#RACETRACK AND SOPHIE

[imobsessedwiththeatre]

I think I will take a break from my blog to like a month. Will only post if its somr queen/amrev character, birthday

Tagging some friends so they can see it: @artandother1stuff @sophie-marii @unofficially-racetrack

[thekatebridgerton]

I want the backstories to all of these weddings

I would love to read about amanda and eloise going dress shopping

Okay so the modern Bridgerton Brides backstory would have been told from the perspective of Genevieve (Ginny Delacroix) who is the Bridgertons jack of all trades wedding planner.

She's organanized all the Bridgerton weddings except Francesca's 2nd and Lucy's 1st. But she still keeps the Dress pictures in her portfolio for future reference.

And I just had this idea of Mme Delacroix just going over her best work and adding little notes on what the bride was like, how the groom proposed and whatever she thought was interesting about the dress. So the story would have been in 3rd person with a very unreliable narrator. Because Ginny Delacroix knows things but she doesn't know everything that happened.

Simon and Daphne: they supposedly were engaged for a long time, Hollywood director x Hollywood starlet kind of romance, it wasn't until Ginny was called to organize the wedding of the century in like a week, that she found out that Saphne was actually a publicity stunt and now they had to get married because Simon's investors were suspecting him of running a long con to get his hands on the movie deals he wanted and give the starring roles to Daphne. Delacroix &Co was given free reign on the budget and to this day it's been the most extravagant affair she's organized for the Bridgertons.

Anthony and Kate: bitter Buisness rivals, Anthony crossed the line by chatting up Kate's sister in a club and Kate made it her mission to block all of his major deals for the next business quarter. Nobody knows what was happening behind the scenes, Ginny always suspected they were banging because come on, those kind of flaming looks they gave each other at the Saphne wedding. But anyway flash forward a few months later, Ginny gets called in the middle of the night to plan a wedding for next week, because all the news trending on Twitter had pictures of the award ceremony in which the paparazzi caught Anthony with his hands on Kate's boobs. Ginny knows that in reality Kate's dress had a bra malfunction and Anthony's first instinct was to cover up her boobs with his hands before she could flash the whole internet. But he claims he was proposing to her in a very intimate way and is now suing the press for invasion of privacy. There was a bee involved in that whole mess, but Ginny never got the whole story. So in the end for the sake of saving face with Kate's family they got married in a wedding that was a mix of Indian rituals and British marriage traditions

Benedict and Sophie: Ginny actually gave them a discount for this one, because Sophie is her friend. Benedict apparently got injured in the racetrack one day and Sophie was hired as his live in doctor. Turns out they had history together, because she had a one night stand with him, back when Benedict was in college and then just never called him. They had some sort of whrilwind romance where Sophie refused to sleep with him, because she felt he really didn't care about her as a person and everyone in the comment section of his Instagram thought that she was holding out for a ring because he's rich. So when Benedict resigned Bridgerton industries to follow his dreams of being a painter it came as a surprise that Sophie was fully okay with being the main breadwinner while he got his feet off the ground. They had a very simple wedding on the beach and Sophie refused to let Anthony fund any of it. Benedict too, paid out of his own earnings, not his family money. And yes, she was indeed waiting to be cleared from charges after a wrongful arrest when Benedict proposed. Nobody has let him live it down yet

Colin and Penelope: long story short Penelope and Colin used to be friends, but Pen realized she was being taken for granted and took a break from hanging out with Colin, which in turn made Colin needy and woke him up to the fact that he couldn't live without her. okay so maybe it's a little harsh to say Penelope got proposed to by a stalker, but that's because Ginny is still mad at Colin for literally tracking down Penelope's wreabouts using Ginny's Instagram posts, since back then, Ginny was in France photographing Penelope for a new ad campaign that was going to be in Delacroix &Co website. And then to add insult to injury just when Ginny thought she'd have 3 months to plan the wedding between her long time friend and the guy said friend had a crush on since forever. Violet Bridgerton calls and asks for the wedding to be ready in 3 weeks because Pen is pregnant... EXCUSE ME! Ginny knows for a fact that Penelope has an arm implant. Colin said whaaat?. Ginny's revenge was that see trough, sexy, wedding dress, the wedding planner wanted to make sure that Penelope's something blue would be Colin's balls. And Portia's outrage was only a bonus

Eloise and Phillip: Ginny really has very few details on this one, Eloise never wanted to have a wedding, never even wanted to get married. But she had to download a dating app for an investigation piece at her feminist magazine and the first guy she met was a Cambridge professor who agreed with everything she said, and they hit it off or so they claim. Ginny was under the impression that Eloise was simply taking advantage of the guy's house in central London since Phillip let her crash there on the weekends without paying for a hotel. But no it turned out that Eloise did like him and she liked his children too. Whatever happened with Phillip and the twins inspired Eloise to go more into activism that focused on domestic abusers. Honestly Eloise only agreed to get married for legal reasons (like being allowed in a hospital if they were sick) and because she felt that Phillip and the kids didn't have enough positive memories in their lives and it would be a shame to rob them of a family moment like a wedding, even a barely there wedding. No matter how much she does still think marriage is a piece of paper. One day Eloise took Amanda to the mall, showed her around the boutiques and told the kid to pick any dress she wanted her new step mom to wear. Phillip let Oliver pick his tux. Everything was off the rack and barely cost much, the rest of the Bridgertons ended up meeting Phillip and the twins the weekend before the wedding. When Eloise remembered to contact Ginny about organizing a quick after-party to soothe her family's anger. She's so independent honestly forgot to tell them she was dating someone, honest. Now, everytime anyone forgets to tell her something, they remind her that she forgot to tell her them she was even getting married

Francesca and John: this wedding is the crown jewel of Ginny Delacroix wedding planning work. Everything was perfect, years in the making, no shenanigans, Violet was so proud! Anthony was so proud! Ginny herself was so proud! St Paul himself would have been proud... aaaand the groom died 2 years later. Yeah not something Francesca likes to talk about

Francesca and Michael: the wedding that made Ginny Delacroix blacklist a Bridgerton! How could they do this to her. Not only did Francesca get married in Vegas wearing a dress that was basically a mini dress with a white tablecloth tied to the hips. But she married the playboy billionaire Rock Star cousin of her deceased husband. Francesca really said go big or go home, went from the cute, interior designer wife of a Scottish lawyer to the ball busting manager wife of a Rock Star. Ginny knows there's a story there! She just knows Michael did some sort of voodoo on Francesca during that trip to Vegas. But she's never managed to pin them down long enough to confirm her theories

Lucy and Ricky: the slimy stingy toad of a man that is Lucy's uncle, planned that wedding, and it shows because it was ugly as hell. Gregory conned Ginny into attending as his plus one and you could tell Don Abernathy was embezzling his niece money by the cheap way the wedding was set up. Ricky Haselby had more chemistry with his groomsman and at one point when the cops showed up to arrest Lucy's uncle and Rick's father, the bride actually took a knife from the buffet table and slashed her dress to make it shorter and run for her life. Good for her! Good for her!!

Gregory and Lucy: Beautiful mess, Ginny pulled every string she could to give them a wedding worth talking about within days of Gregory's dramatic kidnapping proposal. Good for her for wearing pants too! How it happened? Ginny Delacroix doesn't have details either. Something something about Lucy being Gregory's wingman with Hermione and ending up seduced herself. Ginny doesn't care, what she cares about is that Lucy's uncle went to jail ! That was incredible entertainment! Also, she totally gave Haselby and his groomsman her card when Gregory and Lucy were having their first dance

Hyacinth and Gareth: The official story is that Hyacinth and Gareth met as children in his grandmothers Academy and then as adults they reconnected and he proposed in a very normal way, with a flash mob and a boom box, you know, if Hyacinth broadcasting her entire relationship in TikTok is considered normal. I think Hyacinth got so much sponsorship deals just to turn her wedding into a event for her followers that it didn't even matter that Gareth was indeed pretty much flat broke at the time because his father disowned him for chosing Hyacinth over the St Clair fortune and demanded he breakup with her. He proposed instead. She wanted to elope but her mom wanted her to have a nice wedding and so did grandma Danbury so Hyacinth did the next best thing and turn her wedding into profit 🤩🤩🤩. Ginny was impressed by how many internet strangers were sending Hyacinth and Gareth money to film her wedding after she told all her followers that her wedding was going to be a private affair. Well joke is on St Clair senior because the bank Hyacinth's TikToks made with Gareth, actually covered all of the wedding expenses. And After that they just decided to become full time content creators. Last Ginny heard of Hyacinth and Gareth they had a great TikTok and YouTube variety channel

And that's more or less the backstory of this au

[stepphase]

Gran Turismo: AI Explodes Lewis Hamilton's Best Time, Setting New Benchmark for Virtual Racing

In the realm of virtual motorsports, a new era has dawned. Sony AI's groundbreaking artificial intelligence agent, Sophy, has obliterated the legendary Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton's record-setting lap time in Gran Turismo Sport, a feat that has sent shockwaves through the gaming community. This remarkable achievement marks a significant leap forward in the evolution of AI-powered racing, demonstrating the immense potential of AI to not only match but surpass human capabilities.

Sophy's Record-Breaking Run

Sophy's record-breaking lap time of 5 minutes and 22.975 seconds at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, widely regarded as the world's most challenging racetrack, stands an astonishing 17 seconds faster than Hamilton's previous record. This remarkable feat was accomplished without compromising racing rules, showcasing Sophy's ability to navigate the track's intricate corners and exploit its nuances to achieve peak performance.

The Significance of Sophy's Achievement

Sophy's record-breaking performance is a testament to the rapid advancement of AI technology in the field of virtual motorsports. AI agents are no longer confined to predictable racing lines and robotic driving styles; they are now capable of learning, adapting, and ultimately outperforming even the most skilled human drivers.

This breakthrough has profound implications for the future of virtual racing. AI agents like Sophy have the potential to revolutionize the gaming experience, providing players with formidable opponents and pushing the boundaries of virtual motorsports competition.

The Future of AI-Powered Racing

The future of AI-powered racing is brimming with exciting possibilities. AI agents like Sophy will continue to evolve, becoming even more adept at learning, adapting, and mastering the intricacies of racing. This will lead to more challenging and unpredictable competition, pushing both AI and human drivers to their limits.

In addition to enhancing the gaming experience, AI agents like Sophy can also serve as valuable training tools for aspiring racecar drivers. By providing real-time feedback and insights, AI can help drivers refine their techniques and optimize their performance.

https://youtu.be/6kUpOmEQLno

Gran Turismo New Benchmark for Virtual Racing

The Rise of AI in Virtual Motorsports

In the exhilarating realm of virtual motorsports, a new era has dawned, marked by the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence (AI) agents. These sophisticated algorithms, capable of learning, adapting, and executing complex maneuvers with unparalleled precision, are transforming the landscape of virtual racing.

Sony AI's groundbreaking AI agent, Sophy, has emerged as a frontrunner in this technological revolution. Its recent triumph in Gran Turismo Sport, where it shattered Lewis Hamilton's record-setting lap time, has sent shockwaves through the gaming community. This remarkable feat stands as a testament to the immense potential of AI to not only match but surpass human capabilities in the virtual realm of motorsports.

AI as a Training Tool

In addition to enhancing the gaming experience, AI agents like Sophy can also serve as valuable training tools for aspiring racecar drivers. By providing real-time feedback and insights, AI can help drivers refine their techniques, optimize their performance, and gain a deeper understanding of racing strategies.

The Road Ahead

The future of AI-powered racing is brimming with exciting possibilities. AI agents like Sophy will continue to evolve, becoming even more adept at learning, adapting, and mastering the intricacies of racing. This will lead to more challenging and unpredictable competitions, pushing both AI and human drivers to their limits.

In addition to enhancing the gaming experience and serving as training tools, AI agents can also contribute to the development of autonomous vehicles. By learning to navigate complex environments and make real-time decisions in challenging situations, AI agents can provide valuable insights into the development of self-driving cars.

Conclusion

Sophy's record-breaking performance in Gran Turismo Sport marks a watershed moment in the evolution of AI-powered racing. It is a testament to the immense potential of AI to not only replicate but surpass human capabilities, opening up a new era of virtual motorsports competition and training. As AI agents continue to learn, adapt, and improve, the future of virtual racing promises to be even more thrilling and unpredictable than ever before.

#Stepphase #technologies #technology #tech #technews #techworld #techtrends #smartphone #apple #techupdates #futuretechnology #newtech #techgeek #technologynews #technologythesedays #smarttechnology #technologylover #technologytrends #technologyblog #gadgets #smartphone #gadget #marketing #digital #india #technologyisawesome #amazing #repost

[blackholerobots]

Sony’s racing car AI just destroyed its human competitors—by being nice (and fast)

[addie-your-queen]

Addie's Mood Boards

All can be found under the tag 'Addie's Mood Boards'.

Requests welcome

Hi! I am currently trying to edit some of my mood boards. I will put a small heart next to the already edited ones, or ones I don't plan to edit!

COLORS

Lavender (Link) ♥️

Teal (Link) ♥️

Mint (Link) ♥️

PRIDE FLAGS

Bisexual Roses (Link) ♥️

HARRY POTTER

Wolfstar (Remus x Sirius) (Link) ♥️

NEWSIES

Newsies Blue Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Katherine Plumber (Link) ♥️

Katherine Floral Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Katherine Royalty Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

(Another) Katherine Royalty Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Sarah Jacobs (Link)

Sarah Floral Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Sarah Jacobs Royalty Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

(Another) Sarah Jacobs Royalty Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Les Jacobs (Link) ♥️

David Jacobs (Link) ♥️

Jack Kelly (Link) ♥️

Jack Kelly Red Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Mush Meyers (Link)

Crutchie Morris (Livesies) (Link) ♥️

Crutchy Morris (92sies) (Link) ♥️

Crutchie Morris Yellow Aesthetic (Link) ♥️

Albert DaSilva (Link) ♥️

Racetrack Higgins (Link) ♥️

Spot Conlon (Link)

Elmer Kasprzak (Link) ♥️

Medda Larkin (Livesies) (Link) ♥️

Medda Larkson (92sies) (Link) ♥️

Hannah (Link) ♥️

Javid (Jack x David) (Link)

Javid Royalty Aesthetic (Jack x David) (Link) ♥️

Newsbians (Sarah x Kath) (Link) ♥️

Newsbians Royalty Aesthetic (Sarah x Kath) (Link) ♥️

(Another) Newsbians Royalty Aesthetic (Sarah x Kath) (Link) ♥️

(Yet Another) Newsbians Royalty Aesthetic (Sarah x Kath) (Link) ♥️

Spralbert (Spot x Race x Albert) (Link) ♥️

Rainbow Newsies Mood Board Collection (Link) ♥️

Pink Newsies Mood Board Collection (Link) ♥️

THE MIGHTY DUCKS

Adam Banks (Link) ♥️

Charlie Conway (Link) ♥️

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Stucky (Steve x Bucky) (Link) ♥️

THE OUTSIDERS

Dallas Winston (Link) ♥️

Two-Bit Mathews (Link) ♥️

Ponyboy Curtis (Link)

Steve Randle (Link) ♥️

ANNE WITH AN 'E'

Cole Mackenzie (Link)

KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES

Dex Dizznee (Link)

Sophie Foster (Link)

Keefe Secen (Link)

Biana Vacker (Link)

[the-old-moss]

Newsies - Howl's Moving Castle AU

Jack Kelly as Howl Pendragon

Davey Jacobs as Sophie Hatter

Les Jacobs as Markl

Medda Larkson as The Wicked Witch of the Waist

Racetrack Higgins as Calcifer

Crutchy Morris as Turniphead

Thank you and goodnight

[romeomahbromeo]

HAPPY STRIKE DAY EVERYONE, I FINALLY FINISHED MY LIST OF HEADCANON REAL NAMES FOR ALL THE NEWSIES

and i mean *all* the newsies.

PRESENTING: the comprehensive list. some are canon, some are popular fanon, some are personal headcanons. the fun thing about the newsies is they would pretty much all have been immigrants, so i took into account actors’ ethnic backgrounds etc, and tried to make the names feel as accurate as possible. feel free to use any of these, and if any of these names mean something stupid in another language, please tell me lol!

jack kelly- Francis Malcolm Sullivan

davey- David Jacobs

les- Lesley Jacobs

racetrack- Antony Higgins (hes trans but u don’t need to know his deadname)

spot- Sean Patrick Conlon

blink- Louis Balletti/Ballat/Ballatti (couldn’t find a singular spelling lol)

mush- Nicholas Michael Myers

romeo- Damario Amadeo de los Santos

specs- Spencer leBeau

hotshot- Bruno Angeletti

mike- Michael Morganthau

ike- Isaac Morganthau

smalls- Sophie Schedeler

sniper- Wah Jia (i read that in chinese names the surname comes first? so her first name is actually Jia)

snipeshooter- Albwin Kapsner

buttons- Benjamin Davenport

elmer- Elmer Kasprszak

jojo- Jorgelino Josephino de la Guerra

bumlets- Luka Herrero

skittery- Nigol Avalioni

albert- Albert daSilva

crutchie- Charles Morris

henry- Henry Butler

finch- Patrick Cortes

itey- Izan Tejedor (get it his initials are I.T.)

pie eater- Giorgi Gloveli

dutchy- Reznikov Ilik

boots- Lysander Burke

tumbler- ? (i say the newsies named him themselves)

swifty- Sisto la Bella

snitch- Jeremy Mowshowitch

tommy boy- Toma Spassov

barney peanuts- Barnaby mcBride

vince- Eleuterio Vincent Rabellini

myron- Marin José Rabellini

willie- William mcDougal

bart- Bartholomew mcDougal

kenny- Kenneth Bates

snoddy- Jakub Leavy

jake- Jacob Schrötter

and that’s it! *takes a bow* okay its 3 AM i’m going to bed now don’t let this flop

[kleenexwoman]

WIP Ask:

2, 5, 13, 19

2: "Listen, Bugsy'll get his money." Babe dug into the pocket of his striped knickers, but his shoulders fell as he pulled out an empty palm. He turned to my great-grandmother and held his hand out in supplication. "Hey, Sophie. You got any of that wad you won at the racetrack left?"

5: I tried to spread butter on my challah as nonchalantly as possible, but the butter was hard and my knife poked right through the bread. I sighed and folded the slice over on the butter pat. I actually was starting to prefer margarine on bread, the way Hank's more observant parents did it, since it made it easier to spread.

13: Sophie immediately sets about making a coconut radio and leaves Hank to find food. Her mom builds a shelter and tells dad to make a fire out of the scraps. This takes dad ages and he's very proud when he finally does it.

19: I can't post a GIF on this tablet. This is some fucking bulshit. Catch up with me on the next post.

[somedayonbroadway]

I think all the Newsie's AU's could be really entertaining but I would most like to know about the Leverage one and the Lilo & Stitch one.

Okay, so I had two people in a row ask for Lilo and Stitch while also requesting another outline, so I’ll be doing Lilo and Stitch very soon.

But… I LOVE this one.

So, for those of you who haven’t seen Leverage, you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video. It’s amazing and I adore it. My favorite character is Hardison. He’s everything. Nothing he says ever gets old. Hardison and Parker are literally so freaking cute that I just can’t. And I think I’ve already talked about how Spot Conlon is very similar to Eliot Spencer, at least the way I write him. So this’ll be fun.

So anyways…

Leverage AU

Characters

Jack Kelly — Nate Ford

Katherine Plumber — Sophie Devereau

Spot Conlon — Eliot Spencer

Racetrack Higgins — Parker

Albert DaSilva — Alec Hardison

Jack Kelly: The Mastermind

Jack is an alcoholic

He’s only twenty five when this story starts.

He used to work for an insurance company but after that same company let his baby brother die, refusing to pay for his treatment, Jack quit and has been a “functioning alcoholic” ever since.

Jack has anger issues that he refuses to acknowledge

Jack used to pride himself on being emotionally broken, but still never crossing over to the “dark side” of the law.

He’s the son of a numbers runner who was emotionally abusive

Was originally trying to become a catholic priest as he was strong in his faith but has since strayed a bit after losing Charlie, the only person in the world he truly loved

After meeting his team, Jack grows very protective of them, viewing them as a sort of family that he’d never really had, all except for Charlie.

Jack first meets the team when a man comes to him, begging him to keep an eye on a group of thieves as they execute a job he’s hired them for. After they are all double crossed by this man, narrowly escaping death, they come together to set things right and the team begs Jack to continue leading them as Jack shows them how good it feels to do the right thing, even if the right thing requires bending or breaking the rules.

Jack grew up extremely poor but is an excellent artist and chess player.

Jack likes to cook.

Jack loves to learn new things when he can’t drink to continue distracting himself.

Jack is the one to typically choose the clients his new team takes on.

Jack took Charlie in the second he turned eighteen, unable to trust his father who was a no good drunk.

Jack hates that he’s becoming just like his dad but refuses to stop.

Jack is more protective of Race than anyone else, as Race’s optimism and energy remind him of Charlie.

Jack serves as a mentor of sorts to Albert.

He is kept in check by Spot.

Jack is very quick witted, moving from one plan to the next as things change.

Jack gets his own father killed after a mission gone wrong.

Jack gets arrested protecting his team who he knows will go away for much longer than him for all the crimes they’ve committed.

Jack is the one who introduces the group to Katherine, the best grifter he’s ever seen, with whom he ends up falling for.

Katherine Plumber: The Grifter

Katherine is a struggling actress who can’t perform to save her life, though is the best grifter in the business.

Katherine is very careful of her identity, meaning that absolutely no one knows her real name.

Katherine speaks nearly eleven languages.

Katherine has difficulty maintaining real relationships as it’s hard to decipher her acts from reality.

Before becoming a member of Leverage she focuses heavily on art theft

After meeting the team, she bonds with Race over art

Katherine manages to fake her death twice in two years and attend her own funeral at both

As Katherine is the only woman on the team, she often feels as though she doesn’t belong, but all of her boys adore her and protect her at all costs.

Katherine has an abundance of connections around the world, though none of them know her true identity.

Prides herself on long cons that she’d pulled in the past all by herself.

Katherine never reveals how she grew up to her friend as she is very good at letting things go and never getting attached but all of that changes when Jack reaches out to her.

Katherine is wanted in five countries.

Successfully stole the Stanley Cup and replaced it with a replica, though she does not care for Hockey and did all of it out of spite because someone told her she couldn’t.

Katherine makes a game of keeping her real name from Jack as she insists he has to earn the right to know it.

Katherine falls for Jack nearly as fast as he falls for her.

Though Jack and Katherine do sleep together a few times, they agree to keep it a secret for the good of the team.

Though Katherine and Jack aren’t much older than the rest of the team, they take on a sort of parental role for Race and Albert who both grew up orphans

Katherine eventually opens up her own acting company where she finds she is an excellent coach, though she was never a performer herself because she lacked a certain truth element when she would try to perform on stage or on screen.

Katherine is very close with the whole team, but is able to relax while around Spot, as he’s more an equal to her than Race and Albert, and Jack and her have a lot of tension sometimes.

She shares the most with Spot on accident as Spot is easy to talk to.

Runs away at some point to “find herself” after an old team of hers tries to kill her and the rest of her current team and comes back just in time for Jack to be arrested, saving all of them.

Spot Conlon: The Hitter

Spot Conlon was in and out of the mob all growing up. (Eliot was black ops, but I want Spot to be younger, this is different).

He began training when he was very young and is a very skilled “retrieval specialist”

Spot has had to kill before and is ashamed of his past. When asked about it, he calmly asks his team not to get curious because he would tell them what he did 

Though the whole team consists of criminals, Spot believes them, especially Race and Albert, to be innocent and naive and he constantly looks out for them as best he can, acting as a sort of big brother for them until he catches feelings for Race (yeah sorry guys that’s gonna be different too)

Spot is very calm and never shows any kind of panic.

Spot is a trained chef

He grows up only fighting, learning to not get attached

The leverage team is his gateway to figuring out that he is capable of love

His role on the team is protection. He is always around to keep his team out of trouble when something goes wrong or even when things go right and he has to disarm people on purpose.

Spot is wicked smart and is able to discern things from noises, smells, walking patterns etc. always stating “It’s a very distinctive __”

Knows various types of martial arts and uses them regularly

Though not technically a grifter, Spot has an easy time playing different roles and can blend in easily with a crowd.

Hostage negotiator

Survivalist

He’s extremely protective of his team and is willing to go great lengths to make sure they’re safe and secure

Has a budding relationship with Albert who constantly gets himself into trouble that Spot has to get him out of.  

Was known as Sean before Race showed up and gave him a non threatening nickname based on his freckles

Can play the guitar

Manages to get shot at constantly, taking a few bullets but refusing to walk with crutches.

He loves teaching Katherine how to defend herself

Loves teaching Race knew things as well

Speaks six languages

Spot is not familiar with a lot of technology, causing him to often need Albert’s help with that kind of thing

Has rescued Race and Albert from being kidnapped or hurt the most

As times goes on, finds himself more and more in love with his team and really does love to protect them

Sees Albert as a little brother, even if he won’t admit it.

Racetrack Higgins: The Thief

Has been a thief since he was very young, maybe seven, but only gives his team made up stories about how it all started

Has a hard time coping with grief or pain, which is why he likes to make up stories about his past.

Abusive father killed Race’s mother when he was very young

Race grew up in foster care until he ran away at twelve, eventually getting raised on the street by an elite thief who spotted his talents and offered to train him, making him the best thief in the world

Is socially awkward on account of being a loner for most of his life and rarely ever opens up about his childhood

Despite this, Race is very loud and curious, almost childlike with his team, thus why Katherine and Jack become sort of parental figures toward him.

Race did have an older brother who got hit by a car when he was very young, after going out to get food for him. Race blames himself to this day.

Desperate for some kind of real family, besides the thief who trained him, Race meets an older foster brother who teaches him how to boost cars, along with “teaching him other things”. Though his is abused physically and sexually by this boy, Race doesn’t know any better and hangs on his every word, believing that the older boy wanted to help him.

Race is arrested when he’s fourteen, taking the fall for the boy who taught him how to boost cars

Race was a getaway driver at thirteen, and a good one at that.

He is constantly reminded of how he’s not normal, taking a toll on his mental stability as he’s often referred to as insane or inhuman

Race is fairly naive, but does live up to his title as the best thief in the world

Enjoys stealing diamonds more than anything else.

Quickly becomes best friends with Albert and is curious on how to get Spot to open up.

Never went to high school but is still amazingly smart as it takes a lot of math and science and so forth to be a thief.

Enjoys using tasers as a weapon of choice.

Has a bit of a sadistic mind as he enjoys watching Spot beat up on some of their enemies, especially the ones who’d tried to come at him, sometimes even visualizing that they’re the boy who left him behind after using him constantly all those years ago

Eventually does have to confront Drake again, but has his whole team to protect him.

Really loves cash

Is shocked the first time Spot kisses him because, he has been abused before, but kisses Spot again, telling him how different it feels

That’s the first time Race truly opens up about his past and Spot figures out that someone had used him

Has a fear of horses

Is not anywhere near afraid of heights

Has trust issues (obviously) despite the insistence that Albert and Spot (and of course Jack and Katherine but most Al and Spot) would never let anything happen to him

Actually trusts Jack the most as he came from the good side of the law

Does not like psychics

Katherine coaches Race in his social skills, helping him embrace his sexuality and slightly rely on those around him for connection and comfort

Race’s real name is Antonio Higgins, but he’s known across the world as only ‘Racer’

Albert DaSilva: The Hacker

Much like Race, Albert grew up in foster care, though through most of his childhood, he lived with a woman he refers to as “Nana”. Not his actual grandmother, but a foster mother who he adored and actually took care of him.

Often refers to himself as a geek and prides himself in being one as it is the “age of the geek, baby”

Is relied on heavily by the team as he makes a lot of their equipment (eg: coms, modified cell phones, button cams)

Provides CIA level aliases for his team.

Owns the teams vehicle, “Lucille” and is pissed when they manage to destroy not one model, but two

Has an unhealthy obsession with orange soda

Is physically very fit, but is not good in combat situations

Being an introvert for most of his life, Albert took to technology and learned just about everything one can about them

Albert is straight in this one (sorry for my Ralbert fans) but, as Race’s best friend, is constantly trying to subtly get Race to admit he has feelings for Spot

Though he and Spot didn’t get along too well at first, they eventually see themselves as brothers and look out for each other

Claustrophobic

Gets buried alive during a job gone wrong and is showed just how much he’s loved when his team manages to rescue him, believing him to be dead at first

Manages to keep the team very well paid and secured so the government can’t find them

Hacked into the pentagon when he was only twelve

When he was younger, his nana forced him off the computer for one hour out of every day to “give his eyes a rest from the screen” and Albert learns how to play the violin

Mostly used his skills for fun when he was younger, just wanting to prove he could do something

Skipped his senior prom to hack into medical records and get his nana on a high priority list

Has always looked out for the people he cared about

The only one Albert didn’t trust was Spot, as Spot intimidates him until Spot started showing interest in what he did, never commenting on it, but always looking very impressed

Oversells himself while grifting and often relies on Katherine to help guide him

Cares about humanity and the big picture, much like Jack. This is where their bond comes from as Katherine, Race and Spot have spent most of their lives looking out for themselves

Has a soft spot for little kids

Enjoys messing with Spot and making bets with him, even sparking in them having their own handshake which consists of them subtly high diving twice at waist level and then fist bumping. It’s often how they seal a bet or agree on a plan

What do you guys think? Any scenes you wanna see? Any other characters you wanna hear about? Let me know!

For more Mood Boards and AUs, click here!

[imobsessedwiththeatre]

Grab my sister (@sophie-marii) And whispear yo this ones (@unofficially-racetrack) mine :33

[fansie-on-a-mission]

Newsies Halloweentown AU

Hey guys! I just watched Halloweentown because it is officially October and I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit, and this movie is one of my favorites from my childhood. Anyway, I came up with silly little Halloweentown AU that I wanted to share with y’all because idk . . . I can so i’m going to. Also, sorry I didn’t include Jack I didn’t know which character fit him.

Katherine Plumber as Marnie:

Davey Jacobs as Dylan:

Les Jacobs as Sophie:

Crutchie as Aggie Cromwell:

Racetrack as Benny:

Pulitzer as Kalabar:

[anisanews]

For $2 Million, An 18th-Century Farmhouse Estate Overlooking The Sea In Normandy

The half-timbered farmhouse in the town of Cabourg, listed for about $2 million, was renovated by … [+] the late architect and musician Antoine Berge.

Groupe Mercure

A view of the water never gets old – even when the view has been enjoyed by homeowners since the 18th century.

This authentic French farmhouse is set near the seaside resort town of Cabourg along the English Channel in Normandy. Vacationers have been drawn by the moderate coastal climate and stunning beauty of the area since the 1800s when Cabourg became accessible by rail.

The Cabourg farmhouse sits on 15 acres, with sprawling sea and countryside views.

Groupe Mercure

Since then, area has continued to attract the tourist trade with its 2.5 miles of fine sand beach, annual film festival, racetrack, casino and venerable Grand Hotel.

Cabourg’s Belle Epoque vibe has charmed many visitors over the years, including Marcel Proust. The novelist incorporated the setting into his fiction “In Search of Lost Time,” calling it Balbec. A more than two-mile-long esplanade on the waterfront is named Promenade Marcel Proust in his honor.

Beamed ceilings and stonework feature prominently in the farmhouse’s design.

Groupe Mercure

Set apart from the hustle and bustle of sightseers and beachgoers, the half-timbered home is sited on 15 acres of land, taking in both sea and sprawling countryside views.

Typical of the residential architectural style of rural Normandy, the house was renovated by the late architect and musician Antoine Berge, who was known for his preservation and restoration work. The structure weds stone and wood in keeping with the manors of Normandy’s Pays D’Auge area.

Inside, the farmhouse has two dining rooms, two living rooms, a library, eight bedrooms and four … [+] bathrooms within the 4,844 square feet of living space.

Groupe Mercure

The two-story house could be reconfigured into two residences or kept in its entirety. There are two dining rooms, two living rooms, a library, eight bedrooms and four bathrooms within the 4,844 square feet of living space. The floorplan could also accommodate an elevator.

The two-story house could be reconfigured into two residences or kept in its entirety.

Groupe Mercure

Multiple fireplaces and ceilings topped by heavy beams add a rustic elegance throughout the main house.

The pitched roof and dormer windows create visual interest in the second-floor rooms, which have vaulted ceilings.

The entry leading to the living room.

Groupe Mercure

A south-facing terrace off the chateau opens to gravel pathways, lawn and panoramic vistas. A wine press, a workshop, a former distillery now used for gardening storage and four garages are also on the grounds.

The asking price for the estate, which could be used as a family home or for business activities, is slightly more than $2 million. Sophie van Cayzeele of Groupe Mercure is the listing agent.

South-facing windows center on panoramic vistas.

Groupe Mercure

Cabourg can be reached by car ferry, train, bus or car train. International flights are available at Deauville Airport, about 20 miles east northeast of Cabourg, and the Caen-Carpiquet Airport, some 21 miles in the other direction. Paris is roughly two hours away.

A wine press, a workshop, a former distillery now used for gardening storage and four garages are … [+] also on the grounds.

Groupe Mercure

Portions of the 18th century farmhouse have been updated with expanses of glass.

Groupe Mercure

The Cabourg farmhouse features an oversized gravel driveway.

Groupe Mercure

Groupe Mercure is an exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and membership network of elite brokerages selling the world’s most luxurious homes.

from Anisa News https://ift.tt/3uuPNOH

[mar-bluu]

Hi hello little thought for you, mayhaps happy: Rise of the Guardians Newsies au. Blink as Jack Frost, Mush as Sandman. Im tempted to say Denton as North, but Jack works too, Racetrack as Bunnymund and Barney as Tooth :))

SJFDHBAJKGNERLKRFNBVGCFDESWAESDRFTGUYHIUJOHGCFXDSWAESEJBJKFDNLEFGB YES!!!! 💗💓💕💖 DUDE I HAVENT WATCHED RotG IN FOREVER!!!! would that make Davey or Sarah Jamie and Les Sophie?? 

[amarantine-amirite]

Dreams are More Precious than Gold

Ellen’s eating disorder intervention started off reasonably normal. Sophie, Karen, Vivian, and Jira arrived on time, took their seats, and didn’t complain about the lack of marshmallows.

“OK,” Sophie began, “how are we going to get Ellen to get rid of the tapeworms?”

“Uhh…I don’t know, maybe have her get dewormed?” Jira responded

“Well, yes, that’s what we ultimately want,” said Sophie, “but Ellen’s been pretty resistant to getting dewormed, so do you guys have any ideas that would make her more open to the idea of getting dewormed?”

“Well,” Vivian began, “Ellen doesn’t want to get dewormed because she’s afraid of getting fat. I think we should start by explaining to her that there are much healthier ways to lose weight than ingesting tapeworms, such as going for a run or a swim”

The minute Vivian said that, Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Vivian, listen to yourself,” she said, “Do you have any idea how triggering that is?”

Everyone has that one friend who believes everything is about them and everybody is out to get them. For Ellen, Karen was that person. It didn’t matter whether or not Karen thought she was helping, because her behaviour almost never helped anybody.

“I don’t think any of you realize that exercising can be triggering?” Karen continued, “Like, actual panic attacks triggering. Breakdowns triggering.”

Sophie couldn’t believe what she’d heard. “You’re joking, right?” she said.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Karen continued to bluster, “Talking about it, seeing it everywhere, seeing your own training gear in the closet can, will,  and has caused me to go into the fetal position on the floor, screaming and bawling my eyes out.” Karen continued to rant while Sophie, Vivian, and Jira just sat there, thinking that Karen had lost it. “They don't realize and if they do, they don't care.”

In particular, Vivian wanted to tell Karen to cut it the hell out, but she kept her yapper shut. She had learnt early on that anybody can develop PTSD from pretty much anything. It doesn't have to be from something serious, either. Vivian knew a handful of people who had official, medically diagnosed PTSD from reading A Dog of Flanders by Ouida. Fiction can really screw up your mind like you wouldn’t believe. But Vivian knew Karen well enough to know that Karen's so-called "PTSD" was nothing more than a ploy for her to gain control of the conversation. She took a deep breath and said, “OK, Karen; you’re not helping”

“Not helping? What do you mean I’m not helping?!” Karen scoffed, “It’s not even like you’re taller than me or anything, because I’m still triggered and…”

Vivian could see that Karen just quit making sense right now. “To hell with your little tantrum, I'm going to bed” she said she walked away, shaking her head.

Their argument had reached the point where the sane person says “kill me now”, but instead of saying some variation of “I want to die”, Vivian says, “I want to go to bed”. It may seem dumb, but saying “I want to go to bed” instead of saying “I want to die” in normal conversation or in your head in response to minor inconveniences, even as a joke, has prevented countless suicides. Vivian only wanted to be on the right side of history. If that meant threatening to take a nap when things got bad, then so be it.

“Go ahead,” Karen screamed, “go to sleep. I dare you.”

Vivian didn't understand that this was sarcasm. She went upstairs, lay down on the couch, and fell right asleep.

She started to dream like crazy. Usually, Vivian’s dreams involved just floating shapes, colors, and squiggly lines. They lacked anything that could be considered a plot, and she never really interacted with her surroundings. It came off as more of a light show than anything else.

This time, it was a creepy black and white film. The film itself didn’t look old, though. It showed a guy with a brown burlap sack around his head. He sat facing the camera directly. As the video progressed, it showed him slowly repeating the same phrases:

“Do you listen? Do you notice? Goodbye.”

“We told you not to spray lies. We are nice. Do you notice…?"

Vivian sat up. I didn’t quite understand what the guy on the tape it said. The guy leaned in closer to the camera. He repeated what he had said a second time. Vivian now heard the words that the guy said, but she didn’t really understand what the sentence actually meant. What did he mean when he said, “Do you listen? Do you notice? Goodbye.” and, “We told you not to spray lies. We are nice. Do you notice…?"

A split second later, Vivian woke up, looked around for a bit to see if she'd left the TV on or something, then went back to sleep.

Unlike the first dream, her second dream was considerably more interactive. She found herself in a dimly lit room. The only source of light was a single sodium lamp. The lamp continuously flickered on and off. The room had two big bookcases on either side of the room, an upturned chair, and a forlorn metallic silver balloon in the shape of a "pound" symbol.

Vivian just stood there for two minutes. Without any warning whatsoever, she had a huge craving for popsicles. She got up and wandered around in search of a popsicle. Preferably a lime popsicle. She usually preferred cherry over lime, but she was in the mood for lime tonight. She walked down the slightly less dim hallway until she came to a flight of stairs. She continued down the stairs until she came up on a sign that read “Expremay Dengerlus”.

She stopped when she saw the sign. Expremay Dengerlus, she thought, I wonder if that’s some sort of fish?

Vivian never got her popsicle. She woke up, laughed out loud a little bit, then went back to sleep.

Her third dream was far more lucid than the previous two. In this dream, Vivian found herself concentrating on a task that required quick thinking and even quicker reflexes: driving in the Indy 500. The minute the guy says “start your engines!”, you must shift into battle mode. And God help the poor schmuck who looked away from the track for a split second.

Vivian booked it. She drove so fast she didn't realize that I missed the turn and ploughed through the racetrack onto the road. She now barrelled down the street at 140 miles an hour!

Uh-oh, she thought. She tried to turn around, but couldn't. She drove fast enough that she couldn't steer. Consequently, she hit the curb and got airborne. After sailing through the air for about and a half minutes, she landed on a road winding up a mountain!

As she ascended up the mountain in the car, she may one right turn after another.  Has she not been on incline, she would’ve been driving around the circle. She drove faster and faster until, inevitably, she turned left.

She made a fatal flaw. She zigged when she should’ve zagged. She sailed off the edge of the mountain, hung in the air for an hour, and continued to fall, but she never hit the ground. Instead, she woke up screaming. Loudly. People downstairs heard her.

“What the hell was that?” Jira asked.

Sophie looked around the room for a little bit, then she glanced towards the stairs, turned back around, and chuckled. “Vivian” she replied, “She went upstairs to take a nap and had a bad dream.”

Karen rolled her eyes. She couldn’t believe that Vivian had the gall to take a nap during the intervention. “I’ll go talk to her” she groaned.

Karen went upstairs. She saw Vivian sitting on the couch. “Hey Vivian,” she said.

“Hey”

“So, we heard that you had a bad dream” she said with that fake smile that people put on when they’re clearly disgusted with you but trying to hide it, “I hope that dream taught you a lesson”

Vivian just sat there with a confused look on her face. “Um, no” she responded, “All I did was leave me confused.”

@the-moon-dust-writings

[ezatluba]

Dog collars hang above a tub filled with raw beef and rice as kennel owner and trainer John Farmer prepares to feed some 60 dogs. In total, they eat about 90 pounds of beef mixed with commercial dry dog food, water, electrolytes, rice or macaroni, multivitamins, and supplements to combat anemia.

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

Concerns about the dogs’ welfare and declining betting revenue have led tracks across the country to close in recent decades.

Eight greyhounds thunder around the sandy oval at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, Fla., the oldest continuously operating dog track in the U.S. Florida voters chose to effectively ban dog racing in the state by the end of 2020, which will wipe out nearly the entire American greyhound racing industry.

BY CRAIG PITTMAN

OCTOBER 1, 2020

It’s 8:30 on a Saturday night in August. A gibbous moon hangs low in the Florida sky, its pale glow no competition for the red neon proclaiming, “GREYHOUND RACING” and “DERBY LANE.” About 300 people are scattered around grandstands that once held thousands, murmuring among themselves while the loudspeaker plays big band and rockabilly tunes.

They fall silent when it’s time for Frederick Davis to lead the parade of dogs.

“TNT Sherlock,” says the announcer, calling the names of the eight sleek animals as Davis makes them pause in front of the stands. Each dog wears a big number attached to a snugly fitted vest known as a “blanket.” “Tailspin,” the announcer calls, “…Charlotte York….”

Next, Davis, 41, and the eight handlers he supervises will put the dogs in the starter’s box. The mechanical rabbit named “Hare-son Hare” will zoom past, squeaking and shooting blue sparks. The doors will fly open, and the greyhounds will burst onto the track, their bodies a blur, their paws tossing sand in the air as they gallop around the oval for 30 seconds. They hit speeds of up to 45 miles per hour, making them second only to the cheetah, the fastest land animal on Earth.

In its glory days of the 1950s, Derby Lane attracted thousands of avid racing fans, such as Joe DiMaggio, who left Marilyn Monroe sitting in the car while he ran inside to place his bets. Now only a few hundred show up for the races, a sign of how its fan base has dwindled.

Famed sports columnist Ring Lardner called Derby Lane “the Churchill Downs of greyhound racing.” When the dogs run, you can still get a hint of its glory days. This was once a place that seemed full of glamour and excitement. The stands would be packed with men and women in suits and hats. Babe Ruth and Sophie Tucker were frequent visitors. Joe DiMaggio once left Marilyn Monroe in an idling car chatting with the valet while he ran inside to place his bets.

Derby Lane is the oldest continuously operating greyhound racetrack in the United States, but it’s headed on its last stretch. Two years ago, Florida had more greyhound tracks than any other state—11 out of 17 nationwide. Now it’s down to three, with about 1,700 dogs still racing.

In 2018, Florida’s voters had the chance to approve a constitutional amendment—Amendment 13—that would ban betting on greyhounds as of December 31, 2020. The proposal, which effectively bans greyhound racing, was brought by critics of the sport who contend dog racing is cruel and inhumane.

The racing industry bet on beating the amendment, arguing that its supporters were exaggerating stories of dogs’ mistreatment. The industry spent just a fraction of what supporters did on the campaign, believing the sport was popular enough that the majority of Floridians wouldn’t vote to ban it.

Greyhounds stretch their legs at Farmer Racing. Though generally gentle and non-aggressive, greyhounds often wear muzzles around each other because they can get competitive

They misjudged. Nearly 70 percent of voters said yes to the shutdown. Now the tracks must close by New Year’s. Derby Lane’s final race will be December 27.

Davis, a tall, slender man with dreadlocks and a quick smile, will be one of 400 Derby Lane employees out of work. He isn’t sure what he’ll do next. He’s been at the track for 14 years and considers this his ideal job.

“I love dogs,” he says, “and I love being outside.”

He might try to become a security guard, he says. That way he could work with dogs again—guard dogs, though, not greyhounds.

He’s not the only Derby Lane employee wondering about the future.

Decline of dog racing in the U.S.

Since the peak of dog racing in 1985, state laws have led to the closure of racetracks across the country. After Florida’s tracks close at the end of 2020, and Iowa and Arkansas’ by the end of 2022, only two active commercial racetracks will remain­—both in West Virginia.

“It’s a shame to have to shut down after 95 years,” says Derby Lane CEO Richard Winning, 64, whose office overlooks the track. His family has owned Derby Lane since it opened in 1925. He predicts that once the Florida tracks close, the ones in other states will follow.

“In 20 years, will anyone even remember what greyhound racing was?” he asks.

This is the one thing on which he agrees with Carey Theil, whose Massachusetts-based greyhound advocacy group, Grey2K USA, spearheaded the drive for Amendment 13: Once Florida’s tracks are gone, so too is the whole industry.

“Florida really was the industry,” Theil says.

Proverbs, royalty, and bribes

Winning is a born storyteller, with a droll manner, a gray beard, and a trio of cigars tucked in the pocket of his teal fishing shirt. He started out at the track 45 years ago collecting 50-cent pieces from the turnstiles, and since then he has worked almost every other job. He remembers when the regulars included rakish gamblers called “The Flicker” and “Champagne Tony,” the track restaurant served a 37-ounce prime rib, and a live band—not recordings—played between races.

Winning says greyhounds are the only breed of dog mentioned in the Bible, which is sort of true. The King James version of Proverbs 30:31 includes them in a list of things which are “comely in going.” (Scholars say the original Hebrew refers to Afghans or Salukis).

The King James translators knew about greyhounds because, back in the early 1600s, England was enthralled by a sport called “coursing,” in which two greyhounds raced to catch a scampering rabbit. Queen Elizabeth I was a fan—hence greyhound racing’s nickname, “the Sport of Queens.”

Dog collars hang above a tub filled with raw beef and rice as kennel owner and trainer John Farmer prepares to feed some 60 dogs. In total, they eat about 90 pounds of beef mixed with commercial dry dog food, water, electrolytes, rice or macaroni, multivitamins, and supplements to combat anemia.

Farmer rubs down his dog Rick Swift Creek with a muscle-soothing liniment. He also checks his dogs for ticks, looks at their nails, and massages their muscles. The dogs spend their days either waiting for the 30 seconds they’re racing or recovering afterward.

In the 18th century, an eccentric English nobleman obsessed with coursing created the modern English greyhound through selective breeding, according to Cynthia A. Branigan’s The Reign of the Greyhound. With lean, aerodynamic bodies, long legs, and shock-absorbing foot pads, greyhounds were built for speed. They have a proportionally bigger heart than other breeds, and more red blood cells and hemoglobin, which carry more oxygen to their limbs. Their sprinting gait (a “double suspension rotary gallop”) and high proportion of fast-twitch muscles power short, quick bursts of speed.

But dog racing as we know it today originated with an American inventor named Owen P. Smith who ironically wanted to be kind to animals. To him, the dying rabbits sounded like a child screaming.

The son of a Memphis undertaker, Smith was a sometime barber who loved to tinker. His brilliant idea: replace the live rabbit with a mechanical one. In 1910, he secured a patent for “the Inanimate Hare Conveyor.”

“Nobody in the history of any sport brought about a change comparable to that worked by the inventor of the device, and yet no inventor in sports history is so little known,” Sports Illustrated commented in 1973.

Smith did more than invent a humane lure. He and two partners designed the first modern greyhound track, which opened in 1919 outside Oakland, California. It failed, as did several others they opened. The tracks flopped because they didn’t allow betting. Gambling, while popular, was illegal.

The first commercially successful track was one Smith and his partners opened in 1921 in a swampy South Florida area known as “Humbuggus,” later to become the city of Hialeah. It was so close to the Everglades that the track owners hired a snake-catcher to intercept stray reptiles. Five thousand people turned out for the first race, watching a dog named Old Rosebud take the $60 purse, according to Going to the Dogs: Greyhound Racing, Animal Activism, and American Popular Culture, by Gwyneth Anne Thayer.

The key to its success: Electric lights. Running races at night meant working people could attend. With Florida’s 1920s land boom in full roar, thousands of new residents sought evening entertainment. The track ran until 1926, when a hurricane demolished it. New owners converted it to horse racing.

Flamenco Dancer, also called Bunny, was one of Farmer’s champion racing dogs. Between 2017 and her retirement in 2020, Bunny earned more than $83,000 in purses, of which Farmer got a percentage. Most racing dogs retire at about five years old, when they start to slow with age.

In 1950, thousands of fans would gather at Derby Lane to watch the races from the grandstands.

Uniformed monkeys ride greyhounds around a track in Culver City, California, in 1932.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, a number of tracks had monkey “jockeys.”

R.L. “Tex” Block, an owner and trainer, stands in front of the Derby Club in 1970 with seven of his dogs.

Kitty Wilkerson, the 1969 Festival of States “sungoddess,” stands with L.B.’s Dallas, the winner of the festival’s all-ages championship race.

Owner and trainer Jeanette Eagan ran dogs at Derby Lane from 1925 to 1980. She’s pictured here with Eagan’s Stephen, Eagen’s Maestro, and Rum Dum.

In 1925, on the other side of the state, Derby Lane opened under a cloud. The partners who built it ran out of money and couldn’t pay what they owed for the real estate or the lumber. That’s how T.L Weaver, Winning’s great-grandfather, took possession of the venue. He grew beans in the infield, says track historian Louise Weaver, and between regular races had monkeys in uniform ride the dogs as if they were jockeys, their outfits sewn onto the greyhounds’ blankets so they couldn’t jump off.

Although betting was illegal, tracks in the 1920s “did something sneaky,” Winning said. “They sold shares in the dogs.” The winners would get their money back plus a “dividend.” Losers would fail to recoup their “investment.” Other tracks skipped the subterfuge and ran “on the fix”—they bribed local lawmen.

In 1931, with the Depression bankrupting local governments, Florida legislators floated a bill to legalize wagering on dog and horse races and tax it. Governor Doyle Carlton, a Bible-thumping Baptist, opposed the bill. Thirty years later he contended, “interested parties were buying their way through the legislature” and claimed gamblers offered him $100,000 to sign the bill. He vetoed it instead. State senators overrode his veto, making Florida the first state to legalize betting on horse and dog races.

Once that law passed, racing took off. New greyhound tracks popped up across the state, from Tampa (1932) to Orlando and Jacksonville (1935) to Pensacola (1947) to Key West (1953).

Greyhound racing became part of Florida’s sun-and-fun image. Mickey Mantle filmed a cigarette commercial at Derby Lane. Boxing champs and movie stars hung out at the tracks. The 1959 movie A Hole in the Head shows Frank Sinatra and Keenan Wynn betting on races at Miami’s Flagler Kennel Club.

Susan Butchko, who has been fostering and adopting greyhounds since 1999, pets her newest adopted dog, a retired racing greyhound named Remy. Often described as “45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes,” greyhounds make good pets, owners say.

A newly adopted greyhound explores her new home. She was placed through GST Sun State Greyhound Adoption, which is working to find homes for the hundreds of dogs needing homes once the track closes in December.

At Dippel’s Florida home, retired racing greyhound Roxanne walks through the shallow end of the swimming pool.

‘Dachau for dogs’

Florida tends to be a sunny place full of shady people. The money involved in dog racing attracted plenty of them. Winning recalls seeing Tampa mob boss Santo Trafficante, Jr., laying down bets at Derby Lane. Some mobsters were more than customers. Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky had an interest in South Florida dog tracks, according to Scott Deitche, author of seven books on the Mafia.

A state racing commission was supposed to keep out unsavory elements. But in 1950, Senator Estes Kefauver’s Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime reported that mobsters controlled the commission and made illegal campaign contributions to politicians, including then Governor Fuller Warren.

The mob’s involvement sparked frequent rumors about fixed races where dogs were overfed before the race to slow them down, or their toes cinched up with rubber bands to alter their ability to run, or they were drugged to make them faster or slower.

Dog-doping has continued to be a problem, particularly with the use of cocaine, which can grant a short-term burst of speed. In 2017, state racing officials revoked a trainer’s license because five of his greyhounds running at Derby Lane had tested positive for cocaine. Months later a trainer at a North Florida track was also suspended after a dozen of his dogs tested positive. In the three years since then, state officials say, 10 more trainers have had dogs test positive for cocaine.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is just one of greyhound racing opponents’ concerns about the industry. Grey2K, which has spent nearly 20 years compiling reports on the welfare of racing greyhounds, says that even standard industry practices amount to mistreatment. When the dogs aren’t racing, for example, they’re often confined to small cages in warehouses. Dogs are forced to race under conditions that can cause serious injuries, too, they say. Grey2K’s website has collected documented cases of greyhounds that have broken their legs and backs, fractured their skulls and spines, and even gotten electrocuted by the lure.

The Florida Greyhound Association, an industry group, did not respond to requests for comment.

The larger concern is what happens to them when they’re not racing.

What makes greyhounds the fastest dog breed also makes them susceptible to injuries on the racetrack.

The low body fat content of about 2 percent and a thin single-layer coat reduces the ability to self-regulate temperature.

At two points during the stride all feet are free from the ground. This allows short bursts at up to 45 miles per hour but offers poor endurance.

A deep chest enables lung power and holds a very large heart that can go from 100 to over 300 beats in one minute, promoting muscle oxygenation.

Long, strong legs with a large proportion of fast-twitch muscle fibers allow sprinting but lead to fatigue fast.

In 1952, the Greyhound Racing Record said only 30 percent of greyhounds bred for racing would become competitors, leaving open the fate of the other 70 percent. Even those that do race only do so until they’re about five years old. Grey2K has compiled all the news stories over the years about greyhounds being destroyed or sold to laboratories for experimentation.

Among their evidence of cruelty: a 2010 case from a track in the Florida Panhandle town of Ebro, where a trainer left 37 dogs to starve to death after the racing season ended. He ended up pleading guilty to more than 30 counts of animal cruelty and being sentenced to five years in prison.

Possibly the worst case happened in 2002. A security guard for the Pensacola track was arrested after authorities found an Alabama junkyard where, over 10 years, he had killed and buried some 3,000 greyhounds. He said he’d been paid $10 each for shooting them when they got too old. A prosecutor called the junkyard “Dachau for dogs.” The guard died before he could be brought to trial on animal cruelty charges.

Graying greyhound fans

The scandals cut down greyhound racing’s popularity as fans were turned off by the repeated reports of mistreatment. Meanwhile, competing gambling operations—first the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes’ casinos, then the Florida Lottery—began siphoning off the profits, Winning said.

The loyal fans tended to skew older. In 2001, when Steven Soderbergh filmed a scene at Derby Lane of George Clooney and Brad Pitt recruiting someone for their Oceans 11 robbery, their target was Carl Reiner, then 79. He fit in perfectly with the graying greyhound crowd.

Greyhounds in a daily matinee race at Derby Lane chase the mechanical lure around the oval track, a pursuit that’s over in just 30 seconds. Between races, a tractor emerges to smooth the sand down flat again to minimize injuries—a point of contention between the racing industry and critics

Photos of the finish line help Derby Lane judges determine which dogs finished in which place.

Farmer holds award plaques for “America’s Top Sprinter” in 2008 and “America’s Top Distance Dog” in 2015. He keeps his cache of awards and mementoes in an overflowing Tupperware container.

“Young people don’t like to have to handicap” the dogs’ chances, Winning grumbles, referring to the way ardent bettors carefully examine each dog and its record. “They just want to stare at their phones” and not put the time in.

Now the typical race fan is Jim Wickert, 77, a retired golf course owner who shows up at Derby Lane every Wednesday and Saturday sporting his jaunty tan Orvis fedora. A Derby Lane regular since 2003, he enjoys handicapping the dogs’ chances.

“I like trying to figure them out,” he said. “I don’t bet big, but it’s still exciting when you do figure things out and they run the way you think they should.” He said he once won $10,000 on a race.

He’s not sure where he’ll go once the track closes. Nothing else seems as exciting.

When Winning looks back at Florida’s racing heyday, in the 1980s, he remembers Keefer, the dog that won the Distance Classic in 1986. Some 12,779 people turned out that day to watch this superstar run—the largest crowd in track history. Now a Saturday crowd at Derby Lane might number 700 tops, Winning says.

The decline of U.S. dog racing is in part attributed to a drop in gambling. In turn, that has led to a reduction in greyhound breeding.

Year-to-year drop in wagers reflects the decreasing number of tracks open. As gamblers lose their favorite tracks, they tend not to migrate to others.

Over the past 10 years, the money brought in by live greyhound racing has dropped from $117 million to less than $40 million a year, state figures show. At Derby Lane alone, it dropped from about $12 million to $3.2 million in 2019.

The industry tried to adapt, winning legislative approval in 1997 to add poker rooms and simulcasting, which allows bettors at one venue to wager on races at another. Now the poker rooms are packed with younger customers, and the simulcasting has its fans too. Those will go on after dog racing ends, Winning says. But it wasn’t enough to save Florida’s racetracks.

‘45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes’

For a decade, Grey2K tried to persuade Florida legislators to ban greyhound racing, to no avail, Theil says.

Finally, they appealed to the state’s Constitutional Revision Commission, which meets every decade to update the constitution. A Tampa area state senator named Tom Lee—Winning calls him “our idiot legislator”—proposed Amendment 13. The amendment technically bans betting on live dog races, but by extension, it essentially bans the races themselves. Without betting, there is no profit, and the tracks can’t afford to stay open.

Grey2K and its allies, such as the Humane Society of the United States, spent $3 million convincing voters to pass it, Theil says. They spent almost all of it running graphic TV ads showing injured racing dogs.

The Florida Greyhound Association fought back with ads that asserted that Grey2K was exaggerating its stories of injuries and death, as well as warning that the amendment was full of “trickeration” that would somehow lead to bans on hunting and fishing. Its yard signs implied that banning racing would also ban greyhounds.

But the association couldn’t get support beyond its declining fan base. Thayer, author of Going to the Dogs, says the track owners, kennel owners, and dog trainers had been too fractured among their individual interests for too long to present a unified front.

Nearly 70 percent of the voters said yes to the amendment. Winning and others in the industry insisted the voters were confused somehow. A lawsuit to overturn the vote went nowhere.

The impending shutdown makes the future of more than 8,000 dogs associated with the Florida tracks uncertain. Greyhound adoption agencies are trying to find them homes, although not all the agencies are allowed to help. Those that supported the ban are not welcomed by track owners. Only adoption agencies that opposed the amendment can get dogs.

Track veterinarian Donald Beck and trainer Kelsie Gubbels care for BD Wells, who has a minor ligament injury. When he's healed, he’ll go to GST Sun State Adoption to find his forever family.

One of those is Tampa resident Sharon Dippel’s GST Sunstate Greyhound Adoption. She and her husband, Brian, have adopted eight former racing greyhounds themselves. They go through a couple of 44-pound bags of dog food every 10 days or so, she says.

So far, Dippel says, plenty of people have lined up to adopt the soon-to-be-unemployed dogs. She says it helps that the tracks are not all shutting down at once. Some closed shortly after the 2018 vote, while others closed in early 2020 because of the coronavirus.

Who’s adopting them? “Everyone you can think of,” says Linda Lyman of Bay Area Greyhound Adoption in Tampa, another of the organizations working to find homes for Derby Lane’s 776 dogs. “People who had greyhounds in the past or even just heard about them.”

They’re not high-strung animals, says longtime Derby Lane veterinarian Donald Beck. They’re affectionate. In his years of working at Derby Lane, he’s never been bitten—but he has been scratched a few times by excited dogs jumping on him.

As pets, greyhounds still like to run when they get outdoors, even without a mechanical device to chase, Dippel says. But when they get back indoors? “They’re a 45-mile-per-hour couch potato.”

Plenty of people got into the racing business because of their affection for greyhounds. Trainer and kennel owner John Farmer, a Klamath Tribe member from Oregon, fell in love with the breed when he was 11 and his mother let him watch races at Multnomah Greyhound Park. He’s now 55, with so many mementoes of his winning dogs that he carries them in an overflowing Tupperware container.

Once Derby Lane shuts down, he figures he’ll have to relocate to one of the few remaining states that still have greyhound racing: West Virginia, Iowa, or Arkansas—though Iowa and Arkansas’s tracks are expected to close by the end 2022. (Texas’s last track closed in June for financial reasons.)

Grey2K is working to convince those states to join Florida in outlawing the industry, just as it’s going after the other countries where it remains legal: Australia, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

Farmer remains hopeful that he can use his Native American heritage as a way to save racing in Florida. He’s got a plan to convince either the Seminole or the Miccosukee tribes to acquire a track that would operate in conjunction with one of their casinos and thus be exempt from state or federal regulation. That would, he said, “build a tradition.” So far, though, the tribes have expressed no interest.