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ysabetwordsmithThis story belongs to the series Love Is For Children which includes "Love Is for Children," "Hairpins," "Blended," "Am I Not," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys,""Saudades," "Querencia," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," "Touching Moments," "Splash," "Coming Around," "Birthday Girl," "No Winter Lasts Forever," "Hide and Seek," "Kernel Error," "Happy Hour," "Green Eggs and Hulk," and "kintsukuroi."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Skip to Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19.
"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 14
Flip explores how to use his new skills to solve problems. He is surprised to discover how many problems can be avoided altogether just by knowing things about people.
The most avid bullies are predictable in their behavior. Jose Suarez only bullies people right after visiting his father on the first and third weekends of each month; it is only necessary to stay out of his way on the first and third Mondays to prevent fighting with him. Patrick MacFarland and Burt Hollowell are best friends; when together they focus on each other instead of someone else. So Flip encourages them to spend more time together.
Cindy Riggs cheats at games, which makes Alexa feel stupid. Flip starts showing Alexa how to spot cheating so she will know what happens. Cindy does not like getting caught. After watching a few games, Alexa decides on her own that she doesn't want to stay friends with Cindy anymore. Instead Alexa makes friends with Joselle Flannery, who is more into volunteering and always has interesting stories to tell.
Flip also learns that most people have patterns in their day. They go to the same places, at the same times, along the same routes. Flip and Alexa have to be at school at the same time ... but they don't have to use the same route every day. There are different doors they can use, different directions they can take. It's harder for the bullies to find them that way. Plus Flip and Alexa can avoid Riley Blaine's little gang always hanging around the south entrance.
Karate teaches Flip to assess his opponents, identify their weaknesses, and take advantage of those. He notices that Willie Carmichael practices peewee wrestling but can't remember to keep his chin tucked. It makes an attractive and accessible target. Jose hits so hard that it's easier to deflect the blows and let Jose throw himself off balance. Patrick never looks where he's putting his feet. That makes it simple for Flip to tuck a toe behind his ankle, make him stumble, and just keep walking.
Flip teaches Alexa some of the blocks and evasions. That way she can avoid people trying to pinch or trip her. It takes a lot of careful practice, but Alexa gets the hang of it. Her joy in mastering her own body is enough to make Flip grin in satisfaction. After Priscilla Snider's efforts to connect turn into so much hand-waving that she gets benched during recess, she quits bothering Alexa.
Gradually, the bullies learn that picking on Flip and Alexa has become a great deal riskier than it used to be. The physical attacks lessen, although they never go away completely. Flip knows how to deal with them now, so people get hurt less often. Some people switch to saying mean things, but Flip's mouth is as fast as his fists. It's no safer to throw insults than punches. Whole weeks go by with nothing more serious than a sneer or a little jostling in the hallways. That, Flip and Alexa can tolerate.
* * *
Notes:
Problem solving is a vital life skill. Know how to prevent and solve problems.
Bullies tend to be predictable. One tactic for victims, therefore, is to be less predictable.
Cheating at games is a common issue for children and teens. Studies show that people who cheat in social games are more likely to cheat in real life.
Pattern recognition is a skill useful in all walks of life. There are lessons to improve pattern recognition.
Assessing opponents is necessary in combat sports such as fencing and in espionage. Many of the concepts carry over from one context to another, such as looking for strengths and weaknesses.
It isn't always needful to hit someone in order to protect yourself. Sometimes blocks and evasions suffice.
[To be continued in Part 15 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Nick Fury
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Minor character death. Bullying. Fighting. Suicide attempt (minor character).
Summary: This is the story of how a little boy named Flip grows up to save the world a lot.
Notes: Hurt/comfort. Family. Fluff and angst. Accidents. Emotional whump. Disability. Sibling relationship. Nonsexual love. Parentification. Manipulation. Coping skills. Asking for help and getting it. Hope. Protection. Caregiving. Competence. Toys and games. Comic books. Fixing things. Martial arts. Gentleness. Trust. Role models. Military. BAMF Phil Coulson.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13. Skip to Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19.
"Little and Broken, but Still Good" Part 14
Flip explores how to use his new skills to solve problems. He is surprised to discover how many problems can be avoided altogether just by knowing things about people.
The most avid bullies are predictable in their behavior. Jose Suarez only bullies people right after visiting his father on the first and third weekends of each month; it is only necessary to stay out of his way on the first and third Mondays to prevent fighting with him. Patrick MacFarland and Burt Hollowell are best friends; when together they focus on each other instead of someone else. So Flip encourages them to spend more time together.
Cindy Riggs cheats at games, which makes Alexa feel stupid. Flip starts showing Alexa how to spot cheating so she will know what happens. Cindy does not like getting caught. After watching a few games, Alexa decides on her own that she doesn't want to stay friends with Cindy anymore. Instead Alexa makes friends with Joselle Flannery, who is more into volunteering and always has interesting stories to tell.
Flip also learns that most people have patterns in their day. They go to the same places, at the same times, along the same routes. Flip and Alexa have to be at school at the same time ... but they don't have to use the same route every day. There are different doors they can use, different directions they can take. It's harder for the bullies to find them that way. Plus Flip and Alexa can avoid Riley Blaine's little gang always hanging around the south entrance.
Karate teaches Flip to assess his opponents, identify their weaknesses, and take advantage of those. He notices that Willie Carmichael practices peewee wrestling but can't remember to keep his chin tucked. It makes an attractive and accessible target. Jose hits so hard that it's easier to deflect the blows and let Jose throw himself off balance. Patrick never looks where he's putting his feet. That makes it simple for Flip to tuck a toe behind his ankle, make him stumble, and just keep walking.
Flip teaches Alexa some of the blocks and evasions. That way she can avoid people trying to pinch or trip her. It takes a lot of careful practice, but Alexa gets the hang of it. Her joy in mastering her own body is enough to make Flip grin in satisfaction. After Priscilla Snider's efforts to connect turn into so much hand-waving that she gets benched during recess, she quits bothering Alexa.
Gradually, the bullies learn that picking on Flip and Alexa has become a great deal riskier than it used to be. The physical attacks lessen, although they never go away completely. Flip knows how to deal with them now, so people get hurt less often. Some people switch to saying mean things, but Flip's mouth is as fast as his fists. It's no safer to throw insults than punches. Whole weeks go by with nothing more serious than a sneer or a little jostling in the hallways. That, Flip and Alexa can tolerate.
* * *
Notes:
Problem solving is a vital life skill. Know how to prevent and solve problems.
Bullies tend to be predictable. One tactic for victims, therefore, is to be less predictable.
Cheating at games is a common issue for children and teens. Studies show that people who cheat in social games are more likely to cheat in real life.
Pattern recognition is a skill useful in all walks of life. There are lessons to improve pattern recognition.
Assessing opponents is necessary in combat sports such as fencing and in espionage. Many of the concepts carry over from one context to another, such as looking for strengths and weaknesses.
It isn't always needful to hit someone in order to protect yourself. Sometimes blocks and evasions suffice.
[To be continued in Part 15 ...]
