ysabetwordsmith | Poem: "In Untried Emergencies"

ysabetwordsmith

This poem is spillover from the September 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from

siliconshaman and

lone_cat plus conversations with

dialecticdreamer. It also fills the Reluctant help / comfort" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. It immediately follows "At Certain Crucial Moments" so read that first or this won't make much sense. It is followed by the story "Responding to Emergencies" by

dialecticdreamer and my poem "The Native Metal of a Man."

Warning: This poem contains intense topics and the aftermath of canon-atypical violence. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes interrupted travel plans, damage and chaos caused by a disintegration beam, lights and sirens, fear for other people's safety in a disaster scene, a restaurant fire in the distance, crowd surge, panic, Shiv's in media res telephone style, dust and smoke, a severely damaged building, evidence of superpowered mayhem, shakiness, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward. This is part of an ongoing arc, so skipping it would leave a gap.

"In Untried Emergencies"

[Monday, May 18, 2015]

The first sign of trouble was
the traffic going haywire
as the bus rolled down
South 10th Street.

Shiv meant to get off at
the sign for 10th & Dodge SE,
because from that stop it was
only two blocks to walk down to
the Downtown Coffee Company
where he was supposed to meet
Boss White and Buttons soon.

The traffic got worse and worse,
though, and the noise outside
didn't sound normal anymore.

It made Shiv's skin crawl.

Suddenly the bus driver
slammed on the brakes.

"Sorry, folks, but this trip ends
at 10th & Capitol Avenue NW
now," said the driver. "I'm going
to break route to turn along Capitol
in hopes of escaping the chaos. You
can stay or get off here. Either way,
you'll get a refund from the Metro."

Shiv dashed toward the front.

"You sure you want to get off
here, kid?" said the driver.
"It doesn't look very good."

"I'm going to meet my boss at
the Downtown Coffee Company,
I have to find him," Shiv said,
thumping down the steps.

Behind him he heard
the only other person
getting off explain to
the driver that she lived
at Greenhouse Apartments.

Outside, it was worse; the air
was so full of dust that Shiv
could actually taste it.

He could hear sirens
coming from the southwest
and see flashing lights ahead.

The Freeman Family Hospital
wasn't far at all, and they had
a whole big fleet of ambulances,
which looked to be pretty necessary.

All that chaos was right smack on top of
where he was supposed to meet Boss White.

"Shit shit shit," he chanted, breaking into
a run. People were streaming north as
he tried to fight his way further south.
Shiv used his elbows to open a path.

He could smell smoke now, and yeah,
there was a dark column of it rising
from somewhere ahead of him, though
he couldn't see what was burning.

Another surge of people nearly knocked
him down, and he really started to panic.

Fortunately Shiv's feet got him out of
the way without actually requiring
any guidance from his brain.

By the time he slowed down
enough to put two thoughts
together, he was in a parklet
just beyond a brick building
which had a little brick shelter
with a picnic table hidden in it.

Shiv leaned against the wall
and panted for breath.

His fingers shook
as he made a call.

"Rosie -- Rosie,
help, I dunno what
to do!" Shiv bleated.

"Are you somewhere
safe?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, sorta, I'm in
a parklet," said Shiv.

"Okay, let's focus on
calm first," said Rosie.
"Remember how we
used to sit back-to-back?"

"Yeah, but you're not
here," Shiv protested.

"Can you find something
to lean against?" Rosie said.

"Uh huh, there's a wall,"
Shiv said. "I'm against that."

"That's good," said Rosie.
"Lean against the wall and
think about leaning on me.
Take some deep breaths.
Your breathing is rough."

"I was running," Shiv said.
"Bus stopped early, and, and --"

"Just breathe," said Rosie. "We
can worry about the rest later."

Shiv pressed his back harder
against the wall, and tried
to remember how Rosie
felt leaning against him.

Focusing on his breath
helped a little bit, too.

It felt good that he had
someone who could
actually handle this shit.

He hadn't even really been
thinking, just his panicked brain
had turned to the first person
he'd met who was unflappable
and willing to put up with him.

"All right, you sound better now,"
said Rosie. "Can you tell me
what has you so rattled today?"

"The city's going nuts," Shiv said.
"I was supposed meet Boss White,
but I can't get any closer to there."

"That does sound worrisome,"
Rosie said. "Look around. Can
you see a source of the problem?"

"Not much," Shiv said. "There's
a lot of dust in the air, and then
the smoke started up, but I can't
see where the fire is. That's
not all of the trouble, either."

"Do you hear fire trucks on
the way there?" Rosie said.

"Yeah, there's ambulances
and stuff too," Shiv said. "It's
not far from Freeman's hospital."

"That's good," said Rosie.
"What else can you see?"

Shiv leaned out to look around
again, now that there were
fewer people in the way.

What he saw made him
freeze in place. "Shit. Fuck.
Part of a building is missing!"

"Broken, like the material failed
and it fell off?" Rosie said.

"No, sliced clean, like razor cut,"
Shiv said, staring at it. "Wait, it's
more like an ice cream scoop,
there's a curve to the edge."

The silhouette stood out
starkly against the blue sky,
sharp and wrong-looking.

There weren't a lot of
things that could do that.

"Cape fight," he whispered.
"It looks like a cape fight here,
and not the usual kind with
best enemies having a bit of
slap-and-tickle in the street."

"Can you tell if it's active,
or it's over?" Rosie asked.

Shiv leaned out a bit farther,

He couldn't see much past
the broken building or the fire,
but he could see a little into
the Gene Leahy Mall.

Nothing looked like it
was making fresh trouble.

"I think it's over," he said.
"I don't see anything high up
where the building's damaged.
But I'm not cut out for this.
I'm just a street punk, it's
way over my pay grade!"

"It is by presence of mind
in untried emergencies that
the native metal of man
is tested," Rosie said.

"Okay, okay, I know you
got unreasonable faith in
me and all," Shiv muttered.
"But holy shit, Rosie, what
the fuck do I do now?"

"Do you have a plan
for emergencies or
not?" Rosie asked.

"Uh, yeah, we all do,"
Shiv said. "Boss White
set it up proper for us.
Fuck, I forgot all about it,
he'll be pissed with me."

"You called someone who
could talk you down, and it
worked," said Rosie. "Do
you remember the plan,
or have it written down?"

"Yeah, it's in my phone,"
Shiv said. "I'm supposed
to call Boss White in case
of a cape fight, and there's
other stuff too. But he hasn't
called me, and we were
supposed to meet up ..."

"He may be busy, or
just lost his phone in
the fracas," said Rosie.
"Do you feel calm enough
now to follow your plan?"

"Yeah, I better get on
that now," Shiv said.

"Good idea," said Rosie.
"If you have time later, I'd
like to know if everyone
gets home safely."

"I'll try," Shiv said.
"Thanks, Rosie."

"Any time," Rosie said.
"I'm glad I could help."

Shiv hung up, then
tried to call Boss White.

No answer, though.

He tried Dymin next,
but the line was busy.
That was no surprise.

Finally Shiv got through
to Lieutenant Brown, gave
him a summary of events,
and told him to take over
until things got sorted out.

That was part of the plan
for everyone; you tried
different folks until you
could connect and make
sure someone was in charge.

Shiv looked at his phone,
working through the steps.

He'd gotten them out of order,
but that didn't really matter;
he could still check now.

Are you injured?

He wasn't injured, so
that was a good thing.

Can you figure out
what the problem is?

Shiv wasn't certain of
the problem, but he had
had a strong suspicion.

Is it a cape fight or
otherwise super-related?

If this was a cape fight,
then it might have problems
that ordinary people -- even
the official ones -- weren't
really equipped to handle.

This was in no way Shiv's
standard responsibility, but
some of the shit around it
might be, like dealing with
sharp things or making sure
pickpockets didn't swarm
like ants at a damn picnic.

He didn't work on people,
though, and didn't want to.

Was he even in shape for
handling anything today?

Shiv held out a hand. It was
still vibrating, but not as much
as before he talked to Rosie.

Maybe he should stay put
for a little while longer.

The shitshow down
the street wasn't going
anywhere, that's for sure.

Shiv was reluctant to help,
but not altogether unwilling.

It was his city too, damn it, and
he didn't want it falling apart.

He looked at the next item on
the list -- Is this something
that the Finns could fix?

Well, nothing was going
to fix that clusterfuck in
a hurry, but they could help.

Yeah. Definitely. Now that
he'd thought of it, he really
wanted competent people
to come deal with this.

Boss White had given
everyone in the gang
some training on how
to handle emergencies,
but Shiv was in no way
prepared for this much.

Tolli and Simon, though --
they were soldiers. They'd
probably seen a city torn up
and catching on fire before.

Also if the fight wasn't as over
as Shiv thought it was, they could
certainly take care of that too.

He didn't think that a nutjob
being able to slice a building
would stop Tolli and Simon from
putting someone on the ground.

Or possibly in the ground.

Simon sure had handled
Boss Batir earlier, without
even breaking a sweat.

This time, Shiv's hands
were steady as he
made the call.

* * *

Notes:

This poem is long, so the location and content notes will appear separately. I have added some additional response notes.

Current Mood: busy
Crossposts: https://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/6348184.html

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

technoshaman

they rate fires by alarms (how many different companies they involve). This is a three-boss shitshow. SPOON, Ebonies and Ivories, and now Clan Finn...

Whoever that [various pejoratives in Spanish; somehow I hear Ham saying them of all people] is, they's about to get Finn-piled... and they won't like it. *cackle*

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> they rate fires by alarms (how many different companies they involve). <<

So far as I know, only one building has caught fire, Shahi India Grill. However, firefighters will be needed to ensure that other things -- like the wrecked cars -- don't catch fire. One station is likely enough to cover that, although an out-of-town volunteer service is sending people because Omaha always supports them on big incidents.

What they need extra of are ambulances. If this happened in L-Omaha they'd be fucked; there's very little coverage there. T-Omaha has the Freeman Family Hospital right near the Gene Leahy Mall, with its city-sized fleet of ambulances.

>> This is a three-boss shitshow. SPOON, Ebonies and Ivories, and now Clan Finn... <<

I haven't actually seen anyone from SPOON. They know about it, because Junket took Boss White and Buttons to the Onion City SPOON Base, and it looks like they sent some support. The Marionettes are sending people, though.

>> Whoever that [various pejoratives in Spanish; somehow I hear Ham saying them of all people] is, they's about to get Finn-piled... and they won't like it. *cackle* <<

The nutjob in question was knocked down by Stalwart Stan, which is another piece I haven't written yet. Feel free to prompt for that if you'd like to see it.

From:

technoshaman

Woo! We haven't seen those two since the hospital with Hefty and Fiddlesticks... definitely saving this for a prompt!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Conveniently the October 5 theme is "Fantastic Queerness." Watch Stalwart Stan knock down the bad guy with his queer, queer fists! :D

From:

lone_cat

That would be something to see. Of course, fists aren't all Stan has to hit with...

From:

ysabetwordsmith

By all means, save the idea and prompt for it! The more people ask for something, the more likely I'll write it.

From: (Anonymous)

>>What they need extra of are ambulances.<<

Homeboy ambulance; they probably train for that there. Unless the better emergency response makes them more dependent on the pros...

There was a case in the news a few months back where a rideshare driver was a homeboy ambulance for a gunshot victim...and then someone started a GoFundMe so the guy could [I forget which] get his car cleaned or buy a new one and get back to work because the old one was now a biohazard...

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Homeboy ambulance; <<

Possibly useful in terms of transportation, if they can clear a street path to the hospitals -- most cars don't have lights or sirens.

However, it has much more limited equipment. Ambulances aren't just trucks, they're supply points with specialized gear and personnel. Look at the list in the notes and you can see how T-America stairsteps a large fleet to send help suited to different levels and types of emergencies. That MICU is a tiny, rolling hospital. Conversely a drunk truck is a streamlined version customized to treat a common problem without tying up the big, complicated vehicles with something which doesn't need all that.

>> they probably train for that there. <<

They do have an "auxiliary ambulance" option. I haven't seen it in use yet, but if you'd like to, by all means prompt for it. This is exactly the kind of situation that would bring it out.

Thinking about how this would logically fit into what I know about their emergency response:

* To get the certification, you must first have advanced first aid training. That can either citizen type (like the wilderness training that Cas took) or military, first responder, medic, or other professional type. This ensures that you know when to scrape-and-run vs. when to sit tight and wait for an ambulance.

* Then you have to take and pass an emergency driving course. This ensures that you are more likely to reach the hospital fast than wreck on the way.

* The certification also attaches to a specific vehicle, which must be reliable. Local police and first responders get the vehicle description and license number, so they know there are times when this one has a reason to speed. You get a maglight to stick on the top, as police use for undercover cars that need to break cover and go fast. The vehicle can be stocked with whatever level of medical supplies you have training to use. Most auxiliary ambulances will have a wilderness first aid kit, trauma kit, and/or EMS kit on board with equipment higher than the usual car kit.

This option allows people with medical training to equip themselves for going on duty should an emergency happen right in front of them. Most of the time, they will use the equipment to keep a victim alive until an ambulance arrives. But if an ambulance is far away or they're all busy -- which isn't rare in some areas -- then they have other options. That's why all the Iron Horses are required to have at least basic first aid training and carry a kit: they are frequently hours from any other help. No, they don't have this official recognition, but they are tribal warriors.

>> Unless the better emergency response makes them more dependent on the pros... <<

Quite the reverse, actually. T-America has about 10% citizen responders (people with some useful skills who can help), civilians (e.g. elderly, parents with small children) who mostly know how to haul ass out of the way instead of gawking, a robust civil defense system, and a stairstepped medical system to distribute the weight of care. That makes a massive difference in how events like this play out. Watch for the next poem to see how that works.

From: (Anonymous)

>>However, it has much more limited equipment.<<

I was figuring the L-American sense, which would be, at minimum: get patient in vehicle and start driving. (This would be reasonable for getting minorly injured people to medical care or clearing a disaster area.)

If really fancy or well orgainized, you may end up with Patient, Driver, Medic (person monitoring Patient) and Call-it-in-dude (person going "yeah, my buddy's been shot, and we're driving him to the hospital, were the Blue Honda heading west on Second Street" with the dispatcher.)

If it is called in a police escort may be possible. (And I did read a story once where they cracked open an abandoned mad science lab and didn't have enough ambulances, so they don't the cop cars to start driving people to the hospital.)

With longer term disasters, you might see MacGyvered ambulances like India was fielding a few months back.

>>They do have an "auxiliary ambulance" option.<<

I wonder if they have boat ambulances that get fielded in hurricanes and such...

>>Quite the reverse, actually.<<

Cool.

In our world, it seems like most of the people who prepare to save themselves are people who don't feel the system is reliable.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> I was figuring the L-American sense, which would be, at minimum: get patient in vehicle and start driving. (This would be reasonable for getting minorly injured people to medical care or clearing a disaster area.) <<

Anyone can do that, but it's not part of a system, and is not as reliable as something that is. If you equip people who are already good at emergency care with a few extra bits of training and gear, then you have greatly expanded your coverage at very little extra cost.

>>If it is called in a police escort may be possible. (And I did read a story once where they cracked open an abandoned mad science lab and didn't have enough ambulances, so they don't the cop cars to start driving people to the hospital.) <<

Logical, and that is why patrol officers are obligated to have some first aid training. In Terramagne, they usually pack an everyday-carry-kit for booboos. Why? Because if people get in the habit of asking the foot patrol for a bandaid, they are more likely to think of cops as helpful instead of a threat. Officers with higher level emergency training or high-risk patrol areas carry a mini trauma kit. Which is basically what Cas just went through -- he started packing the booboo kit because he uses it several times a day, then added a mini trauma kit after the gunfight. If he gets more training, at some point he may switch up to a single tac medic kit.

>> With longer term disasters, you might see MacGyvered ambulances like India was fielding a few months back. <<

Certainly with the Big One. Also, T-America is just a little more astute about this compared to here. Larger vehicles quite commonly have a floor-track system so you can switch different types of seats, cargo modules, etc. and that can also dock a wheelchair or gurney. Bench seats often have the ability to fold flat, and some vans have parallel wall benches instead of forward-facing benches. You can get cargo nets that will swap out with regular seatbelts to secure cargo or horizontal passengers. Thank the supervillains, because they've always had to take care of themselves, and some of them make vehicles. It just got to where certain safety features became common. Add in the fact that more mechanics are aware of retrofit kits, and they know ways of modifying vehicles even if the kit can't be purchased. You can buy an AmbuBus kit, but if it's unavailable, you can make the same thing with metal pipe and canvas.

>>I wonder if they have boat ambulances that get fielded in hurricanes and such...<<

Yes, and so does the Coast Guard here. I know of several types:

* A speedboat ambulance has just enough room for a pilot, a medic, one passenger, and a marine first aid kit. It travels at top speed to transport life-threatening emergencies, most often used for heart attack or individual drowning victims.

* A cabin ambulance boat can stock a large amount of equipment and several medics, capable of transporting multiple casualties at moderate speed. These are usually used for boating accidents.

* A fireboat is used to pump water to put out fires on the water (e.g. boats, cargo on a dock). Because many fire departments require staff to crosstrain, it typically has paramedics on board, and also stocks some first aid equipment, especially for fire-related injuries (burns, smoke inhalation, etc.).

* A general-response Coast Guard boat typically includes at least one person with aquatic medical training and a heavy-duty marine first aid kit. They have a lot of these boats, in various sizes, used for everything from picking up refugees to helping boaters in distress.

* An assault Coast Guard boat should have a combat medic and at least a marine trauma kit. Those that deploy farther than they can quickly reach a hospital will usually have emergency surgery gear. These heavily armed and armored boats are used to deal with pirates, drugrunners, and other crooks so they have to be equipment for the predictable casualties.

* A hospital ship is a huge, floating medical facility. Here they usually belong to the military or the Red Cross. In Terramagne, they're also what supervillains use to say "I'm sorry I fucked up." They sent the Restitution to cover the Big One.

* A sling boat is basically an ambulance/hospital for cetaceans or other aquatic mammals. It has a crane with a big sling to lift them on deck. The one in the Maldives has a marine veterinarian and his assistant. We should probably also count Nautilus as the pilot because she often teleports the Qasim where it is needed.

>>In our world, it seems like most of the people who prepare to save themselves are people who don't feel the system is reliable.<<

That's because the system here isn't reliable. If you are poor, female, of color, differently abled, foreign, or otherwise disadvantaged then you have ample evidence that America doesn't care if you die. The advice is also routinely unusable -- "Keep an extra 2-week supply of your medications" is illegal for most prescriptions, and L-America does not have T-America's emergency scrip rider. If you have any special dietary requirements, you must supply all your own emergency food because shelters are not required to accommodate that.

Edited Date: 2021-09-26 10:29 pm (UTC)

From: (Anonymous)

>>Because if people get in the habit of asking the foot patrol for a bandaid, they are more likely to think of cops as helpful instead of a threat.<<

I once got pulled over by the cops so they could tell me my car wasn't driveable (busted tire, I was slowly driving along with my hazards on).

When I apologized and clarified that I was driving to an in sight lit parking lot (vs the unlit side of a busy road after dark) to change the tire, they offered to change the tire for me.

Actually the funniest part of the whole experience was the suprised tone in which he asked "You have a spare tire?" (I suspect they deal with a lot of really weird stuff, if having a spare tire three them for a loop...)

And I wrote a nice letter to the department after.

>>...and that can also dock a wheelchair or gurney.<<

Wheelchair vans in this 'verse are often very poor quality compared to standard. And of course you pay extra for the 'custom.' Blegh.

>>Yes, and so does the Coast Guard here. I know of several types:<<

Now I wonder what the Terramagne version of the Cajun Navy is like.

>>If you are poor, female, of color, differently abled, foreign, or otherwise disadvantaged then you have ample evidence that America doesn't care if you die.<<

I know people who tick of every box on this list (though not simultaneously).

Since I myself am female, and a generally nice person, I often do a lot of societal patching-interface work.

From:

ng_moonmoth

>> Actually the funniest part of the whole experience was the suprised tone in which he asked "You have a spare tire?" (I suspect they deal with a lot of really weird stuff, if having a spare tire three them for a loop...) <<

It's not that they deal with weird stuff, so much as that many cars manufactured these days do not include a spare tire -- or even the space to carry one. Reason is that mostly amounts to parasitic weight, which, if eliminated, helps the manufacturer reach national fuel efficiency goals. Except for the least expensive cars, the usual approach now is run-flat tires, which can be driven far enough at lower speeds to get oneself where the tire can be fixed or replaced. But those are somewhat more expensive, and require a tire pressure alert system to notify the driver of the problem -- which also costs money. So manufacturers sometimes don't equip their least expensive models in that fashion.

All very well and good, of course, until something goes wrong...

Special note for those who have spares: be sure to check the air pressure and the condition of the tire every so often, like at a major service interval. A soft spare with crumbling rubber will not help when the crunch comes.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Corporations are psychotic. I remember when there was a fuss about children getting trapped in car trunks, and then all the trunks had to have escape mechanisms, which made sense. But cars used to have manual windows that could function underwater, and these were replaced with electric ones that trap and kill more people than ever got stuck in trunks. This is somehow considered okay. >_<

It frustrates me no end that perfectly good things are so often replaced with items that are inferior or downright dangerous. I swear it's unselling me on the whole idea of buying things. If something breaks I know I'm unlikely to find an adequate replacement, which doesn't incline me to find new things just to lose them.

>>Special note for those who have spares: be sure to check the air pressure and the condition of the tire every so often, like at a major service interval. A soft spare with crumbling rubber will not help when the crunch comes.<<

If it's not inside the car, it probably won't survive. For a while manufacturers were putting the spare on the undercarriage. It makes much more sense to put it under the floor of the trunk.

Edited Date: 2021-09-27 07:13 am (UTC)

From: (Anonymous)

It was a 1997. Now I have a 2002, but it's a different vehicle. They both came with puny spare tires and a tire well in the trunk. Also, all the family vehicles have have had the puny 'spare tire' swapped out for a full-size tire. (Hey, saves us on chasing down a tire shop to drop $200 on new tires when were in the middle of doing stuff.)

I've also got a toolkit, a jumper battery, a first aid kit that's mostly bandages, a fire extinguisher, a big flashlight that can smash windows or zombies (should there be a zombie apocalypse) and two straps that I really oughta practice using one of these days.

The extinguisher, flashlight and big tire are part of the family preparedness, the rest is stuff I wanted to add.

From:

ng_moonmoth

>> If it's not inside the car, it probably won't survive. For a while manufacturers were putting the spare on the undercarriage. It makes much more sense to put it under the floor of the trunk. <<

Even there, the nearly 25 years and 360k miles I put on my previous car is enough past how long I would have expected the spare to last that I'm glad I didn't have to use it. (Ten or so years, even in the trunk, and things start getting dubious.) And the only thing that convinced me it was time for a new car was the emissions control work on top of the arrival of two major service intervals adding up to enough money that I'd rather have a new car instead of a 25-year-old one at the end. The body and drive train were both still sound.If it's not inside the car, it probably won't survive. For a while manufacturers were putting the spare on the undercarriage. It makes much more sense to put it under the floor of the trunk.

From:

siliconshaman

Luci would be running towards that dust-up as well... probably only in an axillary role, since that sounds way above her level, but getting people out of the way of trouble is just as vital. Plus, Search & Rescue is always a 'all hands on deck' thing.

Hm.. Seeing her scuffed up and covered in dust probably isn't going to do wonders for Shiv's state of mind though. Even if most of the blood isn't hers.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Silk can control cloth. If she doesn't panic at the sight of blood -- and she must have had at least sports first aid classes, or preferably more advanced ones as a superhera -- then put her on heavy bleeding control. She could turn someone's clothes into a bandage or tourniquet as needed, if other supplies run out, which is likely.

Heavy bleeding is the emergency most prone to kill people quickly that can be stopped with fairly simple first aid. That's why T-America tends to assign someone just to do that one task, if they have enough people, because if you focus on triage rather than treatment then most of your bleeders will die on you. It's better to separate tasks if you can.

And no, Shiv will not be happy if Silk shows up completely painted in blood, but he is standing next to a store with camping showers and athletic clothes. That's exactly where to send her on break. After an hour or two, all the red-card urgent cases will be either evacuated or dead, so that's a useful timing marker.

From:

siliconshaman

That sounds about right. There is another trick she can do, she can insinuate her silk ribbons into crevices and under blocks of rubble, and then use them like jacks to lift things. But there's probably other heroes who can do that better. Silk can not only use her power to bandage wounds, she can control silk fibres to directly suture wounds, [and yes, she has the training.] or use them like teeny-tiny chopsticks to pick out debris from the wounds. [useful for glass shards in eyes and so on.]

Hmm.. tempted to write that now... as I've said, she hasn't really had an opportunity to strut her stuff as a superhera.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

She'll save more lives on bleeding control. That kills quickest, and she can do it better than anyone else unless they're experienced with and have a supply of tourniquets. One of the buildings that got cut open was a glass-walled tower. You get the idea.

From:

siliconshaman

True.. that's most probably going to be the case.

From: (Anonymous)

She could also make levitatable stretchers. Idea from Sandry the stitch witch in Tamora Pierce's literature. (She made a stretcher out of a sheet after her heart-sister fell down a full flight of stone stairs, resulting in possible brain or spinal damage and definitely resulting in bruises and broken bones. )

Bleeding control would be better with this incident at least to start.

From:

fuzzyred

I love Shiv's assessment of Simon and Tolli, and how much better he feels thinking about having them come handle the situation. Seeing them come to Shiv's (and Boss White's) rescue is definitely something I'd like to see.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> I love Shiv's assessment of Simon and Tolli, <<

It's absolutely true. They could have put the bad guy in the ground, and they would have, so he is damn lucky that a superhero got to him before a soldier did.

>> and how much better he feels thinking about having them come handle the situation. <<

Backup is very reassuring. :D

>> Seeing them come to Shiv's (and Boss White's) rescue is definitely something I'd like to see.<<

Wish granted!

dialecticdreamer has written some of that already. I don't know when it will get posted, though. Let's see, there's one of Mrs. Dr. G responding, and one of Simon. I think she plans to cover Tolli too, because he winds up with kind of a cluster supporting his work.

From:

fuzzyred

>>Wish granted! [personal profile] dialecticdreamer has written some of that already. I don't know when it will get posted, though. Let's see, there's one of Mrs. Dr. G responding, and one of Simon. I think she plans to cover Tolli too, because he winds up with kind of a cluster supporting his work.<<

Yay! That sounds awesome!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

Also keep in mind her prompt calls: Feathering the Nest for nonsexual intimacy, thus good for comfort scenes after calamity; and Magpie Monday, with more variable themes, which can handle a higher level of tension. Given her interest in this arc, you can prompt for more. If I remember right, Feathering the Nest will be this coming Monday.

From:

fuzzyred

Oh yeah, that's a good idea :) I'll keep that in mind.

From:

fyreharper

I love that “is this something that the Finns could fix” is in his official how-to-handle-emergencies list

From: (Anonymous)

They're a useful hub of skills. If I knew them in conjunction with my volunteer work, I'd have them on my emergency list too.

From:

dialecticdreamer

Once Finns affix to someone, they're going to pull out all the stops for anyone the new graft considers a friend or family.

That means even annoying, lazy Popgun would get the full Finn treatment if he asked for help. This is Shiv's hometown, so they will step up.

From:

ysabetwordsmith

>> Once Finns affix to someone, they're going to pull out all the stops for anyone the new graft considers a friend or family. <<

They are tractive as Maxitack.

>> That means even annoying, lazy Popgun would get the full Finn treatment if he asked for help. This is Shiv's hometown, so they will step up. <<

Another factor is one they share with the supervillains, which is that they're aware of how their own presence can create complications, so they try to compensate for that. Edison visits there, 'nuff said.

From:

dialecticdreamer

Very, very true!

From:

ysabetwordsmith

They are sort of a Swiss Army clan. :D

Each person's emergency plan is somewhat customized. There's a line for contacts who may be useful. Boss White and Dymin have a longer list of allies to call on.

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