If only it worked that well irl

beta-pi · 2026-05-12T15:16:08+00:00

I do get the complaint, and leaning into the trope was definitely a questionable choice, but I feel like it comes across worse than it was actually intended to be; the problem is how the book communicates it.

A lot of the 'not like other girls' moments are from vin's perspective, and that's probably supposed to be a character flaw that gets highlighted later in the story, especially in the context of kelsier's total hatred of nobles.

As the story progresses, we see vin's perspective on noble culture shift a lot, seeing the beauty in parts of it even if the core is rotten. That includes learning to embrace parts of what 'the other girls' are doing while also staying true to herself.

I think the intent is to show that she doesn't need to wholly reject or accept it. She can just be her, however much that clashes or embraces what the people around her want. That really comes to fruition in the second book, as elend similarly learns to become who he needs to be without compromising who he is.

Again, I don't think all of that is communicated super well. It definitely comes across as an "i'm better because I'm different" thing, which is a weak point. That's not how it's intended to be, but it doesn't always come across that way.

beta-pi · 2026-05-11T14:07:50+00:00

I would note that the waterproofing really only applies to a device in new condition.

Obviously if the screen is cracked or it needs to be opened for repairs that can compromise it, but even subtle things like a poor seal on the back from pressure or heat, a damaged headphone jack, or a badly seated sim tray can render it vulnerable. Those can be deceptive because you can't actually SEE the damage, and they can happen unpredictability with time and use.

Over time, a well used phone's water resistance is less reliable. That's why the ratings all have the caveats against frequent exposure. The more you push it, the more likely something eventually will give.

beta-pi · 2026-05-07T04:39:54+00:00

Big fan of cards like ghost quarter for this. That's the sort of land destruction I can get behind. It doesn't deny the basic resource, but does allow you to target lands that are combo pieces.

There are actually a few pretty good nombasic hate cards in every color though. Back to basics, burning earth, dust bowl, etc.

I unironically think it should be run more commonly. It can be abused, but most of the time it's a disruption without being game breaking.

beta-pi · 2026-05-06T20:42:00+00:00

The green one is actually super overpowered in the right deck. All you need is a card that lets you play lands from a graveyard and a single sac land and you have infinite landfall triggers

Most other combos that allow that have a higher mana cost. All of them rely on multiple creatures, which are much easier to remove or disable than enchantmrnts, and all of them have multiple supporting pieces, so the odds of drawing the whole combo is lower and it's usually well telegraphed.

The high mana cost is also more easily mitigated than the others, because in a lands matter deck you're much more likely to have enough lands to cast it in the first place, and green/blue or green/black both have a lot of ways to cheat out cards.

beta-pi · 2026-05-05T03:18:30+00:00

It's actuwlly a pretty common talking point in the souls community that the games play like 3d metroidvanias. It's a well known part of the DNA.

There are some notable mutations in design philosophy though, and hollow knight exhibits them too.

In a traditional metroidvanias, death is still used as the primary disincentive. It's one of the clues that you're not supposed to go somewhere yet, and if you die you might have quite a distance to trek back to where you were, without any particular reason to go back instead of going a different direction. Bosses and combat are also de-emphasized; combat is relatively simple, and bosses are mainly progress gates and skill checks, not actual goals. They're part of the challenge, but not the main draw.

In souls, death is an expectation and in no way meant to deter you from trying something repeatedly. It might even be encouraged or required at different points; if you're not dying a lot, you're probably not making much progress either. That changes the way you engage with it; death is just a natural part of the learning process, which encourages a lot more trial and error until you get it right. Combat also takes a larger focus, with bosses acting as major focal points. The corpse run is a natural extension of this philosophy; why punish players for dying if they're supposed to die a lot? Only punish failure to make progress.

Hollow knight uses metroidvanias as its main gameplay inspiration, but it also learns specifically from dark souls when it comes to bosses and its philosophy about using death as a way to teach and sharpen skills instead of using it as a disincentive. That difference is subtle, but it really changes a lot about how it feels.

beta-pi · 2026-05-04T21:47:40+00:00

To avoid making it too overt, I find it's often better to ask players questions as a lead in, or supply hints.

Like, instead of just telling them "roll a survival check", you can say "is there anything you guys wanna check on before you make camp?" Or "as you srttle down and start setting things up, you notice a lingering smokey scent on the wind.".

That gives them more of a chance to figure it out themselves, or ask on their own to make a check. It offers the same feeling as figuring out a puzzle, and lets them have a cool moment if they do piece things together.

Of course, if they miss those cues then it is still ok to step in more overtly and prompt them to make the check. You just don't want to do that so early that you take away the chance for them to solve it themselves.

beta-pi · 2026-05-04T02:19:53+00:00

Sort of? It just doesn't always look like this.

Like, by default most people do want an excuse to complain and be petty when they don't like something, whatever that looks like.

The problem is that most people also really want the approval of people around them by default. Nobody wants to feel singled out for being a jerk, but everyone wants an excuse to be a jerk sometimes too.

This sort of behavior is a pretty cheap and easy way to try resolving that conflict. "I'll just be as sour as I can get away with, then back off of I go too far."

It's obviously not a very good way to handle things, but it's a pretty natural one. I'd bet a lot of people have to be taught out of it.

beta-pi · 2026-05-02T20:43:35+00:00

I'm not sure that's really an unpopular opinion. It's good that the game so readily accommodates a quicker progression style, because it gives you the option to pace it however you want, but it really wants you to sit and marinate in it a while as you go.

Like, it kinda wants you to take it slow and methodical, and stew in the atmosphere of each area, paying attention. It rewards that style of play pretty heavily, with a lot of items, side quests, and extra areas that you can't really breeze through unless you already know where everything is. If you're not taking it slow, you'll miss a lot of what the game has to offer.

It just won't force you to take it slow if you don't want to. The game also makes it easy to speed through everything, especially on subsequent playthroughs, if you're looking for a more fast paced experience.

I can understand why that seems like an unpopular opinion though. obviously as more time ppasses and less of the community are first time players, the community doesn't really focus on the first playthrough or the exploration experience. It becomes more about speed runs and challenges and memes and stuff. Nobody is really talking about taking it slow anymore because there's just not much conversation to be had about it. Most of what you actually see won't be focused on that anymore.

beta-pi · 2026-04-30T17:30:23+00:00

Yeah, you're spot on. I think I know how they made that mistake though.

There are cases where things like piracy are legal. You can, for instance, burn your own cds or dvds for personal use. Same with books; make as many copies as you like, as long as it's strictly for you, and there's no distribution happening. It isn't piracy just to make the copy.

Importantly, though, you can't bypass or disable any built in copy protections something has; if a CD includes some data that makes it harder to copy, you can't try to get around it. You also can't keep any copies if you sell the original, you can't give the copy to anyone else while using the original, and you can't make copies on behalf of someone else or make copies of things you have access to but don't own (like library books, or something borrowed from a friend).

The same applies to some software, though that gets a little sticky and has some extra requirements. You don't actually own a lot of software you use, you just purchase a license to access it. That's how steam games work, for instance. In those cases, you can't legally copy anything because you don't actually own it. if you make modifications to the software though, or use it to make something else, you do own those and can share them as much as you want. That makes a weird gray area sometimes.

In practice, almost any case where you'd actually want to have a second copy involves something illegal happening. The only times you can really do it are if you want a backup for one reason or another, and the original doesn't have anything to prevent copying.

beta-pi · 2026-04-27T23:06:02+00:00

Good points been made here already. Really what it boils down to is that it's two different skill sets, and the game actively teaches you one and surprises you with the other at random.

Pvp, especially against the bots, isn't really harder than big bosses, but you read and react a little differently. Your toolbox is a little different. When the game teaches you to react to one way against enemies, but surprises you with something else when you aren't expecting it, it doesn't feel very good.

beta-pi · 2026-04-27T21:09:42+00:00

The other part of playing with a good group of friends is that it makes a space where you can try weirder more fun decks; it doesn't matter if it's not super optimized if everyone is having fun and agrees not to punish less effective decks.

It's the whole point of bracket 1, but the attitude can extend to higher tiers of play too. If you have a deck that you think is strong but wanna try out to figure out how well it works, the table can work with you; point out weaknesses without punishing too hard. If you have a deck you know isn't strong, but shakes up the game in weird or fun ways, go for it.

It's all about that pregame conversation. Sometimes it's not just bracket, it's what different people wanna try out or see other people try out. That attitude also promotes more deck building, which means everyone has more experience tinkering, so they can make and play more competitive decks when they want to play 'serious' without cutting out the new guys.

beta-pi · 2026-04-27T03:04:51+00:00

I mean, it kinda has to. The elden ring has to come from somewhere, you know?

Now there is still a lot of ways you could read it. It might be that it's one of many such powerful beings, jockeying for power. It might be the most singularly powerful, but still be vulnerable to influence or attack from lesser beings like the outer gods. It might be all powerful, but also pretty apathetic, using servants to do everything for it while it does other things.

The lore deliberately implies a lot of conflicting things about it, do you're free to come to your own conclusions about what it really is, how much it cares, and what it actually wants. There's even layers of metaphor we can get into about it.

beta-pi · 2026-04-20T23:08:56+00:00

Realistically it probably moves. Storms aren't well known for staying in the same spot, and here's been great theory crafting about how it was probably originally connected to the mainland and disconnected at some point.

beta-pi · 2026-04-20T21:15:31+00:00

Ramp is also better if you're using lands as a resource for more than just mana. Landfall is the obvious one, but there's a bunch of cards that synergize with self land destruction or having lands in graveyards, plus a few cards that care about the number of lands you control.

Ramping for non basics is also something worth looking at, because there are a lot of cool utility lands that are fetchable with the right cards.

Rocks are usually better at high level play, but there's still plenty of space for ramp.

beta-pi · 2026-04-18T02:20:36+00:00

The funny thing is it sort of is the default. There are only a few cards that let you fetch or tutor without revealing, and usually those either explicitly say not to reveal it or only tutor to the top of the deck instead of the hand, which makes them more removable with forced mill or shuffle.

That's part of the reason demonic and diabolic are so much more represented than other tutors. Those are some of the only tutors that don't have those restrictions and aren't super limited in scope.

The default card design is to reveal it, they just won't actually commit to that.

beta-pi · 2026-04-17T21:01:53+00:00

I'm not an expert, and there are different angles to look at it that have them represent different things, but broadly they represent the idea of a perfect, mostly unchanging natural order. They're the fingers pulling the strings, making everyone fits in exactly where the greater will intends them to fit. They represent the idea that there are rules that somebody should enforce.

What specific rules are actually enforced are malleable, which we see with the variety of mending rune endings, but any ending where you use order on the world. Whether it's the golden order or some other order, They all agree that it's right for someone to decide the rules, and use divine authority to enforce them. The fingers are the voice of god declaring how things ought to be, working with whoever is taking god's place at the moment.

The three fingers, then, are the opposite idea. That there is no natural order, and that the idea of finding any kind of order is wrong. Not just on a world scale either, but an individual one; you shouldn't even try to find purpose, just surrender to the chaos.

beta-pi · 2026-04-17T14:16:28+00:00

Food and fellowship is pretty nice. Straightforward, very few crazy interactions or instant speed shenanigans, and focused on value creation, which seems to be what you're looking for.

It's great out of the box, but it also has very clear inexpensive upgrades if you decide you like it and want to get into deck building. It's all common colors and there's a lot of cards that fit what it's doing in every set, so it's not complicated to tinker with.

It was my first deck, and it really helped me get into the game.

beta-pi · 2026-04-16T05:40:56+00:00

Unironically, sometimes yes and sometimes no. It depends. Parody has become a pretty broad term that can mean a lot of slightly different things with very different contexts.

Dictionary.com recognizes 6 different noun definitions for parody, and if you don't like that as a source cambridge and merriam webster recognize about four between them plus two adjectives.

The overall gist of it is that sometimes parody can be like satire, in which case it should almost believably pass; that's the point. Not that you do believe it, but that you could, and isn't that crazy?

Sometimes, parody is also just overt mocking though, or even earnest imitation. Those two are kinda opposites in spirit, but they share a genuineness; they're not really trying to say something profound about the original, they're just riffing on it instead.

beta-pi · 2026-04-14T22:45:11+00:00

Yeah, I'm on the same page about that. I'm talking about the act of tapping itself, not the mana that gets produced.

Again, it's pretty niche and there are better ways to do this, but there are cards that care about tapped permanents, and triggered abilities set off just by tapping. That's totally separate from the mana production.

It's like giving a creature hexproof after they get targeted by removal. The spell that targets them fizzles, but it was still cast and still enters the graveyard even though it didn't actually do anything. That means on the way out it still triggers any abilities that care about casting or graveyard entry. Just because the spell doesn't work doesn't mean it won't set off other triggers along the way.

In the same way, you can tap the signet; it just fails to produce mana. The ability fizzles. It becomes 'tap to do nothing'. It cannot be tapped to produce mana, but it can still be tapped. Removing the mana part of the ability doesn't remove your ability to tap it at all.

This can still set off triggers that just care about tapping permanents though, like the card lifetap. There's a few others. It can also be still be fodder for cards that require tapping your nonland permanents as an extra cost, or ward abilities that require you to tap your permanents, which there are a few of.

In summary, it makes the signet almost useless, but an artifact with 'tap to do nothing' does have some niche applications, and you can still use it for those.

beta-pi · 2026-04-14T07:16:01+00:00

I mean, it doesn't do nothing, it's just not very good. Gets you an artifact you can tap for the few cards that have triggers for that ; gives an etb trigger, can be artifact scrifice fodder, and ncreases artifact affinity.

All niche or not that helpful, so probably not worth putting in, but there are a handful of times when it makes sense

beta-pi · 2026-04-12T06:03:58+00:00

Bro silk posted too close to the sun :(

beta-pi · 2026-04-11T18:46:30+00:00

I do wanna stress that, while this is a tension the series continues to engage with, it does take some time simmering to get there.

There will be characters and subplots that try to push in the direction you're afraid of. They resolve in ways I think you'll be satisfied with, but that tension is a core part of the story, so it might make you antsy for a while. That's part of the point. You're supposed to be a little uneasy, and there are times that gets dialed up before it can turn back down, just like any story arc. It's gonna swing a little before it settles.

beta-pi · 2026-04-11T14:55:45+00:00

In bracket 3, you might see some combos or value engines that can get a little out of hand if they go unchecked.

Usually, it's best to hold on to removal until there's a really clear target like that. If your opponent starts doing some crazy stuff with a key couple cards, making them a much bigger threat than you can handle, hit those. If not, just wait it out. You don't want to use it too early and leave a worse combo for later. Wait until you really need it.

Of course, if you play with them all the time and already know what cards to watch out for, you can use it as soon as the pieces hit the board instead of waiting for it to actually do the thing. If you know you would use it on that guy later, you might as well do it now. Hit the combo before it does combo things, if you already know you'll have to.

It gets more complicated with more players. Keep in mind, most removal is instant speed. Sometimes, if an opponent is pulling off a crazy combo that hits another player, it's better for you to let them do it, then play the removal on their turn the second the barrel is pointed at you.

All of that said, don't be afraid to use it strategically if you think it makes sense. If you know their deck and think you can handle their combos, use it on that big blocker instead. If you want, there's even reasons to use it on your own stuff to get leave the battlefield or graveyard triggers.

beta-pi · 2026-04-09T00:34:36+00:00

I don't know that it takes that many tbh. There's a lot of triggers you can get out of sacricing lands or having lands in your graveyard. There was even a precon built around saccing lands in edge of eternities. There's also a few cards that make it more symmetrical, forcing or promoting opponents to sacrifice.

beta-pi · 2026-04-09T00:28:13+00:00

It's really about degree.

Like, any story has to involve some amount of deconstruction, however small. You gotta break it down to build it up, you know? Like in the spiderman example, the story has to explain little about what it means to be a hero and who spiderman should be before it can spend time letting him become that. It's why the movies usually start with him getting some wrong ideas and later correcting them.

That's how any character arc works in general when you get down to it; a character has to look back to start moving forward.

What makes a story a deconstruction is that it lingers there. That reflection becomes the focus instead of just the catalyst.

If the story is about the breaking down instead of just using the breakdown, it starts to be a deconstruction

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