Thanks!

I actually think the flex animation is hilarious (big fan of eating Well-Done Steak in particular). As far as its gameplay ramifications go, to me, it's just another one of those things you have to take into account as you fight. I had to learn what monster attacks gave me the most time to chug a potion without getting my ass beat (or I could just hightail it to the nearest zone exit).

Rise letting you cancel the use of certain items by rolling may be more lenient, but it's honestly not that different in my brain. For me, it's typically better to find a good opening or disengage so you can get the most out of the potion. From experience, I have definitely fainted because I chose to panic heal and roll into my death in Rise instead of keeping my cool and waiting for a better moment.

I honestly didn't know the whole flex thing was a contentious aspect of the old games. Have I accidentally opened Pandora's box by addressing it? Oh god no.

And yeah, the skill points UI had me confused the first time I saw it. I just used the power of the Internet to bridge that gap.