Ok. Let’s talk lure coursing safety.
A pretty awful accident occurred during the lure coursing at UKC Premier this past week. I wanna make it clear that I cannot and will not be passing any kind of judgement on what happened. I was not there, I do not know many details other than the owner themselves called it a freak accident.
And the truth of lure coursing is that even if/when things are done perfectly, this kind of accident is always a possibility. There is a certain amount of risk you must weigh and decide to take when you decide to let your dog lure course.
1. Mechanical Risks - like with this accident, there is always the possibility for injury when coming in close proximity to a thin, tensioned wire running at speeds upwards of 30+ mph. Line burns on paws and lower legs are not uncommon, and many dogs run muzzled to prevent them from cutting their mouths when trying to bite a moving line. Azula has gotten tangled and line burnt after the line, loosened by wet conditions, popped off a pulley mid run. I myself have scars from some pretty awful line burn after a freak accident while setting up the field.
To help mitigate this risk, the huntmaster should always have a knife or scissors on hand and should be closely watching the dogs running so they can cut the line and release tension at any sign of a tangle. The lure operator should be highly trained and also be keeping out for any sign of danger so they can stop the lure when needed. As a competitor, make sure you are aware of the line at all times. Not only where it is, but when it is and isn’t moving. I try to never move my dog over a moving line, and when I am moving over a line, I am either taking extra tall steps or stepping on it to make sure I don’t trip (but, DO NOT step on a moving line). Try not to grab a line unless absolutely necessary and never ever ever grab a moving line - you will cut through your hands.
2. Other Dogs - lure coursing is one of the few (maybe the only?) dog sports where multiple dogs are competing at the same time potentially hundreds of yards away from their humans. It’s a high arousal and highly competitive environment, and this can lead to conflict between dogs. Sometimes this can be mitigated with muzzles and sometimes the dog should simply not be participating in lure coursing. If it is your dog that is aggressive and putting others at risk, please do not run them in the Open or Specials stakes. Dogs can have just as much fun running in singles and no title is worth potentially endangering your dog and others by running a dangerous dog.
However sometimes the risk comes simply from dogs running together at high speeds. Dogs can unintentionally bump into or trip each other, I’ve seen dogs leap over another in the field, tumble into each other while slowing down, and run into each other when they’re paying too much attention to the lure and not enough to the other dogs on the field. Sometimes unintentional contact happens and it’s important to recognize that too. There’s really not much that can be done in those cases.
3. Field Conditions - heat, rain, snow, height of grass, dry ground, rocks, trees, and the course plan itself can all pose issues when running. The club running the event should be continuously assessing these and doing what they can to alleviate the effects, but there’s a lot that you have to judge for yourself and what you know about your own dog. Wrapping paws or soaking them in water can help minimize injury due to dry ground, soaking a dog in water can help keep them cool on hot days, and knowing how your dog may handle tight turns can help you evaluate whether you should enter based on the plan for the course.
Fields with numerous trees or other obstacles are dangerous for dogs who may be paying more attention to the lure than their surroundings. If you’ve never been to the field before I highly suggest talking to someone was has to get a feel for what to expect.
4. Honest to God Freak Accidents - sometimes shit happens. A dog steps into a hole no one noticed and breaks their leg. A group of deer pop onto the field and your dog takes off after them, disappearing for hours. A dog with no prior indications has a cardiac event mid run, and is gone before anyone can even process that they’ve stopped running.
Sometimes there is absolutely nothing that could have been done differently and things just happen. It unfortunately is part of life and something that can be so hard to accept. Occasionally, there is no rhyme or reason, no blame to lay. When you go to that coursing event and run your dog, you’re entrusting that a lot of the risk has been mitigated for you by those running the event. That’s why it’s so important to know who that is and what experience they have.
But beyond that, you are assuming some amount of gambling by participating in lure coursing. The sport itself has dangers that cannot be managed away. But so does agility, and flyball, and disc, and dock diving, and any other sport of any kind. This does not mean that any of these things should be discontinued, but that you should not take any of these lightly and consider the risks vs the rewards, both personal and for your dog. Lure coursing has unfortunately become fairly available to do on a whim in recent years when it is truly something you should be heavily educated about before choosing to participate.
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Been thinking a lot about not only TK using Carlos’ bicep as his personal ‘emotional support bicep’ which 🥹🥹🥹 - also thank you and creds to @paperstorm for making the huge contribution to the whole entire fandom with this description -
But, also about the whole thing from Carlos’ perspective and how Carlos reacts to it, and feels about it, makes my stomach do a little swoop every time I come across a gif from either the wedding ep or the scene where they’re waiting for news on Marjan
Like, I’m thinking about semi-lonely, tense pre- and during season 1 Carlos needing someone, not just to love and be loved by but to take care of and hold and be there for🥺 Like we all know Carlos must work a lot to maintain those biceps and of course this is probably for his own sake bc he likes them, and to be good at his job etc but,,
He’s obviously gotten some attention from it, guys who finds him sexy and maybe likes a little power play
And he can appreciate that especially when ‘guys’ are in fact TK who enjoys it and wants him to use his strength a little bit to press his hands into the mattress above his head: (🔥)
Or to ‘twist his arm’ 😏😏
But more than that S1 Carlos longed for his body (huge bicep) to be appreciated in different ways. To be the one that someone (TK) needed to be held by, to be the shoulder (bicep) that someone (TK) could cry on, and lean on (both figuratively:
And literally:
- He needed to be that for someone (TK), to take on that role in a healthy, loving relationship. And he certainly got that from TK. But he got even more than that, more than he could have dreamed of, bc with TK he’s also become a shoulder (bicep) to sleep on:
Not just in the domestic privacy of their own home, but in public, among a wonderful new group of friends and family:
As well as a shoulder (bicep) to both lean on and rub their thumb back and forth on for self soothing:
In short, that work paid off exponentially as he got to be someone’s (TK’s) ‘emotional support bicep’. 🥲
And what completely gets me is the way he’s so casual about it in this last one. Like I imagined the first couple of times Carlos in his head would have been like ‘oh, okay, my bicep is now your pillow, I see, I’ll stay as still as possible or react in some way like by kissing your hair or something or move so you’re more comfortable’, and ‘oh okay, you’re not letting go, you really must love that bicep, I’ll buy a permanent gym membership and think of that ever time I work out, this bicep shall be forever dedicated to your needs’ while in his head being all 😳🫠🥰😌🥹🥹🥰
But now he barely reacts, it’s so natural. He just barely registers that ‘oh, my adorable, emotional boyfriend (husband😭) (TK who I know in and out and who know me the same way😭) is (once again/per usual😭) reserving my bicep for emotional support reasons while he cries on me, imma let him do his thing while I grab his ankle, both to comfort TK,’ - but also bc while TK needs to physically lean on someone (Carlos) when he’s emotional (or sleepy, or just, it’s right there anyway), what Carlos needs it something (someone) (TK) to hold on to, to tether himself to bc it’s overwhelming for him to lose control of his emotions.
And TK is the perfect rock for him because he’s not only so open about his emotions, and an adorable kitten boyfriend (husband), but because he’s also and at the same time incredibly strong and prepared to catch Carlos at any time😭
The naturalness of it all just says so much about how long they’ve been together and built their relationship, how well they know and how comfortable they are with each other and how they’re perfect for each other and fit together like two pieces of a puzzle! There are some thoughts here about different kinds and ways of embodying ‘masculinity’ and vulnerability but I’m not nearly eloquent enough rn to go into that..
Anyway, with TK, Carlos, now without even giving it a second thought, has gotten the relationship he dreamed of and more, has gotten exactly the appreciation for his strength and body (biceps) that S1 Carlos longed for and worked so hard for, and gets to take on the role in his relationship that he needs and be who he always were and I’m just 😭🥹🥹🥰🥰🫠 slowly melting away over it.
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If you're still thinking of making a playlist, feel free to add "Be Mine" by Ofenbach and "Kick up Your Heels" by Jessica Mauboy ft.Pitbull.
Context: During the early 20th century, alcohol was prohibited in the United States. This lead to uncontrolled secret distribution of alcohol and secret bars everywhere (fun fact: it was alcohol dealing that made Al Capone so powerful). The most iconic of these bars were speakeasies: secret illegal clubs that sold good alcohol while playing jazz (fun fact: these bars went a long way to pushing gender and racial equality by having everyone being able to dance & drink together).
Which brings me to this scenario: Jamil sneaking out of weekends to dance the night away and enjoy precious moments of freedom without Kalim. During these escapades, he meets the reader and the two get closer of months of several encounters. At some point they meet outside of the bar, but they pretend to be aquaintances at most. They get so into each other that they start subtly flirting even outside the bar.
Eventually we get to the moment that ecompases the songs (Be Mine is Jamil's perspective and Kick up Your Heels is the reader's). After weeks of subtle flirting, the two are finally tipsy enough to flirt more openly. Jamil goes in first and the reader playfully flirts back. They dance the night away and end up leaving together back to reader's apartment (don't worry Jamil has the weekend off and Najma owes him so she'll cover for him).
Cue adorable morning after with kisses, cuddles, Jamil making breakfeat, and the reader wearing his clothes.
(Boy if the music video for the Ofenbach song doesn’t look like it was made for total wish fulfillment for the artists, lol. Song's a total banger, tho (after listening to it a lot while working on this).)
I’m also gonna add Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon to the list because the vibes totally fit (and I’ve definitely thought of it in regards to Jamil before).
I do love the idea of reader meeting Jamil in an environment where he can be more free. Just, how different of an experience is it, when the dance floor is your first impression of him, rather than the Jamil at NRC or the Asim estate? When he’s actually letting go, being himself and just having a good time.
Plus like, presumably in the Scalding Sands Jamil’s job is not so 24/7 anyway, since there’s other servants around too to look after Kalim. So yay for actual free time.
And because I totally vibe with this & have thought of something similar before, I wanted to turn this into a bit of fic.
Post-NRC, Jamil x reader, written with a fem reader in mind, nsfw
The club, 22:30
You surveyed the club, your eyes insisting on looking for one person in particular, but to no avail.
No matter. Whether or not your favorite dance partner - or your acquaintance, or your crush, or whatever the hell he was to you - would turn up tonight, you could still have fun.
So, when a good song came on, you slid to the dancefloor, determined to dance the night away one way or another. You still had the whole night ahead of you, after all.
Not that you would have minded the company.
The club, 23:12
While you were queueing up for a drink, Jamil was the one who found you.
“I was wondering if you’d turn up,” you said with a grin, leaning closer to be heard over the music.
“And miss you? No way.”
You laughed and shook your head. It really was unfortunate how attractive that cocky grin was on Jamil.
“Wouldn’t have been the first night I’ve had to make do without you,” you said lightly.
“Well, tonight I can be all yours,” Jamil replied, his hand ghosting at the small of your back.
You grinned - you had to admit, you quite liked the sound of that.
The club, 23:27
Over the past few months there had been times when you caught Jamil looking at you as if he was evaluating you, measuring you. Yet, whenever he actually got close to you, that was all gone, replaced by pleasantries and barely concealed playfulness.
Today, however, there was a particular determination to him, one that had him shamelessly inching closer to you as you were talking over your drinks - as much as one could have a meaningful conversation talking over the thudding music.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind,” you said, looking at Jamil from under your lashes while you sipped your drink.
“Well… I’ve been thinking that I wouldn’t mind sharing more than a dance with you,” Jamil said, his own drink nearly forgotten in his hands.
“Oh? What are you thinking?” you asked, stirring the remains of your drink with your straw, trying to affect a casual air despite your curiosity.
Jamil got close enough that you thought you could feel his breath on your skin.
“That I want to get to know you much better,” Jamil replied, an unmistakable sultry undercurrent to his tone. His hand had found its way to your arm, tracing light patterns on your skin.
Your eyes widened, a surprised laugh bubbling to your lips. My, what had gotten Jamil so bold tonight?
“Oh, and here I was just looking forward to some dancing,” you said with a playful grin.
Jamil might have gotten your heart to flutter, an unmistakable heat rising to your cheeks, but that didn’t mean you’d be that easily charmed.
“Just be prepared that once I get hold of you, I might not let go,” he said, lightly squeezing your arm.
“Dance with me, and then we’ll see,” you said with an amused shake of your head.
“Let’s start the show, then.”
With a laugh you grabbed Jamil’s hand, dragging him to the dancefloor, the beating of your heart rivaling the thud of the music.
There was such confidence to him, like Jamil had already ensured he’d get what he wanted and was just biding his time.
And you had to admit, you kinda liked it.
The club, 23:51
The song was one of your favorites and you couldn’t help singing along, moving your body to the beat. People were trickling in, but there was still space for both you and Jamil to let loose.
It was its own kind of delight, seeing how well you two could synchronize your movements. Stepping back and forth, circling each other, claiming a part of the dance floor all to yourselves. You grinned, watching the way Jamil leaned to the side, shrugging his shoulder, and you copied the move to the other direction, adding your own flourish with the snap of your hips.
After a few repeats there was a stutter in the music and you leaned forward, Jamil coming in to meet you, chest to chest. You lingered there for the briefest moment, your eye meeting, noses nearly brushing, before you pulled back and threw your hands up in the air for the chorus. You sang out the lyrics, let your body move as it wished, full-heartedly just enjoying yourself - and your company.
Sure, there was a part of you curious to find out just what Jamil could offer. But you’d come out here to have fun, and have fun you would.
Whatever would come later, would come later.
The club, 01:25
You were sweaty, your feet sore, your hair undoubtedly a mess at this point. Yet, you couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t stop relishing your time with Jamil.
Jamil’s hands were on your hips, following your movements, his chest flush to your back.
You had to admit, you loved the feeling of his body against yours, the way you swayed together.
You also delighted in teasing him like this, feeling the hardness of his arousal when you ground your ass on him.
“I want you to be mine,” Jamil mouthed the lyrics of the song, his breath hot by your ear.
He brushed his lips by your skin, something akin to a kiss, and you could feel the warmth of it shoot straight to your core.
Idly, you wondered if Jamil would be able to hear your soft groan over the music as you leaned back, your hand fumbling in his hair to pull him even closer. That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed, his mouth now more insistent on the corner of your jaw.
At this point, it was getting harder and harder to remember all the other people around you, your decency slipping from your hands.
Oh, you had a good enough idea of how Jamil’s body fit against you, how it felt under your hands.
But it was not enough.
You wanted to see Jamil, every bit that was hidden under those clothes, wanted to pull his hair loose - or just pull it in general. Wanted to see how he’d look beneath you, above you, between your legs…
Just the thought of Jamil unraveling with you had warmth pooling in the pit of your stomach.
And the thought of his touch on you, unobstructed…
He really was such a temptation, one that you might not even want to resist at this point.
Your apartment, 01:44
You were not prepared for the hungry way Jamil devoured your lips, how firmly his hands pulled you flush against him.
Or the way he groaned into your mouth, the sound shooting straight to your core.
Oh, you needed more of that. Much more of that.
Your hands shot up, gripping onto him tightly, just as unwilling to let him go. You sought out that hair tie that had been taunting you all evening, your tongue sloppily meeting Jamil’s as you pressed yourself as close to him as you possibly could.
There were so many places you wanted to touch, so many spots you wanted to unveil, your hands racing all over Jamil in a desperate attempt to fulfill all your desires at once.
Jamil’s lips were so wonderfully kiss-swollen, his hair hanging loose and his shirt halfway off him. If you hadn’t been so eager for more, you would’ve stopped to admire the sight and commit it to memory.
Instead, your greedy hands slipped under his top, relishing in the skin to skin contact while Jamil was busy with getting you to a similar state of undress, his eyes burning as his lips descended upon you again, stealing your breath away.
Your apartment, 2:20
You rolled your hips, slowly, your palms resting on Jamil’s chest. He did indeed look absolutely ravishing beneath you, his tongue slightly sticking out through his parted lips, his gorgeous hair spilled over your pillows. Jamil’s hands on your ass were helping you move, urging you to take his cock even deeper.
You’d yield to him soon enough, but first you wanted to savor this. The hungry look Jamil bestowed upon you, the needy way his hands kept on mapping your body, the way his hips bucked beneath you.
At this point, simply calling Jamil your favorite dance partner certainly didn’t do him justice.
No, you’d love to have so much more of him, wanted to find out just how far you two could go.
You leaned down, your lips meeting once again. You braced your arms against the bed as you began to move in earnest. Your efforts were rewarded by Jamil’s needy groan, the way his grip tightened on you. He seemed to be just as drunk on you as you were on him, and just that fact was enough to make your head spin.
Your apartment, 9:40
It was a slow realization, remembering that you had company over, only to find the other side of your bed empty. However, as your senses slowly roused, you soon caught the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen.
Of course he had to be perfect enough to even cook for you, you mused with some amusement.
With a stretch you willed yourself to leave the comfort of your bed, freshening yourself up quickly before padding your way to the kitchen.
You kind of hoped you’d been the one to wake up first. At least you could’ve cleared some of the mess.
It was such a domestic sight, Jamil busying himself at your stove, and you unexpectedly felt your throat tighten with the impact of it.
“I’m amazed you found something to work with,” you said, your words somewhere between apologetic and joking.
“It’s not how I’d keep my own kitchen, but it’s workable,” Jamil said matter-of-factly.
You couldn’t help a snort. What a way to sugarcoat your messy counters and sparse cupboards.
“Well. I’m glad it didn’t drive you off, at least,” you said with dry amusement.
You walked past Jamil to the sink, letting your fingers trace along his back and upper arm as you passed him by, conscious of not bothering his work.
Jamil, however, grabbed you by the waist and pulled you close, making you yelp in surprise.
“Good morning,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your temple.
All you could do was melt against him.
Bonus scene which didn’t really seem to fit the flow but I had to do something with these lyrics, too. A flashback to another night, maybe?
Jamil certainly knew how to move. Yet, there was still something carefully controlled about him.
You’d seen him, sometimes, when the night was late, how he really could let go and get swept up in the music.
Then again, you supposed you still hadn’t quite warmed up yourself, hadn’t forgotten about the way his eyes were on you.
Would another drink be a terrible idea?
Still, seeing the way Jamil was looking around, checking the crowds, made you frown. You tugged on his hand, turning his attention back on you.
"Oh, don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me."
“You’re holding back, yourself,” Jamil said with a knowing look.
“Shut up and dance with me,” you said, smiling even as you rolled your eyes.
Ngl, I’ve not done much song fics and it was fun weaving in bits of the lyrics and vibes in here - even if I chose to be a silly goose and use 3 songs at once.
Tag list: @colliope @crystallizsch @diodellet @jamilsimpno69 @jamilvapologist
@perilous-pasta @twstgo
Do let me know if you'd like to be tagged for my future works!
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