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Project Annie...In Motion!

Night Phyre said:
I'm going full-out for you, tomorrow. I've been having a terrible time finding applicable pictures on the internet, so I'm just going to make some new stuff for you. Basically. I'f I've talked about it, I'm going to take a picture of it and post it here so you can just see it.

Standard? Yes. Offense? Yes. Cross-stance? You betcha. Reverse grip? Why the hell not?

Good man, good man. I look forward to it!
 
Horseman said:
Yeah, but it's not a combat stance by any means. It's basically a method of transporting a heavy weapon, it's never meant to be held that way in a combat situation.
I was more referring to the fact your arms will tire out much faster in a prolonged battle if you use a kendo stance because you have to use more muscles to hold the sword in that position. whereas placing it on your shoulder allows gravity to keep it there and the only muscles you have to use are in the hand holding the sword, also, its easier to deliver a counter blow since you can then grab it with your other hand and use both arms to swing it downward.
 
Sanoblaze said:
I was more referring to the fact your arms will tire out much faster in a prolonged battle if you use a kendo stance because you have to use more muscles to hold the sword in that position. whereas placing it on your shoulder allows gravity to keep it there and the only muscles you have to use are in the hand holding the sword, also, its easier to deliver a counter blow since you can then grab it with your other hand and use both arms to swing it downward.
The entire idea you're referring to is a product of recent samurai fiction. There is literally no reason to rest your sword on your shoulder other than to ease strain on your muscles during non-combat situations. A secondary stance in combat would be to simply lower your blade and take the strain off your forearm.

I'm no samurai, but I imagine I'd love to come across an enemy holding their sword like that. It's basically saying, "Hi, I'm leaving myself open and there's only one way I can attack from this position, nice to meet youohgodnowimdeadwhydididothat..."
 
On an unrelated note, this begins to rival the size of the Mega Starcruiser thread.

I'm totally counting this and that as the same thread and saying we've almost got the largest DLC character thread.
 
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Denizen said:
I think the perfect idle for Annie would be a variant of Starkiller's stance from Soul Calibur IV, the only difference would be that Annie would hold Sagan in her free hand, she'll need him ready to fire lasers and stuff.
Actually this video is a perfect example for what I think Annie should look like in battle.

tell you what... THIS ACTUALLY WORKS! looks menacing, badass and have some pretty cool moves too!
 
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Night Phyre said:
The entire idea you're referring to is a product of recent samurai fiction. There is literally no reason to rest your sword on your shoulder other than to ease strain on your muscles during non-combat situations. A secondary stance in combat would be to simply lower your blade and take the strain off your forearm.

I'm no samurai, but I imagine I'd love to come across an enemy holding their sword like that. It's basically saying, "Hi, I'm leaving myself open and there's only one way I can attack from this position, nice to meet youohgodnowimdeadwhydididothat..."

I don't really see it that way considering nobody with half a mind would even allow an opponent to get near them to allow that much to happen. but I will say I am probably not as informed as other people who are experts in terms of fighting with swords.

and again, annie isn't based on someone who fights with swords traditionally, she is based on ones who are known for not using traditional sword tactics and stances (Guts and Sol)
 
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DukeMagus said:
tell you what... THIS ACTUALLY WORKS! looks menacing, badass and have some pretty cool moves too!
I'm telling you all, Starkiller is the perfect reference for Annie's fighting style.

Also let's not derail this thread by getting into an argument about the merits of using non-traditional stances in swordplay, let's keep it all about Annie and @Skullmageddon.
 
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I dunno about Starkiller though. his weapon probably has a much different weight and feel than the thick blade that is Annie's sword. I mean if Annie's sword was less buster-esque and more like a normal sword I would definitely agree, but considering it's more massive and probably vastly heavier than a lightsaber, eeeeeeh, I dunno.
 
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Sanoblaze said:
I dunno about Starkiller though. his weapon probably has a much different weight and feel than the thick blade that is Annie's sword. I mean if Annie's sword was less buster-esque and more like a normal sword I would definitely agree, but considering it's more massive and probably vastly heavier than a lightsaber, eeeeeeh, I dunno.
Considering that this is a video game I don't think the weight of her weapon really matters, besides I don't see anyone complaining about how unrealistic it is for Cerebella to be swinging around full sized swords from her boots.
Annie uses a magic space sword so there's no point in being realistic here, I'm sure it's super light for it's size.

Show of hands, who here has actually practiced with a real sword before? *raises hand*
 
Maybe Zen, maybe. considering that there's no real canon stuff yet for Annie outside of the mock-up Alex drew, we all could be wrong or right in that regard.
 
Sanoblaze said:
I dunno about Starkiller though. his weapon probably has a much different weight and feel than the thick blade that is Annie's sword. I mean if Annie's sword was less buster-esque and more like a normal sword I would definitely agree, but considering it's more massive and probably vastly heavier than a lightsaber, eeeeeeh, I dunno.
Agreed. He's flinging that thing around with no regard for edge position because it's a lightsaber: every side is the cutting edge. You couldn't just flail around like that with the meat cleaver Annie's holding. And yes, I know this is a video game, but it should at least follow some kind of logic.
 
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No, fuck logic. Kick logic to the curb and do the impossible.

Lab Zero please make the Girl of the Stars fight like Starkiller, that's all I want.
 
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unfortunately, starkiller is part of the star wars universe that a lot of people hate....

THE EXPANDED UNIVERSE!

so I unfortunately dont see that as a very likely possibility.
 
So, here's some stuff:
I'll use layman terms so as to avoid confusion:

Normal Offensive, the kind of thing I was talking about before.

offensive.png




Modified offensive, the accommodate here holding Sagan. I think this one is the best combination of cool + practical.

offensiveonehand.png




Defensive Reverse Grip, holding Sagan as a short sword. I PREFER THIS ONE OF ALL THE POSSIBLE REVERSE GRIP STANCES.

normalreverse.png




Crossed Reverse Grip, more impractical but possibly cooler looking. Notice similarities to modified offensive stance.

crossreverse.png




Crossed Behind Back Stance, super impractical but possibly made into something that is cool.

crossbehind.png
 
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I don't know, these poses seem more Ky and less Sol.
 
Sanoblaze said:
I don't know, these poses seem more Ky and less Sol.
I don't know who that is :|

EDIT: Google'd. Maybe you're correct, but I'm simply providing some stances to possibly help Skullmageddon along with a little inspiration.
 
DDB said:
All praise and glory be to the Skullmageddon.


WayForger said:
It should be, "Lab Zero please contact Skullmageddon and talk to him about the Girl of the Stars." Skullmageddon is the real hero here.

(And Pkstoopkid for his lazy shading and color map :PUN:) It's good to see someone meet the demands of Annie fans
 
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Night Phyre said:
So, here's some stuff:
I'll use layman terms so as to avoid confusion:

Normal Offensive, the kind of thing I was talking about before.

View attachment 1546



Modified offensive, the accommodate here holding Sagan. I think this one is the best combination of cool + practical.

View attachment 1547



Defensive Reverse Grip, holding Sagan as a short sword. I PREFER THIS ONE OF ALL THE POSSIBLE REVERSE GRIP STANCES.

View attachment 1548



Crossed Reverse Grip, more impractical but possibly cooler looking. Notice similarities to modified offensive stance.

View attachment 1549



Crossed Behind Back Stance, super impractical but possibly made into something that is cool.

View attachment 1550

Oh, sweet dude! These are fantastic references! This will actually really help in my decision regarding how to pose and animate her. Once I get the chance to revisit this little project I'll be sure to post another iteration of her stance for some feedback before I animate anything. Thanks for the detailed references dude, you're awesome!
 
I am still 100% set on the idea of Annie fighting like Starkiller, or at least having a similar stance.
None shall sway me on this.
 
Sanoblaze said:
I just want her to have a more relaxed yet veterany stance of Sol Badguy.
It just seems like it'd be perfect for Annie.
I'm glad someone's speaking my language, mixing Starkiller's and Sol Badguy's stances would be perfect.
 
I still dont think starkiller would work. but holding it upside down like that seems like a good choice for a veteran like Annie.
 
i just want something Guts-esque
so something sword on the shoulder would look pretty boss in that sense
 
Sanoblaze said:
and again, annie isn't based on someone who fights with swords traditionally, she is based on ones who are known for not using traditional sword tactics and stances (Guts and Sol)
Playstyle-wise, sure, but character-wise she's meant to be the most experienced fighter in the game by far and her stance should reflect that.

Night Phyre said:
So, here's some stuff:
Isn't her sword way too short for those stances?


Sanoblaze said:
I just want her to have a more relaxed yet veterany stance of Sol Badguy.

it just seems like it'd be perfect for Annie.
See, the problem is that her stance shouldn't be relaxed because that doesn't fit her character. This is Annie, girl of the stars. Do you think she would look like she just doesn't give a fuck while she's fighting double in what could very well be the fight that decides whether hundreds of thousands of people die?
Now she might have a very confident or relaxed stance against someone like Cerebella who's really just kind of a push over to her, but it would be much easier to explain that she always takes her opponent seriously just in case than to explain that she's relaxed while fighting double or someone else who's already proved their worth to her.
 
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hence Guts
Guts tangos with demon forces and bishounen assholes all the time
 
do I think a girl who has been fighting skullgirls for a couple of centuries might have some "I dont give a fuck" in her stances? nope. why would a person whose been fighting for years and honed their skills ever relax their posture in a fight? thats just crazy talk.

and the Sol stance is the perfect form of relaxed. (guts can be swinging the blade like a madman, which is fine for attacks) Sol has this relaxed posture of a powerful veteran and he has this stance EVEN THOUGH HE'S FOUGHT POWERFUL FOES FOR YEARS.
 
I just want Annie to have a bunch of killing intent in her attacks
Because my perception of her is someone that doesn't fuck around in the slightest in the midst of serious combat. She goes for the deathblow on her first strike no matter how gruesome it is

hence, guts
 
Ruin said:
I just want Annie to have a bunch of killing intent in her attacks
Because my perception of her is someone that doesn't fuck around in the slightest in the midst of serious combat. She goes for the deathblow on her first strike no matter how gruesome it is

hence, guts
thats why I said swing like a madman.
 
I have a feeling that this discussion is going to go downhill for a while so I'm done here.
Instead of pushing my view of Annie I'm just going to back out for now and let @Skullmageddon do his thing.
Hopefully he listens to me and not Night Phyre, but I didn't provide visual aid so I don't see that happening...
 
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