ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2021-10-02 08:55 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote2021-10-02 08:55 pm
Poem: "The Responsibility to Care"
This poem is spillover from the February 2, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Poppy (yellow) - Wealth" square in my 2-1-21 "The Language of Flowers" card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Mercedes and Finn Family threads of Polychrome Heroics.
"The Responsibility to Care"
[Monday, July 6, 2015]
Molly was working on paperwork
for their new zoomcrew intern
when she heard the door jingle.
"Wow, what a dump," someone said.
"Hey, we like it here," Dave said,
hurt ringing in his tone. "This place
has done a lot of good work."
Molly put down the pages and
went to see what was going on.
Sure enough, there was
their new intern, fresh-faced
and pudgy in a shirt that read,
Paramedic Student on the front
over a pair of upscale pants.
"Hi, I'm Molly Finn," she said.
"Welcome to Soup to Nuts."
"Jefferson Ream, I'm here
for the internship," he said,
then noticed her expression.
"Oh. You, uh ... heard that?"
"I did," Molly said evenly.
"If you don't feel like this
is a good fit, you could go
somewhere else," Dave said.
"I got this," Molly said. "It's
a very familiar problem to me."
"Okay." Dave spread his hands
and sat down, leaving it to her.
"Jefferson, what do you dislike
about our place?" Molly asked.
"It's kind of shabby," he said,
looking around. "I mean, it's not
filthy, but none of the fixtures are new,
the art's mostly self-care posters, and
all the furniture looks like it came out of
a box. I picked this place because it had
the best reputation. Guess I expected more."
"It looks like this because, one, we spend
money on vital equipment, not fripperies,"
Molly said. "Two, if we decorated it too far
above our clients' budget level, it would
make people feel uncomfortable."
"But people like nice things,"
Jefferson said, bewildered.
"Some people do, but others
feel out of place," Molly said.
"Let me guess, which one
of your parents is a doctor?"
"Well, both," said Jefferson.
"My mom's a gynecologist and
my dad specializes in men's health."
"Mine too," said Molly. "Mum is
a cardiologist and Da's a psychiatrist."
"Then why do you work here?"
Jefferson said, staring at her.
"Because this is where I can
do the most good," Molly replied.
"There is no higher honor than to be
given the responsibility to care
for another human being."
"Okay, I get that," he said. "I
want to be a field doctor, so I'm
starting with paramedic training
before I go to college and then
medical school. My mentor said
this was a good place to learn
how to handle really weird stuff."
"That's true, and both my parents
are used to it," Molly said. "Thing is,
neither of them grew up rich, so that
makes it easier for them to relate to
working-class clients. They made sure
us kids learned that too, growing up. It
sounds like you need to work on that."
"Why?" Jefferson said. "I'm not poor."
"You aren't, but some of your clients
will be," Molly said. "If you can't build
rapport fast in an emergency, then
they won't trust you or tell you things."
"Oh," Jefferson said, looking glum.
"That's not good ... could be dangerous."
"Now you're getting it," Molly said,
wafting a little approval his way.
She didn't want him to wilt,
just pay attention to more
than surface appearances.
Jefferson touched the coffee cup
that read We Are the Champions.
Its handle had broken clean off,
and now it held pens and pencils.
"If the shabby chic decor has
a purpose, then what's this one
all about?" he asked Molly.
"It reminds people that it's
okay not to be okay," she said.
"Things that are a little broken
can still be useful in some way."
"Yeah, okay," Jefferson said.
"I guess that there's more to
this place than meets the eye."
"We like to think so," Dave said.
"Stick around and you'll see more."
"I'll try," Jefferson said. "I'm just
not sure how much use this will
really be in the field, I mean
beyond getting people to talk."
"Rescue work isn't like working in
a hospital where you always have
plenty of supplies," Molly warned.
"You need to know how to improvise
if you run out, or the first thing you try
doesn't work. That's hard to do if you're
used to buying exactly what you need."
Jefferson frowned. "I don't know if --
can you give me an example?"
"Okay, let me tell you about
our last mass-casualty incident,"
Molly said. "Last December there
was a twelve-car pileup in the fog."
"I saw pictures of it on the news,"
Jefferson said. "It looked awful."
"It was awful," Molly said. "We got
there within four minutes of the call.
There were three of us -- only one
a speedster -- and thirty-one victims
because people were carpooling."
"What did you do?" Jefferson said.
"Bethan did the triage at speed, then
we all focused on the worst injuries,"
Molly said. "One victim was a nurse,
who had a broken arm -- badly broken,
in three places -- that she just told us
to strap up so she could help with
her good hand, so that's what we did."
"Another family were Activity Scouts,
so they took over the traffic control,
which helped a lot," Dave said.
"That sounds pretty rough,"
Jefferson said, his eyes wide.
"It was six and a half minutes after
we arrived before the next ambulance
could reach the scene," Dave added.
"Police and fire arrived just after them."
"We lost one patient because we just
didn't have enough hands to cover
all of the critical injuries," Molly said.
"Then we lost another one because
we were running out of supplies. By
the time the second crew arrived, we
were making bandages from T-shirts
and tourniquets from bootlaces."
"Did that work?" Jefferson said,
staring at her with wide eyes.
"Yes," Molly said. "There was
broken glass and bent metal
everywhere, so a lot of people
had heavy bleeding. That's one
of the most lethal things that can
readily be fixed with first aid, and
we saved several lives that way."
"So that's why you need to know
how to use whatever's on hand,
not just the best thing for the job,"
Dave said. "It really matters."
"Do you have any advice?"
Jefferson said, giving
Dave a hopeful look.
"Don't be a toolbag,"
Dave said. "Your head
and your heart will be
your most important tools."
"Don't make one problem worse
while trying to fix another one,"
Molly said. "We see that a lot, when
medics fixate on an obvious injury
but fail to care for the person."
"Feeling helpless is actually
the leading cause of PTSD, and
that can kill someone just as dead
as bleeding out can," Dave said.
"It just takes a while longer."
Jefferson winced. "Yeah,
that's not good. We heard
about that in class. I want
to carry a burner phone
loaded with CarGo and
coping apps to give away."
"That's a great idea," Molly said.
"Dave, jot that down, we could
do that here too. We've been
loaning people a tablet so they can
start putting away bad memories, but
a burner phone they could keep."
"Got it," Dave said, making
a note on his smartphone.
"So how do I --" Jefferson
waved a hand at the room.
"-- learn to do what you do?"
"Poorskills," Molly said. "I'll
take you to the community center
and see what classes they have.
Take one on budgeting and
one on home repairs to start.
Try to make some friends."
"Set yourself a budget as
tight as you can make it,"
Dave said. "We'll help you
figure out how to live on that,
and it'll give you experience."
"You really think that will help
me get along better with people
who have less?" Jefferson said.
"Just remember to focus on
the responsibility to care,"
Molly said. "You'll do fine."
"Okay," Jefferson said. "Let's
check the community center
so I can get started on classes."
His mood had shifted from
disdain to determination.
Yes, he really would do fine.
* * *
Notes:
Jefferson Ream -- He has pinkish-fair skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. He is chunky and still trying to work off the fat so he can handle the physical challenges of rescue work. His heritage is American. He is 18 years old in 2015.
Jefferson has an iron stomach and can eat anything, ride the wildest roller-coasters, and never gets queasy at the sight of blood. He goes hunting with his uncles and helps butcher the game. Jefferson wants to become a field doctor and is working his way up through paramedic training before college and later medical school. He took online classes and weekend workshops during his last semester of high school, then finished up his practicals in early summer. The plan is to start the internship with support work in the office, take the tests, and then join the ambulance for few weeks as an assistant paramedic before starting premed in college that fall.
A diligent student, Jefferson easily grasps the information, but he struggles to understand the limitations of field practice. His parents, both doctors, make enough money that he could always buy whatever he wanted, so he has no experienced with jerryrigging or any other poorskills. That makes for a very awkward fit in his summer internship with the Soup to Nuts zoomwagon crew. Molly and Dave have offered to help Jefferson learn poorskills to make it easier for him to get along with folks from different socioeconomic levels.
Qualities: Good (+2) Diligent, Good (+2) Iron Stomach, Good (+2) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Good (+2) Popular Crowd, Good (+2) Student
Poor (-2) Spoiled Rich Kid
* * *
"There is no higher honor than to be given the responsibility to care for another human being."
-- Richard K. Schachern
"Don't be a toolbag" <- a quote we tell all the FNGs :rofl:
Shabby-chic is a style of things that look quaintly worn. There are ways to create a shabby-chic paint job on furniture. Upcycling offers many ways to refurbish and reuse old things in new ways, like turning a broken cup into a pencil holder (which I also do).
A socioeconomic gap between clients and caregivers can undermine trust, quality of care, and outcomes. People who actually care about client health may take steps to compensate for this. Most don't bother.
Local-America has the phrase "It's okay not to be okay," but this is more often bait-and-switch than honest. That is, if you reveal any weakness or fail to meet demands, the chance of other people becoming angry, avoiding you, or penalizing you will greatly exceed the chance of them actually helping you. That often makes it logical and even necessary to conceal weaknesses, because the cost of doing so is routinely less that getting caught in a moment of vulnerability by predatory bystanders. Terramagne-America does better in accepting that people have problems and helping each other through the hard times. Specifically, health care providers often hire people with disabilities to show, not just tell, clients that life goes on. Both Mrs. Wu (who is blind) and a broken cup repurposed as a pencil holder subtly send similar messages at Soup to Nuts. Know what to do when everything is awful and it's not okay. These are much more productive instructions than L-America's insistence that everyone perform normally no matter how wrecked they are.
Fog season in California often causes multicar pileups.
The PACE planning method includes multiple options. Survival skills include improvising medical supplies from everyday items. It was actually the availability of a speedster that enabled expending a zoomwagon's entire supply of bandages and tourniquets within minutes, necessitating other items to serve those needs.
Traumatic stress is primarily caused by feeling helpless, and people who don't feel helpless are better able to cope with hardships. Trauma-informed care takes action to restore a sense of safety and control as soon as possible, to minimize the risk of further harm. T-America does this fairly well. L-America often does the exact opposite, increasing rather than reducing harm. Such experiences encourage people to avoid and resist "help" that is not actually helpful.
Preventing PTSD is important, but caregivers are just beginning to identify things that help. First, understand that PTSD is fundamentally a sorting error: the brain can't file traumatic memories properly, so they replay over and over again. Playing a stacking-and-sorting game such as Tetris can activate the brain's sorting function. Making a care diary, timeline, or trauma scrapbook can help place memories in context as part of the life story. Handing out a burner phone preloaded with these materials is a brilliant plan.
mama_kestrel. It also fills the "Poppy (yellow) - Wealth" square in my 2-1-21 "The Language of Flowers" card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the Mercedes and Finn Family threads of Polychrome Heroics."The Responsibility to Care"
[Monday, July 6, 2015]
Molly was working on paperwork
for their new zoomcrew intern
when she heard the door jingle.
"Wow, what a dump," someone said.
"Hey, we like it here," Dave said,
hurt ringing in his tone. "This place
has done a lot of good work."
Molly put down the pages and
went to see what was going on.
Sure enough, there was
their new intern, fresh-faced
and pudgy in a shirt that read,
Paramedic Student on the front
over a pair of upscale pants.
"Hi, I'm Molly Finn," she said.
"Welcome to Soup to Nuts."
"Jefferson Ream, I'm here
for the internship," he said,
then noticed her expression.
"Oh. You, uh ... heard that?"
"I did," Molly said evenly.
"If you don't feel like this
is a good fit, you could go
somewhere else," Dave said.
"I got this," Molly said. "It's
a very familiar problem to me."
"Okay." Dave spread his hands
and sat down, leaving it to her.
"Jefferson, what do you dislike
about our place?" Molly asked.
"It's kind of shabby," he said,
looking around. "I mean, it's not
filthy, but none of the fixtures are new,
the art's mostly self-care posters, and
all the furniture looks like it came out of
a box. I picked this place because it had
the best reputation. Guess I expected more."
"It looks like this because, one, we spend
money on vital equipment, not fripperies,"
Molly said. "Two, if we decorated it too far
above our clients' budget level, it would
make people feel uncomfortable."
"But people like nice things,"
Jefferson said, bewildered.
"Some people do, but others
feel out of place," Molly said.
"Let me guess, which one
of your parents is a doctor?"
"Well, both," said Jefferson.
"My mom's a gynecologist and
my dad specializes in men's health."
"Mine too," said Molly. "Mum is
a cardiologist and Da's a psychiatrist."
"Then why do you work here?"
Jefferson said, staring at her.
"Because this is where I can
do the most good," Molly replied.
"There is no higher honor than to be
given the responsibility to care
for another human being."
"Okay, I get that," he said. "I
want to be a field doctor, so I'm
starting with paramedic training
before I go to college and then
medical school. My mentor said
this was a good place to learn
how to handle really weird stuff."
"That's true, and both my parents
are used to it," Molly said. "Thing is,
neither of them grew up rich, so that
makes it easier for them to relate to
working-class clients. They made sure
us kids learned that too, growing up. It
sounds like you need to work on that."
"Why?" Jefferson said. "I'm not poor."
"You aren't, but some of your clients
will be," Molly said. "If you can't build
rapport fast in an emergency, then
they won't trust you or tell you things."
"Oh," Jefferson said, looking glum.
"That's not good ... could be dangerous."
"Now you're getting it," Molly said,
wafting a little approval his way.
She didn't want him to wilt,
just pay attention to more
than surface appearances.
Jefferson touched the coffee cup
that read We Are the Champions.
Its handle had broken clean off,
and now it held pens and pencils.
"If the shabby chic decor has
a purpose, then what's this one
all about?" he asked Molly.
"It reminds people that it's
okay not to be okay," she said.
"Things that are a little broken
can still be useful in some way."
"Yeah, okay," Jefferson said.
"I guess that there's more to
this place than meets the eye."
"We like to think so," Dave said.
"Stick around and you'll see more."
"I'll try," Jefferson said. "I'm just
not sure how much use this will
really be in the field, I mean
beyond getting people to talk."
"Rescue work isn't like working in
a hospital where you always have
plenty of supplies," Molly warned.
"You need to know how to improvise
if you run out, or the first thing you try
doesn't work. That's hard to do if you're
used to buying exactly what you need."
Jefferson frowned. "I don't know if --
can you give me an example?"
"Okay, let me tell you about
our last mass-casualty incident,"
Molly said. "Last December there
was a twelve-car pileup in the fog."
"I saw pictures of it on the news,"
Jefferson said. "It looked awful."
"It was awful," Molly said. "We got
there within four minutes of the call.
There were three of us -- only one
a speedster -- and thirty-one victims
because people were carpooling."
"What did you do?" Jefferson said.
"Bethan did the triage at speed, then
we all focused on the worst injuries,"
Molly said. "One victim was a nurse,
who had a broken arm -- badly broken,
in three places -- that she just told us
to strap up so she could help with
her good hand, so that's what we did."
"Another family were Activity Scouts,
so they took over the traffic control,
which helped a lot," Dave said.
"That sounds pretty rough,"
Jefferson said, his eyes wide.
"It was six and a half minutes after
we arrived before the next ambulance
could reach the scene," Dave added.
"Police and fire arrived just after them."
"We lost one patient because we just
didn't have enough hands to cover
all of the critical injuries," Molly said.
"Then we lost another one because
we were running out of supplies. By
the time the second crew arrived, we
were making bandages from T-shirts
and tourniquets from bootlaces."
"Did that work?" Jefferson said,
staring at her with wide eyes.
"Yes," Molly said. "There was
broken glass and bent metal
everywhere, so a lot of people
had heavy bleeding. That's one
of the most lethal things that can
readily be fixed with first aid, and
we saved several lives that way."
"So that's why you need to know
how to use whatever's on hand,
not just the best thing for the job,"
Dave said. "It really matters."
"Do you have any advice?"
Jefferson said, giving
Dave a hopeful look.
"Don't be a toolbag,"
Dave said. "Your head
and your heart will be
your most important tools."
"Don't make one problem worse
while trying to fix another one,"
Molly said. "We see that a lot, when
medics fixate on an obvious injury
but fail to care for the person."
"Feeling helpless is actually
the leading cause of PTSD, and
that can kill someone just as dead
as bleeding out can," Dave said.
"It just takes a while longer."
Jefferson winced. "Yeah,
that's not good. We heard
about that in class. I want
to carry a burner phone
loaded with CarGo and
coping apps to give away."
"That's a great idea," Molly said.
"Dave, jot that down, we could
do that here too. We've been
loaning people a tablet so they can
start putting away bad memories, but
a burner phone they could keep."
"Got it," Dave said, making
a note on his smartphone.
"So how do I --" Jefferson
waved a hand at the room.
"-- learn to do what you do?"
"Poorskills," Molly said. "I'll
take you to the community center
and see what classes they have.
Take one on budgeting and
one on home repairs to start.
Try to make some friends."
"Set yourself a budget as
tight as you can make it,"
Dave said. "We'll help you
figure out how to live on that,
and it'll give you experience."
"You really think that will help
me get along better with people
who have less?" Jefferson said.
"Just remember to focus on
the responsibility to care,"
Molly said. "You'll do fine."
"Okay," Jefferson said. "Let's
check the community center
so I can get started on classes."
His mood had shifted from
disdain to determination.
Yes, he really would do fine.
* * *
Notes:
Jefferson Ream -- He has pinkish-fair skin, brown eyes, and brown hair buzzed short. He is chunky and still trying to work off the fat so he can handle the physical challenges of rescue work. His heritage is American. He is 18 years old in 2015.
Jefferson has an iron stomach and can eat anything, ride the wildest roller-coasters, and never gets queasy at the sight of blood. He goes hunting with his uncles and helps butcher the game. Jefferson wants to become a field doctor and is working his way up through paramedic training before college and later medical school. He took online classes and weekend workshops during his last semester of high school, then finished up his practicals in early summer. The plan is to start the internship with support work in the office, take the tests, and then join the ambulance for few weeks as an assistant paramedic before starting premed in college that fall.
A diligent student, Jefferson easily grasps the information, but he struggles to understand the limitations of field practice. His parents, both doctors, make enough money that he could always buy whatever he wanted, so he has no experienced with jerryrigging or any other poorskills. That makes for a very awkward fit in his summer internship with the Soup to Nuts zoomwagon crew. Molly and Dave have offered to help Jefferson learn poorskills to make it easier for him to get along with folks from different socioeconomic levels.
Qualities: Good (+2) Diligent, Good (+2) Iron Stomach, Good (+2) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, Good (+2) Popular Crowd, Good (+2) Student
Poor (-2) Spoiled Rich Kid
* * *
"There is no higher honor than to be given the responsibility to care for another human being."
-- Richard K. Schachern
"Don't be a toolbag" <- a quote we tell all the FNGs :rofl:
Shabby-chic is a style of things that look quaintly worn. There are ways to create a shabby-chic paint job on furniture. Upcycling offers many ways to refurbish and reuse old things in new ways, like turning a broken cup into a pencil holder (which I also do).
A socioeconomic gap between clients and caregivers can undermine trust, quality of care, and outcomes. People who actually care about client health may take steps to compensate for this. Most don't bother.
Local-America has the phrase "It's okay not to be okay," but this is more often bait-and-switch than honest. That is, if you reveal any weakness or fail to meet demands, the chance of other people becoming angry, avoiding you, or penalizing you will greatly exceed the chance of them actually helping you. That often makes it logical and even necessary to conceal weaknesses, because the cost of doing so is routinely less that getting caught in a moment of vulnerability by predatory bystanders. Terramagne-America does better in accepting that people have problems and helping each other through the hard times. Specifically, health care providers often hire people with disabilities to show, not just tell, clients that life goes on. Both Mrs. Wu (who is blind) and a broken cup repurposed as a pencil holder subtly send similar messages at Soup to Nuts. Know what to do when everything is awful and it's not okay. These are much more productive instructions than L-America's insistence that everyone perform normally no matter how wrecked they are.
Fog season in California often causes multicar pileups.
The PACE planning method includes multiple options. Survival skills include improvising medical supplies from everyday items. It was actually the availability of a speedster that enabled expending a zoomwagon's entire supply of bandages and tourniquets within minutes, necessitating other items to serve those needs.
Traumatic stress is primarily caused by feeling helpless, and people who don't feel helpless are better able to cope with hardships. Trauma-informed care takes action to restore a sense of safety and control as soon as possible, to minimize the risk of further harm. T-America does this fairly well. L-America often does the exact opposite, increasing rather than reducing harm. Such experiences encourage people to avoid and resist "help" that is not actually helpful.
Preventing PTSD is important, but caregivers are just beginning to identify things that help. First, understand that PTSD is fundamentally a sorting error: the brain can't file traumatic memories properly, so they replay over and over again. Playing a stacking-and-sorting game such as Tetris can activate the brain's sorting function. Making a care diary, timeline, or trauma scrapbook can help place memories in context as part of the life story. Handing out a burner phone preloaded with these materials is a brilliant plan.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:19 am (UTC)(link)If he actually cares about the patients, he'll be able to learn. People know when you care vs. when you're just ticking boxes.
...Also, I think he should learn EFA, especially listening skills. If people learn that this one cares, they're gonna start confiding in him, and that can include some real traumatic stuff.
I am not a priest, doctor, or cop of any description, but I've had people mention traumatic stuff. Sometimes it's a confession/explanation, sometimes a random scrap providing context, sometimes inferred from glares and silence and darkly furious discussions. I have yet to have someone hysterically melt down on me - if Jefferson is a first responder, he will. Likely multiple times.
...ooh, he might also need some practice dealing with diverse groups of people. If the zoom crew is mentoring him, they can just pass him around the family...which has enough people that won't just smile and nod politely when he does something unhelpful.
>>People who actually care about client health may take steps to compensate for this. Most don't bother.<<
Not a professional, just a volunteer, but for me design is at the end of the list of considerations. It's good if things look nice, decent, tidy, (as opposed to fancy) but being able to get sufficient quantity of useable, decent supplies is the main goal. Producing in-house resources, mindful purchasing, precise planning/problem solving and knowing how to fix up donated items help.
Generally, while I will try to make things work and look decent, most of the stuff is obviously mismatched, secondhand, homemade, fixed up, or shared and occasionally used into scruffiness.
(And there is a scruffiness level below which we don't give stuff out - if stuff is too grungy, it sends the message of 'don't care' rather than 'trying our best for everyone.')
>>That is, if you reveal any weakness or fail to meet demands, the chance of other people becoming angry, avoiding you, or penalizing you will greatly exceed the chance of them actually helping you.<<
Or giving you unhelpful advice, blaming you for not taking it, and only acknowledging the severity of the problem some time after you give up, because it takes them that long to pick up on the evidence.
And _then_ it's important to fix.
>:(
>>These are much more productive instructions than L-America's insistence that everyone perform normally no matter how wrecked they are.<<
Telepaths in L-America would freak out at talking with us, the same way we'd freak out if a friendly, slightly eaten zombie ambled over and tried to start a nice philosophical discussion.
no subject
Less... some of us wouldn't be that freaked by a friendly zombie. Heck, it would be hard to tell it apart from your average commuter. Whereas some of us would have the same effect on telepaths as Cthulhu does on normal folks.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:46 am (UTC)(link)"Excuse me, do you have time to sign this petition about-"
"Uhhh, dude, you do know I can see your brain...and lungs...and intestines, right?"
"Darnit, I cannot find decent bandages that stay on...what?"
"Uhhh, watching your lungs move while you talk is just...really weird. Imma sit down awhile..."
"...Oh botheration. Can't the humans just get used to the undead existing in public?"
no subject
I get your angle, but I'm sorry, my reaction would; "Oh hey, I can see your internal organs.. Cool! Uh, what was that about a petition? Sorry, distracted..."
Probably would brainstorm ways to fix the bandage problem too.. Could you use silicon putty to substitute for missing tissue? Would a zombie react to it like a living person, or would a lack of metabolism mean no allergic reactions?
no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:38 am (UTC)(link)Folks who hang out in this corner of the 'net ain't exactly a representative sample of humanity. (Of course, that's one reason it's so fun here...)
Most non-doctors will likely be disconcerted at unexpectedly seeing innards as outards.
>>Probably would brainstorm ways to fix the bandage problem too...<<
I'd say wrap mostly-intact bits in gauze, bandages or similar, then cover with clothing as applicable, at least to start. (If it is a recurring problem, people will likely invent something new.)
Depending on limitations, some injuries could be stitched or stapled together, to keep the shape properly humanoid.
And it might be possible to make, like, a prosthetic tummy or skull out of foam, plastic, resin, rubber etc as needed.
Another question: is it a wet zombie or a dry zombie? Or, more practically, do the bandages need to absorb liquid without sticking?
A dry zombie could just be wrapped in reusable linen...or shredded tshirts, elastic bandages, etc. Then again, a dry zombie might have to avoid precipitation ... and humidity.
>>...or would a lack of metabolism mean no allergic reactions?<<
If physics apply, you need some sort of metabolism, otherwise you have a biological Perpetual Motion Machine.
Of course, it could be very different from a human metabolism. Plant zombies might photosynthesize, traditional voodoo zombies are (I think) powered by magic like magical corpse robots, and I think there's an Eastern (Chinese? not sure) zombie that eats life forces.
Then you get things like vampires which may or may not count as undead, and their eating 'life force's can mean anything from bodies and blood to energy and souls...
And a parasite-infested zombie like the zombie ants or toxoplasmosis rats may not need to eat, as they only have to stay alive long enough to serve as a bio-transport.
And immune response specifically would depend on what parts got shut down with 'death.' A parasite might knock out the immune system, a soulless husk might have bio-systems going buissiness as usual, a voodoo zombie might 'turn off' some systems when not in use to save energy...and immune response expenditures might not be very important if new meat is easy to get.
This is a fun discussion!
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(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 10:38 am (UTC)(link)no subject
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)Silicon or a vet wrap or coban...or maybe some burn wrap and skin glue.... or even super glue if it's undead it probably won't be poisoned by super glue like a living human is likely to, in a pinch you could even use a simple solution of plastic bags/ plastic wrap coated with duct tape to cover the open stuff and secure the body shape in place, then clothing would just cover up the layers of duct tape so it doesn't look odd.<<
People might end up factoring in cost and reusability too.
Unless the high-quality expensive medical stuff is a necessity, I'd expect a lot of people to fo for cheaper stuff.
And how often would they need new and or clean prosthetics?
Hmmm...a baggy shirt and slouching could hide missing innards in a pinch...unless you inadvertantly slime your shirt.
In winter, a scarf could hide facial disfigurement as well.
(I suspect most humans would learn very quickly not to have a fit about face-covering bandages and suchlike in thet sort of setting...)
>>But put clothes in the way and who could tell...<<
Padded or baggy clothing would hide lumps. (I once got Mistaken for Pregnant because I was wearing a belt bag under a quilted winter jacket.)
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Thoughts
Some mental landscapes are disorienting, others actively dangerous. I mean, someone trying to break into my mind would be lucky to land anywhere that had air, before counting any of the defenses or other occupants.
>> But all that does is make me wish I hadn't left my time machine in my other pants, because I'd like to go back in time and make the traumatic stuff never have happened to them.<<
Bear in mind that our experiences make us who they are, and changing them changes ourselves. This is only sometimes desired.
>> I'm wondering what a basic banishing/warding-off "spell" or "shield" would do to a zombie. <<
A targeted spell typically works on divine-evil zombies, not on other types (e.g. nanotech zombies).
A shield that creates a solid wall of force should stop most or all types.
Re: Thoughts
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 06:54 am (UTC)(link)I think someone made a movie about that...once he got back to 'present' his fiancee was no longer traumatized... but she wasn't the same person.
Re: Thoughts
Re: Thoughts
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)On a purely practical scale, broken things have sharp edges, broken minds/souls are no exception, and if people insist on being pushy about it (or actually caused the damage)... Well, kids learn to be careful with sharp things after getting jabbed, and some adults need a refresher on the lesson.
Or a variant: I am not exactly the idea of a 'normal' person of my age, gender, and appearence... and depending on your type of otherness, letting that out can confuse or intimidate people into going away. (Not always, but sometimes.)
Well ...
Baby steps. Start with one day, work up to one week, and eventually one month.
>> If he actually cares about the patients, he'll be able to learn. People know when you care vs. when you're just ticking boxes. <<
He really does care. He just has some big gaps in life experience.
>> ...Also, I think he should learn EFA, especially listening skills. If people learn that this one cares, they're gonna start confiding in him, and that can include some real traumatic stuff. <<
T-American training for medics includes basic EFA and listening skills. More advanced positions require more work. Doctors especially are trained in advanced listening skills because of the detective work required for diagnosing problems. They aren't all equally good at it, but they do get training.
>> I am not a priest, doctor, or cop of any description, but I've had people mention traumatic stuff. <<
Same here. I have also repeatedly been told that I am more use than someone's counselor, doctor, or other alleged professional. I don't mind work, but I resent having to do everyone's damn job.
>> I have yet to have someone hysterically melt down on me - if Jefferson is a first responder, he will. Likely multiple times. <<
... per day.
>> ...ooh, he might also need some practice dealing with diverse groups of people. If the zoom crew is mentoring him, they can just pass him around the family...which has enough people that won't just smile and nod politely when he does something unhelpful. <<
He'll get that from the Finns.
>> Generally, while I will try to make things work and look decent, most of the stuff is obviously mismatched, secondhand, homemade, fixed up, or shared and occasionally used into scruffiness. <<
Context matters. A table with one mismatched chair looks bad. A table with 5 chairs all different looks quirky. If all 6 items are painted different colors, that's boho or shabby chic.
>> Or giving you unhelpful advice, blaming you for not taking it, and only acknowledging the severity of the problem some time after you give up, because it takes them that long to pick up on the evidence.<<
Yyyyeah.
>> And _then_ it's important to fix. <<
No, it becomes important to fix when it causes them a problem, like somebody might notice and penalize them for mistreating you because the symptoms have become obvious just like you said they would.
>> Telepaths in L-America would freak out at talking with us <<
Doesn't even take telepathy. I've had people freak because I jumped up and hit something after telling them that the boobs are an illusion. I just don't fit into most people's reality and it makes them uncomfortable.
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Man, now there is someone who really needs to be introduced to the thrifting and maker cultures stat!
Granted, it might blow his mind a little at first... but hey, blowing the doors off is just as valid a way of opening something as gently prying it open with tweezers! (just remember, you're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!)
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(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:42 am (UTC)(link)Odd list of fixit things I've done: bike maintenance, recurring shirts, making quilts, making masks (2020), fixing and tailoring clothes, removing broken parts from kids toys, fixing my cat's to after I accidentally broke it, making elastic bands out of old pantyhose, fixing up an old granny-cart, making a portable 'lantern' out of a flashlight, fixing old flip-flops with cut up inner tubes, making a cheapo first aid kit (including scrounged household stuff), making a bandage waterproof with duct tape, recycling scrap paper into homemade index cards, make planters out of empty plastic bags, make your own printable resources 'cause buying 'em all is to expensive...
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Preach it.. I built a workshop out of recycled timber, bits of old roofing panels and so on...
You make do with what you've got... or womble what you need [dumpster diving for the win!]
Yes ...
You have badass poorskills.
Re: Yes ...
Necessity is the mother of invention...
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(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:19 pm (UTC)(link)Re: Yes ...
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
My mother-in-law once showed up at my door with a half-cooked duck in a plastic bag, because she didn't know how to cook it. I looked it up in my old Fanny Farmer (Boston Cooking School) Cookbook, and nobody got sick or said it was terrible.
I recently discovered that I am extremely good at making marzipan roses. When I first heard of the internet, someone said I needed to put my poetry and stuff on a webpage, so I bought a book and taught myself simple HTML.
I'm also a good cook (I enjoy improvising, but I don't ever want to see another half-raw duck again!), and I taught myself how to make various complicated foods and fancy pastries because I couldn't afford to buy them from the people who make them.
And like you, I'm pretty good at creative misuse of materials and hardware. And machinery likes me.
Yes ...
Finn solution
Molly and Heron were older when I started writing the series, yet it's clear that they aren't flashy about their spending, especially in clothing. Heron's new Italian suit(s) were a big deal, even though he could've afforded them unaided.
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(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:47 am (UTC)(link)Re: Finn solution
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(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:40 am (UTC)(link)Re: Finn solution
Re: Finn solution
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 04:26 pm (UTC)(link)Ooh, weve done that with teachers and lessons. Didn't prevent 100% of issues, but people mostly got to work with people they worked well with...and the one or two kerfluffles were much better than making people miserable or chasing 'em off because of a big incompatibility.
I had one person I just...didn't want to deal with, but no one forced us to interact (and there were enough people that I didn't have to handle the instigating incident myself beyond reporting it and going 'nope, not dealing with this.')
Another person didn't get along with some people, so we just had them work with people they got along with, and we'd work with the other folks. The work got done, and everyone ended up reasonably satisfied, so...
Re: Finn solution
I'm greatly aggravated by the modern tendency to make fixable problems unfixable by denying people the right to make straightforward changes. Then they wonder why people "don't want help." 0_o
Re: Finn solution
"You keep using that word, I don't believe it means what you think it does."
Re: Finn solution
Re: Finn solution
They all deserve a gold star for that accomplishment, and a bigger one if they can pull it off with the next generation.
Halley is the only one likely to slide the other way, with access to the basement resource room that has designer clothes in it.<<
Yeah, but 1) Halley is more of a clotheshorse for valid reasons of personal expression, 2) I don't think thon is the type to look down on anyone for lack of wealth, and 3) thon could save the world with a box of scraps in a cave, so there's no skill shortage.
I think Aida is the most likely to wind up throwing money around, because she is in an industry often hindered by lack of funding. "What the actual fuck? No, nevermind, I will pay for it but then I want MY name on the project so when it pays off, everyone will know who really cares about the oceans."
Re: Finn solution
Aida's second island will take money to get set up, but she'll learn a lot about bartering and bargaining in the process, and when it becomes not only proof of concept but wildly popular, that will draw attention to things like the playground and the kelp gardens.
Re: Finn solution
The Maldives has made a few attempts at seaweed farming, but fish eat their plants! LOL I know Thalassia is farming seaweed, so maybe they can help.
Alternatively, invite dolphins to patrol the seaweed farms and eat anything that would graze on them. Win/win!
Re: Finn solution
Re: Finn solution
Re: Finn solution
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)Though I would reccomend being careful giving away wealth if you're visibly wealthy - you don't want people to clock you as a source for goodies and (understandably) get in the habit of latching onto you as a free stuff resource. (I've donated requested or special-order goodies anonymously, just to avoid the hassle.) Boundaries are important!
Re: Finn solution
That is true. All the Finns seem reasonably adept with money, at their level of current experience. Although Edison using Shiv as a "responsible adult" to access his allowance is a bit of a stretch.
>> Though I would reccomend being careful giving away wealth if you're visibly wealthy - you don't want people to clock you as a source for goodies and (understandably) get in the habit of latching onto you as a free stuff resource. <<
Teleporters talk about "helicopter problems" -- if you can teleport, it's like owning a helicopter, people will bug you for rides. This is a good way to distinguish between mooches and real friends, though. A real friend either won't ask for a ride, or will offer something in trade. Conversely teleporters tend to use "You buy, I fly" as a way to avoid mooching food.
You just have to understand money well enough to know what you want to spend where, and enough about people to manage their expectations. Well, and you need a willingness to punt jerks out of your life.
>> (I've donated requested or special-order goodies anonymously, just to avoid the hassle.) Boundaries are important! <<
This is an excellent and effective solution, even recommended in some religions.
Re: Finn solution
(Anonymous) 2021-10-04 03:23 am (UTC)(link)With a mutually respectful relationship, you can also use humor and friendly sass to indicate displeasure with a situation.
My favorite is to jokingly ask for pay or healthcare benefits...then they say they can't afford it...then I tell them to hang around and help me with whatever they just asked me to do.
I've also done this with allergies: "Are you sure there's no X? 'Cause if there is you get to practice calling an ambulance!" "No, no, we don't want to practice that!"
>>You just have to understand money well enough to know what you want to spend where, and enough about people to manage their expectations. Well, and you need a willingness to punt jerks out of your life.<<
Also, add "Ability to predict human behavior." People will overdraw the commons if their needs are unmet enough, and annoying though that may be, I cannot really fault them for it.
It did, however, cause me to take my reference book home at night over leaving it in the common area to share. (I did still share when I brought it back in, I just wasn't up for buying a new one every few weeks.)
>>This is an excellent and effective solution, even recommended in some religions.<<
Thanks!
While it's not demanded by my religion, some of the foundational beliefs often encourage such things... but it's a good thing to do regardless.
Well ...
I have some future notes sketched out, so if anyone wants to see more of him, by all means prompt for it.
Re: Well ...
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 05:02 am (UTC)(link)Re: Well ...
I wonder if the zoomcrew help out during Pride week in San Fran.. That would readjust his reality tunnel somewhat..
Re: Well ...
Re: Well ...
(Anonymous) 2021-10-03 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)[Hysterical teenage Cat!girl] "...Ever since this my hormones went crazy, and I can't stop rubbing my face on everything and people are jerks and you're being nice! Which is making it worse!" [Bursts into tears and collapses on the floor]
[Jackson] 0.0 "Um, I'm sorry? That sounds really frustrating...let me see if my mentor has any ideas..."
Jackson again: "Molly...can you help? Please? I'm not quite sure what to do with this..."