Fight Club Open Log! (Catch-All For the Month of Imagination)

[rieper]

Who: Open to anyone! Make your own toplevel style~
Where: Training gym
When: Throughout the month of Imagination
What: Training in the gym. Unofficially known as "Fight Club". 47 absolutely does not call it that. But I do!
Warnings: It's a Fight Club! Sorta. Expect (hopefully friendly) violence, maybe some cursing, and whatever else. Free feel to add cw in your toplevels if needed.

Early in the month of Imagination, 47 makes an announcement on the ICP.

From: Training Gym
To: All Carriages

[It's the bald man in a suit again and if you've guessed what he's going to say before he starts talking you've been on the train for far too long like the rest of them.]

Another mission should be coming within the week. Anyone unprepared should consider the efforts ongoing in the training gym to learn new skills for survival, combat, and defensive measures. Those who have such skills already are welcome to participate in sparring and exercise sessions as well if they have not already done so within the group setting. [Or come help train.]

There are multiple people to chose from for training or sparring needs. Simply make your way to the training gym whenever possible. My name is Tobias Rieper--you'll find me there most days and if you need help with anything I'm available.

[That's all he has to say this time. Short, sweet, to the point. The end. He'll be in the training gym for Q&A for the rest of the day and probably most of the week or until the next mission comes (at least). This is typical for him anyway.]

Make toplevels to your heart's content and tag around to each other freely. Whether your character is offering to teach or wanders in looking for someone to get them involved (or just to watch), this is a post for you! You may use this for any sort of open or even private threads if you so wish.

This log is for anyone who wants to participate in exercising, training, sparring, and teaching lessons. Some of the "classes" also involve things like yoga, meditation, and easier self defense mechanisms for anyone to learn. Magic users also use the facilities to practice their spells! Everyone get use to that crazy lightning storm going off around them as they fight the big bad monster of a training dummy! It's going to happen at some point out in the field, guaranteed!

Basically, if you want to learn new skills that could be useful on missions, come take a peek!

For a basic set-up consider this: the new training gym has all sorts of useful equipment for physical fitness such as mats, soft hand held pads for training with, training dummies, some balancing beams and even a springboard. There are large blocks for making obstacle courses or creating a unique battlefield, and two climbing apparatus next to the wall. Many people are found here daily training, maintaining physical fitness, and teaching others how to handle combat in one fashion or another. Others come and go more sporadically but all are welcome and everyone (typically) shares everything with relative ease. Many of the usual suspects will help accommodate whoever asks for help. Generally, there is just a lot of activity and a busy but fluid schedule around all the equipment and space provided.

[[ooc note: The typical Fight Club open log post has returned! Now condensed into one post with the ic announcement for convenience of yours truly. Here is the original ooc info post which may or may not one day get an update, and here is a list of training/trainers offered up. Feel free to continue to update either post with new character info! Or ask questions if you have 'em!]]

Comments

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I mean, everyone's technically food for everyone, if they're adventurous enough!"

Koumyou, don't make cannibalism jokes, you absolute ghoul.

"...But no, really, there's an entire species of people in Shangri-La who definitely would eat humans if they weren't so polite. We still manage to co-exist just fine!"

[reluctantjinrou]

That actually got an amused snort out of Natsuno, which was like a full on belly laugh for someone else. He could appreciate some grim humour.

"I have no intention on eating anyone. I certainly don't bite without permission, not that I expect anyone would permit me."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Then what's the problem?"

And Koumyou lifted a finger, to point out, "You know, I'm a human but I'm still way stronger and faster than people expect! It might not be as big a hint as you're worried about."

[reluctantjinrou]

"Alright, I will do my best to understand this." Natsuno answered after a moment. He had his hands free now and he crouched low, this he had done before too, it might be instinct.

His instincts weren't too bad, they were designed to see humans as prey and as such he could see where it was he needed to attack, but he had no skill to back that up. On a weak human who was unsuspecting, he might manage quite easily to attack them. In hand to hand combat?

He kicked off and charged into Koumyou's space. He was fast enough it would be difficult to see him with human sight. He hadn't quite teleported, but he was fast enough that it might seem a bit like a blur. Instead of fighting his instincts, he leaned into them. He would attempt to try and restrain Koumyou by grabbing at his arms, and perhaps trying to kick him at the same time. His movement was still clumsy, but anything that landed would be significantly forceful.

[its_dad_sanzo]

The kid was a lot harder to dodge, now! Koumyou side-stepped and backed away from most attacks, retreating in as large a circle as the space would allow. He had to actively block most of what he couldn't slip away from; strikes to Natsuno's hands and arms to divert blows harmlessly away.

A few still slipped through, because Koumyou couldn't quite match that speed. Striking him wouldn't feel great for Natsuno, either; the priest was all sharp bones and dense, hard muscle under his clothes. No padding to speak of at all.

When the kid latched onto his arms and kicked out, Koumyou twisted his hands to grab Natsuno right back. Right as the kick glanced off his leg, the priest did a flip up and over the young vampire, intending to use the momentum to fling him overhead and to the ground again.

[reluctantjinrou]

It was not hard to lure him into moves like that, and that was how he found himself on the ground, on his back with a huff of air, looking like he's winded.

It probably hurt more than that, he could feel bruising, but that would fade in moments. He stared up a bit dazedly, as though he hadn't figured out what landed him on the ground.

[its_dad_sanzo]

For a second there, the priest continued to move. A step back, footwork elegant and precise, his weight evenly distributed. One hand up near his jaw, palm out, ready to block or to strike, the other in front of him with two fingers extended.

But when he noticed Natsuno was dazed, Koumyou immediately shifted back to his usual demeanor. Clapping enthusiastically, everything back to normal.

"That was a lot better!" he said cheerfully, and then offered a hand down to help Natsuno up, if he wanted it. "I have some suggestions I think might do you some good for a real fight!"

[reluctantjinrou]

He accepted the hand and got up, blinking at him. "I'm sure if I could...if I had experience I might be better at this. I don't know what to do when you do something like that."

Natsuno could throw himself at something, but beyond that? It would take some training.

"I'd like the suggestions." He paused. "Unless it's to hide behind someone, that's not terribly helpful."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Of course not," once Natsuno was back on his feet, Koumyou rubbed his own chin and considered the options. Then, "First suggestion -- sunglasses!"

He was just gonna... leave that right there, and see what kind of reaction that got before he'd bother to clarify. Gotta have fun with it, right? Right.

[reluctantjinrou]

He opened his mouth and closed it again, just staring at him. As far as advice went, needless to say, this wasn't expected.

"I'm sorry, but, pardon?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Well, for one thing, it'll look cool!"

Troll's gotta troll.

"You can't be a proper vampire if you don't look cool! Especially in a fight!"

[reluctantjinrou]

"I don't think any amount of vampirism is going to make me cool." Natsuno drawled a bit sarcastically.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"There you go, just like that! Now imagine if you said something like that while wearing sunglasses!"

Sorry Natsuno you literally can't win here.

After Koumyou had himself a good little laugh, he added, "...Also your eyes do that spooky-spooky red thing when you actually try! So if you want everyone to think you're just a human who's faster and stronger, like me, you should hide them."

[reluctantjinrou]

"I suppose that's a valid point." Natsuno murmured. He just thought that people would have a problem having a vampire around. He certainly would.

"I've been told my eyes are strange anyway. Apparently they glow in the dark."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Of course it is, I give extremely good advice!" Which was true, he just didn't usually bother to explain what the advice meant, leaving it up to the listener to figure out if he was trolling them or if there was a deeper meaning... or both. Buddhist.

"Plus, if they go all red and spooky when you take a fight seriously, that's a tip-off, at least if what you're fighting is smart! You don't want them to know you're not just just a plain human until you actually attack, right? Not everything can sense an aura."

The glowing was interesting, too.

"Glowing--? Besides keeping your secret a secret, what if you need to sneak up on something? I think your best bet is to just embrace looking cool and get some 'shades for fighting!"

Or master the perpetual squint, like Koumyou himself, but the kid had plenty of other things to master.

[reluctantjinrou]

"I suppose, although until Alice told me, I had no idea they were glowing. I haven't really looked or anything to see if I could see them."

Natsuno was pretty sure that he could see himself in the mirror if he cared to. He hadn't tried. That was a myth...right?

[its_dad_sanzo]

"You're not very curious about your condition, are you?"

Teasing aside, that seemed like a shame to Koumyou. "Your situation is your situation... ignoring it won't change anything, you know!"

[reluctantjinrou]

"Unfortunately. I am supposed to be dead, so no, I haven't really spent much time trying to figure out the minutia of the condition I have." Natsuno grumbled a little bit.

"I'm supposed to be dead."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"If you would rather be dead than what you are, then I don't see why you're bothering to learn to fight," Koumyou tucked his hands back into his sweater pocket, not so much as smiling for once.

[reluctantjinrou]

"There is no way to die permanently here, apparently you just come back to life, meaning attempting to do so is a fruitless venture." Natsuno sighed. "So if I must be here, shouldn't I make myself useful?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Well, have you tried?"

Look, the response from any Sanzo priest to someone saying they'd rather be dead, would invariably be 'so die then'. That was just how they were.

[reluctantjinrou]

"Not personally, but apparently other people have died one way or another and they come back in the luggage car." Natsuno explained.

That was fine, he could get behind that philosophy after all, he did in fact want to be dead.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Well, if you ever decide you want to live, come to me and I'll help," Koumyou turned to go, digging into his pocket as he walked and producing the sutra. He settled it back onto his shoulders with a practiced flick, "I have no time for the dead."

[reluctantjinrou]

"But-" Natsuno protested, taking half a step towards him, a little alarmed.

That was a most effective way of ending a conversation, pulling out the sutra that made him take two steps back before he stopped himself.

He scoffed lightly and turned his back on Koumyou, frustrated enough that he considered saying something rude.

Fine. It was fine. He'd rely on himself, then, to figure it out.