Fearless

Mar08
by on March 8, 2012 at 12:02 am
Posted In: Blog

As you might have noticed lately, I’ve been trying to blog on off days with certain goings ons. I know most of you are here for the girl wrestling drama but I know some of you are here because you like me or you like my art. Touching on both points, I’d like to share with you a table top role-playing game I’ve been playing lately, DC adventures.

Yep, it’s the DC comics universe that houses Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Adam and Saturn Girl though me and my friends are all created characters. The game mechanics are a hybrid of D20 and the Mutant and Masterminds rules. I personally think the D20 system is probably one of the best RPG systems ever invented. I’ve not played D&D 4th ed, or even Pathfinder/D&D 3.5 and have heard good things, but I can’t speak to that, but I’ve played a ton of other systems including Palladium, GURPS, the original DC RPG, Marvel Super-heroes, Shadowrun, Vampire, Twilight 2000, Star Wars (both versions), etc. So, I’ve been around a few systems. I have to admit though, that when I first started, I was a little lost. My Gamemaster recently had us reverse engineer our characters to make sure they were accurate. This exercise cinched it for me, and there isn’t any confusion anymore and I’m positive that it’s a good fit for casual or hardcore gamers.

The setting is our Earth (DC comics universe-Earth), and in the fictional city of Grand City. I’d like to introduce you to my character, Jake Story. He grew up in Grand City and at an early age was bitten (figuratively) for a desire to get out of his hometown. A football scholarship helped him get out, but a coach’s ethics scandal kept potential recruiters away. Jake started working in the theatre and while he wouldn’t be the bard in summer stock, he’d learned enough to be a solid actor, and with a knack for physicality which lead to his current profession: Stunt man!

His latest movie gig took him back to Grand City and found he hadn’t missed it. Like a forgotten museum display, nothing changed. Jake was different though. He had flight, super-strength, regeneration, impervious skin and few other power stunts that usually involve destroying the nearby environment. (Hint: Names like, ‘Thunderclap,’ ‘Groundstrike,’ and ‘Shockwave.’ ) He also had a super-hero name to go along with his new superness: FEARLESS.

Things change, and events unfolded over the next few months to not only develop a fierce protectiveness for the city, but also bring out a hardened sense of responsibility. And, there’s a girl too. Isn’t there always?

More next time!

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New Women’s Strikeforce Champion!

Mar06
by on March 6, 2012 at 12:02 am
Posted In: Blog

I have to admit it: I was wrong. I really thought that world champion Miesha Tate was going to edge challenger Ronda Rousey in a 4 out of 5 round fight that would see her keeping Ronda away with superior striking and wrestling. But if you saw the fight on Saturday, you’ll see that Ronda, in her fifth fight of her MMA career nearly ripped the champ’s arm off to win her first MMA world championship.

Ronda is a bronze Olympic medalist in Judo, which clearly speaks for itself. Miesha, the defending champ, also has an impressive resume, and you know, the champ. After all the big talk (Ronda said that she could beat Miesha AND her boyfriend), the hyperbole and press conferences we got an explosive round of fighting. The ladies started off fast and furious and within a minute, the champ, Miesha found herself in danger of having her arm ripped off. She worked and fought, and finally found her way out of the armbar. A minute later, we saw Ronda giving up her back to Miesha but again, it was short lived. After some striking, and a mad ground scramble that started with a ridiculously awesome judo toss by Ronda, Ronda wickedly yanked back on Miesha’s arm and while Miesha gamely fought on, she had to tap out. Reports are that the X-rays came back negative. No broken bones, thankfully. No word on Miesha’s ego.

I have to admit that I was hoping for more from Ronda’s post-fight victory speech. She mildly praised Miesha, but when asked point-blank if the ‘beef’ was squashed between them, she went on about how Miesha’s call for her to get fined for their press conference scuffle. Meh. Ronda won and took Miesha’s title. There is no beef, amiright?

That’s not to say that Miesha won’t be back to fight another day. She certainly will but the posturing has paid off for Ronda in a serious way as the new champ and now the face of woman’s MMA. Not bad for someone who talked their way into a championship fight. Next up for Ronda will be Sarah Kaufman and while it probably won’t be as big as this fight, it should stick in the mind of casual and diehard MMA fans alike and really that’s great news for everybody.

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Strikeforce Women’s Championship match

Mar01
by on March 1, 2012 at 12:02 am
Posted In: Blog

This Saturday, March 3rd in Columbus, Ohio (one of my favorite cities) will be host to the first ever Strikeforce main event headlined by the women’s championship belt. The champ, Miesha Tate (12-2) in her first title defense against 4-0 ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey. Women’s MMA has existed in the cage since the mid-90’s but it’s only now starting to get some traction in the media spotlight and even the participants aren’t shying away from the fact that it’s because two attractive women are involved. To the ladies credit, they have been waging a war of words via twitter and Facebook. It’s not quite Mike Tyson’s declaration that he wants to kill Lennox Lewis and eat his children, but I find it just as entertaining: “If you weren’t pretty, it wouldn’t matter what you said or didn’t say,” Miesha says. “If we push the ‘hot chicks’ to fight each other for a title, we’re going to get a lot of attention,” Ronda said at the time. “That’s why I’d rather fight Miesha for a title instead of Sarah Kaufman. Because she’s good-looking and marketable.” Tate’s ‘gimmie respect’ attitude is the perfect foil to Rousey, trash-talking upstart akin to what Brock Lesnar did to get a title shot (and victory) with a 4-2 record.

Ronda Rousey

Now there are some folks, male and female, who don’t like the idea of two women, pretty or not, pounding each other to a bloody mess. Truthfully, I think the same can be sad for the guys. Sure, they don’t say it, but universally everyone groaned when they saw last weekend, Frankie Edgar’s nose getting busted and bleeding everywhere. I think if people can watch the fight with the idea that this is an athletic competition, they’ll find themselves enjoying the match.

The thing is that there’s no telling if the media attention is going to stay on women’s MMA after this fight. If the fight is an exciting fight, maybe. I don’t expect the Rousey or Tate are going to sandbag this fight with Tate defending her belt and Rousey putting opponents away in 60 seconds or less but the division certainly could use some lasting star power. Maybe this is the start of that?

Miesha Tate-Champion

To break down the fight a little bit, Miesha has an impressive record and is a solid wrestler. Ronda is an Olympic bronze medalist who’s 4 wins have come fast and furious. I think wrestling wins out over judo, but it’s hard to argue with undefeated success. With that in mind, I think the champ keeps the belt even if Vegas currently has Ronda as a 4-1 favorite. I’m a fan of Ronda’s (as if her ‘Rowdy’ nickname, after Roddy Piper couldn’t have told you) but it all stacks up that Miesha has more experience in general, but also in striking, which we haven’t seen from Ronda. Plus, if the match goes longer than 60 seconds, who knows how well Ronda will hold up? Sure her conditioning is superb but when you win your fights at sub-atomic speeds, that lack of cage-time can hurt you. I’m thinking of Kody MacKenzie.

In any case, the spotlight is on them right now. It’s up to them to make it stick around for their own futures and the future of the division.

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