Poem: "As My Awareness Increases"
Sep. 2nd, 2016 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the May 3, 2016 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from technoshaman. It fills the "self-awareness" square in my 5-1-16 card for the Solo Celebration Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by the general fund, based on an audience poll. Happy birthday to librarygeek from technoshaman and mama_kestrel, who noted that in their donations. It belongs to the Berettaflies thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"As My Awareness Increases"
[Near end of Week 3?]
Ashley likes spending time by herself,
likes to sit alone and think deep thoughts,
but she's never been much for trying
to psychoanalyze herself.
After all, what would be the point?
She already knows she's a mess.
Now she has superpowers, though,
and teammates, a combination which
makes self-awareness more imperative.
She has The Big Yellow Workbook from Haruko,
and another manual that Adalina recently gave her,
The Lone Oak: Becoming a Healthy, Happy Introvert,
and even a superpower pamphlet from Facet.
Ashley doesn't feel much enthusiasm for those,
but if she doesn't do something soon, then:
1) people will keep asking her about it, and
2) she's bound to lose control again.
Besides, she needs something to read while she
does the boring-but-kind-of-cool science experiment
from the university, which amounts to "hold this and
see if it melts," in increments of one to ten minutes.
That's a lot of sitting and holding the test squares,
but someone had gotten the bright idea that maybe
her venom could be used to break down garbage.
Talk about making lemonade when life hands you
lemons, but Ashley will take what she can get.
So she uses a timer to keep track of
the experiment, and decides that her task
for personal growth today will be marking
worksheets that don't suck too much.
Actually doing them later will
count as another task.
The squares in the first set are
clear plastic, and it doesn't even take
a full minute to start yellowing.
Meanwhile Ashley uses a set of
posty flags to color-code the pages.
The flags don't degrade in her hands
because SPAZMAT gave her a pack
of the ones they use to mark things
on the scene of zetetic incidents.
Starting with the yellow book,
Ashley marks a human outline
that is supposed to get colored in
with emotions, giving it a yellow flag
for something worth considering.
By the time she wipes off
the tacky blob of ten-minute plastic,
she hasn't found anything else.
The second set of squares
are some kind of synthetic cloth
which holds up better than the plastic.
Ashley switches to the introvert book.
The first thing she sees that earns
a green flag is a networking checklist
for introverts, which is written for
business but Ashley thinks she can
modify it for her own purposes.
The exercise about body awareness
isn't usually her kind of thing, but it snags
her attention because it makes her think of
the one really cool thing about her superpower:
the spectacular goth effects of her appearance.
She puts a yellow flag on the page.
The one about changes gets a yellow flag, too.
Ashley is more intrigued by the page
about relationships, thinking of Haruko.
She puts a green flag there.
The third set of squares seem to be
some kind of enamel paint in stripes
of rainbow colors, the surface feeling
cool and smooth in her fingers.
Ashley turns to the superpower pamphlet next.
It turns out to be a superhero pamphlet.
Oh, some of the pages aren't too bad --
one about listing your powers and
another about how they developed.
Ashley hesitates, then sticks
orange flags on them.
She is intrigued enough by
the idea of character traits and
communication skills as superpowers
that she puts a yellow flag on those.
The costume page doesn't suck,
and earns another yellow, but
the whole thing is just starting
to make Ashley itch.
She can't help remembering
what Adalina has said about
the Ring Mistress claiming that
some people had no choice
other than supervillainy, and
she knows where her gifts
are bound to get filed.
This is the opposite,
a heavy-handed expectation
that everyone with superpowers
necessarily wants to be a superhero.
The pages on identity and goals
are good enough to get green flags,
but Ashley still feels uneasy.
The only supervillain in the pamphlet is
meant as someone for the superhero to fight.
She puts a red flag on that one.
There is no blue plate special at all.
Ashley clenches her fist so hard
that the corners of the square
dig unpleasantly into her palm.
The timer chimes, and
she opens her hand.
The paint has not corroded,
but it has changed color,
leaving a fingertip mark
in contrasting tones.
Ashley can't resist making
a note about that on the card
that the lab has provided:
Promising for artwork.
That is another thing that
has come up in brainstorming
about her superpower: touch things
and turn them into distressed art.
She has to admit, it secretly appeals
to her goth side, even though she isn't
sure it is a good idea to advertise
her ability to wreck things.
Too bad that there is
already a DestructoBabe on
the black side of the cape.
Ashley finishes the experiment
and puts the box into the drawer
that will transfer it out of her space
so that someone from SPAZMAT
can take it to the university.
It may or may not prove helpful.
If nothing else, though, this one is
less daunting than any of the things
that could be done on her or to her,
no matter how gently phrased.
Maybe this will help her get used to
the idea of testing her new abilities,
though, and that would be useful.
Ashley has enough worksheets
to keep her busy for several days,
even if she only does the greens, or
just over a week if she adds the yellows.
But she is definitely going to mention
the superhero bias to Facet. That is
not doing SPOON as many favors
as they probably think it is.
When Ashley turns the pamphlet over,
though, she sees a quote that resonates
with her: As my awareness increases,
my control over my own being increases.
Wouldn't that be nice.
* * *
Notes:
DestructoBabe (Rionach Auley) -- She has fair skin, yellow-grey eyes, long straight red hair. She has actually had her cape name since she could roll over, and spilled her father's ice tea and shorted out the family entertainment center. He used the same nickname "DestructoBaby" for all four of his kids; she's just the one who became a supervillain, plus she's the oldest, so she got to keep it. She went to Gargoyle High in Urbanburg, where her father teaches. Her family still loves her, even if she is a supervillain. Her specialty lies in wrecking things, so she is often invited on supervillain missions where the goal is to maximize destruction.
Origin: Her power grew in gradually over time, with some dramatic peaks and flares in puberty.
Uniform: On duty, she wears a black-and-yellow dexflan catsuit with matching boots and gloves of black krevel.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Science, Good (+2) Big Happy Family, Good (+2) Folk Music Fan, Good (+2) Lithe as a Willow Wand
Powers: Expert (+4) Entropy
Motivation: Bring it down!
* * *
"As my awareness increases, my control over my own being increases."
-- Will Schutz
Introversion is a personality type where people gain energy alone and expend energy with people. Here is a guide to interacting with introverts. Despite periodic stigma, introversion is equal to extroversion; both can be healthy or unhealthy. Introverts need to know how to take care of themselves and be happy. Compare how to care for introverts and extroverts.
Rainbow-colored posty notes are handy for color-coding things.
Ashley's worksheets include an emotional bodymap, networking for introverts, body awareness, finding your passion, and relationships. The superhero booklet covers superpowers, development, my superpower rocks, character as a superpower, communication, costume, vocation, goals, and supervillains.
Distressing covers a variety of techniques used to make arts and crafts look older and weathered. Learn how to make a glazed painting, age paper, and use other distressing methods. An old game master's trick involves drawing a complete map, and then taking a match to whatever parts you don't want players to know yet. If you give it to nerds, sometimes they'll try to do forensics on it. 8D
technoshaman. It fills the "self-awareness" square in my 5-1-16 card for the Solo Celebration Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by the general fund, based on an audience poll. Happy birthday to librarygeek from technoshaman and mama_kestrel, who noted that in their donations. It belongs to the Berettaflies thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."As My Awareness Increases"
[Near end of Week 3?]
Ashley likes spending time by herself,
likes to sit alone and think deep thoughts,
but she's never been much for trying
to psychoanalyze herself.
After all, what would be the point?
She already knows she's a mess.
Now she has superpowers, though,
and teammates, a combination which
makes self-awareness more imperative.
She has The Big Yellow Workbook from Haruko,
and another manual that Adalina recently gave her,
The Lone Oak: Becoming a Healthy, Happy Introvert,
and even a superpower pamphlet from Facet.
Ashley doesn't feel much enthusiasm for those,
but if she doesn't do something soon, then:
1) people will keep asking her about it, and
2) she's bound to lose control again.
Besides, she needs something to read while she
does the boring-but-kind-of-cool science experiment
from the university, which amounts to "hold this and
see if it melts," in increments of one to ten minutes.
That's a lot of sitting and holding the test squares,
but someone had gotten the bright idea that maybe
her venom could be used to break down garbage.
Talk about making lemonade when life hands you
lemons, but Ashley will take what she can get.
So she uses a timer to keep track of
the experiment, and decides that her task
for personal growth today will be marking
worksheets that don't suck too much.
Actually doing them later will
count as another task.
The squares in the first set are
clear plastic, and it doesn't even take
a full minute to start yellowing.
Meanwhile Ashley uses a set of
posty flags to color-code the pages.
The flags don't degrade in her hands
because SPAZMAT gave her a pack
of the ones they use to mark things
on the scene of zetetic incidents.
Starting with the yellow book,
Ashley marks a human outline
that is supposed to get colored in
with emotions, giving it a yellow flag
for something worth considering.
By the time she wipes off
the tacky blob of ten-minute plastic,
she hasn't found anything else.
The second set of squares
are some kind of synthetic cloth
which holds up better than the plastic.
Ashley switches to the introvert book.
The first thing she sees that earns
a green flag is a networking checklist
for introverts, which is written for
business but Ashley thinks she can
modify it for her own purposes.
The exercise about body awareness
isn't usually her kind of thing, but it snags
her attention because it makes her think of
the one really cool thing about her superpower:
the spectacular goth effects of her appearance.
She puts a yellow flag on the page.
The one about changes gets a yellow flag, too.
Ashley is more intrigued by the page
about relationships, thinking of Haruko.
She puts a green flag there.
The third set of squares seem to be
some kind of enamel paint in stripes
of rainbow colors, the surface feeling
cool and smooth in her fingers.
Ashley turns to the superpower pamphlet next.
It turns out to be a superhero pamphlet.
Oh, some of the pages aren't too bad --
one about listing your powers and
another about how they developed.
Ashley hesitates, then sticks
orange flags on them.
She is intrigued enough by
the idea of character traits and
communication skills as superpowers
that she puts a yellow flag on those.
The costume page doesn't suck,
and earns another yellow, but
the whole thing is just starting
to make Ashley itch.
She can't help remembering
what Adalina has said about
the Ring Mistress claiming that
some people had no choice
other than supervillainy, and
she knows where her gifts
are bound to get filed.
This is the opposite,
a heavy-handed expectation
that everyone with superpowers
necessarily wants to be a superhero.
The pages on identity and goals
are good enough to get green flags,
but Ashley still feels uneasy.
The only supervillain in the pamphlet is
meant as someone for the superhero to fight.
She puts a red flag on that one.
There is no blue plate special at all.
Ashley clenches her fist so hard
that the corners of the square
dig unpleasantly into her palm.
The timer chimes, and
she opens her hand.
The paint has not corroded,
but it has changed color,
leaving a fingertip mark
in contrasting tones.
Ashley can't resist making
a note about that on the card
that the lab has provided:
Promising for artwork.
That is another thing that
has come up in brainstorming
about her superpower: touch things
and turn them into distressed art.
She has to admit, it secretly appeals
to her goth side, even though she isn't
sure it is a good idea to advertise
her ability to wreck things.
Too bad that there is
already a DestructoBabe on
the black side of the cape.
Ashley finishes the experiment
and puts the box into the drawer
that will transfer it out of her space
so that someone from SPAZMAT
can take it to the university.
It may or may not prove helpful.
If nothing else, though, this one is
less daunting than any of the things
that could be done on her or to her,
no matter how gently phrased.
Maybe this will help her get used to
the idea of testing her new abilities,
though, and that would be useful.
Ashley has enough worksheets
to keep her busy for several days,
even if she only does the greens, or
just over a week if she adds the yellows.
But she is definitely going to mention
the superhero bias to Facet. That is
not doing SPOON as many favors
as they probably think it is.
When Ashley turns the pamphlet over,
though, she sees a quote that resonates
with her: As my awareness increases,
my control over my own being increases.
Wouldn't that be nice.
* * *
Notes:
DestructoBabe (Rionach Auley) -- She has fair skin, yellow-grey eyes, long straight red hair. She has actually had her cape name since she could roll over, and spilled her father's ice tea and shorted out the family entertainment center. He used the same nickname "DestructoBaby" for all four of his kids; she's just the one who became a supervillain, plus she's the oldest, so she got to keep it. She went to Gargoyle High in Urbanburg, where her father teaches. Her family still loves her, even if she is a supervillain. Her specialty lies in wrecking things, so she is often invited on supervillain missions where the goal is to maximize destruction.
Origin: Her power grew in gradually over time, with some dramatic peaks and flares in puberty.
Uniform: On duty, she wears a black-and-yellow dexflan catsuit with matching boots and gloves of black krevel.
Qualities: Expert (+4) Science, Good (+2) Big Happy Family, Good (+2) Folk Music Fan, Good (+2) Lithe as a Willow Wand
Powers: Expert (+4) Entropy
Motivation: Bring it down!
* * *
"As my awareness increases, my control over my own being increases."
-- Will Schutz
Introversion is a personality type where people gain energy alone and expend energy with people. Here is a guide to interacting with introverts. Despite periodic stigma, introversion is equal to extroversion; both can be healthy or unhealthy. Introverts need to know how to take care of themselves and be happy. Compare how to care for introverts and extroverts.
Rainbow-colored posty notes are handy for color-coding things.
Ashley's worksheets include an emotional bodymap, networking for introverts, body awareness, finding your passion, and relationships. The superhero booklet covers superpowers, development, my superpower rocks, character as a superpower, communication, costume, vocation, goals, and supervillains.
Distressing covers a variety of techniques used to make arts and crafts look older and weathered. Learn how to make a glazed painting, age paper, and use other distressing methods. An old game master's trick involves drawing a complete map, and then taking a match to whatever parts you don't want players to know yet. If you give it to nerds, sometimes they'll try to do forensics on it. 8D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-03 05:22 am (UTC)What sort of material is krevel?
Thoughts
Date: 2016-09-03 06:31 am (UTC)Спасибо.
>> What sort of material is krevel? <<
Krevel is a heavyweight leathery material responsive to super-powers, a meta-aramid similar to twaron but far more effective. This is super-gizmology. It provides considerably more protection than dexflan or capery, but is heavier and less flexible. A key advantage is that it blocks most types of attack, instead of specialized defense against only one type such as a bulletproof vest. A known weakness is that certain kinds of penetrating superpower, which may pierce even other defensive powers, also tend to go through krevel; but the force and damage are typically reduced in the process.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2016-09-03 01:31 pm (UTC)Thanks.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-04 04:32 am (UTC)She IS a hera, I think, and will be one ... but a dark one. I wonder if she would be interested in chatting on BlackSheep? There has to be some crossover that includes herxs, crickets, and blue place specials in at least general interest areas, even though it's centered on working for supervillians. *notices potential for crossing over different threads of Polychrome* Oh. Well, that IS an idea isn't it.
I very much enjoy the Berettaflies thread because of the back-and-forth between characters and authors adding a rich sort of interweaving. I THINK I've read all of it to date, but it took some doing.
Thoughts
Date: 2016-09-04 08:16 pm (UTC)Sooth. SPOON is a great organization, filling a lot of needs, but it can't be everything to everyone. There's plenty of room for improvement.
>> She IS a hera, I think, and will be one ... but a dark one.<<
I agree.
>> I wonder if she would be interested in chatting on BlackSheep? <<
:D See current story "Blight."
>> There has to be some crossover that includes herxs, crickets, and blue place specials in at least general interest areas, even though it's centered on working for supervillians.<<
Oh, there is. Halley is essentially cape-neutral. Gearhead_in_Blue works for the police. They both hang out on BlackSheep.
>> *notices potential for crossing over different threads of Polychrome* Oh. Well, that IS an idea isn't it. <<
:D Prompt as you feel inspired!
>> I very much enjoy the Berettaflies thread because of the back-and-forth between characters and authors adding a rich sort of interweaving. I THINK I've read all of it to date, but it took some doing.<<
Yay! Yes, it's a huge thread, because there are so many people participating. \o/ I love it too.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2016-09-05 02:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-04 06:04 am (UTC)the superhero bias to Facet. That is
not doing SPOON as many favors
as they probably think it is.
YES. This is exactly the same mindset as "abstinence-only" sex ed. SPOON probably thinks of it as "not giving new soups bad ideas", but IRL that trick never works. At the very least, blue-plates should be presented as a valid path.
Also, Terramagne desperately needs a better descriptor than just "supervillain" for soups in the Batman range (which is to say, having a set of personal ethics, and preferring not to engage in out-and-out criminal behavior, but more interested in Justice than Law). I rather like the term "dark superher@" as at least a first approximation for this.
Yes...
Date: 2016-09-04 07:38 pm (UTC)Absolutely.
>> SPOON probably thinks of it as "not giving new soups bad ideas", but IRL that trick never works. <<
Nailed it. SPOON does provide some support for supervillains, but that's typically stuff like how to stop being one, how to make amends, mediation and meeting services for mixed-cape groups, etc. It's damage control. For how to be a healthier supervillain, you need something like Kraken's priceless The Care and Feeding of Supervillains.
>> At the very least, blue-plates should be presented as a valid path. <<
Blue plates are the future of superpowers. It's simple math, really: most people don't want to be heroes or villains, they just want to go about their business. Thus far, crickets are the majority because so many people are afraid to come out of the fuse box. But most people could find a way to incorporate their superpowers into a job or a hobby, except in the rare cases where they don't like what they got because it doesn't match their personality, so they just don't use it. Even Faramundo, if he would get his head out of his ass, has a fantastic application for his: he's an insurance claims adjustor, he could take more cases in hazardous areas like disaster relief, because if a tree starts to fall he can just blip out of the way.
Right now, SPOON's official policy is that they serve everyone with superpowers, and in some ways they do stand by that. They connect mentors and novices across cape lines when necessary. But when it comes to blue plates, SPOON tends to take them for granted or forget about them entirely. It's not disdain, they're respected well enough, they just aren't flashy enough to attract attention. This is not a great thing.
>> Also, Terramagne desperately needs a better descriptor than just "supervillain" for soups in the Batman range (which is to say, having a set of personal ethics, and preferring not to engage in out-and-out criminal behavior, but more interested in Justice than Law). I rather like the term "dark superher@" as at least a first approximation for this.<<
Well, I tend to think of those as "vigilantes." I'm not keen on the "antihero" thing because most of them are assholes. I think the closest that Terramagne comes is recognizing that some people are "gray capes" rather than black or white.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-06 02:42 pm (UTC)I'm glad she's going to flag that lack up to Facet. It's hard to improve your stuff if it scares the people who need help away.
(I want to write more of Madhukar's thread, really I do! The experiments in this one made me happy.)
Thank you!
Date: 2016-09-06 04:21 pm (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed this so much.
>> I'm glad she's going to flag that lack up to Facet. It's hard to improve your stuff if it scares the people who need help away. <<
Exactly. SPOON's goal is to help people with superpowers, which is laudable phrased. They do a good job of cape neutrality in some areas, such as health care and finding mentors. But they faceplant in others, and it's less about active hostility than it is about plain old subjective bias. What they need is a new leader more in keeping with current times, but Granny Whammy doesn't want to quit and nobody wants to lose the very real assets she brings to the table.
>> (I want to write more of Madhukar's thread, really I do! <<
I would love to see more of him. That plotline fascinates me.
>> The experiments in this one made me happy.) <<
:D Thanks for the vote of confidence! I thought about how science works, and then I asked what I would want to know in that situation and how I would test it.
* We know Ashley's venom destroys many things.
* Which things does it destroy?
** Include some items that are commonly used in manufacturing.
** Make some educated guesses about what probably will or won't degrade, include a mix of both, and see what happens.
* How does the process work over time?
** Do different things progress at different rates?
** Can it be stopped after it has started?
** In what manner does the venom break down materials?
** Does it attack different materials in different ways?
* And then, how would you test those questions?
A time-varied contact test of multiple materials seemed like a way to learn a lot about Ashley's venom quickly, without freaking her out by requiring anything intrusive. It's boring, but she quickly found a solution for that by occupying herself with another task. \o/
Besides, the science in most superhero stories is stupid. There's very rarely any real method to it. Usually the characters just sit at a computer or wave test tubes around, then declare an answer. 0_o I wanted something crunchier.
Besides, I like science. And Ashley's problem is just a souped-up, fast-forward version of the burn-through problem that every high-powered person has to deal with. I've known people who, for example, broke hematite anything in a week, ate through a new canvas coat in two, or bleached carnelian over time. Me, I burst lightbulbs, among other things. *shrug* So yeah, if I had corrosive skin, my go-to would be a timed patch test.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2017-05-14 05:11 am (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2017-05-14 05:59 pm (UTC)Aw, shucks! :-D
Date: 2016-09-06 06:50 pm (UTC)Ok, heading to Poetry Fishbowl to see if it suits me for today! :-D
Re: Aw, shucks! :-D
Date: 2016-09-07 09:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-03 01:03 am (UTC)and it gives me ideas..
Incidentally, I did a whole art course on distressing things... and then did that semi-destroyed map thing with my DnD group. I got artful with it, burned bits, left rings from potion bottles in various colours, even used a bit of cellulase to digest a corner where a prior owner ran afoul of a gelatinous cube...
Then I gave the remains to a group that included two CSI fans, an organic chemist and a trainee archaeologist [among others]... They reconstructed it. Accurately.
Yay!
Date: 2016-09-03 01:15 am (UTC)and it gives me ideas.. <<
Something I love about both crowdfunding and collaboration is the opportunity to frot brains with amazing people. :D
>> Incidentally, I did a whole art course on distressing things... <<
Awesome.
>>and then did that semi-destroyed map thing with my DnD group. I got artful with it, burned bits, left rings from potion bottles in various colours, even used a bit of cellulase to digest a corner where a prior owner ran afoul of a gelatinous cube...<<
I've done fire, coaster rings, crumpling, tearing, and pet-assisted damage. I have not tried cellulase.
>> Then I gave the remains to a group that included two CSI fans, an organic chemist and a trainee archaeologist [among others]... They reconstructed it. Accurately. <<
You win. First time I tried it was in high school with awesome baby geeks, who did manage to eke out more than most people would have. Second time the folks were not so geeky and took it mostly at face value aside from some entertaining guesses. But I love hearing other people's stories!
I bet yours happens a lot more in Terramagne.
...
Capricorn says: "Every Friday night."
I love my supervillains.
Re: Yay!
Date: 2016-09-03 01:35 am (UTC)DM'ing for supervillains has got to be a lot like that... But then, I like a challenge...
Oh man.. there's a thought. Imagine a superhero who DM's for a gamer group, but some of the players are on the other side of the cape...
Re: Yay!
Date: 2016-09-03 03:58 am (UTC)This is true.
>> DM'ing for supervillains has got to be a lot like that... But then, I like a challenge... <<
Yeah.
>> Oh man.. there's a thought. Imagine a superhero who DM's for a gamer group, but some of the players are on the other side of the cape... <<
I'm sure it happens. Just because BlackSheep has a reputation as a supervillain site, doesn't mean they only have supervillains there. And geeks gonna game...
(no subject)
Date: 2016-09-13 03:26 pm (UTC)It's definitely the kind of situation where getting better than yesterday is the goal. That does always raise a tiny concern for me, though. Sometimes, when people know it's a worthy goal to beto be better than yesterday each day, they don't realize that tomorrow can be far worse, and it doesn't mean one is *getting* worse. it could be the onset of a minor cold, say, sapping some of one's reserves.
It's normal to fall back in such circumstances, and it's really hard to recognize that without progress, one would have fallen much further back.
(NB: just rambling here.)
Thoughts
Date: 2016-09-13 07:25 pm (UTC)Yay! I'm glad that worked for you.
>> It's definitely the kind of situation where getting better than yesterday is the goal. That does always raise a tiny concern for me, though. Sometimes, when people know it's a worthy goal to beto be better than yesterday each day, they don't realize that tomorrow can be far worse, and it doesn't mean one is *getting* worse. it could be the onset of a minor cold, say, sapping some of one's reserves.<<
I have mentioned this pattern in some storylines. Ashley's is certainly a place where it fits. Calliope and Vagary are another example. Feel free to prompt for the back-and-forth model of growth during any relevant prompt call.
>> It's normal to fall back in such circumstances, and it's really hard to recognize that without progress, one would have fallen much further back. <<
Agreed, that part is hard. Not everyone is good at cha-cha.