Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Sharpandpointies]

New chapter of Gosu and I am audibly booing.

I am less-than-impressed. Ironically, Hebi himself summed it up for me. 'Tricks' (which is rather hypocritical coming from Hebi, but hey).

[Guy1]

Oh, next episode should be fun for Rumbles.

Also, Terror the Dog!

[Fervidor]

Hey, Ghost - good to see you're still around!

The feeling is mutual, old friend.

[Beadle]

I know I disappeared for a time (1 or 2 years, I think) immediately after the site reboot, but when someone like you shows up, Ghost, that’s when I realise how many of us have been around for over a decade.

The poster retention stats for Rumbles must be insane once you get past the first 6 months.

[bruceleegreyhulk]

[Sharpandpointies]

The feeling is mutual, old friend.

Planning on sticking around a bit? Seems that way.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Been binge watching videos exposing fake martial arts. Hilarious some of the obvious cons people will allow themselves to believe.

[Dark Soul # 7]

One Piece
- It's cute how the good guy cannon fodder are trying to help.
- The Straw Hats start whomping the giants.
- Drake is absolutely going to join Koby's Luffy fan club when this is all over.

Black Clover
- This is the most dialogue and personal agency Yuno's had in a long while.
- Hopefully Mereoleona is in on the elite squad they're forming. She was on the previous one after all.
- I was wondering where the former villains were hanging out.

Burn the Witch
- This was a nice sorta bittersweet ending to this part of the series with more lore and world building and some setup for the next installment.
- Kubo's dialogue and designs really get to shine.
- Really looking forward to the movie now.

[Sharpandpointies]

Been binge watching videos exposing fake martial arts. Hilarious some of the obvious cons people will allow themselves to believe.

I figure...people want to believe in something special. Especially people who don't believe in themselves. So if they join that 'special' thing, and learn something 'special', it rubs off on them.

This is why people will take Martial Schools and the word of Sensei/Sifu to be hills to die on; they've invested too much of their own self-esteem to question it, even if it's ridiculous. Often-times to the point of belief to the point of 'going along with the Chi-madness' or whatever crap the teacher is spouting.

...it's pretty common outside of the martial arts, as I'm sure we all know. ^_^

[Sharpandpointies]

One actually sees similar stuff with the more practically oriented martial arts as well: the rigid adherence to the idea that THIS martial art is the bestest, and everything else is crap and would fail on Teh Streetz.

.....

I figure...again, the people who go into this often have something to prove. And these martial arts are about fighting. And male ego can be wrapped up in power games and comparisons about 'who could take whom?'. So...people who train in these schools might have the mindset of 'if it's not the best, the ultimate one that makes me the winner, why am I training in it?' So they'll defend their school over all others to the point of madness.

It's a theory. ^_^ Probably a lot more complicated than that, but I figure it's at least part of the issue.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

I figure...people want to believe in something special. Especially people who don't believe in themselves. So if they join that 'special' thing, and learn something 'special', it rubs off on them.

This is why people will take Martial Schools and the word of Sensei/Sifu to be hills to die on; they've invested too much of their own self-esteem to question it, even if it's ridiculous. Often-times to the point of belief to the point of 'going along with the Chi-madness' or whatever crap the teacher is spouting.

...it's pretty common outside of the martial arts, as I'm sure we all know. ^_^

A lot of these "senseis" believe their own hype, too. Like the people who come up with energy shields, no-touch techniques and all that other crap seem to genuinely believe the schlock their spewing out. And if the teacher believes it, then the students do too. Even to the point of hurling themselves around like literal dummies to prove it to the outsiders. It's all hilarious, but really sad that these people spend hundreds of dollars and hours to a craft that won't help them in a fight any more than literally flailing their arms around.

If you haven't already, look up Xu Xiaodong. He's the mma fighter who Yun was talking about, he's been exposing Chinese martial arts "grandmasters" as frauds for years. Sadly, his life has been almost completely ruined as a result.

[The MunchKING]

This is why people will take Martial Schools and the word of Sensei/Sifu to be hills to die on;

You mean Sifu Toph ISN'T a hill worth dying on?

[Sharpandpointies]

A lot of these "senseis" believe their own hype, too. Like the people who come up with energy shields, no-touch techniques and all that other crap seem to genuinely believe the schlock their spewing out. And if the teacher believes it, then the students do too. Even to the point of hurling themselves around like literal dummies to prove it to the outsiders. It's all hilarious, but really sad that these people spend hundreds of dollars and hours to a craft that won't help them in a fight any more than literally flailing their arms around.

If you haven't already, look up Xu Xiaodong. He's the mma fighter who Yun was talking about, he's been exposing Chinese martial arts "grandmasters" as frauds for years. Sadly, his life has been almost completely ruined as a result.

Oh, I've seen a whack of teachers that believe their own hype (and seen Xu Xiaodong fight people, and yeah...he's getting screwed). Yellow Bamboo is one of the names I remember...then there's the Tai Chi school led by a guy who wears mirrored sunglasses all the time. They have a 'picnic' video on Youtube somewhere that's absolutely atrocious to watch. Really feels like a cult.

And his 'students' literally throw themselves around for him, leaping up and down and staggering away (with great bounds) a good thirty, forty feet sometimes.

...I expect you've seen that one.

You mean Sifu Toph ISN'T a hill worth dying on?

Not if Sifu Toph demands absolute adherence to bullcrap. ^_^

[The MunchKING]

Not if Sifu Toph demands absolute adherence to bullcrap. ^_^

Is "You have to be tougher, stronger, and more unyielding than the Earth itself" bullcrap?

[The Dog]