I decided to do this over. I hated what it started out as but didn’t want to give up on it for what I have in mind for it, so I just decided to redline it and start over. Hopefully this second version is a little bit more dynamic like what I first envisioned. I missed the mark a little the first time, though this time I think I sacrificed a little bit of anatomical accuracy. I’ll post more WIPs as I go, I guess.
TL;DR: give it the ol’ Eschergirls try.
I did. My back still hurts. :/ And my neck, and kinda my right shoulder. My strikes from those positions were also pretty weak compared to others I tried. But your flexibility/strength mileage may vary.
LONG WINDED BLAH-BLAH: It looks like he’s already struck and he’s trying to wind-up again while still on the follow through? I would think a more efficient, and deadly, action would be: about to backhand-strike with the dagger, air is already wound-up so the follow through with the dagger will bring a quick magic strike to the unprepared victim opponent. So maybe less upper-arm, more forearm facing the viewer like he’s in mid-slash (with the blade turned the opposite direction of the original, for slice-y taims), more palm thrust from the far arm (the raised elbow is also a weaker strike position, you lose a lot of the power because you’re coiling on the wrong plane - almost perpendicular to the strike rather than parallel). All that would probably take the slightly painful counter-twist out of his back too (and alleviate the appearance of a chest-arm, which is the only bit that really struck me as off when I first saw this; because whatevs on the leg, that’s within my suspension of disbelief for dramatic perspective).
For the aesthetics I’d go with more flying-through-the-air-hair-plastered-to-my-head-clothes-all-pulled-down-against-my-body-‘cause-I-just-blasted-myself-off-a-roof-so-I-can-run-you-through-at-2000-miles-an-hour and less anime-floaty-lemme-charge-ma-lazar-beams-while-I-scowl-at-you-‘cause-this-is-turn-based-and-you-have-wait-for-my-action. But I think you were already heading in that direction with the redo. ;D
My wardrobe must be atrocious, then...
