#tincho is ok-ish but Lulu is actually sufficient

[oxiosa]

Hi Oxi! Do you have any hcs about Martín learning how to use weapons and fight? What would be his fighting style and favorite weopon?

Hi, dear!

I do have the headcanon that he didn’t learn to use a weapon (or held one, for the matter of fact), until the Wars of Independence. I don’t think Antonio was a fan of training their kids, the more clueless they remain the easier it would be for him to handle them. That being said, Martín has always been a feisty boy who even at a young age was very easily lured into fights, so I do think he had his fair share of brawls rolling in the ground with other children. These childish brawls taught him to endure hits and give as good as he got, but they were not real fighting experience, were they? They just helped him build character, but it’s not as if it was any proper or real combat training.

I think he learnt to properly fight another man along the way watching the soldiers he fought with to kick Antonio out of his land. He was young and inexperienced, but didn’t like to show it so when a sword or a musket got shoved into his hands for the first time, he didn’t ask for help. He tried to figure it out on his own and I think it wasn’t until the men around him saw him taking a wrong stance or struggling to reload his gun that they showed him how it was done. So he’s mostly self-taught, his learning process involved a lot of trial and error and mimicking and well some occasional explanations here and there. There wasn’t really much time for training, so he learnt along the way.

The fact that he had no real training and had to learn mostly on his own makes me hc he doesn’t have a marked fighting style. I’d say the base of his close quarter combat style is boxing (no box expert here, but we have a few referents), but he’s picked things here and there, which makes his style blunt around the edges and unrefined but also unpredictable and flexible. Having no form makes him malleable and resourceful - he’s fast, smart and creative, and a quick learner too. He learns from his rivals and he’ll keep incorporating tricks even during a fight. To really sum his style up, I think he lacks polished skill but compensates it with attitude and a sharp mind. 

That, combined with the fact that he’s stubborn and resilient, makes him an opponent that even at a disadvantage puts up a good fight. He may not be as strong or qualified as other opponents but he is not easily knocked down, he has plenty of stamina to bear down hit after hit. And this exactly is where I think his strength lies. He is not overpowering, he just cannot be overpowered. He knows he's not particularly strong (he's not weak, but he doesnt have the muscle Alfred or Ludwig or even Lulu have to their advantage) and he can tell when an oponent is brawnier than him, but he is RESILIENT. He's got stamina and can take hits. His oponent might hit harder, but can they endure the tear and wear as long as Martín? They are stronger, but are they just as resilient as him? He might not be able to take them down, but they wont be able to knock him down either. He's a tough nut to crack, the sort of guy who doesnt back down no matter how bad he's getting it. He can take hits like a punching bag.

As for his weapon of choice, I'd say fists but that's really not a weapon, is it? If I had to pick, I def would say a facón. He’s an expert handling knives, not just for countryside work but for knife fights too. Look at these pretty bad boys.

#i see you’re in a mood~ #I love to picture Martín with a facón what can I say #a simple gall with simple tastes #@at caju and gun talk: i dont think tincho has a bad aim yk he had to learn to shoot #but he doesnt like guns so I dont think he's good either. but it's not about aim #but I do like the hc Lulu has a better aim idk why but it makes sense to me #tincho is ok-ish but Lulu is actually sufficient