‘Not A Villain’ Webcomic – Page 660

Panel four needs a drum roll.

57 Comments

YAY PARKOUR!!! :3

Apologies, but when I look at panel 5, all I can think is “trollface”.

I DO PARKOUR!! x3

And Parkour is unique? I would have thought it would be pretty standard to a VR world. But then again Parkour combine with Ballet would be interesting and could add flair to the group. I like it. Plusses to danni if she does it.

Most people may not have the physical competence for parkour. Characters in the Game seem to be buffed by physical attributes, but things like hitboxes, balance, and center of gravity all play into the game as well. You would *probably* need exceptional motor skills in the real world (or at least the experience to use them neurologically for your avatar) as well as the agility stats for the computer to allow it.

Besides, parkour may exist in many games even today, but there’s a difference between having an element of it (like in Sonic Lost Word), and having it be a fundamental mechanic that defines the franchise (modern Ninja Gaiden games, or Mirror’s Edge).

Either way, having parkour based mobility and attacks would be flashy, and seeing a new player transform into this would likely turn some heads and get people talking.

I Agree with Asayo, especially since your chars moves and reactions do seem to be closely tied to your actual ability’s, though it does seem that it’s less physical and more mental when you got a Kido. Still I think even if there is some level of parkour that the average joe can do, it would take actual skill to do it on a high level and even more so to weaponize it as Bandit is suggesting here.

It’s not that hard to learn the basics of parkour. Mat Pat and 3 friends learned some simple moves in any afternoon in Mat Pat’s Game Lab.
I was going to leave a link, but then I remembered that it was on YouTube Red.

The first episode was free though?

Additionally, in a game like Assassin’s Creed where climbing, leaping, and parkour/parkour-like moves is standard practice and every assassin can do it, it STILL looks hecka cool and makes you feel like a bamf to do.
Either way, we saw a battle with other players and there wasn’t a ton of high-level agility of awesomeness (aka parkour).

If a certain developer added a damage bonus to unarmed attacks from non-horizontal surfaces while wearing the ballet slippers of destruction, that would make Danni most impressive. Of course, that would be hacking, and not allowed, unless they thought Kat wouldn’t tolerate being upstaged, or they thought it would trip Kat up by tricking her into revealing that she can detect things other players can’t.

At first I thought he was going to ask about capoeira,

That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking of since I found out she could dance and didn’t have any other particular fighting style.

Here’s a link for those that want to hit the wiki quickly

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira

I can certainly hear the drum roll for panel 4, all right.

Me too! I heard it! I heard it!

I thought that was Jumanji coming back for round 3.

And capoeira. Don’t forget capoeira.

Mmm… capoeira does look like a perfect fit, but I wonder if its moves are really that compatible with classical dance…

The same goes with parkour, plus I have issues imagining how two disciplines with no fighting focus can blend into a successful fighting style.

Parkour!!!
That would have been my style personally in the game.
(Also I’ve been on a parkour kick recently so this makes me really happy).

Defeat your enemies by shaming them through sick parkour

Well, this could be interesting to see…

With that lead-up, I was thinking Capoeira, not Parkour. Not that Parkour’s a bad idea for getting around, and it ties nicely to gymnastics, but I don’t see it as much of a deadly activity (except to the beginning practitioner).

Agreed, Parkour is the getting away or maybe a traveling skill. Not attack based at all.

The traveling would only make a difference if everybody was doing it too. I just can’t see Brandon pulling it off.

Parkour might be good for dodging. You can’t get beat if you never get hit.

Ballet has lots of kicks and such, but does some really terrifying things with a partner. It is more of a thing in figure-skating with all those spins, but still, if she can turn all the surrounding terrain into proxy partners and use momentum to have them swing her into kicks…

WOO Parkour!!
Defeat your enemy by RUNNING ON THEIR FACE

I was thinking of adding Blades to her shoes or something

We need more games that let you have a dance fight.

Maybe that drum roll was Jumanji.

I’m still waiting for Kleya to give Danni ballet specials. “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” Death Strike! “Swan Lake” Super Blast!

Oh, for the Love of G-D! Parkour is the OPPOSITE of Ballet! The Exact F****** Opposite!
Parkour is about controlled motion, ballet is about the opposite!

… this is going to be sh**.

I assume you mean controlled motion as in keeping momentum moving forward, while ballet is about cancelling momentum?

I know nothing about either of those sports, but I could imagine that running in to your opponent using parkour (a skill that I as many of the other commenters assume would be somewhat common in VR) and then turning all that momentum into a pirouette of doom would be something the fans would love.

Ballet is all about uncontrolled momentum.

I would have to disagree with that. All of the first 10 links on Google say Ballet is probably the single most restrained dance in the Western world. All of it is about moving silently and following strict forms precisely and seemingly effortlessly. Nothing there about anytime unrestrained at all.

Maybe you were thinking of Samba or just about anything else really

Having taken ballet for many years and parkour for a few years, I very much enjoy the cross-over skills that I can bring from ballet to parkour. I also thought he was leading up to capoeira, but the precision of movement in ballet and parkour are very similar in concept. Now to see how it’ll be implemented in the context of combat…

If nothing else it can make “I move over there” look great. And turn “I run over and kick him” into something that gets the fans cheering.

…And it can turn, “running away” into “breathtakingly exciting running away!” as she leaps from tree to tree or whatever …which will be nicely different from the Dude’s flat-out running & screaming away.

I think both of those suggestions are where Aneeka is aiming.

Hardcore Parkour!

I bet there are a LOT of parkour users in the game.
In our world there are probably far more that play it in games than in real life.
It’s bound to be rather common.

Also, whenever someone mentions parkour and fighting, I can’t help but giggle as I remember the movie Gymkata. (Old movie now)

I dunno, I mean if you’ve seen Jumanji or are a fan of Erfworld, you know Dance-Fighting can be pretty bada** and attention-grabbing. :3 Seems like post cataclysm game watchers are just picky. D:

I love Erfworld Dance fighting 😀

I imagine parkour would be even harder in the Game, due to the variable gravity. In some places it would be easier, but having the body control to handle those variables – well Danni has very good understanding of her capabilities and limits. Once she gets practice in movement (including jumps) in various gravities she will be very well equipped to have the entire world be her stage.

Imagine what she could do with a custom special that allows her to manipulate her own gravity – it would be breathtaking – and very hard to predict what she will do. She has the ability to do some awesome Princess Tutu stuff.

Also – Princess Tutu is a freaking amazing anime about ballet

Describing Princess Tutu as an anime about ballet is barely scratching the surface. If they want to make everyone stop and stare, channeling Princess Tutu would definitely do the trick.

not a fan of parkour and capoeira sounds interesting

I think a lot of you who are dismissing parkour as compatible with artistry such as ballet, should review another webcomic’s discussion & evolution on the subject. In the comic Schlock Mercenary, the characters discuss acrobatics, elegance, & combat maneuvers evolving from a combinaton of parkour (movement through public/urban spaces) and martial arts, into “parkata urbatsu,” how to fight in a multi-level urban environment…and these characters do so within not just multiple levels and around various obstacles, but in a low-gravity, VARIABLE gravity, AND ROTATING environment.

The story thread starts here:
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-01-31
(warning, there’s a fork-based injury ahead)

And the discussion of what parkata urbatsu is, is located here:
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-03-07

And here’s some examples of practice makes entertaiment, if not yet perfect:
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-03-14
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-03-15

And a master of parkata urbatsu, in combat action:
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-05-23
https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2010-05-24

Obviously, whatever Danni is going to do is NOT going to be done in the Schlock Mercenary style; it’ll be done in the Aneeka’s Not A Villain style, which will be awesome. But this other webcomic does show that parkour and martial arts can be mixed with artistry and become breathtaking to watch, as well as dangerous to face. And given that the Game has various different levels of gravity, parkour-dance martial arts will definitely take advantage of that…but Danni is going to need practice time. I’m hoping Bandit has some programming that can help her get used to moving like that in variable gravitied environments.

Oh, that’s a very good call.

Actually they used “parkata” for the pursuit and evading (as Shodan explains), not actual fighting, but I agree with your point.

Thank you for remember me that awesome arc, now I’m reading it whole once again… instead of sleeping 🙂

Never mind parkour vs. capoeira, that shot of Danni in Panel 3 is absolutely gorgeous.

It definitely shows her attitude, even without facial expressions 🙂

On the discussion of which style, our opinions are ours, but what does Aneeka have planned?
I kind of suspect she’ll just outright dismiss Bandits first suggestion because he’s an a**.

Tsk tsk tsk Aneeka. You had to rush to get this done, and now you’re going to make your art time take more time because of the necessary drawing skills required to capture parkour esque motion?

Okay, wait, nevermind, this is gonna be hilarious. Carry on! >:D

Is Danni about to become a ninja?!?!

“Oh yeah she’s going for Capoeira! … Wait what? in What world does dancing + fighting equal parkour?”
My reaction pretty much

I had that same thought. I was expecting Capoeira on the last panel even though it isn’t something that I have much interaction with. I quickly decided that to be a mistake though when I actually thought about it. Danni needs to turn Ballet into combat. Ballet already has lots of power, it just needs to apply it. Capoeira is pretty much useless for that, she would basically just be a complete newbie with a decent background for it. The footwork and armwork and everything are just all wrong.

Gymnastics though is a great match for parkour, and grants the mobility to move a ballet kick into someone and direct a ballet flip and jump into dynamic motion. Also keep in mind that this is a game. Physique is meaningless. Ranged weapons exist and are in use. Capoeira is kind of terrible when you factor in that you might be facing ranged crowd-control attacks that will bind your arms on your first hand-stand… She needs mobility, both large scale in complex terrain and small-scale to get her opponent at the same distance as her kicks. That is parkour, not capoeira.

Thank you for this comment. I think you just summed up about all of the things everybody else (myself included) wasn’t thinking about.

“Capoeira is kind of terrible when you factor in that you might be facing ranged crowd-control attacks that will bind your arms on your first hand-stand”

A bit late but anyway.

You are thinking about the version of Capoeira that is used in shows, which is a lot slower and flashier. Capoeira is a martial art, it does not use hand-sands but quick cartwheels, walkovers, and so. Think that fights could involve weapons, nobody will keep a hand stand and let a speeding machete chop them.

Capoeira will not make Dani more vulnerable to range attacks that any other given style. Actually half of its moves are intended to evade attacks.

“small-scale to get her opponent at the same distance as her kicks. That is parkour, not capoeira.”

…and that’s literally the other way around 🙂

Parkour? Squeeeee

I’m catching up and very late to the party, also you likely have the parkour moves and everything already planned, which I think will surely look awesome, but if we are talking about fighting I would like to add my vote for Capoeira, which is by definition a martial arts turned dance.

The fluidity from jumps to spins and others things are based on the same principles and muscular groups that gymnastics (handsprings, cartwheel, walkover, etc), and Capoeira specialize on evading and hitting at leg distance against one or several opponents (exactly as Danni has been doing) which Parlour knows nothing about.

Lots of videos and stuff you can found shows a modern more slow and aesthetic version of it, but you still can tell apart the real fighting moves.

Here you can see a show mostly for tourist but it happens to include some of the more quick and energetic style that I found closer to the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H0D8VaIli0

Keep the good work up 🙂

Not A Villain Webcomic

Webcomic of a semi- reformed hacker trying to redeem herself in a post- apocalyptic world she may have created.

‘Not A Villain’ Webcomic – Page 660