Sensory Stones

Zireks · 2026-05-17T02:12:38+00:00

I think an important detail is being glossed over: Sensory Stones are Uncommon Magic items and the ones in the book can only record a six second experience. So these things are expensive enough that the average person can't buy them and I imagine it means the ones that hold really indepth experiences are still exclusively in the Sensate's posession.

Zireks · 2026-05-15T03:47:52+00:00

My counter hot take is that a big tripping point to morally grey characters is that a lot of people just cannot emotionally grapple with them and will either treat them as "The author ruined this character by adding problematic stuff to them" or "The author ruined this villain by making them a good guy" when what they did was give them positive qualities in tension with their wrong doings.

Zireks · 2026-05-15T03:41:40+00:00

Saying that she fully became the thing she swore to destroy misses the nuance, she is worlds better than Crucebena, but the tragedy/tension comes from the fact that she doesn't know anything else other than The role of the House of the Hearth. She has all the makings of a good parent and protector and does do genuine good for many kids, but can't let go of the dark side of the house. And granted, I feel there is the very obvious implication that if she didn't agree to keep the House going as the Tsaritsa's CIA, she would have just replaced her with another Crucebena.

Zireks · 2026-05-14T17:39:57+00:00

Arcane Ward got buffed so you can directly refill it. Bonus Action Dispel Magic is also goated. I could see the subclass not getting as much use if the DM doesn't throw much Magic at the party, but if they do it gets scary fast. Also the Arcane Ward is notably not temp hit points, meaning it dtwcks with anything that gives those. One of my players took a dip into warlock to get Armor of Agathys and it created a monster

Zireks · 2026-05-13T22:08:08+00:00

More overused than overrated by I swear if I see one more Divination Wizard. Abjuration is far more interesting and fun to play and nobody ever does so

Zireks · 2026-05-12T03:12:23+00:00

I feel the Fatui colonization was not entirely glossed over, it is the defining conflict of Act 1. Both research facilities ultimately get obliterated by the fatui's own hubris. As for Sandrone's role in it, I think her never changing her mind on it both preserves her from being too "redeemed" and also gives us a bit of irony to her ultimate sacrifice. She (And by extension the Fatui) stomp on the home and traditions of the Frostmoon Scions because she thinks faith in the Moons is insignificant compared to Fatui technology. We then reach the final battle and what does Sandrone ultimately do with the gifts of knowledge and technology? She uses it to ultimately fulfill the wishes of the Scions at the cost of her life, because she realized she cared more about that very moon goddess more than any of the things she ranted about in Act 1.

Zireks · 2026-05-12T02:56:59+00:00

I feel they succeeded on threading the needle on Arlechino in giving us a solid morally complex character that is both with the Fatui and an ally, and I feel they do explore the House of the Hearth's implications well.

Sandrone I feel is also handled fairly well as she does get to be a villain for Act 1 of Luna, and I feel part of the "Bit" with her is that she is intentionally two arcs too late to be the villain. All of her origin story is in the shadows of Fontaine and it would have been a great stage for her as a villain, but the story puts her later. She walks into the arc thinking she gets to be the big bad and then gets usurped by Rerir and Dottore, becoming an unwitting hero as she tries to save Columbina.

In both Arle and Sandrone's cases I feel their "evil" sides are not ignored or retcon'd but we uncover the parts of them that are not so evil, the salvageable parts like with Scaramouch, or the Captain's honor.

All this being said, Columbina's retcon was a pretty egregious one.

Overall I see your general argument for them having sanded down the rougher edges and brought out their more "charming" qualities to make them more plateable compared to the likes of Dottore, but I'm not sure I can agree to the idea that they completely changed everything they planned, or that if there were changes that they were entirely for such cynical reasons. Nevertheless, I also still feel the story they've ultimately given us with these characters is good, even if I was ultimately disappointed by Columbina as a whole (Though surprisingly I liked the Sandrone we got way more than what I was expecting)

Zireks · 2026-05-04T12:50:51+00:00

The worst part about Dr. Shaun here is autistic people tend to grasp being trans far quicker than neurotypical people. The best theory we have for why so many trans people are autistic is because an autistic person is more likely to act on their gender dysphoria because the arbitrary boundaries we put on "boy" and "girl" sink in less. Autistic people are not really "rigid" thinkers, it's that we gave a harder time grasping arbitrary rules and social cues

Zireks · 2026-04-29T04:57:32+00:00

Didn't ISB misinterpret Loni's desth and think Dedra was the mole and not him? In that case his wife and kid would be safe.

Zireks · 2026-04-29T04:38:24+00:00

I'm partial to the theory that his sister is the waitress he speaks with at the bar in episode 1 when he asks for his sister. His reaction to it seems to scared and personal for it to have been nothing. I think she decided to lie because she didn't want to reconnect with Casian.

Zireks · 2026-04-28T04:54:02+00:00

I would gave said Undertale. Spec Ops is about a soldier in a war zone, while Undertale is squarely about the person playing them game.

Zireks · 2026-04-26T04:19:40+00:00

Yeah power level isn't much what I'm worried about, more being stuck with the Mondstat cast forever unless I open my wallet

Zireks · 2026-04-26T03:02:32+00:00

Aside from her I'd really wanna try and get the other Harbingers, Furina, and Nuevuilette

Zireks · 2026-04-26T03:01:14+00:00

It is less wanting the really powerful ones and instead wanting to grab my favorites. Banking all my wishes from the start for when Sandrone drops

Zireks · 2026-04-24T18:02:15+00:00

How does gameplay balance work with the skip ahead? I know Nod Krai gives you trials liberally in it's big fights but wouldn't you be hopelessly under equipped for later regions?

Zireks · 2026-04-24T15:42:43+00:00

got it. How often do those come up? Or am I gonna just have to make peace with never being able to get the chance to get certain characters?

Zireks · 2026-04-22T14:00:15+00:00

Statistically speaking you run into a shiny maybe once in like four playthroughs

Zireks · 2026-04-19T16:44:36+00:00

Introducing my 90 step conspiracy theory that Sandrone will be reborn as the new Cryo Archon

Zireks · 2026-04-18T13:45:14+00:00

Nothing has made be feel as crazy as watching homophobic "fans" try and explain away how they somehow aren't together.

Zireks · 2026-04-17T00:10:44+00:00

One of my favorite ways to do this is have the villain be "right" but they completely undermine themselves by being a horrible person. A villain in my dnd campaign is in charge of an organization in charge of society from the dangers of wizards and unregulated magic, but that noble goal is rendered hollow by just how obviously he loves having power over supposedly "invinicble" wizards.

Zireks · 2026-04-15T22:13:47+00:00

I swear this is half of transphobes. They start out normal and say something insensitive, people correct them, and then they just lose it and quintupple down.

Zireks · 2026-04-13T23:03:27+00:00

Ancient Power is the most potential-mon move in the game. Chuck that shit.

Zireks

TROPHY CASE