Okay, politically-incorrect spitefic time, despite that I probably couldn't write Jack to save my life:
I lunged at him, catching him off guard, and forced him to the deck. I began to beat against him with my fists, suddenly filled with an animal like rage and fury.
For a moment, Will staggered back against my onslaught, and hot triumph filled my heart. But then hot blood filled my mouth as he backhanded me in the face.
It was my turn to reel backwards, and raucous laughter went up from the men gathered around. He wasn't finished, though; Will's fist caught me in the gut, and I doubled over, wheezing. Then his knee snapped up and caught me on the chin.
Amid the whirling stars and rolling black orbs in my vision, I caught a glimpse of Jack's face, looking down at me on the deck. He was leaning casually back against the rails, shaking his head and taking a swig from a flask! "Now what'd I tell you about fighting people bigger than you?"
"He hit me!" I said, and my voice came out much, much higher and whinier than I intended. "Do something!"
"You hit him first, luv," Jack observed, horrifically calm. "Wench hits a man, all bets're off. Rule o' the sea and all that."
...I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a "wouldn't hit a girl" pass.
...I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a "wouldn't hit a girl" pass
*Sighs happily* Now that is a beautiful mental image. And good for Will! This girl (whose name I can't remember or be bothered to scroll up for) is at least narratively a pirate and she'd be perfectly capable of doing some damage before he defends himself. Also, since her rage is "animal-like" (with hypen) she wouldn't just stop after the first hit; it's perfectly acceptable self-defense to take her down.
It's not like he kicked her once she was down. Sounds reasonable to me.
"...I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a 'wouldn't hit a girl' pass."
This, so much! Especially given Gethesemane's setting. Jeez, there were female pirates, but they had to basically pretend to be men to get by! That meant that they were tossed around, hit back, stabbed, shot, and not in the pretty, dramatic way Gethesemane does, either. People didn't stop and stare in horror and said female pirates just hit, stabbed, or shot back.
I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a "wouldn't hit a girl" pass.
That was an awesome spite-fic! (and Jack wasn't half bad at all!) :D
The trope you mentioned was beautifully subverted in Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora. The book features a scene in which the city's head spy is trying to coerce a criminal into cooperation, by showing him an artefact he desperately needs. She automatically puts so much fate in the "wouldn't hit a girl" trope, that it comes to her as a genuine surprise when the man simply knocks her out, grabs said artefact, and jumps out the window.
I lunged at him, catching him off guard, and forced him to the deck. I began to beat against him with my fists, suddenly filled with an animal like rage and fury.
For a moment, Will staggered back against my onslaught, and hot triumph filled my heart. But then hot blood filled my mouth as he backhanded me in the face.
It was my turn to reel backwards, and raucous laughter went up from the men gathered around. He wasn't finished, though; Will's fist caught me in the gut, and I doubled over, wheezing. Then his knee snapped up and caught me on the chin.
Amid the whirling stars and rolling black orbs in my vision, I caught a glimpse of Jack's face, looking down at me on the deck. He was leaning casually back against the rails, shaking his head and taking a swig from a flask! "Now what'd I tell you about fighting people bigger than you?"
"He hit me!" I said, and my voice came out much, much higher and whinier than I intended. "Do something!"
"You hit him first, luv," Jack observed, horrifically calm. "Wench hits a man, all bets're off. Rule o' the sea and all that."
...I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a "wouldn't hit a girl" pass.
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*Sighs happily* Now that is a beautiful mental image. And good for Will! This girl (whose name I can't remember or be bothered to scroll up for) is at least narratively a pirate and she'd be perfectly capable of doing some damage before he defends himself. Also, since her rage is "animal-like" (with hypen) she wouldn't just stop after the first hit; it's perfectly acceptable self-defense to take her down.
It's not like he kicked her once she was down. Sounds reasonable to me.
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"...I'm rather tired of tough girls being able to overpower men and still getting a 'wouldn't hit a girl' pass."
This, so much! Especially given Gethesemane's setting. Jeez, there were female pirates, but they had to basically pretend to be men to get by! That meant that they were tossed around, hit back, stabbed, shot, and not in the pretty, dramatic way Gethesemane does, either. People didn't stop and stare in horror and said female pirates just hit, stabbed, or shot back.
Reply
That was an awesome spite-fic! (and Jack wasn't half bad at all!) :D
The trope you mentioned was beautifully subverted in Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora. The book features a scene in which the city's head spy is trying to coerce a criminal into cooperation, by showing him an artefact he desperately needs. She automatically puts so much fate in the "wouldn't hit a girl" trope, that it comes to her as a genuine surprise when the man simply knocks her out, grabs said artefact, and jumps out the window.
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