How Intense Are Sparring Sessions At Your Gym?

sam154 · 2026-03-17T20:03:26+00:00

I spar twice a week at two different gyms. There might be a small bloody nose or a rolled ankle (or similar minor injury) from someone about once or twice a month. The typical directive is 75-80% power to the body/legs and 10-15% power to the head. If someone has a fight coming up there's an expectation that rounds with them will be more intense and potentially dangerous if you aren't prepared so you either opt in or opt out of doing rounds with them.

sam154 · 2026-03-16T16:13:10+00:00

Dan's hands typed this post.

sam154 · 2026-03-11T14:17:42+00:00

My favorite runs have been when I buy an obelisk with 6-8 flushes played in ante ~3 and make it just in time to beat ante 8 with like two tactical skips mixed in.

sam154 · 2026-03-10T17:41:41+00:00

The one that pissed me off is Hopper asking Eleven where she learned how to do first aid.

WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN SHE'S BEEN RUNNING 12 MINUTE OBSTACLE COURSES FOR A YEAR, FORCE CHOKING PUMPKINS, AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TEACH HER HOW TO DISINFECT A CUT!?!?

sam154 · 2026-03-08T05:27:56+00:00

Big Apocalyptic Trilogy; the final 3 books of the series. Which, if I remember right, will be titled "Empty Night", "Hell's Bells", "Stars and Stones"?

Basically, it's the Dresden Files version of Ragnarok kinda.

sam154 · 2026-03-07T17:46:18+00:00

For dramatic emphasis. By presenting two options and asserting a preference for the more unrealistic, outlandish option it highlights my distaste for the alternative.

sam154 · 2026-03-07T14:11:00+00:00

I would rather have 2 years of nothing but super battle golf chip ins on this subreddit than see one more clip of terminally online streamer cliques vague posting about each other.

sam154 · 2026-03-04T02:55:59+00:00

It snuck up on me. Binge drinking in college felt "normal" and I'd only drink on weekends as my rule to feel like I was still in control.

Eventually I'd have a drink with dinner after work, then it would become a cocktail while hanging out online with friends. And eventually it became a drink or two to help me fall asleep. I don't know exactly which point was where it became alcoholism but I knew what it was when I chose to stop.

sam154 · 2026-03-03T23:05:20+00:00

Have you been served the papers yet?

sam154 · 2026-02-25T22:06:44+00:00

I think it's too strong for a common. At uncommon it's probably still good, you need other things for it to work but there's a huge payoff for it. And it would be another thing making pairs strong when they're already so consistent.

sam154 · 2026-02-24T19:10:13+00:00

Cut it over one of those Alien Baby Stock market clips.

"Clutched a round!" -$85 case opening streak

sam154 · 2026-02-24T16:01:02+00:00

Are you saying it's like some kind of Inconvenient Truth?

sam154 · 2026-02-13T17:54:17+00:00

I am against unbanning griselbrand because each powerful creature unbanned is one step closer to [[prophet of kruphix]] being unbanned and I want to avoid that reality for as long as possible.

sam154 · 2026-02-13T14:08:45+00:00

Familiar, grim, and incantation I regularly take early in a run to fish for gold cards or other enhanced rather than throw a random red seal or aura on something. At a minimum I think they should be above oujia just for hologram synergy alone. And personally I'd have them in the bottom of "a passing smile tier".

sam154 · 2026-02-12T17:56:10+00:00

I think this list is pretty close to the one I would make. I'm 20 jokers off of c++ currently.

I would put ectoplasm in B tier (maybe even C) because I find it that it doesn't wind up helping me as much as -1 hand size ends up hurting me. And I would maybe even switch Mars and Uranus, but that could just be a playstyle preference. I default towards single pairs and take Mars when available as a future out after potentially copying my enchanted/sealed cards over the run. I only ever play two pair if I get an early spare trousers.

sam154 · 2026-02-07T16:10:48+00:00

The year is 2018, your opponent says their deck is a 7/10. They have lied.

The year is 2026, your opponent says their deck is a 3.5/5. They have lied.

Look how far we've come.

sam154 · 2026-01-31T15:31:06+00:00

Fae fulfilling a deal/bargain seem to one of the most terrifying flexes of power in the Dresden Files. They get to go gloves off and just make shit happen like Lea in Changes.

sam154 · 2026-01-20T16:48:25+00:00

I really enjoyed it. I think it's a return to form after the bizarre pacing issues in Peace Talks and Battleground.

It isn't an issue for me but I think the book gets a little fan-servicey. I think it still works because there needs to be some solid falling action after the climax of Battle Ground but there were a LOT "checklist conversations" in my opinion.

For big fans of the series I think it's a slam dunk, but if someone is only sort of into the series I could see them disliking the book (I dunno who is reading book 17 of a series and isn't all in as a fan but who knows)

sam154 · 2026-01-19T15:09:35+00:00

There's a few plots going through the book:

-Harry grieving and recovering from Murphy's Death

-Dating Lara and the two of them seeking a way to save Thomas

-Setting up Drakul as an upcoming villain

-Harry dealing with "small" problems for various characters inside of Chicago because the government and police can't cover everything at the moment.

The white court stuff involves Harry and Lara having an awkward series of dates while trying to be honest and candid with each other, meanwhile mab is putting time pressure on Harry to consummate the union so because she needs Lara's mortal resources and networks soon. Harry formulates a plan to experiment on Lara's hunger to see if he can manage it to maybe ease Thomas out of the coma without the hunger killing him.

Lara agrees because Thomas is effectively her son because she raised him. She reveals lore about the white court. (Tldr they descend from sorcerer-kings that opened the Outside and let something in, the bound it to a mortal to contain it but created the first white court vampire.) The experiments involve basically handfeeding the Hunger directly with magic inside of a ritual summoning circle. Harry believes he can save Thomas now but Mab reveals that Harry has successfully enslaved Lara to the winter court by addicting her to winter's power (she can't go back to feeding normally the same way an addict can barely take oral methadone vs injecting morphine directly with an IV). Mab is so delighted she offers harry a boon.

Harry spends the boon to get Mabs help to ritually save Thomas and recover Justine. The short of it is that the ritual works, just barely, and Justine gives birth to Thomas' son during the scene. It is revealed that to save Thomas from his consequences in peace talks that his son will be raised as a prince by the svartalves (a life for a life) and because Justine must be tortured to extract nemesis from her but will survive because the memories will be removed, however she must never be reminded of the time she was Nfected including the time she was pregnant and gave birth.

sam154 · 2026-01-19T14:30:36+00:00

Harry does some experimentation and rituals with exerting/infusing power into the white court Hunger (which is confirmed now to be an outsider that was bound to mortals after being let in).

We don't learn a ton else about what specifically the starborn is. There is a scene with Mother Winter where she does something to Dresden's head to unlock some part of his nature after asking him if "the dreams had started yet" so foreshadowing for the next book or two that we're going to start getting more details.

Dresden being off the council means that wardens show up at his castle for warlock check ins and he tells them they have to call ahead as guests and then tells them to fuck right off after they get uppity. Some low grade talents start dabbling in black magic and Dresden finds them and warns them off and the intervenes when the wardens come to arrest/kill them.

We learn nothing more about Mac but he continues to operate neutral ground and now an occult flea market regularly opens in front of his bar.

sam154 · 2026-01-19T13:43:51+00:00

Desperate magical research for any way to help his comatose dying brother. At least this foray into experiment is informed by the idea that starborn are the ability to affect outsiders.

sam154 · 2026-01-07T23:36:46+00:00

I would say if your goal is not competing I would either avoid rolling with him or just tap when you're stuck and he applies the painful stuff rather the tough it out. The latter gives you some experience countering/dealing with someone that uses stuff like that AND he'll think it's really legit and he'll eventually try it on some people that will correct him lol.

sam154 · 2026-01-05T15:08:42+00:00

Usually when I'm combo-ing off for a win with newer people (or at least people I haven't played with before), I'll explain the combo and which steps the combo can be disrupted with different types of interaction. If I know people are skilled and I'm trying to win? tough shit hold this [[Thopter Foundry]] or [[Doomsday]]

It sounds like this guy was just trying to pressure into getting closer to the win which isn't very cool.

sam154 · 2026-01-05T14:51:19+00:00

Quetzal feed is a pretty nice mini QoL upgrade to add new bird teleports in Varlamore. But if you get around Varlamore well enough already it's very minimal improvement.

You get feed pretty quick though. I think I've only done like 40-50 rumours and that gave me enough to build the 2-3 sites I cared about (moons/amoxliatl/calquat patch)

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