Let's Train in 100 Times Gravity

[shineinside]

Who: Anyone who wants to come by! Tag in, thread with Yuka, thread with each other, whatever you want.
What: Combat training/practice.
When: Sunset, each night for a week minimum.
Where: East end of Islet 1.
Warnings: Possible blood if things get out of hand, implied 80s training montage songs

Yuka chose this location because the ground was level, there was enough space for people to move around, and nobody was really using it for anything else. No wild beasts, no fish people to disturb, no strange psychological effects... the ideal place for people to gather for an hour or two and get some good-natured fighting in. The snow on the ground wasn't ideal, she supposed, but that stuff was everywhere, so they'd just have to make do. It'd probably be snowing during the invasion, anyway.

Each evening, as the sun inched towards the horizon, Yuka set her other tasks aside to come out and wait. Jug of wassail sitting at the edge of the space, bundled in warm clothes and scarves, Yuka paced, wondering if this was really going to be worth the time. Are there people willing to spend that much time to train others when there's so much else that needs doing? Can someone even learn enough to make a difference in this little time? For that matter, are these shadow monsters something you can even fight with your fists? If nothing else, it would be good to do some physical activity in just to get her mind to stop going in circles.

For those who arrived early, there would be less to do, but even just talking through what different fighting skills people had would be useful for later on. Once more people arrived, those who use similar weapons could work together, and those with more combat experience could work with those with less. Or, people who know each other or are curious about each other's abilities could seek each other out for a sparring match.

So: Fight, teach, learn, take breaks, drink, chat. Bring your own wassail if you can - Yuka's can only stretch so far.

Comments

[prettypurpleparlor]

[She greets him with a smile, amused as she recognizes the coat.]

Ideally, no- unfortunately, this place rarely seems to provide us with ideal situations. As long as my magic's still useful, I don't have the luxury of staying out of things just because I'm a civilian.

[bloodyashes]

[Look, someone doesn't feel the cold anyway and someone else feels no shame about his lack of cold tolerance. It's good thick wool and leather and he doesn't even take it off to piss right now.

He hums agreement.]

Is magic all you have?

[He's well enough aware of how risky that can be to rely on at this point.]

Hey, do you want to have Muffet end up giving him the shawl she made in this thread?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Largely by necessity, yes- given how vulnerable monsters are to negative emotions, getting close enough for hand to hand with someone angry enough to fight you is much more of a risk than I'd want to take.

[It's still not terribly comfortable to admit to a weakness, but she's already trusted Asch enough to explain this before, it would be foolish to hold back now.]

sure we can do that

[bloodyashes]

[He considers that, nods, and frowns.]

Unfortunately you might not get much choice. Anything with a brain knows casters are vulnerable.

[Hello, yes, he's military from a world that actively deploys magic users as a part of the standard combat force. He's used to meat shielding for them.]

You should learn to throw a halfway decent punch, at least.

[prettypurpleparlor]

There's a regrettably vast difference between an untrained human's kind of vulnerability and a monster's vulnerability- but you're not wrong.

[It's frustrating, to deal with the fact that your entire species is just fundamentally more fragile than the people you share the world with, but it's something she's had to get used to.]

I know a fair amount about how to run, or dodge, or take a fall- it's just all geared towards getting back out of grabbing range so I can actually fight properly.

[bloodyashes]

I wasn't even talking about civilians, actually.

[He doesn't seem judgemental, at least, just nodding in response. That makes sense, and it's a better starting place than a lot of people he ran into in the very basic phases of training.]

Could I borrow one of your hands for a moment?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[It probably also helps that she was a dancer when she was younger- none of it was geared towards fighting, but she's had at least some amount of training in how to control her body and understand what she can do with it.]

If I get it back afterwards, certainly.

[She holds one of her hands out to Asch, looking curious.]

[bloodyashes]

[He takes her hand, and folds it carefully into a fist.]

Thumb on the outside, otherwise you risk breaking it. Aim to impact here - [He runs a fingertip along her knuckles.] - and keep your wrist straight.

[And then he lets go of her fist and taps the point of her elbow instead.]

And if your anatomy's anything like ours, this is the hardest point of your body. Don't be afraid to use it.

[...It's not much, but he can't justify not taking the few minutes it takes to teach her. Even if she is physically fragile and not meant for hurting people.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

I suppose if nothing else, I have more elbows to work with. Hm...

[Muffet nods thoughtfully, paying attention to his advice. It's unlikely to solve the main problem with her getting into any kind of hand-to-hand combat, but she's not going to turn down any potentially useful knowledge even so.]

[She opens and closes her hand experimentally a couple times, making sure she can fold her fingers the way he showed her, and does a testing punch at the empty air next to the two of them. It's not bad, for someone inexperienced- she has enough understanding of muscle control to aim for one spot instead of swinging wildly and unbalancing herself- though it's clearly an unfamiliar motion, too rigidly precise where someone like Asch would have the fluidity of long practice.]

Like that, then...?

[bloodyashes]

Needs a bit more practice, but that's the basics.

[You're doing good, Muffet.]

The other thing worth knowing is...

[And here, a tiny smirk.]

The one advantage being small gives me over most of the other men fighting here. [He tugs at Ardyn's coat to emphasize his point; it's still ginormous on him.] Being shorter means having a lower center of gravity, as I'm sure you know, which means it much easier to get yours under your opponent's and flip them right over.

[He's mean and teaching the spider to suplex people.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet slowly starts to grin as she catches on to what he means.]

Oh, my... you know, I rather wish I could introduce you to a woman from my world by the name of Captain Undyne. I suspect you would have found her tremendously entertaining.

I admit, the problem isn't so much my not being able to hit people as it is my not being able to take a hit at all- even one blow might be too much, with enough hate behind it- but there's something to be said for the advantage of surprise. If I can get one good strike in before they have time to hit me, it might be enough to let me get away to a proper distance for long-range fighting.

[By which she means fuck it, teach her to suplex people, this sounds hilarious.]

[Noticing once again how huge that coat is on him as he pulls at it, she adds:]

By the way, if you'd like another layer to keep out the cold with, I have something I've been meaning to give you.

[bloodyashes]

I wish I could take credit for it, but honestly, the person I'm most used to sparring hand-to-hand with is closer to your height and threw me quite often.

[Sync is a tiny terror of a fistfighter and would probably burn Muffet on contact considering how full of vinegar he is, and yet Asch finds he almost misses the little bastard just from the lack of anything familiar around here.]

...I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I hate the cold and eventually I'm going to have to return this.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Heck yeah, short people victory.]

I certainly can't blame you- there's a reason I used to live in the hottest part of the kingdom.

[Muffet rummages briefly in her pack, pulling out a neatly-folded cloth from the bottom of it, the distinctive pale purple of her own silk. She holds it out Asch with a smile.]

Technically, it's the blanket you asked for, but I made sure it could double as a shawl when you needed one- as active as you are, I thought you might need to take the warmth around with you instead of lying in bed.

[bloodyashes]

[He takes the blanket and immediately slings it over his shoulders. Warm.]

I can keep pretty warm by moving around, but I certainly won't complain. ...It's very soft.

[Whoops she is possibly spoiling him.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Look, he's had a rough time of it and things aren't exactly going to be easy and relaxing in the near future, either. If he likes good-quality cloth, she's happy to provide it.]

Spider silk has its' benefits- with as much time as we spend in our webs, we want them to be comfortable.

And as I pointed out to another of our fellow castaways, I doubt you can keep moving constantly for the entire week. Not that I doubt your determination, merely that any of us save Ardyn can go that long without sleeping.

[bloodyashes]

[Oh Muffet, you have no idea. For all that he doesn't act like royalty, he still has a preference for the fancier comforts - silk sheets, down pillows, and the like.]

You don't have to worry on that front. I'm not such an idiot that I try to go without sleep. Not when I know it's an extended campaign like this.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Silk, she can do. For down he might have to go see if the chocobos have any to spare.]

Sadly, I've met a few people who seem intent on getting by on sheer stubbornness. Half the time I'm not sure whether I should respect their choices or drag them off somewhere safe for their own good.