[OOC] Running and Gunning - Higan Vs. The Magna Pater

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

The rock wouldn't hinder its grip, since Shash doesn't need a hand grip to be able to "stick around", and the stone is as light as a feather to it. Also, which is closer in relation to each character? Higan and the wall, or Shash and the mech's left leg? Their speeds are comparable, and the flexible beastie is well used to climbing and pulling itself.

I gotta say that when I was writing though, my mental imagine of Shash attacking Higan dipped into Shadow of the Colossus territory, so my idea of the sizes got a bit out of proportion. I forgot that our characters aren't /that/ different in terms of size. Its like a really fast midget fighting a normal man. Shash should have its tail damaged by the legs, given just how much tail there is and so little time, so I'll go ahead and add that.

[MelonHead]

I could see you'd overestimated the size of the A.S.P that was the main issue really. Even clambering on the Mech's left leg there really isn't enough space for the entire of the creature, not to mention it's not really a question of how close the Shash is to the left leg, but rather how long it would take him to move his very long body and tail out of harms way.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

It could scrunch up to fit. It's very flexible.

[MelonHead]

That trait is pretty much the only reason why it's still alive at the moment.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

Flexibility is an important asset! If the Magna Pater were human, this is how it would trap victims.

[Drifting Pollen]

If I may interject:

youtube.com/watch?v=sH_6iFYiryY

[MelonHead]

Slimy would not have time to slink under the Mech's arm even if it could fit (which I severely doubt it could, it has very wide arms), once again you're imagining the Mech as much bigger than it is by the way. If it tried that it would literally just be clobbered by the arm.

[MelonHead]

Also, I should point out I never said the Mech's optics were actually damaged, my post was an interrupt, your character chose to ignore the attack and carry out its own regardless, and then dodge, so whatever damage that may be incurred will be tallied up in light of your decision to carry out the attack and dodge in one turn.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

It is still a full force blow.

[MelonHead]

@MelonHead

It is still a full force blow.

@Doc Doctor

I don't really see how that would be possible. Lifting a rock up and slamming it back down again is not an efficient action, your character simply does not have time to launch a full force blow -and- avoid the Mech's arm. Maybe if the Mech was a behemoth and clumsy giant, but the A.S.P is in reality fairly human-like in its movements and only double the size of a man. You have to remember that your character was forced to reveal itself to avoid the last attack, so Higan was able to start moving the arm from that point onwards. The hand is literally reaching the Pater at the same time as its rock, so unless you've sped up the action by reducing the power of the blow it doesn't work.

Also, the positioning for your character is exceedingly awkward to once again avoid being crushed against the wall. Though I concede that Shash has the ability to squeeze through narrow spaces, I wasn't under the impression that meant he had full size manipulation powers. He seems to have made himself perhaps half the length you stated (considering there was no mention that it could actually shrink its length, only that it can slither through tight spaces.) in order to carry out these actions on the Mech. In actuality tail included Shash is longer than the Mech is tall.

If Shash's entire body was away from being crushed by the wall and it was in position to hit the optic system it would have had to reduce its overall body size (disregarding the tail) by at least half, maybe even three quarters.

[Doc Doctor]

The speed of a man, even a giant one, is child's play to Shash, and it can easily perch near the top of the mech. The mech was set to launch itself when the rock struck? So was Shash, with less distance to cross. You think my character isn't in a hurry too?

[MelonHead]

No, the Mech is probably mid-way to the wall by the time the rock lands, but the arm is moving before Shash even reached a position where it can hit with the rock (because Higan knows it is on the A.S.P's back and is moving to cut off its escape route) it then has to lean forward to even have a chance to damage the optics (see reference picture) which is when the A.S.P's hand is close enough to grab it. Your character outsped the arm while also delivering the blow, which suggests you've nullified my post where I said the hand would reach the Pater as its rock hit, hence the only logical explanation (disregarding all the other evident issues such as the size of the Pater and how it's even perching on the Mech) is that it could not have hit very hard, sacrificing power for speed as it were.

I can't even make a post and move on because your chosen dodge doesn't make sense, there is really no way the Pater could fit between the arm, as far as I can guess the hole it is going through would barely be wide enough for its head, maybe, but the hole is also downward which would require the Pater to dip up over the arm and then drop down like a basket-ball. Of course, the only likely outcome from trying to squeeze through the rapidly tightening arm-space would just be a head-lock and consequent skull crushing, so it's ridiculous in every sense.

Still, as you apparently want to critically compromise your character, I'm happy to oblige and crush its head. Why it didn't take the numerous other escape avenues I will never know however.

[Doc Doctor]

I'll tear all that up in four hours, when I'm off work and in front of a real keyboard.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

In your post you mentioned that the mech "stumbled away" before ramming back into the wall. No mention of the timing on that. I, however, mentioned multiple times that not only does the Magna Pater not fall for the same trick twice, but that it had been anticipating another wall wedgie. It was ready and raring to get out of the way this time, tail and all, and as I said it had less distance to cross. I wrote in my post that its tail could still be damaged, but not as badly as last time. Though its tail is in relatively poor shape, it's still packing some beastly muscle. I recall comparing it to a "living bullwhip", and a "blur". It moves a hell of a lot faster than 70 mph, even on a bad day, and something tells me Higan can't accelerate to that speed on a dime. You also mentioned that the hand had "opened wide to clasp at Slimy" as the rock struck, meaning the grab didn't occur the instant that the rock impacted. I'm not saying Slimy (going to use that nickname forever more) is insta-fast, but if the grab is threatening to snag a "chunk of flesh from the head" of Slimy, then I'd say there is time for our super agile beastie to duck that and scootch along after having delivered his full-force attack.

Okay, so now all that leaves is whether or not Slimy can pass between the forearm and bicep. I have no idea what you mean about dipping over the arm foodle and ducking under the thingamabob. Here's the opening I see.



Here is what I see Slimy doing do that opening.



You said its head could fit through? So could its body, and being more slippery than a toadstool in a rain gutter sure as shit helps. If the mech somehow manages to entirely squeeze its arm shut like a vice (not an easy thing if you are made of metal and joints, as even most people probably can't do that), then I see Slimy being squeezed and popped right out of there like, like, like...



I think I just made things sexual.

[LeeRoy]

Absolute gold reading the OOC, keep going.

[Doc Doctor]

My moves


Melon's moves

[MelonHead]

The problem is two fold.

1. Your character did not dive away from the grab but toward it so the likelihood of it completely avoiding the grab is unlikely because of how long it stuck around.

2. As you astutely pointed out the A.S.P does not have a head and the vulnerable point your character attacked is front facing (see reference pic). Attempt to sensually strangle yourself and you'll have a better idea of the gap Slimy is trying to 'exploit', the gap that forms in the arm in that movement is more like the one forming in the Mech's arm.

Anyway, I'll just post and let that do the explaining, as you're committed to diving through the Mech's arm.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

1. It simply did not do that. I wrote that it ducked from the grab and went for the gap. Nowhere does what you've just specified exist. It stuck around until the rock landed, at which point it still had not been grabbed.

2. The gap is still there and close enough to escape through, no clue what you mean.
Somehow though, I think this is tied to how you think Slimy moved forwards into the grab instead of first ducking away.

[Doc Doctor]

@MelonHead

Throughout the match I've been trying to avoid starting up OOC business. I always try to. But now, I have a piece to say. I highly doubt that the occular thing is tough enough to not be hindered by the blow. Even if the metal is too hard to dent, the shock would obliterate the lens, bulletproof or not.

[MelonHead]

I'm not sure how Slimy could have ducked the grab, you did read it was aimed at whatever it ran into first, arm or head, and coming from a low angle, correct?

The A.S.P is not reaching behind itself, the optics are where the neck is on an ordinary human and it doesn't have a head. It does not need to reach far over itself because Higan cut off Slimy's escape routes by ramming backwards.

Also, I'm not sure how big your arms are but I don't see how you're not seeing the gap isn't really big enough. When I mime the action it's barely 15cm wide at its widest point, doubling that for the A.S.P still leaves a gap of maybe 1 and a half feet at most, which would be a struggle even for the Pater.

There's also the fact that you seem to think it would be impossible for the A.S.P to squeeze that gap, when it could simply drop its arm down like it were hugging a rugby ball. The moment the elbow began to dip it would twist the head of the Pater horrendously and crush its mid-section into the Mech's body.