#snow and david were a lot more static when it came to their fighting styles there was no change

[caliburn-the-sword]

ranking ouat characters by how likely they are to lose a finger in a swordfight

preface: i'm gonna be poking fun at these funky little characters for fun, but i really appreciate how the show gives them distinct fighting styles!!! it both sets them apart both literally and by personality, as well as setting them up for interesting fights as different characters are pit up against different characters!!! that's really cool.

now, before i start, YES, a lot of things are gonna sound like an innuendo. get your laughs out about it now. if you make a dirty joke, i promise i will be in your walls <3

anyway, as i've mentioned in a previous post, my experience in swordfighting is in using wooden training sword , which weighs just under a kilo. i typically use this for the fancy, pretty looking stuff like patterns. in actual sparring, i'm using what's essentially a plastic pipe covered in foam which if i had to estimate weighs a quarter of a kilo MAX). a proper real metal sword, depending on the length, is gonna be somewhere just under or over a kilo. so contrary to all your fantasy novels or movies, you're not gonna pick up a sword and be like "oh shit that's heavy i can't even heft it up". you will very easily be able to pick up that sword. it only becomes heavy once you've done a lot of swinging it around, carried it for a while, etc. adrenaline can carry you through maybe the first three minutes, and then your exhaustion will hit you, and then you're gonna be carried by your own endurance primarily, but yes this does build strength so believe me when i say that all the ouat characters are canonically quite strong (but you didn't need me to tell you that lmao).

Last place: David

HIS SWORD THROW IS SO IMPRESSIVE. you will most likely end up very unarmed having missed the enemy and very at the mercy of your enemy who still has their sword. luckily for him IT WAS COOL AS FUCK that i won't be considering that a point of deduction, ESPECIALLY because he would have hit regina if she couldn't teleport.

now let me just say, his circle work??? very good indeed. he can take multiple enemies in a fight. he absolutely will NOT trip over his feet and get killed in that way.

now, i understand the flair for the dramatic in big, overarm swing type movements. i've got two concerns: first of all, how far he extends his arm when swinging his sword. he's opening himself to get his hand cut off, getting stabbed, etc. secondly, when you extend your hand that far and suddenly have to block a strike??? it's essentially the strength of your arm vs the strength of your opponent's ENTIRE body. you do NOT want that.

he also has a tendency to blend hand to hand combat with swordfighting, yikes. when swordfighting, a main advantage is your REACH and how much DISTANCE you're able to keep. david is essentially throwing all that away to get closer and throw in a couple elbows. he's gonna get himself very stabbed that way.

occasionally, he also does a big spinny thing and can i say PLEASE don't turn your back on your opponent you're ITCHING to get stabbed. interesting note: when he uses a two handed grip, he tends to swing like a baseball bat.

judgement: at best, he's lost a hand. at worst, he's dead.

Killian Jones

not even 0.5 seconds into his first fight with rumpelstiltskin, SIR WHAT WAS THAT WINDUP??? YOU'RE NOT THROWING A BASEBALL. after that he's got a decent fencing style. he keeps his free hand close to his body, where he doesn't risk it getting cut off. i'm concerned when he advances that he makes his stance TOO long. since this is a one on one fight, that's fine, but if he was fighting multiple people at once he would be taken out by being TRIPPED. that said it's still good that he advances and places pressure on his opponent. solid technique. HELP HE JUST DID THE WORST GLANCE EVER. rumpelstiltskin's sword was STILL UP and KILLIAN WAS ALREADY LOWERING HIS SWORD. THIS IS HOW YOU GET SLASHED IN THE CHEST. random wide swings???? i appreciate that he ACTUALLY aims for vital points, unlike literally everyone else on this damn show. killing someone pretty much stops YOU from getting killed, so his survival prospects have just increased despite everything.

killian has a GREAT ability to disarm his enemies. disarming your enemies = not being killed.

his movements in his fight with emma are ALL wide and dramatic. is he showing off???? i hate to say it but if YOU have a sword and someone is trying to tackle you, you should STAB them so that you don't risk losing your sword, impaling yourself, or your opponent getting your sword. horny bastard.

HE DID A DRAMATIC SPIN. JAIL. and wasting time gloating?? surefire way to give your opponent opportunities. he's lucky emma was never aiming for the kill to begin with, and was quite inexperienced.

we see VERY wide swings in the neverland arc too.

does not have a very strong stance when fighting blackbeard </3 killian being capable of using his hook to reinforce blocks by placing it down the edge of his blade is AMAZING. i don't know how to explain this, but when you're gripping the handle of your sword with two hands, you are pushing against a single point. when he holds the handle with one hand and braces the other end of the sword with his hook, the force is more evenly spread, making it stronger. the only way i can think of achieving that with two hands is by bracing against the flat of the blade, and by god i am NOT risking that EVEN tho it's just a plastic pipe covered in foam LMAO.

idc about the context you are absolutely NOT striking towards someone's feet. don't do that. very impractical, even if you're trying to force them to step somewhere.

anyway he's pretty decent at taking multiple opponents at a time, tho i do prefer charming's circle work.

judgement: this is so long BECAUSE HE'S SO DAMN INCONSISTENT. i noticed that past season 5 he gets back to being more consistent and fency. so i think it's during high emotional states when he starts going wide. unfortunately the big thing with fighting is you gotta be able to BALANCE your emotion or you're gonna slip up like hell. i REALLY wanted to rank him higher than i did (it was honestly very close between him and snow white) because like i mentioned, he doesn't hold back and has great disarming skills, however i find him too inconsistent to be reliable. catch him on a bad day (he has a lot of those) and he's sloppy. so yeah.

Snow White

she doesn't have as many swordfighting scenes as other characters, but she's quite promising. i won't fault her for kicks, even tho i personally wouldn't risk it, because she isn't getting up close and personal like an elbow would (looking at david). she has a tendency to get low, which like major no no. mega yikes. you lose all your reach with that. i'd like to commend her for being able to get BEHIND her enemies quite often. anytime you can manage to NOT be where your opponent is pointing their sword is a pretty good one. however she also likes to spin, and you know how i feel about that. she doesn't swing too dramatically (like the others before her on the list), and she tends to put more of her body behind her slashes and parries rather than using her arm to tank it all which i really appreciate. i also REALLY noticed her grip (in a good way). mainly because i couldn't watch her footwork. that goes hand in hand with my previous point, you gotta have a good grip to put your body behind in strikes. i would say her biggest risk is getting her hand chopped off, but otherwise i reckon she fares quite well.

Number 1: she's an icon, she's a legend, and she IS the moment Emma Swan

really appreciate emma also managing the sword toss. anyway, tbf what i'm judging rn is one of her earliest swordfighting scenes GIRL DON'T DUCK UNDER A SWORD?? DON'T GET LOW FIRST OF ALL, AND SECONDLY IF YOU MISJUDGE YOU LOSE YOUR HEAD. please DODGE or PARRY or BLOCK. emma has the same big swinging problem as david. IF YOU LOSE YOUR SWORD DON'T GET CLOSER GET FURTHER. IDC HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO GET YOUR HANDS ON HOOK, THAT'S A GREAT WAY TO GET STABBED. then she CRAWLS (turning her back on her opponent) for her sword instead of JETTING IT. girl a sword is gonna do you no good when you're ON THE GROUND YOU CAN'T SWING OR STAB FOR SHIT. now if you pull up the clip and see her FIRST strike once she gets on her feet again, first of all: SHE WASN'T EVEN AIMING FOR ANY VITAL SPOT SHE SWUNG LIKE HALF A FOOT FROM HIS HEAD. secondly that grip is giving me second hand embarrassment. what is that.

next significant swordfight we see is with gold in season 4. her fencing-like stance?? cool. she is NOT leaving her torso or neck open to any stabbing whatsoever. she kept her free hand close to her body for a SIGNIFICANT portion of that fight which is AMAZING. homegirl is NOT risking her hand getting cut off. slay. also, when she's going for power, she has a two handed grip and puts her ENTIRE body behind the thrust. very impressed. she's also got GREAT footwork and she is putting PRESSURE on gold by advancing and pushing him back.

now, in her fights with gideon, she does a lot of very awkward and stiff two handed grip. girl PLEASE do not get lower to glance off, step to the SIDE. she falls back into big wide swings but she was going through something. i KNOW that's contradictory to what i said about killian, but EVERY other time she has powered through and this is the exception.

judgement: as much as i was making fun of her, we only see a few blunders most of which she was always going to survive because of how big a simp hook, not to mention those were within her first few DAYS of having a sword. she then went on to become who i think is the best swordfighter in the whole show, so emma clears all

[pushspacetocontinue]

Russell’s Pokémon Verse Profile

Because I had meant to get this done sooner. This will be posted on the verses page as well. Brief mention of injury, depression, and abusive relationships below.

Mild spoilers for Pokemon Sword and Shield too (basically, a mention of a Pokemon that is in Galar), so be aware of that.

Name: Russell Tolbert

Age: 24

Birthday: 9th October 1996 (Star sign: Libra) 

Gender: Cis Male (he/him/his pronouns) 

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual.

Species: Human 

Ethnicity: White

Current Residence: No fixed place of residence, nomadic. 

Former Residence: Driftveil City, Unova 

Nationality: Kalo-Unovian (Kalos Father, Unovian Mother). Has found out more about his Kalos Heritage and is trying to get back to those roots. 

Pokémon Team: He always has one Pokémon out at any given time, rotating between members.

Saga the Samurott: His starter. Has the ability Shell Armour. She is pretty much the leader of the team. She was given to him after their gazes met in Professor Juniper’s lab. They felt a connection then and there and have been close since. She has saved a battle on multiple occasions. She’s also the one that gets him across the sea if need be.

Persephone (Perse for short) the Whimsicott. Has the ability Prankster. He met her in Pinwheel Forest after he dropped a Pokéball in her fur and mistook it for something else. She found it funny and started following him around. She eventually evolved from Cottonee before they left Unova. 

Hestia the Volcarona. Has the ability Flame Body. She was given to him when she was still in an egg and he raised her after she hatched. She is incredibly loyal to him and guards him with her life. When she found him being accosted by a group of Scyther, the mix of rage and fear (as well as her level) got her to evolve so she could protect him. She flies him from place to place as well. 

Thor the Amphoros. Has the ability Static. She is an interesting soul. She was originally a Mareep on Floccesy Ranch. However, due to an accidental breeding with the wrong father (her father was supposed to be an Ampharos, instead it was a Bouffalant, don’t ask me how it happened), they were unsure of whether to keep her or not. Russell offered to take her instead, not wanting to see the poor Pokémon practically abandoned. Thor has a very fabulous ‘fro like mane, even when she’s not mega evolved, due to her heritage, as well as a pair of horns (although smaller than that of a regular Bouffalant) that she’s incredibly proud of. She’s a very boisterous bruiser with a softer side.

Misty the Shiny Espurr.  Has the ability Own Tempo. Soon after he came to Kalos and went to Route 6, she started to follow him around for no other reason than apparently liking him. So he allows to do so. She’s sweet and loving, but definitely has a mischievous streak. She likes to stare at people and Pokémon just to creep them out for example. She’s going to evolve soon, and she’s more than ready for it. 

Fafir the Sliggoo. Has the ability Sap Sipper. The newest member that he met in Kalos. He met him as a Goomy on Route 14. He has since evolved into a Sliggoo. Like his trainer, he is quite quiet and reserved, but he’s definitely not a coward. In fact, he challenged Russell to a battle and then allowed himself to be caught when he was beaten. Russell gave him the option to leave, but so far, he has stayed. 

Before he left Unova, he didn’t have Misty and Fafnir. He actually had an Excadrill (Terra) and a Beartic (Amarok). Both of them chose to stay in Unova after he told them he wanted to have the choice and not just go because he told them to. They stayed in Unova and have since joined his niece Gracie’s team. 

During a visit to the Galar region, he rescued a frightened and helpless Snom. He expected it to leave, but it decided it wanted to stay with him. He relented and adopted it as part of the team. It usually rides around in his shoulder bag or on his shoulders. He named it Khione, after the Greek Goddess of Snow.

Mother: Cassandra Anderson - Was no longer in contact with her after he refused to take on the Unovian League and left Unova for other pastures. Because she was wanted to be famous through this, he knew she would never forgive him. She was an awful abusive woman and he and his brothers endured a lot of horrible things at her hands. She was claimed by old age a few months back, dying during the night in her sleep. The family pretty much agreed that no one wanted a funeral and she was given a direct burial four days later. She will not be missed.

Father: Jean-Luc Tolbert. He hails from Kalos. He wanted to desperately be part of Russell’s life, but Cassandra refused to let him. 

Siblings: He has seven older brothers in total. Lewis (now deceased), Martin (still living at their now-dead mother’s house with his Pokémon but planning to move), Truman (living in Hoenn), Simon (lives as a hermit in an apartment of his own, no Pokémon), Bradley (actually living a fairly normal life with his wife, three daughters, his son, and their Pokémon), David (trying to get his life back on track, no Pokémon as yet) and Travis (currently in prison, but has promised to get his shit together once he gets out. Misses his old partner Pokémon.) 

Height: 5'6" 

Weight: Fluctuates between 110 and 115lbs 

Body Type: Thin but athletic. 

Hair: Dirty-blonde., keep in an undercut with volume and fluff at the top. 

Eyes: Blue

Languages: English, Kalos, and Unovian Sign Language (USL). 

Distinguishing features: A water colour tattoo of a Volcarona on his back. A sleeve tattoo of a nebula on his left arm. 

He lost his right arm below the elbow and wears a metal prosthetic that is as close as possible to the old flesh hand he had. He tried to rescue a young child and her group of Pokémon from a very aggressive herd of Scyther. She was left physically unscathed, but his arm got sliced off. Luckily, his Larvesta, Hestia, evolved into Volcarona in the nick of time and saved them both. The girl’s family also happened to be very rich and arranged him to have the new arm as thanks, along with the therapy to learn how to use it and look after it. He often wears gloves and long sleeves, so it’s not completely obvious at first glance.

Part of his right ear is missing, and two of his left fingers (middle and ring) were bitten off above the knuckle due to accidentally angering a Zangoose (which he says was definitely his fault). He also multiple burns on his neck, chest, and upper right arm due to Hestia still learning to control her fire abilities when she was a hatchling. 

He stammers when he tries to talk too quickly, often getting stuck on a syllable or a particular word. It happens when he’s nervous or embarrassed too. He also has a awkward chuckle that comes out whenever he’s particularly uncomfortable about something. He wishes he had an easier time with the bouts of insomnia he gets. However, he has a concern over taking pills for it (or using a Pokémon's help) and so hasn’t tried to yet.

Far-sighted so he wears glasses to read, play games, and other close-up tasks, 

Hobbies and Interests: Parkour and running, reading, space, videogames (he enjoys Nintendo games, owns a 3DS, and a Switch), mythology and the supernatural, steampunk style, vaporwave, and drumming. 

Occupation: No real occupation as yet. Does odd jobs for money, as well as battles. 

Personality: Quiet and rather shy. He’s a bit of a doormat and finds it hard to speak up about a lot of things. But he’s also very kind and helpful whenever he can be, and has a lot of empathy and compassion for other people. 

He has some basic fighting ability (in case he has to deal with dangerous humans) and will fight dirty if he has to, as much as he would rather not. He’s incredibly loyal to any friends he makes as well, willing to put himself them and any danger that might come their way, even at a risk to his own life. He also has a slight temper, particularly when frustrated or when he’s allowed negative feelings to build up inside for too long. He does his best to keep that reined in. 

He has some hope for the future, despite his experiences, and a current battle with depression. He feels that things will look up. He’s trying to remain optimistic.

Basic Backstory: He didn’t have the best childhood due to his mother being the awful woman that she was. She would act manipulative, lock her sons outside as a punishment, become violent, physically, verbally, and emotionally lashing out at them and other horrible things.

He left home at fifteen to start his journey. His Mother was practically ecstatic, mainly for the fact that she was sure that she would have fame and fortune from him doing so, unlike the rest of her ‘failures of sons’. 

He did he was asked, sending her back money and gifts whenever he could. He eventually got eight badges, but then he realised that he was enjoying the journey because it was his journey, and he was travelling with some of the best friends he had ever made, along with meeting some wonderful people. 

He realised he was only getting the badges and planning to join the league because he was told to. While he never saw his brothers as failures for choosing not to do what his mother asked, this only cemented it in further for him. He decided he didn’t want to challenge the league; he wanted to travel, meet new Pokémon and people, and see the world and all its wonders instead.

Sure, there were some mishaps that involved losing one of his arms and two of his fingers (at least partially), he didn’t regret that. However, he also knew that it meant that he wouldn’t be able to go back home.

After one last phone call to his mother, enduring her screaming and shouting at him, and then saying goodbye to two of his Pokémon (who decided to join Gracie without his knowledge after he left), he took the first boat away from Unova, letting the tides take him wherever he wanted. 

He now travels with his new team, seeing where it all takes him, and was inspired to become an aspiring Pokemon photographer. While still new at the trade, he seems to have a knack for it.