#sparring matches

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1130: Lockhart and Strife's Sparring Class (SSBU X FF7 X Kingdom Hearts)

8:01 a.m. at Smash Gym Center..............

Dedede: (Walking in the Halls with Escargoon While Grumbling) ('Clicks Teeth') Man, I can't believe this. It took me weeks building up visible arm muscles and it all went waste losing that dumb arm wrestling match!

Escargoon: Oh, don't be such a grouch, De. Think of this like a regularly workout schedule that could help get you through the day.

Dedede: (Rolls his Eyes) Yeah. A year long workout schedule with blondie and little miss heaven hands working my ass down to the wire for lord knows how long.....

Escargoon: You only got like, what? Three hours in the morning left? I'm sure it won't last long.

Dedede: Yeah, we'll see.

The duo stops walking for a second as they notice a familiar face walking out of a two divided door in front of them

Lea: ('Sigh') Was not expecting to reach fifteen sit ups today, but- (Notices Dedede and Escargoon in his Point of Voice Before Putting on a Bright Smile) Oh, 'sup, you guys. Good morning.

Escargoon: (Smiles Back at Lea Along With Dedede) Good morning to you too, Lea.

Dedede: Hey, man! What brings you all the way up here?

Lea: (Points at the Doors Behind Him) I promised the teach and Namine that I would join them on their training session in there. (Walks Over to the Water Fountain and Pours Water Inside his Bottle) Kinda wish we didn't have come here this early in the morning, but.....(Shrugs) It's whatever.

Escargoon: (Takes a Look at The Paper Printed Sign that Reads "Lockhart's Training Program 8-11 a.m." Taped on One of the Doors in Front of Him) Sp this is where you guys go for your workout sessions?

Lea: Yep. 'Heard the room itself hasn't been used all that much before Tifa and Cloud came by and use it for themselves. Why, you guys are joining us today?

Escargoon: Nah, just Dedede here. (Forms a Teasing Like Smirk on his Face) He lost a game of arm wrestling to Daisy the other day, so he has to come here and workout with you guys for the rest of the year.

Lea: (Starts Snickering) Seriously?

Dedede: (Glares at Both Escargoon and Lea) 'Ey, in my defense, that girl uses her elephant throughout the whole thing to give her her that edge in the first place. I was robbed and cheated!

Escargoon: Uh-huh. And last I checked, you challenged her when she was ALREADY turned into an elephant from the getgo.

Lea: Yeah, I don't see how that classified as cheating if that's the case.

Dedede: (Scoffs While Crossing his Arms and Turning Away) Yeah, well, I'm still the motion that she only won by luck and handicap. Without either of those in her disposal, I would've beaten her under a minute!

?????: No shame in admitting your losses there, De.

The trio turns to see Cloud, Tifa, Aqua, and Namine walking out of the training room to greet their newest recruits.

Cloud: (Smirks a Bit at Dedede's in Particular) Especially when you still have your end of the bargain to fulfill.

Aqua/Namine: (Happily Waves Hello to the Ex King of Dreamland) Good morning!~

Tifa: (Smiles Brightly While Clasping her Hands Together) It's so nice to have you here with us today, De!~ And here I thought you were never gonna show.

Dedede: Yeah, I wouldn't have missed for the world. Y'all would kill me before I try to do that.

Cloud: (Crosses his Arms while Scoffing) Oh please. We're not that barbaric. We would drag you here if anything.

Tifa: (Pouts at her Boyfriend) Cloud, don't be rude.

Dedede: Yeah, tell 'im, sis!

Tifa: I could easily carry him out of his room to here myself. Maybe use the air horns to wake him up just in case.

Dedede: (Smiles Falters Down into an Annoyed Frown) Nevermind, y'all are made for each other....

Cloud/Tifa: (Smiles Softly at Dedede) Thank you.

Dedede: (Comically Glares at the Couple) That ain't, no way, a complete compliment!

Tifa: (Giggles Softly) Alright, alright. Let's get training session started before we start wasting time here, everyone. (Starts Going Back Inside the Training Room with Cloud Following Behind)

Cloud: The sooner we get started, the quicker we leave, eh, De?

Dedede: Yeah, you better mean that, you no good, cocky.....(Starts Grumbling to Himself as Him and Escargoon Goes Inside the Room as Well)

Namine: (Turns Aqua and Lea) He seems nice.

Few Minutes Inside the Training Room Later.............

Small, but visible sparks begins to fly as Cloud and Lea spar with one another by using their respective weapons.

Cloud: (Clashes his Buster Sword With Lea's Bond of Flame Keyblade) I gotta say, Lea. (Counters Lea's Blade Attacks with His Before Clashing Again) You're not too shabby with that Keyblade of yours.

Lea: Why, thank you, Strife!~ (Effortlessly Dodges Cloud's Attack) Still a bit on the rusty side, but I got most of this this Keyblade Warrior mentality jogged down and memorized. (Tries Taking a Swing at Cloud With his Keyblade

Cloud: (Dodges the Attack by Jumping Himself Back) You sure about that?

Cloud creates a beam like shockwave from his Buster Sword and shoots it towards his opponent. It wasn't long for red haired fighter to slice up the shockwave in half and explodes behind him with one, fiery strike and a flashy, heart-throbbed pose to boot.

Lea: As sure as the blazing, fiery sun, baby!

Escargoon: (Watches Everything Goes Down on the Sidelines With the Other) The wording could use a little more work, but his pose is a nice touch, not gonna lie.

Dedede: (Turns to Namine) Has he always been this cocky?

Namine: (Smiles Sheepishly at Dedede) More or less.

Aqua: (Gives Her Student/Friend a Stern, Motherly Glare) Now it's not the time show off, Lea! Keep focusing on the match!

Lea: (Turns to Aqua While Sparring With Cloud) Will you relax already, Teach? I got this under contr-

Cloud uses his Buster Sword to knock Lea's Keyblade from out of his hands and sends it flying to the other side of the room, causing the Keyblade Warrior in training to nervously turns his had towards his now disappearing weapon before turning back to his smirking opponent.

Cloud: You were saying?

Lea: Uhhhhhhhhhhhh........(Slowly Puts on an Awkward Grin on his Face) Well fought?-Ack!

Lea gets swept under his feet by his opponent, causing him to fall face down onto the flood.

'THUD'

Lea groans a bit in pain as he is then greeted to Cloud looking down at him while pointing the tip of his Buster Sword at his face.

Cloud: Likewise. But maybe heed yor teacher's advice and take it a little more seriously next time, yeah? Without showing off? (Moves his Sword to the Side andvHolds Out a Hand For Lea)

Lea: (Sighs Before Accepting Cloud's Assistance on Helping Himself Back Up on his Feet) Will do, boss.

Cloud: (Turns to Aqua) Oh and Aqua? You mind refraining yourself from all the scolding a bit back there? I know you're his teacher and all, but still.....

Aqua: (Blushes in Embarrassment) O-Of course! (Quickly Bows to Cloud) I'm so sorry!

Tifa: (Gives Her Froend a Sheepish Smile) It's no harm done, really.

................................................................................

Loud, booming noise continously occurs as two new combatants, Tifa and Aqua, sparring one another as they warp back and forth around the room before they decided to stop and take a short breather

Tifa: (Starts Panting a Bit While Wiping the Sweat Off Her Forehead by Using her Arm) ('Whew') You surprise me, Aqua!~ I didn't take you for the tough, straight-forward type fighter.

Aqua: (Let's Out a Sigh Before Forming a Bit of a Sheepish Smile on her Face) I'm not always like this in most battles. I just wanted to give you a worth-while challenge is all.

Tifa: Well, aren't you the sweetest~ (Puts on a Friendly, Competitive Smirk on her Face) As a token of my gratitude, I'll be giving this match of our my all as well, if you don't mind.

Aqua: You're more than welcome to do so by all means. (Smirks Back at Tifa) I'm starting to enjoy not holding anything back for once.

Tifa: Ditto.

And with thay, the two combatants resume back to their fast paced sparring match, leaving almost everyone else on the sidelines dumbfounded by everything's going on.

Lea: What is even happening right now?......

Cloud: I couldn't tell you even if I have tiniest bit of clue.

Namine: (Pays Close Attention to the Sarring Match in Front of Her) They're counteracting each other's attacks.

Lea: (Throws Both his Hands Out With a Surprised, Exaggerated Look on his Face) With THAT much spoed!?

Namine: (Turns to Lea With a Bright, Excited Smile on her Face) I know. right?~ Isn't this an incredible sight to behold?~

Cloud: Incredible is putting it loosely.

Dedede: (Couldn't Believe What is Going on Right Now) I thought this was supposed to be simple sparring match, not some intense Smash bout! Those two are gonna end up breaking something if they don't cool it!

Escargoon: (Turns to Dedede) You're gonna step in and tell 'em that yourself?

Dedede: And get my ass eviscerated out this building quicker than you can say "Yolo"? Hard pass!

Cloud: Let's just form a agreement not to tick either of them off going forward.

Everyone: Agreed.

................................................................................

Dedede: ...........Really? (Turns To Cloud While Pointing at Namine Standing a Few Feets in Front of Him) This is supposed to be my sparring partner?

Cloud: For the time being, yes. (Forms a Bit if a Wise-Cracking Smirk on his Face) Unless you're chicken.

Dedede: (Glares at Cloud) Boy, hush, I ain't no chicken. I'm just want a fair opponent to fight. (Turns to Escargoon) Why don't you come up here and spar with me instead, 'Cargoon?

Escargoon: No can do, De. I'm more of a lover than I am a fighter.

Dedede: (Glares at Old Friend) Lover my ass! I've seen you went to town with that one guy from the bar once.

Escargoon: Yeah, in self-defense. I'm not as fight crazy as you guys in those Smash Tournament you always take part of! (Turns to Cloud) No offense.

Cloud: (Casually Shrugs) None taken on my end.

Namine: (Puffs her Cheeks Up a Little Bit With a Very Determined Look in her Eyes) With all due respect, your majesty, I'm more capable and experienced in fighting than I look.

Dedede: (Turns Back to Namine While Letting Out a Sigh) I know you are, baby girl, but I've been in this tournament business for God knows how long at this point and-

Tifa: (Gives Dedede a Darken Glare on her Face Along With Aqua Next to Her as She Cracks Both her Knuckles Slowly One by One) Dedede.....Are you implying that my very own student is too weak to fight you?

Aqua: I sure hope for YOUR sake, that it's not the case. (Summons her Rainfell Keyblade and Tightens it's Grip)

Lea silently scoots himself away from the potential carnage beside him.

Dedede: (Immediately Gets Startled by the Ladies' Dark and Cold Hearted Gesture Before Quickly Turning Back to his Sparring Partner with a Bright, Terrified Smile on his Face) O-O-On second thought, forget what I was about to say. I'm happy to have you as my sparring partner. In fact, how about landing the first hit on your Uncle De here, huh?

Namine: (Eyes Widened a Bit in Genuine Surprise) Really? You won't mind?

Dedede: 'Couse, I won't mind. I ain't in no rush to get outta here,so give me ya very best shot, kid.

Namine: (Happily Nodded in Agreement) Right! (Takes a Very Deep Breath Before Getting into her Fighting Stance) Okay. (Rushes Over to Dedede) Here I......

Dedede: I doubt you'll do that much of damage on me, but-

Namine: GO!

Before he could finish his sentence, the sharp, feeling of pain begins to wrings it's ugly head towards the forner king of Dreamland as Namine delivers a direct flying kick towards his stomach hard enough to cause send him rolling backwards until he eventually and instantly got back up on his feet in a wobbly, pain-filled sense.

Dedede: (Dizzyily Holds his Finger Up) SeE? NOt a LoT oF dAm.....aGeeeeee......(Falls Back Down on the Ground)

Cloud: (Eyes Widens Along with Everyone Else) Woah.

Namine: (Taken Abback at What Just Happened) I did it......(Smiles Brightly) I've master the kick without losing balance!~

Tifa: (Happily Gotten Up From her Seat and Makes her Way Towanda her Student) Namine, that was amazing!~ Did you came up with that kick yourself?

Namine: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm, last week. I thought about naming an attack involving around it, but I haven't come up with anything yet.

Tifa: I'm sure you'll come up with something worth memorizing. I'll be more than happy to help out if you want.

The teacher and student duo then hears the groaning pain of a beaten down King Dedede.

Tifa: Right after we heal Dedede up first.

Namine: (Quickly Nodded in Agreement) R-Right. We're coming, Mr. Dedede! (Rushes Over to Dedede Along With Tifa to his Aid)

Cloud: (Still Surprised by What Just Happened) Well. That happened.

Lea: I dunno if I should be proud or terrified right now?

Aqua: (Smiles Softly) I would be lying if I say I wasn't a tad bit worried. But it makes me very happy and proud to see how Namine gotten so far.

Cloud: (Smiles a Bit) Yeah, the kid did good. It's a shame I didn't capture all pf this on film.

Escargoon: (Forms a Devish Smirk on his Face While Holding his Phone Up) Don't worry, Cloud. I got you covered. (Presses Something on his Phone) Send.

Meanwhile at The Smash Mansion: Luigi and Daisy's Room........

Daisy: (Bursts Out Laighing at the Video Sent to Her) AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Lilith: (Looks at the Video While Laying Next to Daisy on One Side) Awww~ He's all tuckered out..... (Turns to Luigi) He'll be fine, right?

Luigi: (Gives Lilith a Reassuring Smile While Laying Next to Daisy on the Other Side) I think so. He is the King of Dreamland after all. Or....rather Former King of Dreamland.

Lilith: How did he lost that position as king anyways?

Luigi: I....don't think I remembered why.....Let's ask him when he feels better. And when he doesn't get in a bad mood.

Lilith: (Smiles Brightly) Do'kay!~

@bestpony666

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@caleb13frede

@keyenuta

@ma-lemons

[bluegiragi]

mask off.

early access + nsfw on patreon

[venusaur-propaganda]

Drawing Venusaur with every Pokemon pt. Lurantis

[turian]

tbh i wish new vegas had companion banter bg3 or dragon age style. not because i wanna see the companions being friends or whatever but because i wanna see them fight

[one-time-i-dreamt]

Me and my cat had a sparring match for my taekwondo class and she literally beat the crap out of me and everyone cheered.

[misc-obeyme]

Spear Lessons

I had an idea, so I wrote it. A huge shout out to this guy's youtube where I watched his videos on how to use a spear multiple times in order to write this. Also I'd like to say that there are a lot of suggestive words when it comes to spears, but I swear this is entirely sfw.

GN!MC x Raphael

Warnings: none, it's fluff

You hefted your bag onto your shoulder more snugly as you made your way down the front stairs at RAD. You were finally done with classes and after school meetings. It was time to make your way back to the House of Lamentation.

You were thinking about what you would do when you got there as you walked through campus. You stayed on the path, following it as it wound through the grounds. Your thoughts were disturbed when something bright caught your eye.

You turned your head in that direction only to stop dead in your tracks.

It was Raphael and the glint from the gold of the diamonds in his hair had been what you had seen.

There was nothing unusual about seeing Raphael around campus, but you were entranced by what he was doing.

In his hands, Raphael held one of his infamous spears. It was no simple wood and iron spear, either. It looked like it was made of gold and steel, bright as the eternal Celestial Realm sun.

He was moving through a specific set of moves, holding the spear firmly, thrusting and lunging at imaginary opponents.

Your heart raced as you watched him. His footwork was precise but complicated, making him look like a deadly dancer. His face was as serious as it always was, composed and full of concentration.

Raphael turned in his routine and his eyes focused on your face. He stopped moving, looking at you over the shining tip of the spear.

You were wondering if you should say something when Raphael pulled the spear back, holding it at his side and standing straight out of his fighting stance.

"MC," he said. He didn't sound upset that you were watching him. He sounded just as he always did.

You were flustered, though, at having been caught. "I'm sorry," you said. "I didn't mean to stare at you or to interrupt. I was just curious." You couldn't exactly say that you were a little entranced by him, too.

Raphael cocked his head a little. "Are you interested in learning to use the spear, MC? I can show you the basics."

You blinked. You hadn't really thought about it, but now that he had suggested it…

"I would like that," you replied.

Raphael nodded. "We can start now, if you like."

You immediately shrugged off your book bag and left it in the grass. "Okay," you said.

Raphael gestured for you to stand in front of him. Then he handed you his spear. You took it reverently, especially because you felt like you were handling something holy.

"It isn't fragile," Raphael said, seemingly picking up on your sense of uncertainty. "Grip it firmly."

"Like this?" you asked, attempting to emulate how you had seen him holding it earlier.

"Your grip depends on how you intend to use it," Raphael said. "Let's start with the basic thrust move. For that you'll want your dominant hand closer to the base of the spear. It will be the one directing your thrusts."

You rearranged your hold a bit, to be closer to what you thought was correct.

Raphael studied your hold for a moment. "Now thrust the spear forward with both hands, without changing their position, and lunge forward with your front foot. Make sure to keep your stance a bit low to the ground."

You did as he instructed and then froze in place with the spear extended. The tip didn't quite reach Raphael, but it was inches away from his chest. He seemed unperturbed.

"That's good, MC," he said. "But your power is lacking. You need to put your dominant hand a little further back."

You readjusted your hand and tried again.

After several repetitions of the move where Raphael simply watched you, he held up a hand.

You stopped, still in a fighting stance, and waited.

Raphael circled around behind you. You figured he was looking at all the ways in which you were standing incorrectly.

And then you felt his hands on yours. And you realized he was standing close enough to put his arms around you and hold the spear with you.

"You need to hold it more on an angle, like this." Raphael's voice was right next to your ear and you tried not to think about the goosebumps that rose on your skin. He adjusted the angle of the spear.

"When you thrust, simply go straight forward. Be careful not to do this." He demonstrated by thrusting the spear, his chest pressing against your back as he did. It was clear that he was telling you not to let the spear go out from your body before it went forward toward your opponent.

"Keep it steady," Raphael said. "And step into the forward movement."

Raphael let go of you and stepped back. "Try it again," he said.

You were grateful he was behind you now, hoping it meant he couldn't see the blush on your cheeks. You had to take a breath before attempting the move again.

After your next attempt, you couldn't stop yourself from looking over your shoulder at him, for confirmation on whether or not you had improved.

Your heart nearly stopped when you saw the gentle smile on his face. He nodded in approval.

You spent another solid hour practicing this basic move with Raphael's spear. It started to feel like second nature, as if that beautiful shining weapon somehow belonged in your very own human hands.

When you realized you needed to get back to the House of Lamentation, you carefully handed Raphael back his spear.

He stood it upright beside him, smiling at you again. Your heart shuddered at the sight - he looked absolutely angelic when he smiled at you like that.

"You did well, MC," he said. "I think you have potential with the spear, if you'd like to continue training."

You shrugged at the praise. "I just had a really good teacher, that's all."

Raphael sighed and shook his head a little. "I think I was a bit too distracting for you. But you managed to improve despite that. You truly are remarkable, MC."

You blushed because it was pretty clear from this statement that he had been aware of the reactions you had attempted to hide.

To your complete astonishment, Raphael reached out and put his hand on your cheek. "This is what I mean," he said.

You fought to stop yourself from blushing even more, but it was a losing battle. "Um, I should get back…"

Raphael stepped away from you, then smiled and said, "If you keep practicing, you'll be able to put those brothers in their place in no time."

You laughed. It was such a hilarious image, you couldn't help it. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces," you said.

You thanked Raphael and made a plan to continue your training at a later time. As you grabbed your bag, you stopped for a moment to watch as he fell into an elaborate routine once again. You wouldn't soon forget the feeling of his hands on yours or the sound of his voice, low in your ear. You rushed home with the golden glint of his spear still prominent in your mind.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

“YEAH! SUCK IT RED!” “Yeah, yeah, rub it in while you can, Blue! Next time, your ass is grass!”

Team Sword? Team Key??? Team “Man I really hope this alien artifact doesn’t trigger any character development for me”?

Idk, these assholes deserve to interact more with alien sword mischief I think

[jeeaark]

-old geezer voice- Back in my day, we didn't have no magic mirror, we had to make shit up in our heads about changes to our Tav's appearance while playing the game

No punchline to this one.

Just haircuts. Inspired by the lovely gift that is the magic mirror~ And Greygold slooooowly realizing that polyamory is not gonna be a Thing around here.

[sunshowersanddandelionwine]

Okay, cod musical thoughts (not musical au, but an actual mw2 ‘22 musical lmao)

I remember seeing/reading a quote about musical theater one time where it said something to the effect “characters on stage sing when the emotion gets too much to just speak” and just. The themes you can work with just from that alone.

The first time the audience is introduced to ghost, it’s everyone else talking/singing about him. Rumors flying, wildly exaggerated stories, the works. There’s almost this wild, frenetic energy in the characters as they stage-whisper like he’s going to appear out of nowhere.

But as soon as he does show up on stage, all music cuts. No singing. No instruments. Dead silence.

Until Soap appears. Then it’s all brash, upbeat tempo and overwhelming music. Which clearly is at odds with ghost’s whole thing.

And the no music/no singing rule extends through most of the numbers. Ghost never engages with the music, diagetically or non diagetically. He’s entirely separate from that entire world. He’s keeping himself emotionally distant from that entire world.

At least, up until the act 1 finale and the graves betrayal.

Act 2 starts with just soap, not even singing. Until ghost makes contact and they start their banter. And the audience doesnt really notice until partway through that there’s another voice. It’s quiet, and almost impossible to hear, but it’s there. Ghost is singing harmony. He’s reaching out for the very first time.

It culminates in their meeting at the church where the two of them sing a duet (and, in my head, singing each other’s leitmotifs because I’m a ghoap girlie first and a human second).

Ghost’s only solo is that moment on top of the building in Chicago. Time stops, and it’s just him and the audience. And he bares his fucking *soul* to them. The walls are gone. Emotion is overflowing.

He takes the shot and the music cuts. Silence.

“Perfect shot, lt.”

It swells back.

“You called it sergeant.”

[fatedroses]

local archon messes around and finds out after interrupting exile on his morning jog.

[borrelia]

i would encourage anyone who wants to write sparring scenes to actually spar with someone. just go for 2 minutes. that's a pretty long time, at least it feels that way. your thoughts don't drift while you're fighting, you're focusing on breathing, looking for an opening and psyching yourself up to ignore the pain and just *go* for it. you don't spar at full power usually, you go like 50% or something. you both set a limit and stay there. like a light jog vs a sprint. you won't be able to go for long if you go all out.

even if you're down at 20, 50%, you will still get hit and it will still hurt. sting, at least. if you get kicked in the stomach or dropped on the ground you might get the wind knocked out of you and be unable to naturally breathe (in which case you will gasp uselessly until you mechanically force the breathing. a fair fight will pause while you do this).

your arms and legs and body will sting where you've hit and blocked, and you'll start to favor limbs or try to avoid putting them out there. a good portion of your thoughts are, again, devoted to overriding this instinct and just pushing forward. you're also gauging what your partner is doing, how tired they look, how aggressively theyre fighting. what moves they might be pulling over and over.

fights are fast. you'll engage, disengage, and press in short bouts of several seconds. a round of combat in dnd lasting 6 seconds is about right. but in a friendly spar at least, you'll probably take some breathers between hits. step back, circle, regain a little stamina, then press again. when your opponent presses, to avoid getting hit you will usually back up. there's a lot of Trying Not To Get Hit in sparring. you probably won't have a lot of breath for conversation, sparring is A Workout.

now if youre writing superheroes, yeah theyre going to have more energy to spare and will be less bothered by pain (sometimes just by Not Getting Hit) but if theyre up against an equal or near-equal they should be similarly exerting themselves. not every hit should land, not every not every second will be a press, etc.

[melveres]

so was anyone gonna tell me Dyvims canonically bi or was I just supposed to find that out from a comment on a twitter post and be sent on a quest to hunt down the stream and timestamp where it got mentioned

EDIT: I gave up on recording the clip bc the audio kept getting messed up so here's the link to the stream! [timestamp 56:34]

Dyvim Whitehart bi king!!

[terezicaptor]

bro chill you're scaring the hoes

no text version

[hazelkjt]

Actions are Louder than Words

A simple set of sparring scenes featuring the buff bunny Flidais courtesy of @selnyam! Been meaning to do this sort of set for a while and finally got off my ass to take the shots lmao.

[barefistfighter]

from the short film GUARD. Love the sound of the punches!

[michyeosseo]

I want to become stronger sooner to help Master wipe out the miasma from the Immortal Realm to free the people from oppression.