Poem: "One Familiar with Self-Defense"
Jun. 22nd, 2017 02:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was commissioned by dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Farce" square in my 4-19-16 card for the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
genprompt_bingo fest. It belongs to the Damask thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"One Familiar with Self-Defense"
Monday, July 14, 2014
Heron had been wary and restless
since the diving incident in the Maldives,
not so much that Mallory would call it
twitchy, but he drifted in and out
of his usual calm demeanor.
She couldn't blame him,
after Drew had gotten pounded
to pulp in the spring and then
Aida had almost drowned due to
someone sabotaging her gear.
Since Mallory had finally decided
to keep both the baby and Heron,
the whole Finn clan had sucked her in
even more than they had before.
That made Uncle Tolli and Uncle Simon
(she was still trying to get used to that)
all the more protective of her.
So Mallory agreed to let them
present a self-defense lesson for
her and the other housemates.
Maze wasn't thrilled, but Ham
eagerly volunteered to front for it,
which settled that objection.
Walden was around, too,
and willing to go along with it,
although she diffidently offered that
her uncles had already given her
some sort of family lessons in
how to stay out of trouble.
"Let's start by putting down
some mats," Tolli said, and laid out
a pair of thin blue slabs of gel.
"That doesn't look like much protection,"
Mallory said, frowning down at them.
"Give it a whack," Tolli invited.
Even at full force, Mallory could
barely feel it. "What is this stuff?"
"It's designed to cushion fragile bodies,
like burn victims," said Tolli. "It's also
great for absorbing impact. That means
even you can fall on this safely."
Mallory clasped her hands over
her rounded belly. "Fall?" she said.
"Attackers will try to knock you down,
so falling properly will make you
harder to disable," Tolli explained.
He showed everyone the basics
of front, back, and side falls.
Ham, who already knew this
from class, tried to throw Simon
and got tossed for his trouble.
Mallory snickered. "Saw that one
coming, his center of gravity is
inches lower than yours."
Ham glared at her. "Show me
that again," he said to Simon.
Mallory tried to concentrate on
her own lesson. Falling on the mat
wasn't as bad as she had feared,
though it was still jarring.
Heron hovered around her,
making sure that she and the baby
were both okay despite the exertion.
Then Simon demonstrated vulnerable points,
some of which could be triggered with
pressure instead of with hitting.
Tolli showed them a few joint holds,
useful for making people let go of things
or twisting them out of the way.
"I don't really like violence," Walden said.
“A damsel in complete distress is a burden
to her protectors," Mallory warned her.
"Show me what you would normally do
to counter an attack," Tolli said to Walden.
"You claimed to have some experience."
"Sure," Walden said, laughing.
"Catch me if you can, old man."
Catching Walden was like
trying to catch a handful of ink
spilled in a pool of water. She
simply swirled out of the way.
It took Tolli a couple of minutes
to grab her, although when he did,
she was easy to throw down.
"Impressive," he agreed. "It's
rare to see a small woman with
so much combat potential."
Walden hummed something
that made Tolli crack up laughing,
and then she began to sing.
"The Pict Song" sounded
creepy enough on its own, but
Walden's soft hissing voice
was just fucking scary.
Ham wheedled Simon into
showing him a few more moves
before Heron declared that they'd all
had enough romping in the sun.
"What do you want me to do
with your mats?" Mallory asked
as she rolled them up.
"Keep them," Tolli said. "They
make good mattress toppers."
Tolli and Simon were as bad as Heron
about surprising her with gifts all the time,
but Mallory was trying to get used to it,
so she didn't argue with them.
Besides, the futon was kind of stiff.
They went indoors and wiped down
with wet towels, then Heron brought out
a big bowl from the refrigerator.
"I made melon salad," he said, and
everyone cheered as they grabbed bowls.
It was cold and sweet and minty,
and Mallory loved the stuff instantly.
"I'm pooped," Walden said.
"Who wants to watch cartoons?"
"Oh! Antics!" Ham exclaimed.
That was a show about soldier ants
trying to protect leafcutters who
were always getting into fixes.
"Cuddle puddle," Walden replied,
dragging cushions onto the floor.
"Can I be in the middle?" Heron said.
Tolli murmured something in Gaelic,
Heron nodded, and Simon said,
"We can cover the outside."
"You don't want to snuggle with
each other?" Mallory asked as she
lumbered into place beside Heron.
"We do that every night," Simon said.
Walden burst into giggles, Ham snickered,
and even Mallory joined in laughing
at the idea of old-people sex.
Ham turned the cartoon on
and everyone cuddled together.
Heron tossed his head, trying to get
the unfamiliar curls to settle. He had only
been growing his hair for a little while.
Mallory reached out and gently tucked
the wayward strands behind his ears.
He was so adorable like this.
At the first touch, Heron melted
against her, so she combed her fingers
through his hair, and within moments
he was boneless and purring.
She snuggled into Heron, with
Simon a warm weight behind her and
an arm draped protectively over her.
Mallory was surprised to realize
that, for the first time in months,
she actually felt safe.
* * *
Notes:
Simon -- He has milk chocolate skin, brown eyes, and short nappy black hair. Although he still has some use of his legs, he's more mobile in a wheelchair than on foot. Simon is homosexual, and the partner of Tolliver Finn. They live in North Carolina, about an hour from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Simon spends a lot of time outdoors, so his skin rarely gets lighter even in winter. His wilderness skills span both recreation and survival aspects. His favorite sports include wheelchair racing and bobsled. He also has a lever wheelchair for hiking. He enjoys teaching his skills to other people.
Qualities: Master (+6) Activity Scout, Master (+6) Paralympic Martial Arts, Master (+6) Veteran, Expert (+4) Gamer, Expert (+4) Paralympic Track & Field, Good (+2) Family Values, Good (+2) Insightful, Good (+2) Sniper, Good (+2) Wilderness Skills
Walden Hollingberry -- She has pale skin, blue eyes, and long slightly wavy black hair. Her shoulders are wider than her hips and she has small breasts. Her heritage is Pictish. She is an only child. She is quiet, sometimes emo, and into the goth scene on weekends. She is a night owl, definitely not a morning person. She moves silently and often startles people without even meaning to. Walden lives in the same house with Damask. She's majoring in Literature with a minor in Creative Writing.
Qualities: Good (+2) Graceful, Good (+2) Liberal Arts, Good (+2) Mysterious, Good (+2) Self-Reliant
Poor (-2) Dealing with Popular People
This is "A Pict Song" (words by Rudyard Kipling in Puck of Pook's Hill, music by Leslie Fish, performance by Emerald Rose). Read a little about their history.
* * *
“A damsel in complete distress was a burden to her protectors; one familiar with self defence, not as much.”
― Grace Draven, Eidolon
On Monday, July 14, 2014 Mallory is 27 weeks pregnant.
Tolli and Simon bring two gel mats to use as padding for teaching Mallory about self-defense. Each mat is 1/4" thick, 36 inches wide by 75 inches long. They're made of resilient gel that absorbs impact almost completely, originally designed for cushioning burn victims. This style is thin enough to roll up and transport easily, thus popular for emergency supplies, and they can be stacked for extra padding.
Situational awareness is the skill of observing your surroundings for potential risks across multiple aspects. You can develop this skill through various exercises and games. Follow the steps to increase your situational awareness.
Falling is a fundamental skill in martial arts and personal safety. Watch videos of basic and advanced techniques.
Pressure points can be used to manipulate or incapacitate an enemy. See a map of the human body's vulnerable spots.
Joint holds can force submission through pain, but can also disable an enemy through mechanical damage. This ad lists some interesting principles about joint manipulation.
Enjoy a recipe for Lime-Mint Melon Salad.
Antics is a cartoon that's mostly comedy about leafcutter ants, but has some social messages and safety tips hidden in it. The show is written by a policevet who had to retire due to work-related injuries.
(These links include graphic dismemberment of insects.)
Leafcutter ants are sophisticated social insects, whose soldiers are brutally effective. They actually practice large-scale agriculture, harvesting leaves to grow fungus.
dialecticdreamer. It also fills the "Farce" square in my 4-19-16 card for the genprompt_bingo fest. It belongs to the Damask thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. "One Familiar with Self-Defense"
Monday, July 14, 2014
Heron had been wary and restless
since the diving incident in the Maldives,
not so much that Mallory would call it
twitchy, but he drifted in and out
of his usual calm demeanor.
She couldn't blame him,
after Drew had gotten pounded
to pulp in the spring and then
Aida had almost drowned due to
someone sabotaging her gear.
Since Mallory had finally decided
to keep both the baby and Heron,
the whole Finn clan had sucked her in
even more than they had before.
That made Uncle Tolli and Uncle Simon
(she was still trying to get used to that)
all the more protective of her.
So Mallory agreed to let them
present a self-defense lesson for
her and the other housemates.
Maze wasn't thrilled, but Ham
eagerly volunteered to front for it,
which settled that objection.
Walden was around, too,
and willing to go along with it,
although she diffidently offered that
her uncles had already given her
some sort of family lessons in
how to stay out of trouble.
"Let's start by putting down
some mats," Tolli said, and laid out
a pair of thin blue slabs of gel.
"That doesn't look like much protection,"
Mallory said, frowning down at them.
"Give it a whack," Tolli invited.
Even at full force, Mallory could
barely feel it. "What is this stuff?"
"It's designed to cushion fragile bodies,
like burn victims," said Tolli. "It's also
great for absorbing impact. That means
even you can fall on this safely."
Mallory clasped her hands over
her rounded belly. "Fall?" she said.
"Attackers will try to knock you down,
so falling properly will make you
harder to disable," Tolli explained.
He showed everyone the basics
of front, back, and side falls.
Ham, who already knew this
from class, tried to throw Simon
and got tossed for his trouble.
Mallory snickered. "Saw that one
coming, his center of gravity is
inches lower than yours."
Ham glared at her. "Show me
that again," he said to Simon.
Mallory tried to concentrate on
her own lesson. Falling on the mat
wasn't as bad as she had feared,
though it was still jarring.
Heron hovered around her,
making sure that she and the baby
were both okay despite the exertion.
Then Simon demonstrated vulnerable points,
some of which could be triggered with
pressure instead of with hitting.
Tolli showed them a few joint holds,
useful for making people let go of things
or twisting them out of the way.
"I don't really like violence," Walden said.
“A damsel in complete distress is a burden
to her protectors," Mallory warned her.
"Show me what you would normally do
to counter an attack," Tolli said to Walden.
"You claimed to have some experience."
"Sure," Walden said, laughing.
"Catch me if you can, old man."
Catching Walden was like
trying to catch a handful of ink
spilled in a pool of water. She
simply swirled out of the way.
It took Tolli a couple of minutes
to grab her, although when he did,
she was easy to throw down.
"Impressive," he agreed. "It's
rare to see a small woman with
so much combat potential."
Walden hummed something
that made Tolli crack up laughing,
and then she began to sing.
"The Pict Song" sounded
creepy enough on its own, but
Walden's soft hissing voice
was just fucking scary.
Ham wheedled Simon into
showing him a few more moves
before Heron declared that they'd all
had enough romping in the sun.
"What do you want me to do
with your mats?" Mallory asked
as she rolled them up.
"Keep them," Tolli said. "They
make good mattress toppers."
Tolli and Simon were as bad as Heron
about surprising her with gifts all the time,
but Mallory was trying to get used to it,
so she didn't argue with them.
Besides, the futon was kind of stiff.
They went indoors and wiped down
with wet towels, then Heron brought out
a big bowl from the refrigerator.
"I made melon salad," he said, and
everyone cheered as they grabbed bowls.
It was cold and sweet and minty,
and Mallory loved the stuff instantly.
"I'm pooped," Walden said.
"Who wants to watch cartoons?"
"Oh! Antics!" Ham exclaimed.
That was a show about soldier ants
trying to protect leafcutters who
were always getting into fixes.
"Cuddle puddle," Walden replied,
dragging cushions onto the floor.
"Can I be in the middle?" Heron said.
Tolli murmured something in Gaelic,
Heron nodded, and Simon said,
"We can cover the outside."
"You don't want to snuggle with
each other?" Mallory asked as she
lumbered into place beside Heron.
"We do that every night," Simon said.
Walden burst into giggles, Ham snickered,
and even Mallory joined in laughing
at the idea of old-people sex.
Ham turned the cartoon on
and everyone cuddled together.
Heron tossed his head, trying to get
the unfamiliar curls to settle. He had only
been growing his hair for a little while.
Mallory reached out and gently tucked
the wayward strands behind his ears.
He was so adorable like this.
At the first touch, Heron melted
against her, so she combed her fingers
through his hair, and within moments
he was boneless and purring.
She snuggled into Heron, with
Simon a warm weight behind her and
an arm draped protectively over her.
Mallory was surprised to realize
that, for the first time in months,
she actually felt safe.
* * *
Notes:
Simon -- He has milk chocolate skin, brown eyes, and short nappy black hair. Although he still has some use of his legs, he's more mobile in a wheelchair than on foot. Simon is homosexual, and the partner of Tolliver Finn. They live in North Carolina, about an hour from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Simon spends a lot of time outdoors, so his skin rarely gets lighter even in winter. His wilderness skills span both recreation and survival aspects. His favorite sports include wheelchair racing and bobsled. He also has a lever wheelchair for hiking. He enjoys teaching his skills to other people.
Qualities: Master (+6) Activity Scout, Master (+6) Paralympic Martial Arts, Master (+6) Veteran, Expert (+4) Gamer, Expert (+4) Paralympic Track & Field, Good (+2) Family Values, Good (+2) Insightful, Good (+2) Sniper, Good (+2) Wilderness Skills
Walden Hollingberry -- She has pale skin, blue eyes, and long slightly wavy black hair. Her shoulders are wider than her hips and she has small breasts. Her heritage is Pictish. She is an only child. She is quiet, sometimes emo, and into the goth scene on weekends. She is a night owl, definitely not a morning person. She moves silently and often startles people without even meaning to. Walden lives in the same house with Damask. She's majoring in Literature with a minor in Creative Writing.
Qualities: Good (+2) Graceful, Good (+2) Liberal Arts, Good (+2) Mysterious, Good (+2) Self-Reliant
Poor (-2) Dealing with Popular People
This is "A Pict Song" (words by Rudyard Kipling in Puck of Pook's Hill, music by Leslie Fish, performance by Emerald Rose). Read a little about their history.
* * *
“A damsel in complete distress was a burden to her protectors; one familiar with self defence, not as much.”
― Grace Draven, Eidolon
On Monday, July 14, 2014 Mallory is 27 weeks pregnant.
Tolli and Simon bring two gel mats to use as padding for teaching Mallory about self-defense. Each mat is 1/4" thick, 36 inches wide by 75 inches long. They're made of resilient gel that absorbs impact almost completely, originally designed for cushioning burn victims. This style is thin enough to roll up and transport easily, thus popular for emergency supplies, and they can be stacked for extra padding.
Situational awareness is the skill of observing your surroundings for potential risks across multiple aspects. You can develop this skill through various exercises and games. Follow the steps to increase your situational awareness.
Falling is a fundamental skill in martial arts and personal safety. Watch videos of basic and advanced techniques.
Pressure points can be used to manipulate or incapacitate an enemy. See a map of the human body's vulnerable spots.
Joint holds can force submission through pain, but can also disable an enemy through mechanical damage. This ad lists some interesting principles about joint manipulation.
Enjoy a recipe for Lime-Mint Melon Salad.
Antics is a cartoon that's mostly comedy about leafcutter ants, but has some social messages and safety tips hidden in it. The show is written by a policevet who had to retire due to work-related injuries.
(These links include graphic dismemberment of insects.)
Leafcutter ants are sophisticated social insects, whose soldiers are brutally effective. They actually practice large-scale agriculture, harvesting leaves to grow fungus.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-06-22 03:47 pm (UTC)to her protectors," Mallory warned her.
Can we teach this to people?
Ah, this poem was so nice. Very soft and cuddly, especially at the end. <3
Thank you!
Date: 2017-06-22 07:04 pm (UTC)I've done my best, in self-defense contexts.
>> Ah, this poem was so nice. Very soft and cuddly, especially at the end. <3 <<
Yay! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-06-22 11:41 pm (UTC)And, yes, please. Now, granted, I know a LOT of differently-abled folk, a lot of whom are in this very room, but to the extent practical, people should know how to take care of themselves, from changing a tyre to mending a button to taking out a kneecap to CPR.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 12:36 am (UTC)Yay!
>> And, yes, please. Now, granted, I know a LOT of differently-abled folk, a lot of whom are in this very room, but to the extent practical, people should know how to take care of themselves, from changing a tyre to mending a button to taking out a kneecap to CPR. <<
It's not just about ability, but about personality. The key to self-defense isn't physical strength or training. It is will. Someone who doesn't want to hurt anybody will not be very successful at it, no matter how much training they get. They'll hesitate. And if you try to force them into doing things they're not comfortable with, or simply can't do, you can do a lot of damage.
My preference is to give people the opportunity to learn, but not force them or harass them about things they aren't good at.
One of my favorite settings from my fantasy world of Hallelaine is Waterjewel. Wonderful tribe, very formidable. But they've got this rule about everyone having to learn how to fight, in case of emergency. I watched one of my best characters wreck a very fine student that way. In Terramagne, Jenan would've made a fantastic comare. He's a good healer, a great prostitute, and a terrible fighter. He wound up running away from home to the city, and it did not go well. No society is perfect.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 12:57 am (UTC)Another Bard I know, this one musical, loves animals, considered working for a certain PeeDee's K9 corps.
And searched her heart and figured out she didn't have what it took to make the split-second decisions a cop has to make, and live with them.
I respect her IMMENSELY for that.
If you can't do something, you can't, and it *doesn't matter* why. It just Is.
"When you can't run anymore, you crawl, and when you can't do that...well, yeah, you know the rest."
-- Tracey Smith, "The Message" (the last Firefly episode filmed)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 01:04 am (UTC)Thank you.
>> Another Bard I know, this one musical, loves animals, considered working for a certain PeeDee's K9 corps.
And searched her heart and figured out she didn't have what it took to make the split-second decisions a cop has to make, and live with them. <<
Well done.
I don't do jobs that require a lot of math, because I'm not good at it. I do basic math, and if it's important, I get someone competent. Which is exactly what I said I'd do through all the abusive math classes I sat through. I mean, seriously, it is not responsible to do something yourself if it is important and you know you are bad at it. That causes predictable problems for which you will be blamed. But nobody would ever admit that. They just kept bitching about me not being good at math.
They never did spot the disability. I should probably be grateful; it may have just made matters worse.
Then I look at the economists and the idiot decisions they make, things even I can tell are bad ideas, and I realize: Ah. This is where went with the 66% of people who are somehow worse at math than I am. But won't admit it. >_<
>> I respect her IMMENSELY for that. <<
Now if only more people would do likewise.
Of course, there are lots of animal-assisted jobs that don't require violence. Entertainment. Therapy. Search-and-rescue. That sort of thing.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 01:16 am (UTC)Brakes.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 01:26 am (UTC)Alas, I rarely have that option. Even in my worst areas, I'm often better than alleged professionals. It is maddening. But I do appreciate the luxury of better-skilled experts when available.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-06-23 02:29 am (UTC)(Having to talk the Dell rep through a 45-minute bullshit "troubleshooting" session before they'll dispatch the part I knew I needed before I got online *every time* gets old REAL QUICK.)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-07-26 10:19 pm (UTC)Oh ghodz this this this this this! I actually quit dealing with Dell for precisely that reason, and told them so.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-07-26 10:25 pm (UTC)In the case of a large corporation which serves a wide range of customers from novice to expert level, it is essential to divide customer service so that novices are not frustrated by advice they don't understand, and experts can quickly get to the root of the problem without wasting time on irrelevant topics. Failure to do this will consistently result in customer loss.
Self-defense
Date: 2017-06-23 06:18 am (UTC)Rule one of self defense is "Know EXACTLY how far you are willing to go in that defense!"
I also need to take another defense class now that the neuropathy and balance are making major changes. Self defense is an evolving, ongoing part of modern life.
Re: Self-defense
Date: 2017-06-23 07:19 am (UTC)Step 1: Move like you mean business. Most predators seek weak prey. And yes, some people of all types are aware of this stuff, although for many it is subconscious.
This prevents almost all the sensible crooks from bothering you. They don't want to work for it, so they won't pick a fight; they want easy meat. You are then left dealing with idiots, which has its own challenges.
Step 2: Consider the balance between yourself and your assailant. If you are not physically powerful, you may still prevail simply be being more ruthless than your opponent. Most are unlikely to press the point unless you have something they desperately want, if they risk having their eyes clawed out or testicles ruptured or body shoved into traffic. Not all crooks are cowards, but many are, and that is a weakness you can capitalize on.
Now here's a brutal weapon most people don't have, be aware you can really hurt someone with this: once you have faced death, you can use that as armor. Most people find death terrifying and will flee from it -- and you'd be surprised how many can see it, even if they don't consciously realize what they're looking at. Their instincts will, and the Lizard Brain is likely to go, "Legs, get us the HELL out of here!" while the hands are still pawing for your purse or whatever.
The poor bastard is then left having to deal with what he saw, in a death-phobic society where help for that type of injury is hard to find; but if he didn't want to get a whacking, he shouldn't have picked a fight.
>> Rule one of self defense is "Know EXACTLY how far you are willing to go in that defense!" <<
Yep.
>>I also need to take another defense class now that the neuropathy and balance are making major changes. Self defense is an evolving, ongoing part of modern life.<<
Good idea.
Try checking if there's any criptaedo in your area.
Re: Self-defense
Date: 2017-06-23 08:42 am (UTC)I just don't have a long term answer to "survivorship" yet. That's almost universally set at the five year mark without a relapse or new cancer.
Re: Self-defense
Date: 2017-06-23 09:06 am (UTC)I thought so. It's usable. I hope you don't have to, but it's good to know that you could.
>> I just don't have a long term answer to "survivorship" yet. That's almost universally set at the five year mark without a relapse or new cancer.<<
This is a different type of "survive." I meant, you've looked at death and you're not dead right now. So if someone threatens you at any point while you're still alive, you have the option of using that against them. It doesn't relate to your long-term survival, just something that happened in the past which you could use in case of future threat. Make more sense now?
Re: Self-defense
Date: 2017-07-26 10:28 pm (UTC)One reason Shiv likes knives is because he has rather delicate wrists which are prone to injury. When he gets mad enough, he still wants to hit or kick things. But for most purposes, in a fight he prefers an edge that he can control; and in deliberate self-injury he also favors sharp things. Notice that he hasn't put himself in the infirmary from cutting.