Since I've been here we have two new OCs and a couple of the originals rolling.
There was definitely a bit of a rating systems in my roster. Not everyone was the same.
In fact only four of them were that top flight that would pretty reliably defeat anyone else, challenged only by themselves and each other in a small club.
Let's re-introduce them shall we?
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Don't kid yourself. A top flight elite Judoka is possibly the last person on the planet you want to pick a fight with.
An Olympic sport and the "gentle art" often features people unconscious and gasping for air on the ground or others with arms in slings on their way to hospital.
Maybe not so gentle?
Jewell is one of those top flight players. Mess with her at your peril.
Jewell
"Tap, snap or nap. You decide."
Kimiko's background is more rounded. She started out in Judo also. Wanderlust and interest took her around the world.
Wrestling in the US.
Kickboxing in Thailand and Holland.
And of course Ju Jitsu in Brazil.
She may not be the very best at any one thing. She is very good at all of them.
Kimiko
"I remember Jewell from an junior meet. She wouldn't tap. So I put her to sleep."
Jessica was always a tomboy growing up. Running and climbing in the yard and the trees graduated to cross country and vertical rock walls.
Some parts of the year weather is less tolerable. It's not by choice but inside for swimming and weightlifting.
Her natural strength is impressive. In power lifting she enters meets and wins as often as she comes second.
Jessica's older sister is doing something else. She doesn't know what it is but there is always a load of laundry going with what look like a set of large white pajamas.
Jessica and her older sister are both attractive and both have to fend off the occasional unwelcome suitor. One day one guy gets more assertive, and it's the older sister who pushes the guy away - hard.
Jessica is pissed now. She's not a fighter, just strong and fit and self confident. Did her older sister have any idea the risk she was taking?
The older sister laughs, and now Jessica is really angry. Deciding it's time to teach someone a lesson Jessica makes the tackle.
A few moments later she's waking up still groggy and her sister is talking to her.
"That thing with the pajamas? It's called Judo. You should try it."
And so Jewell's little bigger sister does exactly that.
It's a bit of catch up on the technique side, but it's coming really fast. So fast in fact that Jewell is using Jessica for a training partner as often as she can.
Jessica would still rather be outside than going to meets. So while Jewell is standing on the podium she knows that on any given day it could have been Jessica.
After school Jessica decides to travel. Before she gets very far she lands in Brazil. Between surfing year round and rolling in the local Ju Jitsu school her game changes quite a bit.
And now it's something else together.
Jessica
"Sure you wouldn't rather check the weather outside?"
Marielle did wrestling in high school. Then again in college.
But the scholarship was academic - not athletic.
But it could have been athletic. State and regional meets all contribute to the pile of trophies in the basement.
But right now it's Dr. Marielle now thank you. And this house and pool were earned and paid for very fairly thank you very much.
Studying kinesiology Marielle develops more of an interest in how the human body moves, and bends.
With a background in grappling and this new interest she discovers Ju Jitsu.
With her existing wrestling background and superb intellect the basement is getting cluttered as fast as ever.
One year on holiday she's in Brazil when she decides to roll at a local school.
It's mostly guys and she's really not interested. Not in protecting their fragile egos. Not in the bad breath and beard rash.
But here's one other woman. She's not local either so maybe that's how they find each other and make eye contact.
They can't remember who asked first. One does. The other replies sure.
And so they roll.
After a few minutes the rest of the people in the school start slowing down. Stopping. Watching.
After 15 minutes no-one else is training. Everyone is watching.
Marielle seems to have the better technique. Her training partner seems to have better strength and maybe a little better speed.
After 30 minutes the first fall. They go again. Now they're tired. The second, third, and fourth falls all come in the next 30 minutes again.
One of them asks, "tie breaker". The answer is "yeah!"
Where did they find this extra strength?
It's full speed again. Thirty minutes later the choke hold comes out of nowhere.
No tap - the victim hangs on and fights back. Only to eventually go under.
Collapsing the winner falls onto the mat completely spent.
The loser wakes up after a moment and asks how long.
The answer is just a few seconds. Long enough.
Laughing the two women get up, very slowly, then hug.
After a shower it's a couple of drinks at a quiet nightspot. No one is up for dancing for a couple of days.
And that's how new friends are made.
Marielle and Jessica to be precise.
Marielle
"I know how the human body is supposed to move. And how it isn't."
Jacelyn
I'm not certain why, but from a pure looks perspective I think Jacelyn is my favorite.
Odd.... I mean seriously - pretty much all women are beautiful, and normally I've probably noticed blondes more often. I remember seeing pics of a couple of different Asian fitness models. The long straight jet black hair, the black bikini, the toned physique.
Go figure. That's me anyway.
Jacelyn has always liked the choke out.
Final and solid. Someone taps out or they go to sleep. When she takes your back and sinks her hooks you are almost certainly going to the showers or to sleep.
With a top ground game based in eastern grappling basics she even dabbles a bit in MMA.
Everyone needs a nickname. Hers is "The Singapore Strangler".
Pretty soon people notice something else. Jacelyn does loose the occasional fall and she will tap out. But she never yells or shouts or screams. No matter how much something hurts.
So soon she is "The Silent Strangler".
Jacelyn isn't just good at her ground game. She has another reason for enjoying it so much.
In her private moments away from the mat she'd still prefers the company of other women. Dressed to wrestle or not. Or not...
"I don't like injuring other women. That's why I'd rather put them to sleep."