Video || Doing 'Homework'

[catsgothistongue]

Type: Video
Sender ID: catsgothistongue (Ranma)
To: Public
Subject: Ranma being nosy inquisitive of other worldly techniques and fighting styles cause dad said so.
Warnings: Probably none? Maybe potential discussion of fighting/violence? TBD

[Kaveh had assigned him "homework" to do in regards to training and teaching. And even if he's not happy about getting chastised over an honest mistake, the architect raised a few good points. Training purposes aside, the whole prospect of other worlds with other fighters caught his fancy a long while ago. So clearly, he didn't need to be told to do this!

So here he is, after first mulling it over whether it should be text or video before just flipping heads or tails for it, sitting in the quarter of a ship at a desk, tapping the eraser end of a pen against his chin.]

Yo. [Ranma gave a terse nod while leaning back in his seat.] There's something that's been on my mind for a while now. A lot of us are from different worlds or universes or whatever. That'd mean a lot of us might have different styles or methods to use when in a fight. As a martial artist, a practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and potential instructor in the future, part of those duties include learning about any kind of technique or style no matter what they may be. Soooo...

[Clicking the push pencil a couple of times as he leaned forward, a focused glint in his blue eyes. With the way he had his shellphone set up, the edge of a notepad could be spotted along with a bottle of water could be seen in the display.]

How do any of ya' fight? What kind of training have you gone through? Techniques, weapons, anything you feel like spilling, let's hear it! [An ear-to-ear smile was brimming while the pigtailed teen rocked back and forth excitedly in his seat.]

Comments

[VIDEO] UN:Hammertime

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Actually, I have formal sword training from an old knight friend of my dad's but...I only ever bust out my dao against monsters.

[catsgothistongue]

Not a bad weapon of choice. I knew a girl back home who occasionally brought out one herself to fight with. Almost took my head off a few times with it too.

[Mostly when Shampoo was still trying to hunt the pigtailed girl after the whole Kiss of Death debacle.]

Maybe you should bring it with you the next time with spar. It might give you an edge.

[...]

Pun not intended.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

I'd rather not. I'd be way too afraid of actually hurting someone with it.

Always feel weird with it, though. No one else in my kingdom uses a weapon like this but my Old Man said he made it for me.

[catsgothistongue]

Please, almost everyone I fight use weapons against me while I fight bare-handed. I don't think you could actually do something serious to me with it. But fair 'nough.

Really? They don't use swords, or they don't use a dao specifically?

[When you hear of knights galivanting in a kingdom, they're typically depicted as carrying swords.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin tries to let that first comment slide. Fact is, as confident and skilled as Ranma is, Darin still has plenty in reserve. Darin doesn't even know his own limitations and that's what scares him.]

Longswords, shortswords, axes and halberds mostly. Depends on the company and their role. Dao originated on another continent here so they aren't really used. I know enough about them but...that's all from whatever manuals I could get my hands on.

[catsgothistongue]

[You're a stronger man than most people in Ranma's life. Not many would just let take his unintentional insults with stride. As a martial artist, Ranma both knows how to limit himself and pull punches against foes that aren't quite as strong or durable as him, and at the same time always pushing to break whatever limitations stand in his way. Some day, he might be as skilled as some of the prolific masters... Just with better morals, maybe.]

Figures. [Those usually what knights use in media and movies.] It's the same here. Besides Shampoo, no one else here uses daos. Some martial arts involve weapon usage, so I've had some training in using swords, bō, basically anything my hands can pick up, I can or have learned. [That wasn't even meant to come off as a brag, more of a casual mention of a feat than anything else.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Someone here uses dao?

[Huh...that might be useful to find out about.]

My dad's friend was pretty hellbent on teaching me but...I wasn't exactly the best student. I think I made it intentionally difficult on him in hopes he'd drop me or something...

[Because Darin had enough problems with people hating him without knowing about his strength.]

[catsgothistongue]

Hm? Oh, no, I meant back home in Japan. A girl back where I'm from, Shampoo, uses a dao.

[Slip of the tongue. Also because OP cannot read well whoops.]

A lot of teachers are like that when it comes to training. The more you struggle and the more you screw up, the harder they go on you.

[That's how it was for him when his old man trains him. Called it 'motivational encouragement'.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Yeah well...he said he owed it to my dad. Said my dad saved him a bunch of times and he wanted to pay it forward.

Never really got the chance to know my dad so...I stuck around for the stories.

[catsgothistongue]

I can respect a man like that. Sounds like an honorable man you had as a mentor.

[No, he's not a tad bit jealous. Whatever gave you that idea?

Ranma'd rest his chin on the palm of his hand when Darin brought up his father. It made a wistful expression cross the young martial artist's face.]

Sometimes the people not in your life are the ones you wanna hear the most about, right? I can understand that. Mom was out of my life for so long, I didn't even know I had one until a couple of months ago. I mean, I know I had to have come from somewhere... [Despite one Tendo sister's joke of Genma spawning him.] But I always figured she either ran out on my old man, or she died.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Yeah...yeah's a good man. Probably one of the only people who didn't think I was a damn monster.

I never actually knew my mom. She...died when my brother and I were born. And my dad and brother were killed when I was five so...yeah. It was nice hearing stories about the famous mercenary Dracer Altway.

[Hearing about how is dad was some amazing hero has always been a bittersweet thing. Especially given how staunchly Darin is opposed to being anything of the sort.]

CW: Small mention of seppuku/suicide

[catsgothistongue]

People are always to judge whatever they don't understand as some unnatural bullcrap.

[You get up from something that should've turned all your bones to saw dust, and people get all 'what kinda monster are you?!' on you. Like they've never seen a martial artist take a bad hit before!]

... Sorry man. Didn't know that. [In some cases, he's lucky. A lot of people in his life have lost their family from natural causes or diseases. Meanwhile, his family's alive and well. He doesn't know the feeling of losing someone important to him, besides the one time when he thought...]

Lucky... Not them dying, that's horrible, just being able to hear stories about the folks you lost. Pop never told me anything about mom. He wanted to cut her out of my training so I wouldn't be 'soft' or want to go back home to her. [That, and he wanted to keep himself alive because the only reason why mom let him take their son was cause of the whole man among men pledge that failure spelled the Saotome family's seppuku.] She's alive, and she's back in my life, but... complications [A bitter note was in his tone.] got in the way of me being able to get near her, so she's nothing more than a stranger to me.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Don't be. Not your fault.

But hey...complications aren't impossibilities, you know? Maybe you'll get the chance to know her and decide for yourself if you want her in your life.

[catsgothistongue]

[That got a light shuffle from him, with him sitting up in his seat on camera.]

Of course I do! I just haven't had time to actually get a chance to talk with her yet. [Most of the time she was around, he was pretending to be Akane's cousin 'Ranko' or hiding from her and the seppuku clause.] I know she's a nice lady, and she's a good cook, and upholds honor no matter water. Things just kept getting in the way of me actually having time with her... And now just after she moved back in with us, I get brought here. So that's put on hold again.

[Ranma closed his eyes and sighed, his expression neutral and ineligible.]

Oh, right, we're supposed to be talking about fighting and junk. Anything else you know how to use, or special techniques? [Trying to get things back on topic after the mood killer just then.]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

[Darin does have questions but he won't pry. If Ranma wants to elaborate, he's sure he will!]

Special techniques? You mean like...moves I yell the name for before I do them?

[catsgothistongue]

[Thank you! Finally, someone understands privacy. Ranma can't help but feel a little called out here.]

Some special techniques I've seen people use or I've used, they call them out. But anything else interesting you think worth mentioning is good.

[moremystyle]

[Huh. It's interesting to see Ranma actually asking something seriously. That is, not being a putz about it.]

I grew up amongst pirates, and you learn how to throw a punch--and take one--right quick with that lot. After that I wound up learning a lot more from some unique circumstances.

[aka from ancient warrior spirits living in the shards of crystals he and his friends had failed to protect.]

Is it really called the Anything Goes school?

[catsgothistongue]

[This is fighting he's talking about! Of course he's going to be taking it seriously! It's a pleasant surprise that Faris actually answered instead of their usual back-and-forth routine. Give it five minutes though...]

It was the same deal for me. Only replace pirates with a single martial artist. You learn to flow and roll with the punches the more you get hit and how to turn it back around on your opponent.

[Big mood on the unique circumstances. Only the 'ancient warrior' is an old hag the size of a baby who wants him to marry her granddaughter while also still teaching him a few neat tricks.

Luckily for Faris, he's in somewhat of a good mood, so he didn't get snippy at the incredulous question.]

Sometimes it's also called the School of Indiscriminate Grappling?

[moremystyle]

[The old hag and Faris' friend, An Actual Talking Turtle That Can Kick Demon Ass, would probably get along great.]

Oh, so you're a properly trained monk? [Anything Goes, School of Indiscriminate Grappling...] Sounds like the old masters had a real direct way of thinking with names. Least you know exactly what to expect.

[He says it with a grin--let's face it, that's what most fighting comes down to anyway.]

[catsgothistongue]

[Considering Cologne was able to call a great white shark to her and control it, an Actual Talking Turtle That Can Kick Demon Ass wouldn't be too out of the question in things she can get along well with.]

If that's how you want to think of it, then yeah. I've gotten some training from a couple monks we met while traveling, and underwent a lot of the same spiritual training they went through in order to get a hold on my ki.

[Ranma couldn't help but turn up a sly smile at Faris' assumption, chuckling to himself.]

That's where you're wrong. Some of it is as exactly as it sound on the tin. But if there's anything my fighting style relies on, it's unpredictability and adaptation.

[moremystyle]

Ki? [Wait a second, that sounds familiar...] That's that internal energy monks can tap into, isn't it?

[The spirits in the crystal shards didn't talk, as such, but they still conveyed what they knew strongly enough that the notion of mystic vital energy hits somewhere in his head.]

[catsgothistongue]

Hit the nail right on the head there.

[That got a smile out of him. Finally, someone he didn't have to explain the concept of ki to!]

[moremystyle]

So you've got ki and you were taught by your master to be a ball of utter chaos. No wonder you're such a pain in the arse.

[catsgothistongue]

Because you're such a doll to be around.

[Ball of utter chaos??]

[moremystyle]

I wouldn't be doing me job right if I was. Other people can handle being pleasant and polite--that nonsense isn't any fun for me.