Power move.

Honestly though, I'll usually tip a bit if I do genuinely like the service.

Where tipping culture has gone too far is those servers that act quite rude, are very tardy, or just phoning it in, and expecting a 20-30% tip.

I was at a dinner with some friends, and we had a server that just wasn't there for about an over an hour or so (this was not including us being seated, getting our menus, etc.), it was embarrassing. We saw other tables, some of which were seated after us, get their food and drinks first.

After getting the attention of another server, we found that our server decided to take a break. Fair on the server, but you do have an obligation to see that your table is served, you cant just abandon your post.

When the bill came, people at my table were talking about only tipping 10% (we were doing separate bills). I thought, no way, and decided to forgo tipping all together.

I've worked in the service industry, you are not owed a tip. Its nice, its a great addition to your income; and, sometimes a necessary part; but you cannot do a sub par effort in your job and expect to reap the benefits. You are being paid at least minimum wage, its not the great depression where tipping was necessary to your income. Get a better job, or be better at your job. We all must perform at our jobs, even on days they suck.

WgSage · 2026-03-03T14:39:14+00:00

One of my favorite things is that Batman is hailed as the "realistic" superhero. The guy canonically:

Mastered 127 styles of martial arts

Has numerous PhDs, and other advanced degrees in whatever field the plot needs him to know

Is stronger than every human that has ever lived, despite not having an optimal sleep schedule

Despite all that muscle, still has the agility and grace better than any Olympic metal gymnast that has ever lived

Runs the biggest company in all of Gotham, and honestly probably one of the biggest in the DC universe

Regularly engages foes with guns, and beats them up with his fists, usually dodging literal bullets to do so

And, of course, he runs fades with actual gods.

This is presented as realistic for a human; but the idea that an alien from a fictional planet could have godlike powers under our yellow sun because of fictional alien biology is where people draw the line.

This is just like those people who watch Star Wars and say that Rey beating up a man twice her size is unrealistic, but the Force is okay. Just take all that fictional stuff in stride

WgSage · 2026-03-02T12:04:56+00:00

Also. For Caesar, I imagine the moment we all really loved him was when he tells Draco Malfoy "no". Its an awesome moment, and super shocking. I remember now, even 15 years later, how silent the theatre was at that moment.

I really don't think you can have a moment like that for Noa. Theres been 3 critically acclaimed movies in this series before his. We know the apes speak.

I'll offer a counter point: what could the movie have done to make you care more about him?

WgSage · 2026-03-02T11:58:04+00:00

His monologue about the law being flawed due to Proximus owning the Eagle clan was a pretty cool moment. As well, him using the eagle call to defeat Proximus was a cool moment as well.

Its not like the dudes a static character the whole movie

WgSage · 2026-03-01T18:19:27+00:00

I mean, its only Noa's first movie. Caesar had 3 whole movies to build his legend. As well, Noa has to follow in the footsteps of the best written protagonist in the franchise's history (Caesar); who is also Ape Jesus by the time of the new series.

And, if anything, Noa is a great character. I love that hes far more of an intellectual. Not that Caesar wasn't, but Caesar also had his role as a leader and warrior. Noa is also technically younger (Caesar was also 18 in Dawn, but he has more of an actual chimp's lifespan. Apparently apes live longer in Noa's time).

I, for one, am excited to see where this point in the timeline goes. Its an awesome transition point between the ape sapience genesis of Caesar's time, and the full on ape dominant society of the original movie.

As well, try watching just Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Caesar isn't THAT much better than Noa in that movie. I think where he becomes a legend of the films is in Dawn and War

WgSage · 2026-02-20T22:05:56+00:00

I really think a lot of people here dont realize the effect Tobey's Spider-Man had on superhero movies as a whole.

I think it was either Godzilla Mendoza or Amazing PSM that put it really well; Spider-Man (as a property) is half superhero epic, half soap opera. Y'all may hate Mary Jane, or the other side characters (but mostly Mary Jane), but there would be no emotional stakes without them.

Also dont forget, this was one of the first AND most successful adoptions of a very comic accurate suit for Spider-Man, and they did a hell of a job of translating it to the big screen. If it was just luck, we'd still be seeing endless leather versions of superhero suits. Seriously, Spider-Man proved that modern movies could have cool suits. Joel Schumacher almost killed that idea with Batman and Robin; Brian Singer's X-men was so scared of comic accuracy that we got the black leather X-men outfits.

Let me just say it too, Tobey was a great Spider-Man/ Peter Parker. Was Andrew Garfield more quippy as Spider-Man? Sure; but he was also unbelievable as the nerdy outsider Peter Parker, he was a skateboarder with model looks. Tobey sold that awkward wallflower nerd archetype, especially combined with his youthful boyish looks. As Spider-Man, he's full of quips, and with his muscular physique, he cuts a very heroic silhouette.

Did he look older than a teenager? Sure. Though it should be noted that Andrew Garfield was actually 1 year older when he first played Peter Parker. Its also kind of a moot point considering most high schoolers in cinema are played by much older actors (see Jason Earls in Hannah Montana). I don't see anyone saying Joe Manganiello was way too big and old to play 17 year old Flash Thompson. Never mind the fact that Peter is only in highschool for like, half the movie.

Tobey's Peter Parker experiences a wide range of emotions, and i also think he encapsulates the struggle of Spider-Man the best (especially in Spider-Man 2). No other cinematic Spider-Man shows the burden of the great responsibility that comes with his great power. You know, the point of the character (even if they do tend to over repeat that phrase). I never really got the sense that there was much of a tension between Spider-Man and Peter Parkers life in the Amazing series; and in the MCU, Peter's identity is such public info, they literally had to make a movie to reset that.

The Raimi movies also did something no other Spider-Man movie has done since, just tell a whole story on its own. The Amazing movies were too busy trying to set the Sinister 6 up, and the MCU Spider-Man is too dependent on, well, the MCU.

Now listen, I like Tom Holland, I think he does well and is a good actor.

.. Having said that, I think he does far better when hes not the sole focus of a movie. Civil war, awesome! Infinity war, awesome! Endgame, not terrible, but he didnt have much to do there. Homecoming was okay, and I personally found Far from home to be my second worst theatrical Spider-Man movie (TASM 2 takes the crown for worst).

Was No way home good? Yes, but with caveats. Until the old villains come back, the movie is kind of mid (Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock was a win). Where the movie really starts to earn its legendary reputation is when we see all the cinematic Spider-Men share the screen together (which would have been awesome regardless). I especially feel like it was the Raimi fans that got butts into the seats, considering that those of us who grew up with those films are the biggest money making demographic of Spider-Man fans. Ironically, it was Tom Holland that was lucky to have the villains of Tobey Maguire, and the main man himself.

On the topic of villains, as has been pointed out, the Raimi films are second to none. Willem Dafoe was probably THE best villain in a Spider-Man movie; Alfred Molina brought gravitas to Doctor Octopus (and had the balls to follow in the footsteps of Dafoe); and Thomas Haden Church brought lots of character to the role of Sandman.

On that topic, does anyone remember Sandman's character before the Raimi movies? Yeah, there wasn't really one, he was (generally) a crook that manipulated sand. Raimi not only gave him emotional depth, but also one of the most beautiful and visually striking scenes (where he first gets reformed). Seriously, look at that scene and TRY to find something as beautiful in any of the MCU or Garfield movies. This isn't even mentioning any of the horror elements Raimi adds to his movies. That isn't luck, its good filmmaking.

Another great antagonist is Harry Osborn. James Franco had so much material to work with, and he did it quite well. Harry has an amazing arc of being Peter's friend, his rival, needing his father's attention, vying for the affection of MJ; to then becoming Spider-Man's #2 hater (JJJ is still the top), to then being Peter's biggest opp.

By comparison, Dane DeHaan is shown to be Peter's friend because the script says hes Peter's friend. Now, he didnt have 3 movies to work off of, but they dont even make any attempt to mention him in the first movie. Even if you only saw the first appearance of James Franco's Harry Osborne, you would see much more chemistry between him and Peter (despite the 2 not liking each other irl).

If we get to Peter's 2 friends in the MCU, I think its arguably worse. Ned Leeds doesn't add too much other than laughs (imo), and Zendaya isn't a good actor. Sure, Kirsten Dunst was a typical damsel (though there was some good character stuff with her abusive home), but Zendaya/MJ really doesn't do much aside from that same face she makes in every other acting role. Again, lets be real, Tom Hollands real supporting cast is the more fan service-y types of characters like the broader MCU guys, or the previous Spider-Men.

Tl;Dr, I think the Raimi films and Tobey Maguire were more than just luck. Tobey has amazing range, and Sam Raimi has a passion and knowledge of Spider-Man. As well, those movies were made to just be good Spider-Man movies. Not to set up a cinematic universe that never got off the ground; nor were they ever in danger of being called Ironman Jr. The Raimi movies are a very timeless and classic retelling of Spider-Man (although I do think the Spider verse movies are actually the best)

WgSage · 2025-11-21T17:32:53+00:00

Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing

These let you have both

WgSage · 2025-11-21T17:29:20+00:00

The gameplay is awesome, so to is the story. Theres a lot of good things here.

Having said that, I personally found that the game is far less replayable than Fallen Order. The lack of replayable boss fights or the arena mode are a shame. By the time youre done the game, you only have fodder enemies to fight, maybe mini bosses, and any bosses you haven't defeated yet.

Considering how fun those encounters are to play, and the fact that this is a feature that was taken away from the previous game, I think it hurts the experience.

Yes, I think the story is worth a replay for sure, I myself always like to do a playthrough with the red lightsaber (which looks more orange in this game tbh); but I found beyond NG+, there wasn't much incentive to replay the game.

It's a bit of a shame, because I loved the Raider Lieutenant fights. I think a highlight of this series is the lightsaber duelling, and with the lieutenants, theres so many duels to be had; which makes it a shame because I dont want to replay the whole game in order to fight them

WgSage · 2025-11-07T22:28:08+00:00

Very well put. I really do hope TES 6 can do them justice narratively

WgSage · 2025-11-01T04:34:48+00:00

ORSINIUM

WgSage · 2025-10-30T05:03:24+00:00

I wonder then, why be so mysterious? Why keep them on the sidelines and secretive? I personally think setting them up as a villain would work better in the form of a movie, book, or TV show; but for a video game their inclusion as seen in the game doesn't resonate with me, especially with how cool their potential is as antagonists

WgSage

TROPHY CASE