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(Content Warning/Note: This podcast was recorded back in February, about three weeks after the shooting in Parkland, Florida at Stoneman Douglas High School. The topics we discuss relate to this event heavily. Listener discretion advised.)I have to be up front, we tackle some heavy stuff on this episode. I spoke with my former armed security colleague and US Marine (ret.), Luke Marshall. We reflect on the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, and attempt to reconcile some differences regarding the status and looming question of firearms in our society and the impact of gun violence. I've entitled this "Part I" because i hope this conversation to be an ongoing one.=============UPCOMING EVENTSI'll be MCing the Lucha Libre Volcanica October match, Dia de Los Muertos, the Battle Royale and Tournament for the Lucha Libre Volcanica Grand Championship! Following the CMLL Debut of Avispa Dorada, the title of LLV Grand Champion has been vacated! Come see the toughest and best Luchadores around fight it out for the title in high-adrenaline Lucha Libre action!Saturday, October 13th, Evolv Fitness1317 Republican St, Seattle, WADoors 8:30 Show 9:00

Welcome back, Warriors! We at Hot Chocolate Media are bringing you something special today, so welcome your Guest Host (yes, we said that right), Jacob Gulliver, of the Movie Machine Podcast! We're bringing a bit of a switcheroo at you to take on each other's podcasts and see how we fare! Spoiler alert, Jacob did a fantastic job! Today we are interview the storied fighter, Mike Sebourn!To hear more of the improv movie business hijinks Jacob and co. are known for, check out the Movie Machine Podcast, only at www.hotchocolatemedia.net!

Welcome back, champions! We're joined in this episode by Marcus Williams, director of Kayfabe: Scenes From a Squared Ring, a play written by Andrew Shanks and produced by Ghost Light Theatricals here in Seattle, and featuring Yours Truly as the wrestler Antaeus. Marcus and I talk about the play, how he came to be involved with it, and our mutual love of the bombastic storytelling that is Pro Wrestling. Kayfabe opens March 9th and plays thru the 24th at the Ballard Underground in Seattle. Tickets can be purchased at ghostlight.strangertickets.com.  “The Great Antaeus is dead. Long Live Antaeus.”  The greek pantheon and professional wrestling collide in KAYFABE, a no-holds-barred family dramedy. After a tragic in-ring accident leaves their father dead, the estranged children of the wrestler, Antaeus, meet to hash out his legacy. But as memories of their father are shared, they soon realize that line between good and bad is far more complicated than what it seems. Based loosely on the Labors of Hercules, KAYFABE blurs the lines between what is real and what is scripted. Between honoring legacy and making your own.  Written by Andrew Shanks Directed by Marcus Williams  Featuring the work of: Natalie Berg, Alexei Cifrese, Scott Corrigan, David Elwyn, Mike Gilson, Dani Hobbs, Justin Johnson Joshua Lamb, Konstantin Lazarov, Patrick Lucey-Conklin, Jordan Michael-Whidbey, MaryKate Moran, Paula Nitka, Allanah Raas-Bergquist, Darrin Schultz,Zoe Schwartz, Dylan Smith and Kiera Stevens.

Welcome back, loyal listeners! We Join you after this long break with something truly special. A couple months ago, I had the privilege of talking shop with Sam Hargrave, professional stuntman, fight choreographer, and Second unit director. If you're as big a fan of Marvel as I am, you've seen his work. He was Chris Evans' stunt and fight double in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as Civil War, Atomic Blonde, as well as the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming Avengers 4 (Untitled). Basically, Kind of a big deal. We talk stunts, Sam's history in the business, his work for Marvel, and just what kind of work and collaboration it takes to make our favorite movies come to life.  Extra special supreme thanks to Sam Hargrave for his patience and time. Tickets for Kayfabe can be purchased at ghostlight.strangertickets.com You can find out more about Lucha Libre Volcanica at luchavolcanica.com

Greetings again dear listeners! It's a huge honor for me to bring you a conversation with Daniele Bolelli! Daniele is an Author, History Professor, and host of the History on Fire Podcast as well as the Drunken Taoist Podcast, which can be found at historyonfire.com. Special thanks to Darryl Cooper of the Martyrmade Podcast (martyrmade.com) for introducing us. I hope you find this as fun and fascinating as I did! Thanks once again to Daniele! It's always a thrill to meet your heroes! Please drop us a line at fightcastfeedback@gmail.com and let us know how we're doing!

Greetings again! We come to you once again from the grounds of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival! I sit down with bowyer and archery expert Cameron Weir, proprieter of Grey Goose Bows. From his start in the SCA to being the owner of his own business and a true craftsman in his own right, Cameron offers some true insights into the art and science of one of humanity's oldest weapon systems.

We're coming to you live from the MN Renaissance Festival (hence the crickets) with some friends and fellow performers, John Zach and Tony Ulfbehrt, of the Order of the Acorn, a performance group of brave and dashing knights sworn to uphold the values of chivalry and honor. John is a veteran of Human Combat Chess, and Tony is both a Marine and former member of the Viking Encampment group here at the Festival. Later on, we're joined by surprise guests, including co-host and FightCast Producer Kirsten Wade! This promises to be a fun and insightful look into creating an act, and drawing in an audience at a venue as challenging as the Festival.

Prepare to dive deep into the realm of myth and legend! Or, at least take a close look at what makes a culture that produces warriors? I'm joined by Daryl Cooper of the Martyrmade Podcast (required listening) to find out more! Daryl's podcast is best known for a multi-part, in depth investigation into the causes and motivations behind the Arab-Israeli conflict, called Fear and Loathing in the New Jerusalem.He's also running a companion series to Daniele Boleili's History on Fire (also required listening) series on the conquest of Mexico, and it's allllll about cannibalism. Maybe listen to that one with headphones on. Anyway, enjoy! Extra super duper special thanks to Daryl Cooper for the time and the fascinating conversation. We can't wait to have him on again.

We're Back, comrades in arms! We have a very special episode today as i sit down with another roundtable of good friends and colleagues to discuss an unfortunately relevant question, and if you read the title, you know what that is. Special thanks to Kirsten Wade for audio engineering, and my heartfelt gratitude to Kirsten, Eryc Strako, Jeremy Jones, and Savannah Dobson for taking part.

It's time to check in with my audience with an update about the world of Fightcast!

We're back for more Mayhem! Kirsten and David resurrect the nerdfight ridiculosity that is Deadliest Warrior! The show, on the cultural monument that was Spike TV, was entertaining in a way that required intoxication to truly enjoy, and doubtless has started more nerd fights than Kirk Vs. Picard. So we tear it to shreds. S1E2 Viking Vs. Samurai

David and Kirsten commiserate over the mediocre and disjointed mess that was Marvel's Iron Fist. We lament the could-haves, what-ifs, and should-have-beens in a series that could have been worth its subpar script if only the fights had been handled like someone gave a damn. Just remember, we're not venting AT you, we're venting WITH you.

Our two-parter on doomed Battleships comes to a close as we retell the fate of the Japanese Imperial Battleship Yamato. The single largest battleship ever built, this absolute monster boasted 18 inch guns and 57,000 fully loaded tons of superweapon. In the last months of the war, she sallied forth on a suicide mission to repel the US forces from Okinawa. Essentially, the only role she could play was as a Kamikaze battleship, choosing to go down fighting to save face at all costs, a fitting fate considering the apocalyptic nature of the war's end. Research for this series came from: The Destruction of the Battleship Bismarck by Holger Herweg and A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato by Russell Spurr

It's part 1 of a unique tale of ill fated Battleships, the Bismarck and the Yamato, two massively armed and armored battleships that were ultimately felled not by other superweapons, but by the new game changer in the field of warfare: the Airplane. Their demise, having never served their intended mission, would mark the end of the battleship era.

In Honor of the recently celebrated International Women's Day, we sit down with Seattle Burlesque performer/DJ/Producer Morgue Anne to discuss our favorite, and sadly less known, fighting women who were absolute badasses by any metric. We cover Boudica, Sadie the Goat, Nedezhda Popova, and more! Prepare for some serious girl power.’

Our first installment in the series Profiles in Psychotic Bravery (working title), David and Kirsten reach into the annals of famous and eccentric badasses with "Fighting Jack" or "Mad" Jack Churchill, the man best known for scoring the last recorded Longbow kill...in World War Two.’

It's a Scifi Shoot-em-up as David and Kirsten discuss their favorite weapons and weapons systems from the world of Science Fiction. Spoilers: The Death Star is destroyed by a teenager.’

Things get a bit technical this episode as David is joined by Spanish Fencing super-enthusiast (master) Ernesto Maldonado to cut to the heart of the Spanish Rapier system, known as Destreza. Plus, David and Ernesto run down a hypothetical fight between a Spanish fencer and a Japanese swordsman. NERD ALERT.’

Twin Cities Comic and Hot Chocolate Media Podcaster Kyle Dekker joins David to talk about his time in the Marines at the time of a major transition in american history, and his introduction to MCMAP, the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program’

Matt Allex joins David and Kirsten at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival to discuss his bumpy history of performing comedy, often at the expense of his own body. We talk shop for performers and why it's so funny to see our fellow apes in pain.