Spandex Ballet needs your help!

[Scarlet Shocker]

Many of my concept toons start with a name.

 

That comes to mind and then the build fits around the character as required until I'm happy with the overall idea and it gets built and then levelled.

 

If you've read many of my posts you'll have recalled Mesmermaid, Glass Fox, Vitric Vixen, Red Fedora, Tainted Gloves and Voice of Scythia to mention but a few and of course, Scarlet Shocker.

 

Many of my characters have a musical hint to their names (there's more than one in this post already) and usually I can find something that works reasonably well to give that idea some realisation in game terms. A good example might be Reservoir Frog who is a simple enough costume, a Frog face and a formal suit (Piranha face of course) and often sporting dual pistols and some kind of debuff power.

 

But Spandex Ballet has eluded me since live. She came to mind listening to some 80s trash way back when but here I am with a great name and no toon upon which to hang it. I have tried so many different iterations but it simply hasn't worked properly - which is I freely admit basically a gut feeling.

 

But this one... just can't get it to stick. I've tried Heats, Veats, all kinds of AT, even MM but nothing has yet gone "this is what it needs to be" and I'm stuck.

 

So... throw it out there and ask you lovely chaps and chapesses what you suggest would be a great fit for it.

 

I see it as a female toon, and probably quite energetic, fast moving but... that's where I'm stuck beyond that.

 

Over to you and thanks in advance

[ZemX]

41 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

But this one... just can't get it to stick.

 

Have you tried... A STICK?!

 

I am serious.  You want Staff Fighting.  My Rad/Staff Tanker wears the "Dance Legend" badge proudly and for a reason.  Staff Fighting IS dancing... with a stick!

 

Take Staff Fighting on anything but a Stalker.  Not because Staff isn't great on a Stalker, it is.  But you want to be SEEN!  Also because Stalker's don't get Innocuous Strikes and Innocuous Strikes is you stabbing someone in the toes and causing THEM to dance with YOU!

 

Staff has leaps (Sky Splitter)!  Staff has lunges (Serpent's Reach)!  Staff has baton twirling (Guarded Spin)!  And most of all... STAFF HAS BREAK-DANCING! (Eye of the Storm).  Overall, Staff is very fast and energetic.  You are going to be rotating through these moves quickly and constantly.  

 

Pair it with Super Reflexes because someone with these dance moves should be untouchable! (and also because SR has no obscuring visual FX to get in the way of your awesome).  Add the Speed pool and dial it up to Whirlwind for even more spinning!  Because spinning is winning!

 

Doooo it!

[JasperStone]

4 minutes ago, ZemX said:

 

Have you tried... A STICK?!

 

I am serious.  You want Staff Fighting.  My Rad/Staff Tanker wears the "Dance Legend" badge proudly and for a reason.  Staff Fighting IS dancing... with a stick!

 

Take Staff Fighting on anything but a Stalker.  Not because Staff isn't great on a Stalker, it is.  But you want to be SEEN!  Also because Stalker's don't get Innocuous Strikes and Innocuous Strikes is you stabbing someone in the toes and causing THEM to dance with YOU!

 

Staff has leaps (Sky Splitter)!  Staff has lunges (Serpent's Reach)!  Staff has baton twirling (Guarded Spin)!  And most of all... STAFF HAS BREAK-DANCING! (Eye of the Storm).  Overall, Staff is very fast and energetic.  You are going to be rotating through these moves quickly and constantly.  

 

Pair it with Super Reflexes because someone with these dance moves should be untouchable! (and also because SR has no obscuring visual FX to get in the way of your awesome).  Add the Speed pool and dial it up to Whirlwind for even more spinning!  Because spinning is winning!

 

Doooo it!

This!

I was a professional ballet dancer for 20 years.

...

Can certainly be a guy

 

[biostem]

1 hour ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I see it as a female toon, and probably quite energetic, fast moving but... that's where I'm stuck beyond that.

My first impulse is to say kinetic melee and super reflexes scrapper.  If you wanted to add a bit more of an elusive or surreal quality to the character, maybe a kinetic melee/energy aura stalker.

 

Another route, if you want to take the name "Spandex Ballet" a little less literally, what about a dual pistols/SR sentinel?

Edited February 9 by biostem

[Doc Hornet]

The lyrics "So true, funny how it seems/Always in time, but never in line for dreams" (from the song I assume your character's name derives from) suggests some sort of Psi/Time combo (time/dreams) or maybe illusion/time.  The further lyrics "I bought a ticket to the world/But now I've come back again" suggests Teleport travel pool. 

[Oubliette_Red]

16 minutes ago, Doc Hornet said:

The lyrics "So true, funny how it seems/Always in time, but never in line for dreams" (from the song I assume your character's name derives from) suggests some sort of Psi/Time combo (time/dreams) or maybe illusion/time.  The further lyrics "I bought a ticket to the world/But now I've come back again" suggests Teleport travel pool. 

 

Ah, but see... dreams can also allude to illusions so I second the Illusion/Time Controller if going that route.

 

And I do recall Mesmermaid, It's how I came to Dyson Sphere my Grav Bubbler who enjoys hoovering up enemies.

 

Edited February 9 by Oubliette_Red

[Doc_Scorpion]

Dangit, you know you've got me earwormed now, right?

[Techwright]

17 minutes ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

Dangit, you know you've got me earwormed now, right?

*Checks the name "Earworm"....drat!*

 

Staff does sound good.  I would have said MA/SR, which I have in a scrapper.  I've often referred to his MA moves as "poetry in motion".

[Scarlet Shocker]

2 hours ago, ZemX said:

 

Have you tried... A STICK?!

 

I am serious.  You want Staff Fighting.  My Rad/Staff Tanker wears the "Dance Legend" badge proudly and for a reason.  Staff Fighting IS dancing... with a stick!

 

Take Staff Fighting on anything but a Stalker.  Not because Staff isn't great on a Stalker, it is.  But you want to be SEEN!  Also because Stalker's don't get Innocuous Strikes and Innocuous Strikes is you stabbing someone in the toes and causing THEM to dance with YOU!

 

Staff has leaps (Sky Splitter)!  Staff has lunges (Serpent's Reach)!  Staff has baton twirling (Guarded Spin)!  And most of all... STAFF HAS BREAK-DANCING! (Eye of the Storm).  Overall, Staff is very fast and energetic.  You are going to be rotating through these moves quickly and constantly.  

 

Pair it with Super Reflexes because someone with these dance moves should be untouchable! (and also because SR has no obscuring visual FX to get in the way of your awesome).  Add the Speed pool and dial it up to Whirlwind for even more spinning!  Because spinning is winning!

 

Doooo it!

 

 

surely if I'm hitting someone with a stick, I'd need to monitor my combat logs?

 

 

Joking aside, that is an interesting option. I rarely play melee and I think I've only played Staff once if ever. I got bored with hitting people in their feet but... that with SR....

 

hmmmmm

 

Thanks! 🤔

[Scarlet Shocker]

1 hour ago, Doc Hornet said:

The lyrics "So true, funny how it seems/Always in time, but never in line for dreams" (from the song I assume your character's name derives from) suggests some sort of Psi/Time combo (time/dreams) or maybe illusion/time.  The further lyrics "I bought a ticket to the world/But now I've come back again" suggests Teleport travel pool. 

My instinction tells me you might be true. To cut a long story short this is gold.

[Scarlet Shocker]

2 hours ago, biostem said:

My first impulse is to say kinetic melee and super reflexes scrapper.  If you wanted to add a bit more of an elusive or surreal quality to the character, maybe a kinetic melee/energy aura stalker.

 

Another route, if you want to take the name "Spandex Ballet" a little less literally, what about a dual pistols/SR sentinel?

 

I have an Elec/Kin tank and I do really like her but I've found that Kin is VERY slow. Not just a bit slow but almost to the point of being a controller slow without the AoE  dps.

 

I like your thought process but I think I'll pass on Kin.

 

I do like the sound and feel of Energy Aura - I've never played it and on live I did have a War Mace/SR brute which was quite devastating so I think I might try something different.

 

 

So far I'm leaning towards a Staff/En Scrapper - that's three new things in one toon.

[Snarky]

4 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

Many of my concept toons start with a name.

 

That comes to mind and then the build fits around the character as required until I'm happy with the overall idea and it gets built and then levelled.

 

If you've read many of my posts you'll have recalled Mesmermaid, Glass Fox, Vitric Vixen, Red Fedora, Tainted Gloves and Voice of Scythia to mention but a few and of course, Scarlet Shocker.

 

Many of my characters have a musical hint to their names (there's more than one in this post already) and usually I can find something that works reasonably well to give that idea some realisation in game terms. A good example might be Reservoir Frog who is a simple enough costume, a Frog face and a formal suit (Piranha face of course) and often sporting dual pistols and some kind of debuff power.

 

But Spandex Ballet has eluded me since live. She came to mind listening to some 80s trash way back when but here I am with a great name and no toon upon which to hang it. I have tried so many different iterations but it simply hasn't worked properly - which is I freely admit basically a gut feeling.

 

But this one... just can't get it to stick. I've tried Heats, Veats, all kinds of AT, even MM but nothing has yet gone "this is what it needs to be" and I'm stuck.

 

So... throw it out there and ask you lovely chaps and chapesses what you suggest would be a great fit for it.

 

I see it as a female toon, and probably quite energetic, fast moving but... that's where I'm stuck beyond that.

 

Over to you and thanks in advance

kinetic melee... big dramatic animations influenced heavily by tai chi

[biostem]

1 hour ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

I've found that Kin is VERY slow.

I can't recall who crunched the numbers, but IIRC, the animation times for kinetic melee are actually on par with other sets - they're just more conspicuous or "out there", so any delay stands out more.

Edited February 10 by biostem

[Scarlet Shocker]

26 minutes ago, biostem said:

I can't recall who crunched the numbers, but IIRC, the animation times for kinetic melee are actually on par with other sets - they're just more conspicuous or "out there", so any delay stands out more.

 

Don't misunderstand me. I love Kin melee as a set. But I've heard from a number of sources that it's very sub par and it does seem slow but in playing it I never found it to be too lacking. That said I'm not an experienced tanker so I am not the best informed. Overall I found that particular toon to be very capable as a tank on a team. Solo she sucks.

 

But more importantly I have a Kin character and I don't have a stick so the choice is swayed by trying what I've never done before

[Clave Dark 5]

I've always thought the usual Martial Arts with all its kicks would be a good dancer, but I've not played a Kin Melee yet either.

[biostem]

4 minutes ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

I've always thought the usual Martial Arts with all its kicks would be a good dancer, but I've not played a Kin Melee yet either.

The issue with MA, IMO, is that they don't come across to me as graceful or dance-like.  I'm sure you could make it work, but in my mind, staff fighting or kinetic melee are a better fit...

Edited February 10 by biostem

[Oubliette_Red]

46 minutes ago, biostem said:

The issue with MA, IMO, is that they don't come across to me as graceful or dance-like.  I'm sure you could make it work, but in my mind, staff fighting or kinetic melee are a better fit...

 

MA is more like a... boot to the head...

 

[Troo]

a bad ass costume and some epic moves..

 

 

maybe a fun kinetic melee/ninjitsu  s t a l k e r

[Scarlet Shocker]

4 hours ago, Troo said:

a bad ass costume and some epic moves..

 

 

maybe a fun kinetic melee/ninjitsu  s t a l k e r

 

you kind of make me want to revisit it, but remember we want 

 not 

 

👍

[momentarygrace]

I would go with street justice. 

[Scarlet Shocker]

12 hours ago, momentarygrace said:

I would go with street justice. 

 

Again I'm not greatly familiar with melee attacks but I'd love to know your reasoning. From what I've seen of Street Justice that doesn't seem especially graceful or dance-like even if it is brutal

[ZemX]

7 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

Again I'm not greatly familiar with melee attacks but I'd love to know your reasoning. From what I've seen of Street Justice that doesn't seem especially graceful or dance-like even if it is brutal

 

Yeah, street fighting is gut punches and roundhouse kicks.  i.e. the sort of thing only a boxing/MMA fan would call "dancing".

 

Of the melee sets I would say have anything approaching graceful leaping/spinning animations that could allude to ballet: Staff, Claws, Savage, and Katana.  I don't list Dual Blades mostly out of personal dislike for the animations.  They seem too abrupt and mechanical in the way they start and stop to me to be called "graceful".  Savage has neat leap and spin type slashing attacks but might not fit your theme as it's somewhat bestial.  The Build Up is like a "howling at the moon" animation except with more of a roaring sound accompanying it.  And the slashes all paint red claw streaks in the air to hint at blood being drawn.  Claws has the slashing but without the animalistic theme.  Also has leaping, rolling, and spinning animations.

 

If you really want to steer away from melee though, I would probably go Blaster with Dual Pistols and either Martial Combat or Ninja Training.   I have not played this or any Blaster myself for very long but I have briefly tried DP/Ninja.    It was a little weird because you have both the pistols and the sword but it was a strong fit for my "Samurai Houston" concept 🤪.  The sword animations are from Katana set and include a basic slash, a leaping/spinning PBAoE (very graceful, I think), and the leaping up then slashing down of Golden Dragonfly.   That said, I think DP/Martial probably works better thematically because you're not alternately pulling pistols or a sword out of hammerspace as you cycle through attacks.   Martial adds Martial Arts secondary strikes.   Storm Kick is your basic boot to the side of the head, if I recall correctly.  Dragon's Tail is a low spinning leg-sweep around in a circle.  Eagle's Claw is a kick to the face followed by a back-flip?  Again, been some time since I played MA.  Best to preview all that in the character creator to be sure.

 

Aaaanyway, Dual Pistols has all sorts of spinning nonsense in its animations that might work for your concept if you are more comfortable with a ranged character.  Then you can take or leave the melee attacks as you see fit for yet more spinning and leaping strikes.   And you can supplement with pool attacks like Spring Attack and Whirlwind for even moar leaping and spinning.   So much winning!

 

[momentarygrace]

8 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

 

Again I'm not greatly familiar with melee attacks but I'd love to know your reasoning. From what I've seen of Street Justice that doesn't seem especially graceful or dance-like even if it is brutal

 

in my head it harkens back to the actual pop group name you were riffing off of so yeah, ballet in a certain environment might be more brutal than dancelike. ^^

Edited February 12 by momentarygrace

[Scarlet Shocker]

Spandex Ballet lives

 

She's a Staff/SR Brute. We started as a scrapper but then I remembered that according to the song "you're indestructible" so... I figured that would give her additional survivability.

 

I checked both Kin Melee and Staff and both are great choices (I checked out most primary sets to be fair) but it came down to a coin toss as to which to choose so I chose Staff simply because I haven't played any iteration of that ever.

 

That said I think Kin/SR would do great so if it turns out I hate Staff I will rebuild her

 

I'm was also able to rock that 80s look in the CC with a bit of licence. The only thing I didn't go for there was the leg warmers - because the "baggy socks" in the CC looks like shit so I avoided that.

 

I've tried taking a pic but it just didn't come out right. For some reason aliasing is higher in pics I take than in the actual game and getting camera angles right is well nigh impossible.

 

Thanks guys, this has been many funs!

[Scarlet Shocker]

4 hours ago, ZemX said:

 

 I would probably go Blaster with Dual Pistols and either Martial Combat or Ninja Training.
 

 

 

I hate DP. I just don't like the look or the way it plays but otherwise it's a good suggestion. It certainly busts those moves.