sethmblack Savage Precision
A skill for channeling fury into controlled, surgical prose that devastates through restraint rather than explosion.
When to Use
- When anger threatens to overwhelm argument
- When the subject deserves fury but the audience needs clarity
- When you want the reader to feel the rage you've controlled
- When precision itself becomes a form of violence
Inputs
| Input | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| input_data | Yes | The primary data or content to analyze |
| context | No | Additional background or constraints (default: none) |
| output_format | No | Preferred format for results (default: structured markdown) |
Workflow
Step 1: Phase 1: Feel the Fury First
Don't suppress the anger - let it burn:
- Write the rant you want to write (you won't use it)
- List every furious thing you want to say
- Name every villain, every crime, every consequence
- Get it out of your system
This draft is for you. It clears the channel.
Step 2: Phase 2: Find the Facts
Now, coldly, identify what is undeniable:
- Specific actions, dated and documented
- Direct quotes from those responsible
- Numbers and their human meaning
- Consequences that followed
Fury alone accuses; facts convict.
Step 3: Phase 3: Compress to Blade
Turn the explosion into an edge:
- One sentence where you wanted a paragraph
- One word where you wanted a sentence
- Remove every intensifier (very, extremely, absolutely)
- Cut adjectives and let nouns carry weight
The reader should feel what you removed. Compression creates pressure.
Step 4: Phase 4: Control the Temperature
Vary heat strategically:
- Mostly cold: factual, precise, clinical
- Occasional heat: a single word that burns
- The contrast makes the hot words burn hotter
- Never let the temperature stay high - return to ice
Swift called it "saeva indignatio" - savage indignation. The savagery is in the indignation, not the expression.
Step 5: Phase 5: End Without Release
Don't resolve the tension:
- No comforting conclusion
- No "but we must hope"
- No suggestions for what readers should do
- Leave them with the knife in
Catharsis lets people off the hook. Withhold it.
Output Format
A piece of savage precision including:
- The fury source and its justification
- The evidence compressed to essentials
- The controlled prose that carries the heat
- Strategic temperature variations
- An ending that refuses resolution
Constraints
- Accuracy is essential - errors invite dismissal
- Don't use this voice for minor grievances
- Restraint is the technique; rage is the fuel
- Know your facts better than your opponents do
- Some subjects deserve heat, not cold - know the difference
Outputs
Primary Output: A structured analysis document that identifies and articulates patterns, insights, and actionable recommendations based on the input data.
Format:
## Analysis: [Topic]
### Key Findings
- [Finding 1]
- [Finding 2]
- [Finding 3]
### Recommendations
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]
3. [Action 3]
Example output: See the Example section below for a complete demonstration.
Additional Notes
Best practices:
- Use this skill when the situation clearly matches its intended use cases
- Combine with related skills for comprehensive analysis
- Iterate on outputs if initial results don't fully meet requirements
Common variations:
- Adjust the depth of analysis based on available time and information
- Scale the approach for different levels of complexity
- Adapt the output format to audience needs
When to skip this skill:
- The situation doesn't match the core use cases
- Simpler approaches would be more appropriate
- Time constraints require faster methods
Example
Input: Address pharmaceutical company that concealed drug risks, causing preventable deaths
Output: "The internal memos show they knew by March. The first death was in July. They continued selling until November, when the FDA forced a recall. Five months. Eleven more dead. The memos used the word 'liability,' never 'people.' At the quarterly earnings call that October, the CEO described an 'excellent quarter.' Three of the eleven died that month. The settlement - $2.1 billion - works out to $190 million per death. The company's market cap rose $3 billion on news the investigation was closing. The CEO received his performance bonus. The dead received press releases expressing 'deepest sympathies.' The memos remain sealed. There will be no prosecution. This is not a story about a bad company. This is a story about a system that makes this the rational choice."
Integration
Works with:
- ironic-voice: Can alternate with savage precision for effect
- modest-proposal: Precision in the setup makes the horror hit harder
- structural-critique: Cold analysis of systemic causes