facing itachi's clone, she stretches her neck. spider-sense is quiet as she expected it to be. if itachi wants to observe her, the opening salvo will be hers. firing a web at him, she dives in.
a few things quickly become obvious. first, gwen uses the environment to fight. floor and ceiling both are natural terrain. anything not nailed down, no matter how far from her, are rarely beyond the reach of a web-line. and her aim, first demonstrated back in that fair in taeum, is excellent.
second, she does not flag. running, jumping, flipping, all the while cracking jokes. defending herself with heavy objects, holding them like they weigh no more than a stick. she fires web-bullets or whole, complex webs with hardly a second's difference in their creation. she moves with an unnatural grace that allows her to balance on the thin bars on a machine as easily as she does on solid ground and maneuver through obstacles with remarkable agility.
third, gwen fighting cuts a different figure from gwen-and-venom. even without the need to not destroy their surroundings lest they upset viveca, she holds back. in strength, in viciousness, in ruthlessness. even against a clone, she doesn't aim to kill.
fourth, and perhaps new to him, her responses are a little too fast to be normal. like she is reacting to what is going to happen. like she can see it before it happens—or like she has some sort of warning.
when the clone finally poofs, gwen loudly goes, 〉 Aww. I was having fun.
〈 there is no noticeable change to her breathing rate to register her previous exertion. she might as well have been sitting on the floor, chatting. 〉
（ by contrast, the clone transfers its exhaustion back to him the moment it disappears. he's too disciplined to let it show, but that monstrous amount of stamina she possesses is not entirely unlike kisame.
it's clear, however, that she is relying on innate grace and strength more than any amount of technique (which offends him on a visceral level) so after a moment he shakes his head, unfolds his arms. gestures. ）
Was any of that meant to be 'kung fu'?
（ yeah, he's calling you out on that whole 'martial art' thing. he did not identify any particular pattern to her movement with the sharingan — worrisome in and of itself. ）
〈 drily, 〉 That recommendation is about two years late.
〈 been there, done that, got the alien lab-grown goo to prove it. 〉
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go to ninja school. My teachers taught me English and math. 〈 heck, she only got a superhero mentor in the last couple of years, and jess is from 616 and has her own problems. 〉 Most days, I’m figuring this shit out on my own.
（ his mouth is an unhappy line — which really could demonstrate any number of emotions for him, but in this case indicates faint annoyance at her world's utter lack of preparedness and foresight. where the child soldiers @, earth-65??? how do you?? expect people to fight crime?? without fifteen years' combat experience by the time they're twenty??? ）
〈 she did go to prison for vigilantism, buddy. all the big charges against her, including manslaughter, were dropped with foggy’s change of heart but. she did still go to prison. 〉
（ he's been working with finn on his swordfighting skills, after all. there is a part of him that very much enjoys teaching. perhaps it's a little like a legacy. ）
（ he has absolutely no idea what she means by saying jūyon there, and so simply raises an eyebrow in faint bemusement. doubtless, some strange american slang. instead, moving right along — ）
What do you consider to be the most important thing in a fight?
〈 her answer is immediate. 〉 Protecting those nearby.
〈 which means protecting people, and limiting the damage done to their surroundings. saving someone's life and destroying their home in the process isn't exactly a fair trade. 〉
If a fight can be resolved without fighting, better. 〈 gwen slips her hands inside her pockets and shrugs. 〉 I've met violence with violence and only got more of it in return. Sometimes a fight will be unavoidable, but…that can't be all I'm capable of. If I become that person, I've already lost.
（ the answer gets a sort of an upward quirk at one corner of his mouth. not exactly a smile, but near enough people could be forgiven for thinking of it as being one. ）
The martial arts in my world generally have two distinct classifications — there are those that use direct application of force, and those that use indirect applications of force. Generally, in martial arts that employ gōhō, or the 'hard method', this means that you will block or parry a strike. In the soft method, or jūhō, you might redirect the blow or dodge altogether. The former style is considered to be linear, the latter circular. It does not mean one is inherently better or more suitable for offense or defense, it is simply a matter of use.
（ the first style he learned, of course, was the uchiha's taijutsu, which relies more on gōhō. but he studied the hyūga's jūken as well, and even troubled himself to learn moves from might gai, having witnessed several sparring matches between he and kakashi when he was young. ）
Generally, those with greater strength will learn the 'hard method', and those with greater speed benefit from the 'soft method'. However, a balanced martial artist will know a variety of techniques and choose what is of greatest benefit against an opponent or in a situation.
〈 should she be taking notes? she should probably take notes. 〉
You're the expert here. Which do you recommend I start with?
〈 strength, gwen does not lack. she can catch a punch and kick both, and bring a rampaging metal-woman to a standstill. and the way he describes the soft method (not going to try butchering that pronunciation even in her own head), it sounds like what she already does courtesy of her spider-sense. keep dancing a step ahead. 〉
For those who are your approximate height and weight, it is of greater benefit to learn jūhō, as it relies more on redirection of your opponent's force. However, your strength is disparate to most — so the question is more, do you wish to learn to be a more effective fighter when you have access to your current state, or do you wish to learn how to defend yourself if such a thing is inaccessible or diminished as a mission parameter?
（ which isn't something he can decide on her behalf — it's more about what she needs for herself. ）
〈 gwen considers it a moment, turning the question over to the symbiote too. whatever happens to her, they both have to deal with the consequences. as it so happens, they are both in agreement. 〉
We’ll go with the soft method.
〈 her strength is incredible. but she needs to be able to defend herself when her powers are limited. as itachi himself pointed out, she has to look after two. more, she may be able to use it to compensate for when spider-sense starts acting up. 〉
How much time are you willing to dedicate to practice? I can focus either more on the fundamentals — building up foundational skills that will be of benefit to your later techniques. Or, if you feel you would rather learn combat straightaway, I can ensure you have adequate knowledge and understanding of what is of immediate importance, with the caveat it means you will eventually reach a point where you are unable to progress in skill.
（ she is not a shinobi, and he is not going to approach her in the same ways as if he is teaching sasuke to throw shuriken. she's plenty old enough to decide what is of greatest benefit for her, and in an informal training scenario it is more the job of the instructor to be flexible rather than the job of the student. ）
（ We Don't Talk About LeonardTM so he's moving right along past that — ）
Very well. I am in the training room every day at 0400 — you may join me for that, if you would like, or we can set a specific time later in the day depending on your schedule.
（ look, he knows that gwen just hasn't slept yet. he's an asshole, but he's not (usually) (deliberately) an asshole (in that way). ）
（ local morning person wishes you an ounce of luck!! ）
Give me a day to devise a lesson plan. It's been a very long time since I taught anyone from the ground up.
（ it isn't as though she doesn't know how to fight, but he's going to have to change how she approaches it as a whole. discerning that approach will take him time, and while he's not too tired out by the clone's sparring match to begin now, it will be better to take a step back and approach it logically rather than by instinct alone — beginning today or the next matters very little in the grand scheme of things. ）
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
So we're clear, I am always holding back. Really don't want to kill or maim anyone.
〈 well. 〉 Anyone else.
no subject
（ one corner of his mouth quirks up, not quite a smirk. ）
If you require a limitation, I suggest trying not to put any holes in the station. I imagine Viveca-san would frown on that.
no subject
facing itachi's clone, she stretches her neck. spider-sense is quiet as she expected it to be. if itachi wants to observe her, the opening salvo will be hers. firing a web at him, she dives in.
a few things quickly become obvious. first, gwen uses the environment to fight. floor and ceiling both are natural terrain. anything not nailed down, no matter how far from her, are rarely beyond the reach of a web-line. and her aim, first demonstrated back in that fair in taeum, is excellent.
second, she does not flag. running, jumping, flipping, all the while cracking jokes. defending herself with heavy objects, holding them like they weigh no more than a stick. she fires web-bullets or whole, complex webs with hardly a second's difference in their creation. she moves with an unnatural grace that allows her to balance on the thin bars on a machine as easily as she does on solid ground and maneuver through obstacles with remarkable agility.
third, gwen fighting cuts a different figure from gwen-and-venom. even without the need to not destroy their surroundings lest they upset viveca, she holds back. in strength, in viciousness, in ruthlessness. even against a clone, she doesn't aim to kill.
fourth, and perhaps new to him, her responses are a little too fast to be normal. like she is reacting to what is going to happen. like she can see it before it happens—or like she has some sort of warning.
when the clone finally poofs, gwen loudly goes, 〉 Aww. I was having fun.
〈 there is no noticeable change to her breathing rate to register her previous exertion. she might as well have been sitting on the floor, chatting. 〉
no subject
it's clear, however, that she is relying on innate grace and strength more than any amount of technique (which offends him on a visceral level) so after a moment he shakes his head, unfolds his arms. gestures. ）
Was any of that meant to be 'kung fu'?
（ yeah, he's calling you out on that whole 'martial art' thing. he did not identify any particular pattern to her movement with the sharingan — worrisome in and of itself. ）
no subject
Yeah. There was this, 〈 she demonstrates a pose, 〉 and this, and this one too.
〈 here comes the punchline: 〉
I copied them from kung fu movies.
1/2
no subject
（ someone get this girl a taijutsu master.
(pan camera, crowd laughter)
(guess that's him)
he sort of. sighs. rubs a hand across his eyes, and then — ）
You can't always rely on having your abilities. You need technique.
no subject
〈 been there, done that, got the alien lab-grown goo to prove it. 〉
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go to ninja school. My teachers taught me English and math. 〈 heck, she only got a superhero mentor in the last couple of years, and jess is from 616 and has her own problems. 〉 Most days, I’m figuring this shit out on my own.
no subject
Do you wish to learn?
no subject
Are—you offering?
no subject
（ he's been working with finn on his swordfighting skills, after all. there is a part of him that very much enjoys teaching. perhaps it's a little like a legacy. ）
no subject
〈 there is a pause. 〉
Can I call you “sensei”?
no subject
（ #americans. 😒
(okay, he's mostly teasing here. mostly.) ）
no subject
〈 if you think she won’t practice the shit out of that pronunciation… 〉
no subject
What do you consider to be the most important thing in a fight?
no subject
〈 which means protecting people, and limiting the damage done to their surroundings. saving someone's life and destroying their home in the process isn't exactly a fair trade. 〉
If a fight can be resolved without fighting, better. 〈 gwen slips her hands inside her pockets and shrugs. 〉 I've met violence with violence and only got more of it in return. Sometimes a fight will be unavoidable, but…that can't be all I'm capable of. If I become that person, I've already lost.
no subject
The martial arts in my world generally have two distinct classifications — there are those that use direct application of force, and those that use indirect applications of force. Generally, in martial arts that employ gōhō, or the 'hard method', this means that you will block or parry a strike. In the soft method, or jūhō, you might redirect the blow or dodge altogether. The former style is considered to be linear, the latter circular. It does not mean one is inherently better or more suitable for offense or defense, it is simply a matter of use.
（ the first style he learned, of course, was the uchiha's taijutsu, which relies more on gōhō. but he studied the hyūga's jūken as well, and even troubled himself to learn moves from might gai, having witnessed several sparring matches between he and kakashi when he was young. ）
Generally, those with greater strength will learn the 'hard method', and those with greater speed benefit from the 'soft method'. However, a balanced martial artist will know a variety of techniques and choose what is of greatest benefit against an opponent or in a situation.
no subject
You're the expert here. Which do you recommend I start with?
〈 strength, gwen does not lack. she can catch a punch and kick both, and bring a rampaging metal-woman to a standstill. and the way he describes the soft method (not going to try butchering that pronunciation even in her own head), it sounds like what she already does courtesy of her spider-sense. keep dancing a step ahead. 〉
no subject
（ which isn't something he can decide on her behalf — it's more about what she needs for herself. ）
no subject
We’ll go with the soft method.
〈 her strength is incredible. but she needs to be able to defend herself when her powers are limited. as itachi himself pointed out, she has to look after two. more, she may be able to use it to compensate for when spider-sense starts acting up. 〉
no subject
How much time are you willing to dedicate to practice? I can focus either more on the fundamentals — building up foundational skills that will be of benefit to your later techniques. Or, if you feel you would rather learn combat straightaway, I can ensure you have adequate knowledge and understanding of what is of immediate importance, with the caveat it means you will eventually reach a point where you are unable to progress in skill.
（ she is not a shinobi, and he is not going to approach her in the same ways as if he is teaching sasuke to throw shuriken. she's plenty old enough to decide what is of greatest benefit for her, and in an informal training scenario it is more the job of the instructor to be flexible rather than the job of the student. ）
no subject
The only person who would notice I'm busy, or complain about it, is Wei Wuxian. 〈 a little pause. 〉 Dr. McCoy too, I guess.
〈 who also told her to stay far away from itachi. oops. 〉
no subject
Very well. I am in the training room every day at 0400 — you may join me for that, if you would like, or we can set a specific time later in the day depending on your schedule.
（ look, he knows that gwen just hasn't slept yet. he's an asshole, but he's not (usually) (deliberately) an asshole (in that way). ）
no subject
〈 not like her sleep schedule has ever made sense. it'll be like being back in new york except no sirens this time.
returning to her web-hammock, gwen retrieves her phone. in seconds, a new alarm lives in her phone. 〉
no subject
Give me a day to devise a lesson plan. It's been a very long time since I taught anyone from the ground up.
（ it isn't as though she doesn't know how to fight, but he's going to have to change how she approaches it as a whole. discerning that approach will take him time, and while he's not too tired out by the clone's sparring match to begin now, it will be better to take a step back and approach it logically rather than by instinct alone — beginning today or the next matters very little in the grand scheme of things. ）
(no subject)