fandomhigh | The Art of Pacifism; Tuesday, Fifth Period [ 04/05 ].

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art of pacifism

The Art of Pacifism; Tuesday, Fifth Period [ 04/05 ].

The students would find a heart-laden note on the door of the usual classroom directing them to the gym once more and, when they arrived, they'd find mats on the floor and their teacher tilting his head to them.

"Good afternoon, ducklings ♥," Shunsui said. "Welcome back to the gymnasium; you should know that this means I hope you're feeling limber and, if not, then you can use this time while I talk to stretch out a bit ♥. I was ruminating, while enjoying the songs of the birds outside my window in this beautiful incoming spring, on how much everyone seemed to really take to our lesson in Aikido ♥. So I thought to myself: what else could I teach these young, spry bodies about the use of Ki, one of the central focuses of Aikido, which is the principle of energy flow and how important it is to peace of both body and mind ♥. There are so many options, and I've decided that, today, I will teach you the graceful art of Bāguàzhǎng ♥.

"One of the three main Chinese martial arts, Bāguàzhǎng literally translates into 'eight trigram palm,' in reference to the symbols in Taoist philosophy: Heaven, Lake, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth. The creation of the art is attributed to Dong Haichuan, who combined already existing aspects of martial arts to the Taoist practise of 'turning the circle,' or circle walking ♥. The circle walking is an integral part of Bāguàzhǎng training. Allow me to demonstrate ♥."

And so Shunsui, drawing in a deep breath and taking a moment to seem to centre himself, then started moving, slowly at first, and then, suddenly, started turning and moving as if dancing, as if in a believable battle with some invisible enemy, the flutter of his haori only enhancing the gracefulness of the moves.

"Note," he said, still moving, "that I have not chosen one of you to assist me in this demonstration. Bāguàzhǎng is commonly practised without a partner; if one chooses something to focus their moments on, many times there will be a post in the centre of the circle. Many times, a practiser will involved weapons..." And so, of course, from the folds of his robes, Shunsui pulled out two blades and continued to move. But the focus is not on striking or attacking; it is on using the ability to 'flow' in and out of the way of objects. This is the source of the theory of being able to fight multiple attackers. Bāguàzhǎng's evasive nature is also shown by the practice of moving behind an attacker, so that the opponent cannot harm the practitioner. Smooth coiling and uncoiling actions, utilizing hand techniques, dynamic footwork, and throws are the focus of this art. Rapid-fire movements draw energy from the center of the abdomen. The circular stepping pattern also builds up centripetal force, allowing the practitioner to maneuver quickly around an opponent ♥. It is something that can be used in a moment of danger, and you can imagine just how moving it might be to watch two opposing Bāguàzhǎng practisers working off each other ♥."

"So allow me to lead you through learning some moves, and then I will let you all take a chance to practise on your own ♥. If you would like to partner up, please do, but remember, this is not a fight, but an evasion of a fight ♥. No weapons in partnered Bāguàzhǎng, either, please ♥."

[[ ~~wait for~~ the ocd is up! ]]

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Gracefully.

Gabrielle

Jeremy Darling

Makita

Bruce Wayne

Raven

Chuck Bartowski

Squall Leonhart

Tara Maclay

Jenny Sparks

Shunsui's soothing voice is about as smooth as his moves, and check out the size of those swords!

That is, if you're not the type to think fighting with invisible enemies just looks kind of silly...

Gabrielle worked out the snags in her stories by telling them to a horse when she was home. Why would she think fighting invisible enemies looked silly?

(Actually, it looked a lot more graceful than actually fighting invisible enemies, which she'd seen a few times too, so . . .)

She was stuck with the lingering awareness of having been much more proficient with weapons, in her fuzzy memories of the weekend, and the lecture fascinated her. Not to mention that there was something familiar about --

Taoist philosophy.

"Lao Ma's book!" she murmured half to herself.

Edited 2011-04-05 15:39 (UTC)

Jeremy didn't think fighting with invisible enemies looked at all silly. He was actually in total awe. Unfortunately, he also thought he could look as good doing it.

He'd find out how wrong he was in due time.

Bruce had trained in Bāguàzhǎng a little bit under Yoru Sensei, so he had no doubt he'd take quickly to Shunsui's direction on it.

Raven wasn't so keen about the swords, but the movements she found greatly intriguing.

The fighting with invisible enemies might have looked a little silly, but Shunsui's soothing voice and graceful moves made it hard for Tara to smirk too much.

Partner up if you'd like, or attempt Bāguàzhǎng on your own. If you want, there are a few posts you can circle around, too, if that's more comfortable.

There are also traditional weapons (http://www.ninedragonbaguazhang.com/weapon.htm) available if you would like to give the weapon dancing a try, too. But please, no 'fights' with weapons!

Gabrielle decided to give the weapon-dancing a try. She could have chosen to go with the staff -- she was pretty proficient with one by now, after all -- but felt oddly drawn toward trying the twin knives instead. (Odd, in that she'd expected to wrap her fingers around the hilts and feel Meridian's blood spilling out over her hand again, only to find the act of picking up the knives entirely uneventful.)

She was sure she'd make a very clumsy case for herself once she started moving, but the basic principles weren't all that different from the largely defensive combat techniques she'd already learned, and she'd done enough reading of Taoist philosophy in recent weeks to get a basic grasp on the concept behind the movements.

It felt strangely good, actually. Almost, in some odd mirror-image way, familiar.

Bruce practiced with nearly flawless form (It had been a while since he'd done any Bāguàzhǎng. Sue him for not being perfect immediately), circling the post while noting in the back of his head where he would spring into an attack form. But he wasn't going to attack anything here.

Chuck could in no way be described as graceful.

Which was why he left the weapons well alone, and went for trying some of the Bāguàzhǎng. He probably wouldn't mind anyone joining him, but would also warn them about said lack of coordination. It was only right to make sure they knew what they were getting into.

The teacher is there if you need him, though his swords have mysteriously disappeared again.

Edited 2011-04-05 15:14 (UTC)

If Gabrielle noticed the mysterious disappearance of the swords, she didn't think it was anything worth commenting on. Who knew where her staff disappeared to while she was riding horseback behind Xena most of the time, anyway? She had no answer to that question, so why ask anyone else about it?

Watching the demonstration and then working with the knives had her curious, though, so she approached Shunsui after class.

"I'd never really thought of weapons being used this way before," she commented.

It was, indeed, one of the great mysteries of the world. Disappearance of weapons, the fountain of youth, true love...

Shunsui smiled at the girl's comment though, feeling pleased to have added a new perspective for someone. "Ahhh, it is truly a shame that weapons are so often seen as methods of violence and destruction, when they are just as much pieces of fine art as paintings on a wall, no ♥? And a weapon used only for defense is the only sort of weapon to have ♥."

"My tribe crafts some beautiful weapons," Gabrielle agreed with a slight smile. "I have a hand-carved staff that was a present from my friend Ephiny; it was passed down to her from her mother, and I think from her grandmother before that."

She shrugged thoughtfully. "The first time she showed me the kind of damage you could do with a staff it surprised me." The melon as a stand-in for a centaur's skull had been a particularly effective visual aid. "I've learned to use one as non-lethally as I can, but blades . . . that's always been a different story for me. Is it really possible to use them defensively?"

She had a hard time believing that vague memory of a different her could do that.

"Anything can be used defensively, Gabrielle-chan ♥," Shunsui informed her, growing even more pleased, especially at the word non-lethally. "Everything from weapons to words ♥. It's a good skill to have, too, because no matter how convincing you try to be, some will always insist on fighting and leave you no choice but to fight back, but that doesn't mean you should harm them any more than absolutely necessary ♥."

"Some people are just too stubborn to negotiate with," she remarked, looking a bit put out by that. "As hard as we try. Is it hard to learn to use a blade defensively?" Gabrielle asked; she was careful to keep her tone academic, just pure curiosity. "The kind of precision it takes -- it seems like it would be trickier than just attacking."

The one time she'd ever asked for sword lessons, she'd only had one revenge-fueled objective in mind, and she couldn't make herself go through with it in the end.

"It can't be too difficult," said Shunsui with a sly grin, "if even I managed to learn how to do it, Gabrielle-chan ♥. Are you interested in learning ♥?"

"Not interested, exactly," Gabrielle answered after a moment -- not to make it sound like she was leaping on the opportunity, because she really shouldn't sound too enthusiastic about this. "Curious, though. It's a skill that would be useful at home, oh, about every day of my life."

Shunsui chuckled lightly. "I know the feeling ♥," he mused. "And you're right; it is useful ♥. And not that difficult to pick up, once you really know it. Half the time, I don't even think about it....ever ♥."

"Once you get the movements down, if you practice enough it's just like breathing," Gabrielle agreed. If that sounded like she was reciting something, she was; Xena had said it more than a few times. "I never would have guessed you were as skilled at it as you are. No offense," she added hurriedly.

Okay, look, some part of her was still dubious.

"But that helps too, doesn't it? If they never expect it of you, the element of surprise is an effective defense too."

To that, Shunsui was only going smile that dreaming smile of his and shrug his shoulders. "Pity we're in class, Gabrielle-chan ♥," he said. "All this talks of work makes me thirsty for some sake ♥."

"Oh, no no no no no," Gabrielle laughed, holding up her hands. "The only mixing of weapons and liquor I want anything to do with is when Xena's breathing fire at people."

"Sounds like a pretty good weekend, if you ask me ♥!" Shunsui had to comment, laughing in response himself.

"Doesn't that go against the spirit of this class a little, though?" Gabrielle asked, the corners of her mouth quirking up in amusement.

I think I have a crush on the Nine Dragons Baguazhang guy now. That 'stach! Be still my heart.

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The Art of Pacifism; Tuesday, Fifth Period [ 04/05 ].

Sign In - AoP, 04/05.

Re: Sign In - AoP, 04/05.

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Listen to the Lecture - AoP, 04/05.

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Practise Bāguàzhǎng - AoP, 04/05.

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Re: Practise Bāguàzhǎng - AoP, 04/05.

Re: Practise Bāguàzhǎng - AoP, 04/05.

Talk to Shunsui - AoP, 04/05.

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Re: Talk to Shunsui - AoP, 04/05.

OOC - AoP, 04/05.