Aug12013
So, you’re probably wondering how you can get the awesome background we currently have on this site on your desktop, right? Well, even if you aren’t, we have you covered! Go to the Downloads page for a FREE digital download of this awesome background. We have plenty of resolutions for you to choose from so you can rock it out on any of your personal devices. The feature film version of this collage background will be available in the near future. Be on the look out!
Aug12013
One of our tough guy martial artists, Eliot Kelly of El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, shows us just how strong he is as he gets some kinks worked out by Art and his magic hands.
Aug12013
Tony “The Tiger” Mercado
Tony “The Tiger” Mercado is a lively ex-boxer who now spends his days mentoring youth and training up and coming boxers. Not afraid to tell it how it is, and not taking any bull, Tony is a well respected member of his community and is known to stand up for what’s right, especially when it comes to youth. Having grown up in the foster care system himself, he’s made it a point to share close relationships with many outreach organizations and has made it a personal duty to give back to the community and help kids.
Underprivileged children always have a home at his gym, where he’s known to tell stories from his past on a daily basis. He’s been around and recognizes game when he sees it. So, many of Tony’s stories are meant to teach street smarts and inform young boxers about the darker side of the business of boxing, which have served many of his students well. Bobby, a longtime protege of Tony, is a perfect example of such positive influence.
But Tony’s stories are often mixed with a lot of jokes and inappropriate content as well, which the kids tend to love, but doesn’t always sit well with the more straight laced of his peers. There’s definitely no censoring this fun loving, yet hot blooded, character. His robust ways may have earned him a reputation for being blunt and not always polite, but they have also aided in giving him the reputation of being a brave, honorable and largely selfless man. Time has taught him patience and has soothed his temper. But it definitely hasn’t toned down his hilarious, and often crude, sense of humor!
Ahiga knows this sense of humor all too well. Tony and Ahiga have been friends since they were teens and came up together in the boxing world. When Ahiga made the decision to suddenly leave boxing early on in his incredibly successful career, Tony was as shocked as anyone. It was only Tony, with him being Ahiga’s best friend, and a select few other persons that Ahiga maintained contact with after his departure from the ring. Tony went on to continue his professional boxing run, having a very fruitful career in any regard, before eventually opening his own gym upon his retirement.
Years later, when Ahiga brought a young boy by the name of Fleet into Tony’s gym, Tony saw not only promise in the boy as a boxer, but also saw an opportunity to bring his friend back into the light. Ahiga had remained in the shadows since his punching days, choosing not to allow his whereabouts to be known by the masses that might still wonder what had happened to the once phenomenal boxer. And because of his miraculous feats, as well as his utter disappearance, he is now thought of in the boxing ranks as more of a legend than actual man.
As Tony has continued to help train Fleet, as well as represent him in all of Fleet’s public athletic competition endeavors, he has also continued to have the hope that one day Fleet will be able to bring Ahiga back into the world, allowing all of society to benefit from the unique and powerful mindset Ahiga possesses. But no matter the outcome of his good friend, Tony’s focus is on doing everything he can to ensure Fleet is ready to beat the current champ, Hanson Hansome Kelly, who is the protege of an old buddy named Henry Page, and who also happens to be managed by one of sleaziest scoundrels in the sport, Cecil Claremont, who has it out for Tony…..boy would Tony love to knock Cecil out.
Sep142023
Kung Fu Stone Prepares
The heroic Kung Fu Stone has a past shrouded in mystery. A ghost is he to many. Only whispers speak of his legendary skill. But some myths are true.
Now, dedicated he is to avenging the innocents who have beckoned him from his secluded refuge. The journey he must embark on will be long, filled with many challenges. The young man tasked with being his aid must learn quickly or perish, for this quest is not for the weak willed.
Time has only delayed the fate of Kung Fu Stone. Its hands have finally struck his hour. He must now prove his grit.
Mar22015
Bobby
Every great fighter has a great team behind him. Much of Fleet’s success comes from his neverending support system, from his mom, to his mentor, Ahiga, to his trainer, Tony, to even his neighborhood market owner, Mr. Jenkins. Bobby is the guy every fighter wants in his corner. And Fleet is lucky to have him.
Bobby was a pretty good boxer himself, until an injury took his fighting days away from him. He trained under Tony for years, and had the heart of a champion, although he just didn’t quite have the talent to actually be one. Still, he understands what it takes to be a champ and gives his all to help up and coming fighters reach their goals. It was only natural he stayed with Tony after his career ended, helping his former coach with his gym and the training of young fighters. Fleet was just turning pro around the time of Bobby’s transition from fighter to corner man. The two had always shared a good relationship. And Fleet has always been happy to have Bobby in his corner.
When Bobby isn’t helping Tony train his fighters, or doing gym duties, he loves to be a part of the entertainment scene in the city. He’s done some commercials and it is his second life in entertainment which gave him his first glimpse of a young actress, named Grace Justice, trying to make a name for herself in the Sacramento and Bay Area film and TV societies. Grace turned her focus to journalism early on in her career, with her catching wind of a stewing rivalry between two local, up and coming amateur boxers in the first year of her employment at one of Sacramento’s newspapers. The story of the ongoing rivalry between Hanson Hansome Kelly and Fleet Blackwood has been her personal jewel ever since…..and it’s been Bobby’s ongoing opportunity to try to win Grace over.
Mar42014
Henry Page
Henry has a lot of confidence in his prodigy, Hanson. Despite the bad attitude Hanson displays constantly, Henry stays true to his disciple, regularly having to aid in covering up Hanson’s mishaps and poor decisions and getting the brandishing champ out of the trouble that he seems to search for. It doesn’t help that Hanson demands the company of certain people Henry would rather not have around, like his leeching companion, Craig, who often interferes with Henry’s training of Hanson and who also never seems to shut up.
Henry knows he shouldn’t be feeding into his protege’s recklessness and ill temperament. But he’s taught himself to just look the other way. His pride has made him put the morals and good nature he grew up having to the side for the sake of winning, something he himself could never quite accomplish during his boxing career, at least not to the level he desired…to the level of Hanson. Henry is a perfect example of someone living his dreams through another person.
Just ask his old pal Tony, Henry’s not a bad guy. He’s just afraid to lose. And he’s caught up in the hype of everything. He’s allowed himself to be over influenced and largely controlled by the wrong people. His love for the sport has played second string to his hunger for success. Tony feels Henry officially sold his soul once he allowed Hanson to sign with Cecil Claremont as his manager. “Sure, Hanson might get a fast road to the belt. But nothing good will come from it but a bag of shit,” Tony was quoted saying.
Henry’s craving for success has diminished his path, often clouding his better judgment. But when his pupils are successful he feels like he is too. So, he justifies his actions, or lack there of, with the results he obtains.
Furthermore, no matter what it might seem to outsiders, Henry does share a special bond with Hanson, as the champ has always remained loyal to his longtime trainer. Henry put his neck, and financial well being, on the line for Hanson more times than once during Hanson’s come up. And Hanson, despite his lack of apparent good nature, is not one to forget who has his back….hence people like Craig.
Deep down Henry knows Hanson’s time is coming though. He recognizes the potential Fleet has in taking down his champion. And it scares the crap out of him.
Aug182013
Grace Justice
Grace is a local Sacramento newspaper reporter well known within the surrounding communities. Since her earlier days of striving to be a film and television actress, she’s always pushed to make a name for herself. But don’t let her desire for stardom fool you. This tenacious, but always professionally-minded and respectable, lady of the press is in love with her work, having a real passion for truth. She never lets her own vanity get in the way of what’s right. And she is quite selfless when it comes down to it.
In fact, Grace’s main flaw, if you want to call it a flaw, is her conscience and good spirit often get the better of her, not allowing her to do a lot of things her colleagues would in order to move up the ladder. Her sense of righteousness often annoys her peers and tends to make her the laughing stock as they regularly mock her behind her back. However, those of her colleagues that would mock her know doing so behind her back is the only viable option. Facing Grace face to face means battle because she’s quick to defend herself with her intellect and will often go overboard in her defensive debates, not letting things go lightly. She is the last person you want to get into an argument with!
Grace isn’t all talk though. She can easily bite back with more than just words, furthering her wits to her advantage. She is quick to pick up on things through observation and especially through speech. So, you’re not going to pull one over on her easily.
Knowledge is power. This is the creed of Ms. Justice. Always calculating, Grace has used her natural intelligence to make up for her lacking qualities. A perfect example would be how she studied case files, tagged along with local detectives and even went as far as to live on the streets for intermittent periods, all for the sake of learning some valuable street smarts so to better understand where to find the most grimy underground stories.
All in all, Grace possesses the perfect reporter’s attributes, aside from the inability to give in to the dark side of news to get ahead, which, sadly, could make things so much more simple in her quest to be the best. But her persistence, never ending tenacity and pursuit for the ultimate story keeps her going. She’s determined to find her success, but only through being good at her work, not by selling out.
An obsession for years, Grace finds the story of Fleet and his boxing rival, Hanson, very intriguing. She has been following their feud, as well as their separate journeys, for some time. When the time came for the two young men to meet while still amateurs she was there to get the story of the locally long-awaited sports event. However, when things went down a different road she was left disappointed, like so many others.
Due to her commitment to professionalism, she can’t take sides. But deep down she likely is routing for Fleet, as she’s witnessed his road to this point, and knows quite well the type of person he is. She’s of course seen Hanson’s ascension as well. But let’s just say Fleet has been the kinder of the two towards her throughout the years.
Grace has become sort of a regular around Tony’s gym, always being welcome around Team Blackwood. If it was up to Bobby, a member of Fleet’s corner team and Tony’s right hand man, Grace would never leave. He’s had his eyes on her since her acting days.
Now, with Fleet finally meeting Hanson in the ring, this diligent reporter named Grace Justice is there to witness an ending to her story that has been years in the making. This is the finale she’s been waiting for. This is her story, her baby, and it will finally be complete. And no one is going to get in her way, or dare not steal it from her! Her career depends on it.
Mar52014
Ms. Blackwood
Fleet’s caring mother, Ms. Blackwood was very tentative in allowing Fleet to start boxing when he was a boy. But she realizes now it was one of the best decisions she ever made for her son, and for herself. Even though she knows Fleet’s advanced abilities protect him in the ring, it still doesn’t stop her from getting nervous as all heck when he fights! Fleet is her life. And his safety and well-being is at the top of her priority list.
Ms. Blackwood went through a lot of struggle with raising Fleet, with his father leaving them not long after Fleet was born. She decided immediately when this happened that she would not cry and she would not make excuses. She fought her personal demons along the way and made things work, not allowing her circumstances to overcome her family. Few people understand that it’s really from his strong-willed mother that Fleet gets much of his determination, work ethic and inner power.
Once turned off by the idea of her son throwing fists in the ring for a career, Ms. Blackwood has allowed herself to “get use to it”, realizing Fleet’s talent. She owes so much gratitude to Ahiga for finding Fleet, seeing something in him. All these years of his service to her son has earned her undying respect and appreciation. She thinks of both Ahiga and Tony as family. Without them, she doesn’t know what would have happened to Fleet….or herself.
Aug12013
Black Leavz, Grand Oak of the Dark Oaks
Black Leavz is the eccentric gang leader supreme of the Dark Oaks, a feared and numerous community of thugs, bandits and stone cold killers. Although he might come off as a bit outlandish, don’t take his peculiar nature as a weakness. He’s not a dude you want to catch in a bad mood. And he’s likely to flip any second. So, watch out!
Smarter than he looks, Black Leavz is constantly trying to prove his intelligence to those around him. But this often makes him eat his own tongue, as his overcompensation can lead to him making himself sound less intelligent than he would like. Nevertheless, he is a man of many words, which can be quite overpowering for most people as he uses his speech and bizarre ways to execute mind games. These tactics are very often mistaken for him being a buffoon or just plain crazy. Rest assured, that’s exactly what he wants, always keeping his victims on their toes, as well as giving them false comfort, never sure what to make of him, or overly sure of what to make of him. There’s nothing better to this unique man than to…
“….fuck over a smarty nitty willy mutha fucka that thinks he’s too good for Black Leavz.”
– Black Leavz
However, Black Leavz isn’t all about himself. He is also a man who has come to appreciate a good mind, showing admiration and respect for such. For those he sees as having lesser minds, well, that’s a different story. If you do fall into his “dumby list”, you will find it better to avoid him altogether. He tends to look down on those persons who aren’t as intellectually savvy as he, or at least he views himself to be, especially the lesser ranked members of his own gang. His demeaning treatment can be, uuuuh…..harsh. And when you’re in his world you better expect nothing else. Black Leavz plays by his own rules.
Holding the highest rank of Grand Oak, Black Leavz has built an empire throughout the city. His strategic mind and tactics are unmatched by his rivals, earning him relentless loyalty from the people he considers more of a family than mere gang. Such loyalty is demonstrated through his right hand and left hand men, E Bud and Rootie-too, who never leave their leader unprotected.
The fact that Black Leavz openly chooses to remain in the cradle of the streets rather than hide away in a more luxurious abode also brings much respect from his subjects, living with “the people” and all. Some say this proves he is real to the cause, that he is true and hard. Some say this just further shows he’s cray-cray! He’d say it’s strategy….and that he just feels more comfort in the streets, where he was born and raised.
But little known to many, Black Leavz doesn’t just aim to maintain his empire at its current state. His sites are set on expanding well beyond the streets and underground outlets his Dark Oaks openly roam. Who knows where he has had his vast network of soldiers infiltrate….
With his Dark Oaks following his every word, Black Leavz is a force to be reckoned with. Yes, his army has grown strong and notoriously intimidating. One thing he always holds true to though, no matter the situation or his foe, is respect. Question is, is Fleet intelligent enough to figure this out?
Mar52019
E Bud and Rootie-too
Black Leavz has seen to it that the Dark Oaks run thick with quality soldiers. But with such an immense gang network he needs to also have trusted leaders he can rely on to ensure operations run smoothly. There are various levels of leaders withing the Dark Oaks ranks, with the title of oak general being the top of the totem pole, right below Black Leavz himself, the Grand Oak. The Dark Oaks generals report directly to their leader supreme.
In addition to his oak generals, Black Leavz also knows he should always have dependable men at his side to help him take care of the nitty gritty…..so comes in his right hand and left hand men. Each of these men hold a rank on their own. Each has a specific purpose.
E Bud, Oak General of Battle and Black Leavz’s Right Branch
Black Leavz’s right hand man, or right branch, E Bud, is a cold mutha…”SHUT YO MOUTH!” Known as Black Leavz’s hardened muscle, E Bud is the Oak General of Battle. It is his job to ensure the street muscle game of the Dark Oaks is on point. He is entrusted to train the Dark Oaks in the many ways of street combat, with and without weapons. He also is the highest voice when it comes to enlisting new Dark Oaks members with valuable skill sets involving combat. E Bud also serves as Black Leavz’s personal body guard, protecting his leader nearly at all times. When E Bud has no other choice but to attend other duties away from his Grand Oak he always makes sure Black Leavz is left well guarded with his most trusted soldiers, such as the dependable SloGrow.
Many of the Dark Oaks consider E Bud as Black Leavz’s true successor, the true number 2 in charge. But, as there are many other oak generals, this isn’t fact, for Black Leavz has many prospects to take his place if the day comes for his departure as the Grand Oak. And the last thing on Black Leavz’s mind is the relinquishing of his power. In death do they part.
Lucky for Black Leavz, E Bud is his most loyal soldier, having been raised as a Dark Oak from the time he was seven. Nevertheless, some say the reason Black Leavz keeps him so close is because he fears the potential of his Oak General of Battle. But these are whispers in the night. If anyone were to openly let Black Leavz or E Bud catch wind of this theory they would be handled…..severely.
Rootie-too, Cedar Captain of Entertainment and Black Leavz’s Left Branch
Black Leavz’s left branch is a more interesting choice, and demonstrates the Grand Oak’s often odd ways. Rootie-too is the type that can’t keep his mouth shut. He’s a joker, a clown. And many of the Dark Oaks have a hard time respecting him when respect is such an honored element to the Dark Oaks’ code. So, why then has Black Leavz made Rootie-too his left hand man?
The way Black Leavz sees it, there should always be an example of what not to be. There should always be someone by his side that makes him look good in comparison, just as there should always be someone by his side that demonstrates the success of his leadership, as with E Bud. Rootie-too is Black Leavz’s outlet to show his power to his Dark Oaks. It’s like he is Black Leavz’s punching bag, his way to take out frustration.
“Do this Rootie-too. Do that Rootie-too. Mutha Fucka, shut the fuck up!” This is what it is to be Rootie-too. But why does he take it? Why does Rootie-too serve when he is often made the fool? Simple answer….opportunity.
Despite the lack of respect he might get from his position, he has more respect than he would without it. He knows he has the chance to make something of himself. He knows Black Leavz must see something in him. And he does.
There is more purpose to Rootie-too for Black Leavz than simply being his court jester. He also recognizes the loyalty in his left branch. He sees his sturdy spirit and undying determination to make something more of himself. After all, not everyone can get clowned on as much as Rootie-too and still keep their head up and keep pushing forward. There is promise in him. He just needs to learn how to control that mouth of his!
So, in a way, Rootie-too also serves as Black Leavz’s personal experiment. He aims to make something great out of this comedian, further exemplifying his greatness as a leader. Black Leavz’s strategic mind is only rivaled by his creativity. For only someone with such creativity sees the strategy of giving someone such as Rootie-too a prominent position. He knows his left branch would never get to where he is without an open hand out to get him there, as he has given him. And he also knows Rootie-too will continue to be one of his most loyal subjects, pushing himself to excel beyond the expectations of his peers, because of it.
As it is now, Rootie-too holds the rank of cedar captain. His full title is Cedar Captain of Entertainment. He sees to the social activity side of the Dark Oaks. Many might consider this to be an unneeded role in the gang. But Black Leavz understands how important it is to keep his family happy. A happy family equals a loyal family. So, Rootie-too makes sure everyone is well taken care of by way of social events, technology, human entertainment and other more alcoholic and medicinal based activities.
E Bud and Rootie-too
It’s like ying and yang with E Bud and Rootie-too. But through these two men Black Leavz knows he has security and a tighter grip on his empire. By having them by his side, along with the divisions they see over, he demonstrates his intelligence and control. And he gains further respect and power.
If Fleet ever comes face to face with Black Leavz he better be certain he’ll be meeting E Bud and Rootie-too as well.
Black Leavz says, "I don't think so mutha $#&$*!
