Misc. DCU Martial Artists' Respect Thread

[Sharpandpointies]

So, here we are with a respect thread for the DCU non-Bat martial artists.

It’s a respect thread. Please show respect. If you don’t like the character, this is not the place to be airing your views.

We’re looking for feats. Feats of speed, strength, durability, stamina, precision, skill.

This is a no-Bat zone. :) That means:

· No Batman
· No Azrael
· No Robin
· No Nightwing
· No Batgirl

We’re looking for the people in the DCU who usually get passed over for the Bats. We’re looking for Constantine Drakon, Connor Hawke, David Cain, Richard Dragon. Etc.

And thus, why not start with Lady Shiva?



(remember, everyone – three scan max to a post)

[Sharpandpointies]

Let’s start with a few basic feats. Plus the Herochat Shiva Respect Thread. http://herochat.com/forum/index.php/topic,167956.0.html

Shiva holding off Catwoman one-handed. With ridiculous ease.



Shiva doing the standard ‘I dodge the aim of someone’s gun’ that every street-leveller does (I’m just warming up, here). It helps to know that this guy is a master assassin, himself.



Cheshire (a high-level combatant in her own right) makes a stupid mistake. Even if you’ve successfully poisoned Shiva, you don’t stop to gloat until she’s down and out.



Shiva still loses, but it’s impressive that, seeing triple, body shutting down, she still slugs Cheshire.

[Sharpandpointies]

Let’s start the fun stuff.

Batgirl versus Shiva – Round Two. Batgirl is looking to commit Suicide By Shiva at this point in her career. She isn’t fighting to win. She gives Shiva a good go, makes it look like she’s trying.



Then she leaves one opening.



Shiva immediately goes for the one hit kill (yes, kill. Shiva kills her, flat out). Example of Shiva’s ability to kill someone in one hit (she also has a nerve strike hit against Batgirl that paralyses her, but this one is more impressive).



More on this later.

[Sharpandpointies]

So touching Shiva…bad idea.



She bites.



Warned of the attack by the stupidity of the attacker (not likely that she needed it), Shiva dodges the club blind and takes out his knee…without looking at him.

[Sharpandpointies]

Speedfeat. Killshot feat. We’ve been over this one before, but –

Batgirl sees Shiva move in on someone at a restaurant.



She figures it out, moves to stop Shiva and realizes she isn’t quick enough. Shiva starts by easily landing killshots against prepared, gun-wielding opponents. They don’t get a shot off.



Batgirl is moving FAST. Witness the hair of the woman she passes. She’s speedblitzing. She doesn’t make it in time. Interestingly, nobody else has really begun to react yet, as will be seen in the following pictures.

[Sharpandpointies]

Batgirl now takes one in the face.



Next issue – Recap with Batgirl noting that Shiva is fast (emphasis hers).



The punch, and…wait, nobody has really moved. Nobody has screamed. Given that the bodyguards drew their pistols before Shiva reached them, it’s not surprising people are looking, or starting to stand. But that’s it. All of this, and people are starting to look. Must be happening pretty quick. Whoop. Catches the still spinning gun. Guess it IS pretty quick. Everyone is pretty much like statues.



I’ll egotistically quote myself (actually, to lazy to rewrite):

1. Nobody in the Restaurant is screaming yet, or looking more than a little worried - which is likely because a second before they saw the bodyguards pull their guns. But they aren't reacting to the FIGHT.

2. BATGIRL says 'Okay, so she's fast' (emphasis NOT mine, but Cass'). Note that Cass does not make it there in time to prevent Shiva from taking out the two guards.

3. Neither guard gets off a shot.

4. Both attacks are killshots. Cass notes: 'Ribs crushed. Splinters slicing his organs. Could die. Jaw, skull, separated. Brain swelling. Could die.'

5. The Indian girl is still just standing there, like the customers are just sitting there, after Shiva lands two possible killshots AND turns to slug Cass (no big deal, at this point Cass has lost her body reading and her defensive skills are in disarray).

6. The gun travels less than a foot into the air and down again in the time it takes for Shiva to take the guard out, turn, slug Cass, turn back, big grin on her face and standing straight and casual...and put out her hand to catch it.

You could debate that this isn't 'true' bullet-time. Whatever it is, it's freakishly quick and precise...and carried out casually, without effort (biiig grin on Shiva's face).

[Sharpandpointies]

Speed, Skill, Striking Power and Precision feats.

Croc, didn’t you learn anything from Pool-hall Lan? Shiva doesn’t like people who point!



In case you’re wondering why Shiva has one hand behind her back…well, Huntress shot Croc in the arm with an explosive crossbow bolt. These things make big explosions. It broke his arm (that’s about all – this guy is TOUGH), and Shiva figured it wouldn’t be fair to fight him with both hands.

Okay, so the fight starts, and Shiva hits him once…or so it appears.



And then we find out the truth…



Guess it wasn’t once after all. And she breaks his arm and legs, not at the joint, but in the MIDDLE of the bones. Killer Croc’s arm and legs. Quicker than he could see.

Let’s think about that. A meta known for his toughness, his durability. And with three moves, quicker than his eye can see, Shiva duplicates the effect of Huntress’ explosive tipped crossbow bolts, and breaks some of the more thick bones of his body.

So we have two feats that might, MIGHT help when it comes to bullet time proof…

1. Taking out the bodyguards and Batgirl.
2. Croc’s limbs.

Plus she hangs with Batgirl.

I know it’s not enough. But if only I could find one of her actually dodging bullets after they’ve been fired…perhaps soon. We’ll be seeing more of Shiva in the future.

[Sharpandpointies]

DC has a pathological fear of using the word qi, but let’s have a look at these scans.

So Batgirl loses her ability to Body Read (long story, involving a telepath who tried to ‘fix her brain’). She asks Shiva’s help, because she knows Shiva can do the body-read too.

Shiva’s answer:



The next scene, Batgirl makes Batman look slow, avoiding his attacks with ridiculous ease. Her body reading is back. Same night.

How?

Well, remember how Batgirl died? Killed by Shiva? Shiva wanted a real death fight, not Batgirl letting herself be killed, so….



Unless CPR has pretty lights, that’s a qi feat. She kills Batgirl on a rooftop, then transports her to this temple in the city (probably takes a few minutes, that) and brings her back to life, using qi.



Tires her out, too. So she isn’t just punching Batgirl to get her heart started (which might be tricky – time has passed since Batgirl ‘died’).

So...Shiva can use qi. The first feat is a possible, the second one a definite.

[Sharpandpointies]

Some BoP scans:

Shiva playing on top of moving cars, and attacking pursuing, flying enemies.





So, later…chatting on the phone, Shiva reveals the kind of precision with which she uses weapons (on occasion – she doesn’t bother using them, but in this case she might have had to take someone out of the air. Check out the nice little line of shuriken on flyboy’s leg).

[Sharpandpointies]

Random scan - Shiva ripping some member of the League of Assassin’s intestines out with her bare hands.



There's a hotly debated Batgirl feat - one where she takes out a charging Bizarro Supergirl by redirection of momentum. Maybe it's SMvsFL, maybe not... :) But SMvsFL or not, it's easy to see from where she gets it. Like mother, like daughter.


(Perhaps not to be taken too seriously)

Well, aside from a scan of Croc in traction after his run-in with Shiva (I don’t have that issue on me right now), that’s all for me.

Except for a random act of Cheshire-beating. There should be more of those.



More Shiva can be found on Page 9.

[Damo]

Batman giving his thoughts on Shiva's skill.



Shiva shatters stone with one blow.



Possibly her best line of dialogue ever.

[Constantine Drakon]

How do you do those thumbs?

Anyway, Shiva taking out Nightwing with one kick while simultaneously chopping up Connor "Green Arrow" Hawke's arrows, in midair, barehanded.

[Constantine Drakon]

Constantine Drakon respect.

Introduction and throwing a blade so fast an entire room of people don't see it happen.

[Constantine Drakon]

Excellent Marksmanship with a handgun from across the street. Both of these men are about 5 stories up.




Speed feets. Down about five stories, across the street, and up about another five, in under a minute, followed by kicking down a door and catching an arrow.




More high level marskmanship. Green Arrow has used a blinding attack, and is moving quickly, but look at how close those bullets are getting.

[Constantine Drakon]

The guy being attacked is Connor Hawke, who has held his own in martial arts against Shiva pretty well in the past. But here he knows he's not as fast.



This quickly leads to a devastating precision attack.




And when the story comes back to these two, Connor tries firing several arrows at once. Speed feat.