Thread:Silver-Haired Seireitou/@comment-3045936-20140609045441/@comment-2089817-20140616013535

Well, before I go back to the discussion about the curse's plausibility, I want to address the first parts of your response.

I'm aware of how magic operates to some degree, though definitely not nearly as much as you do. However, what I do know regarding the similarities between the two crafts, on the "Grandmaster" level, with respect to the Seireitou-Hakuda example, is that both manage to eliminate Cause from the relationship. This is something I remember from my various discussions with Void on the subject. The Muken, for example, is just a regular punch. But what makes it so special is that a normal punch follows the Origin -> Cause -> Effect relationship. The martial artist winds up their arm, thrusts the fist out. That is the origin. It connects with the target via physical touch. Cause. And the resulting damage is the effect. Muken eliminates Cause and creates an "empty fist", which is where the mystery of the technique comes from. Sure, a Kido Master could comprehend it, they could theorize about it, even come up with an explanation of their own for it, but in no way could they know exactly what it is, any more than any other spectator could, because it is a mystery only somebody so deeply disciplined in the Hakuda arts could fully understand. Your example with fire conjuring follows the same relationship, if I am not mistaken. It eliminates the cause. All you have left is Origin -> Effect. My reason for bringing this up is because both magic and martial arts, when we're discussing things at this level, are capable of matching up point for point, which is why I hardly believe this spell could work the moment it is cast without fail, so long as it is conducted successfully by the user.

Martial arts focuses on one key factor: self-control. Mastery of one's self. That is the entire lynchpin of martial arts and everything in martial arts comes back to self-control. Hakuda to the level Seireitou would have is a self-control so great, it allows him to literally control his own being. His own soul. No matter how curses may work, as I know you understand them better than I do, they are undoubtedly external forces. An external force trying to attack Seireitou. A curse or spell attacking a Hakuda Master of this level is no different than a person trying to physically attack them with their fist or leg. And just like a fist or leg, it can be blocked. Resisted. This is why I firmly believe a curse, or spell, or even magic in its entirety, can't outright influence a Hakuda Master of this level as easily as it could to anybody else. Because the entire foundation of that art is self-control, and reaching a pinnacle of self-control would imply self-dominance.

I'm not saying the curse would NOT work at all, but it would definitely not be as effective as if it were used on any other individual. This is why I consider it implausible because even if it were successfully carried out, I don't see it doing any real good. A Kido Master would still have their knowledge in tact, meaning they could still manage to break it. A Hakuda Master is so versed, so intertwined, with their craft that it literally "becomes them". And because of this, they perceive everything as a fight between martial artists. Between fists. Even if, in reality, the Master is fighting with, say, a Kido Master. The Hakuda Master could perceive this "thread of history", as you consider it, and unravel it themselves. It'd be the same as manifesting the will, like in Muken, to preform pressure point strikes. But the target isn't a physical being.

I will admit that your response has convinced me that the curse is theoretically possible, I concede to that. But I do not agree that it would have the same effect as you describe it to have. At least not to the same efficiency. And I'm positive it could be broken with the method I mentioned above.