Thread:Sakaros/@comment-29301-20180903145046/@comment-104549-20181218193819

I always appreciate your feedback, complimentary and critical!

I liked Kai Latra not only because he's fun to write (although he is), but because I thought his humor itself might be jarring in a way that amplifies the horror of his castle. It's filled with beings undergoing horrific suffering, and just utterly could not care less. Sacrificing Maalt without much hesitation and even naming the place "the Palace of Happiness" is indication not only that he's insane, but that's he not merely indifferent to suffering, he's completely oblivious to other people's feelings to an extent that they're almost not real to him. He's a pure psychopath, kept in check only by need (Saleej can provide him more opportunities to make his monsters) and, in a small way, fear (there's a hint of that in his reaction to the threat of Ko Davad). I admit I did throw in a couple Universal Horror-style elements out of fondness for the old favorites, although at least with the organ music I tried to weave it in more naturally (with it having a psychological and even Force-based effect on listeners). But I can see how it could come across as too much.

The structural issue (10 and 11) was a mistake on my part. Fixed that—thanks!

Vandak did get thrown through a wall, but it takes more than that to kill an Anzat, particularly one as powerful as he is. He'll be back in the future...

For Tirien recovering the Force, the only character I know who had the Force cut off in the first place is Ulic Qel-Droma (I'm given to understand it comes up in KotOR II, but I still haven't played that). In Qel-Droma's case, it was Force-based, and he rejoined the Force as he died (having both trained Vima Sunrider as a Jedi and refused to fight Sylvar, even talking her down from her anger). While Qel-Droma did die, what I saw there thematically was Ulic becoming a Jedi again in spirit, and that reuniting him with the Force. In the instant case, the acting agent wasn't the Force but Sith alchemy. I put in references to how much work Kai Latra had to do on interpreting old data as some basis for the fact that, in the end, he didn't really know what he was doing or have a solid blueprint; he was basically banking on his own brilliance and making it up as he went. Worse, with Targere's request, he had to find a way to make it work equally on dark and light siders. And as a result, while Kai Latra is brilliant, the formula had holes, and the supreme strength of the light side involved in an act of total self-sacrifice was enough to break through a hodgepodge alchemical creation.

Alecto, of course, took the easy way out—if you'll permit me a TV Tropes reference, she's Ignoring the Epiphany.

I take seriously the critique in Number 7, but because I don't want to spoil anything, I simply assure you that I have a plan.

Was 1.1 your favorite moment, then?

I'm glad you liked them both. Already at work on the next one!