#it's such a joy to draw a horse... and an athlete...

[gomosmorodina]

I wish I could’ve known about The view from halfway down

[creatorping]

as prompted by @flowery-laser-blasts, super long post ahead!

SHUGO CHARA X KP

Note: Shugo Chara is a shoujo, magical-girl anime from the 2000’s. Charas have their own names and a simple color palette. They are a small persona of their owners’ dreams and reflect different selves. They provide the owner special abilities when merged. (Ex. Shown in poster. The pink-hair girl, Amu, has 4 charas: Ran: Athletic, confident Miki: Artistic, cool Sue: domestic skills, caring Dia: Idol, to shine)

These are some personalities/abilities for kp characters I can think of.

[Shego] Tina (Teacher): takes charge, likes to correct mistakes, drills info into people, gets very proud if student reaches to her expectations.

Ability: listener(s) will believe whatever sentence Shego says as the absolute truth for 1 minute. (Once per day)

[Drakken] Ernie (Mad Scientist): reckless, ambitious, loves a good dad joke, holds grudges

Ability: complete understanding of any machinery that will help improve it immensely or create a new invention

[Kim] VivI (Cheerleader): very competitive, confident, a burst of energy.

Abilities: super strength, speed, (explains most of her physical skills during missions)

Angie (Girly Girl): loves fashion, beauty, and fun things. Often carefree & mischievous. Hates stress.

Ability: pulls out gadgets disguised as beauty products (laser lipstick, stink lipgloss, tracking foundation, etc) from her purse

[Ron] Jynx (Celebrity): reflects Ron’s wish for popularity, has unique charm, can socialize like a fish in water, improv master

Blaze (Monkey Ninja): Ron’s monkey power side, mysterious, only awakens when in rage

Ace (Athlete): prideful, tends to overthink

Ability: proficiency in any sport

Rye (Chef): calm and collected, multitasker, finds joy in sharing his creations

Abilities: culinary arts, craftsmanship

[Yori] Tsuki (Ninja): quiet, stealthy, goes with the flow. Loyal and protects her loved ones

Ability: dual-wielding fan, short-term invisibility

[Bonnie] Reyna (Queen): Strategic, quick-thinker. Vain and often driven by emotions

Ability: Huge charisma, anyone who believes in her crown will fall towards her demands.

[Junior] Celeste (INTERNATIONAL POP SENSATION): upbeat, optimistic, knows how to hype up a crowd. Feeds off of praise and love

Ability: Make anyone admire him to the point of a crazed fan. (Dispels when they hear someone else sing); Disco dance balls that hypnotize people to gather up and dance! until….?

[Joss] Jade (Cowgirl): bubbly sweet, helpful, and hyper. Can easily forget small details.

Ability: robot horse stampede; insane control of lasso

[Monique] Jacqueline (Fashion Designer): Sassy, stands up for herself and others. Loves a good dynamic.

Ability: dress up doll (whatever outfit she draws in her book will appear on the actual target)

[Wade] Digit (Intel): always prepared with technology. knows everything about everyone, Gossip KING. thinks that all problems can be solved with science

Abilities: short-distance teleportation. can create a holographic image of himself as decoy

[Jim and Tim] Hex & Bolt (Engineers): curious pranksters, thirty for knowledge. Have inside jokes, genius little comedians. Pretty filial inside.

Abilities: makes crazy innovative technology, twin telepathy, thick thinned (less easily injured during experiments)

which ones are your favorite? (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ

[artbydungeon]

Exalted Secret Santa 2024 Journal Post

Note: I'm happy with you to have fun with these characters! They are beloved NPCs from my private Exalted 2e game, so my players will also enjoy whichever one you pick. The only colours I ask you to keep are the skin and hair colours (although if you're doing something with a limited colour palette, that can be cool). I'm open to new outfits, gender swaps, exalted type swaps or putting your own spin on the character, as long as it's still in the same spirit of the character. Please keep it safe for work and not too excessive on the gore - Have fun!

Quiver practices Kyudo, being a relatively young Sidereal (exalted for 20 years) originally from the Blessed Isle with close ties to House Ragara. He prefers to use his burarucratic and linguistic skills most of the time and is a known member of the Convention of Auditors, but is also not afraid to defend himself with his Jade Artifact bow, which he practically carries around everywhere. He is also a seasoned horse rider and has his own horse kept in the stables of Yu Shan.

Violet Quiver

Moodboard: https://pin.it/3GvcBAxnZ

He/They. Chosen of Endings. INTJ personality type. Motivated to remove corruption from Yu Shan and end inefficiency for the benefit of all. Bold yet rational (high valor and temperance), but prone to being judgey, dismissive and a bit tactless (low compassion).

Quiver is around 5' 10", with a thin athletic build. He favours practical attire to anything too flamboyant, but has a fancy outfit for special occasions. His totemic anima is currently undefined, but all of my Sidereal characters encorperate wings in some way.

She/Her. Full Moon. Boar totem. ESTP personality type. Loud, socialable and direct, Joy forms a group with 2 other Lunars (Pretty Boy and Siaka Hunter) who are all known for being party animals inside of the Western Silver Pack. She can be rational, but also implusive - especially when people she loves are in danger, and finds it hard to plan big picture. Joy is more about celebrating the here and now. (High Compassion and Valor, Low Temperance). Her motivation is to protect the people of The West from creatures of darkness.

Joy of the Sea

Moodboard: https://pin.it/5hTSO6MJe

Joy has been exalted under Luna's light for just over 60 years. She is from The West of Creation (The Neck) and has travelled out to visit The North with her friend Siaka Hunter on a few occasions. Out there, she fought death knights and some of the creatures of undeath.

In the West however, the denisens of the Skullstone don't seem as cut and dry - especially when they have such a glorious Solar hero backing them in the form of Moray Darktide. However, Joy hates the fact that the Shadowland seems to be spreading slowly across the islands of The Neck, and will punch any ghost, zombie or death knight who tries to cause any trouble in her neighbourhood.

Joy is 5'9", and even taller in her war form, growing claws and tusks. She is big, but curvy, and more often than not dresses with her midrift out exposing her Lunar tattoos. Joy is a brawler, and uses her Lunar abilities to grow an extra set of arms when she really needs to lay the smack down. Since her war form is so simple, I'm open for more experimentation here, if drawing warforms is your thing.

While her anima is totemic, all of Joy's physical attacks carry with them the sand and the brine. Her feet are covered in a glowing sand (which imprints on her opponents when she makes contact), as ethereal waves of essence dance around her and spray over her opponents when she strikes with her fists, like being submerged by the waves.

[surroundedmedia]

Sports and Outdoor Enthusiast Videography

Are you missing out on recording your fitness journey, competitive sports achievements, or outdoor event accomplishments? Learn how videography is crucial in recording, celebrating, and sharing these activities, inspiring others to embrace an active lifestyle, and displaying your most precious passions to the world.

surroundedmedia.com gathered information about sports and outdoor activities, capturing that passion while promoting healthy lifestyles.

Videography in Sports and Outdoor Events

Professional videography captures the intensity and skill required in sports with the enthusiasm, emotions, and determination fueling each performance. Whether a quarterback's precision throws during a football game, a soccer player's powerful goal kick, or a skateboarder's perfectly executed flip, every moment holds a unique story. When expertly captured, stories can inspire others to step outside, engage with their environment, and pursue their athletic dreams.

Watch this short video of the 2024 Run for Angel’s and Chicken Q.

Videography has moved beyond simply documenting sports events; it's become essential in promoting health-focused lifestyles. Videos allow athletes, teams, organizations, and enthusiasts to showcase their skills and dedication in easily shareable, cinematic formats across social media. For brands and individuals, this visibility promotes events, highlights athletic achievements, and encourages audiences to pursue their fitness goals. Drone videography has quickly become a highly sought-after medium for recording impressive and unforgettable sports highlights and footage.

Uncover valuable drone videography tips at surroundedmedia.com/blog/11-drone-videography-tips-and-pilot-requirements

Sports and Activities Highlights

Each sport and outdoor activity tells its story. Videography needs to focus on the nuances, energy, and individual style that make each activity unique:

Football and Basketball - High-energy sports like football and basketball require quick reflexes and sharp focus from players and videographers. Professional videography captures those high-stakes moments—touchdowns, three-point shots, and last-minute steals—that ignite the crowd and define the game.

Soccer and Baseball - Precision, teamwork, and discipline play significant roles in sports like soccer and baseball. Videographers skilled in these sports understand the importance of timing, capturing the exact moment a player scores a goal or hits a home run, showcasing the dedication behind every move.

Volleyball - Volleyball's speed and coordination make it a visually engaging sport to film. Videographers can highlight the synchronization between teammates, the powerful spikes, and the athleticism required to play the game, encouraging viewers to consider the joy and challenge of beach or indoor volleyball.

Equestrian Events and Competitions - Equestrian events and horse competitions bring a unique blend of grace, power, and partnership between horse and rider. From dressage to show jumping, videography captures the synchronicity and trust in this sport, appealing to a broad audience of horse enthusiasts and inspiring others to pursue equine sports.

Watch this video from the HJ Fox Classic equestrian event.

Skateboarding and BMX Competitions - The stunts and gravity-defying tricks in skateboarding and BMX competitions draw attention with every twist, flip, and jump. Videographers adept in extreme sports can capture the intensity of these moments from creative angles, giving audiences a front-row seat to the adrenaline and artistry involved.

CrossFit and Fitness Competitions - CrossFit and other fitness events embody physical strength, mental resilience, and a supportive community atmosphere. Videography captures fierce dedication and camaraderie among athletes, portraying fitness as challenging but accessible to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Bicycle Racing and Hiking - The thrill of outdoor adventures like bicycle racing and hiking requires videography that captures movement against scenic backdrops. Mountain trails, winding paths, and challenging terrain attract viewers while showcasing the benefits of exploring natural settings as part of an active lifestyle.

Camping and Wilderness Retreats - Camping and wilderness retreats provide a peaceful break from everyday routines, encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to reconnect with nature. Videos capture the calm, the sense of adventure, and the therapeutic beauty of the wilderness, inviting viewers to embrace this refreshing lifestyle.

Rodeos and Racing Events - Rodeos and equestrian racing events demand courage, skill, and control. Videographers capture the thrilling moments of barrel racing, bull riding, or horse races, showing the true power and passion behind these traditional events.

Read more about sports and physical activity health benefits at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6572041

Promoting Events and a Healthy Lifestyle

High-quality videography is an exceptional promotional tool, allowing organizers to share event highlights, attract participants, and gain sponsors. A well-produced video showcasing the energy, sportsmanship, and community behind events like BMX competitions, rodeos, or wilderness retreats draws attention and boosts engagement. It's an invitation to those interested but hesitant, showing that sports and outdoor events offer something for everyone.

Reveal how you can make amateur videos look professional at surroundedmedia.com/blog/9-pro-tips-to-make-an-amateur-video-look-professional

Professional videography also helps athletes and enthusiasts build personal brands, particularly in niche markets like equestrian sports, skateboarding, and CrossFit. Athletes use videos to document their journey, highlight accomplishments, and attract sponsorships. These videos act as powerful marketing assets, sparking interest in upcoming events and growing their audience base. From small meet-ups to national competitions, capturing the event through professional video promotes the individual athlete and the sport, helping build a broader community and fostering enthusiasm around health-focused activities.

Outdoor Sports and Active Living Impacts

Sports and outdoor activities are more than hobbies; they’re lifelines to better health, increased energy, and stronger mental well-being. Every experience—whether hiking a mountain trail, participating in a CrossFit challenge, or training a horse for a competition—adds to an individual’s personal growth, resilience, and physical fitness. Videography captures these achievements, motivating others to follow suit, whether by joining a local team, hiking group, or competitive circuit.

Watch this short video about the Junction Juniors Bowling League.

Today’s consumers are increasingly mindful of health and fitness, and a well-crafted video showcasing these pursuits taps into this awareness. When viewers see athletes pushing boundaries, children scoring their first goals, or families enjoying camping trips, they’re inspired to bring similar experiences into their lives. Videos showing these joyful, challenging, and triumphant moments appeal to audiences across age groups, encouraging a more active lifestyle and greater appreciation for outdoor pursuits.

Sports and Outdoor Activities Videography

In this article, you discovered how videography is an indispensable tool for promoting sports and outdoor activities, serving to inspire health and fitness, engage others, and motivate your audience to lead more active, healthy lives.

Surrounded Media professionally captures memories and promotes fitness and well-being, creating a ripple effect that encourages others to pursue outdoor experiences.

Without recording your experiences and sharing the highs, challenges, and personal growth moments that make sports and outdoor adventures meaningful, you are missing the opportunity to inspire and motivate others to do the same.

Sources: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6562165 cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/benefits/index.html

Surrounded Media LLC

177 Fairway Drive Newnan, GA30265 (770) 727-1577

To see the original version of this article, visit https://www.surroundedmedia.com/blog/sports-and-outdoor-enthusiast-videography

[ridingancientrome]

The Timeless Joy of Riding Horse

Riding a horse is an age-old tradition that has been cherished by people across cultures and eras. Whether for work, sport, or leisure, the bond between humans and horses is profound and enduring. In this blog, we will explore the many facets of riding horse , from its historical significance to the modern-day joys and benefits it offers.

Historical Significance

The history of horseback riding dates back thousands of years. Horses were first domesticated around 4,000 BCE in the steppes of Central Asia. Since then, they have played a pivotal role in human civilization. Ancient warriors, traders, and nomads relied on horses for transportation, warfare, and commerce. The horse’s strength and speed revolutionized travel and communication, enabling the spread of cultures and ideas.

In ancient Rome, chariots and cavalry were integral to military success. In medieval Europe, knights trained rigorously in horsemanship, making horseback riding a symbol of nobility and prowess. In the American West, cowboys depended on their trusty steeds to herd cattle and traverse vast landscapes. Each era and culture has contributed to the rich tapestry of equestrian history.

The Modern-Day Appeal

Today, riding horse is enjoyed by millions worldwide. It has evolved into a diverse activity encompassing competitive sports, therapeutic practices, and leisurely pursuits.

Competitive Sports: Equestrian sports are a staple in the Olympics, featuring disciplines like dressage, show jumping, and eventing. These sports require a deep understanding and synergy between rider and horse. Competitions are held globally, drawing enthusiasts and athletes who showcase their skills and the remarkable abilities of their horses.

Therapeutic Riding: Equine-assisted therapy has gained recognition for its therapeutic benefits. Riding horses can help individuals with physical, emotional, and developmental challenges. The rhythmic motion of riding aids in improving balance, coordination, and muscle strength. Additionally, the bond formed between rider and horse fosters emotional healing and confidence.

Leisure and Adventure: For many, horseback riding is a way to connect with nature and enjoy the great outdoors. Trails and riding tours offer a unique perspective of the landscape, allowing riders to explore forests, mountains, beaches, and more. The sense of freedom and tranquility experienced while riding is unparalleled, making it a favorite pastime for nature lovers and adventurers.

Benefits of Horseback Riding

Horseback riding offers numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. It is a full-body workout that engages core muscles, improves posture, and enhances coordination. The physical demands of riding also contribute to cardiovascular health and overall fitness.

Mentally, riding a horse requires focus, patience, and problem-solving skills. Riders must be attuned to their horse’s movements and behaviors, fostering mindfulness and presence. The challenges of riding, whether mastering a new skill or navigating a difficult trail, build resilience and perseverance.

Emotionally, the bond between horse and rider is incredibly rewarding. Horses are intuitive and sensitive animals, often reflecting the emotions of their riders. This connection promotes empathy, trust, and emotional awareness. For many, time spent with horses is therapeutic, offering a respite from the stresses of daily life.

Conclusion

Horseback riding is more than just a sport or hobby; it is a journey into the timeless relationship between humans and horses. Whether competing in a prestigious event, engaging in therapeutic riding, or exploring scenic trails, the joy of riding a horse is unmatched. It is an activity that nurtures the body, mind, and spirit, offering endless opportunities for growth, adventure, and connection. So, saddle up and embark on your own equestrian adventure—you might just discover a lifelong passion. For more details visit our website www.ridingancientrome.it

[lesserfandomappreciation]

Hello! Long time no see, hope you're doing well! Can I ask for some hcs for Arthur, Merlin and Hans, with their s/o wanting to bond with them by trying out their hobbies? If that makes any sense.

Hi hi! I'm doing good! How about you? I saw the latest chapter update- you are doing amazing! S/o and hobby bonding (RSaT7D) Arthur

Arthur's hobbies are mostly athletic. Sword-fighting, fighting, climbing, strength work-out, learning about new weapons, riding. Not to call someone a one-trick pony but Arthur's interests aren't the most varied. He's aware of this and wishes people would give his hobbies a chance, but he's also the only jock in a group full of nerds, his fate was sealed the minute he joined. He'd more or less resigned himself to practicing these things alone until:

"You want to try it? Really?! You mean it?! Ehem- I mean - Of course. You're going to love it!"

Joy. Pure joy radiates off his face. He's trying very hard to keep it down, but he can't help it! S/o means a lot to him, his hobbies mean a lot to him and now, they're being combined together in the best way!

There's a slight problem though. He's terrified of hurting his s/o. Most of his hobbies involve some pretty intense action. How to go about showing them his hobbies?

Riding it is then! Horse-back riding is a safe option! There's no combat involved, it's a lot of fun, and best of all if they share a horse they can be very close. This dumbass romantic has to be snapped out of his romantic fantasies often, a constant s/o gets used to quickly.

To the surprise of most including Arthur, he's a good teacher! S/o quickly finds themself atop a horse with Arthur holding the bridle until they get used to being up there. Encouragement and praise is constantly lobbed their way as he compliments them for each step forward they take. By the time they get off the horse they are doggedly tired but it's hard to not feel like you've achieved a great deal with the prince making it clear they've done an amazing job.

Be prepared for this to be a bi-weekly thing, if not a daily thing. Arthur's aware of how much strength it takes but his mind is already planning hikes and trails they can ride through together.

100% expect him to do the same with one of their hobbies. This is mutual bonding over different hobbies, whatever s/o is into Arthur wants to try.

Merlin

"You want to learn one of my hobbies? Well, I don't mean to brag, but you're looking at one of the best. I hope you're ready to keep up!"

Sketching, he's talking about sketching.

Merlin has the bad habit of not having a lot of hobbies. Studying magic is something that brings him joy, sure, but studying is studying. Anyone can speak to the stress it can bring even if you enjoy it. The only reason he has sketching as a hobby is because the boy has was hand-drawing each spell scroll before the trio made that printer.

S/o being interested makes his heart soar higher than he wants to admit. Hobbies are a very personal thing, and the fact they want to bond with him doing an activity they know he really likes is doing wonders for Merlin. He is going to show them everything he knows.

Merlin will happily grab his art supplies, some loose paper or a few journals and go to town showing s/o his methods and techniques. He rambles in jargon, showing different techniques and materials. It's sweet, if confusing at times. S/o will have to remind him to slow down, that this is for fun before he turns the bonding into a bonafide lecture on the history of sketching, and an opinion piece on why charcoal is better than pencil work.

He's a little nervous about sharing his journal doodles with them. Personal styles speak volumes of a person. It's one thing to sure pieces he made on purpose, with the purpose to be a sketch. Doodles in journal corners next to notes are personal. But with how eager they are to learn, he can't help but want to show them too.

Hans

Baking and cooking are arguably both his hobbies and his duties when with the group but Hans isn't a flat character - there's other stuff he likes too! Sewing for example is a fun activity for him, and it's practical. Anything with cloth really. Knitting, sewing, the whole range. Few things beat out curling up next to a fire with a freshly made snack and hot tea, with needlework to enjoy.

"Sewing? Liebe you don't have to do that for me, I like to bond with you in other ways too. Oh? Well, if you're sure, why not?"

S/o's interest in his hobbies is a surprise to him. It's not that he thought they were disinterested in that part of of his life; he sews often, they've seen him do it and many nights at home are them curled with a book while he cuddles next to them working on some needlepoint. Wanting to learn though is unexpected because it's not an easy thing to get into. Sewing and all things thread-related can be really tricky to get into simply because of how many times you stab yourself with a damn needle. Knitting? Those needles hurt too. They've seen him cuss a storm or two before at a needlepoint kitten, are they sure they want to do this?

Hans is the best in teaching though, because unlike Arthur who has no chill and Merlin who also has no chill but also lectures, Hans gets that this is a day-to-day thing. Little by little, bit by bit, they will get better at this. And if they want to do something else? That's fine, the fact they tried for him makes his heart beat so much faster. If they stick to it and surprise him with something embroidered he will cry.

He also has a lot of band-aids on stand-by which is appreciated.

Sewing night dates? Sewing night dates.

[theevangelion]

Keira: Dom Cat/Sub Kara Sneak Peek

For Kendrene: Mistress Cat/Sub Kara. Kara has some special duties as Cat's personal assistant, including being fucked by her boss in the office after hours. Bonus points for involving Cat's very steep heels in the process.

*OR*

Cat Grant gives her Bambi-legged personal assistant an intensive course on how to walk in high heels.

“Oh! Keira while you’re here!” Miss Grant halted the personal assistant escaping in search of her lunch hour. “I need you to run and grab coffee before you take your break.”

“It’s Kara.”

“Excuse me?” Miss Grant glanced over the top of her glasses from the photographs spread out on her desk.

“It’s Kara, not—”

“Did I ask for your name?” Miss Grant didn’t so much as blink. “Keira, I can only assume you got out of bed on the wrong side this morning—presumably in the dark too if those last season bargain basement shoes are anything to go by—which you wear with all the grace and elegance of a reversing garbage truck without any wheels on, by the way.” Miss Grant turned her attention back to the grainy photographs of a popular athlete kissing a woman who was not his wife. “I’ll take a danish too.” She shooed with her fingers.

Taken aback, Kara realised that she now simply had a new name until Cat Grant decided otherwise. There was nothing to say—nothing she could say—other than blither foolish apologies for misspeaking. Kara had been warned about Cat’s quick, no survivors taken attitude. The several ex-personal assistants in the Facebook support group had made it abundantly clear.

But, Kara hadn’t found the advertisement for this role on Indeed or LinkedIn. She found it through quite a different website altogether.

“Coffee, Keira.” Miss Grant pointed a manicured finger to the door. “Why are you still here?”

“Sorry! Yes! Coffee, Miss Grant. Almond milk?” Kara became determined to get it right for fear of the alternative.

“Of course I want almond milk, Keira,” the petite woman scoffed, “I’m not a fucking barefoot savage.”

***

“She’s looking to finish strong but the ankles are weak. Her coach and team will be disappointed with her performance today. Wibble wobble, will she make it?” Miss Grant chided behind Kara all the way through the office as though walking in these particular heels were an Olympic gymnastics floor final. “Oh! She nearly tripped but she stuck the landing!” Miss Grant burst enthusiastically as they made it through the door into her executive office. “Goodness, Keira. It’s like watching a horse try to gallop in roller skates inside a pressurised vacuum chamber.”

“I can wear flats instead of heels if you prefer, Miss Grant?” Kara suggested with blushing cheeks, leaning over slightly as she placed the coffee and rival daily newspapers on Cat’s desk for morning appraisal.

“Keira.” Slender hips pressed against Kara’s bent bottom, then lips craned and pressed against the back of her reddened ear. It made Kara’s heartbeat stop and her brain empty outward. “I’m offended you would suggest such a thing. Firstly, I’m offended on behalf of high heels. Secondly, I’m offended you would think about stripping me of the small joy that comes with mercilessly mocking you.” Kara swallowed hard and felt her boss gently tuck her wavy hair behind her ear. “You don’t want to offend me, do you Kara?” Cat whispered.

“You said my name.”

“Excuse me?”

“You—” Kara stopped and inhaled, shaking her head at her own foolishness. “Nothing, sorry. Of course I don’t want to offend you, Miss Grant. I… I like working here. I just want you to make sure you like me working here as much as I like working here.”

“You sound like bad Roald Dahl fanfiction when you speak off the tongue. I don’t like it.” Cat pulled back, but she gently slipped her slender fingers along Kara’s shoulder as she moved away—almost taking the venom out of her own statement. “Still, a woman without confidence is like a bisexual person without a Harry Potter inspired tattoo, Keira. Incomprehensible,” Cat snided, stepping around her desk with clasped hands at her waist. “I’ll teach you how to appreciate heels. Be here at six this evening.”

“After work?” Kara gulped and fiddled with her glasses.

“Will that be a problem?”

“No Ma’am.” She shook her head.

***

Kara was a pretty thing. Annoying, but pretty. There were few things that Cat enjoyed less than a young woman falling all over herself like a wounded deer in the wake of a cutting word from her quick tongue. But, Kara had seemingly made herself immune to the humiliation in recent weeks.

Cat would try, of course, nasty little remarks here and there to make the girl wither crimson. But Kara would just smile the most radiant smile and say a blushing thank you, apparently grateful for the attention and constructive feedback.

Truth be told, it warmed Cat.

But that didn’t stop it being any less infuriating.

Cat had placed the job advertisement on the fetish website for two reasons: to draw in the type of submissive natured assistant who would prove long standing—because having to re-explain the basics of how she wanted things done around the office every few months after the latest one quit was more headache than it was worth. Cat also placed the advert on the fetish website because it was a very, very fun and convenient way to bring her most private fantasies to life.

Cat enjoyed the thought of humiliating a girl to tears, parading her naked, spanking her over her knee, doing all sorts of rude and cruel things to her. There were the overtly sexual things too—the thought of taking her personal assistant to business dinners with electrified toys in all sorts of sensitive places. A tear-stained porcelain face buried underneath her hiked skirt licking her stresses away—waiting for the chief’s permission to gasp for a much needed breath.

Why keep it a filthy, private fantasy when she could find someone as equally perverted as herself? Better yet, why keep it a filthy perverted fantasy when she could find a little fool who would do these things without the good business acumen to demand a premium salary rate.

Kara made above market average of course, if only from the benevolence of Cat’s tender heart. The girl didn’t have enough between her ears to think to demand it, though Cat supposed that was rather a good thing for longevity's sake.

Cat never abided demanding types very well.

“Panties off too.” Cat didn’t glance away from her laptop screen despite wanting to stare. “I don’t care if you cry yourself blue in the face. Take them off or put the rest of your clothes on and march yourself down to the unemployment line.”

“I’m not crying,” Kara whispered softly as though confused by the statement. “I wasn’t wearing panties to begin with, Miss Grant.”

At that Cat snapped her stare across with witheringly cold precision. Kara stood there completely bare with her hands clasped behind her spine. From stood beneath the lighting directly above her, her skin was a gorgeous shade of bone white, her muscles taut and slender, which gave her the impression of being much taller than she actually was. Cat thought she looked beautiful, and she wanted to give the compliment where it was due, though she would never miss the opportunity for a quip.

“What happens when you assume, Keira?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Grant.” Wrong footed, Kara startled like a wide-eyed deer.

Much better, Cat thought.

Kara continued, “I just. I just like to be prepared for you, Miss Grant. I like to anticipate what might be required of me—”

“And what were you anticipating when you decided to forgo panties this morning?” Cat rose from her chair with a cool, indiscernible expression. “What? You had some infantile, school girl fantasy that perhaps I might use your dripping little hole as balm?” Cat blinked and pushed the smallest of smirks. “Of course, I suppose today wasn’t the first day the air from the subway vents tickled you in private places?” She clipped around her desk with poise.

YOU CAN READ ALL FOUR CHAPTERS OF THE COMPLETE STORY HERE!

[silverxvein]

IVANA BAQUERO, 24, SHE/HER, CIS FEMALE.  VICTORIA WINDSOR has just arrived in greece. they’re a princess from ENGLAND. their eyes seem to tell us a million things but A DARK HAIR BLOWING WILD IN THE BREEZE, CALLOUSES CAUSED BY THE LEATHER OF REINS, THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER AT ONE’S OWN MISTAKES are seen from the surface. she hopes to gain A TASTE OF ADVENTURE while here in greece. 

@enthronedarchive​

BACKGROUND

tw - mentions of childbirth

Victoria came into the world utterly silently. For a brief, heart-wrenching second, there was no sound at all- and then, she screamed.That first wail was loud, letting all know she was here, and she would not be ignored. 

From an early age, it became clear that Victoria was made to cause havoc wherever she went. A bright, but rowdy child, there was no overlooking the little princess. Although clearly bright, education of any kind bored her greatly. She had little interest in maths or science or literature, and her disinterest became the bane of her tutor’s existence, causing her to act up, playing practical jokes on them, her siblings, the castle staff, and anybody else unfortunate enough to cross her path. 

With seemingly endless energy, there was no taming Victoria - that was, until the first time she was allowed on the back of a horse. From that first time, she fell utterly in love. It was freedom, and adventure, and excitement all in one, even if it was just trotting around the gardens of her home. No feeling compared to it, a rush she would be chasing for the rest of her life. 

As she grew older, Victoria grew brasher, and more arrogant. As a teenager, she began to ride horses competitively, entering athletic tournaments. She didn’t always win, but she didn’t mind so much. for her, it was never really about coming first, but proving that she could hold her own, that she was good at what she loved most in the world. 

The taste of freedom that riding provided her couldn’t last forever. Once she turned 20, she knew she needed more. And so, she began to travel, moving around England to visit the people her family ruled. Though she can be a handful, Victoria has always had a knack of getting people to love her, a bright charisma that makes people laugh and draws them to her side. This was true of the countrymen she met on her way. 

Underneath her brash exterior, Victoria has always had something of a tender heart. The more she was exposed to, the more her true purpose in life became clear. With her winnings from competitions, Victoria begun to quietly invest in charitable organisations, funding orphanages and school and hospitals, foundations to help the poor and the sick. This, more than anything, is what she’s proudest of. 

Victoria isn’t what one would call promiscuous - but neither is she totally innocent. There have been men in her life, one or two dalliances and explorations of sexuality, but only one that left his mark. Their romance wasn’t meant to be, and he went on to marry somebody else, but what could have been still haunts her. 

Greece is the furthest Victoria has been from home, and she isn’t here to play at politics. It’s a rare opportunity for an adventure, and not one she is willing to pass up. Her gregariousness means she’s willing to talk to, and befriend, anybody, no matter where they came from. 

PERSONALITY 

Victoria was never afraid of anything. There was no fear of the dark, nor strangers, nor falling. It was as though she had been born without it, instead replace with a natural inclination for mischief. As she grew older, her bold and boisterous ways only increased. Victoria has always been the type to go looking for trouble, and more often than not, she finds it. She never takes anything seriously, which can be both a blessing and a curse. She likes to see herself as a free spirit, and although she can be hedonistic, she is not unfeeling. Underneath her bravado is a generous, and caring soul with a thirst for squeezing the most out of life, and bringing that same joy and laughter to others. 

[soccerlegendsme]

Champions League 2020-21: Who will be kings of Europe? Our experts' predictions

Fifty eight days after Bayern Munich lifted the trophy in Lisbon, the Champions League is back.

Last season's disrupted competition ended with an unlikely final four of Bayern, Paris St-Germain, Lyon and RB Leipzig.

So who will triumph this time? And who will be the surprise packages? We asked our European football writers to make their predictions.

Champions League groups in full

Everything you need to know about this season's Champions League

Can you name every team in this season's Champions League?

If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.

Andy West, Spanish football writer

What are the prospects for the Spanish sides?

Real Madrid are, of course, always dangerous in this competition and will have added motivation after failing badly in the past couple of years with consecutive last-16 exits.

Barcelona have started the season brightly but realistically the squad is too shallow and blighted by too many flaws for them to be considered among the favourites.

Atletico Madrid, though, could go a long way: they will be strong at the back as always, and if the new strike pairing of Luis Suarez and Joao Felix fulfils its potential they'll be hard to stop.

And Sevilla? Underestimate them at your peril.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Right now it's hard to look past Bayern Munich, considering how superior they were to every other team at the end of last season.

But winning the competition two years in a row is notoriously difficult, and I have a feeling we'll see a very strong challenge from the team who historically like to believe they own this competition: Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane can call upon genuine world-class quality throughout the squad and has plenty of match-winning options in attack, especially if Eden Hazard can get fit, stay fit and start to show his true ability. So I'll take Real Madrid.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Sevilla have made the Europa League their own, winning it four times since 2014. And under the leadership of canny coach Julen Lopetegui, they look ready to step up to the Champions League. The Andalusians don't have the quality in attack to be potential winners, but they could go deep into the knockout stages.

Constantin Eckner, German football writer

What are the prospects for the German sides?

Bayern Munich addressed the issues regarding their squad late in the transfer window and remain among the strongest teams in Europe. They are capable of defending the title, but it is more likely we will see a slight drop in performance this season.

Borussia Dortmund should win their group and reach at least the quarter-finals if they manage to keep the defence healthy.

RB Leipzig could battle Manchester United for second spot in Group H. Even without Timo Werner, last season's semi-finalists are tough to beat thanks to Julian Nagelsmann's analytical mind and a squad full of highly athletic players.

Borussia Monchengladbach should see their participation in this year's competition as a chance to learn and grow.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

I don't see a clear-cut favourite this year, as the two previous winners have to deal with some issues that might hinder them from winning it again.

So my money is on Real Madrid. They are the total package with a mix of veteran players and rising stars, and an experienced coach on the sidelines.

Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard and Vinícius Júnior represent the new generation, while Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Sergio Ramos have enough left in the tank to get one more Champions League trophy.

Zidane might not be the tactical genius that some of his peers are, but he knows how to manage a tight schedule and guide a team through the obstacles of a knockout stage.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Borussia Dortmund have the raw talent to be the dark horse in this year's Champions League. They are able to beat any team in the world on a good day and will only get better, as most of their key players are fairly young.

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport's chief football writer

What are the prospects for the English sides?

Liverpool, with their past record of success, are England's best prospect to win the Champions League. Manchester City have the talent but there is something about this competition that always seems to trip them up. Is it lack of belief? Is it Pep Guardiola's tactical mistakes?

I can see Chelsea making it out of a group that is relatively kind but in their current form and condition I do not see Manchester United getting anywhere near the knockout stage when faced with the likes of PSG and RB Leipzig. Things can change in that time for United, but they would have to change a lot.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

At this stage I would say my two favourites would be Liverpool and the holders Bayern Munich.

Liverpool still look so strong, although they did not get past the last 16 last season when they went out to Atletico Madrid, but now of course they have Thiago Alcantara, such a key figure in Bayern's triumphs.

The usual suspects such as PSG, Barcelona and Real Madrid will be involved but I will go for a straight fight between Liverpool and Bayern - with Liverpool my tip.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Hard to see anyone coming out of the traditional pack but Atletico Madrid, under the inspirational leadership of Diego Simeone, are always a threat, as Liverpool found to their cost last season.

Atletico have had so many near misses with the Champions League but they have added to their squad with Luis Suarez and no-one will want to draw them.

The other possibility? Sevilla - they showed once again what European specialists they are by winning the Europa League.

Ian Holyman, Ligue 1 podcast producer

What are the prospects for the French sides?

It's hardly sticking my neck out to suggest PSG will challenge strongly again.

Yes, they've lost Thiago Silva, but with Marquinhos replacing him in central defence and as captain, and Danilo Pereira's arrival in midfield, Thomas Tuchel's men are stronger and better balanced.

Andre Villas-Boas worked a miracle to get Marseille back into the competition for the first time since 2013-14, but even with Florian Thauvin fit again, the squad looks thin - a helpful draw might see them sneak into the knockout stages though.

Group-stage debutants Rennes will surely struggle with the step up in class, and grabbing third place would be a success.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Can you look beyond Bayern Munich? The Champions League is a notoriously fiendish title to defend, but the 2019-20 winners' success in Lisbon in the summer will motivate, not sate, them. They have not stood still since either: Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (don't laugh!) is great back-up to Robert Lewandowski, and though Thiago has left, Bayern already had an upgrade in Joshua Kimmich.

Their veterans, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, enjoyed one of their best seasons last term, and young talents such as Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane will only keep improving.

Hansi Flick's men will again be the team to beat.

Which team could be the surprise package?

They've been drawn in the toughest section of all, but Istanbul Basaksehir will be no meek victims of Group H. The Turkish champions - that already says something about their quality - have former Manchester United defender Rafael and ex-Liverpool man Martin Skrtel at the back, while ex-West Ham United, Newcastle United and Chelsea forward Demba Ba is up front.

Daniele Verri, Italian football journalist

What are the prospects for the Italian sides?

It is difficult to imagine an Italian club winning the Champions League.

You can't rule out a team fielding Cristiano Ronaldo but Juventus have a young manager in Andrea Pirlo, are in the process of rejuvenating their squad and lack quality in midfield. Their quest to end a 24-year wait will continue.

Inter proved their worth as they reached the final of last season's Europa League and have since signed Achraf Hakimi and Arturo Vidal. Their focus will be on the league title though, something Antonio Conte sees as a necessary step to form a winning mentality.

Lazio do not have the depth to fight on the domestic and European stage and will struggle to keep up on both.

Who is your tip to win the Champions League and why?

Not even the Oracle of Delphi can predict in October who is to win the Champions League in May! Form, injuries and Covid-19 will all play a role. Will there be another lockdown? Who is going to be the fittest when it really comes to it?

In my opinion, the eventual winner will come from England. Spanish clubs haven't invested enough, a second win for Bayern seems unrealistic and Italian clubs lack that extra bit of quality.

Liverpool and Manchester City, as long as Sergio Aguero recovers and Ruben Dias proves capable of filling Vincent Kompany's boots, are my favourites, with PSG their main danger.

Which team could be the surprise package?

Atalanta already reached the quarter-finals in their maiden Champions League campaign and could do even better.

The Nerazzurri have gathered European experience in the past few years and this will be Gian Piero Gasperini's fifth season in Bergamo. His team play with heart and are a joy to watch. If Josip Ilicic reaches top form they will be a threat to anyone.

‘SOCCERLEGENDS NEWSDESK’

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Horse Lords

Baltimore-based Horse Lords have been forging their own take on experimental rock music since 2012. The quartet, Andrew Bernstein (saxophone/percussion), Max Eilbacher (bass/electronics), Owen Gardner (guitar) and Sam Haberman (drums) weave together pieces drawing on divergent sources that include everything from 20th and 21st century classical music to just intonation tuning to African and Appalachian musical traditions to intricate polyrhythms and studio experiments. In a recent interview, Gardner talked about their approach to putting pieces together. “We generally write right up to the edge of our abilities. And sometimes slightly beyond. We’d had to scrap quite a few songs because they proved to be basically impossible to play... It keeps it interesting.” Ian Forsythe covered their newest release, The Common Task, noting that “Their nearly ten-year core pivots rhythmic and tonal ideas athletically, and their ability to pull elements from anywhere and everywhere is seemingly more fluid with each record.”

For this Listed, the four members runs down a list of live shows, recordings, blogs, movies, and books that have been on their minds.

Gleb Kanasevich plays Horațiu Rădulescu’s “Inner Time II for seven clarinets (Op.42b),” Baltimore. 2018 (Owen Gardner)

A near-hourlong ear workout, combining impressive sonic and structural brutality. The interaction of what these close dissonances do inside your ears with what the clarinets do in space (Gleb played live with 6 recordings of himself, meticulously arranged around the audience) is a haunting experience, celestial but with no concession to human music.

Maryanne Amacher — Perceptual Geographies, Philadelphia 2019 (Owen Gardner)

https://issuu.com/bowerbirdphilly/docs/amacherprogramonline

So much revelatory material has come out of the Maryanne Amacher archive so far, and particularly these loving reconstructions of her instrumental music. A lot more attention seems to have been given to “Petra,” which is certainly gorgeous and shows fascinating symmetries with the spatial/timbral concerns of her electronic music, but “Adjacencies” struck me as the Major Work of 20th Century Music. She wrote the damn thing in 1965 and it sounds fresh half a century later, which we can say of no previous piece of percussion music and not much written subsequently. I am slowly losing my mind waiting for Amy Cimini’s book on Amacher to come out, craving a deeper dive into her theory and methods.

Sarah Hennies, Bonnie Jones, Lê Quan Ninh, and Biliana Voutchkova at the High Zerofestival, Baltimore 2019 (Owen Gardner)

One of at least three great things Sarah Hennies did last year (Reservoir 1 on Black Truffle and the 90 minute cello/percussion duo “The Reinvention of Romance” being the others) was to take part in Baltimore’s High Zero festival, four mind-frying days devoted to free improvisation. This set was one of the highlights of 2019’s festival; each of the four performers having at least one foot in composed music (Ninh is a long-time Cage interpreter and Biliana has collaborated with Peter Ablinger) seemed to lend it a certain sureness and serenity, but ultimately their combined strength as improvisors (fastidiously captured by High Zero’s crack recording team) is what makes it such an engaging listen.

El Chombo — Cuentos de la Cripta (Owen Gardner)

A relentless tetralogy that nicely balances the rawness of ‘90s proto-reggaetón productions (the first volume self-identifies as “Spanish Reggae”) and the slicker, synth-oriented sound and settled genre conventions we’ve come to enjoy (or not) in the 21st century. This was helpful when working on “People’s Park,” not least for its insistent connection to Jamaican music. I can understand very little Spanish but I'm guessing the lyrics are not unproblematic; signifying language always disappoints.

Wallahi Le Zein! (Owen Gardner)

http://thewealthofthewise.blogspot.com/

An invaluable resource for anyone interested in African music, much more consistent and informative than the often yucky reissue market, which seems to prioritize awkward (and marginal) attempts at Western musical fads—as if what was available was not an impossibly rich and heterogeneous network of self-sufficient musical cultures but merely a broken mirror facing America. The archive of Mauritanian music alone makes this the most worthwhile stop on the information superhighway. There’s plenty of goofy drum programming and appalling sound quality if that’s your bag, but the rich variety of traditional musics is what keeps me coming back.

Miles Davis — On the Corner (Max Eilbacher)

Some might say Stockhausen serves imperialism but he did his little part to help cook up some of the most twisted American Jazz/funk jams ever. Davis only kept one cassette in his convertible sports car during the On the Corner sessions, a tape of “Hymnen.” He would take each member of the band on highspeed joy rides with the car’s stereo system on full blast. That same energy was channeled in the arrangement and editing. The convergence of a lot of different elements keeps this record on my top 10 list ‘til the end of time. The little detail of Americans taking concepts from European Neu Musik and making something incredibly funky and pleasurable is the cherry on top.

Olivia Block & Marcus Schmickler at Diffusion Festival, Baltimore 2018 (Andrew Bernstein)

This was an amazing pairing, with both artists playing in 8-channel “surround sound.” Marcus’ set was incredibly intense. Pure synthesis with a lot of psychoacoustic inner ear tones and unending overlapping melodies. It felt like the sonic equivalent of watching a strobe light at close distance. Olivia’s set was a slow creep, laying samples to create lush textures that were truly immersive. This was the kind of concert that reminds you of the awesome power of music.

Blacks’ Myths at the Red Room, Baltimore 2019 (Andrew Bernstein)

Blacks' Myths II by Blacks' Myths

I’m there for anything bassist Luke Stewart touches (see Irreversible Entanglements, his solo upright + feedback work, frequent collaborations with too many people to name). Blacks' Myths, his bass and drumset duo with Warren Crudup, is loud, noisy, and intense, and this set at the Red Room last year was particularly transcendent.

“Blue” Gene Tyranny — Out of the Blue (Andrew Bernstein)

Out of the Blue by "Blue" Gene Tyranny

I have probably listened to this record more than any other the last few years. Perfectly crafted pop songs segue into proggy funk jams and then into stream of consciousness drone pieces based around the doppler effect. I’ll put it on over and over again, an experience with an album I haven’t really had since I was in high school.

Bill Orcutt — An Account of the Crimes of Peter Thiel and His Subsequent Arrest, Trial, and Execution 2017 (Max Eilbacher)

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CRIMES OF PETER THIEL AND HIS SUBSEQUENT ARREST, TRIAL AND EXECUTION. by BILL ORCUTT

Legendary underground American guitarists from the most important American rock band also makes top notch conceptual digital audio art. Years ago I thought computer music lacked a certain sub cultural attitude. While this was/is not true, this 2017 release feels like it exists in its own world. High and low brow are in perfect harmony for this patterned enjoyable hellride of a listen. What if Hanne Darboven had to make art while working a full time job and dealing with mild substance abuse?

Lina Wertmüller — Seven Beauties 1975 (Max Eilbacher)

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42000553

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Beauties

During this pandemic I have been talking film shop over emails nonstop. I went through a big Wertmüller phase in 2018-2019 and as people are trading recommendations I usually try to recommend something by her. This film is the one that I keep reaching for. The email recommending this film usually starts as a draft with “this is really intense” and then I try to hearken back to my film school days and write about the male gaze, patriarchy, communism or something of that nature. I end up writing a bit, feeling like it’s way over the top for a casual email and then I end up deleting everything except “this is a really intense and beautiful film.”

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O’Neill (Sam Haberman)

https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/tom-oneill/chaos/9780316477574/

The last book I managed to check out of the library before it closed. Though it in some ways resembles works of conspiracy theory, Tom O’Neill is always straightforward in telling the reader that, though the official story of the Manson case is almost certainly not true, the actual details don’t cohere into any kind of Meaning. Every new discovery is its own digression that points to a new unknowable truth or unverifiable claim. This really inverts the normal thrill of conspiracy theory, which invites you to either buy into the story being presented or reject it all together, either path offering its own sort of comfort. Chaos offers no such comfort.

[archiefm]

         ... claws my way up from hell once more and vomits onto the dash.... hello. its nora. i used to write rory bergstrom, but if u were here before that u might remember me as greta or alma putnam or..... som1 else.... an endless carousel of trash children..... this is finn, who i actually wrote for an early version of this rp abt 5yrs back now...... grits teeth..... so forgive me if im rusty i havent written him in a long time but seein honey boy gave me a lotta finn muse n im keen to get Back On The Horse yeehaww...

DYLAN O’BRIEN / CIS-MALE — don’t look now, but is that finn o’callaghan i see? the 25 year old criminology and forensic studies student is in their graduate year of study year and he is a rochester alum. i hear they can be judicious, adroit, morose and cynical, so maybe keep that in mind. i bet he will make a name for themselves living off-campus. ( nora. 24. gmt. she/her )

shakes my tin can a humble pinterest, ma’am....

finn has a bio pasted at the bottom (n written in like.... 2015.... gross) but it’s long  so if u don’t wanna read it here’s the sparknotes summary..... anyway this was written years ago n a lot of it seems really cliche and lame now but..... we accept the trash we think we deserve

grumpy, ugly sweater wearing, tech-savvy grandpa

very dry sense of humour and embraces nihilism. 

if ron swanson and april ludgate had a baby it would be finn

he was raised in derry, just south of dublin.

from a big family. elder sister called sinead. he also has a younger sister (aoife), a younger brother (colm), and a collie named lassie because his father lovs cliches (finn hates cliches but loves his dog). 

his father was a pub landlord and his mother worked at the market sellin fruit n veg when they met but got a job as a medical receptionist when she had kids cos it meant she cld be there with them in the day and work nights.

his parents met when they were p young and fiesty and rushed into marriage cos they were catholic n just wanted to have sex. his family were literally dirt-poor, but they had a lot of love i guess

hmmmmm his relationship w his father wasn’t the best cos i can’t write character who have healthy relationships w their parents throws up a peace sign. yh, had a pretty emotionally distant, alcoholic violent father n so gets a lot of his bad habits i.e. drinking as a coping mechanism and poor anger management from him BUT anyway

as a kid he was never very motivated in class, he always had a nervous itch to be off somewhere doing something else. struggled under government austerity bcso there just wasn’t the resources to support low income families where the kids had learning difficulties n needed support. fuck the tories am i right 

his mum suggested he try sports to help w his restless energy but he was never any good at football so he took up boxing and tap dance instead. he took to tap dancing like a fish to fuckin water. as adhd n found this as a really good way to use his excess energy in a creative way

had a few run ins with the police in his early teens for spray painting and graffiti, but he straightened himself out n now actually considering becoming a detective inspector??? cops are pigs.

he had a youtube channel where he posted videos of him tapdancing and breakdancing as a kid, basically would be a tiktok boy nowadays, n had like... a small fanbase in his early teens. attended several open auditions unsuccessfully, until he was finally cast in billy eliot when he was fifteen.

during billy eliot he began dating an italian dancer called nina. they became dance partners soon after and toured across the republic with various different shows (inc riverdance lol the classic irish stereotype). their relationship was p toxic tbh, they were both very hot tempered people and just used to argue and fight all the time.

he went semi-pro at tap dancing, and nina couldn’t stand being second best so she moved back to italy with her family. ignored his texts, phone calls, etc, eventually he was driven to the point where he used his savings to buy a plane ticket, showed up at her house and she was like wtf?? freaked out and filed a restraining order accusing him of stalking.

he was fined for harassment and then returned home to derry, but after the incident with nina he quit dancing for good and finished his leaving cert before heading to university in the US to get as far away from nina and his past life as poss. and basically since he quit dancing to study forensics (death kink. finn cant get enough of that morgue. just walks around sayin beat u) he’s become a massive grump and jsut doesn’t see the good in people any more.

u’ll find finn in an old man bar drinking whiskey bc he is in fact an old man at heart or sat on his roof smoking a joint, drawing wolves and lions and skeletons and shit, playing call of duty or getting blazed or at the corner of the room in a house party ignoring everyone and scrolling through twitter. is a massive e-boy. always up-to-date on memes and internet slang. has reddit as an app on his phone

not very good at communication. rather than solve his issues by talking, he’d prefer to just solve them through fighting or running away from his problems hence why he has come halfway across the world to get away from an issue which probs cld have been solved w a few apology emails.

takes a lot to phase him, but when his beserk button gets pressed he can become a bit pugnacious like an angry lil rottweiler. in his undergrad he was in a few fist fights but doesn’t really do tht any more as he doesn’t condone violence.

 in the previous version of this rp he was hospitalised like 5 times. pls, give my son a break. stop tryin to kill him. he literaly got a bottle smashed over his head and bled out all over his favourite angora rug that was the only light of his life

works at the campus coffee shop n always whines about how he’s a slave to capitalism. always smells of coffee

lives off campus with an elderly woman named Marianne, and basically gets reduced rent bcos he makes her dinner / keeps her company. they have a great bond

fan of karl marx. v big on socialism

insomniac with chronic nosebleeds

cynical about everything. too much of a fight club character 4 his own good n has his head up tyler durden’s sphincter

always confused or annoyed

statistics

basic information

full name: finnegan seamus o'callaghan nickname(s): finn age: 25 astrological sign: aries hometown: derry, ireland occupation: phd student / former street entertainer fatal flaw: cynicism positives: self-reliant, street smart, relaxed, intelligent, spontaneous, brave, independent, reliable, trustworthy, loyal. negatives: hostile, impulsive, stubborn, brooding, pugnacious, untrusting, cynical, enigmatic, reserved.

physical

colouring: medium hair colour: dark brown, almost black eye colour: brown height: 5’9” weight: 69kg build: tall, athletic voice: subtle irish accent, low, smooth. dominant hand: left scar(s): one on the left side of his ribs from a knife wound that he doesn’t remember getting cos he was drunk distinguishing marks: freckles, tattoo of a wolf howling at a moon allergies: pollen and the full spectrum of human emotion alcohol tolerance: high drunken behaviour: he becomes friendlier, far more conversational than when sober, flirtier, and generally more self-confident.

psychological

dreams/goals: self-fulfilment, travel the globe, experience life in its most alive and technicoloured version, make documentary films, help the vulnerable in society, grow as a human being.

skills: jack-of-all-trades, very fast runner, good at thieving things, talented tap dancer, good in crisis situations, dab-hand at mechanics, musically-intelligent, can throw a mean right hook and very capable of defending himself, can roll a cigarette, memorises quotes and passages of literature with ease, can light a match with his teeth.

likes: the smell of the earth after rain, poetry, cigarettes, shakespeare, whiskey, tattoos, travelling, ac/dc, deep conversations, leather jackets, open spaces, the smell of petrol, early noughties ‘emo phase’ anthems.

dislikes:  the government, parties, rules, donald trump, children, apple products, weddings, people in general, small talk, dependency, loneliness, pop music, public transport, justin timberlake, uncertainty.fears: fear itself, drowning alignment: true neutral mbti: istp – “while their mechanical tendencies can make them appear simple at a glance, istps are actually quite enigmatic. friendly but very private, calm but suddenly spontaneous, extremely curious but unable to stay focused on formal studies, istp personalities can be a challenge to predict, even by their friends and loved ones. istps can seem very loyal and steady for a while, but they tend to build up a store of impulsive energy that explodes without warning, taking their interests in bold new directions.” (via 16personalities.com)

full bio (lame as fuck written years ago..... pleathe...)

tw homophobia

born in quigley’s pub on the backstreets of sunny dublin, young finnegan o'callaghan was thrown kicking and screaming into the rowdy suburbs of irish drinking culture. the son of a landlord and a fishwife, he never had much in the way of earnings, but there was never a dull moment in his lively estate, where asbo’s thrived, but community spirit conquered. at school, finn was pegged as lazy and unmotivated, though truly his dyslexia made it hard for the boy to learn in the same environment of his peers and only made him more closed-off in class. struggling with anger management, finn moved from school to school, unable to fit the cookie-cutter mould that school enforced on him, though whilst academic studies were of little interest to the boy, he soon found his true passions lay in recreational activities. immersed into the joys of sport from as young as four, finn was an ardent munster fan and anticipated nothing more than the day he could finally fit into his brother’s old pair of rugby boots.

his calling finally came unexpectedly, not in the form of rugger, but through dance. to learn to express himself in a non-academic way, he began tap dancing, finding therapy in the beat of his soles against the cracked kitchen tiles (much to his mother’s disgrace). it wasn’t a conscious choice, finn just realised one day that dance was something that made him feel. a king of the streets, finn made his fortune on those cobbled pavements – dancing and drawing to earn his keep. by default, finn became a street artist, each penny he earned from his chalk drawings saved in a jam jar towards buying his first pair of tap shoes. though many of his less-than-amiable neighbours called him a nancy and a gaybo, finn refused to quit at his somewhat ‘unconventional’ hobby, for the young scrapper found energy, life, and released anger through the rhythm of tap. soon he branched out into street dance, hip hop, break dancing, lyrical, his days spent smacking his scuffed feet against the broken patio into the night.

when he was thirteen he took up boxing, and as expected, his newfound ‘macho’ pastime conflicted with his dancing. the boxers called him ‘soft’; the dancers called him ‘inelegant’. he felt like two different people; having to choose between interests was like being handed a knife and asked to which half of himself he wished to cut away. he couldn’t afford professional training in dance, with most schools based in england and limited scholarships available. instead, he made the street his studio, racking up a small fanbase on youtube. when he was fifteen he made his debut in billy eliot at the olympia theatre in dublin. enter nina de souza, talented, beautiful and italian; ballet dancer, operatic singer, genius whiz kid, and spoiled brat. she was selfish, conceited, hell bent on getting her own way, and every director’s nightmare. finn fell for her like a house of cards. he’d always had a soft spot for girls who meant trouble. and so their hellish courtship began.

by the time they were seventeen, the two young swans had danced in every playhouse across the republic. they were known in theatres across the country for their tempestuous personalities, their raging arguments with one another, their tendency to drop out of shows altogether without any notice, yet the money kept rolling in and the audiences continued to grow. for three years, their families continued to put up with their hysterical fights followed by passionate reconciliations. he was too possessive, and she was too wild. their carcrash of a relationship finally came to a catastrophic halt when nina broke off the whole affair and returned to italy with her family. for months finn tried to contact her, yet his phone calls, texts, facebook messages were always ignored, until finally he was driven to drastic measures and used his savings to get a plane to her home town. when finn turned up uninvited at nina’s house she freaked out – and rightly so – she contacted her agent, accused him of stalking her, and had a restraining order placed against him. finn was arrested, held in a station overnight, and charged with harassment before he was allowed to return to dublin.

after the incident with nina, finn lost the fight in his eyes. he became far more hostile, far less likely to retaliate with his own fists, and picked fights not for the thrill of feeling his own fists pummel another into a wall, but for the sensation of his own brittle bones cracking. he dropped his tap shoes in a dumpster, stopped talking to his friends, followed his father’s advice and went back to school to complete his leaving certificate. a few short months later, and finn was packing his bags, saying his bittersweet goodbyes, and travelling half-way across the globe to be as far away as possible from his past self, his mess of a life, and most of all nina. it seemed somehow ironic that the boy who had been cautioned by the garda so much during his youth for spray painting, busking without a liscence, and raucous parties would become the grumpy, aloof overseas student studying a degree in criminology; that his once reckless spirit could be crushed so easily. 

of all things that finn could be called, straightforward would never be one of them. ever since his first days in atticus, the boy was pegged as hostile, hot-headed, cynical, rude. he seemed to spend more time in his thoughts than engaging in conversation. like a ticking time-bomb, finn’s anger was of the calm kind, liable to explode without a moment’s noticed. his unpredictable personality make him something of an enigma to those who aren’t amiable with the lad, though hostile as he may appear, he harvests a good heart. loyalty lies at the centre of his affections, and whilst his friends are few in number, he makes a lifelong partner. somewhere within finn, there’s still some fight left, but mostly he has recognised that his hedonistic lifestyle did little to leave him fulfilled – mostly, it just emptied him out – and over his three years at university has resigned himself to a nihilistic predicament.

        if u wanna plot with me pls pls pls im me or like this post!! i am always game for plots i love em so excited to write with you all here r some ideas

study buddies. finn is now a phd student so has to start takin shit seriously. he gon be in the library every day doing that independent study. if he had ppl who were also regular library goers n they get each other coffees to save time.... tht wld be sweet

ppl who love techno dj sets and going super hard on the weekends!!! fuck yea

friends with benefits. exes on bad terms. ppl he tried to date but couldnt because he’s always emotionally hung up on someone else. spicy hook up plots

ppl he met touring?? maybe ppl who were also in the entertainment industry..... anyone got a character who is ex circus hit me up

does anyone else study criminology / forensics / criminal psych / law? phd students sometimes lecture so he cld be an assistant lecturer / tutor if ur character is in a younger year

gamers !!! social recluses !!! hermits !!

finn goes to the skatepark and all the young boys there think he’s a gradnpa which he is! 

[onthebridle]

Eight Questions With.. Graham Pavey

A quick blink and the Summer has passed us by. The heat continues further into the autumnal months than ever before but whilst we roast in the afternoon sunshine, there is still the icy crisp blast on your senses first thing in the morning. The shiver, the stiffness in your ears, the tingle in your fingertips. It’s September and winter is creeping down from the North meaning that all roads in France are now leading to the biggest race of them all; the Qatar Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe.

It is our right to enjoy the sunshine whilst we have it, some crave and worship it whilst others choose to swerve, dodge and avoid it as best they can. The nights will soon begin to draw in and we will be plunged into the darkness that the artful dodgers mentioned above will take pleasure in welcoming in. One nation is tied closer to the sun more than most and in the Land Of The Rising Sun there are two horses that are looking to rise to the occasion in Paris in October and complete a feat that would bring joy to both the cravers of the sun and the welcoming winter folk.

As is courtesy in Japan, I bow to welcome in Graham Pavey  (@LongBallToNoOne) to Eight Questions With and I also bow to his knowledge and expertise on Japanese Racing and thank him for his time and effort. So without further ado, this is Eight Questions With.. Graham Pavey!

AH (Andrew Humphrey) - How did you end up making your way to Japan? 

GP (Graham Pavey) - My father had an association with Japan from the early 1970s and I was a regular visitor from quite an early age. I didn't start living here till 1999 however when my wife Keiko and I decided to bring our (then) two young children over from Australia to live in Japan for "a couple of years". We are still here 21 years later.

AH - What makes Japanese racing so special to you and the nation? 

GP - Fans here love and idolize the horses, the jockeys are heroes, they follow the breeding side closely and they are extremely passionate about the dramatic theatre produced on race day. The JRA (Japan Racing Association) over decades have created an exciting, ultra competitive pattern of racing and have marketed racing cleverly (with very little or no push on the betting side) to maintain excitement for existing fans as well as attracting hordes of fresh young fans each year, particularly 20-35yo women. The combination of exciting, high speed, competitive world class racing combined with these extremely passionate, respectful and knowledgeable fans is what makes JRA racing special.

AH - For those of us not involved with Japanese Racing, can you explain the race calendar to get to this point for the horses due to run in France?

GP - DEEP BOND (DB) and CHRONO GENESIS (CG) are JRA horses so I will talk about the federal government overseen JRA calendar that races on weekends (as opposed to the local council NAR circuit who race daily all over Japan on Dirt). There are 24 JRA Group 1 races throughout the year,  two of which are raced on Dirt. The main Group 1 racing seasons are the spring - early summer and then again autumn - early winter conducted at racecourses in the most populous areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Racing continues throughout summer however moves to northern racecourses to avoid the heat and humidity. There aren’t any Group 1 races at all between the G1 Takarazuka Kinen run in late June through to early October when the G1 Sprinters Stakes kicks off the autumn Group 1 season.

CG won the June 27 G1 2200m Takarazuka Kinen and DB ran 2nd in the May 2 G1 3200m Tenno Sho, neither has raced since. Both spent the summer spelling and pre-training up north in the cooler climate of Hokkaido. If the pair weren’t racing  the 2021 Arc then, typically, they would be setting up for key Group 1 races in Japan in October-November -December. Races such as the  2000m (1m2f) Tenno Sho, 2400m (1m4f) Japan Cup, 2500m (1m4.5f) Arima Kinen. The latter two have purses equal to The Arc (or greater than depending on the exchange rate!).

AH - What can you tell us about Deep Bond, what should we expect in the Foy and the Arc after? 

GP - DEEP BOND is a two time Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed in Japan. He is a big strong good looking horse that races best around 500kg in body weight. DB is a very tough dogged stayer that can run along on or just off the pace then sustain a long sustained spurt to grind down his rivals. He was unplaced behind JRA Triple Crown hero Contrail four times as a 3yo last year however wasn’t too far behind him in the Japan Derby and Japan St Leger. 

As a 4yo this year, he has won a Group 2 over 3000m in March then finished 2nd in the Group 1 3200m Tenno Sho on May 2nd. 

If the Foy or The Arc become tough staying tests then his chances should improve, he lacks a turn of foot to sprint quickly off a slow pace however. I would like to see him running on the speed, hitting the line well and finishing in the top 5 or 6 in the Prix Foy to be considered any chance at all in The Arc.

AH - Chrono Genesis will be familiar to many for finishing 2nd to Mishriff in Meydan and winning next time out, how are the feelings behind her chances? 

GP - CHRONO GENESIS (CG) career is 15: 8-3-3 and over €9M earnings with four Group 1 wins so obviously shows she is a very high class and consistent mare. She thoroughly deserves her shot at The Arc before she has to retire at the end of the year. 

CG is very athletic and has gears, she ran her last 3F in a sizzling 32.8 when just beaten by Almond Eye in the G1 2000m Tenno Sho last October where she displayed most of her gears. She has also proven that she can stay by winning the G1 2500m Arima Kinen in December last year as well as the 2nd to Mishriff in the G1 2410m Dubai Sheema Classic in March. 

On the Dubai run Jockey regular Yuichi Kitamura commented “When they picked up at the third bend, she was able to keep up but just after that she couldn’t respond immediately and she tired in the end. She wasn’t able to show her signature closing speed in the stretch." CG was flat compared to her usual self when asked to extend in the straight. She was just beaten by a tough race fit horse in Mishriff who went on to win a Group 1 in the UK recently and Loves Only You who ran 3rd in Dubai won a Hong Kong Group 1 at her next start. 

This international formline looks solid enough and CG and her team would have learned a lot from the Dubai trip, her first race overseas, and should have been able to tinker and tweak things to make her more competitive in The Arc, hopefully she doesn’t tire as in Dubai and can show her signature closing speed this time and be right in the finish. 

I don’t know the form of the Euro / UK horses much at all so can’t honestly tip for or against either JRA horse in The Arc however do feel CHRONO GENESIS is the best of the two Japanese horses and better equipped than many of the JRA horses that have ran in The Arc.

AH - Both Japanese horses look likely to have European based riders, is there a reason/why we aren't seeing C. Lemaire make the trip on horses he knows well? 

GP - Oisin Murphy (CG) and Cristian Demuro (DB) are outstanding jockeys to have on your horses in The Arc at ParisLongchamp, the connections of both horses were astute in booking them early. 

Murphy and Demuro have ridden a lot in Japan and have a strong association with the connections of the two horses. I don’t know the exact reason why Christophe Lemaire isn’t riding, possibly the COVID situation and the associated quarantine requirements meant that he would miss too much of the JRA season however we would have to ask Christophe to get the definitive answer!

AH - Can you put into words what it would mean for the Japanese racing community to have an Arc winner?

GP - Firstly, I do think the media love to overplay it a lot on Japan’s desire to win The Arc. 

We aren’t kept awake each and every night here for weeks or months worrying about how Japan can somehow win The Arc, we only miss sleep for a night or two in reality (!)……. then it is back to sleepless nights worrying about how to or who will win the Japan Derby, Arima Kinen, Japan Cup, Tenno Sho and Yasuda Kinen!

It would be fantastic for the aforementioned fans that make racing in Japan so special to see CHRONO GENESIS, DEEP BOND or even Japan bred SNOWFALL win the 2021 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as it is considered by most here to be the greatest horse race in the world.

Japanese bred horses regularly win races all around the world including prestigious classic races in Europe and the UK, they have proven they have the class to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Finally achieving it would be met with huge excitement, pride and celebration for sure.

-

A huge thanks again to Graham who can be found on Twitter as @LongBallToNoOne for the detail in his answers and the time taken to put them together!

Back again soon with another Eight Questions With...

-

Images: France Galop, APRH, Sky Sports, Graham Pavey.

[iamjaynaemarie]

I’ll just say it: ☺️

I love milestones and whenever I have one, I feel bad about saying anything because I don't want to seem conceited or self-centered. I've have a lot I've never told anyone, as a matter of fact. That's what makes me a horrible celebrity. And as a writer of a book, I figured no one would notice at all--few authors get noticed on a big scale and fewer have "Hollywood" celebrity status. I'm rather different; I'm single where most are married. Tragically, I’m also the voice of a baby doll so being taken seriously could take a while. But it’s taken me about two years or so to realize that it’s okay to be proud of accomplishments. I worked hard to get here--and by here, I mean having a conversation with a cast member of Outlander because we both have cats that love treats and are black and white.

Other than my doctors, no one in my family has said, “I’m proud of you”--except on of my four sisters. Being from a very gifted family: academic, athletic and creative, people expect us to excel and with each level you’d hear, “Good job! I knew you could do it!” We were expected to do exceptionally well from a very early age. Nearly all of my nieces and nephews have all started school at the age of two. I could read and write by the age to three; dancing by six; riding and showing horses by eight; acting, writing opera scripts, editing a school paper and writing fluently in Spanish by nine.

Being the (pardon the pun) “black sheep” of the family, if I ever did anything well, as the youngest, my sisters didn’t like me much (except the one I talk to now). All my life I did all those things because I wanted to be like them: Two sisters play piano, one violin, my step-sister plays guitar and the harp, a two brothers are drummers (one of them also plays guitar and writes music), two of them took dance (tap and ballet), three of them rode horses; one of them two different saddles; Three of them can sew anything and one is such a good artist, DaVinci would hate her--I can’t draw stick figures and she would always say my picture was good anyway (that why she’s still my favorite sister).

Me--the smallest one--my super power? I could write. That’s about it. Even though I can ride a horse, act, dance, play a little piano, and fence, writing was the only thing I could do better than all of them--that and apparently being the voice of a doll and fence (I’m the only one that does that; we’ve all done some sport--except I’m the only one that could play baseball/softball, soccer, run track and fence). Writing was all I wanted to do since I was old enough to have thoughts. It wasn’t something anyone found glamorous--I still don’t think they do. But I wasn’t doing it to be glamorous--in spite of all the fluff my mother made me do--dance, modeling (we’ve all done that as well), debutante balls and etiquette classes. I just wanted to wear jeans and write (I actually snuck a pair of jeans to school on picture day in first grade--mom wasn’t thrilled).

I’ve been told by my family to always do something to get paid because it’s hard to make money writing. That wasn’t Archaeology--they didn’t like that because it didn’t pay enough. Acting--no, it would take a while to get paid to do (it took me a year to get a voiceover job in Hollywood--Lil Amazing Ashley--and that was my first voiceover work and it paid me $5000. Voiceover work is the hardest work to get and after my first job, I was getting auditions from Disney and Nickelodeon--all of them were leads). Even then, my siblings just shrugged it off. 

If they had just been honest with me, all my parents really wanted me to do was become a teacher and get married to a rich guy. Even though my mother wanted a writer in the family, she still felt I needed to be taken care of.

NOW, after years of trying to make these people approve of anything I do and tell me they are proud of me for doing anything, I spent two years feeling ignored while I was gaining readers for a book I was writing. Mind you, I’ve been published since the age of nine, yet the only person that noticed was my father--he’s framed most of my poems (and degrees) and he was the only one that bought 6 Lil Amazing Ashley Dolls for himself because he was so proud of me. So much so, he made copies of my contract and showed everyone. When I had to go in to do additional recording, I had to tell him because he wanted to tell people his daughter was getting paid $500/hour to do it). So you can imagine how much Wednesday means to me--an accomplishment that I know my father would be proud of.

I may be a good voice actor, a swordsman worthy of Darth Maul’s time, and have a blue ribbon for Saddleseat in The Prince of Wales Horse Show but the one thing I feel really comfortable in is writing and though I’ve done a lot of it, this is the first time I’m noticed on an international scale. I’m still waiting for them to say, “Great job! I knew you could do it!” But whenever another Pulitzer-Prize Winning NYT author likes me or I get another comic book company liking me, I want to run and tell someone. When I finished my first book in its entirety, I wanted someone to say how proud they were. It just took me until today to realize that person is right here. I can say that. I can be proud of myself and not be conceited or think I’m being selfish. I worked my ass off to do this thing. I gave up a lot of things--including television, dates, new clothes and sometimes food and sleep to get this far. I was sacrificing all that trying to finish something for my father I didn’t know if he’d live to see me do something again. I can allow myself on tiny moment of pride I think. 

I’ve come a long way from little side excerpts. I’ve created a world inside Tolkien’s world with little to nothing to go on that is so good to some people, there are people still writing to The Tolkien Estate asking about his lost book. I’ll do the big celebrating when I’m done with the entire trilogy, but for now, I think I deserve a little moment to myself because I am proud of myself. I finished my very first book--something I was afraid to do. I finished if for my dad and I stayed true to Tolkien. I deserve a little joy and if my family is not going to give it to me, I’ll give it to myself.

[carina-go-lightlee]

Carina’s Circus AU Sheet!!!

@rebecawolfforest @ssocircus

I’ve never been part of an AU before, let’s see how this goes! I’m stoked. Let me know if you want drawings/writings from me about it!

You can make her the new person if you want, she has a pretty basic act/skillset  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ no magic or anything (yet)

Basics

Name: Carina Elspeth Lightlee

Nickname, if any: none

Age: 22

Gender: female

Birthday: June 21

Place of birth: Montana, USA

Religion: Aideenist? 

Pets: Horses Beryl (Westnight) and Luna (Nightflyer), the draft horses in her act

Sexuality: Straight yet questioning

Partner: Has an on-again off-again relationship with explorer Nic Stoneground (we’ll just pretend he has some better facial hair than that horrid goatee, mmkay?). Since they’re both constantly on the move, their paths seldom cross but when they do, sparks fly.

Family: Parents and extended family back in the states, but none in Jorvik

Appearance

Height: 5′6″

Weight: 130

Bodytype: Classic mesomorph. Muscular and broad-shouldered, athletic/fit but not skinny. She retains muscle mass well and has the build of someone who does hard physical work, but is also somewhat dainty.

Eye color: dark brown

Hair color: Medium brown

Hairstyle: long and pin-straight, she wear a low ponytail or swept all to one side

Skin colour: pale in the winter, deeply tanned/weathered in the summer from working out of doors 

Prominent features (Scars, freckles, moles): has plenty of scars on her arms/hands from working, but none worth drawing

Any health problems: not significant enough to slow her down

How do they dress: During non-circus hours, very androgynous and functional- cableknit sweaters, flannel, riding pants and tall boots. She favors cotton, leather, and wool in neutral colors. Simple but neat and elegant; Carina actually cares a lot about presentation. Think cowboy meets old-timey college professor.

Accessories: Doesn’t leave home without a pocketknife, a handkerchief, and a writing utensil. Be prepared!

Behavior

Wealth: Average but frugal. Carina works hard and is very financially responsible. She has a decent amount of savings put away but does everything on the cheap to keep it that way.

Any addictions: drinks alone too often and too much

Morning mood: Disney princess! It wears off by noon. Then she’s her normal, introverted, practical self

Usual workday on the circus (Do they help in the stables, clean up after performances, practice etc): Carina is very much a team mom personality. She’ll cook, clean, patch up your scraped knees, give relationship counselling, and then build a new set of bleachers between practice sessions- whatever needs doing, she’ll do quietly and well. She doesn’t mind taking the shitty jobs, like mucking stalls- she’d rather know they were done well

Skills/Talents: Dancing, being a general handyman sort (fixing, cooking, sewing), working with horses

Thing they’re bad at: any situation involving confrontation; singing and all musical pursuits; loud, rambunctious social situations

Hobbies: Carina loves the water and swimming, sailing, and exploring wild places. She spends her time off riding or hiking in nature.

Past: Carina has travelled all over the world, paying her way with manual labor and busking with her act. She was working on a boat that docked in Jorvik and fell in love with the island’s weird, colorful culture, history, and environment. she’s ready to stay in one place for a while 

What do they want in the future: She’d love to become some sort of researcher- an anthropologist, a climate scientist, an historian, or a journalist. But first she wants to adventure as much as possible.

Any special goals: See above

Close friends: none so far; she’s pretty new to the island, and not great at putting herself out there. she appreciates Ydris for letting her join his circus and is friendly to anyone who’s kind, especially to horses

Enemies/Rivals: same as above

Greatest strength: empathy and compassion

Greatest flaw: shyness and reticence

Favorite

Food: pie. any pie.

Drink: mint tea

Color: dark blue

Book: too many to choose from; she always has a small library with her that constantly changes as she gives books to friends and finds new ones to add

Film: Casablanca and Point Break (the old one)

Music/Song: classical

TV: shitty BBC murder mysteries

Sport: anything outdoors and solitary

Motto/Quote: most things by Kurt Vonnegut

Act

What is their act (Examples): Carina’s a trick rider/equestrian vaulter. So her act incorporates dance and acrobatics with riding. She does Roman riding, leaps and vaults on horseback, and various high-speed stunts. Check out this wikipedia page for examples! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_vaulting

Do they use any animals? If so, what kinds: Yes: her two horses, Beryl and Luna, a buckskin North Swedish gelding and a palomino Tinker mare

Do they usually succeed: Yes. Despite some spectacular falls she practices religiously

Are they good at it: Yes

Why do they do it: Carina finds the relationship between horses and rider very rewarding. Though she’s quiet in her day-to-day life, put her under a spotlight and she’s a natural showman. Performing brings her joy. 

Do they do it with someone else: Not presently

How do they dress during their performance: In contrast to Carina’s plain, gender-neutral everyday wardrobe, she wears the girly, sparkly, often revealing dresses and outfits usually worn by trick riders for her act. I’ll draw her sometime!

What kind of music plays during their performance: Traditional fiddle, accordion, and guitar songs, fast and exciting and upbeat

[bookingrooms]

Halide Edib Hanoum

“Halide Edib Hanoum lives in a little cottage, a farm, situated at about one hour’s ride from the village and which is reached through a long, dusty road. Nestled within a bouquet of trees and at a short distance from a clear little stream which sings its way through rocks and flowers, stands the rustic cottage of Halide Hanoum. It has a nice little orchard and, further back behind the trees is a pasture where she keeps a few cows. It is an ideal place for this loving and beloved woman leader, for here she can withdraw when she finds time from her various occupations and ride or hunt or else write, according to her whim of the moment.

“The house is furnished scrupulously in Turkish style the Turkish style of villages: no rich embroideries and beautiful hangings, but simple divans lined up against the whitewashed walls, one or two carpets, and a copper ‘brazero’ in the” living room. And of course books, a large collection of books in every language English, French and German which she speaks remarkably well and a few hunting guns.

“The last time I saw her she was returning from a ride on horseback as I entered the gate. And I1 cannot say which of the two pictures is most striking: that of a young girl in a rowboat on the Sweet Waters of Asia, or that of a woman, slim and athletic, gracefully riding astride a beautiful horse, her uncovered face proudly erect and her features, now more mature, proclaiming the mind and the will of a leader!

“She asked me to tea, and in her simple little drawing room we sat with her husband and listened. She talked to us of her aspirations and hopes not social aspirations, to which all young and attractive women are entitled, but the aspirations and hopes of seeing one day soon the Turkish women, her sisters, recognized as the most progressive and advanced women of the world and pointed out, even in foreign countries, as the models of true womanhood’

Little can be added to this picture given by Djemil Haidar Bey on the life in the Nationalist capital and the organization of New Turkey. Since his letter was written events have proved that he had in no way exaggerated the efficient work and the patriotism of the Turks in Anatolia. They have succeeded in accomplishing the impossible. Their countrymen all over the Old Ottoman Empire as well as in the confines of Asia share fully their joy as they had shared their sorrows and pains.

Religious and personal prejudices

We are all proud of the unequalled accomplishments of our people and we firmly believe, no matter what the immediate future has in store for us of further struggles and further sufferings no matter how vicious a propaganda our enemies may have recourse to so as to minimize the effect and results of our victories that New Turkey, a rejuvenated nation which has given such patent proofs, of its unconquerable spirit of self-sacrifice and indomitable will to live, a people which, despite the most insurmountable obstacles thrown in its way by unfair enemies, has succeeded in emancipating itself from all political, economic, religious and personal prejudices will shatter completely its material and moral chains and continue its advance free and independent  on the road to culture, progress and civilization.

[traveljobs]

Halide Edib Hanoum

“Halide Edib Hanoum lives in a little cottage, a farm, situated at about one hour’s ride from the village and which is reached through a long, dusty road. Nestled within a bouquet of trees and at a short distance from a clear little stream which sings its way through rocks and flowers, stands the rustic cottage of Halide Hanoum. It has a nice little orchard and, further back behind the trees is a pasture where she keeps a few cows. It is an ideal place for this loving and beloved woman leader, for here she can withdraw when she finds time from her various occupations and ride or hunt or else write, according to her whim of the moment.

“The house is furnished scrupulously in Turkish style the Turkish style of villages: no rich embroideries and beautiful hangings, but simple divans lined up against the whitewashed walls, one or two carpets, and a copper ‘brazero’ in the” living room. And of course books, a large collection of books in every language English, French and German which she speaks remarkably well and a few hunting guns.

“The last time I saw her she was returning from a ride on horseback as I entered the gate. And I1 cannot say which of the two pictures is most striking: that of a young girl in a rowboat on the Sweet Waters of Asia, or that of a woman, slim and athletic, gracefully riding astride a beautiful horse, her uncovered face proudly erect and her features, now more mature, proclaiming the mind and the will of a leader!

“She asked me to tea, and in her simple little drawing room we sat with her husband and listened. She talked to us of her aspirations and hopes not social aspirations, to which all young and attractive women are entitled, but the aspirations and hopes of seeing one day soon the Turkish women, her sisters, recognized as the most progressive and advanced women of the world and pointed out, even in foreign countries, as the models of true womanhood’

Little can be added to this picture given by Djemil Haidar Bey on the life in the Nationalist capital and the organization of New Turkey. Since his letter was written events have proved that he had in no way exaggerated the efficient work and the patriotism of the Turks in Anatolia. They have succeeded in accomplishing the impossible. Their countrymen all over the Old Ottoman Empire as well as in the confines of Asia share fully their joy as they had shared their sorrows and pains.

Religious and personal prejudices

We are all proud of the unequalled accomplishments of our people and we firmly believe, no matter what the immediate future has in store for us of further struggles and further sufferings no matter how vicious a propaganda our enemies may have recourse to so as to minimize the effect and results of our victories that New Turkey, a rejuvenated nation which has given such patent proofs, of its unconquerable spirit of self-sacrifice and indomitable will to live, a people which, despite the most insurmountable obstacles thrown in its way by unfair enemies, has succeeded in emancipating itself from all political, economic, religious and personal prejudices will shatter completely its material and moral chains and continue its advance free and independent  on the road to culture, progress and civilization.