#outrider foundation

[the-ballad-of-johnny-goldfiddle]

First of all, Johnny devoting himself to care and something bigger at the foot of Wonder made me cry. Secondly, does this moment for Johnny feel significant not just for his relationship to himself, but how he sees Stick and Lake? Their relationships to this celestial force are complex and Johnny is stepping into that complicated place. Do you think Johnny will be able to navigate that smoothly/ does he have any worries about. this major life event?

Johnny's relationship to morality has been, to say the least, really shaky. He was raised in a compassionate household full of life and happiness before the death of his parents. He then tripped and fell into a life of moral grayness and ambiguity. People can be nice up front, but then really stab you in the back the next day. There's always some sort of tertiary subtext to what the person in the back of the tavern is telling you about. His foundational identity requires to take people at their word and had to learn to look for deceit and mistruths in the people he trusted, this would start an overthinking, one-track mind style of paranoia that Johnny would become intimately familiar with in his life as an Outrider then as a performer/full-fledged member of the Black Wing.

So while I don't think that navigating this relationship will go totally smoothly with absolutely no bumps in the road, no. But the path seems WAYYYYYY less dicey than the Demogorgon.

[christinamac1]

The false equivalency of nuclear disarmament and nuclear abolition

The Bulletin, By Jasmine Owens | July 11, 2024 Jasmine Owens is a nuclear weapons abolitionist, writer, educator, and organizer. She has a master’s in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and has worked for Win Without War, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Outrider Foundation, Council on Strategic Risks, Lawrence Livermore National…

[rjzimmerman]

Description of this video (seven minutes) from Outrider Foundation and Tia Nelson, the daughter of Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day:

It's hard for me to believe that this April marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. I was almost fourteen years old on April 22, 1970, and like many kids, I spent the day picking up trash at my junior high school. I often reflect on my father’s vision for “an environmental teach-in” which would spark a global movement successful beyond his wildest dreams. He said: “The purpose of Earth Day is to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy.”

Today, this vision could not be more important. Environmental activism is once again shaking the political establishment. People are rising up in their communities, churches, synagogues, and schools. The modern environmental movement has never felt more energized. And yet, our nation has not been this politically or socially divided since the 1960s.

When it comes to my father’s original vision of an inclusive, bipartisan environmental movement rooted in social justice, we still have work to do. That is why I couldn’t be more excited to announce a new Earth Day project developed at Outrider Foundation: a short film about my father’s original vision and its utmost relevance today.

Our film’s core message is that by working together – across party lines and generational divides – we can address the environmental challenges that affect all of humanity, and the fragile planet upon which all life depends. I've enlisted two climate crusaders in the effort: Sunrise Movement co-founder Varshini Prakash and RepublicEN founder and former Congressman Bob Inglis.

[innercircleminiatures]

I’m having a hard time deciding whether I want to add Primaris marines to my Ravenwing army

All of the Primaris stuff is, indeed, kind of cartoonishly overbuilt, as is, arguably, all Warhammer, but perhaps too much. Warhammer used to have an element of satire to it, but things are starting to feel a bit like self-parody

I’ve seen some clever, modest conversion work done to make Outriders look more Ravenwing-y but I’m struggling to decide whether or not I like the Outriders.

If Primaris Marines and some of the other recent things are stupid, is it just the new stuff that’s stupid, or is all of this stupid

Obviously all of this is stupid, but is it, y’know, stupid?

[ambiguouspuzuma]

Horde mentality

The horde thundered on - a thousand riders in a thousand saddles, their bowstrings aquiver, their quivers beside them. The ground seemed to tremble underneath the rumbling storm of hooves, and the settlements ahead would be forgiven for a tremor of their own, their people quailing at the prospect of so much onrushing death. Or so they thought, anyway.

Of course, Pao could see how they came to that conclusion. It didn't sound good, really, did it? The word horde itself, even out of context, sounds inherently hostile - as if the malice is somehow baked in between the letters, underneath the midnight ink. In the sedentary lands to the East, they used it as a word for locusts, for biting fleas, as if they were a swarm set out to devour the world. Intrinsically bad. Evil in Khanate.

Hordes didn't gently arrive on the afternoon train. They descended, they surrounded, they thronged; they attacked. You couldn't imagine it being the bearer of good news. Oh great, the horde's arrived. Isn't that lovely? Whatever context you placed it in, it didn't exactly portend anything positive. If their outriders came over for breakfast, you wouldn't pass them a knife to butter their own toast. They were always a danger. Always a threat.

But Pao was trying his best to change that.

An image consultant, he called himself. As honorifics went, it wasn't quite a 'Karg the Foe Slayer' or 'Guntam the Unyielding Blade', but then those victory titles had been some of the first things to go. Names were important, and those cognomina only added to the ignominy the horde faced in the outside world, who thought them little more than bloodthirsty savages.

They called them barbarians. Mindless marauders. This, for the pioneers who had been the first to master the use of cavalry, or to innovate with saddle bows. It wasn't right. When it came to practical technologies, they had always been at the cutting edge, or at least holding it to someone else's throat, but then that was the problem. Dead men gave no favourable dispatches to their foreign ministries, and all of that invention, their incredible capacity for improvement, was hidden in a storm of blood and smoke.

The other great nations of Ki Palum ignored them, or only paused to fortify their border walls; a reputation for violence was not a strong foundation for a trading partnership, and their envoys had learned to shun the horde as offering nothing more. For all of their achievements, their conquests and their culture, they were treated as having nothing to contribute in matters of commerce - and so, as city-states grew wealthy with each other's help, the mighty empire of the horde was slowly being left behind.

"But it doesn't have to be this way," Pao told them. "We have differences, yes, but there is no reason we can't win the game by their rules too, rather than sitting as we watch them play without us. We are a nomadic people, and we do not settle - so why do we settle for this?"

It was all about branding, he explained - the sort they would need to do to themselves, not to their enemies. Everything was up for review. Their names, their appearance, their mentality. The word horde would have to go, replaced by something without so much semantic baggage: host was currently doing well in focus groups. They came up with a standard depicting the three rising suns, which made a nice change from the previous design of 'skin on a pike'.

Pao was full of suggestions. Could the red war-paint be swapped out for neutral pastel colours? Might their traditional battle cry be replaced by an instrumental anthem? It was an uphill struggle, but they were getting there, steppe by steppe. One day soon, they would be ready to join the other great empires of the world in trade and diplomacy, to grow even stronger from the pool of their shared majesty... and from there, he could begin to plan their conquest.

[cryocinth]

Dates :)

⭐ Pairings: Xiao, Dottore, Amber x Reader (separate) ⭐

💙 Warnings: Suggestive themes at the end of Dottore’s, read at your own risk 

Part one of who knows what of what kinds of dates the Genshin characters would like/take you on. Feel free to make direct asks of what characters you would like to see me cover! - ❄ Mod Glaceon ❄

More under the cut!

- Amber

This outrider’s idea of a date isn’t exactly conventional, and I’d say that’s a good thing. Amber can be a bit childish when it comes to things outside of work, her many gliding license suspensions are plain proof of that, so her dates will pretty much reflect that. Any date the two of you have will be completely on a whim, whether it be a glider race or finishing your commissions together if you run into each other in the Mondstadt wilds. However there is one thing that she would probably plan ahead for if she were to actually *ask* you out on a date. First she would take you out for a picnic in the Mondstadt gardens, having Sara from Good Hunter prepare you some Sticky Honey Roast beforehand, Amber swears this was to save time but you know full well she spent hours trying to cook some for you but ended up burning it every time. Next she’d find something to pass the time, perhaps taking you out to Brightcrown Canyon to look at the ruins scattered around the hills. She’ll spend hours telling you about the ruins, pointing out the foundation of a house where she claims the Ragnvindr Clan of old used to reside. Finally she’ll drag you out to Starsnatch Cliff to watch the stars, she’ll point out each constellation and tell you how she learned where they were, she talks about the hundreds of times she camped out in the wilds without a tent because either high winds or wild animals destroyed her tent. With every new thing she tells you her eyes light up, and you could almost get lost in their golden depths.

- Xiao

If you want to go on a date with Xiao, you’d have to be the one to ask him, and that doesn’t always mean he’ll go along with it. Lucky for you he agreed after you proposed a cooking date in the Wangshu Inn kitchen. Smiley Yanxiao was a hassle to deal with but he eventually agreed to let you two use the kitchen, however when you and Xiao arrived at the kitchen, the only aprons present were two pink kitty themed aprons, clearly a prank on Yanxiao’s part. After Xiao finally got over his embarrassment relating to the apron, you two set out to recreate Xiao’s favorite dish, Almond Tofu. Through many…. *many* bits of trial and error, the two of you manage to make something that, well, resembles the dish. Xiao took a bite of the gelatinous mass and quickly spit it out in the trash, of course neither of you are cooks. The two of you, well, *you* laughed it off, Xiao simply scoffed and stated “Cooking is such a trivial matter, why do you mortals even bother.” but there was a clear sense of amusement in his voice. In the end, you had Yanxiao make you the dish, but not without being laughed at by the man for the aprons he left you.

- Dottore

Dottore isn’t a date person, but he will allow you to accompany him in his laboratory. Try to take a peek in his books and he’ll quickly agree to take you out on the town just to keep you out of his work. He’ll take you out shopping, using his status as a harbinger to get better deals on the items you were looking at. If you decide not to get something because you think it's too expensive, he’ll push you to the side and grab it, taking it up to the counter and paying for it before you can voice your protests. He’s not vocal about his affection, in fact it’s something that’s very difficult for him, but that just means he’ll show it through gift giving and doing things for you. While the date might have been your idea, he takes charge of it very quickly, after taking you out shopping, he takes you to the fanciest restaurant he can think of, you know, one of those restaurants that have a dress code? Anyways, he’ll end the night by taking you to a tavern, which eventually leads to him taking you home and-- I’m sure you can imagine what comes next. ;)

[outridera]

//Imagine a future/older AU Amber, where she has her own apprentice Outriders- Just teaching them how to glide properly, how to be a Knight. Rebuilding the foundations of future Outriders. It sounds so sweet. The Outriders being back, and under the Knights of Favonius banner.

[tryvyalsynnes]

Wip Wednesday

I was tagged by @midnightprelude, @elveny, @faerieavalon thank you! Tagging forward! And also @serial-chillr, @slothabed, @fandomn00blr, @johaeryslavellan, @pikapeppa, @oftachancer and whoever else wants to do the thing.

On the way to the Merchant’s Guild, Anders bought himself a few apples. He was munching one contentedly when he picked up Varric’s letter.

He liked Nevarra. He’d always hoped he’d be able to see it, and all the places like it, places steeped in history, where mages had a place outside a circle—he’d spent many happy hours walking the streets, looking at the statues, and touring the Necropolis, meeting the wisp-inhabited corpses, talking to the Mortalitasi. He felt a pang of regret when he walked down its avenues; so much would have been different, if only he had been born someplace else besides a farm close to Kinloch Hold.

Regrets—he had lots of those. He’d spent the time since Kirkwall running and hiding, staying out of the way, recognizing if he showed his face anywhere, it would hurt the slow acceptance of mages in Thedas. At least he had his friends; reconnecting with Varric and the others, lending a hand when they needed it and he could get away with it, was one of his few joys. Excitedly, he cracked the seal and began to read, smiling.

He was smiling through the first paragraph; he could almost hear the dwarf speaking—Varric was doing well, starting a new book, thinking of becoming Viscount of Kirkwall. The new Divine was cleaning house; things were going to improve. The Circles of Magi were going to be disbanded, the Chantry reformed.

Anders knew this; the talk in the taverns had been all about Sister Nightingale’s upheaval. He'd been in shock for days when he'd first heard it, jubilant… and sad... his life was not going to change. His smile dimmed.

Then it disappeared altogether. Anders clutched the letter, squinting at it, the half-eaten apple forgotten.

Fenris had been recaptured. He was in Tevinter. Varric had it on particularly good authority; Fenris was in the Imperial Palace awaiting trial for crimes against the Imperium. Anders folded the rest of the letter, stowed it in his pack—he’d read it later—and threw away the apple.

Within minutes he was back in the Guild, withdrawing all the money he’d invested. It was a sizeable fortune for a mage, almost fifteen sovereigns.

Within hours he was part of a wagon train bound for Tevinter; he’d decided to throw caution to the wind and hired on as one of its outriders—he’d bought himself a horse, a new cloak, boots, robes, and filled his pack with essentials for a long journey.

He was not exactly sure what he could do, but he had to do something. Unlike Hawke’s other companions, he plenty of time on his hands. He was due to die soon anyway, of the Taint, like all Wardens. He had a spirit of Justice in him—on its own, an excellent motive.

He’d always felt bad about the way he’d treated Fenris when Danarius had come; it all seemed so petty now, petty, and downright evil, to wish a companion back into slavery just because of his beliefs, considering they were justifiable, and Fenris was only mortal…

The right of ownership was almost sacred in Tevinter. The right to own another person was inalienable; it was a foundation of the Empire. No one could interfere with it. Could it be as easy as walking up to whoever had Fenris and demanding the return of his ‘property’?

Anders was going to try; it was the only thing he could think of to do. If he was laughed at, tossed out into the street, and told to go play elsewhere, then he’d think of a real plan; he’d know better what to do once he got to Tevinter.

Three days later, the caravan paused at the border to resupply.

Anders got paid; he stared at the three new sovereigns in his hand. Other than getting outfitted for the journey, he’d had no extra expenses. He had sixteen sovereigns now. What he’d started out with was four years worth of scraping and begging.

Was mercenary work always this lucrative? If—when—he saw Fenris again, he would have to discuss it with him. The work was certainly dangerous—they’d been attacked by bandits twice, and two of the wagons had been set on fire—but he had everything he needed to become an excellent mercenary: a powerful weapon and years of battle experience.

It was illegal for a non-citizen to work in Tevinter. Anders and the other southern mercenaries were given a choice. They could accompany the caravan, but instead of pay, they would get papers with time against the ten years of indentured servitude needed for citizenship. Anders took the offer.

The journey overland to Minrathous was uneventful. At the Merchant’s Guild in Minrathous, Anders went to get his writ. The merchant had a small office in the Guild; Anders stood in front of the desk, pack slung over his back, staff in hand, ready to leave as soon as their business was done. Until this moment he had been ‘healer’, ‘mage’, and ‘Hey, you’; there was no reason to learn the names of people who were hired to die in combat.

“Healer.” The dwarf dip a pen in ink and looked up at him. “What name do I put on the papers?”

“Anders of Kirkwall.”

“By the Paragons. Seriously?” The caravan master stared at him coldly. “Unwise. ‘Anders’ is worth money, Ferelden. This will be your only opportunity. Choose another.”

“It’s Anders. I have to be ‘Anders’ when I get to where I’m going.” Anders shifted uncomfortably. “It can’t be that uncommon of a name.”

“Venhedis. Maker preserve me from mooncalves; I hope your contacts are sound. You have contacts? Tell me you have them, and no one will be coming to ask questions.”

“Of course I do!” Anders lied, beaming.

“If it were not for your healing, I would not bother with you, but you have a place if you need to return.” The merchant signed the paper and stamped it. “Here, fool. Do not lose it. It is all the countenance you have. Without it, you are just another beggar and possibly an escaped slave.”

He waggled his eyebrows at Anders meaningfully. “Understand what I am saying. Andraste preserve you, healer.”

[savior-of-humanity]

SHARKY’S SUPER MEGA ICON MASTERLIST

So, I’ve been working on a pet project for quite a while now - basically making icons of just about anything and everything you can think of.

So far, this icon pack contains 100x100 unedited icons for the following characters, creatures, enemies and entities: AXL: AXL EVOLVE: Behemoth, Elder Kraken, Goliath, Gorgon, Kraken, Meteor Goliath, Wraith STELLARIS: Arthropoids, Avians, Fungoids, Humanoids, Machines, Mammalians, Molluscoids, Plantoids, Reptilians ALIEN VS PREDATOR: Xenomorphs (Drone/King/Praetorian/Queen/Spitter/Warrior/Predalien/Sangheili/Unggoy/Jiralhanae/Kig-Yar/Rex), Yautja DOOM: “Angels”, Doom Slayer, Dr. Samuel Hayden, Night Sentinel, Arachnotrons, Arch-Viles, Barons of Hell, Berserk Hunter, Cacodemons, Cherubs, Cyberdemons, Cybernetic Demons, Gremlins, Harvesters, Hellknights, Helltime Hunter, Icon of Sin, Imps, Invulnerability Hunter, Lost Souls, Maggots, Maledict, Mancubus, Marauder, Unnamed Flying Demons, Unnamed Whip Demons, Pain Elementals, Pinkies, Prowlers, Razors, Spider Mastermind, Summoners, Zombies FALLOUT: Deathclaws GOD OF WAR: Jormungandr CLASSIC GODZILLA: Anguirus, Battra, Biollante, Destoroyah, Gezorah, Gigan, Godzilla, Hedorah, King Ghidorah, King Kong, Kiryu, Kumonga, Manda, Mecha-Godzilla, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Mothra, Orga, Rodan, Space Godzilla, Titanosaurus, Varan, Zilla SHIN GODZILLA: Humanoids, Kamata-kun, Shinagawa-kun, Shin Godzilla LEGENDARY GODZILLA: Godzilla, Ghidorah, Kong, Mothra, MUTOs, Rodan, Skullcrawlers HALO: Atriox, Prophets of Truth/Regret/Mercy, Ripa ‘Moramee, Rtas ‘Vadum, Thel ‘Vadam, Tartarus, Brutes, Elites, Grunts, Hunters, Jackals, Prophets, Skirmishers, Scarabs, Gravemind, Infected Brute/Elite/Human/Spartan, Infection Form, Tank Form, 343 Guilty Spark, Didact, Librarian, Warden Eternal, Engineers, Machines, Monitors, Promethean Crawlers/Knights/Soldiers/Watchers, Guardians, Sentinels, Master Chief, Fred, Kelly, Linda, ODSTs MONSTER HUNTER: The Handler, Random Hunters, Random Palicoes, Anjananth, Azure Rathalos, Barroth, Bazelguise, Black Diablos, Deviljho, Diablos, Dodogama, Great Girros, Great Jagras, Jyuratodus, Kirin, Kulu-Ya-Ku, Kulve Taroth, Kushala Daora, Legiana, Lunastra, Nergigante, Odogaron, Paolumu, Pink Rathian, Pukei-Pukei, Rathalos, Rathian, Teostra, Titzi-Ya-Ku, Tobi-Kadachi, Uragaan, Vaal Hazaak, Xeno’Jiiva, Zorah Magdaros OVERWATCH: Ana, Baptiste, Bastion, Brigitte, Doomfist, D.VA, Efi, Emily, Ganymede, Genji, Hanzo, Junkrat, Lucio, Lynx Seventeen, McCree, Mei, Mercy, Moira, Orisa, Pharah, Reaper, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Sigma, Soldier: 76, Sombra, Symmetra, Torbjorn, Tracer, Widowmaker, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Zarya, Zenyatta QUAKE: Sorlag SCP FOUNDATION: SCP-682, SCP-939, SCP-096 SKYRIM: Alduin, Paarthurnax, Odahviing, Durnehviir, Ancient Dragons, Blood Dragons, Elder Dragons, Frost Dragons, Legendary Dragons, Regular Dragons, Revered Dragons, Skeletal Dragons STARCRAFT: Abathur WOLFENSTEIN: Jess, Soph XCOM: ADVENT, Archons, Chrysallids, Cyberdisks, Drones, Ethereals, Faceless, Floaters, Mechtoids, Mutons, Berserkers, Sectoids, Seekers, The Chosen, Vipers, The Viper King, Central, The Commander’s Avatar, Lily Shen, Mox, Outrider, Tygan, Vahlen You can find the changelog for this list at this link. You can find the disclaimer for the icons I’ve made at this link. You can view and download the icons I’ve made at this link.

[drakochan-ffxiv]

LFRP: Rainier de Aurifort

DETAILS –––

Age: 32

Race: Elezen, Ishgardian

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Marital Status: Single

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE –––

Hair: Short dark hair, almost midnight blue fading into a pale blue. It is cut short at the sides of his head and slightly longer on top.

Eyes: Deep Crimson Red

Height: 6′8″ / 207 cm

Build: Despite the fact that he is very slender at first glance, that is because his height belies his bulk, broad in the shoulders and chest, and well-muscled. His strength is primarily in his upper body and arms, from wielding a shield and sword, and now a two-handed sword.

Distinguishing Marks: A long scar down his left cheek, presumably from his time serving in and around Whitebrim, a slight bump in his nose where it seems to have been broken and healed not quite properly. A large set of marks on his back that seem to be claw marks.

Common Appearance: Adjusted to his domicile now in Ul’dah, he dresses for the desert and hot weather when he is in Eorzea, rather fond of the warmth. This means a lot of open-front shirts and loose-flowing linens, though he is still often seen in the frock coat in Aurifort colors.    

PERSONAL –––

Profession: Diplomat and trader, Paladin and outrider when he is in Coerthas.

Hobbies: Watching the Arena fights, people-watching in the taverns in Ul’dah.

Languages: Common Eorzean.

Birthplace: Foundation, Ishgard

Residence: Ul’dah. [Apartment location to be determined]

TRAITS –––

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Inpatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION –––-

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

RP Hooks –––

A Cursed Fate: Rainier was on patrol outside of Dragonhead as part of his family’s service to House Haillenarte, when he and his squadron ended up in the bottom of Witchdrop, where they had an encounter with voidsent. He survived, but with a curse that changed him... Now, he must feed on life aether by drinking blood on a regular basis, or risk going berserk and losing control of himself. [Basically he’s a vampire because I can.]

The Burden of A Family: Rainier is in Ul’dah as a representative of house Aurifort in Ishgard, the youngest son of the family and thus least essential back home, so he is seeking actively to open up trade or business arrangements with his family’s name and businesses in Ul’dah.

Dealer’s Choice: Just as it sounds, if there’s something you’d like to write with me, definitely feel free to hit me up! I’m always up for plotting over discord or pms

CONTACT INFORMATION  –––

Available to RP on: Discord or in-game if I am around.

DISCORD: Send me a note and I’ll be happy to share

DATA CENTER: Crystal.

SERVER: Zalera

TIMEZONE: MST. (+6GMT)

ACTIVE HOURS: Evenings after 5pm local time on weeknights and during the day most weekends. Discord is a better way to get in touch with me to schedule RP.

18+ Please: As an adult, I prefer to keep my partners also adults, just to avoid anything that might cause issues. Rainier is basically a vampire and involved with some shady stuff, which means plots involving him may lead to violence/drugs/alcohol use/sex/etc and I would prefer my partners to also be 18+.

[toughgirlchallenges]

Annijke Wade - Adaptive Athlete & Community Advocate. Passionate about making the outdoors and mountain biking a safe space for all.

Annijke (she/her) is a new adaptive mountain biker and athlete. 

  In 2021, Annijke sustained a spinal cord injury in a horrible downhill mountain biking accident. 

  In 2022, Annijke is back to sport and is learning how to live as a full time wheelchair user. 

  Outside of loving mountain biking and being outdoors, Annijke also is passionate about making the outdoors and mountain biking a safe space for all.

  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out. 

  To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Sign up as a Patron -  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you. 

    Show Notes

Who is Annijke

Starting mountain biking in 2019

Learning how to live as a full time wheelchair user

Returning to sport and mountain biking

What Annijke was like as little girl 

Starting ballet at 3 years old

Having a keen interest for the arts

Starting to interact with the natural world

Being exposed to the outdoors through her Girl Scouts Troop 

Being adopted at 2 months old 

Going to college and taking a step back from dance 

Wanting to try new things in the outdoors

Studying environmental studies with a concentration on political science 

Getting into mountain biking 

Moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico

Buying her first bike - DiamondBack HardTail 

Being intimidated by other mountain bikers

Falling in love with the sport and why she loves it

Enjoying the community and being supported

Riding a BowHead Reach Bike - full suspension, all-electric off-road adaptive trike that has two wheels in front, and one in back

2022 - Getting back to sport and why it’s been so fulfilling 

The incredible amount of support through her community

Being a sponsored Athlete - with PEARL iZUMi 

High Fives Foundation

Kootenay Adaptive Sport Association  Adaptive Mountain Biking advocacy, trails, programming and rentals in British Columbia and beyond. 

Bike Instructor Certification Program (BICP) 

What does advocacy look like in this space

Being intentional about what she does 

“I want to be on an adaptive mountain bike and this is what I want my life to look like”

Going after a Para FKT on the White Rim Trail in Oct 2022 

Josie Fouts - Mad scientist on a mission to single-handedly save the world with cycling! IG: @ms.stubbornness 

National Abilities Centre

Outride Foundation 

100 mile desert ride in Canyonlands, National Park, Moab, Utah.

Trying not to get too attached to the outcome

Dealing with mechanical issues 

Broadening the conversation about access and opportunity in the outdoors

Tread Setters is a film project that highlights 5 para-cyclists riding the White Rim Trail while balancing the mental, emotional and social aspects of advocacy.

Is the White Rim Trail Accessible? Why it’s yes and no.

Needing people to support her due to the nature of the trail and the remoteness 

Why being outdoors might look a little bit different

Wanting to become an Adaptive Mountain Biking Coach - (BICP)

Adaptive Level 1 Fundamental Skills Instructor

Wanting to share mountain biking with others and create a welcoming environment

Plans for 2023

Sea Otter Classic Mountain Biking Race, Monterey, California, USA

Connect with Annijke 

Where does her Instagram handle come from

What is a Geospatial Professional?

Final words of advice and wisdom

  Social Media

  Website annijkewade.com 

  Instagram @geodesicdome 

  Check out this episode!

[artwalktv]

High Road is a story of resilience, persistence and strength. Meg Fisher has been on the start line of countless paracycling races – she’s won World Championships and Olympic medals. Jack Berry, just 14 years old, has never raced his bicycle, having only recently recovered from a battle with cancer. Together, they prepare to take on a local gravel challenge thanks to Meg’s advocacy for the inclusion of a para cycling category. Though they have each lost a leg in their own challenging stories, Meg and Jack show us there is always a reason to keep pushing – to keep riding. Executive Producer(s) - Colin Keaveney (@colinkeaveney), Dan Riordan, Lindsey Hagen (@linze3) Head of Production - Aaron Schurman (@jewcydad) Director - Lindsey Hagen (@linze3) Producer - Lauren Todd (@lautodd_) Director of Photography - Chris Naum (@chris_naum) Post Supervisor - CJ Taglione (@cjtaglione) 1st Assistant Camera - Evan Grainger (@evan_grainger) BTS Photographer - Kyle Stansbury (@kylestansburyphotography) Grip/Gaffer - Seth Warren (@elementsmixedmedia) Editor(s) - Jordan Ingram (@stabilityfilms), Chris Naum (@chris_naum) Audio Tech - Arrowroot Productions (@arrowrootproductions) Sound Design/Mix/Color -Jared Blizzard (@jaredblizzard) Cover Art + Design - Evan Grainger (@evan_grainger) Talent - Meg Fisher (@megfisher), Jack Berry (@j_berry84) SPECIAL THANKS The Berrys Cannondale (@ridecannondale) Outride (@outride) Montana Gravel Challenge (@montanagravelchallenge) Jack’s Army Dana Farber Cancer Institute The Jimmy Fund (@thejimmyfund) A Step Ahead Prosthetics (@astepaheadprosthetics) Born to Run Foundation (@theborntorunfoundation) Keep up with Cannondale: https://bit.ly/3Dcdsuy

[ask-de-writer]

GREEN VELVET : Classical Fantasy : Part 15

GREEN VELVET

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

24116 words

© 2018 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Cover art by @wind-the-mama-cat

Written 2003

All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any form, physical, electronic or digital is prohibited without the express written consent of the author or proper copyright holder.

Express permission is granted for all sorts of fan activity, whether music, written or art.  Fair use of characters and settings in fan works, whether art or written, is encouraged, provided that proper credit is given for their origin. Reblogging on Tumblr is allowed.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

New to the story?  Part 1 is here!

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

The other earls, dukes, counts and barons had the grace to look abashed.  We rejoined the marching army and continued north, through rolling woodlands, toward Ilsk.  It was getting colder, not because of going north, but due to the simple fact that fall was coming on.

Toward moonfall the army was preparing to ford the river Salanter at a much higher place than the earlier action.  Outriding scouts came in at a gallop from the west.  Their leader called to Organe, “Your Majesty!  There is a heavily armed force traveling our way rapidly. They are flying the banners of Drummond!”

Organe called her army back from the ford and ordered the baggage train to hide in a patch of forest on the east side of the road.  She advanced her foot into a smallish patch of woods to the west of the road.  She hid her cavalry behind the trees, anchored to the woods with the footmen in a line east.  A second detachment of cavalry were formed behind a small hill on the north, making a wide corridor for the enemy.

As the enemy came into view, it became clear that they were retreating in good order, fighting a running battle with a band of pursuers.  They made straight for the ford, passing between Organe’s forces.  

The trap was sprung with a roar of dragon fire.  The blast hit the ground in front of the Drummond of Drummond, scorching the grass and causing the horses in the front rank to rear, screaming in fright.

The ones behind could not stop and ran full tilt into their comrades.  The retreat became a rout. Those who had kept their seats tried to go around the wreck of men and horses ahead or flee to the sides.  The cavalry to the north charged out of concealment.  The cavalry to the south swung out like a great gate, sealing the forces of Drummond into a crescent with the open side closed by the pursuit.  

The first banners of the pursuit came into view.  The proud colors of Kless were in the lead and the unit banners of Illsford spread out behind him in a wide search for stragglers.  Horns called and called back. Banners converged and the men beneath them, on lathered mounts, came into sight.  The circle was complete.  Drummond could flee no further.

His men formed a circle about his banner, spears bristling in all directions.  Organe walked onto the field, between her army and the trapped Drummond of Drummond.  She sat, forefeet solidly on the ground, tail curled about in front of her forelegs like a relaxed cat.  She raised her right paw up by her ear and scratched the mane behind it with her battle-claw, flicking it so swiftly that it nearly could not be seen.  She settled herself again.  The Dragon took a long green eyed stare at the men in front of her.  Her footmen came out of the trees in orderly ranks and formed, ready to charge when needed.  All there could see the end of this conflict.

“Drummond,” she called. “Drummond of Drummond!  I know that you cannot surrender.  I can see the binding from here.  Clumsy human work but good enough.  Your men are not bound.  They can surrender but so long as you stand against Me they will too.  They are good men.  Too good to lose.  As are you.  Give your men this.  The freedom to leave your service if you can no longer lead them.

“I know why you serve Blackwood.  Your family, wife, both daughters and both sons are chained in Morgon’s lair.  

“I will give you two things. The rescue of your family.  Whatever happens here, your family will be as safe as a Dragon can make them.”

“I have heard only one thing Organe.  You said two,” Drummond called back.

Organe breathed a great sigh, “The second is a way out of this with your honor intact, if not your life.  Come fight Me singly.  I will use no unfair weapon.  If you prevail, return to Blackwood with your men, unmolested.  If I win, then your men can give over and be saved.  They will be allowed the right of parole.  Released on their word not to fight further. Or they can join my army.  Their own free choices, won for them by your bravery.

“Will you face me?”

Cadley turned to me and said, “This is difficult for our Queen.  Drummond was one of those few whom Organe called the Jewels of Her Crown.  Now a foul magic has put them at spears points.”

Sad for Organe’s dilemma, I said, “It is not a new thought that all war is cruel, but civil war is the most uncivil of all.”

Drummond answered Organe by taking his banner in his own hands and walking out of the ring with it.  Halfway to her, he paused and planted the banner in the turf.  He drew his plain, workman-like sword from its jeweled scabbard and charged crying, “For Family and Men!”

Organe simply blasted him with blue fire.  He stumbled and fell.  She ambled up to him and held out her left paw, saying, “Get up, Drummond.  I know that I didn’t hurt you.  I just toasted that stupid geas of Blackwood’s.  Sorry about this uneven turf.”   He took her paw and got to his feet.  

Suddenly he was back onto his knee, head bent.  “Majesty, forgive me!  I could not do otherwise than I did.”

Tolerantly she said, “Of course not, Drummond.  It must have been terrible, what with your family kidnapped and bound by that geas, too.  Now give your men to My command.  Then your oath is fulfilled with honor. You can no longer lead them.”

Drummond’s men were integrated into the force of Kleesley, Baron Kless who had just broken their attack and pursued them for near thirty miles.

Organe called a halt for the march and got her men fed and rested before crossing the river into the southernmost parts of Ilsk.  

There we met refugees coming south down the road, marching in surprisingly good order for civilians fleeing a war.  They were driving herds of cattle before them and carrying coops of fowl.

I took the time to commend Cadley for seeing to this evacuation in such a skillful and compassionate fashion.  Laying a hand on his shoulder, I told him, “This is the best managed civil removal that I have ever heard of.  Your people are well provisioned and you have kept families together.  Having them cook in troops like that saves much time and effort.  I know that the Queen admires what you have done.  Whatever harm may come to Ilsk, you have saved Her greatest treasure.  Her subjects.”

A few expert quartermasters from Cadley’s troops had seen to the organization of the camp for the refugees and retired Sergeants helped to keep order.  Shelter was being made in the nearby woods.  Lean-tos were being rapidly thatched or covered by blankets for now.  Due to the orderly nature of the evacuation proper tools were available for the work and it was progressing rapidly.

I could tell that Organe was pleased by what she saw.  She knew that her people were the foundation of her Hoard and keeping them safe was important to her.

The army continued to wend its way north.  At the confluence of the rivers Salanter and Ilskflo lay the town of Ilsk.  Less than a league to the northwest was a hill crowned with the small but solidly built castle of Cadley, Baron Ilsk.  The troops of the Windsrede wing of the army were there before us.

Many of them were looting the houses and shops of anything valuable.  Organe was furious.  Her roar was deafening.  She sent her cavalry across the Salanter bridge.  They charged through the town and formed up, blocking escape to the Windsrede army’s camp on the plain.  

The looters were trapped.  The men in the town suddenly remembered what they should have kept in mind in the first place.  Dragons have a short way with thieves.  

To be CONTINUED

<==Previous   Next==>

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Classical Fantasy

[sjecblogarchive]

FROM THE GREEN CORNER

11/06/2020

BY ANNA GALINA PETTY

FROM THE GREEN CORNER

MARK YOUR CALENDARS TO LEARN AND ACT:

NOVEMBER 4, 11, 18, DEC. 2, &9, 7 PM: A 5-part discussion of Joanna Macy’s excellent book ACTIVE HOPE will be led by Va. Interfaith Power & Light. Register here.

THE OUTRIDER FOUNDATION (NOVEMBER 14, 1 PM): This Foundation works to end the threat of nuclear war and reverse the course of global climate change. Tia Nelson, Managing Director, is Climate Change Lobby’s November guest speaker .  In the aftermath of the election, Tia will share lessons learned from her father, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day, with perspective on the state of the climate movement.

Information for the November meeting and playback of previous speakers can be found here: https://community.citizensclimate.org/resources/item/19/426

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY IS NOVEMBER 15! https://kab.org/programs/ard/

Did you know:

Recycling in the United States saves the carbon equivalent of removing 36 million cars from the road. (Earth911) Five hundred homes could be heated for 200 years with all the wood and paper thrown away annually in the United States (General Electric Corporation)

In 2010, Americans generated 250 million tons of trash and recycled and composted 85 million tons of this material. The amount of trash generated each day by each American is 4.43 pounds. (US Environmental Protection Agency) When you toss an aluminum can, you waste as much energy as you would if you filled that can half full of gasoline and poured it onto the ground. (Waste Age News)

Every American throws away an average of 3 pounds of aluminum foil each year. Consider recycling your clean aluminum foil. (Earth911.org) The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle can light a 100-watt light bulb for four hours or run a computer for 30 minutes. (Waste Age News)

Doubling the national recycling rate could create over 1 million new green jobs. (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives)

From Fauquier Wasteline, Winter.

Recycling information specific to your area can be found at the top of the webpage www.earth911.com

TREAT YOURSELF:

Spending time each day to sketch or use words to describe nature can be very healing. The Clifton Institute offers both inspiration and opportunity to do exactly this. https://cliftoninstitute.org: In October, Managing Director Eleanor Harris led a program that introduced children and adults to the practice of nature journaling…We’ll be opening the property (6712 Blantyre Rd., Warrenton) to nature journals on November 21; you can learn more below. If you ‘re interested in practicing in the meantime, we have a playlist about nature journaling on our YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br6Ygw-wu5A&list=PLROmivlqp61blPOH550BCUc3_o6xvQZlj

There are also great resources available at  https://johnmuirlaws.com and on Facebook’s   https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturejournalclub/  .

[andrewtheprophet]

When The Bowls Of Wrath Become Real: Revelation 16

When The Bowls Of Wrath Become Real: Revelation 16

WHEN NUCLEAR WEAPONS BECAME REAL For American youth, nuclear weapons have seemed like relics of the past — till now. Words: Kristie Moore Pictures: Ben BlennerhassettDate: April 13th, 2022 This piece is published in collaboration with Outrider Foundation, a nonprofit media group that publishes commentary on security issues, public policy, and social justice. For many of us, Feb. 24, 2022,…