Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 6, 2011 10:31:50 GMT -5
"That'sā¦ a very simplistic view of things." Magnus blanks his expression rather than frown. "Yes, you want to evade your opponent's strike zone to keep yourself safe while being able to attack him ā but use his own momentum to do it. Save your strength." He takes several steps back and settles into a ready position, one foot behind the other as though he's just stepped back in the middle of a fight. "I'll try to demonstrate," he says. This would be much easier in the sim room. "Come at me in a frontal attack. I want you to try to hit me and I'll show you what I mean with the arm lock throw."
OOC: Magnus is planning to demonstrate the throw linked in his previous post.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 6, 2011 11:51:26 GMT -5
Now, Sentinel Prime is getting an inkling of the point. Ultra Magnus is going on about momentum. Momentum must be important. It must be the trick to this stuff. Sentinel Prime hated physics class. He takes a few steps back, increasing the distance between them. Then, Sentinel Prime obediently charges at Ultra Magnus. He winds back a fist and throws it, putting in a good effort to make it land. - - - OOC: Feel free to manhandle Sentinel as needed for this thread.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 8, 2011 10:25:17 GMT -5
Sentinel's kick to the face was no love tap and it wasn't even a directed attack, so Magnus treats the incoming punch like the threat it is. When Sentinel is about to connect, Magnus makes to grasp his wrist and pivots to the outside of his arm, which might put a bit of a twist on the limb, but Magnus tries not to do anything painful. He also brings his other hand up under Sentinel's arm where it joins his torso ā then stops. He's turned slightly toward Sentinel, just enough that the smaller Autobot is inside his "box".
"This," he says, "is what I mean. You can do this. You're more than capable. Maybe not this particular throw against a much larger opponent, but the principle: evading his strike zone while keeping him in yours." He lets go and steps away.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 8, 2011 13:34:17 GMT -5
If it hurt, Sentinel Prime wouldn't complain, anyway. Showing weakness like that in front of another soldier is shameful. He says automatically, "Of course I can!" There's his pride running his mouth off for him again. Sentinel Prime shuts it quickly and looks abashed. He shouldn't have spoken.
He can see this would have completely derailed him, though, if Ultra Magnus hadn't stopped. It's energy efficient. He likes that, he thinks.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 10, 2011 16:48:41 GMT -5
"Being sure of yourself helps," Magnus says in the driest of tones, remembering some of his clumsier beginning efforts when his hesitation typically ended with him face down on the training room floor, sometimes with somebody's foot on his back. "Being overconfident can hurt, too." He leaves it at that and releases Sentinel, continuing with the lesson rather than censure. "Avoiding your opponent's strike zone is important, but if you can't, another option is to break his momentum." He repositions himself fully facing Sentinel, close enough to grab, but not doing so. "If he's coming at you and you can't get out of the way," he explains, stepping in to place his hands under Sentinel's arms without fully gripping, "redirect it. Then redirect him." He pivots in, turning his shoulder toward Sentinel, and the smaller Autobot might feel his feet come off the floor just a few inches. Magnus stops there. "You shouldn't need to exert too much of your own force; he'll supply most of it for you." OOC: Magnus is demonstrating an approximation of this throw.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 10, 2011 17:17:39 GMT -5
Sentinel Prime is in that awkward zone where he can swing from insecurity to overconfidence in one stroke of a piston. It's not particularly useful, but what's he going to do? He is what he is. Sentinel Prime gives Ultra Magnus a defiant look for a brief moment, mostly to reassure himself that confidence is where he's at this instant.
He watches what Ultra Magnus does and listens attentively. When Sentinel Prime's feet come off the floor, his whole body tenses, but he waits, even when Ultra Magnus stops, to see what's coming next.
It's good that he shouldn't have to use too much of his own force, since the Decepticons from his own reality tend to be pretty heavy...
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 12, 2011 10:45:10 GMT -5
Magnus gently sets Sentinel back on his feet and retreats, looking him over.
"How well do you have the motions memorised?" he asks. "Should we go over it a few more times, or can you execute the throw?" Not do you think you can, but can you? He wouldn't be surprised if Sentinel thinks himself capable, but he'd rather find out if the guardsman knows he can.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 12, 2011 11:28:27 GMT -5
Bravado is on his lips, to insist that of course he can do it, but then, his natural caution catches back up with him. Better to be safe than sorry. Better to prove to Ultra Magnus that he can endure repetition and tedium.
Sentinel Prime looks up and requests, oddly subdued, "Please. Let's do it again a few more times."
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 13, 2011 9:58:49 GMT -5
Enduring the repetition is all well and good, but Magnus doesn't want Sentinel to baulk at the pace, either, nor grow bored. He simply nods when Sentinel asks to see it a few more times.
"All right," he says. "When you're ready to try it yourself, tell me." And then Sentinel can throw him around.
OOC: Want to handwave/timeskip any tedious bits?
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 13, 2011 10:29:47 GMT -5
OOC: Sure.- - - Sentinel Prime is too stubborn to baulk right now, and he can deal with boredom. After a few more goes, he's ready to try it on his own, and he says as much. Then he gets his distance from Ultra Magnus and tries to deal with that the fact that Ultra Magnus is going to be rushing him and trying to assault him. Sentinel Prime decides that now is a time to tap that overweening hubris. He can do this! So he sort of loosely grabs Ultra Magnus under the arm, and shifts so that Ultra Magnus kind of falls over his hip? Sentinel Prime will just keep that in mind when he has however many tonnes of steel rushing him.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 13, 2011 10:41:03 GMT -5
Magnus is just a tired old soldier, really. A rather large tired old soldier. In a heavy suit of armour. Surely easy pickings for someone as young and spry and sharp as Sentinel. He doesn't wait until it looks as though Sentinel actually has himself balanced before charging; an enemy wouldn't wait, after all. He aims for Sentinel's face, arm drawn back to deliver a left cross.
He won't pull the punch if Sentinel chokes, either.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 13, 2011 10:57:17 GMT -5
Compared to Animated Ultra Magnus, this Ultra Magnus is a spring chicken! Sentinel Prime actually doesn't think of this Ultra Magnus as much older than himself. (He's wrong; their age difference is actually pretty huge, as is their maturity difference.) Older, yeah, but Sentinel Prime wouldn't feel weirded out if this Ultra Magnus ever asked him for drinks, say, whereas if Animated Ultra Magnus had, uh...
Yeah, that would have been gross and wrong for so many reasons.
Sentinel Prime is often on the defensive, and maybe he's even at his best on the defensive. He stubbornly refuses to choke and grabs for that drawn back arm, half-stepping to the side. Then Sentinel Prime braces himself, because even if this works, he bets it still feels like being run over by an 18-wheeler.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 13, 2011 11:37:44 GMT -5
Magnus would be lying if he tells anyone that he doesn't feel even a tiny jolt of pride when Sentinel initiates the throw in fine form. He feels his weight lift and his momentum change; he lets it flow rather than contest it, and it hopefully feels less like being run over by an eighteen wheeler, more like nudging the truck into the air and tipping it end over end. His armour takes up much of the impact when he hits the floor, though he breaks his fall as best he can with the arm Sentinel isn't using to flip him.
He doesn't immediately try to get up, instead watching Sentinel from this upside-down angle.
"Nicely done," he murmurs.
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Post by Sentinel Prime on May 13, 2011 12:27:50 GMT -5
This is... less painful than Sentinel Prime was expecting. Doesn't really hurt at all. Maybe like a fender-bender, at worst, and AllSpark knows, he's had plenty of fender-benders.
Spending most of one's life as a bulldozer is not good preparation for driving at speeds above 11 kph (7 mph).
When Ultra Magnus goes down, Sentinel Prime steps away and regards Ultra Magnus warily, settling back into a defensive stance, as if expecting Ultra Magnus to take him down from the ground. At the praise, he rather visibly perks up, and he crouches down and offers Ultra Magnus a hand up, insisting, "I'm just following what you taught me."
But Sentinel Prime thought it was nicely done, too, even if he'll only say so in his head.
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Ultra Magnus
Major
Disappointing Fellow Autobots Since the Age of Internment
Posts: 565
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Post by Ultra Magnus on May 15, 2011 8:32:40 GMT -5
It's with a suddenly humble expression, as if he just remembered his usual place, that Magnus takes Sentinel's hand and steadies himself while putting most of the lift on his legs. Accidentally pulling Sentinel off his feet would be terribly awkward.
"It was your accomplishment," he demurs. "So, a few more times for rote's sake, or should we resume the next time we're both free?" He still has a few hours before his pilot watch, but he is feeling the hard-driven pace of the last few days and willing to concede that he isn't as resilient as he was a few million years ago. He tires more readily than he remembers.
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