Justin Aucoin — Historical Swordplay

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A sinister engagement

#somervillema #smallsword #fencing

New England warming faster than most places on Earth, study finds Pace of area’s temperature rise, outpaced in US only by Alaskan Arctic, apparently increased in past five years

Cooked

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

NOTE: Because of the nature of the class, this was a little bit of a rush job. No doubt it could use some more work, but wanted to just get this out there for others to read and build off of.

A Look at the Historical Use of the Yielding Glide The yielding glide is a relatively unknown and underutilized fencing action. This paper looks at the yielding glide in historical fencing manuals from the 17th century rapier through the dueling sword...

This paper, entitled "Yielding to the Pressure: A Look at the Historical Use of the Yielding Glide and its Practical Application in Modern Historical and Classical Fencing", is the end result.

justinswordfit.com/2025/12/01/h...

So I wanted to explore it’s use in fencing from the 17th centuries onward. I also wanted to see how the action could fit in modern historical fencing and classical fencing lessons.

I bounced around a few ideas, but settled on 'yielding glides' as they’re an action I enjoy but don’t really exist in modern or classical fencing.

The class itself deals with traditional Italian fencing pedagogy and Franco-Italian fencing history. I took it as part of the requirement to test for Provost of Arms (which I’m aiming for, if all goes well, summer 2026).

Part of the online class requirements is to write a paper on a fencing topic.

This past summer I took the online Fencing Pedagogy & History class, as part of the Sonoma State University Fencing Masters Certificate Program (SSU FMCP).

justinswordfit.com/2025/12/01/h...

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#historicalfencer #rapier #historyresearch

Rubio sure looks like an idiot here, talking to another idiot who is sleeping. Maybe they are doing a "Weekend at Bernie's".

It's less than a week since a national guard trooper was shot dead in DC by someone the Trump administration vetted. I know it's lame and tired and pointless to say this but... Biden (for whom I carry no water btw) would've been CRUCIFIED.

The Last Big Case Against Trump Has Been Dropped The U.S. justice and political systems have shown that they can’t hold the president and his allies to account for trying to steal the 2020 election.

Good reminder that Trump was guilty of an egregious crime simply in Georgia, let alone the rest of the country, and should have served a significant stint in prison. www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Yea it's not easy. There's a reason the masters say "don't get yourself in this situation" before listing out potential counters. ha

He’s gesturing to a sleeping man as he says “He’s the only leader in the world who can help end [the war in Ukraine].”

ItsArt.GIF (music on)

Also remind me to never let Sam get within dagger range. They are absolutely brutal. No mercy. Maybe it's 'cause they got to shank their partner, haha.

But we did get some pretty awesome photos out of the experience. I don't think the horses cared about that bit, though. 🤣

📷 Opal

Too close

While "peace" negotiations continue, remember that Russia could simply stop the war at any time.

A fetching lady pirate counts the gold she has just stolen, sharing a rare smile with us.

Day 275, random old school TTRPG art from random book: “D&D Rules Cyclopedia”, TSR 1991, Terry Dykstra, page 21. #ttrpg #tabletoprpg #d&d #dnd #osr #ad&d #fantasyart #art #ttrpgcommunity #dndart #osrart #pirate

Boston Fleet announce game at TD Garden on April 11th vs. the Montréal Victoire.

Mark your calendars, Crew...
 
You're all cordially invited to our Garden party on April 11th! 🎉
 
Be there to witness this historic moment in Boston women’s sports - tickets go on sale to the public Friday, December 5 at 10 AM ET!

📰: bit.ly/4pj3dKw

haha jfc forgot about this one

Eli rocking some stylish pants during saber class this week.

#somervillema #bostonfencing #saberfencing

I love paying human artists and I hate gen AI 🩵

I'm not here to fight about whether or not AI is ethical (I've made my decision and I doubt I'm gonna change yours.) I'm just here to talk about what I and many other artists have been dealing with as we adjust to a new media landscape.

Trump Administration Will No Longer Commemorate World AIDS Day

Every year since 1988, the United States has recognized World AIDS Day — until now.

Why not? Maybe because the Trump administration doesn’t want to acknowledge that its foreign aid cuts led to nearly 150,000 deaths from AIDS, according to Boston University researchers.

Shameful.

Suspect in National Guard attack struggled with 'dark isolation' as community raised concerns Emails obtained by the Associated Press show that the Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House had been unraveling for years.

Maybe, just maybe, if the FBI counterterrorism desk hadn't been retasked to chasing abuelitas, somebody might've followed up on the tips...

They were honestly the wise ones on Friday haha

But we did get some pretty awesome photos out of the experience. I don't think the horses cared about that bit, though. 🤣

📷 Opal

Rossfechten practice last week was shortened by a surprise snow squall and winds that blew everything horizontal. The horses eventually told us to sod off, so we packed it in early.

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#rossfechten #mysca #historicalfencing

How does someone not know what part of the body a MRI was looking at? This shit is so f-ing crazy.