|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:37 am
Me and Sacred_Dreams have been having an extended debate over who is more awesomer in the last hour. Considering that my mailbox is quite clogged, we are taking this to the SE forums.
Bring it on, SD!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:42 am
Anyway, to open my arguement for Pirates:
How many ninjas do you see with wenches?
Ninjas don't strike fear in people. They just go "Boo" and run away. Insta-shock, sure, but not long lasting effects like pirates.
Historically, Ninjas were more spies then assassins (while they did do assassination missions, there weren't as many)
Pirates: Take what we want, when we want, and we'll spend it like-wise.
Piracy isn't really piracy. It's pre-emptive salvaging.
Bring it Atra, I've done my piratical reseach ^.^
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:54 am
We weren't, and aren't just spies nad assassins. In case you didn't know, ninjas are elite samurais! When you're little emperor or shogun can't rely on his samura and foot soldiers, who does he call?
NINJAS!!!
We don't need wenches. We already sexually assaulted you, terrified you, stolen from you, and written graffiti on you face.
You just don't know it ninja
And yes, we were involved in espionage, but do you think a ninja would let you know if it's assassinized (xD my word!) someone? No, it's an accident...at least, that's what you think. We also sabotage and scout you.
Our infamous black wear arised from the theatre where we would disguise ourselves as prop members so that the audience (and the actors) couldn't distinguish us. And then we would strike and blend back into the stage crew crowd where we can never be found! In reality, we wore long dark blue robes with a three foot cloth wrapped around our heads to hide our faces.
Thanks to us, the world has concealed weapons and infiltration tools!
And sides, who needs gold? Ninjas don't steal, we simply borrow. And we do it so well, you'll never even know it's gone. Ever wondered where your wenches went, SD? We do ninja
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:07 am
Ah, but a Samurai was trained that combat involved a more... Personal battle. A total one-on-one deathmatch, where the winner gained honor and prestige. The loser, died, either by his own hand or by the winner's. Ninjas: Trained to "stab-in-the-foot-and-run-away".
Pirates: During the Golden Age of Piracy (1715-1725), there was an entire colony that thrived off of smuggling, blackmarkets and Pirates. What'd ninjas do? They broke stuff. Pirates created a way of marketing.
Countering the "consealed weapons and infiltration tools", perhaps in the Eastern Empires (China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, etc.) In the Europe, those were in use for ages before. You can thank the Romans and "barbarian" tribes that lived all over Europe. Grappling hooks, dirks, hand crossbows, vials of poison, small hand grenades, etc. All used in Europe long before there was any connection between Europe and the Silk Road.
A huge difference though between Pirates and Ninjas: Pirates will spend anywhere from 6 weeks to a year at sea, on ships, collecting not only gold, but lumber, luxury goods for sale, Pirates could get ships to surrender just by waving a flag. On top of it, Pirates are being historically tied to the American Revolution.
On top of all that, what's not cooler about a gun that discharges fire and a small lead ball that can maim anyone. If that's not evil I don't know what is.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:32 am
And do you think the Roman Empire truly fell just because of the Germans? Do you think no ninja brotherhoods had just kept to their side of the Silk Road? I wonder who Nero asked for help in burning Rome?
We were no followers of the bushido; basically assassins for hire. When a shojun needed a job done that exceeded the samurai code, he summoned himself a ninja.
Now, let me emphasize that pirates have little honor, either. Yes, ninjas will stab in the foot and run, but we do that to survive cause- We. Are. Smart. Pirates? They basically scream- We. Will. Rob. You. Then. Laugh. At. You. With. Our. Arrs!
We snicker and smirk, which tends to be way hawter.
Pirates? Let's emphasize on pirate education: Killing. Looting. Wench-chasing. Sailing. Shooting.
Ninja class? Ninjutsu, which is freaking awesome. At first, ninjitsu in itself was an illegal art among the samurai, especially the elite, but we broke them anyway to look awesome and travel the shadows. Ninjutsu wasn't just concealing and shadow-stalking and assassinating, though. We were involved in poisons, disguise, archery, explosives, and medicines. A pirate can't heal his ally with seaweed, can he? We also established schools of the 18 skills in which all ninjas were recquired to know. We even learned meteorology and Sui-ren, which taught us how to not only conceal ourselves in water, but how to master fighting in it.
We've existed for several centuries, though written accounts had not been composed until the early 15th century. We were sometimes generals and of high military position, especially in dictatorships.
Let us move on to the kunoichi, female ninjas like I. We specialized in the use of poisons and close combat. Our most distinctive feature is our ability to use previously harmless items into powerful weapons, ranging from our wooden clogs to bladed fans to umbrellas that could be used as shields. We kept poisoned needles in our hair and dirks up our sleeves, masters of seduction, entertainment, and even fortune telling in order to lure targets close.
Plus, piracy may still be enacted today, but so is the ninja arts, known as neo-ninja.
Take that, SD.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:31 am
Perhaps, but here's the difference between the European Assassin and the Japanese Ninja: Ninja were members of clans, which after either exile from their family or however they became a ninja, they joined a clan. Assassins of the western cultures joined guilds, or were freelance assassins. Ninjas, while they may have served the Shogun, were devoted to their clan. While there isn't a strict sense to following true bushido, Ninja did follow it to a point.
Now, on the subject of Rome: No, Rome wasn't burned by Nero, but he didn't do anything to help the great city. That, and the Germans weren't the only ones to have a hand in the downfall of the Empire. True, the Visigoths did sack Rome, but there was also taken down by the Praetorian Guard, and years of civil unrest.
While the modern thought is that all pirates did was rob, wench, loot, sail, and shoot. Sorry, wrong again. Sailors were also carpenters, smiths, brewers, surgeons, even merchants. Interestingly enough, the difference between what is considered "pirate" (Thank you PotC) and historical fact that's being discovered is that many pirate captains were actually quite well off, some even having formal education.
Another difference is that Ninja were were more land-locked. Pirates ranged from the Indian Sea to the Carribean. A distance of several thousand miles. Yes, there was some amount crude behavior and such like seen in movies.
Nowadays, there's whole branches of piracy that are totally different from being attacked at sea.
While I'll admit that the Ninja were creative in their weaponry, but you can't deny the effectiveness of a pirate's weapon: The cutlass. A blade no longer then a foot and a half, thick, with a handguard that made even a punch deadly. Plus, with cannon, musket, and pistol, there was all sorts of little bonuses. Cannons fired grape-shot (Musket balls packed into a canister, making it a really large shotgun), chain-shot (a cannonball split in half connected with a chain. Used to take out the masts and rigging of ships. Also useful for cutting men or women in half), even heated-shot (a bar of iron that was super-heated then fired at other ships. Deadly effective).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 7:44 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:55 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:02 am
Pirates had shorter lives than ninjas. Why, you may ask? Pirates weren't keen on health. They'd get scurvy, gangrene, herpes, and maybe a nice heaping helping of your typical infection. Not ninjas! So do you want to be a filthy, flea bitten, scraggly pirate or a ninja who could at least keep his teeth clean and in his gum line? Final few words: 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:33 am
Yes, Hellsing!! Thank you for the support, luv!!
Bring on the ninja pictures!!
We've already talked about the last pic, SD, and I think it just pwned you whee
Hellsing, I make you an honorary ninja, luv *huggles* You're on my huggle list, lol.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:46 am
Historically, the British Navy had worse health conditions then pirates. The only real thing you could probably peg on pirates would be syphillis (The only known STD at the time) Gangrene, on the other hand, was universal. Even ninjas would've picked it up, as there was no way to clean a wound except via cauterization. Essentially, burning the wounded area to kill the skin, nerves, bacteria, and what-have-you.
During the typical time period of, say a ninja, there was no rules on health. The only reason we believe that they would have teeth at all is because of false teeth made of wood, or ivory if you were stinkin' rich or politically secure.
Yeah, Pirates couldn't win a beauty pageant to save their souls, but neither would a ninja given the time periods.
Alot of people have a slightly romanticized view of ninjas, and I mostly blame Hollywood. Yeah, pirates probably smell like a sewer system, but all in all, they did have a better reputation.
In fact, as far as reputations go, a lot of pirates became upstanding members of society via letters of marque. This allowed them to be privateers, a rather lucrative business for a former pirate.
Anyway, I guess my point is, check the facts. Pirates and ninjas come off worse for the wear if people actually looked at the health conditions of when pirates and ninjas were known for activity. Probably in the same book as well.
The wench thing, that's more a joke then anything else. Yeah, pirates did a lot of cavorting, but when it comes down to it: What else are they to spend their loot on? Especially as an exile from the most "lawful" places. Pirates made some of the best smugglers to the American Colonies, and probably helped shuffle things along towards the American Revolution.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:58 am
All wonderful points, luv, but...
Where are your pics?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:02 am
If pictures make the arguments, then I'd say you just tossed yours in the wastepaper basket and shot it with a handgun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:12 am
I don't have a handgun, though I keep a pair of numchucks handy, luv whee
Are you mad? Don't be mad! gonk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:14 am
[sarcasm]Yes, I'm horrifically mad at you. You are a failure at life.[/sarcasm]
Pfft, nunchucks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
