Post by Nathan on Nov 4, 2011 6:11:48 GMT -5
The following conversation took place over AIM, or AOL instant messenger. Kanretsu (Wes) interviewed Wong Kei Y1ng (Eric), for the purposes of preserving an authentic Auto Freeform tutorial:
Wong Kei Y1ng: Sure. I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Kanretsu: Your friend Alex... Tairo No Masakado... what's his last name?
Wong Kei Y1ng: Hmm.
Wong Kei Y1ng: This isn't suppose to be public knowlege but.
Wong Kei Y1ng: David Alex Sanchez
Wong Kei Y1ng: is his actuall name.
Wong Kei Y1ng: He's cuban.
Kanretsu: ok
Wong Kei Y1ng: We call him Al, or alex.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Or Tairo.
Kanretsu: David Sanchez......... hm... I know that name.
Kanretsu: What year did you guys write that tutorial?
Wong Kei Y1ng: Hmm.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Probably..
Wong Kei Y1ng: 00.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Maybe 99.
Wong Kei Y1ng: 99-00.
Kanretsu: ok
Wong Kei Y1ng: We desighned it so people at comicity.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Would get a sense of realism.
Wong Kei Y1ng: And not be so.. cheap.
Wong Kei Y1ng: I'M IMMORTAL!
Wong Kei Y1ng: Was a popular phrase for "n00bs"
Kanretsu: What system is Freeform based on... or what style did you hope to replace/advance?
Wong Kei Y1ng: It's a difficult question. We had always been accustomed to freeform. By the originals at comicity. We just were the first ones to put pen to paper. Or finger to keyboard.
Wong Kei Y1ng: I would say freestyle or auto.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Without the bullshit, and being speed based.
COMICITY CHAT FIGHTING RULES
Written and Discussed by Kao-Vegeta (Eric) and Tairo No Masakado (Alex):
#01.) No Immortality (Or any type of immunity to death).
#02.) Freeform is dynamic. What is typed does not reflect what happens. You are allowed to change the course of things typed by another fighter, using the examples below.
Alex: *punches Eric in the face*
Eric: *parries his punch and returns a kick to the stomach*
#03.) Rule number two does NOT apply to every attack used by your opponent. It is only in the fighting spirit to take a few hits now and again, taking also that it would be humanly (Or saiya-jinly) impossible to block, evade, or counter every single attack.
#04.) A fight is not ultimately determined by death. In fact, most battles fought by the "elite" (anybody having much experience in fighting in comic city) are determined by agreement or forfeit alone.
#05.) "Ki" is an energy of the body, not a limitless resource from which to tap indefinitely. If you abuse "ki", you lose it, so to speak. Until the body has time to recharge. Use your DBZ judgment to your personal style of ki usage.
#06.) Fighting is a test of not only skill, but personal value and honor. Admitting defeat honorably is as important as winning.
Finally, freeform is not something that you are forced to do, and it is not something that you have to be good at. It is something to be enjoyed, as it presents a challenge and joy in itself. In comic city, fighting is not about personal honor so much as enjoyment. If freeform is abused and changed into something that is done to prove someone's "rank" or worth, then it loses it's value as the great comic city past-time which it is and has been. Have fun, and good luck.
Copyrighted © 1999 Eric Clow.
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus
Special Thanks to David Alex Sanchez, credited founder of Comicity Freeform
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to Dionysus (Wes), for providing this tutorial.
==============================================
FREESTYLE
Written and Discussed by §hin Gouki Ž (Kenshiro Maruyama)
History of Freestyle
The "freestyle" system of combat has been around for an untold time. Actually, ever since chatrooms existed, there has certainly been a type of organized or free system of fighting. It would be nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact period of time in which this style has been devised actually. Freestyle battling has likely been going about for more than a decade in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., but the scene didn't really begin to really explode till the mid-90's, due to the internet becoming much more accessible to the masses. This allowed for more sites, chatrooms, etc. being created which spawned a lot of which is being discussed, along with the major influx of anime coming to the masses in the states, which inspired many things as well. As far as my knowledge goes, there isn't a particular "creator" of the freestyle/free-form fighting which is being used today. There are, and have been so many users of this style, that it cannot be claimed by any particular person as their own. Each day, these freestyle fighters, and even those who may follow other combat systems can't help but to influence each other, and derive certain things from one another. Think of this as a large 'melting pot' of sorts, where everyone, with their particular ideas, concepts, and flavors, contribute something to the greater whole. It is this variety, the culmination of many attributes and whatnot that create the very thing known as freestyle fighting. There were many skilled 'masters' if you want, who did very innovative things with the freestyle/free form system over the years. From my experiences over the years, I've encountered several skilled people, in which I've learned and had great experiences from. But in my opinion, there can be no true master of this style. How can one claim to master something that has no true beginning from a single source? Sure, one can master and perfect what they are trying to get from this style, but you cannot master something that is truly free. All we can do is grow with it, and create our own foundations to work from.
Basic Overview of Freestyle
Freestyle combat has sparked a lot of debate and controversy throughout the 'fighting community' and beyond, due to the fact that it is so non-linear. In essence, there are no concrete rules to be exact, like there are in the AA, T2, etc. styles of combat. For combatants this is a good & bad thing. For example, in a freestyle battle opposing fighters are free to use whatever characters, weapons, styles and whatnot during battle. However, many people abuse the system with 'cheap' attacks (i.e. one hit killing moves, etc.) and many other things that simply aren't cohesive and sometimes not even relevant to the occurring battle. I consider freestyle battling a much more personal style of combat, as opposed to others, in the sense that you will usually converse a bit with an opponent to touch bases and get a mutual feeling of understanding before a battle, since there are no rules or true guidelines to follow. Many freestyle combatants carry a sense of what I call 'self-honor'. In my opinion, this basically means that the fighter has the common sense to acknowledge what is going on during combat situations, and not simply attack, and disregard what the other person is doing. In short, there is a basic "honor system" that people will go by, and that will vary from person to person.
Advanced Overview of Freestyle
There are many virtues as well as flaws to the freestyle style of combat. The greatest thing about this style is that there are literally no limits to what you can do. There are no aforementioned rules or major guidelines to follow. However, this is the most glaring flaw of freestyling. As one example, many people think by the lines of "If there are no rules, then I can be as powerful as I want!" This mentality results in short-sided battles, cheap kills, and many unhappy people as a result. In freestyle combat, the only way to have an enjoyable battle on both ends is to have a mutual acknowledgement between each other while in combat. There has to be that 'balance' of sorts between the opponents. Finding that balance can prove even more difficult than it seems. Because the style is so non-linear, people will use ki, or various forms of energy projection, armor, weapons, etc. This causes great imbalances in battles, which leads to confusion and controversy among fighters. Everyone has their own preferences and inhibitions to whatever 'special skills' they want to use, but it is usually stressed to use these skills with moderation. This may be a useless statement, because moderation to one individual could be completely opposite to what another believes. Hand to hand combat has always been the 'meat and bones' of freestyle combat, with ki/energy, magic use, weapons, etc, etc. complementing it. In the earlier days of freestyle/free form combat, fighters relied much more on hand to hand combat techniques, often creating intricate fighting attacks/maneuvers that expressed their particular style. During the later half of the 90's, I noticed a new trend, in which hand-to-hand combat was mixed in heavily with massive energy-based maneuvers. A "good fighter" nowadays is expected to have moderate hand to hand combat, along with personalized maneuvers which may involve energy, magic, etc. and just having a general 'foundation' which I like to call it. To me, a good fighter has a sense of foundation. When I mention foundation, I think a fighter should be well versed in many styles of combat. A good fighter has the ability to adapt to a situation, regardless of what situation they are confronted with. I believe a good fighter should have a long 'staying power' in the sense that they have a deep repertoire, an equal amount of offensive and defensive maneuvers, and a basic sense of respect for the next person. To me, these qualities are important, especially for those who want a deep battle. 'You can only be as great as your opponent' in a sense. Because in the freestyle system, you will always be "flowing" with the other fighter in a way. Think of it as a tango, or even a slow dance with another person. You cannot force anything- You, and your 'partner' are going through the motions together. In a sense, you are trying to flow in synch with one another. If you can achieve this, then you have accomplished something truly great in the art of freestyle combat.
Copyright 2000 Kenshiro Maruyama
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus.
Special Thanks to Dai Kiaou Shin, the credited founder of Freestyle.
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to Dionysus (Wes), for providing this tutorial.
==============================================
This is an Email interview with §hin Gouki Ž (Ken), leader of the Z Senshi clan from Comicity, whose team helped in the making and development of the Freeform or Freestyle tutorial:
Q. - Who was Dai Kiaou Shin and why was he so famous? (Did I spell his name right?)
A. - Dai Kaiou Shin was an old friend/mentor of mine, that I met way back, around '96. He was doing the online fighting thing way before me, back in Yahoo, and some other various chatroom forums at the time. He became notorious among the enthusiasts due to his great all-around combat ability. He had a very intricate 'style' to the way he fought, which was very innovative, and alluring to everyone at the time. But I think the reason he had such a great effect on alot of people, especially me, is the humbleness of his character. He was a real admirable person who had alot of knowledge, and was willing to share. In general, Dai Kaiou Shin was ahead of his time, in terms of ability- but the thing that people who knew him would remember him most, is the the quality of character he had.
Q. - Who were the original members of the Z? (Their real names & screen names)
A. - The original members of the Z (sans their decorative text) were:
~ Dai Kaiou Shin (Andy Oedo)
~ Shin Gouki Z (Kenshiro Maruyama)
~ Roujin Z (Nick ??)
~ Tien (Tri Phan)
~ Hwang (Leo ??)
~ [Dragon]-Lee (Dewayne Warner)
~ Raidou (Rob DeCosta)
~ Z Gouken (Les Guffin)
There were many imposters who tried to impersonate us over the years, seeing as most of the Z had developed quite an honorable reputation for freestyle fighting. Several competitive RPers like Nonpareil (Eric) used the name of the Z falsely when competing in RP fighting tournaments. The last "true" member of the Z was Kanretsu (Wes), the nemesis of all Z imposters. Kanretsu was known for his restraint and self-discipline, being the only member of the Z who swore never to use "ki" as a weapon against our enemies. Kanretsu hated RP-fighting tournaments, and spent a great deal of time learning more advanced freestyle, which is less competitive and more descriptive. He was incredibly well respected in Comicity by veterans and newer fighters alike, mostly because of the stories and legends that were spread about him not using "ki", yet still being able to defeat 2 or even 3 opponents at a time using just his fists. Kanretsu had a sense of honor that is very rarely seen or demonstrated. It wasn't so much that he was a fast typer, because his WPM speed wasn't that great. It's just that he was smart enough to anticipate his opponent's actions most of the time. That made him seem faster than he really was. Apart from that, Kanretsu was a greater fighter than some of the Z, but he always showed humility and respect for his brothers and elders. It was for that reason that Kanretsu became the last member of the Z, and nobody else has ever joined our ranks since then. Kanretsu (Wes) now goes by the name of Dionysus.
Q. - Who started the Z, and why? (What was the purpose of the Z?)
A. - The concept of the Z senshi was started by Dai Kaiou Shin. It wasn't a really big thing so to speak. The whole true concept behind the Z really wasn't realized, until after the whole of the members truly became united with eachother after a long period of time. The Z Senshi at first, was an unnamed alliance, a team, which consisted of Dai Kaiou Shin, and Shin Gouki Z at first. At the time, in alot of the chatrooms we attended, a large majority of fighters began to form alliances, and over time, those alliances grew in power, and in number. These alliances involved fighters ganging up on singled-out weaker people who became prey to constant attacks, which not only consisted of combat against one another, but attacks in other forms, such as using "chatroom booting" attacks, and things like cloning others, etc. Dai and I had to endure alot of things like this, and we were involved in many battles with dozens of different clans and rivals over time, which escalated to seemingly 'epic' proportions at the time. As Dai and I fought in different chatrooms, and developed intense rivlaries with some of these people, we began to find kindred spirits within some, so to speak, with other fighters whom we came across over that span of time. We began to form friendships with these different rivals, and formed an alliance, which spanned across many rooms, due to our unique backgrounds. I won't go into the detail of how each member got introduced, because those are different chapters of a story that branches into something completely different.
Q. - When did you first arrive at Comicity?
A. - I first arrived in Comicity around mid-1997, I believe. I remember frequenting that site to download anime pictures & music at the time. This was before Comicity had a chatroom. A while later, I remember the infamous chatroom just appearing out of nowhere, and the rest is history.
Q. - How did you used to fight in Comicity? (Was there a CC fighting method?)
A. - At the time I started out in Comicity, I fought using a mixture of martial arts, specific techniques of real life martial arts that I favored at the time, with a heavy dose of imaginative ad-libbing, inspired by anime such as the dragon ball series, and a few others. The Comicity fighting methods at the time were all very open. This way of combat was in it's prime during Comicity's 1st & 2nd generations. During the early days, there was no 'right or wrong' way to fight. Everyone just did their thing. However, one thing that was universal, was the FANTASY aspect of fighting, intertwined with RP'ing. This is what made Comicity so alluring. Nothing was based on purely logic reasoning. Fights were seemingly larger than life, very grandoise and accented with the use of various animated gifs & pics & creative useage of HTML. This is what made the fighting in CC so memorable for the people who were there to experience it in it's 'golden age'. This provided a very vibrant outlet for the fighters to convey a wide variety of expressions in a very unique way.
Q. - What is your martial arts background? Who was your teacher in Wing Chun? (What style of Wing Chun did you take?)
A. - My martial arts background consists of Isshin-Ryu Karate, which is the base art I picked up on, from when I was about 7 years old, to about 14 years or so. I practiced this style, back before I moved to the States - When I moved, I began to persue my dormant interests on other martial arts and training methods. I was fortunate enough to pick up Nanyang Wing Chun from a Sifu who really helped me out alot as I was new to everything here, Chai Saeturn. A few years later, he would introduce me to his senior, Eddie Chong, who'd help me refine my rudimentary abilities at the time. Down the line of these past years as well, I took the initiative to get my feet wet in some firsthand experience in grappling arts such as JiuJitsu, and even San Shou which has elements which I particulary favor at the moment. Kanretsu Z (Wes) was also a real-life member of the Wing Chun clan out of Hong Kong, as well as a San Shou fighter like myself. So was our friend Kao-Vegeta (Eric) at some point, though he spent more time practicing other styles like Shotokan Karate and whatnot. We all often implemented real-life martial arts techniques into our own unique roleplaying styles at some point. That's what made it really fun. I remember Kanretsu Z (Wes) used to practice Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do under Ted Wong, and I'm pretty sure Dai Kaiou Shin (Andy) also did some Western Boxing. The Z Senshi had no real style, but the heart of it was Wing Chun.
Q. - How do you spell Shin Gouki Z? (I know you spell it with certain symbols)
A. - §hin Gouki Ž
Q. - What does the Z stand for again? (What is the symbolism behind the Z?)
A. - The 'Ž' really doesn't have much symbolism to be honest. Like I mentioned above, at the time, fighting in these chatrooms all had a heave anime influence, and most of us took a strong liking to Dragon Ball. We adopted the Z name at first, because we were all rivals, once opposing forces who one day gathered together and became allies. Similar to the cast of characters in DB, who all came from different backgrounds and styles of combat, so did we. But at the same time, the Ž moniker really became to mean something to all of us over time, as we all grew and matured together. Each of us devoted so much time to being great at what we did. Each of us strived to push our limits, and be shining examples to our peers, showing what one could achieve, if he/she put their minds to it. We all payed our dues, and spent alot of time, trying to give back to others, and keep this whole thing going strong for as long as it could. It's really hard to put into words, really. We all each had a strong, uncanny bond with eachother. These people were honestly some of the best friends I've ever had in my life. So much to the point, where one of these people actually came through for me in REAL life, when I was in a bad situation a few years back. The 'Ž' represented many things to each of us. It represented a Zen-like balance which we all shared with one another, in skill and in spirit, we all felt intertwined, as if we all were once flowing streams, originating from multiple courses, eventually intertwining into one powerfull flowing stream. The Ž represented the 'omega' to the alpha, the end to the beginning. One of us began this particular path long ago, and eventually, one of us shall finish that path. But until then, we all shal walk this great path in arms, together, as one. It's really hard for me to convey in wording.
Q. - Give me a brief history of the Z and Comicity, like a short story I can save.
A. - There's no way I could possibly make this story "brief". There were just too much memories and history behind these things, especially Comicity. Comicity is the place where I felt I finally beagan to step up to the plate, and create a path of my own. There's just so much to tell. After writing this little bit of information, I feel like just rambling on forever about the great things that I experienced in the past. There's just so much memories coursing through my mind right now. Deep inside, I'm reminiscing about the past, yet I'm looking boldy towards the future, all at the same time.
Thanks for the questions man, they've really made my day, whether you realized it or not. It just felt great to look back once again at all this stuff. Theres just so much to tell, I could never put it briefly. All these events changed my life- Just writing this stuff right now, I swear to god, is making my eyes water, from thinking back at all those times.
Again, I thank you very much.
§hin Gouki Ž
Copyright 2000 Kenshiro Maruyama
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus.
Special Thanks to Dai Kiaou Shin, the credited founder of Freestyle.
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to §hin Gouki Ž (Ken), for allowing this interview.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Sure. I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge and ability.
Kanretsu: Your friend Alex... Tairo No Masakado... what's his last name?
Wong Kei Y1ng: Hmm.
Wong Kei Y1ng: This isn't suppose to be public knowlege but.
Wong Kei Y1ng: David Alex Sanchez
Wong Kei Y1ng: is his actuall name.
Wong Kei Y1ng: He's cuban.
Kanretsu: ok
Wong Kei Y1ng: We call him Al, or alex.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Or Tairo.
Kanretsu: David Sanchez......... hm... I know that name.
Kanretsu: What year did you guys write that tutorial?
Wong Kei Y1ng: Hmm.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Probably..
Wong Kei Y1ng: 00.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Maybe 99.
Wong Kei Y1ng: 99-00.
Kanretsu: ok
Wong Kei Y1ng: We desighned it so people at comicity.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Would get a sense of realism.
Wong Kei Y1ng: And not be so.. cheap.
Wong Kei Y1ng: I'M IMMORTAL!
Wong Kei Y1ng: Was a popular phrase for "n00bs"
Kanretsu: What system is Freeform based on... or what style did you hope to replace/advance?
Wong Kei Y1ng: It's a difficult question. We had always been accustomed to freeform. By the originals at comicity. We just were the first ones to put pen to paper. Or finger to keyboard.
Wong Kei Y1ng: I would say freestyle or auto.
Wong Kei Y1ng: Without the bullshit, and being speed based.
COMICITY CHAT FIGHTING RULES
Written and Discussed by Kao-Vegeta (Eric) and Tairo No Masakado (Alex):
#01.) No Immortality (Or any type of immunity to death).
#02.) Freeform is dynamic. What is typed does not reflect what happens. You are allowed to change the course of things typed by another fighter, using the examples below.
Alex: *punches Eric in the face*
Eric: *parries his punch and returns a kick to the stomach*
#03.) Rule number two does NOT apply to every attack used by your opponent. It is only in the fighting spirit to take a few hits now and again, taking also that it would be humanly (Or saiya-jinly) impossible to block, evade, or counter every single attack.
#04.) A fight is not ultimately determined by death. In fact, most battles fought by the "elite" (anybody having much experience in fighting in comic city) are determined by agreement or forfeit alone.
#05.) "Ki" is an energy of the body, not a limitless resource from which to tap indefinitely. If you abuse "ki", you lose it, so to speak. Until the body has time to recharge. Use your DBZ judgment to your personal style of ki usage.
#06.) Fighting is a test of not only skill, but personal value and honor. Admitting defeat honorably is as important as winning.
Finally, freeform is not something that you are forced to do, and it is not something that you have to be good at. It is something to be enjoyed, as it presents a challenge and joy in itself. In comic city, fighting is not about personal honor so much as enjoyment. If freeform is abused and changed into something that is done to prove someone's "rank" or worth, then it loses it's value as the great comic city past-time which it is and has been. Have fun, and good luck.
Copyrighted © 1999 Eric Clow.
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus
Special Thanks to David Alex Sanchez, credited founder of Comicity Freeform
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to Dionysus (Wes), for providing this tutorial.
==============================================
FREESTYLE
Written and Discussed by §hin Gouki Ž (Kenshiro Maruyama)
History of Freestyle
The "freestyle" system of combat has been around for an untold time. Actually, ever since chatrooms existed, there has certainly been a type of organized or free system of fighting. It would be nearly impossible to pinpoint the exact period of time in which this style has been devised actually. Freestyle battling has likely been going about for more than a decade in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., but the scene didn't really begin to really explode till the mid-90's, due to the internet becoming much more accessible to the masses. This allowed for more sites, chatrooms, etc. being created which spawned a lot of which is being discussed, along with the major influx of anime coming to the masses in the states, which inspired many things as well. As far as my knowledge goes, there isn't a particular "creator" of the freestyle/free-form fighting which is being used today. There are, and have been so many users of this style, that it cannot be claimed by any particular person as their own. Each day, these freestyle fighters, and even those who may follow other combat systems can't help but to influence each other, and derive certain things from one another. Think of this as a large 'melting pot' of sorts, where everyone, with their particular ideas, concepts, and flavors, contribute something to the greater whole. It is this variety, the culmination of many attributes and whatnot that create the very thing known as freestyle fighting. There were many skilled 'masters' if you want, who did very innovative things with the freestyle/free form system over the years. From my experiences over the years, I've encountered several skilled people, in which I've learned and had great experiences from. But in my opinion, there can be no true master of this style. How can one claim to master something that has no true beginning from a single source? Sure, one can master and perfect what they are trying to get from this style, but you cannot master something that is truly free. All we can do is grow with it, and create our own foundations to work from.
Basic Overview of Freestyle
Freestyle combat has sparked a lot of debate and controversy throughout the 'fighting community' and beyond, due to the fact that it is so non-linear. In essence, there are no concrete rules to be exact, like there are in the AA, T2, etc. styles of combat. For combatants this is a good & bad thing. For example, in a freestyle battle opposing fighters are free to use whatever characters, weapons, styles and whatnot during battle. However, many people abuse the system with 'cheap' attacks (i.e. one hit killing moves, etc.) and many other things that simply aren't cohesive and sometimes not even relevant to the occurring battle. I consider freestyle battling a much more personal style of combat, as opposed to others, in the sense that you will usually converse a bit with an opponent to touch bases and get a mutual feeling of understanding before a battle, since there are no rules or true guidelines to follow. Many freestyle combatants carry a sense of what I call 'self-honor'. In my opinion, this basically means that the fighter has the common sense to acknowledge what is going on during combat situations, and not simply attack, and disregard what the other person is doing. In short, there is a basic "honor system" that people will go by, and that will vary from person to person.
Advanced Overview of Freestyle
There are many virtues as well as flaws to the freestyle style of combat. The greatest thing about this style is that there are literally no limits to what you can do. There are no aforementioned rules or major guidelines to follow. However, this is the most glaring flaw of freestyling. As one example, many people think by the lines of "If there are no rules, then I can be as powerful as I want!" This mentality results in short-sided battles, cheap kills, and many unhappy people as a result. In freestyle combat, the only way to have an enjoyable battle on both ends is to have a mutual acknowledgement between each other while in combat. There has to be that 'balance' of sorts between the opponents. Finding that balance can prove even more difficult than it seems. Because the style is so non-linear, people will use ki, or various forms of energy projection, armor, weapons, etc. This causes great imbalances in battles, which leads to confusion and controversy among fighters. Everyone has their own preferences and inhibitions to whatever 'special skills' they want to use, but it is usually stressed to use these skills with moderation. This may be a useless statement, because moderation to one individual could be completely opposite to what another believes. Hand to hand combat has always been the 'meat and bones' of freestyle combat, with ki/energy, magic use, weapons, etc, etc. complementing it. In the earlier days of freestyle/free form combat, fighters relied much more on hand to hand combat techniques, often creating intricate fighting attacks/maneuvers that expressed their particular style. During the later half of the 90's, I noticed a new trend, in which hand-to-hand combat was mixed in heavily with massive energy-based maneuvers. A "good fighter" nowadays is expected to have moderate hand to hand combat, along with personalized maneuvers which may involve energy, magic, etc. and just having a general 'foundation' which I like to call it. To me, a good fighter has a sense of foundation. When I mention foundation, I think a fighter should be well versed in many styles of combat. A good fighter has the ability to adapt to a situation, regardless of what situation they are confronted with. I believe a good fighter should have a long 'staying power' in the sense that they have a deep repertoire, an equal amount of offensive and defensive maneuvers, and a basic sense of respect for the next person. To me, these qualities are important, especially for those who want a deep battle. 'You can only be as great as your opponent' in a sense. Because in the freestyle system, you will always be "flowing" with the other fighter in a way. Think of it as a tango, or even a slow dance with another person. You cannot force anything- You, and your 'partner' are going through the motions together. In a sense, you are trying to flow in synch with one another. If you can achieve this, then you have accomplished something truly great in the art of freestyle combat.
Copyright 2000 Kenshiro Maruyama
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus.
Special Thanks to Dai Kiaou Shin, the credited founder of Freestyle.
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to Dionysus (Wes), for providing this tutorial.
==============================================
This is an Email interview with §hin Gouki Ž (Ken), leader of the Z Senshi clan from Comicity, whose team helped in the making and development of the Freeform or Freestyle tutorial:
Q. - Who was Dai Kiaou Shin and why was he so famous? (Did I spell his name right?)
A. - Dai Kaiou Shin was an old friend/mentor of mine, that I met way back, around '96. He was doing the online fighting thing way before me, back in Yahoo, and some other various chatroom forums at the time. He became notorious among the enthusiasts due to his great all-around combat ability. He had a very intricate 'style' to the way he fought, which was very innovative, and alluring to everyone at the time. But I think the reason he had such a great effect on alot of people, especially me, is the humbleness of his character. He was a real admirable person who had alot of knowledge, and was willing to share. In general, Dai Kaiou Shin was ahead of his time, in terms of ability- but the thing that people who knew him would remember him most, is the the quality of character he had.
Q. - Who were the original members of the Z? (Their real names & screen names)
A. - The original members of the Z (sans their decorative text) were:
~ Dai Kaiou Shin (Andy Oedo)
~ Shin Gouki Z (Kenshiro Maruyama)
~ Roujin Z (Nick ??)
~ Tien (Tri Phan)
~ Hwang (Leo ??)
~ [Dragon]-Lee (Dewayne Warner)
~ Raidou (Rob DeCosta)
~ Z Gouken (Les Guffin)
There were many imposters who tried to impersonate us over the years, seeing as most of the Z had developed quite an honorable reputation for freestyle fighting. Several competitive RPers like Nonpareil (Eric) used the name of the Z falsely when competing in RP fighting tournaments. The last "true" member of the Z was Kanretsu (Wes), the nemesis of all Z imposters. Kanretsu was known for his restraint and self-discipline, being the only member of the Z who swore never to use "ki" as a weapon against our enemies. Kanretsu hated RP-fighting tournaments, and spent a great deal of time learning more advanced freestyle, which is less competitive and more descriptive. He was incredibly well respected in Comicity by veterans and newer fighters alike, mostly because of the stories and legends that were spread about him not using "ki", yet still being able to defeat 2 or even 3 opponents at a time using just his fists. Kanretsu had a sense of honor that is very rarely seen or demonstrated. It wasn't so much that he was a fast typer, because his WPM speed wasn't that great. It's just that he was smart enough to anticipate his opponent's actions most of the time. That made him seem faster than he really was. Apart from that, Kanretsu was a greater fighter than some of the Z, but he always showed humility and respect for his brothers and elders. It was for that reason that Kanretsu became the last member of the Z, and nobody else has ever joined our ranks since then. Kanretsu (Wes) now goes by the name of Dionysus.
Q. - Who started the Z, and why? (What was the purpose of the Z?)
A. - The concept of the Z senshi was started by Dai Kaiou Shin. It wasn't a really big thing so to speak. The whole true concept behind the Z really wasn't realized, until after the whole of the members truly became united with eachother after a long period of time. The Z Senshi at first, was an unnamed alliance, a team, which consisted of Dai Kaiou Shin, and Shin Gouki Z at first. At the time, in alot of the chatrooms we attended, a large majority of fighters began to form alliances, and over time, those alliances grew in power, and in number. These alliances involved fighters ganging up on singled-out weaker people who became prey to constant attacks, which not only consisted of combat against one another, but attacks in other forms, such as using "chatroom booting" attacks, and things like cloning others, etc. Dai and I had to endure alot of things like this, and we were involved in many battles with dozens of different clans and rivals over time, which escalated to seemingly 'epic' proportions at the time. As Dai and I fought in different chatrooms, and developed intense rivlaries with some of these people, we began to find kindred spirits within some, so to speak, with other fighters whom we came across over that span of time. We began to form friendships with these different rivals, and formed an alliance, which spanned across many rooms, due to our unique backgrounds. I won't go into the detail of how each member got introduced, because those are different chapters of a story that branches into something completely different.
Q. - When did you first arrive at Comicity?
A. - I first arrived in Comicity around mid-1997, I believe. I remember frequenting that site to download anime pictures & music at the time. This was before Comicity had a chatroom. A while later, I remember the infamous chatroom just appearing out of nowhere, and the rest is history.
Q. - How did you used to fight in Comicity? (Was there a CC fighting method?)
A. - At the time I started out in Comicity, I fought using a mixture of martial arts, specific techniques of real life martial arts that I favored at the time, with a heavy dose of imaginative ad-libbing, inspired by anime such as the dragon ball series, and a few others. The Comicity fighting methods at the time were all very open. This way of combat was in it's prime during Comicity's 1st & 2nd generations. During the early days, there was no 'right or wrong' way to fight. Everyone just did their thing. However, one thing that was universal, was the FANTASY aspect of fighting, intertwined with RP'ing. This is what made Comicity so alluring. Nothing was based on purely logic reasoning. Fights were seemingly larger than life, very grandoise and accented with the use of various animated gifs & pics & creative useage of HTML. This is what made the fighting in CC so memorable for the people who were there to experience it in it's 'golden age'. This provided a very vibrant outlet for the fighters to convey a wide variety of expressions in a very unique way.
Q. - What is your martial arts background? Who was your teacher in Wing Chun? (What style of Wing Chun did you take?)
A. - My martial arts background consists of Isshin-Ryu Karate, which is the base art I picked up on, from when I was about 7 years old, to about 14 years or so. I practiced this style, back before I moved to the States - When I moved, I began to persue my dormant interests on other martial arts and training methods. I was fortunate enough to pick up Nanyang Wing Chun from a Sifu who really helped me out alot as I was new to everything here, Chai Saeturn. A few years later, he would introduce me to his senior, Eddie Chong, who'd help me refine my rudimentary abilities at the time. Down the line of these past years as well, I took the initiative to get my feet wet in some firsthand experience in grappling arts such as JiuJitsu, and even San Shou which has elements which I particulary favor at the moment. Kanretsu Z (Wes) was also a real-life member of the Wing Chun clan out of Hong Kong, as well as a San Shou fighter like myself. So was our friend Kao-Vegeta (Eric) at some point, though he spent more time practicing other styles like Shotokan Karate and whatnot. We all often implemented real-life martial arts techniques into our own unique roleplaying styles at some point. That's what made it really fun. I remember Kanretsu Z (Wes) used to practice Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do under Ted Wong, and I'm pretty sure Dai Kaiou Shin (Andy) also did some Western Boxing. The Z Senshi had no real style, but the heart of it was Wing Chun.
Q. - How do you spell Shin Gouki Z? (I know you spell it with certain symbols)
A. - §hin Gouki Ž
Q. - What does the Z stand for again? (What is the symbolism behind the Z?)
A. - The 'Ž' really doesn't have much symbolism to be honest. Like I mentioned above, at the time, fighting in these chatrooms all had a heave anime influence, and most of us took a strong liking to Dragon Ball. We adopted the Z name at first, because we were all rivals, once opposing forces who one day gathered together and became allies. Similar to the cast of characters in DB, who all came from different backgrounds and styles of combat, so did we. But at the same time, the Ž moniker really became to mean something to all of us over time, as we all grew and matured together. Each of us devoted so much time to being great at what we did. Each of us strived to push our limits, and be shining examples to our peers, showing what one could achieve, if he/she put their minds to it. We all payed our dues, and spent alot of time, trying to give back to others, and keep this whole thing going strong for as long as it could. It's really hard to put into words, really. We all each had a strong, uncanny bond with eachother. These people were honestly some of the best friends I've ever had in my life. So much to the point, where one of these people actually came through for me in REAL life, when I was in a bad situation a few years back. The 'Ž' represented many things to each of us. It represented a Zen-like balance which we all shared with one another, in skill and in spirit, we all felt intertwined, as if we all were once flowing streams, originating from multiple courses, eventually intertwining into one powerfull flowing stream. The Ž represented the 'omega' to the alpha, the end to the beginning. One of us began this particular path long ago, and eventually, one of us shall finish that path. But until then, we all shal walk this great path in arms, together, as one. It's really hard for me to convey in wording.
Q. - Give me a brief history of the Z and Comicity, like a short story I can save.
A. - There's no way I could possibly make this story "brief". There were just too much memories and history behind these things, especially Comicity. Comicity is the place where I felt I finally beagan to step up to the plate, and create a path of my own. There's just so much to tell. After writing this little bit of information, I feel like just rambling on forever about the great things that I experienced in the past. There's just so much memories coursing through my mind right now. Deep inside, I'm reminiscing about the past, yet I'm looking boldy towards the future, all at the same time.
Thanks for the questions man, they've really made my day, whether you realized it or not. It just felt great to look back once again at all this stuff. Theres just so much to tell, I could never put it briefly. All these events changed my life- Just writing this stuff right now, I swear to god, is making my eyes water, from thinking back at all those times.
Again, I thank you very much.
§hin Gouki Ž
Copyright 2000 Kenshiro Maruyama
All Rights Reserved.
Authenticated @ 2003 Dionysus.
Special Thanks to Dai Kiaou Shin, the credited founder of Freestyle.
Extended Copyright © Nathan Dexter 2011
Generated with permission.
Re-Authenticated @ 2011 Liberazi (Dex).
Supported by TCM Enterprises Ltd.
Special Thanks to §hin Gouki Ž (Ken), for allowing this interview.