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Ženkai §enshi™ (est. pre-1996) the oldest guild ever?

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Ženkai §enshi™ (est. pre-1996) the oldest guild ever?

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 12:37 pm

Ženkai §enshi™ is perhaps the oldest surviving and longest reigning text-based RPG on-line fighting gang in all of internet history. Ženkai §enshi™ is primarily a chat-based group, but its origins are said to predate even most chats and forums. Ženkai §enshi™ was originally founded by a single person named Andy from Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com) some time prior to 1996, but nobody knows the exact date for sure because Yahoo! itself didn't even really have chat rooms at that time. Andy's origins and whereabouts remain a mystery to this day, but it's believed he was a Japanese American bilinguist fan of Anime and Arcade games who lingered on Yahoo! for at least a year in 1995 before meeting another Japanese American bilinguist named Ken, who I met on Comicity (www.comicity.com) in the year 2000 along with Ken's friends Eric and Jade, who had invited me to Comicity for an interview.

Ženkai §enshi™ was officially established by Andy and Ken as a duo in around 1996, but Ken himself refered to Andy as his mentor and as someone who had been involved in text-based internet RPG on-line fighing for much longer than himself, to at least 1995 if not earlier. Again it's not sure how this was possible on Yahoo! since it did not have email services, forums or chatrooms at the time. AIM came out in 1997 and YIM not until around 1998, so Andy must have originated from somewhere else prior to Yahoo! as Ken may have suggested or hinted to me. Some rumors suggested he came from Homestead, but even that service didn't exist until 1997 so personally I believe Andy came from IRC in 1994, but nobody really knows and the mystery behind the Ženkai §enshi's true origins still remains today. What we do know is that Ken learned on-line RPG text-based fighting directly from Andy himself in 1996 before Comicity had a chat room. Ken would register with Comicity in 1997 and shortly afterwards Comicity's legendary famous chat would appear. The Ženkai §enshi™ would appear immediately afterwards in Comicity's web portal, and they would go on to last longer than the portal itself, inspiring legends and rivalries that exist even to this day. I was the last member of the Ženkai §enshi™, having been initiated and invited into the Comicity chat group in the year 2000 by Jade, Eric and Ken shortly before the domain was taken down and destroyed permanently.

I was Ken's last student and the last to join the gang. Eric and Jade were not part of the Ženkai §enshi™ proper but were instead, along with their buddy Alex whom I had never met, the arch-rivals of the Ženkai §enshi™ who had formed the Kao-Syndicate in Comicity's chat. Despite the in-game bitter rivalry, the Ženkai §enshi™ and Kao-Syndicate were both madeup of players who shared a strong friendly and respectful connection to one another out-of-character. Some of the other members of the Ženkai §enshi™ who came before me include Nick, Phan, Leo, Wayne, Rob and Griff, all of whom I never met before but I was told legends about from Ken and Eric in Comicity chat in 2000, shortly before it was destroyed by a hacker who still remains anonymous to this day. Ženkai §enshi™ was often called the Ž-Senshi for short, senshi meaning "guardians" or elite warriors. The unique Ž moniker represents many things in symbolic ways. It stands for Zen or the principle of harmony and balance, as there was a mystical connection between the Ženkai §enshi™ and the rival Kao-Syndicate at Comicity.

The famous Ž moniker also stands for strength in unity of numbers. Alone the members of the Ženkai §enshi™ were vulnerable, but together they were indestructible. They were a gang, a group of on-line RPG fighters who shared a personal bond with one another. They had similar histories and spoke the same language, frequently visiting the same chat where they all practiced the same rules and cultural habits. This made them unbreakable as a whole. But perhaps the most heartfelt and meaningful meaning behind the Ž moniker is that it stands for zenith, the highest point when the Ženkai §enshi™ were at their strongest with the most members being active at one time. It also stands for the Z to A, the omega to the alpha, the end to the beginning. Andy started the Ženkai §enshi™ in 1995 and eventually someone will be the last to end it. As of 2017 over twenty years later, I am still here recalling Andy's story and preserving it for future generations to come. It's amazing how much of our RPG history gets lost, forgotten or distorted by myth or lore throughout the decades, even on the internet. I can only hope that someone might remember this story one day, and preserve it for future generations after them, just as I did for the masters and veterans who came before me. But only time will tell I guess. Until then, long live the Ženkai §enshi™ for at least another decade.
Last edited by Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 12:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Ženkai §enshi™ (est. pre-1996) the oldest guild ever?

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 12:48 pm

Ken emailed me this Comicity freestyle tutorial in the year 2000, written by himself, shortly before Comicity (http://www.comicity.com) was hacked and destroyed. Ken's famous Freestyle tutorial is not an alteration, but an elaboration of Eric's less famous Freeform tutorial. So both tutorials can be regarded as two halves of one whole, as it is in fact one system.

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.
Last edited by Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Ženkai §enshi™ (est. pre-1996) the oldest guild ever?

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 12:53 pm

To the best of my knowledge, this relic is the oldest legit RPG rule system on the internet specifically designed for speed-based chat rooms. If an older tutorial exists (unaltered from the original), then I am not aware of its existence. Ženkai §enshi™ and Kao-Syndicate were considered the "guardians" of this sacred relic. Once I was initiated into their circle, I too became entrusted with this knowledge. So here it is, the first Freeform tutorial, unedited and uncut. Eric's tutorial was written first, followed by his mentor Ken's tutorial in 2000, so both Freeform and Freestyle can be regarded as the same RPG system.

COMICITY CHAT FIGHTING RULES 
Written and Discussed in 1999 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 Kao-Vegeta (Eric) and Tairo No Masakado (Alex) of Comicity Chat

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Re: Ženkai §enshi™ (est. pre-1996) the oldest guild ever?

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Obake on Thu Jul 06, 2017 2:41 pm

Ženkai §enshi™ has a long and beautiful history. Despite its obscure origins, there is observable evidence to suggest that the Ženkai §enshi™ existed in Comicity (http://www.comicity.com) since at least mid-1997, which is when Andy's protege Ken first visited the web domain. Ken would train and fight with several other members in Comicity chat who would also join the Ženkai §enshi™ later. Nick, Phan, Leo, Wayne, Rob and Griff were also members of the Ženkai §enshi™ long before I ever visited the Comicity chat, which would place our clan at its peak between 1997-1999, over twenty years ago. Unfortunately, I never got to meet any of them. But I was told by my friends Eric and Jade that they were all once followers and friends of Ken, so in 2000 is when I ventured out from my own domain (http://www.geocities.com) into their own Comicity chat and met with Ken myself for the first time.

Ken first put me through a series of tests and challenges. I was forced to fight the laity of Comicity chat, several non-members of the Ženkai §enshi™ who were also potential candidates for initiation into Ken's clan. I was permitted to use Ki or energy, but forbidden to wear any protective armor or weild any weapons. I had to fight unprotected and unarmed, sometimes against multiple opponents. But after completing a series of challenges, Ken took me under his wing and in the presence of Eric and Jade, the chat watched as I became the new youngest member of the Ženkai §enshi™.

Ženkai §enshi™ has almost a sort of mythos to it. Many fighters from all over the internet as far as AIM, YIM, IRC and MSN have claimed to have altercations with the Ženkai §enshi™ at one time, though historical records are scarce and claims of victory are often refuted by those who were there. Ženkai §enshi™ itself preserved no records or history after their Comicity chat was hacked and taken down. All that remains now are broken web links and scattered files, barely enough to even prove they ever existed at all. But occasionally someone still recalls the old legends from 20 years ago. Every once in a while, someone will say they met Ken or someone from Comicity chat. This is usually either followed by the utmost respect for my clan with fighters even bowing to me and offering me gifts, asking to be my disciples. Or else it is followed by hate and disgust, with fighters claiming to have defeated our clan long ago. And although I have no record of the Ženkai §enshi™ ever being defeated, nor do I myself recall ever losing a single duel in Comicity or Multicity between 1998-2001, it doesn't matter much to me what others say. What says more to me is that all these years later, both our rivals and our friends still remember us. That says more to me than any manner of hatred or respect I have been given, and that means more to me now than any petty rivalry that may have had meaning twenty years ago. I am very proud of my clan. We were not easily forgotten or laid to rest like many other clans were many years ago. The Ženkai §enshi™ still exists as long as one person still remains to tell our story. Long live the Ženkai §enshi™.

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