Teaser for Chapter 2

[Bob Schroeck]

I wish I could say I have an Art, but I don't. I never trainedin any kind of combat, really, not before I joined the Warriors.I was a street fighter during the year or so when I was a memberof that Soho gang, but that was unsophisticated brawling; I wasfast, I was lucky and I had my field, and that was pretty muchall I needed, or so I thought.After I joined the Warriors, though, I discovered that I neededmuch, much more that that. Fortunately, I managed to pick it upas I went along; near-constant mortal peril is a tremendousincentive for learning. But I didn't really study any particularstyle. Instead, I had a collection of moves and tactics I'dcopied from the fighters I'd sparred with or gone up against inlive combat, strung together once again with my speed and luck.Over the years I'd more or less hammered them together into afunctional mass that didn't really have a name. If I had to callit anything, I'd call it "kludge-fu" -- just like its electronicand mechanical counterparts it was (as Jackson Granholme had putit so many years ago) "an ill-assorted collection of poorlymatching parts, forming a distressing whole."Fortunately, it was distressing far more often to my opponentsthan to me, but that didn't mean I didn't have to work on it.Years of practice -- especially the twenty-plus months I'd spenttraining under and with Alberich -- had smoothed it into acoherent whole, but there was still always room for improvement.Hence my morning workouts, where I endeavored to find more waysto fit together the various pieces stolen from all thosedifferent styles.Obviously, I didn't know the original names for most of the movesand combos, so I'd long ago begun making up my own. Which washow it came to be that I was flowing smoothly from "Rabbit FlirtsWith Hunter" through "Overhand Pie Smash" to "Yappy Dog Bounces".I was working on a transition into the more advanced "Wait ForMe, Bay-bee!" when I heard a little intake of breath behind me.I spun and dropped into a crouch ("Cossack Dancer Stumbles"),only to see nothing more than the tail end of a long lock ofblack hair whip by the door post and vanish out of sight.*Skuld? But why...* Then I shrugged to myself -- what man canunderstand the ineffable whims of the gods, right? -- and wentback to my katas. "Cossack Dancer Stumbles" to "Duck Looks ForBeak" to "I Woulda Baked A Cake" to "Ooh, Wiseguy, Eh?", and fromthere into a long-familiar series of moves that had ceased tohave individual names any more, and which set me to bouncing offthe walls. Literally."Good morning, Doug."The door was in my peripheral vision this time, so the appearanceof another female figure there wasn't a surprise. I let afollow-through carry me via a tumble into a rest position, thenbowed to her. "Good morning, Belldandy."With a smile, she returned the bow. "Breakfast will be readyshortly, if you'd like to join us."I smiled back at her as I straightened up. "Yes, thank you, Iwould."-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[HoagieOfDoom]

The anticipation is freaking killing me..."If you see the fork in the road, take it."
Yogi Berra

[WengFook]

nice. consider me teased _____________________________
JAYNE: "You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in ruttin' command here!"
_________________________________
Take Your Candle, Go Light Your World.

[classicdrogn]

I can just picture Doug using that last one to disorient some enemy and attack from all sides, all the while hooting like Daffy Duck...
- CDHow many times have you stared mournfully into the coleslaw and thought "Gee, I wish I was a cabbage."
SERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Ebony]

What, no "Hassan Chop!"? Or did Doug just not get to it that morning? Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

Would you believe I didn't even think of it?-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Star Ranger4]

Maybe the "Hassan Chop" is actually one of the ones mentioned that he knew them so well they just kinda all flow together?
You know, this is also a great bit. Wonder what it was about "Stalking Toon" style that freaked Skuld out tho?
Hmm. I know Doug doesnt have a name for his particular brand of Art, so why not have Paradox see it and dub it "Stalking Toon"? Seems like a nice comedy bit to throw in...
"I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."
-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[ordnance11]

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Would you believe I didn't even think of it?

---

No moves from Speedy Gonzales or the Roadrunner either?
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

[Bob Schroeck]

Well, you didn't see his entire repertoire, by any means.
As for "Hassan Chop!", I realized there's an obvious explanation -- it's part of a sword kata. Maybe when I show Doug using the blade he got from Buckaroo I'll include it then.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Ebony]

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As for "Hassan Chop!", I realized there's an obvious explanation -- it's part of a sword kata. Maybe when I show Doug using the blade he got from Buckaroo I'll include it then.

---

Along with the "Rodriguez Flourish" at the end of the kata?
(For those who are lost, golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez always "sheathes" his putter on a successful putt, sliding it against his hip like sheathing a sword as he retrieves the ball from the hole. One of the few things that I like about golf.)Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[ordnance11]

---

Along with the "Rodriguez Flourish" at the end of the kata?
(For those who are lost, golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez always "sheathes" his putter on a successful putt, sliding it against his hip like sheathing a sword as he retrieves the ball from the hole. One of the few things that I like about golf.)

---

How about the "Bing Manuever"? Bing Crosby almost always treat anything long and pointy as a putter or golf club?
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

[ordnance11]

From the looks of it, Matsubeto Kakkuto Ryu sounds right. Maybe you can have Happi certify you as a master if you run across him .^^
__________________
Into terror!,  Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell

[Foxboy]

Except that the Ranma 1/2 universe has been intentionally excluded from the Walk.
My vote would be for either Loon Fu or Toon Fu.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[WengFook]

Tou Fu? Sam Fu? Aw Fu?_____________________________
JAYNE: "You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with until you understand who's in ruttin' command here!"
_________________________________
Take Your Candle, Go Light Your World.

[classicdrogn]

Sounds like Toonjutsu, an outgrowth of Stooge-Fu and the principles of Marxism. No, not Karl, the brothers.
- CDHow many times have you stared mournfully into the coleslaw and thought "Gee, I wish I was a cabbage."
SERVO: Loook *deeeeply* into my eyes... Tell me, what do you see?
CROW: (hypnotized) A twisted man who wants to inflict his pain upon others.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Caligostro]

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Sounds like Toonjutsu, an outgrowth of Stooge-Fu and the principles of Marxism. No, not Karl, the brothers.

---

Has anybody here ever played Spacequest 4 (I think it was)? If so,
remember the console game Stooge-Fighter?

[Bob Schroeck]

---

Except that the Ranma 1/2 universe has been intentionally excluded from the Walk.

---

Unless I finally get my act together and return Fred Herriot's emails about a crossover with "Lonely Souls", that is...
Actually, on another front, Ed Becerra and I have talked about adding myself and Peggy to the Xanadu universe -- as I have noted in another thread almost a year ago. One of the ideas I fed him was that, since there are two Ranmas (one male, one female) among the folk at the Colorado compound, my avatar would be training with them; they would end up calling Doug's style "Musabetsu Kakuto Sangnoir-Ryuu", much to my avatar's annoyance, since came up with the idea years before he ever saw Ranma 1/2.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Foxboy]

I hope he's feeling better. It takes a lot out of someone to suffer a loss like that, and I was rather frightened by some of his blog entries...
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Bob Schroeck]

We talked with him on the phone several times over the past few days. He seems to be in much better spirits (finally) these days, althoug it took him a few months to get there.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Ebony]

While he should rightly focused on his inspiration, The Rabbit (and assorted cronies), Doug should consider a handy reference guide referred to as "The Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu." I happen to know of a remarkably canine janitor who works at the police station who can get you a copy. Then he, too, can be a number one super guy.

Ebony the Black Dragon
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com
Ebony the Black Dragon
http://ebony14.livejournal.com

"Good night, and may the Good Lord take a Viking to you."

[Bob Schroeck]

-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[mephron]

No, Bob, the proper retort to Aaron is:
"Phooey!"Brazil has decided you're cute.Brazil has decided you're cute.

[Bob Schroeck]

Gah.-- Bob
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Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.

[Rev Dark]

I have in my DVD collection a great documentary called 'This is Kung-Fu' It is like the bastard offspring of a Disney nature documentary and a Shaw Brothers film. World class martial artists do extensive kata and sparring demonstrations, surrounded by beautiful expanses of scenery. This is where epic martial arts should take place.
Then, amid this splendor, the answer to one of the great questions in martial arts is answered.
The question is "Why would anyone learn monkey style?" Face it, monkey style, while fun to watch on the screen is silly. Drunken monkey, silly, but with a bigger bar bill.
Then the answer revealed itself. You learn monkey style, because otherwise you have to learn Duck style. Yes Virginia, there is a Duck style. And yes Virginia, it makes monkey style look like the very pinnacle of dignified restraint.
Shayne
ps. Bob, I'll be rewriting some of Crossroads now that I have a much deeper understanding of Doug's particular fighting style.

[Bob Schroeck]

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Then the answer revealed itself. You learn monkey style, because otherwise you have to learn Duck style. Yes Virginia, there is a Duck style. And yes Virginia, it makes monkey style look like the very pinnacle of dignified restraint.

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Ouch.

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ps. Bob, I'll be rewriting some of Crossroads now that I have a much deeper understanding of Doug's particular fighting style.

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Cool -- I'm looking forward to it.-- Bob
---------
Chaos isn't really chaos if it isn't Lawful part of the time.