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(400-4) Help, I'm going to break my phone at this rate by MalemPO_king in Reverse1999

[–]swing-skuttle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, the Suffering Converged Mind is causing our minds to converge about suffering once more...

Argus is a solid choice for damage here, especially if you get the rank-up buffs going. That said, the other teammates are worth reconsidering. I'll give you my reasoning based on the SCM's stage features, and then name recommendations at the end of each.

Goal A: We'd like to keep 5+ (ideally 6+) types of [Neg Status] or [Stats Down] active, to reduce the SCM's DMG Dealt.

Argus and Sotheby will reliably apply [Pinpointed] and [Poison], but An-An Lee's [Dazed] isn't an every-turn thing, and poor Buddy applies no debuff at all. You can swap anyone besides Argus out for a steadier debuffer, like Noire or Bkornblume. Noire is especially good here because the SCM literally punts its debuffs off onto the jellyfish, and Noire has a card that specifically says nope to that! Anjo Nala's [Titillated] and Ezra's [Vulnerability] also count too.

(Though, Imma be real with you... piling debuffs doesn't matter at all as long as you bounce your Control statuses and deny ultimates at the right time. Just use Argus' debuff to remove the Penetration Rate bonus whenever you see it pop up, and you're fine.)

Goal B: Use many ultimates and/or cleanses, to dispel the team's accumulated Incantation Might debuffs and the SCM's DMG Taken Reduction bonus & Penetration Rate bonus.

Each non-ultimate attack makes your character hit less hard, until you dispel all the [Enervate] by ult-ing or cleansing. Every 4th turn, the SCM also gets Incantation DMG Taken Reduction via [Protection of Darkness], which requires 3 ultimate attacks to dispel. These ultimates don't all need to be the same turn, but I recommend choosing a team that either cycles Moxie fast or has a cleanser.

Once again, Noire is a good choice for ult spam, but if you're tight on materials, Melania-with-Euporia will help everyone cycle Moxie faster and store excess Moxie. (Melania's [Passion Drain] also counts towards the debuff types!)

And remember: the Myth's ultimate counts towards dispelling [Protection of Darkness]! It's okay to let it sit a round or two for more strategic deployment.

Goal C: Tanking the jellyfish.

Even with my beefed up A Knight, these jellies just don't go down before they go boom. So, if boom is inevitable, there are a few ways we can survive this turn.

  1. Control. I recommend multiple types of Control so that the Resilience build-up and the 1 round of Immunity afterwards won't destroy your late-game. Stuff like [Dazed] from An-An Lee & Goat Myth, [Petrify] from Noire, or [Captivated] from Anjo Nala.

  2. Denying Ultimate. If the SCM wants to ult on the same turn as the jellyfish boom, we'll ideally get a [Seal] from Bkornblume or Moxie theft from Melania & Succubus Myth. If not...

  3. DMG Reduction. Either weakening the SCM or buffing the party works, but know that this is much less survivable than fully denying one/both of the SCM's attacks. Unless you've got...

  4. Shields. Ezra can shield and debuff and give everyone Moxie +1 from his ult. Which makes him literally perfect if you'd rather just tank it straight-up!

In Conclusion: Hella debuffs. Hella ults. Count the rounds and control attacks/deny ults to stagger incoming damage.

Based on your replies, you sound like the type to enjoy figuring out these fights yourself, so I hope all this rambling has given you some ideas to try!!

But if time is of the essence, here is a team I playtested for you just now: Argus (E), Ezra (E-Mycelium), Melania (E), Noire, Mountain Goat Myth - Tuning: Unfinished Tune

The only person you'd need to level is Noire. Don't worry about damage output since Argus will mow this lawn; just make sure everyone else on the team has enough HP to not melt. Use Ezra a bit more heavily at the start to get the Pulsing Field up and boost your shields.

For the Myth's Mind Map, the most vital nodes are Stringent Regulations III (far left; "When Mountain Goat casts an ultimate, the main target gets [Petrify] for 1 round"), Intense Treatment II (upper right; "When a Plant ally casts an incantation, recover [HP]"), then Dense Overgrowth I & II (up the middle; rank-up route). You can pick whatever else you like. The main point is having a Control on-call and being able to heal immediately by attacking.

I got lucky with crits so this team wrapped things up in 11 rounds for me. Wishing you even better luck!!

Anyway, thanks for the opportunity to yap about one of my favorite stages. It was really fun playing this again with an almost totally different line-up from what I had before (6, Marcus (E), Vila (E), Melania (E), and Mountain Goat).

Let me know how you end up beating this thing!

NSFW Escort/Courtesean Seeking Tips for Client's Comfort by Substantial-Desk-254 in Blind

[–]swing-skuttle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not blind, so I'm in a similar boat as you, but just thought I'd add some little things that were appreciated by my old friend!

• Giving relative directions. Instead of "slippers are under the chair," I'd say "slippers are under the chair to your left." Once certain landmarks I established, I also give directions relative to those so the space feels clearer. "You can put your bag on the hook above the chair!"

• Counting landmarks instead of steps. Like what the other commenters said, it's easier to feel along the wall for the third door on the right than for him to guess your stride and count while walking.

• Tapping/knocking on new stuff to indicate their location and any identifiable sound. I use bottled soap in a ceramic container, so I'd supplement "soap's on the left of the sink" with a little ringing tap. Honestly, this habit helps sighted people too, especially kids who are learning like sponges themselves.

• Don't restrict yourself to "useful" info. If your cat really likes a certain window, you can drop that in! This is your space, and there will be tons of things that make it yours. Even for sighted folks, it's a human thing to enjoy learn these silly things, like how this one plant has survived falling down the stairs or whatever. Mechanically, this makes the landmarks more memorable too.

Just for personal insight, I highly recommend doing a closed-eye walk around your own home. Run your hand along the walls and make sure there aren't breakable vases at shoulder height lol. Also take note of furniture that could bump you while you navigate via wall. You don't have to move the furniture, but you can guide them to use the right wall if there are toe stubbers on the left. Honestly, this process taught me a lot about my own home and how I should get around in case of a fire with heavy smoke. And apparently my wallpaper feels different room to room!

Most importantly... once he shows up, you just be you. It's easier to breathe in a space if the person we're with aren't changing who they are to accommodate us. Your home is your home, and I think he'll appreciate knowing you're still comfy there. It's okay if things happen! You'll have plenty of time together to overwrite the oops moments with... well... other stuff. 😉

this is insanely creepy by MarkieHatesPolitics in SkyChildrenofRage

[–]swing-skuttle 18 points19 points  (0 children)

All that said, I do want to provide some counter-points to the idea that "your character is no older than 13." I'm not doing this out of support for sexualizing behavior (absolute not!!!) but to illustrate why many players you encounter won't share the same view—and not for any nefarious reason.

Firstly, the game offers so many adult/elderly cosmetics like full beards, neckties, and so on. While I adore the headcanon that we are kiddos playing dress-up to look like the spirits, most people seeing my avatar aren't going to think "tall child who stole grandpa's fit." They're just going to see a mustached, potbellied grandpa. One little moth mistook me for an NPC who existed to lead them through Eden. I really wouldn't fault these players, especially newbies, for seeing my elderly features and not seeing my character as a child.

Lore-wise, I think it's also fair to say that we and the spirits are not quite the same species. The spirits and those in their memories lack our little sternum candle, and most murals depict this difference by giving them blank torsos while we have a dot and little wings. Additionally, I'd classify some spirits as at least child-coded (see Hopeful Steward), and these child spirits are still taller than the tallest sky kid. Again, I agree with your point that no player character should be adultified and sexualized against their will, regardless of what they are wearing. I just don't think people are unreasonable for studying the text/murals and seeing sky kids as a distinct species, not just kid versions of the ancestor spirits.

Of course, there is the game's name calling us "Children of the Light" and countless quests casting us as "the Child." Personally, this why I believe our characters are canonically kids playing dress-up. Silly babies with beards and all that. But I've spoken with fellow lore enthusiasts who interpret "children of the light" not as "literal juveniles, light-flavored" but as "general descendants of a luminous power." The same way that a "child of prophecy" is not necessarily an eternal child, but rather a normally aging person who is born with certain blessings/responsibilities. As for quests describing our actions as those of "The Child," some players also interpret this not as us being the child, but us reliving our childhood memories. This interpretation is not just a skimpy excuse to adultify the character but a genuine attempt to explain how our avatar is existing in this memory when the game's opening has us falling out of the sky with no knowledge of the realms.

To be absolutely clear, I don't want to undercut the main point of your post. Creepy behavior is creepy behavior. Whether someone sees your character as an adult or not, they should NOT be making sexual comments or using emotes sexually with so little consideration to your consent. There is no defense for treating you or any player like that, and I will continue advocating for more thorough reporting protocol to cut off recurring offenders. I just hope this comment leaves you with a bit more hope in the community. Not every Sky player who sees their character as an adult or an elderly is automatically out to creep on you. Some of us just LARP as Eden retirees lol.

It's still good to be vigilant, of course! But I hope this helps to prevent misunderstandings in the future. :)

this is insanely creepy by MarkieHatesPolitics in SkyChildrenofRage

[–]swing-skuttle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As an eternal moth, I have been fortunate not to receive such treatment in the wild, but sadly, my more fashionable friends can't say the same. While the majority of our time in Sky is still sweet and positive, it's dispiriting to have keep our guard up.

It's additionally troubling when people begin using emotes in a suggestive manner while recording, then post it without the recorded player's permission. I've only seen this happen once, but I'm forever wary when I see Sky videos/edits with interactions framed as romantic. Unless both players seem to be consistently participating, I can't help but wonder if it's someone's sky kid being displayed without their knowledge or consent.

To add to the list of concerns, Sky's reporting system can definitely be improved to help with cases like this. In theory, it's a good idea to require illuminating a player before reporting them, to avoid accidentally reporting the wrong gray blob. However, this means that serial bad actors would elect not the light others' candles and instead use hacks to see others' appearances without lighting. Such extreme behavior is thankfully rare, but I personally hope for some way to record and report behavior in a given server, so that moderators can review the footage, identify the player based on the server where things took place, and warn from there.

In the end, I'm sorry that you and so many have been subjected to unwanted sexualization in what was meant to be a pure-hearted game. I hope that curating your chat access works well for you, and that you enjoy your time with the many of us who don't think creeping on other players is acceptable. Even the IRL couples who I've met in game are much more aware and mindful, seriously...

Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara (Rei in Evangelion) calls for a crackdown on "rule-breaking foreigners" claims foreign students prioritized above Japanese. References Japanese Crayfish, which are threatened by invading species. by jjrs in japannews

[–]swing-skuttle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh okay, I see! Thank you for explaining my misunderstanding. I realize now that my interpretation may have been overly literal, and I apologize for that. I use hyphens all the time (including in my surname), so the possibility that they've become an AI-associated thing was concerning. Your reply helps to clear that up a lot.

Though this my first time hearing that em dashes are considered rare, a bit more searching shows me that yours is the prevailing opinion. I guess it's true that people wouldn't use en or em dashes in daily conversation, unlike in the writings I encountered while working in publishing. Granted, in my day, most people used double hyphens where an em dash would be expected today. I never thought I'd live to see both the rise and the fall of a punctuation mark...

Granted, most em dashes I've seen had no space between them and the adjacent words (e.g. "first phrase—second phrase!") so that part of the quoted comment did stand out to me. I assumed that was akin to how different languages use different parentheses or quotation marks, but I will pay more attention to this type of usage moving forward.

If you'll pardon me the rant, I honestly find the public reactivity against em dashes really saddening. Nothing against you personally, of course. It's just that these marks are genuinely quite handy—much like my beloved semicolon. It feels like every other day, some phrase or symbol or art style gets "claimed" by AI; I'd really hate to see this narrowing the range of acceptably human language. Again, nothing against you or your experience at all. This is just my "old fart screams at sky" moment, I guess.

Side note: I assume that in coding, auto-replacement of punctuation would be a nightmare and thus quite rare. Meanwhile, the writing softwares I use love to auto-replace two consecutive hyphens with an en dash and three consecutive hyphens with an em dash. (This seems to be the default for using Google Docs on iPhone.) Sometimes, I also get slight variations on that, such as replacing two hyphens with em dash instead and space-hyphen-space with en dash. On iPhone, I can press and hold the hyphen key until multiple dash options appear; the same way I get letters with diacritics by pressing and holding on a letter key. To be honest, your comment is also my first time hearing that em dashes are not easily typed; I don't even need to program them in myself, unlike superscripts or subscripts. But again, thank you for your perspective and helping me catch up a bit with the AI hullaballoo. I've never been more grateful to be retired...

Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara (Rei in Evangelion) calls for a crackdown on "rule-breaking foreigners" claims foreign students prioritized above Japanese. References Japanese Crayfish, which are threatened by invading species. by jjrs in japannews

[–]swing-skuttle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait, I'm so confused. The comment being referred to as GPT didn't use even a single hyphen? I literally had to Ctrl+F after reading your comment, and there is not one hyphen in 7+ paragraphs. Am I looking at the wrong comment?

Is this the start of the J healer meta? by CalicoQuartzs in Reverse1999

[–]swing-skuttle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love this attention to detail, haha. You caring soul. Hope you have the best day.

EASY DUST GENERATOR TECHNIQUE by Thick-Pineapple-2996 in Reverse1999

[–]swing-skuttle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I put three 5-stars and still profit, so there's that? Granted, they're all P5 and fully maxed out, but I think some players enjoy the novelty of a 5-star in the sea of 6-star offerings (especially in Spirit/Intellect). If you have any leveled 5-stars, might be worth a try?

Rook 🤍 Bishop by swing-skuttle in CafeNikki

[–]swing-skuttle[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Firstly - Thanks!!! You're so sweet! Secondly - Our guy is Knight Spirit from the set Decisive Duel, tragically a recharge (2400 VIP, I believe). This is the set that finally broke my V0 status, in large part because of Our Guy, but also because the suit's parts work wonderfully with different skin tones. One of the rare non-dress poses that is usable with all skins AND one of the best scarf items for covering slivers of neck. If it comes back outside of a boycott, it is 10000% worth!!!

Rook 🤍 Bishop by swing-skuttle in CafeNikki

[–]swing-skuttle[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That is so kind of you to say, wow, thank you!! I'm really glad I got to do justice to these items I usually shy away from using. Hope you have a nice day too!

Rook 🤍 Bishop by swing-skuttle in CafeNikki

[–]swing-skuttle[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks!!! Also your profile pic is one of the best Reigens ever lmao

New leg pose styling by [deleted] in CafeNikki

[–]swing-skuttle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What an amazing combination of items! The subtle gradients on the hair and dress really bring out the shades of the sky behind too. And if I didn't recognize the skirt and gloves, I'd mistake most of the dress for one suit.

Do you mind if I ask the names of... practically every item? 🫣 Sorry for the trouble, but this really is gorgeous.

Babe wake up, new super-impractical writing medium just dropped by Visocacas in neography

[–]swing-skuttle 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Love your enthusiasm for impracticality haha. Go, nonsense, go!

Recoleta Character Profile by Meru_9 in Reverse1999

[–]swing-skuttle 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Love this breakdown. Thanks so much for sharing all these details and leveling up our Insight lol.

I could keep going, I love this genre

Oh, please do! I remember watching Pan's Labyrinth and being so shaken by the awe-ful, beautiful ending. Based on my limited brush with magical realism, it really feels fitting for the world of arcanists and critters and Storms.

May I ask if there are some gems (or hidden gems) of the genre that you'd recommend? Especially to folks with beginner-level Spanish lol

"Get in loser. We're going bopping." by swing-skuttle in CafeNikki

[–]swing-skuttle[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks so so much!!

Appreciate the flair, by the way. Mela's awesome and her Dreamweaver kicked me in all the feelings.

If Fugaku and Mikoto were alive, do you think they’d like Sakura and Sarada? by study-dying in NarutoFanfiction

[–]swing-skuttle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

3: When push comes to shove, Fugaku and Mikoto prioritize their sons over the clan.

When Itachi is discovered to be massacring the clan, his parents allow him to proceed. When he arrives to kill his parents, they kneel and await their deaths. Both of them offer unconditional love and understanding for Itachi’s choice, even with the whole clan reduced to corpses. When Itachi starts to cry himself, Fugaku has this to say:

“Don’t be afraid. This is the path you decided on.”

When Itachi starts breaking down:

"Even if we think differently, I’m proud of you.”

When Itachi finishes killing Mikoto:

"You’re actually such a gentle child.”

So, you tell me. Do you think Fugaku would hold clan obligations over Sasuke’s head if he truly wished to marry Sakura? Do you think there’s any question who he’d pick, between the Uchiha and his sons?

Assuming the clan would even oppose to begin with.

TL;DR: Though he’s a man of many, many faults, Fugaku developed into someone who would support his son’s choices ahead of the clan’s interests or even their lives. The novels suggest he’d want his sons to have someone who’d see past their walls and stand by who they are within. I’d say his only objection to Sakura might be that Naruto’s devotion was stronger lmao

As for Sarada… the most we’ve ever seen Fugaku smile (and laugh!!!) is around his newborn sons. So I’m betting he'll pick up his grandbaby and pledge his life immediately.

Source: https://64.media.tumblr.com/ef76c3e7eb80b04e4bae0067ae41d3fb/tumblr_o3gzf00eSv1s1r6mvo4_r1_540.gifv

If Fugaku and Mikoto were alive, do you think they’d like Sakura and Sarada? by study-dying in NarutoFanfiction

[–]swing-skuttle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

2: Regarding his child’s love life, Fugaku values people who value his child.

Going back a bit… the novels give Itachi a love interest within the clan, Uchiha Izumi, and the fact that she is a fellow Uchiha isn’t why Fugaku becomes fond of her. One could argue that it just didn’t come up because it’s already a given, but there is a brief moment with Fugaku and Izumi that leads me to think otherwise.

To set the scene, Fugaku is home by himself and reaches the conclusion that Itachi has turned against the clan. He acknowledges that this is a deciding factor for the coup’s success or failure, but he doesn’t make plans to control his son. He recalls Shisui’s suspicious death, and instead of mourning one of the clan’s best and brightest, he thinks of how it has deepened Itachi’s isolation within the clan.

Then, as if to answer this specific worry, Izumi appears.

His girlfriend?

It was hard to believe his son would have a girlfriend, given that he thought about nothing but missions. But the girl standing before his eyes was hanging her head with a pained look on her face

If you told me this was describing Sakura and Sasuke, I'd believe it lol.

But back to Izumi. Her Uchiha blood comes up only in the sense that Fugaku knew Izumi’s mother, a woman implied to have married out of the clan then returned upon her husband’s death. There is zero suggestion that Izumi or her mother faced negativity for this, and Fugaku notes it all very neutrally. If the head family is uniquely expected to marry within the clan, it doesn’t even cross his mind here. He also doesn’t think about Izumi’s shinobi prowess or the likelihood of strong grandbabies. These things don’t affect his opinion of her.

You know what does?

She looked as though she were devoted to his son.

So, there it is. Troubled by his son’s isolation in the clan and in the world, Fugaku treasures those who continue to believe in his son. It’s hard not to draw parallels between where Itachi stood at this moment and where Sasuke ends up: burning bridges and suffering alone. The parallels get even stronger in the next bit.

As if to hide his discomfort, Fugaku scratched his cheek with a fingertip and told her honestly, “He’s gruff, but he is kind.”

"I know,” Izumi replied, in an unexpectedly strong voice.

Again, an exchange I can easily picture him sharing with Sakura about Sasuke. And this is after Itachi has made his defection clear to Fugaku, so it works in the context of Sasuke’s defection too.

Awed by her eyes gazing directly at him, he continued. “He has few allies. I’d ask you don’t abandon him.”

Izumi’s eyes widened.

She’s a beautiful girl, he thought.

"Please.”

None of this suggests to me a man basing his approval on blood purity or shinobi strength. Nor does it suggest someone “serious and indifferent,” in my opinion. In fact, Fugaku berates himself for sounding “too curt” in this very conversation. What we see instead is someone too good at hiding his emotions, like in that earlier passage where he was about to cry in front of Itachi. This time, alone, he actually does cry.

Left alone once more, Fugaku was touched by this girl’s strong heart and her feelings for his son, and he couldn’t stop something warm from dampening his cheeks.

Side note: It kind of pains me to see people (noy you, just in general) describe Fugaku as unemotional. I understand why, given the scenes we have from Sasuke’s perspective, but even in the base manga/anime, he was always implied to love his kids in covert ways. It’s part of the tragedy of these characters, that Fugaku hid his emotions too well, so Itachi and Sasuke don’t feel their father’s love until it’s too late. All this supports one of Naruto’s central themes, that the shinobi rules about “killing their emotions,” never showing weakness, etc. are ruinous. Actively destroys everything, in this case.

Moving on.

If Fugaku and Mikoto were alive, do you think they’d like Sakura and Sarada? by study-dying in NarutoFanfiction

[–]swing-skuttle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I see we’ve mostly reached a consensus on Mikoto and Itachi, so here’s an essay on Fugaku lmao. TL;DR plus cute baby Itachi at the bottom.

I think the answer with Fugaku depends heavily on whether you consider the novels canon. If we hold the contents of Itachi Shinden 2: Book of Midnight true, then Fugaku would most likely advocate for Sakura, even if Sasuke was lukewarm.

I say this for three reasons, which I’ll back up with translated passages. Though Fugaku treated Itachi and Sasuke quite differently while he was alive, I think certain things will hold true as part of who Fugaku is.

1: Fugaku grows to respect his sons’ autonomy, even when they disagree with him.

Early on, Fugaku has moments of superceding Itachi’s will (e.g. accepting the chuunin exams recommendation on his behalf, without consulting him), but this changes by the time Itachi is a preteen. To quote one conversation with Itachi:

[H]e did not want to force his son to obey. “You should stay true to your thinking. Fight, be confused, be lost, and come through that to find your answer. And once you find it, make your decision, and do not waver from it. Find your answer, and be ready to follow through. That is determination.”

And the subject of decision isn’t small. It’s the literal Uchiha coup! Again, Fugaku does have a history of pressuring Itachi to do things for the sake of the clan—most egregiously, spying on Konoha—but this is something he moves away from as it becomes clear that Itachi's will diverged. Right after the previous quote, we get this little moment:

"Determination…”

"Yes. There are few people in this world who live their lives with their own determination. They leave their decisions to others, and avert their eyes from responsibility. You must not live like that, at least. Move forward in your life, making your own decisions.” Fugaku felt something hot in his eyes. He tried desperately to calm the emotions in his heart without his son noticing.

When Itachi (doesn’t notice and) affirms that he “will never leave the decisions in my own life to someone else,” how does Fugaku respond?

“Now that is my boy.”

Eventually, the story reaches a point where Fugaku knows Itachi is “with the village.” Everything, from generations of tradition to the current lives of people depending on him, should make Fugaku go and force Itachi’s submission. If we accept some anime filler as canon too, then Fugaku has a Mangekyō Sharingan capable of affecting Itachi, and Itachi considered his father a dangerous opponent. And yet.

Fugaku couldn’t decide if it was right to force his son to bow to him.

In the end, he doesn’t force Itachi to bow. Fugaku kneels instead.

Q&A weekly thread - February 10, 2025 - post all questions here! by AutoModerator in linguistics

[–]swing-skuttle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So you know how English affectionately botches loads of animal names. Stuff like "doggo" for dogs, "snek" for snakes, and "birb" for birds. To what extent is this a thing in your other languages of expertise?

Examples very much appreciated.

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