text | un: Sasaki

[ex_adept136]

It's occurred to me that since our membership shifts and our backgrounds vary so much, it might be good to compare what we're capable of. More to the point, I was thinking we might be able to help each other pick up relevant skills, if not hone the ones we already have.

If people are looking to train or think they could help others, why don't we discuss that here? I know at least a few of us don't have backgrounds in combat, for example. On our first day here I met someone who wasn't familiar with firearms but might get good use out of the skill, for another.

In my case, I have experience training others and can help with hand-to-hand combat. I can work with people ranging from average human strength to well above it. I've got some skill with swords and knives, but I wouldn't compare that to someone who specializes in them, and that's something I'd like to work on. In terms of non-combative skills, if someone wants to work on something like cooking, I'm reasonably helpful there.

Let's see how we can help each other improve.

[ooc: Please feel free to thread-hop/jack here, that's what this is for!]

Comments

text; un: heiwa

[longtempered]

[Not pictured: the exact number of times Shizuo read over this post, moved past it, went back to it, and read it over again...even now he's still not entirely sure if he's going to take up anything here anyway. But ah, it's Haise posting things...and besides that. There's recent events.....

Hm.]

Ah, I haven't really got a lot to offer...most of the things posted on here are already a hell of a lot more useful than anything I know how to do. [This being posted directly under 'New and creative uses of the word fuck' but...details--]

Hand-to-hand combat though, huh? ...Hey Haise, how much higher above human strength are you figuring there?

text | un: Sasaki

[ex_adept136]

Even things that seem mundane to us might be interesting to someone who'd like to broaden their skillset. Cooking and sewing may not seem exciting, for instance, but I've seen people offer and take interest here.

I'm not sure if I could quantify it precisely, but my strength would be multiple times over that of what we'd consider a fit person to have. Because of that, I think I could keep up with some of our stronger squadmates.

[The average ghoul has three or four times a human's strength, and here Haise is ranked in the second strongest category of all ghouls... Which is to say he's somewhere along the lines of ridiculous]

1/2

[longtempered]

Hey cooking and sewing are still pretty handy though, so that does make sense. I'm not sure I know anything handy like that...not off the top of my head. [What a Negative Nancy, this guy....anyway--]

Huh okay it's good that you can keep up like that then. Not too

2/2

[longtempered]

[..........hold the phone]

Wait, multiple times, seriously? That's a lot though? [He's no math person but that is definitely...a whole lot, he's pretty sure. Shizuo had always pegged Haise for a capable fighter despite the guy's temperament, sure--his talk about fighting those ghoul things back home and his precise handling of the time bugs back in Oska had been proof enough of that. But...] You're pretty damn strong, then! You never mentioned that before...it's not magic stuff or anything like that?

[He remembers Haise's decidedly skeptical stance on that kind of thing, after all, so he's assuming not. Except in that case, how is Haise so strong? ...The same way Shizuo is, maybe? The thought is a sudden and very strange one...]

[ex_adept136]

I'm sure that's not true. Sometimes, we just think what we can do is pretty commonplace or not noteworthy.

[As such he's sure there are things Shizuo's simply not considering]

But that's right, it has nothing to do with magic. It's a natural trait of mine, though training and experience have made me stronger. I can exercise restraint of course, so it isn't liable to show if I don't want it to.

I've never thought to pick up a car though.

[longtempered]

Ah, maybe... [Admittedly Shizuo isn't prone to giving himself a lot of credit on the best of days, so that probably doesn't help any when it comes to considering actually useful skills he might have...] Gonna have to think on it for a bit.

Seriously though? Guess we're kind of alike that way, then...that's pretty cool. ['Pretty cool' is actually a fairly large understatement, as it comes off in text, and in a way that's probably for the better here. But Shizuo's not certain if the sheer novelty of running into people with situations actually similar to his own is ever going to quite wear off. He'd always figured he was the only one, back home...

The fact that Haise now seemingly falls under this umbrella is something else, too. Vaguely, something that hadn't quite connected before clicks in the back of his head--left over from some conversation they'd had forever ago, about relationships and being careful and things like that--but it's food for thought to save for later.]

Yeah if you have that much control it makes sense that you wouldn't have. It's probably good that you haven't...picking up cars is always a pain once you put them back down. [Be it setting it down or throwing it, the owner is always bound to be upset either way...] With that much strength I bet you definitely could, though.

So that's good. Since, I was kind of thinking...I don't really know much about proper hand-to-hand. Actual fighting styles, stuff like that? Back home there was nobody strong enough to make any teaching much good, though...and I hadn't thought I really needed it back then. But lately...I dunno. Maybe it might be handy to know a bit more after all.

filtered → shizuo

[ex_adept136]

There was a time when I was afraid of my own strength. For that reason, I had a difficult time controlling it. So I wasn't always this able, but I know what it's like to have more strength than those around me and not have much of a handle on it. I don't know how useful that knowledge is, but...I think I can do some good with it.

[And this he'll tell Shizuo because he thinks the guy understands something of that sort of fear, having spoken about strength and caution in small doses here and there]

I imagine owners wouldn't be keen on their cars being hefted around, but being able to handle that kind of weight would be useful all the same.

Hand-to-hand is something I can teach, and you shouldn't have to concern yourself with hurting me, or anything like that. I think there's a comfort in formal training: it teaches you what you can really do and focuses your energies.

[longtempered]

[Oh--wait, what's this? "Filter"? Oh, a private channel now or whatever...

He reads the text, though, and then the filter makes sense. Unseen, he smiles dryly to himself--it's still really kind of bizarre, being able to have a talk like this, finding people who can talk about strength like this. As far as Shizuo's concerned, this all skips right past "useful" and into....ah, relateable? Relieving? Something like that...]

Yeah, having control in that sort of way...that's a really good thing to have. Useful as hell, if you ask me. ...I'm not afraid of the strength itself now, I guess...been too long for that now. It's what happens. Using it the wrong way, not being careful enough with people...hah, I'm still afraid of stuff like that right now.

[It's easy enough to tell Haise this in turn, really--he would have told anyone, if asked, because to Shizuo it always feels like an incredibly obvious thing, something that other people probably figure out for themselves anyway when they look at him--coward that he is in that way. But there's an extra sense of knowing that Haise would understand it, seeing him express a similar sentiment himself...]

Dunno if that's ever going to go away. Training might help with that, I guess...though my head's never very clear when I get in fights. I'm always so pissed off. Not sure if that's very trainable. [...Yeah, that's the crux of the problem, now that he thinks about it. But still--] Also, though, there's some really damn strong people around here. I keep getting surprised...hah, like you surprised me just now, even. It's not like this back home? I think I actually need to catch up a bit now. [Not for himself--no, less for his own safety, though he's gotten a recent eye-opener about that too. But if he wants to be helpful at all around here...if he wants to be able to keep an eye out for the friends he's made....]

[ex_adept136]

I don't think that concern should ever entirely go away. It's what keeps us careful and mindful, and strength should be treated responsibly. In that respect I don't think you're wrong, but confidence and control are good to have at the same time.

[Shizuo is responsible and he has good instincts in worrying about other people, but Haise hopes that concern doesn't have to be fear. The difference there might be small, but it's important]

What people can do in our group is pretty amazing... It might be the case that we'll always be surprised. I know I didn't expect anybody to have that kind of strength either. [Unless they're a ghoul, or artificially enhanced, but it seems to just be a natural thing for a very human Shizuo] I believe with enough training, you can control your anger, and once that happens you can feel more confident about what you can and will do.

[longtempered]

Huh...yeah, when you put it that way that does make sense. Even if it's easier said than done, hah--the confidence and control thing. But that's why you're here, right?

[More a rhetorical question to himself, really, but right...at least he really isn't alone in this now. If Haise really can withstand the amount of strength he's got--

It's been fear for such a long time that it's a well-worn and familiar thing, something Shizuo barely registers as odd or unfitting anymore. But still...it'd be nice. If there could be a little less of it.]

Well, controlling it's...yeah, that's going to be the main thing. No offense to you or anything, but I'm not sure how far we'd be able to get with that. I've been trying for a long time but I haven't figured out how to get rid of it yet. [Years and years...yes, he can't say he's getting his hopes particularly high on that front. But all the same...] Guess it's worth a shot, though. "Might as well try" and all that, right? Maybe between the both of us we can figure out something...

Can't say I've ever really had anyone to figure it out with in this sort of way before.

[ex_adept136]

You've got it.

[It might not really have been a question, but Haise is inclined to answer to it nevertheless. Sometimes, hearing something one already knows has its value.

And if Shizuo has lived with those fears since he was young, as that story with lifting a car when he was a kid suggests to him, all the more reason to state it]

Maybe having a hand will make a difference. No matter what the outcome though, I consider it time well-invested, and I'm happy to do whatever I can. Sometimes things that we find impossible on our own can be achieved when there's teamwork.

I mean, look at what we're all doing here.

[longtempered]

Guess that's pretty true. This team of people we've got here is definitely something else, huh? Kind of silly talking about impossible stuff with that in mind, too...a few months ago I'd have figured this whole situation's impossible too.

[Tripping into another world entirely, getting tasked to save timelines of all things...science fiction stuff. His brother could main in a movie like this. But...here they are.

So if this isn't impossible, what else isn't? --He really shouldn't think about it that way. But the thought sticks a bit, despite himself.]

Anyway...if you'd be down that's good, then. Hey, thanks for taking me up on this. No guarantees, but...I'll try not to disappoint.

text | un: chihiro

[onethousen]

You could teach people how to dye?

[ look adult you have to have more skills than the ten year old does

she's just not sure what those are, exactly ]

[longtempered]

[ah chihiro, so full of faith in his tenuously adult skillsets...]

Huh?

I mean yeah I guess I've done that often enough...does anybody else here even dye though? [Or want to dye, even....??] I really can't tell at all...


Wait hold on, how do you know about me doing that?

[onethousen]

When you were younger than I am your hair was a pretty brown. Now it's a pretty blond. Hair doesn't naturally do that when you're Japanese.

[longtempered]

Oh yeah that's right, I guess my hair used to be like that at that time, I didn't start changing it until later...aah, though I don't know about "pretty" or anything like that. [Chihiro no...flattering him like this....] But you're right, hair doesn't usually do that by itself. That'd be too weird anyway.

You looking to get yours dyed someday or something?

[onethousen]

[ there's a long fat pause as she considers this because ]

Maybe?

[ SUPPORT........... A FRIEND IN HIS INTERESTS??????????? ]

[longtempered]

[CHIHIRO..........]

Maybe, huh? [squinting a little at this text tbh] Ah, don't worry about it. It's good to think about it for a little bit before actually going through with it, anyway. It's not terrible but it can be bad for your hair over a long time if you're not careful. And there's nothing wrong with not minding the hair color your parents gave you anyway. I still don't mind mine too much either, actually...

[onethousen]

[ She's thankful he's offered her an avenue of conversation that isn't debating the worth of her dying her hair. She hasn't thought about it either way. Does she mind brown? No, nor does she mind other colours, so maybe... ]

Why do you dye your hair?

[longtempered]

[Ah, in retrospect that probably does warrant the question, doesn't it? But the answer's pretty simple, at least.]

Well, a friend of mine suggested it a long time ago. Like you said, most people in Japan don't have hair that's this color. So we figured, this way, people would know who I am when they see me and have an easier time avoiding me.

[onethousen]

[ See the first problem she has here is going why, and the second is that she can guess why. Er... ]

Shizuo-san... I guess that's a solution, if people were afraid, or if you were afraid. But I'm sorry that was the reason you decided to make a change like that. Is it important to you to keep that even here?

[longtempered]

[...Yeah. Yeah.......but he's sort of glad he doesn't have to explain it too much, at least. Doubtless Chihiro already knows the reason, it's true...considering her run-in with his younger and possibly even angrier self.]

Ah, mostly it was a matter of people being scared yeah...either that or not scared enough. Trying to keep anything from happening in advance seemed like the best way. It worked pretty alright, too, Tom-san has a lot of good ideas like that.

Don't be sorry, though, it's fine. I mean... [He shrugs, more to himself since Chihiro can't actually see it.] I guess around here it really doesn't matter as much, no. There's a lot of really strong people...and different hair colors too? But I dunno. It'd look kind of silly for awhile if I let it grow out...and I've gotten used to it by now. I guess it kind of looks alright?

NOT HERE but hi........

[upshur]

[ WOW LISTEN, SWEARING HAS BEEN PROVEN TO DECREASE STRESS!!! ]

not here also clearly HELLO......it's ok miles i think ur skills are neat even if this guy does not

[longtempered]

[WELL JUST GET STRESS BALLS OR SOMETHING, THE DE-STRESSING MARKET IS SATURATED LIKE THIS??? UR CREATIVE SWEARS HAVE NO PLACE IN TODAYS ECONOMY GOOD SIR]

[upshur]

[ NOT ALL OF US WANT TO FONDLE BALLS TO GET US THROUGH A BAD DAY, SHIZUO!!! ]